They were in the car, jamming to their "Best Playlist Ever!"  It was all *NSYNC or *NSYNC adjacent songs. They were right outside of the Disney property sign!  They had the Playlist on random shuffle, always believing the music gods knew what they needed.  The 4 women started to squeal followed by tears when the next song started.  The harmonies started…"Dreams come true, dreams come true, they doooo.  When you, When you wish upon a star" just as they spotted the Walt Disney World sign!!  It was Kismet.  It was all the things that these four friends would laugh about over Facebook messenger voice messages if they were all home.  This time they were all together. They were spending the week at Disney together, and they were seeing two members of their favorite band and meeting new friends. This band brought them together.  From 4 different stages of life from four different areas of the country they found each other in the *NSYNC fandom during a global pandemic.   

It was the week they had been waiting two years for.  It was Eat to the Beat week!  They had all taken their precautions and were ready for a week together.  It was Monday morning and their plan was to head to their hotel, get checked in, then head to the parks.  They planned on taking their *N *NSYNC foot step tour they had been planning for the last two years.  Elizabeth pulled the car in at Pop Century, how could they pass up staying at POP!  It was an all *NSYNC week...all the *NSYNC jokes they could handle.  Charlie, Lex, and Rhyann joined Elizabeth as they walked to check in.  They were 4 women on a mission!  Once they got checked in they hopped on the skyliner and were headed to EPCOT.  Today their plan was to do as much as they wanted at EPCOT, they knew that the rest of the week they only had one goal at EPCOT...get as close to the stage as possible for Fatone N Friends!  

Dressed in their custom inside joke t-shirts they were ready to go.  Charlie’s shirt said Joey Fatone’s best friend, Lex’s said JC Chasez’s best friend, Rhyann’s said Chris Kirkpatrick’s best friend and Elizabeth’s said Lance Bass’s best friend!  They had planned on meeting up with a bunch of other friends they had met from the fandom later in the day.  They were going to take a million pictures in front of the newly returned “Leave a Legacy” wall.  The girls were so excited they were going to get to see them!  They had been in touch with Melinda letting her know that if she happened to be free they would be hanging out at EPCOT on Monday.  They hoped they were going to be able to meet Melinda and at least be able to tell her thanks for being so kind and supportive online.  Melinda told them that she would try to meet the big group for a picture.  

The girls headed towards Mexico… “Let’s start this day off with a toast,” Charlie suggested.  They started in Mexico, visited a couple of countries, rode a few rides, and soon it was time to meet up with the group.   They walked up to the legacy walls and saw a group that they started to see familiar faces.  They talked and bumped elbows and squealed, they were all so excited to finally meet each other.  After a while of chatting and catching up they went on a search for the 5 faces that brought them together.  The group split up and started searching… It didn’t take long before they all heard… “I FOUND THEM!!! THEY ARE HERE!!!  THEY LOOK PERFECT!”  After lots of pictures...selfies with the guys‘ pictures, group pictures, and individual pictures, the group started to get a little smaller.  One by one the girls made plans on meeting up sometime during the week. Not everyone was taking the same plan for the shows.  Rhyann, Charlie, Lex and Elizabeth were the last ones at the wall.  There was a cast member walking by and they asked if she would take a picture for them.  At that moment they saw Melinda walking up.  They all introduced themselves and Melinda jumped in the picture with them.  They took several pictures, silly poses and all.  The cast member was taking the final pictures and her eyes grew bigger and bigger.  The girls went to grab their cameras from the cast member and all pulled up the most recent picture.  There was a collective scream.  Instead of 5 people being in the last picture, there were 10.  Melinda started laughing and then the girls turned around and saw 5 grown men bent over laughing.  They were face to face with *NSYNC.  ALL OF *NSYNC.  The girls tried to compose themselves and walked over to the guys and started to introduce themselves, but Chris stopped them.  He walked up to Rhyann and said “So, you are my best friend.  Damn, I have been looking for you for years. These guys claimed to be my friend, and they just left me to fend for myself for years.”  Rhyann introduced herself. She told Chris, “I would never do that to my best friend, ride or die.” The girls all introduced themselves to the guys.  Justin noticed that he didn’t have a “best friend”.  Elizabeth spoke up and said, “I’ll be your best friend too.”  Everyone laughed at the fact that superstar Justin Timberlake felt a little left out.  Melinda noticed that they were starting to draw a little bit of attention their way and suggested they all move indoors.  There was a private room close to Spaceship Earth that they went to.

The girls kept looking back and forth with each other with shocked faces.  They could not believe that this was actually happening.  They had hoped that this would happen, but never in their wildest dreams did they see this happening.  They were hoping to just be able to meet Chris and Joey.  That’s when it hit Charlie… she said, “Hey...you three aren’t even supposed to be here.  What is going on?”  The girls had all been so excited to meet the guys they forgot that only Chris and Joey were scheduled to perform.  Was this the reunion they had been manifesting for years?  

The guys and Melinda started laughing at the girl's reactions. Melinda had formed a relationship with the girls over the last year; she was always friendly with the fans, but she had formed an extra special relationship with these four.  They had told her they were going to be coming down for Eat to the Beat and wanted to hang out with just the 5 of them.  Melinda thought this would be a great surprise for the girls and a great way to thank them for all they had done for the fandom and continuing to support and promote the guys, even when there was nothing to promote.  Lance had decided that he was making a surprise appearance on the last night at Eat to the Beat.  When the guys had been talking in the group chat about surprising everyone, Justin and JC thought, well we could be on stage for one performance.  The guys were so excited to all be able to hang out together they decided they would make an entire week out of it.  The struggle was going to be keeping Lance, Justin and JC hidden.  

The ten of them sat and decided to have dinner together.  The girls told everyone a little bit about themselves:  Where they lived, how long they had been fans, what they did for a living, all the basic get to know you questions.  The guys talked about projects they had going on, they joked with each other, and the girls just laughed watching them.  Lance noticed that the girls were laughing at the same things, and he could tell these girls were great friends, life friends.  He asked how long they had known each other? The girls laughed and Elizabeth spoke up and said, “We all met online; Lex and I met in person in 2019. This is the first time all of us have been together.  We all met each other online last year.”  The guys were shocked.  These girls reminded them of how quickly they became friends all those years ago.  And here they were still bringing friendships together all these years later.  The guys looked at each other and it was like a lightbulb went off.  JC jumped up and said, “Band meeting, now.”  The guys went off to discuss.  JC was the first to speak. “Guys, I know this is crazy; but what do you think about inviting these girls to hang out with us this week?” JC had four sets of eyes staring at him in shock.  Of all the guys JC was the most reserved.  Lance spoke and said, “There is something familiar about these girls. Plus Biddy trusts them.  She wouldn’t have arranged this if she didn’t.” “It could be fun to hang out with some normal people this week, y’all know what I mean,” Justin added.  After a few more minutes they pulled Melinda off to the side and discussed it with her.  All six of them were on board.  

While the guys were having a band meeting, the girls were having their own discussion.  Their conversation consisted of “Be Cool! Stay Calm! We are in the same room as *NSYNC! Best trip ever!” They were in mid laugh as the guys returned.  

Chris stepped forward, “Hey Ladies, (the girls started laughing, the guys looked at them crazy and Justin made a mental note to ask about this later) we have a proposal for you.” Rhyann looked at Chris, “Christopher, a proposal already?”  Everyone laughed.  Chris continued, “What would you think of hanging out with us for the next week? We are planning on going to the parks each day, we of course have rehearsals for the shows, but you would be able to sit in the friends and family section or backstage.  Charlie looked at the girls and said girls meeting!  The girls gathered just to be funny.  They knew that there was no way they were passing up on this opportunity.  They whispered back and forth, a couple of times looking back over at the guys, and continued whispering as they looked at each other and smiled.  The girls turned around and told the guys they would love to hang out with them this week.  They ordered dinner and then were off to spend a couple of hours on the rides at EPCOT.  

They all started heading outside.  None of them realized how late in the afternoon it was.  Time had flown by while they were getting to know each other.  They decided to head to Soarin first, then The Land and Nemo.  As they were walking to Soarin the group naturally gravitated to smaller groups.  Charlie and Joey were laughing about the face masks they saw other people wearing, Rhyann and Chris were talking about their favorite parts of the park they were passing, Lex and JC were discussing the music the park was playing, Elizabeth, Lance and Justin were talking about the way the others were acting. They were so happy to see their friends so happy.  Behind them all walked Melinda.  She was taking pictures of the groups ahead of her, and tossing around all sorts of thoughts in her head.  Currently she was thinking how she had known these guys for over 20 years, and in one day they all meet a woman that in some way they click with.  She laughed at the thought, “I guess Kismet does exist.”

The group rode everything that they could.  It was starting to get dark and the park was close to closing.  Lance, Justin and Elizabeth were talking as the group was headed to take pictures in front of Spaceship Earth.  Elizabeth commented on how surprised she was that the guys hadn’t been bothered by fans while they were walking around.  Justin mentioned that he was surprised by that as well.  They chalked it up to the girls being with them and thankful for hats and face coverings.  They ended the night at the park with Spaceship Earth and then a handful of pictures in front of the iconic landmark.  The girls were going to ride the skyliner back to their resort, but the guys were not ready for the night to end.  Melinda headed back home and left the nine of them and made arrangements to meet up the next day.  The guys were staying at the Grand Floridian.  They had transportation arranged for them back to the resort.  

They arrived back at the resort and headed to Joey’s room.  Since he was the headlining act, he had one of the larger suites.  The guys were all staying on the same floor, so on the way to Joey’s room they stopped off at their own rooms to change into lounge clothes.  They grabbed some waters from the fridge and headed to the common room. Lance spoke up and said “Let’s get to know these girls a little better, who’s up for some 20 questions?” 

Lance: I’ll start. We will start with something easy, where did you grow up? All four of you.  

The girls answered, Arizona, Tennessee, Georgia, Nevada all spoke at the same time followed by laughs. 

Joey: Favorite ride at Magic Kingdom that we have to ride tomorrow? Elizabeth said Space Mountain, Lex said Big Thunder Mountain, Charlie said Splash Mountain and Rhyann said the Tea Cups.  “YES ALL MY FAVORITES”, Chris said with excitement.

JC: What was the last playlist that you listened to? Anyone. The girls started laughing.  Almost to the point that they couldn’t catch their breath.  Elizabeth spoke up and said, well the last playlist was called “The Greatest Playlist EVER!”  JC: And what amazing music is on this Greatest Playlist? Lex: It is any song that you guys have done as a group, individually, as a collaboration, an adjacent song; like MMC songs, songs you have covered, pretty much anything that has come out of your mouth.  The guys were shocked, but the girls were proud of their reaction. Justin spoke up and said, I would be interested to see all these songs, there can’t be that many of them.  Charlie laughed and said, well there was over 12 hours without a repeat!  The guys were shocked.  

The questions continued, the guys asked questions about music, movies, likes, dislikes, family, dreams, pretty much anything you could think of.  They had avoided one particular topic. *NSYNC.  Justin had the last question.  Okay ladies, I want to know your best memory that involved the group.  Chris interrupted and said...and who did you have a crush on? 

Lex started and said The Celebrity Tour. That show was so stripped down and intimate, I had more Justin on my wall than anyone.. Charlie said the DC benefit concert.  The emotion there, all the amazing talent, it was surreal.  JC loves DC! Elizabeth said CFTC.  Being at those events allowed us to see a side of you we didn’t see on camera or on the stage.  I have a thing for those deep voices. Rhyann was the last to answer and said this moment, I never got to see all of you together in person.  I also had JC on my walls. The guys always got a little sad when fans from back in the day mentioned they never got to see them live.  These girls seemed so genuine; it had been a long time since they felt a connection with new people so quickly.  

It was starting to get late, Joey and Chris had rehearsal in the morning and they still needed to make a plan for tomorrow.  The group decided that they would meet at the Crystal Palace for breakfast the next day before Chris and Joey had to go to rehearsal.  The girls left a note with their numbers on the table.  The guys arranged for their transportation to take the girls back to Pop Century.  They said their goodbyes with quick hugs and headed to the car.  

In the car on the way back to Pop the girls freaked out!  They looked at each other and at the same time said, “Whose life is this and what are we doing living it!” This has been the most unbelievable day!  Lex pulled up Instagram and started a group chat with the four of them and Melinda.  “THANK YOU FOR THE BEST DAY EVER!  We can never thank you enough for today!  :)”  Melinda responded with just a simple heart and “Can’t wait to see what happens next.”  She smiled and felt very proud of herself.  

The girls made their way back to their room, it was after midnight at this point and they collapsed on their beds.  They were getting ready for bed and heard a ding, followed by three other dings.  Before they could reach their phones their phones continued to ding.  Elizabeth was the first one to pick up her phone and saw a text message from an unknown number with a bunch of other numbers she didn’t know attached to it.  As she was opening her phone Lex said,“Great I got a spam text.” They all unlocked their phones and at the same time had a look of shock on their faces. They were now on a group text message with *NSYNC!!!  

Justin: Hey ladies…(did y’all laugh at that one? We still want to know what is so funny about that) we wanted to make sure you got back to your room safely. 

Joey: Hey you guuuuyyysss...look new friends.

Lance: I apologize in advance for whatever nonsense this text leads too. ;)

Chris: Don’t expect JC to say anything, he never responds to text messages. 

Elizabeth: We made it back to our room safely.

Lex: Thanks for letting us use your car. 

Rhyann: We can hang with whatever nonsense you throw at us.  We have our own! 

Charlie: Thanks for a great night!

JC: I do too respond to text messages!  Hey!  

Justin: Alright ladies we will see you in the morning! 

Charlie looked at the girls and said ladies we have not only made the group text, we are part of a group text. The girls stayed up for a while longer talking about everything that happened today. The guys were doing the same from their rooms. 

Justin: Guys, is it just me or does it feel like we have known these girls forever?  I know I don’t trust people easily, but something about them makes me want to trust them and want to spend more time with them. 

JC: I was sitting here thinking the same thing.  And you guys know how little I trust people, but I’m with you J, I feel like we have known them for a lifetime and I want to know more about them. 

Joey: I am so glad Melinda picked these four to be friends with.  

Chris: They seem like so much fun and can keep up with our craziness. 

Lance: I think I might want 4 new best friends! 

The guys continued their conversation for a bit and finally said goodnight.  JC turned out the lights and thought to himself about how great today had been.  He was back with his 4 best friends, no pressure, just them hanging out, and it was an added plus to have new friends.  

Tuesday Morning

The girls woke up ready to tackle the day!  They were up and ready in no time.  They were planning on taking Disney Transportation to the Magic Kingdom.  Lex heard her phone ding and it was a message from JC, there is a car waiting out front for the four of you.  See y’all in a bit.  

The girls walked out to the front of the resort and just like JC said there was a car waiting, Charlie went up to the gentleman standing outside the car “I think this might be for us.” He said “I am picking up Four Best Friends, Mr. Josh said they would know what that means.” The girls laughed and said “Yep, that’s us.”  They were off for a magical day.  Not only were they going to the most magical place on earth, but they were going to meet Lance, JC, Justin, Chris, Joey and Melinda and spend the day together.  Then ending the night seeing Joey and Chris on stage together.  

The girls walked in and spotted the guys and Melinda immediately.  They sat down and the guys greeted them with good mornings, catching up on their night, if they had any trouble getting in the park this morning, etc. The server came to the table, and you quickly saw shock on her face, but she handled it like a pro.  Everyone placed their orders and started conversations with those closest to them.  There was talk about the rides they wanted to ride, and the conversation continued while everyone ate.  Joey and Chris finished first and had to get to rehearsal. They told everyone they would meet back up in a couple of hours.  Their plan was to rehearse on the stage before the park opened so no one would see the sets.  Chris looked at Rhyann and told her “Best Friend, don’t get tired of the mountains.  We are riding them all when we get back.” Once Joey and Chris left, the remaining group decided they wanted to hit Space Mountain, Buzz, and Speedway.  The guys had a cast member that was going to be with them all day so they wouldn’t have to wait in the lines while they were all together.  They were trying to keep the chances of causing a scene to a minimum. 

The group headed off to Space Mountain first.  They started their tour around Tomorrowland. They were escorted to the front of the lines and laughed with each other while waiting in line and walking from ride to ride.  Somehow they went unnoticed.  They made it through the rides at Tomorrowland and started towards It’s A Small World when Joey called Lance to find out where they were. Joey said he and Chris would meet up with the group in about 20 minutes.  After a ride on the teacups they headed towards A Small World.  Joey and Chris spotted the group waiting out by the teacups.  Chris looked at Joey and said, "Let's have some fun with these girls!" "What do you have in mind?" Joey asked. "Follow my lead," was all that Chris shared.  Chris started running towards the group "Rhyann!!! BEST FRIEND I MISSED YOU TODAY!" he picked her up and swung her around as Joey followed suit with Charlie. "Charlie you must come with me tomorrow,  I can't be without you for so long."  When the guys put the girls back on their feet the entire group was laughing so hard!  They rode a few more rides before it was time to head back to EPCOT to get ready for the first show. 

 They were on the bus over to EPCOT Elizabeth, or Lizzy as the guys had started calling her, was sitting between Lance and Justin.  She got a text from one of their friends wanting to  know where they were meeting to watch the show tonight.  Panic slapped her in her face.  "Hey guys, where are we watching the shows tonight?  I just got a text from Jess and she was asking where we were all meeting? What should I tell her?" Justin looked at her and said, "Well we will be backstage hoping to not be seen. We will just hang out there in between shows."  Lex looked at Lizzy and said, "Since the first show is pretty easy to get great seats to, let's meet them at the seats, we will have to leave after that and I don't know."  JC had a light bulb go off and spoke up and said, "Joe, why don't you do a drawing for like a social media person for the week? We could kind of rig it so one of you wins it and gets to hang out with Joey and Chris for the week and then you won't have to worry about why you guys are with us, or them!" "Oh, the winner and 3 friends get to hang out! JC you are brilliant!" Joey replied.  Joey looked at Charlie and asked if she would create the post.  He was not great at social media.  Charlie’s eyes got really big and looked at Joey and said, "You really trust me with your personal IG???" "Sure, you see how poorly I do on it."  Charlie sat there and thought to herself, what would Joey Fatone post? What would he say? She found a picture of the empty stage that he took at rehearsals and used it for the post.  She put the caption as "Calling all Jedis at Disney!  Who wants to hang out with @iamckirkpatrick and I for the week and run our socials for the week?  Comment below and I will randomly draw a name.  The winner and three friends will get to see Fatone and Friends from an insider's point of view.  We will post the winner after the first show! #fatonenfriends #whywouldsomeonewanttohangwithus"  She read it to Joey and he loved it and immediately pressed post.  It was now posted to his IG, Twitter and Facebook.  As soon as it posted the phones in the van started going off. Joey looked around shocked… “The post only tagged Chris." Justin spoke up and said, "Dude I don't know what is happening, but all their phones started singing."  Lex started laughing because the girls’ phones were blowing up.  JC grabbed her phone and started laughing.  “Dude there are so many notifications here. Notification that Joey posted on Twitter, IG, and Facebook, and dang all these tags what in the world is happening?” Rhyann stopped laughing just enough to speak, “Welcome to fangirl life! We can’t miss posts when you guys actually post something.  And everyone knows we are here, so people are tagging our personal accounts and our fan accounts for us to enter! Girls, time to activate fan mode! Joey, be prepared for the comments! “ 

They arrived at EPCOT and hopped out of the vans.  This is where the girls would go back to reality for a bit.  They couldn’t walk in with the guys on the off chance that someone saw them and their cover would be blown.  The girls headed towards the American Pavilion. It was still early so there was no issue getting seats on the front row!  They beat their friends to the seats, so they started discussing how they could not mention any of this to anyone.  They were laughing when the girls started to join them.  They all caught up on what everyone had been up to last night and that day.  Of course no one had a day like they did, but no one would know about their day either.  There was starting to be some commotion to the side of the stage.  Joey and Chris were entering the backstage area.  There were several other people who were walking behind Joey and Chris, of course they had hats and face coverings and their sunglasses so no one could see any of their faces.   Rhyann leaned over to Lex and whispered, “Ummm that is not what they were wearing earlier. These guys are going all out not to get caught!” They chatted with their friends and the crowd that was gathering.  All four of the girls' phones dinged at the same time, and their faces lit up.  It was the group chat with the guys. 

Justin: Was anyone suspicious of us when we walked in? 

JC: There are so many people out there already.

Chris: I will not look at y’all when I come out on stage.  I will not do it.  Okay maybe a little bit. 

Liz: No one around us has said anything about who the handsome strangers were. ;)

Charlie: We will try to not bring too much attention to us. :)

Rhyann pulled up her chat with the girls: 

Can y’all believe that we are sitting here front row waiting for ? of *NSYNC talking to 100% of *NSYNC!  

All the girls just shook their heads and laughed. 

Justin sent a text to Liz:

Hey, I wish y’all could be back here to see this. And then sent a picture of a hacky sack.  I didn’t send this to everyone, because I knew y’all would go crazy. :) But I wanted to share it with you.  We should for sure post a picture on the group account Thursday night right? 

OMG are you serious? Y'all are about to hackey and we are missing this?  Don’t worry it will be our little secret until later.  

Charlie sent a text to the group: 

DO NOT JUDGE US FOR WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN!  Remember it has been years since we have seen you guys live.

Lex: AND TOGETHER!

Rhyann: Just remember we are still the same cool girls from this morning! :)

Liz: This is about to go down!

Joey: We can’t wait!  Bring your best fangirl ladies!  Show is about to start!  

The music started and the crowd went wild!  Joey came out and started the show.  He sang a couple of songs on his own and then brought Chris out. They sang a song together.  The crowd went wild when Chris and Joey sang “Trashin the Camp!”  

Justin: This is killing me seeing them sing and I can’t be out there with them.  Do you know how long it has been since we have been on stage together?  

Liz: Ummmm yes I do.  VMAs 2013. :) 

Justin: Of course you know. ;) Maybe I can talk to the guys about us doing more than one song together this week. 

Lance to the group: Man this song really needs a true bass line on it. 

Lex: I think I know a guy. ;) 

JC: This is strange seeing you guys performing our songs and us being right here.  Normally we aren’t hanging out backstage watching it. 

Liz to the girls: IT’S HAPPENING!!!  I can’t believe we are seeing this!  

Charlie to the group: I am not answering anymore messages while the concert is going on. I am trying to watch my BEST FRIEND. 

The show continued and before the last song Joey thanked everyone for coming and encouraged everyone to come to the rest of the shows this week.  He also reminded everyone to check out his and Chris’ social media pages this week.  He promised lots of fun!  They closed out the first show with “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” and the girls sang their hearts out. Rhyann grabbed her phone and recorded the 4 of them singing with Joey and Chris on the stage.  Chris saw her recording and ran over to the stage and couldn’t help getting in the video.  The show ended and the girls were on an emotional high. They made their way out of the pavilion like everyone else.  They talked to their friends and geeked out over the show.  Their phones were going crazy and they knew it was their big group chat, but they didn’t want to risk someone else seeing their messages.  The guys were getting impatient when no one was answering them.  Liz’ phone rang and she stepped away from the group to answer it.  

Hello?

Hey Lizzy, it’s Lance, are you where you can talk? 

Hey!  For you, my best friend, of course. How is everything going back there?  

It is just like the old days.  Even though we weren’t on the stage with them it feels just like the old days.  This is going to be a great week.  I just wanted to let you know that our group feels a little small, so Joey is about to post the winner.  There will be directions on what to do, but basically just come to the side door.  Kari will be there to bring you guys back.  Make sure it is a real reaction.  

Oh..Ok.  I’ll be sure to check that out.  Thanks for letting me know.  I know I hope we can meet up while I am in town.  I’ll talk to you later.  

Man, I could probably say anything right now and you couldn’t really respond the way you would really want to right now.  Hmmmm.  What should I say? Oh how about...I saw Justin texting my best friend during the show.  Do you know anything about that?

Uhhh..(cough) ummm...I heard that did happen.  But it was nothing.  Ok bud I gotta run and get back to my group.  I’ll reach out to you later. 

Lance just laughed as they hung up.  “Got her!”  

Liz joined the group with three sets of eyes looking for any clues.  She just nodded that everything was okay.  The girls were talking about what their plans were for the next show.  They were walking over to the line to go ahead and get in line for the next show when a ton of phones started dinging. They could hear others around them say “Joey announced the winner!” “Aww man it isn’t me.”  “Man that girl is so lucky, could you imagine hanging out with Chris and Joey for the shows?”  “I wonder if they will get to hang out with them during the day as well.”  So many conversations were happening all at the same time. The group of friends looked down at their phones and saw that Joey had indeed chosen a winner.  And that winner was standing in their circle of friends right now.  Rhyann started screaming at the top of her lungs, like any real fan would!  She started jumping up and down and everyone around her was joining in.  The whispers around them started, “Oh that must be her.” “Her? Ugh” “Man it looks like she has friends to take with her.”  After a bunch of hugs and they calmed down Liz spoke up and said, “Ry it says you and your three friends need to meet Kari at the side doors.”  The four women looked at each other, gave hugs to their friends and Ry grabbed hands and started dragging her friends back towards the pavilion.  She looked at them before they got to the door and said, “I didn’t think he would pick me. Even though I knew it would be us, this is still exciting!” They all laughed at her and each other.  

Kari was waiting at the door, she introduced herself to the group and showed them to the room where the guys were hanging out.  Kari opened the door and announced, “Hey fellaaaassss...your winners are here.”  The guys turned around and came running over to the ladies!  They were all talking a mile a minute.  “Can you believe how loud everyone was?”  “What did everyone think?” “Man I wish I was on stage with y’all as well.” “Dang this week is going to be so hard, but so fun in the same manner.” “Wait, what did y’all think?”  And then it got quiet.  Rhyann, Lex, Lizzy and Charlie all replied at the same time and said “We LOVED it!  It was amazing!” The group decided to take some pictures.  A bunch of the girls with Joey and Chris, so they can be used for socials. And then there were so many other pictures for the group themselves.  They had about 30 minutes before the next show.  Things started to settle down for the group.  They hung out and watched TV backstage and just chatted.  Kari came back and pulled the girls, Joey and Chris out to the stage to take some pictures on the stage and with the band to be able to post online. 

JC was sitting in one chair while Lance and Justin were in two others not far away.  He spoke up hesitantly, “Guys, this whole thing is really strange right?  I mean I feel like the nine of us have been friends forever.” Lance looked at him and agreed, “Yeah man, it is like they have been around a lot longer than a couple of days. I can also see each of you looking at these women a little differently than you did when we first met them, and it is bizarre that it is all happening at the same time.” Justin joined in and said, “All I know is I am so excited to see what happens this week.  Maybe tonight after the show when we get back to the rooms we can discuss the plan for the week.” The guys all nodded in agreement, and thought about what the possibilities could be for the week.  Very quietly Justin spoke again, “I would also like us to see if the 5 of us can do more than one song together, and discuss what the future holds.  We are all together and now is the time.”  Justin, JC and Lance all smiled at each other as the others came back into the room. 

JC pulled Justin off to the side while everyone was getting ready for the next show.  “J, what are your thoughts if we all broke off part of the day one day this week?”  “I would be up for discussing that with everyone.  It sure would make not being caught a lot easier.” “Why? Are you wanting to spend some time with Lex alone?” Justin nudged JC as he said it. “I don’t know, I just want to have the option if we could.  There is something about her that seems familiar like we have known each other, and she sees past JC Chasez, former pop star.” “Let’s discuss with the guys tonight and see what their thoughts are, but I would not pass up a few hours to get to know Lizzy better as well.  I feel the same; she sees Justin, not Justin Timberlake or JT, but just me.  We have had a few conversations today that just intrigue me to learn more about her.” 

Chris and Joey were getting ready to start the second show.  Before Joey went on stage all five guys gathered and hackyed and prayed.  The girls all took some great shots of the very private moment. Chris and Joey kicked the hacky between the two of them a couple of times and Ry grabbed a boomerang to post on Joey’s page.  She knew that the fans would go crazy over it. The second show went on without any issues. The crowd was hyped, and Chris and Joey sounded amazing.  Backstage there were several conversations going on, all where they could see the stage and sing along.  When the show finished they had dinner and calmed down before the last show.  Even though each show was just 30 minutes, it was still exhausting breaking it up.  After the third show the group decided to stay and watch the EPCOT fireworks.  Lance and Kari stood back and looked on at their friends.  “This is going to be an interesting week,” Lance commented as they looked at the pairings separated along the fence watching the fireworks.  He grabbed a quick picture to document Tuesday. 

Once the fireworks were over and EPCOT was getting close to closing time the group decided to call it an early night and head back to the guys’ rooms to hang out.  On the way back Joey sent a text to the guys, “Melinda told me that she got all the girls' stuff moved over to our resort.  They are all in a room on our floor.  They are going to freak out when we get back.” It was close to 10pm when they reached the floor where the guys' rooms were. The group was starting to feel the day and just wanted to relax a little.  They all went to Joey’s room again.  Ry looked at Chris and asked, “Best friend, would you happen to have an extra shirt and shorts that I could change into to get comfy?” He looked at her and told her he would be right back.  Instead of going to his room to get the clothes he went to the girls room.  He pulled out 4 t-shirts and 4 pairs of pj pants.  He got back to the room and set the clothes on the table by the bathroom.  He let Ry know that he grabbed a few things.  She walked into the front room and saw the pile of clothes and looked at Chris, “Chris, how did you get these?  These are our clothes, right?” The guys had the biggest grins on their faces.  Joey spoke up, “Us guys were talking and figured that you all would be hanging out with us most of the week anyways, and there was no reason for y’all to have to go back and forth when we could just get you a room right here, close to all of us.” The girls were shocked.  They couldn’t believe how kind the guys were being and that they really wanted to spend time with them.  It was still hard to believe.  Justin spoke up, “Oh and we took care of your room at Pop as well.  We don’t want y’all to have to worry about anything this week; except having a great week and getting to know new friends.” Justin had a hint of a blush on his face saying the last part. He knew he was falling fast for “Lance’s Best Friend.”  He thought, she can be Lance’s best friend, I’m not looking for just a best friend.  

The group settled in the living room area to watch a movie. During the movie, little conversations were starting to form.  JC and Lex were the first to get up and walk out to the balcony.  They didn’t talk at first and just enjoyed the night sky.  Lex was the first to finally speak. 

“JC, I wish I could explain to you how amazing the last few days have been. Never in a million years would I have guessed that my best friends and I would be here with you guys. And not just meeting you, but you all actually wanting to hang out with us and get to know us.  I mean we are just a group of fans.” 

“Lex, I have to tell you, a month ago I didn’t know I would be here.  I had no plans of coming.  The guys had been bugging me to come, but I didn’t want to.  Now I can’t imagine not being here.  Being with my best friends is one of the best feelings in the world for me.  It has been so long since the 5 of us have been together longer than a couple of hours.  And then to add to it meeting y’all was totally unexpected.  And I can’t wait to see how this week ends up.” They continued talking on the balcony. They shared the bench during their conversation. JC had put his arm on the back of the bench and a breeze came by and Lex shivered. JC pulled her close to him to protect her from the wind. They enjoyed a comfortable silence in breaks of their conversation. 

Soon after JC and Lex went out to the balcony, Lance got a call on his phone that lit up his face.  He excused himself to his room and told Justin to be sure to text him when they figured out the plan for tomorrow.  

Chris looked at Ry and asked her if she wanted to take a walk? Of course she agreed.  They took the elevator downstairs and started walking around the property.  Chris was dying to ask Ry what she really thought of the shows tonight. He wanted a really honest opinion, and he felt like she would have one. “Ry, can I ask you to be really honest with me?” She stopped walking and looked at him, “Of course, is everything ok?” “Oh yeah, I just wanted to know what you really thought of the show tonight?” She chuckled at his seriousness. “Chris, seeing the two of you on stage together tonight, took me back. You both sounded amazing.  You sounded great and strong together and on your own. I wish you could have heard what everyone around us was saying.  Everyone was so happy seeing you guys perform.  They will lose their minds Thursday. You are strong enough that you could do something on your own if you wanted to.” Chris had the biggest grin on his face listening to her. “I know, but there is just something about being on the stage with any of my brothers, it just makes it special.  There is just magic when any of us are together.”  Ry agreed.  They continued to walk around the resort talking, enjoying each other’s company and just getting to know each other. 

Joey, Charlie, Justin and Liz finished the movie, but not really paying their full attention to it.  Joey and Charlie were on one side of the room and Justin and Liz were on the other.  “Hey Joe, what is the plan for tomorrow?” Justin asked as he was getting up from the floor. “Why don’t we just order breakfast in the morning and we can meet back here around 11 and then head down to the pool or golf or something like that. I’ll send out a text to everyone.” 

Liz started yawning and looked like she was struggling to stay awake.  Justin stuck out his hand “Hey Sleeping Beauty, you look like you are fading.  Would you like an escort back to your castle?” Liz blushed and laughed “Sure, Prince Charming,” as she reached out and grabbed his hand.  He pulled her into his arms and they told Joey and Charlie goodnight.  There was something in their touch that both of them felt. They started walking down the hall hand in hand and arrived at the girls’ room, “Would you like to come in for a bit?” They went out to the balcony and could see JC and Lex still on Joey’s balcony.  Liz yelled down to Lex to let her know she was back in the room. Justin and Liz sat on the balcony looking out into the night sky. Liz placed her head on Justin’s shoulder.  “So Georgia, huh?” Justin looked at Liz. “Yeah I live right outside of Chattanooga actually. I feel like I can get all four seasons there, at least for a bit. I work for a non-profit in Chattanooga, so it keeps me out of the city but close enough to the city to do things. Are you in Nashville very often?”  “I come to Nashville a couple of times a year to see my mom and my best friend, but I might have to start making more trips to the area.” Justin winked. They continued their conversation for a while later. 

Charlie looked at Joey and said, “And then there were two.” “I didn’t expect everyone to bail, but I am not complaining. I am wondering how I am going to get JC and Lex out when I am ready to go to sleep.” After a great conversation with Charlie about their hometowns, Joey sent out a text to the group letting them know to meet back at his room at 11 for breakfast.  As the replies came back in JC and Lex walked back in, apologized for staying out there for so long and walked out to the hall. Charlie looked at Joey and laughed, “Well that did it, didn’t it? I should probably head to bed. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Joey gave her a hug as she left the room.   

As the nine of them settled in for the night there were so many texts going back and forth between all of them. As the girls settled into their new room they told each other about their night.  The guys were doing the same via text. They fell asleep with the anticipation of another day for new adventures.

In the girls room: 

The girls were all starting to wake up, feeling like they were living in a dream.  Ry gasped out loud when it hit her that she didn’t post anything from last night.  “Y’all we never posted anything last night on social media on our own pages.” Lex even commented, “We didn’t even get a good picture of all of us, or just us.  Today we have to do a much better job.” Liz agreed, “I mean I have a ton of pictures I can’t post yet, but not many that I can post today.  I think I have a couple that I can post.” Charlie was already on her phone pulling up socials trying to determine what to post.  As the girls were posting on social media Charlie said, “I think I am going to tag Chris and Joey in these and see what they do.”  The girls started getting up and ready to head down to Joey’s room.  They were staying in their pjs, but just getting presentable.  

Meanwhile in the guys rooms: 

Justin: Morning fellas.  Everyone awake?  I have been lying here awake for a couple of hours thinking, can we all get together before we meet with the girls this morning?  

Chris: Sounds good to me.  Are we having a meeting meeting, or just shootin the shit meeting?

Joey: Breakfast will be here around 11, so whenever y’all get here will be good.  J, you okay? 

Lance: Hey Joe, will there be enough food for one more? ;) 

Joey: Dude, did you go out and hook up with someone last night?  Please don’t bring that over here? 

Lance: No, I just had a friend fly in last night.  He will be here the rest of the week. 

JC: Why are there so many texts so early in the morning?  Dude, Michael ended up flying in?  That’s awesome! 

Chris: Hey did the girls tag y’all in a post this morning?  Oh wait it is just me and Joe.  Bah haha we got tagged with y’alls girls. 

Justin: Well sure they couldn’t tag us, we aren’t supposed to be here.  Remember dumb ass. 

Joey: I’m sending them a request from IG.  

Chris: Same here.  

All: On my way over.

The guys met in Joey’s room about 10:15.  “Alright, Timberlake, what is this about?” Chris asked. “Okay guys, we have been trying for years to get in one place at the same time for a couple of days.  And here we are.  I would like us to talk about doing something as a group while we are all together this week.  We don’t have to make any final decisions, but I would like us to seriously start this discussion.  Not saying we are going to start it later.” Justin breathed a deep sigh of relief when he finished.  

Lance, Joey and Chris had the biggest grins on their faces!  They all let out a scream of YES of course! Lance looked at JC and Justin and said, “Guys, we have just been waiting on y’all.  The last few years the interest in us doing something has really increased.  I am down for this discussion whenever y’all want to discuss it.”

JC felt all his brother's eyes burning a hole in him.  He knew they had been waiting for him.  He knew that the fans had been waiting on him. He knew that he was waiting on him. He took a deep breath and said, “I think I am ready as well.”  There were now 4 sets of eyes in shock staring at him.  JC spoke up and said, “Okay, guys, let’s find a time this week to sit down and plan out the next steps, but let’s not let it take over the week.”

Justin was the next to speak up, “Guys, I would also like to see if you would be opposed to the five of us doing more than one song together?  I know it is your show Joey, but what do you think?” 

Joey looked at Chris and said, “Dude, if we want to do the whole last show together I think that would be amazing.  Let’s rework the show this afternoon so we can fill the band in and work everything out for tomorrow.” 

“Man this is going to be great! The girls are going to flip out!” Lance was almost screaming. 

“Let’s not say anything to them yet, let’s surprise them tomorrow,” Chris mentioned as there was a knock at the door.  

Meanwhile the girls were getting ready to head down to Joey’s room.  They walked out of their room to head down the hall and heard someone else in the hall. They were coming out of their room and the girls figured it was one of the guys.  The person was coming out of Lance's room.  Liz walked over and without seeing who the person was said “Good morning Best Friend!” The person fully stepped out of the room and jumped.  “Oh, well hello! I didn’t know I had another best friend here,” the man chuckled.  He leaned against the door, looked at the girls and said, “Well this explains why I needed to get here as soon as I could. Hi, I’m Michael.” “Michael uh?  I wonder how come my best friend didn’t mention he was replacing me?” Liz laughed and gave him a hug.  All the girls introduced themselves and told Michael they were glad to have him along.  The five of them headed off to Joey’s room.  Michael knocked and JC opened the door. “Did someone set out places for 5 amazing people to join?  I found these 4 beautiful women roaming the hall and thought I would bring them along.” Michael said as he walked in the room finding Lance.  Lance jumped up and gave Michael a big hug and told him that he had missed him. Liz walked over to Lance “You could have told me you were replacing me,” she said with a pout and then laughed.  Lance pulled her into a hug and whispered, “I think you are the one that replaced me.” He kissed her on the cheek and winked at her.  “Still best friends?” They laughed and started walking toward the dining room to breakfast.  

Liz felt someone pull her hand back and spin her around.  She spun into Justin’s chest.  He wrapped her into a hug and said, “Good Morning. I’m so glad to see you.  And I’m glad you replaced Poofu over there.  I’m more fun!”  Liz blushed and could only give Justin a hug as they made their way over to the group.  

The group sat down for breakfast and started to discuss what the day held.  Joey spoke up and suggested, “Let’s just hang out at the hotel today. There is a lot we can do around here. Chris and I need to be back at EPCOT no later than 4:30, but you all can get there whenever you want.  First show starts at 5:30 like yesterday.” For the most part everyone wanted to start at the pools. Everyone figured that most everyone would be at the parks so the pool would be less crowded.  They would all go from there as the day progressed.  

Justin spoke up and said, “I think I am going to book a tee time for Friday morning if anyone wants to join me.”  He looked at Liz and told her she could drive the cart if she wanted.  She looked sad and replied, “Friday we are scheduled to go back home.”  Lex then spoke up and said, “I bet we could move flights to at least Sunday.” “Let’s figure this out later on today, let’s enjoy the day, but know that we need to look at work schedules and see what we can do,” Ry said in almost a defeated tone. 

The group knew they wouldn’t have all the time in the world together, but were realizing that their time together was for sure running short.  

After breakfast everyone went back to their rooms to get pool ready.  They met back in the hall a short time later.  Just as they expected, the pool was not as crowded as it could be.  They were able to grab a couple of cabanas poolside, and they were ready to enjoy the day.  Everyone was in the water when Joey yelled, “TIME FOR CHICKEN!” The group continued to play in the pool.  

Charlie had set an alarm on her phone to let them know when they would need to start getting ready for the shows.  Her alarm was sounding and the group started laughing.  All the group could hear was “1, 2, 3, to the 4 I think it’s time to get on the floor.” Everyone was laughing so hard at the alarm Charlie was running for her phone, but couldn’t get to it before the alarm sounded with Chris’ voice, “HEY LADIES!”  The guys stopped, and it was like a lightbulb went off.  Then everyone started laughing again and Charlie was bright red.  Joey went up to her and picked her up and looked at the group and said, “I’ve got my lady, we are going to get ready for tonight.” Joey carried her off to the resort.  Everyone else started to make their way back to the resort as well.  Michael and Lance were at the end of the group walking behind everyone. Michael started laughing and said, “Boy, Bitty was right, they sure have found their matches.  It is bizarre that they found their matches in another group of friends. It really is Kismet isn’t it.” He grabbed Lance’s hand as they walked back to their room.

While everyone was getting ready the guys started texting. 

CK: Guys what do we want to do to rework the show for tomorrow for all 5 of us?  

JF: I think we keep the first show the same.  The 2nd show Lance can do the last song with us and the 3rd show is all 5 of us for the whole thing.  I am afraid if Lance comes out the first show or anyone else it will be chaos for the other shows.  

LB: That sounds good to me, what are we singing? 

JF: I thought we could do Gone, and just hummm and ooooo. 

JT: Jerk.  Don’t bring that shit up.  I thought we had moved past that.  I never wanted it to be a single where we would have to sing it all the time.  Guys…

SILENCE

JT: GUYS it has been 20 years, I said I was sorry. 

JF: I’m just playing, we can do Tearin Up My Heart.  That will be fun with the three of us. 

JC: So what are we going to do for the last show and when will we have time to rehearse it with the girls around? 

JF: Oh we have that all planned out.  J, tell him.

JT: Yeah we booked a spa day for the girls tomorrow.  So they will have an early breakfast in their room and then get surprised with the spa for a couple of hours.  

LB: Michael is going to go with them to spy for us. Not that he complained at all when I told him the plan. 

CK: While the girls are gone there is a space down stairs that we can walk through the show.  Practice and all that.  We will lay out the show.

JF: Best part, no choreography.  If you want to dance, dance.  If not, don't worry about it.  And the show is only 30 mins or so.  Joe has already cleared it with EPCOT that we might go a little long tomorrow so they are expecting it.  I figure we play until right before the fireworks start. 

JC: Man, this is going to be so amazing.  I cannot wait to be back on stage with you goones even if it is just for a short time.  

LB: I know I hope I don’t say something I shouldn’t and ruin the surprise.  

CK: So after the show tomorrow, we figured that we could jump back over to Magic Kingdom for a couple of hours, they are open till 1 since we won't really do the parks today or tomorrow.  Maybe Hollywood Studios on Friday after golf.  

JT: Oh maybe we could do a trip to the beach on Saturday?  Fellas, how long is everyone staying?  I know originally planned till Sunday or so, but do y’all have anything going next week that we could stay through next week? 

LB: I’m good, I can move a few things around.

CK: I’m open.

JF: I’m here, I just need to talk to Kelly about Kloey, but I’m good.

JC: Let me talk to a couple of appointments and I’ll rearrange some sessions, but I’m staying. 

CK:  WOW..I can’t believe Mr. Chasez is going to rearrange his schedule for us.  

JC: Shut up Troll.  I told you guys I’m here and I am ready to discuss things again.  I’m serious.  I’m in.

LB: I am going to finish getting ready.  See y’all in a bit. 

Everyone met back at the elevators.  The girls were much more relaxed going into this show than they were last night.  

As they were heading to EPCOT, Charlie pulled up Joey’s Instagram and found a couple of pictures that she had sent him earlier.  The first picture was of the audience from the last show last night, then a picture of Joey and Chris, a picture of Joey and Chris with the girls and the last picture was a picture of Joey and Chris with the hackey.  The caption read, “Thanks for a great night last night!  We can’t wait for another great time.  We want to hear you singing tonight!  Feels great to be back on stage with one of my brothers.” 

The girls were texting with their group of friends about the show last night. They had not told anyone that they were hanging out with the guys outside of the show.  JC grabbed Lex’s phone, closed the chat and opened her camera.  They were sitting toward the front of the bus and JC yelled for everyone to look at him.  He snapped a bunch of selfies of the group and then pulled Lex close to him and took a couple of selfies of the two of them.  He leaned in really close to her with the camera out ready to take a picture.  He whispered in her ear “make sure you text me these” And then kissed her on the temple as he snapped the last picture.  Most everyone was in their own conversations at this point, but Lance and Michaell were paying attention. Michael looked at Lance with an unspoken look.  Michael sent Lance a text, “I haven’t seen him this happy in a really long time.”  Lance replied, “Just watch them all.  There is something about all of us being together again, and these new friends that are bringing out a new side in everyone.”  Michael nodded in agreement and texted Lance back, “That includes you.  You are so happy to be with your brothers again and everyone getting along.  And I think you like having new friends as well.  I’m glad I could be here to witness it all.”  Lance pulled Michael in close for the remainder of the ride.  

Charlie and Joey were reading over all the comments that were coming in on the post that she made.  All the guesses of what each picture really meant.  There were some ugly comments about the girls.  But they scrolled past those.  Charlie was nestled under Joey’s arm and they were laughing at one comment that they thought they saw additional shoes in the picture with the hacky sack.  They snuggled close to each other laughing and talking the rest of the way to the park. 

Ry and Chris were in a great debate over if one should start at Canada or Mexico when going around the world at EPCOT.  They both shared a love for all things Disney!  They had debated which park was the best, favorite rides, best restaurants, even the best bathrooms.  They were now looking at the map on the app looking to see if they could do anything after the show tonight even if it was just the two of them.  They went from a heated debate to whispers and laughs. 

Liz and Justin were in the back of the bus behind Lance and Michael. Justin was leaning up against the window on the bus with Liz snuggled up under his arm.  He was quietly singing to her.  He was currently singing “When You Wish Upon A Star,” and she was so content. She had never really appreciated his voice over all these years.  She was never a Justin girl back in the day, and sure she supported his solo career, just she still never really listened to his voice.  Until he was singing to her.  He was singing just where she could hear.  He then asked her who her favorite musicians were.  “Garth, Dave and of course you 5.” She blushed as she responded.  He talked to her about being able to meet both Garth and Dave.  He told her about being able to sing on stage with Garth and hoped that one day he would be able to sing with Dave, but that was a long shot.  He continued to sing off and on to her until they made it to the park.

They arrived at EPCOT and went straight to the Pavillion.  The shows went perfectly.  Joey and Chris put on 3 amazing shows.  The show in the back was just as great.  Everytime that Joey and Chris went on stage to sing Lance, Justin and JC would sing the song in the back.  The girls were so torn as to who to give their attention to.  So by the last show it became a competition between Joey and Chris and Justin, Lance and JC.  The winner was the group that got more of the girls' attention.  There was little that Joey and Chris could do on stage to not make it look like something else was going on.  Backstage Justin, Lance and JC were able to do so much more, at one point Joey looked over and the girls were sitting on the guys knees backstage. It was clear Joey and Chris were losing.  They could not wait for the next night to shock everyone. Charlie made a post on Joey’s IG during the break between shows.  She took so many more pictures of things she couldn’t post than what she could.  

The guys were shutting everything down for the night when Lex looked at JC and said, “Don’t judge me, but will you take a picture with me in a particular place?  Actually can we all get a picture in this place?” JC looked at her with a questioning look, but ultimately agreed.  The guys put their hats on and the group headed to the photo destination.  The girls knew exactly where Lex was taking them.  They were giddy with excitement.  One thing the girls knew they wanted to do on this trip was visit as many *NSYNC landmarks as possible.  There were so many in Disney alone, but they never expected to have *NSYNC at the landmarks as well.  When they reached Germany, they stopped. Lex pointed to the fountain, “There! I want all of us to get our picture at the fountain.” The guys looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces while the girls had looks of joy.  Michael laughed at the different faces and commented, “I’m going to guess you guys did something here years ago the way these women are so giddy.” When the girls realized that the guys were struggling with why this fountain was picture worthy for all of them, the girls' jaws dropped. Ry spoke up in between giggles and said, “Fellas, way back in 1998 you all were on the “Disney Holiday Special” and you sat here (she grabbed Justin’s hand and sat him on the fountain) and you sat here (she grabbed JC’s hand and sat him next to Justin) and you sat here (she grabbed Chris’ hand and put him next) and then you (as she grabbed Lance’s hand) and then there was you, sir (she grabbed Joey and put him on the end) and you all told us what was special about Christmas to each of you and you sang and all around the world this fountain became an *NSYNC fan’s photo op forever and always.” The guys started to softly applaud so as to not draw any additional attention.  Ry took a bow and the guys smiled for pictures.  They found a nice older couple to take a couple of group photos, and then the girls took pictures, and then there were selfies of all different pairings.  After they finished their impromptu photo shoot the group decided to keep with the nostalgia and head to Disney Springs for a late dinner.  

They took the bus over to Disney Springs, and the guys were flooded with memories when they got out.  Lance looked at Michael and couldn’t wait to show him where the stage at Pleasure Island was.  As they walked over to where Pleasure Island used to be, the guys were taken over by so much emotion.  They stopped outside The Boathouse where they planned on eating dinner.  Joey was the first to speak, “Guys there is something magical about this spot.  This is where it all happened. This is close to where 8 Tracks used to be and Pleasure Island, this is where we all started this journey.  I am so glad that we could all come back here together all these years later.” 

The group took several selfies out on the docks.  Lance asked for a group picture of the guys.  There was something in the air and they all felt it.  It was something special that couldn’t be explained. They went in and had dinner.  By the time they finished dinner, Disney Springs was practically empty.  They went back out on the docks behind the restaurant, and sat down close, but not right next to each other, coupled off.  The girls and Michael snuggled in next to the man they were sitting with.  JC started to hum an all too familiar song, one that none of them had sang in a very long time.  Justin heard JC humming and started to join in.  Soon they were all humming and then Justin started singing: 

She was my once in a lifetime

Happy ending come true

Oh I guess I should have told her

I thought she knew

She said I took her for granted

That's the last thing I would do

Whoa I'll never understand it

I thought she knew

I thought she knew

The guys continued to sing.  The girls were now crying.  By the end of the song, the guys had tears in their eyes. All 10 of them were sitting on the docks now drying their eyes.  Chris spoke up, “Guys, I don’t know where we will all be by next week, next month or next year, but I am glad that we are all here together this week. Life always seems to make more sense when we are all together.” They continued to sit under the stars together enjoying the moment.  Joey called for the van to come around to pick them up. They all started walking towards the parking deck.  They all seemed to be walking on air. They had grins on their faces, some for the same reason and some for reasons no one knew about yet.  Everyone made their way back to the resort for the night, crawling into bed with lots on their minds.  

The girls were cozy in their beds and chatting about the day, about dinner, and hearing the guys sing together.  Something none of them thought a week ago they would ever hear again.  All their phones dinged and they looked at them, a new text message thread.  This one had Michael added to it as well.  

JC: Anyone up for Breakfast tomorrow?  I have a call I can’t get out of at 10, could we meet around 9?  

Joey: I’m in, I’ll order breakfast up again to be here a little before 9. 

Lex: Sounds good we are in. 

Guys chat:

Justin: Good move C, pulling breakfast and having a meeting!  

JC: I got skills...just trying to remember how to use them. 

Lance:  Turkey is over here laughing at y’all!  

Chris: Who would have thought it would be Bass that would have the serious relationship last before all the rest of us. 

Joey: I’m not touching that one. Night guys.  See you in the morning.

The next morning everyone woke up with a little more excitement than before.  The guys of *NSYNC couldn’t wait to be on stage together again, all 5 of them, and surprise the girls.  The girls couldn’t wait for that one song to see all 5 guys on stage together.  By the time the girls made their way to Joey’s room they could hear the guys laughing all the way down the hall.  The girls stood in the hall for a minute to process everything.  *NSYNC was together, all 5 of them.  They were going to be on stage together for one song tonight and the world was going to stop!  And afterwards they were going to get to hang out with them!  The door to Joey’s room was propped open and the girls walked in.  Ry walked in saying, “I can’t believe you started the good times without me Kirkpatrick.” Chris grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her into his lap and looked at her and said, “Well, now the party can start, I have my date.  The prettiest girl on the block!”  They both blushed.  Chris whispered in her ear, “I would really like to kiss you right now, but there are too many eyes in this room.  So I’ll wait for later.” Breakfast came and instead of eating breakfast together as a group everyone grabbed plates and broke off into smaller groups.  

Lex and JC went out on the balcony. While they ate breakfast Lex noticed that JC had a certain excitement about him that wasn’t there the day before.  She didn’t know if she should bring it up or not.  So she asked, “Are you excited about tonight? Have you guys decided what you are singing together?” JC thought about how he would respond; he needed to choose his words really wisely.  He was so excited to be back on the stage with his brothers, but he was not expecting to be as excited as he was for the girls to find out, specifically this woman.  He looked at Lex, grabbed her hand and said, “Who knows, it’s Joey and Chris planning it.  For all I know we could sing Riddle.” They both started laughing. They continued their conversation while they ate.  When they finished eating they sat back in the same place they sat a couple of nights ago.  JC pulled her in his lap and they snuggled in close.  He started to kiss the side of her head and she ran her hands over his arms.  He turned her so she was now facing him.  He wrapped his arms around her and her arms went around his neck.  Lex was freaking out internally.  “OH MY GOSH IS THIS ABOUT TO HAPPEN?? STOP FREAKING ABOUT IT AND ENJOY STARING INTO THESE EYES.  HIS EYES ARE SO BLUE.” She let out a small giggle, and it brought her back to reality and shut out her thoughts.  JC looked at Lex as he ran his fingers through her brown hair that hit her just below her shoulders.  She subconsciously started playing with the curls that sat at the base of his neck.  He looked at her and said, “I cannot believe that just a few nights ago we sat in this same place getting to know each other.  Today I sit here dreading that we have to say goodbye to each other in two days. The guys and I decided to stay an extra week.  I wish that y’all could stay as well.” “Wow I had no idea y’all were extending your trip. What I would do to be able to stay as well,”  Lex replied as she put her head in the crook of his neck. He grabbed her face with both hands and pulled her face close to his until they were touching noses.  He leaned down and kissed her lips softly.  They leaned into the kiss. It was the perfect first kiss in both their opinions.  They looked into each other's eyes and let out a soft laugh.  JC spoke first, “I have been wanting to do that for days.” In his head he thought she makes me feel 20 years younger.  They sat wrapped in each other's arms while the others finished breakfast.  

Meanwhile back inside, Joey and Charlie were eating breakfast in the little dining area of the room.  They were laughing over something that Joey said.  They were eating, talking and laughing.  To an outsider looking in they looked like old friends, not that they had just met a few days ago.  When they finished breakfast they sat and talked about the shows.  They went through the pictures they had taken the past couple of days.  They jointly figured out a few pictures to post on Joey’s Instagram.  They laughed at some of the pictures from the show, from the parks and just candid shots that they had taken over the last few days.  Charlie was looking at some of her pictures and said, “I can’t wait to be able to post some of these pictures to document some of the best days I have ever had. The past few days have been more than I ever could have imagined.” Joey looked at her, grabbed her hands and said, “These past few days have been more unexpected that I could have dreamed. I know that my life will never be the same going forward. The 5 of us are reconnecting in ways that we haven’t in years. I have been able to share the stage with my brothers, and I am seeing my best friends find these relationships that none of us were expecting and none of us can walk away from.  You are changing my world, and you don’t even realize it.” She looked back at him trying to hold back tears “Joseph Anthony Fatone you have no idea how you are changing my life and our lives.  The four of us have been counting down for months to this trip.    We finally get together in person and then we get here and our world gets flipped upside down.  We have spent the last couple of days with the 5 of you and had experiences we could never have wished for.  And here you are holding my hands, rubbing your thumbs over the back of my hands, looking at me and listening to me while I talk and pour my heart out, and I feel like I have known you forever.  Not Joey Fatone from *NSYNC, but you Joey Fatone.” He looked back at her with a sincere look, picked up her hands and kissed the inside of her wrists.  There were no words to exchange at this point, but he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her while they talked and waited for the others to finish breakfast. 

Chris and Ry had grabbed their breakfast and headed back to his room for a quiet breakfast together.  Chris kept telling himself they needed to be back in the room by 9:45. For the plan to work they all needed to be back in the room by then.  Ry walked in his room with her hands full with a plate of eggs and fruit and a glass of juice.  Chris held the door open for her and grabbed the things out of her hands. The next thing Ry knew, Chris turned to face her and said, “I told you there were too many people in that room, now there is just you and me. I’m not missing this opportunity.” He ran his fingers through her auburn hair and played with the curls that were still there from the night before. He slid his hands down to her waist and pulled her close and before she knew what was happening, his lips were on hers.  The kiss was just that, a kiss, a perfect kiss.  She wrapped her arms around him and then he whispered in her ear, “Now that is out of the way, let’s eat breakfast so we can get back.” Ry’s head was spinning.  They sat and finished their breakfast, and talked about what they still wanted to do at Disney this week and things they were doing at home. They finished their breakfast and headed back to Joey’s room.  They walked down hand in hand laughing. In between their laughs and conversation they both were thinking about how perfectly their hands fit in the other.  How they couldn’t wait to see where this was going. 

Lance, Michael, Liz and Justin were all eating in Lance and Michael’s room.  Liz felt like the luckiest girl in the world.  She was eating breakfast with Lance and Justin, Lance and Justin were together in the same place and she was there. Michael was always observing the others.  He couldn’t wait to spend some time with the girls today.  He had a feeling that things for all of them were about to change.  He saw how excited Lance was about being back with his brothers and being on stage together.  He saw how excited Lance’s brothers were about these new relationships that were forming.  He pulled out his phone and sent a text to Melinda while the others were talking. 

Michael: Biddy...you have no idea how much you have done this week with this group.  Wow!  (He attached a few pictures that he had taken) There are some real sparks flying between them all. 

Melinda: I am hoping these silly boys have found some new friends, I hope that it brings a spark back to them in being together.  I can’t wait to see what they are planning for tonight.  I know they have something up their sleeve. 

Michael: Boy do they have something planned.  But I won’t ruin the surprise for you.  See you in a couple of hours. 

When they finished eating Lance and Michael made their way back down to Joey’s room. Laughing about Michael’s messages to Melinda, Lance immediately knew what he was up to by the look on his face.  They never could keep secrets between the two of them.  

Justin and Liz were getting up to head back down to Joey’s room.  Justin reached out for her hand.  As he pulled her up he pulled her up in his arms and off the ground. He spun them around, they laughed and felt like kids, not two grown adults.  Justin put her back on the ground and pulled her in for a big hug. They melted into each other and felt like all the world had stopped moving for them.  He looked her in her eyes and in all the seriousness he could find said, “Liz, I don’t know how much time we have together before we have to go back to our regular lives, but before we do I would like to take you out on a proper date.  Just the two of us.  Do you think that would be okay? I can work something out with the guys. We don’t have to spend every moment together as a group.” (He laughed at that thought; it had been years since they had all been together and now they wanted to spend all their time together.) He could tell that he caught her off guard with his question, but he knew she would say yes, the smile that he was becoming addicted to was all over her face. Liz finally found the words she was looking for, rubbing her hands up and down his back she said, “That would be the perfect way to wrap up this week.  I would love to go out with you Mr. Timberlake.” They laughed and Justin picked her up and hugged her again.  He kissed her on the corner of her mouth.  Just enough just enough to leave both of them wanting more.  They made their way back down to Joey’s room.

It was close to 9:45 and everyone was casually making their way back to the room.  JC spoke up and said that he needed to head back down to his room to take his call. Lance said that he needed to answer a couple of emails as well and was going to knock it out before they started their day.  The girls decided that while the guys caught up on work it would be a good time to get ready for the day.  They headed down to their room.  They were all walking on cloud 9.  Ry opened the door to their room and gasped.  The four of them walked in their room and were greeted with four beautiful bouquets of flowers.  There were four notes addressed to each of them and one note in front addressed to all four of them.  Liz opened the note that had all four of their names on it and read it outloud.

“Ry, Charlie, Lex and Liz, please enjoy the day relaxing at the spa downstairs.  All the arrangements have been set up for the 5 of you, Michael wanted to spend the day with y’all as well.  Be downstairs at 10:30 and get ready to be pampered. We will see y’all this afternoon before we all head to EPCOT. Try to enjoy the day without us. :)

 -Stay *NSYNC, Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance and JC (man it has been a long time since we wrote that!)

The girls were shocked, they were flattered and they were so excited.  They each grabbed their cards on their flowers and their phones and piled onto the bed to read their cards.  The girls didn’t have much time before they had to be down at the spa, but before they left they each wanted to thank the guys.  

Group Text:

Charlie: Guys, this is really too much.  Thank you so much. 

Ry: Seriously, you guys are spoiling us too much. Thank you!

Lex: What did we do to deserve this?  Thank you!

Liz: Wow!  Thanks guys!  We can’t wait to hang out with Michael today! :) 

Michael: Yes!  Girls day!  Time to gossip!

JC: Enjoy the day! See y’all this afternoon. 

Joey: Don’t have too much fun without us!

Chris: Enjoy the quiet, tonight is going to be epic!

Lance: Take care of my man!  :)

Justin:  Y’all deserve it for putting up with us this week.

The girls gathered their things and got ready for the day.  They were each smiling like goofs.  They stepped out in the hall to meet Michael.  The girls were all in their own little world.  Michael walked out in the hall and said, ”Hello, earth to the *NSYNC girlfriends!” That snapped the girls back to reality. They looked at him like what in the world.  He laughed at them and said, “What?  Y’all are the closest things to girlfriends I have seen them have in a while. Now let’s go!”

The group walked down to the spa and checked in.  They were each placed in their own rooms.  They were going to start off with individual massages, then coming back together for mani pedis and finishing with facials. While they were waiting for their masseuses they were all on their phones texting the guys.  

Liz pulled out her note from Justin and reread it.

 “Lizzy, Enjoy the day!  I can’t wait to spend the next couple of days with you.  Hopefully we can find some time just for us.  I think I could see myself spending a lot of time looking into those blue eyes of yours. We will figure this out. Justin”  She pulled out her phone and drafted an IG post. She had taken a picture of the flowers this morning and wanted to post them.  She drafted a post that read “Unexpected surprises on an unbelievable trip. #dreamscometrue #disney #girlstrip'' She took a screenshot of it and texted it to Justin. “Hey!  Would you have a problem if I posted this on IG?”  

Justin: Hey beautiful!  Absolutely not.  It doesn’t tie anything to me, so we should be fine. 

Liz: I won’t tag you, yet.  I already follow you.  

Justin:  Just wait til tonight, and you will have a few more new followers I promise.  

Liz:  So what are y’all really up to today?  

Justin: What are you talking about?  We are going to run through the song we are going to do tonight.  

Liz: Ok, I’ll let that slide for now. But I think y’all are up to something. :) I’ll talk to you later. 

She pulled up IG and made the post.  Her account was already set to private, so she wasn’t concerned about people finding her posts. She put her phone down to enjoy the day. 

In Ry’s room she was reading her note from Chris.  Of course he always made her laugh and this was no different.  

Dear Ry Ry, 

I have decided I am calling you Ry Ry and I don’t care if you don’t like it.  Actually I do, but I am still going to call you that.  I hope you enjoy the day with the girls and Michael.  I hope you get treated like a princess today!  Because tomorrow we are spending the day at Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom and you will be treated like a princess.  We will even stay to see all the Christmas Lights.  I love the castle all lit up.  See you this afternoon.  I’ll be the goofy one that is super excited about tonight!  -CK

Rhyann pulled out her phone to text Chris.  

Rhyann- Got checked in at the spa.  We are all in separate rooms right now.  Thank you again for the beautiful flowers. It was so thoughtful of you. 

Chris- Ry Ry! Just you wait. So does tomorrow sound good? 

Rhyann- That sounds great!  But let’s not skip today!

Chris- Oh we aren’t going to skip today.  Don’t you worry about that. Enjoy the day.  I’ll see you in a couple of hours!  You better be refreshed for a long day. 

Meanwhile in Charlie's room. 

Charlie, 

Who knew this week would bring out so many emotions.   When I originally agreed to do these shows I thought it would be fun if some of the guys could come and join me, but never did I believe that all the guys would come. And never did I believe that I would meet a stranger that understood me on so many levels like you do.  Instead of saying that I am already dreading having to say goodbye to you I will tell you how I cannot wait to spend the next few days with you.  One thing we have to do before you leave is go get Zingers.  They are classic!  And I feel very classic this week.  Enjoy the spa!  Don't talk about us too much! See you this afternoon!  -Joey

Charlie: Mr. Fatone...who knew you had such a sensitive side to you. :)

Joey: See what you are doing to me.  

Charlie:  *looks around* Who Me? 

Joey: Seriously I hope y'all enjoy today.  Today is going to be so great!  

Lex was still in a daze after reading her note.  It couldn't be real.

Lex, 

Everyone always tells me that I write the best songs.  But when it comes to writing about what I truly feel, I suck.  I could give you lyrics to a ton of songs that could probably express the joy I have in my heart today. But, they wouldn't be my words in this moment.  I hope you have a peaceful day today, because I think it might be the last peace we all have for a bit.  I hope you are ready for crazy.  It is going to be a fun couple of days. See you this afternoon honey! -Josh

Lex: Thank you for your heartfelt note with the beautiful flowers.  

JC: Honey, thank you for being part of this ride this week.

(Lex turned bright red when she read him calling her Honey!)

Lex: So....Josh huh? ;)

Josh: Yep.  It felt right. The circle can have a few more links.  

Lex: Wow what an honor. 

Josh: Honey, you are too much!  I'm excited to see where all this goes!  See you later on.

Shortly after the girls and Michael left, the guys gathered back in Joey's room to draw out a few ideas for the show tonight.  Currently they were all on their phones deep in texting conversation.  Lance pulled up his texts and opened his conversation with Michael. 

Lance: (sends a picture of all the guys with goofy grins on their faces and all texting) This is my current view. I am guessing your view looks pretty similar. 

Michael: Oh they are goners.  I bet it would be if we were all in the same room.  But I saw those looks before we left. (Michael sends Lance a picture of him stomach down on the table waiting for his masseuse.) 

Lance: I wonder if anyone else got such an eye candy picture!  ;)  

Michael: No, I only sent this to you!  When are you going to tell them? 

Lance: It would make sense to tell them while we are all together. 

Michael: It is what you have been waiting for.  We have already told our families.  I think your brothers deserve to know.  

Lance: Let's tell them tonight. Gotta go, looks like they are ready to work. 

Michael:  Enjoy the time with your brothers, babe.  Love you!

Lance:  Love you!

Before Lance puts his phone away, he sends a quick text to Liz.

Lance: Best friend!  Don't kill me for not sending you flowers today! To make it up to you I have something I want to tell my best friend tonight. 

Liz: Best friend!  I would never be upset with you. We would never let such trivial things come between our friendship. :)  Ohhhh are you going to tell me that I should quit my job and travel across the country with you guys on tour? 

Lance:  Not yet....no something else.  Have fun sweetheart!

Liz wondered what in the world Lance would want to tell her.  She thought it was probably nothing and probably just him trying to make her feel special.  

The group at the spa was enjoying their massages while the guys started drawing up the show. 

Joey was the first to speak, "Ok so the first show is going to be normal.  The second show we will close out the show with Lance and do ‘Tearin Up My Heart.’  And then the last show.  How do we want to bring us all out? I can come out like normal and bring Chris out talking about my friend, and then Chris could say, well I brought a friend and bring Lance out, and so on and so on. What do y'all think?”

The group agreed that it sounded easy and a way to draw it out.  They loved it.  Now to pick the songs.  

"I mean we could always do the big ones, Tearin, I Want You Back, Bye," and before JC could even finish this statement Lance spoke up and said, "Can we not sing Bye Bye Bye?  I mean I know what it means for our career, but we are always singing it.  I think it would be special for those diehard fans if we sang maybe some deep cuts, rather than the big ones."

The guys loved the idea.  It meant they would have to go over the songs a little bit more, but it was like riding a bike.  Once they started running through the set list it was just like old times.  They had a couple of hours before they needed to wrap up.  

Back at the spa  the group was back together in one room for the remainder of their time.  The girls were talking about their text conversations and notes from the guys.  Michael was listening in.  

Liz spoke up and said, "Does anyone else feel like this whole wonderful spa day was a distraction to get us out for a bit?" 

Michael started to pull his phone out to alert Lance.  Lex noticed what he was doing and said, "MICHAEL TURCHIN you better not be texting Lance and telling him we are on them.  You just confirmed what Liz said." 

Charlie said, "I was skeptical, but Turkey over here just confirmed that."

"But what are they up to?" Ry wondered out loud. 

"Ladies, let's just enjoy the fact that these men are wanting to give us a day of relaxation and spoil us. They don't do it very often.  Trust me, I've known them for years." Michael said as he smiled to himself proud of the distraction.

Michael also wanted to get to know the girls a little bit better as well.  They talked about where they live and what they did for a living.  Talked about their families.  Likes, dislikes, and all the things you would chat about with your girls.  He finally spoke up and said, "Okay girls, this is nice and all but I want the dirt.  You four are very stars in the eyes in a different way. Who wants to share?"

Everyone was silent for a bit, and finally Ry let out a big sigh and said,"Okay me....Chris kissed me this morning! It was the sweetest kiss, but I felt it in my toes.  He had whispered in my ear when we were all in the room together before breakfast that he wanted to kiss me but there were too many eyes in the room. I just thought he was being Chris, but wow this is a Chris I could get behind." Michael interrupted and said, "Sweetie, it doesn't work if you are behind him." They all started laughing.  "Annnyywaaayss, when we went to eat breakfast I had my hands full, and when we walked in his room he took everything out of my hands and then kissed me. It was perfect."  Ry started blushing.  The group was all giddy and so excited for her. 

"Justin didn't fully kiss me, but boy he made me want more.  He kissed me right on the corner of my lips. (She unconsciously touched her face where just a few hours ago Justin's lips had been.) He told me that he wanted to take me out on an official date before we have to return to our normal lives."  The group could tell that she was still picturing that moment with Justin.  Their shrieks snapped her out of her moment.  She blushed when they gave her a hard time about her day dream. 

"Joey told me that he wants us to spend some time together before we leave.  We spent most of the time together this morning snuggled up, talking.  He has kissed my temples and the insides of wrists.  Wow, who knew that Joey Fatone was so romantic. I feel like I am learning about a brand new person, not the person I thought I knew." Charlie grinned.

Lex wasn't saying anything and Michael spoke up, "Ok grinny, I know that C has done something. I know him way too well.  Spit it out!" She looked at her best friends and said, "Michael's right, Josh kissed me this morning." WAIT WHAT?  JOSH?  DID YOU JUST SAY JOSH? HOLD ON.  There were so many things being said that Lex didn't know who was saying what.  They all laughed and Lex said, "Yes.  He signed my note this morning as Josh.  He said the circle was adding a few more links."  

Michael looked at her and told her, "Wow, hon, that is so unlike him.  The last girl he dated took him almost a year before he let her call him Josh. You sure are bringing out a different side of him.  You all are.  I have known these men for several years and the way they look at all of you has blown me away.  I never thought that they would find women that would get along with each other that they all found connections with.  It has caused so many issues over the years.  Girlfriends not being supportive of them exploring things as a group or on their own. This girlfriend didn't like this girlfriend or this girl didn't like one of the guys.  That is honestly one reason why they haven't been together as a group as much as they would like.  They have gotten together on their own, but bringing significant others has been out of the question.  This changes everything."

The girls just stared at him.  Could this really be why they haven't gotten back together as a group?  They wrapped up their time together at the spa, thanked the staff and made their way back up to their rooms.

They all went to their rooms to get ready for the rest of the day.  Michael went to his room and found Lance in their room fresh out of the shower wrapped in a towel and laid out on the bed. Oh the thoughts that were running through his head. "Babe, you look wiped, are you okay?"

Lance sat up and grabbed Michael by the hands and said, "I have never been better. We are going to have the most amazing show tonight.  We are all five listening to each other, we are all taking what each other is saying seriously, all five of us have moments to shine tonight.  We haven't been this in sync, pun intended, in years.  Maybe this really is the most magical place on earth."

Michael had the biggest smile on his face.  "Lance, I told the girls the real reason you guys haven't gotten back together.  I hope that's okay.  They needed to know.  You 5 are family and they are best friends, it is truly a dream come true.  Only Biddy Bell could match you all with a group of friends that could bring you all back together in ways none of you expected.  Biddy knows you guys better than almost anyone, this was her plan."

A while later Joey sent a text to the group. 

Joey: Bus is leaving in 30 minutes.  All you fine people better be ready to go with your party faces on and ready for a killer night!

Everyone ate a quick bite on their own while they were getting ready.  The girls sent a couple of text messages to their friends about meeting up for the 2nd show tonight.  They wanted to talk to the guys about the third show.  They were all torn on if they should watch the show backstage or in the audience.  So they figured if nothing else they would watch the second show with their friends.  Five minutes early, the girls were waiting in the hall.  The guys came out of their rooms all looking dressed to impress.  The group made their way to the bus, the feeling among the 10 of them felt different today.  Everyone was excited for the shows tonight, everyone was nervous about the feelings that they were feeling, everyone was hopeful for what the night brought.  

They got on the bus in their now normal seats.  Josh and Lex were still up front. They were facing each other talking about their days without each other.  Lex mentioned that the girls were going to sit out in the audience with their friends for the second show. She then looked like she didn’t know how to put her words together and said, “We don’t know what we want to do for the third show.  We are torn if we should be in the audience or backstage?” Josh whispered in her ear and said, “Babe, I want to see you on the front row when I come out and sing with all of my brothers for the first time in almost 20 years.” She smiled at him and kissed him not caring what anyone else was doing and said, “If that is where you want me, that is where I will be.”  She then sent a text to the other girls and said “Ladies, we will be front row center for the third show. Per Josh. :)”

Liz looked at her phone and laughed.  Justin looked at her and wanted to know what was so funny.  She showed him the message from Lex and Justin pulled her closer to him and said, “I don’t know what C told her, but I want to be able to see you in total fangirl mode on the front row when all 5 of us come out. Seeing the four of you, maybe fiveif Michael joins you, when we walk out on stage might be one of the highlights of this week.  He grabbed her hand and kissed the inside of her hand and then wrapped his arm so their hands laid on his chest.  

They arrived at EPCOT and went to the pavilion.  Once they got to the pavilion the girls took several pictures from the stage. Joey and Chris jumped in on several pictures.  Then Michael took some pictures with Justin, Lance and JC with them.  They did this very quickly so people didn't see them all on stage together.  While they were backstage waiting for the first show they sat around chatting all together, in small groups and over each other.  Kari, Melinda and Joe were there as well.  It was a small reunion among all the *NSYNC guys and some of their original managment and friends.  

The crowds started to pile in for the first show. Before the guys gathered for their pre-show rituals, Lance went up to Liz and Justin and said, “J, can I borrow my best friend for a minute?  I promise to return her in one piece.” “Dude, of course.  Just keep your hands to yourself.” Justin winked at them and then laughed as he walked out giving Lance and Liz a moment together. Lance pulled Liz into a big hug.  He pulled back and looked at her, “I can’t explain what the four of you are doing to the five of us.  I wish that I could put it in words the way I have seen my brothers come back to life this week. I wanted to tell you that before things got crazy tonight.  Also, best friend, I have something that I want to tell you before we tell anyone else.”  Lance whispered something in Liz’s ear and she gasped, began to cry and gave him the biggest hug.  “My lips are sealed,” she promised.  “Well you better not keep your lips sealed if Justin wants to use them.” Lance laughed, hugged her and they walked back to the group.

 The guys huddled together to hackey, the girls took their pictures.  Once they accomplished a hackey Joey and Chris grabbed the girls and took a group picture before the band went out on stage.  Joey grabbed his phone and pulled up Instagram to make a new post.  He made his post, and gave his phone back to Charlie to take pictures.  He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and gave her a sneaky little grin.  As he walked away, her phone and several others started going off with a notification alert.  He was on the stage welcoming everyone to the show tonight when he looked over at her and winked. She had a shocked look on her face.  

As she was looking at her phone she saw "@realjoeyfatone has tagged you in a post," she just stared at him.  Everyone else was looking at their phones to see what Joey posted.  Joey's post was a couple of pictures.  One of the girls with Chris and Joey, one of Joey and Chris, and one of Joey and Charlie with the caption of "Sad to see this last night of performances come to an end.  This week has given me more than I could have ever dreamed.  I can't wait to see what happens in the future.  Hope to see you all at the shows tonight. You don't want to miss it, you never know what is going to happen. Wish y'all were here. -JF" The other 9 of them were tagged in the post. The comments started rolling in left and right.  People speculating that Lance was there for the show.  Someone said, OMG what if Justin and JC are there too. Several people liked the comment and several others commented they would never be there, others joined in the excitement of the possibilities.  Charlie turned back to the group and everyone was talking a mile a minute about Joey's post.  The guys thought it was perfect.  Melinda walked over to the group and said, "Girls welcome to chaos!  It's nice to have more women around."  The group pulled in for a quick group hug before Chris ran on stage for his song.  

The girls' phones started blowing up with text messages, friend requests, IG messages and so much more.  Their friend group chat was full of messages like, "Have you been hanging out with Joey and Chris all week?" "Are the other guys here?"  "Why have you guys been holding out on us?" Ry responded quickly and said, "We have had a great week, we will be able to share more later.  We will see you guys for the 2nd show.  We will be on the front row.  See y'all in a bit."  The girls were pleased with the response, but their friends were not.  Lance, Michael, JC and Justin were sitting off to the side when the girls returned.  Michael spoke first, "Do not accept all friend requests.  People will start digging for stuff that isn't there.  Either do one of two things, have a public and private account or lock that shit down and deal with it." The guys laughed and said, “Well that's about right.”  Justin spoke and said, "We will make sure to give you all our private accounts.  That is where we mainly communicate."  They continued talking while the show wrapped up.  The girls decided to ignore all the messages that were coming in faster than they ever imagined.  Joey and Chris came off the stage, they ran to Charlie and Ry and picked them up and swung them around, Chris said, "That never gets old.  Being on stage with any of you (looking at his brothers) reminds me why I am on this earth." The group started to break off into smaller groups as the crowd exited the pavilion.  Joey pulled Charlie over to a seperate room backstage. 

"Babe, was that post okay?  I'm sorry I didn't ask you about it first." Charlie looked at him and said, "Joseph, that post was the sweetest.  I knew what you were saying, talking right to me. I can't wait to see what happens next."  He pulled her in his arms for a tight hug. He pulled back and ran his fingers through her hair and then put his hand behind her neck and brought her in for a kiss.  Their first kiss was strong, exactly what she always imagined kissing Joey Fatone would be like.  While they were lost in their kiss he moved them over to a chair in the corner, he sat down and pulled her in his lap.  He pulled back and looked deep into her eyes, "Charlie, I feel this connection with you unlike any connection I have felt with anyone.  Except for when the five of us sang together for the first time.  I can't explain it, I don't know if you feel it as well, but I want to explore this and see what we can do as far as schedules and seeing each other." She looked back at him, cheeks flushed from their kisses and blushing from his words and said, "Words can't explain how much my life has changed this week.  I think we would be stupid to not explore this.  I am having a hard time remembering what life was like last week."  He kissed her again and said, "We should get back to the group before they come looking for us.  

They walked back to the main room with all their friends' eyes on them.  No one said anything to them, but they could tell their feelings were growing for each other.  The group hung out before the next show.  Before the next show started and people were allowed to start coming into the seats, Lance put a hat on with his mask and glasses and walked away.  He came back a few minutes later and nodded at the guys.  He pulled Liz off to the side.  “Best friend! I wanted to steal you away from your famous man before everything got crazy.”  She laughed and blushed and said, “Best Friend, I think you are jumping way ahead here.” He hugged her and said, “If you could see the way he looks at you, you wouldn't be saying that.  We aren’t here to discuss that, though.” “Well, Mr. Bass, what are we here to discuss?” “I wanted to let you know that you ladies have a reserved section upfront.  I have reserved the first two rows by the stage for y’all and your friends.  It is roped off.  Michael will join you all for the last show, can’t give too much away too soon. So if you want to text your friends and have them come out to the center section you can go out there and get them with Melinda.”  She jumped in his arms and gave him the biggest hug. While in his hug he whispered something to her. She gasped and gave him an even bigger hug!  “You are too much Lance!  You have done so much for us. Thank you so much!” When they made their way back to the group Liz grabbed her phone and sent a text message to their friends telling them where and when to meet her.  

Before Liz went out to get their friends the group huddled together for another round of hackey. This time Lance’s foot was in the picture.  They took a couple of group photos and the girls gave hugs to the guys and headed out to their seats.  Liz went to go get their friends and bring them to where the girls were sitting.  Their friends were so excited to talk to the girls; they asked so many questions, most of which the girls couldn’t answer yet.  Ry did tell them, “We have hung out with Joey and Chris since Tuesday. And it has been amazing.  We will be able to fill you in a little more later.”  The music started and the crowd went crazy.  Chris and Joey did several songs by themselves and together before they started their goodbyes for the night before the last song. As the music for the last song was starting, the girls' phones alerted them of a message.  “@lancebass has tagged you on a post” is what their messages said.  It was like everyone there saw the notification at the same time.  It was the picture of Lance, Joey and Chris’ feet from their hackey before the show.  The caption said, “Here weeee goooo!”  That was it.  Lance tagged everyone in the post.  Their friends looked at them with their jaws dropped. “Has Lance been here the entire time?” one of their friends asked.  The girls didn’t answer because they knew what was coming.  As the music for “Tearin’ Up My Heart” became louder the crowd was going crazy.  All of a sudden, from the right hand side of the stage, out walks Lance.  “Hey fellas, mind if I join you for this song?”  The crowd was off the charts excited!  Joey and Chris looked at each other and Chris said, “I thought I was your only friend for this?  Did you know he was here?” Joey shrugged his shoulders and said, “Isn’t he always around?” Everyone laughed and the three of them sang their hearts out.  At the end of the song Joey thanked Lance for making a surprise appearance.  They took their bows and said good night to the crowd.

The girls told their friends to meet them back at the same place before the next show and they would have the same seats.  They gave each other hugs and told them they would see each other shortly.  Lex, Ry, Charlie and Liz could not wait to get backstage.  They ran back to find the guys. When they walked around the corner they found Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance and JC in a big huddle hug.  All four girls pulled out their phones to capture the moment, Michael was on the other side doing the same thing.  Inside the huddle Lance spoke and said, “Guys thank you for having us here this week. Thank you for bringing us all back together.”  Justin responded with, “Let’s make a promise right now that no matter how busy we get when we leave here we see each other, all five of us, at least once a year.”  JC chuckled and said, “I think we have four women in our lives now that are going to make sure that happens.”  Chris agreed and added, “I love you guys. I feel like we are 20 years younger.” Joey broke up the seriousness with, “Well you were still old 20 years ago.” They all laughed and knew the moment was over, but were peaceful and happy to be there together.  After they hugged they saw the girls, Michael, and the others standing there with tears in their eyes watching this moment unfold before them.  Melinda leaned over to Michael and said, “We just witnessed the healing they all needed.” Michael looked back at her and said, “Here weeee goooo!” They laughed and knew everything was changing for the better.  The guys were so hyped over the last show and could not wait for the last show and their one song they were singing.  They still had not told the girls what song they were doing, but they told them they would be happy.  Liz spoke up and said, “I know it’s too late to make this request, but can it not be ‘Bye, Bye, Bye’? Each of you sing it in various places. Okay, thanks!”  She laughed as Lance said, “See this is why she is my best friend.  I said the exact same thing earlier.”  They all laughed and enjoyed their time together before the last show.  

The band let them know it was getting to be that time.  They all looked at each other; this is it.  The guys pulled together to hackey, all five of them.  Everyone took pictures of the five of them.  They all took last minute pictures before the girls and Michael went out to their seats. Liz went to get their friends.  When they got to their seats they introduced everyone to Michael.  The music was signaling that the show was about to start.  Instead of a song to start things off, Joey walked about to the stage by himself in front of the band.  He thanked everyone for coming to the shows this week and then said, “When I started planning this show I knew I wanted to bring a friend, so I brought Chris Kirkpatrick with me. Help me welcome Chris Kirkpatrick everyone.” The crowd went crazy.  Chris walked out on stage and said, “Joe, I really appreciate you bringing me out for Fatone N Friends, and I am really glad that I am the friend you brought, but I brought a friend with me.  I hope that is okay.  Ladies and gentleman, Lance Bass.” Lance walked on stage waving to the crowd and winked at Michael and Liz.  The girls looked at Michael, who obviously knew what was going on.  Lance then said, “Thanks guys!  It was fun singing ‘Tearin’ Up My Heart’ with y’all earlier.  Maybe you will let me do something for this show. I hope you don’t mind that I brought a friend with me.  Is it okay if I bring him out?”  Joey and Chris looked at each other with confused looks, “I guess so.” Joey replied.  “Alright EPCOT, please help me welcome JC Chasez!”  The place erupted!  JC walked out waving to the crowd, gave Lex a special wave and made his way to the front of the stage with the guys. The girls were so shocked that they couldn’t even react. “Well, hey there fellas.  I figured I couldn’t be left out of all this fun, right?  This sure has been fun being back together with y’all!  Just us being SYNC. I tried to bring my friend with me, but he was just too busy. I’m sorry.”  The crowd sighed as Justin came running on stage.  “Wait, I’m here! I’m here!  Don’t start without me.”  The noise that came from all the fans you would have thought they were back in Madison Square Garden.  The guys stood on stage and let the moment of all five of them soak in.  The girls were now taking pictures left and right.  JC spoke up and said, “Well I guess there is only one thing to say. Fellas?” All five of them at the same time said, “Hi!  We’re *NSYNC!”  The girls were now crying. They had been waiting for years to hear them say that again.  And here they were on the front row hearing it, feeling new feelings for these men.  Justin spoke up and said, “Guys we didn’t come all this way just to stand here did we? Let’s sing something.”  Liz hit Michael’s arm and said, “I cannot believe you didn’t tell us about this.”  “What?  And ruin this surprise?  I think not!”

The guys started singing “I Drive Myself Crazy” followed by the bluesy version of “I Want You Back” from the Celebrity Tour.  Then they moved into “It Makes Me Ill.”  At the end the guys looked at each other, and Chris said, “Fellas, I don’t know about you but I need a break now.  I’m old.”  “Well let’s slow this down a little bit”, Joey replied.  Joey stepped forward and said, “This week we have had so much fun hanging out together at Disney, with each other.  We have slipped back into old habits, jokes and everything. We have also made some really great friends this week and wanted to sing a song for them.” The guys were now looking at the front row of girls and their friends with their shocked looks.  JC walked close to the steps of the stage and held out his hand and said, “Lizzy, Rhyann, Charlie, Lex, and Michael would you join us on stage please.”  The girls looked at Micheal, who just shrugged and pushed them forward.  The five of them made it on stage and looked at the guys with looks of what are you doing.  Justin leaned in and said, “Don’t worry, y’all, this will be fun!”  Lance and Chris had gone backstage and brought out 5 stools.  Lance looked at the crowd and at them and said, “Well if y’all don’t want to have a seat I bet I can find 5 other people who will join us.”  All five of them quickly grabbed a stool and took a seat. Chris laughed and said, “Ha that’s what I thought.” Joey stepped forward and told the crowd, “Last night after the show we all went to Downtown Disney, well Disney Springs now, and we did a little reminiscing.  We sang a song out on the decks and thought we would sing it now for all of you.”  The guys walked around and started behind the stools.  Justin bent down and whispered into Lizzy’s ear, “Don’t cry...I know you’re going to be listening to Lance anyway!”  Michael, who was sitting beside her, laughed and leaned in and said, “I can share!”  The guys started singing “I Thought She Knew.”  They sounded perfect.  Just like they sounded in 2000 when No String Attached was released.  The guys sang a couple of lines directly to the girls and Michael and then sang to the fans in the crowd as well.  For those on the stools, there was no crowd, just the five of them and the five men singing.  When they finished you could hear a pin drop before the crowd collectively let out the breath everyone was holding and the crowd erupted. The guys decided they would sing one more song while they had them on the stage.  Chris spoke up and said, “Well it has been a long time since we sang that one.  And even longer since we have sung the song we are going to sing next.  See, these ladies here reminded us that EPCOT has a little piece of “NSYNC history here.  For those of you that don’t know, we filmed a Christmas special here in 1998 I believe, is that right?” Chris looked back for confirmation.  The girls and Michael all nodded their heads in agreement.  “Well, since we are here and the parks are decorated for Christmas already we thought maybe we should sing a couple of Christmas songs.” JC added.  The fans in the audience and on the stage were very excited about this!  The guys started with “The Only Gift”; Liz and Michael looked at each other and grinned.  When it got to the line before Lance’s solo he walked around behind both Liz and Michael and then sang his solo right behind both of them.  They held hands and squeezed them as Lance purred in their ears.  As they finished the song, they moved right into “Under My Tree.” The girls blushed as the guys sang the song, knowing now what this song was really about.  They cheesed it up for the crowd and the crowd was loving it.  At the end of the song Joey stepped forward and said, “We are going to close out the Christmas songs with one of our favorite songs.”  “This song has always been special to us.  This is also the first time we have sung it since the world lost Robin. Our hearts have had a hole in it since we lost her.  This one's for you Robin.” JC said.  The guys went into “O, Holy Night,” and in that moment something changed.  As the guys sang, they felt something, the girls and Michael felt, their friends felt it backstage.  This was the moment that they would look back at for years to come. When the song finished they each took the hands of the person sitting in front of them and helped them off the stage.  The girl's friends just stared at them in shock...as they walked by them one of them said, “Clearly you all have a lot to fill us in on.”  The girls and Michael laughed as they took their seats.  “We hope that none of you have any place to be, because we have gone over our time and we have a few more songs to sing.” The crowd went wild at what Chris just said.  The guys continued to surprise the crowd.  The guys went on to sing “The Two of Us,” “Giddy Up” and “No Strings Attached.”  Joey spoke up and said, “Well, guys, this has been so much fun, but I think the fireworks are going to start soon.  What do you think about a couple more songs and then we all enjoy the fireworks?”  The guys replied “That sounds like a plan Joe.”  Justin stepped forward and said, “This song is not one that we normally sang at live shows, but it felt fitting for tonight.  We hope that this song is as special for all of you as it is for us.”  All of the guys winked to the front row.  There was no music; in the seconds before the guys started to sing, the girls were trying to figure out what they were going to sing and then they started. “Dreams come true, Dreams come true….” The girls gasped as tears started streaming down their faces.  They looked at each other and said, “How did they know?”  The guys noticed the girls freaking out and crying, Justin elbowed JC and gave him a look of, what did we miss?  JC just shrugged and they all made mental notes.  Michael looked at the girls and leaned over to Liz, “Lizzy, are y’all okay?” “Michael, how did they know to sing this song?” She replied.  “They just decided that it was a Disney song and it was probably on your playlist y’all mentioned.”  Liz gasped and whispered, “Kismet.”  She looked at Michael and told him, “This song was playing when we crossed onto Disney property the first day, hours before we met the guys. We said it was kismet that it started playing then that amazing things were going to happen on this trip.  And Justin sang it on the bus one day to me, but I never told him about the song playing when we drove in.”  “Liz, you should ask him why he picked it.  That was one of his choices.  The other guys had forgotten about it.” Both of them at the same time directed their attention back to the stage and said, “Kismet.” As the guys finished the song, they moved to the last song of the night.  Lance stepped up and said, “I bet all of you think you know what we are going to sing next, our last song of the night.  But you would be wrong.  We are not singing ‘Bye Bye Bye.’ You can see most of us singing that song in various places all over the internet.  So instead...enjoy.”  Here we gooooo started and the crowd went crazy.  Lex leaned over to Liz, “What does this mean?”  Liz looked back at Lex and said, “*NSYNC has got the flow? I have no clue, but the fact that they got Lance to sing it is a miracle.”  They both laughed and enjoyed the rest of the show.  The guys finished and took a bow. They thanked the crowd, circled up in a group hug and then grabbed hands, took another bow and Joey said, “EPCOT, thank you for a great week!  Words cannot express how much fun this week has been.  See you next time. Until then….” “We are still *NSYNC!” all five guys said at the same time.  They ran off to the backstage area. 

The girls gave their friends hugs and Michael said his goodbyes to their friends.  Their friends told them they had a lot of explaining to do, but knowing deep down that they would never know what their 4 friends had experienced this week. They all said goodbye for the night and Michael, Lex, Liz, Ryahnn and Charlie ran backstage as fast as they could.  When they got to the backstage area the guys were in a huddle, jumping as one.  Charlie cleared her throat and said, “Excuse me, what the hell was that?” The guys turned around with the biggest grins on their faces and ran over to the girls and Michael.  “Are you mad at us for not telling you?” Chris asked.  “Are you mad at the songs?” Joey asked.  “Are you mad that we brought you on stage?” JC asked.  Lance walked over to Michael and put his arms around him from behind and whispered, “They aren’t mad at all are they?”  The same time Michael shook his head no Justin heard what Lance just asked and slid over to Liz picked her up in a hug and said, “You’re not mad at us at all are you?”  She looked at him and said, “Absolutely not, that was the greatest thing I have seen.”  They were all talking over each other so quickly and so excited no one was actually able to understand what was being said.  Melinda came back and said, “Hey guys we have the area all set up for y’all to watch fireworks.  They are going to start in the next few minutes.  You probably want to head out there.”  “Thanks Mel, we will be right there.” JC replied.  He grabbed Lex’s hand and looked at her and started to walk her out to watch the fireworks and Lance spoke up, “Y’all hold on for a sec before we head out there.  Michael and I have something we want to tell you.”  He grabbed Michaels hand and pulled him close. Liz just smiled. She knew what Lance was about to say and could not wait to share the excitement with everyone. “I think that the ten of us will be seeing a lot of each other in the coming months.  Because I asked Michael to marry me and he said YES.”  Everyone screamed out of excitement and hugged Lance and Michael and gave their congratulations.  A few minutes later Lance spoke up and said, “I don’t know about y’all but after this night I plan on watching the fireworks in the arms of a good looking man, later.”  He grabbed Michael by the arm and they walked out to the roped off area that Melinda had set up.  They were going to watch fireworks at the same place they all watched fireworks just a few nights ago when their lives were totally different.  Lex grabbed Josh’s hand and winked at him, “Come on handsome, you are with me.”  Rhyann took Chris by the hand and said, “You owe me some arms fella, let’s go see some fireworks.”  Joey and Charlie were right behind them.  Justin and Liz were the last ones in the backstage area.  He grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close.  “Lizzie, what were you and Michael talking about tonight?  You were crying.”  He caressed her cheek while he spoke to her concerned that something was wrong.  “Oh gosh, Justin no nothing was wrong.  Why did you pick ‘When You Wish Upon A Star’ to sing tonight?”  “I’m not sure, the other day when we were on the bus that song just popped in my head.  I had completely forgotten that we recorded it.  But it just came back to me. And I thought it was perfect for tonight. And I saw you smiling while I was singing it, and I wanted to bring that smile to your face again.”  Liz looked right into his blue eyes, “Justin, that song started playing on our playlist as soon as we drove under that Disney sign the other day. And the words of the song...dreams come true!  We are living out that song.”  Justin ran his fingers through her hair and pulled her close and looked in her blue eyes as their lips touched for the first time they both whispered, “Kismet.”  The kiss started out slow and sweet, Liz moved her hands up and started running her fingers through Justin’s short curls.  He let out a small sigh as she played with the curls.  He deepened the kiss and ran his hands down the sides of her body.  They separated, and their foreheads met, “Lizzie, that kiss went to my toes. Are you ready to watch some fireworks?” She kissed him quickly and grabbed his hand and they walked outside to meet their friends.   

Liz and Justin walked out to the bridge to meet everyone else.  Everyone was grouped off down the bridge.  Justin and Liz stood next to JC and Lex and watched the fireworks.  The 10 of them did exactly as Lance said, they watched the fireworks wrapped in each other's arms.   Each pair shared quiet moments with each other during the fireworks.  When the fireworks wrapped up, the group started to make their way back to the bus.  Michael and Lance were lost in each other’s arms.  They walked with huge grins on their faces, so happy and in love.  Joey and Charlie were walking behind them, laughing still at some of the moments from the show.  Joey had his arm draped around her shoulder.  Charlie’s was snuggled up close to Joey.  They were soaking in every moment, not knowing how many more they would get.  Chris and Rhyann were walking behind them.  Chris walked in front of Rhyann and turned around and started walking backwards. “Babe, I need food or kisses. Whichever I can get first is what I want more.  I am so amped up from the show still, maybe we can go grab dinner somewhere.” Rhyann grabbed his hands as they were walking.  She pulled his hands close and kissed the insides of his wrists.  He let out a soft sigh and chuckled, “Well, that’s a start!”  He winked at her and then let go of one of her hands, and walked the rest of the way to the bus holding her hand and talking about absolutely nothing.  Rhyann was loving his nonsense conversation.  JC, Lex, Liz and Justin were all walking side by side.  JC leaned over to Justin and said, “J, I have not felt that rush of adrenaline in years. I don’t know how you do that all the time.”  “C, what we just did on stage is totally different than how it feels when I am on stage by myself.  Tonight I realized what has been missing in my life.  This week I think I found both.” Just squeezed Lizzy's hand as he was talking to JC.  The girls just grinned. They couldn’t believe what they had been witnessing this week and how much their lives were changing for the better.  

The group took their places on the bus, and as they were leaving the park JC spoke up, “Is anyone hungry or want to go do something?  I am not ready to call it a night yet.”  Everyone responded YES let’s go do something.  Joey leaned up to the driver and gave him a destination.  “I got it covered for food. I know where to call for a place that can take care of us with some great music.” The bus pulled into the restaurant’s parking lot and all of them started laughing.  Charlie leaned into Joey and whispered, “I thought just you and I were coming here?” He looked at her, gave her a quick kiss and said, “Oh I have something better planned for you. Just you wait!”  When everyone realized where they were, the guys started laughing. “Joe, I had no idea this was still here. How many nights did we come and hang out here?” JC said with a fondness.

The group walked into the Ale House.  They requested their old table and of course the hostess was happy to accommodate.  When the waiter arrived, Joey ordered 3 orders of Zingers to start.  As everyone made their decisions on meals, the guys started to reminisce about so many memories they spent in this restaurant.  They shared stories while they were enjoying dinner.  When they finished they got back on the bus and headed to EVE for some drinks, music and dancing.  When they arrived they were escorted to the club's private VIP room.  There was a small dance floor in the VIP area that was just the right size for the 10 of them to dance and still have their privacy.  Lance and Michael ordered drinks for everyone. They were starting with a round of shots.  While they waited the music was turned up.  It was ’90s and 2000s R&B at EVE that night.  Right up their alley.  Everyone started dancing in a group; no one person dancing with another, just a group of friends dancing together.  A server delivered 20 shots to the area and Chris spoke up, “Let’s drink folks!” Everyone threw back both shots one after another.  Over the speakers Usher’s Yeah started playing. 

Chris grabbed Rhyann and pulled her off to a corner of the area where they were kind of dancing and snuggling up in the corner.  They danced and laughed at each other while they were dancing.  Rhyann was laughing so hard at the way Chris was dancing she fell back into the oversized chair behind her.  Chris fell in the chair beside her.  He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him.  He started singing to her in a low whisper and he ran his fingers through her hair.  She was rubbing his thigh as he sang.  Every once in a while he would stop singing and kiss the side of her face or top of her head. 

Joey took Charlie out on their little dance floor.  Charlie thought to herself, “I’m really going to be dancing with Joey Fatone!  Not just watching him.” They started dancing to the beat of the music.  Charlie felt herself starting to let go and get out of her head.  She was thankful for that 2nd shot.  It was helping her loosen up.  She raised her arms in the air as they were dancing and moved a little closer to Joey.  Joey was loving the way that Charlie was feeling so close to his body.  He couldn’t help himself when his hands started to run down the sides of her body.  He ran his hands down to her hips and left them there.  He pulled her closer to him, and a spark jumped between them.  They looked into each other's eyes and the rest of the room disappeared.  Something in that moment they both knew they wanted to spend as much time together as they could, whenever they could.  The music changed tempo and slower song came on.  Joey pulled her close and Charlie put her arms around his neck.  He leaned down to kiss her and they got lost in their kiss.  

Meanwhile, Lance and Michael were off in their own world.  They were lost in love with each other.  They were whispering and laughing while they danced with each other.  No matter what the tempo of the music was in the club, Lance and Michael were hearing their own music and dancing in rhythm to each other.  

JC, Lex, Justin and Lizzy were at one of the couch areas talking and laughing.  The girls noticed how these two men were just connected to each other.  You could tell their friendship ran deep and that they did not get to see each other as much as they would like.  The girls made mental notes to see what they could do about that in the future.  They were in mid conversation when a familiar song came on over the speakers.  When the music started, everyone started freaking out, except JC. Lex grabbed JC by the hand and said, “Oh there is no way we are not dancing to this. You better show me that thug appeal.” Everyone made their way to the dance floor as Blaque’s Bring It All To Me was playing.  JC knew this was his moment with Lex. He could tell by her reaction she loved this song that he sang on.  They were dancing close, and she was singing to him. As his part came up, he stepped away still holding on to her hands, he was looking her up and down as he sang:

Baby, what's the deal?

Would I be too forward if

I told you how I feel

That's just the way I do my thing

I'm so for real

Are you feeling my Timbs, my baggy jeans?

My thug appeal?

Do you like it when a man can keep it real?

Oh

Lex’s mind was going wild, Oh so this is how he is going to play. I see you Mr. Chasez, she thought to herself.  She started to sing the chorus back to him and he joined her for his part. 

Oh, baby

Bring it all to me (bring it all, bring it all)

But I don't need no fancy cars or diamond rings (diamond rings)

Oh, baby

Bring it all to me (oh)

Gimme your time, your love, your space, your energy (oh baby)

She continued to look at him and sing the best she could, but was so lost in the emotion of the moment.  She danced close to him and whispered in his ear

Oh, I'll put my pride to the side

Just to tell you how good

You make me feel inside

JC was trying to not lose control of the situation.  This girl was driving him crazy in all the right ways.  Now it was his turn to respond.  He placed his mouth up to her ear as his scruff rubbed along her cheek and sang ever so lightly, 

There's not a single question

That we can't make this right

Cause it's you I need

Every day and night

Oh baby

They let the song finish as the two of them were wrapped in each other's arms, as their friends looked on. When the song finished their friends erupted in applause and shouts.  JC and Lex took their bows for their friends and then he brought her close to him and looked deep in her eyes and said, “That was by far the sexiest collaboration of this song I have done.”  He leaned in close to her and brought his lips right to hers, sighed and kissed her.  Her hands went up and ran through his curls that were peeking out from the bottom of his hat as his hands roamed her back and hips.  They were lost in the moment together.  

When Lex had pulled JC to dance when the song started Justin and Lizzy started laughing.  In all the years and all the clubs that Justin had been to with JC he had never heard the song played at a club.  On the radio back in the day?  Sure.  The guys used to give him such a hard time about the song.  But watching their best friends, Justin finally got the appeal to the song.  He grabbed Lizzy, and they were dancing and watching JC and Lex.  He pulled Lizzy so close to him that there was no question about how he was reacting to her.  They continued to dance and watch their friends.  Lizzy whispered to him, “Lex has to be dying right now.  You have no idea how much she loves his part of this song.”  Justin returned his whisper, “Clearly Josh is not complaining.”  Lizzy laughed and said, “Looks like I might have lost a roomie for the night.”  Justin grabbed her close and kissed behind her ear and said, “If you keep this up I might be gaining a roomie for the night.” She looked into his eyes and saw a blue she hadn’t seen before.  “Only, if you want Lizzie.  I just don’t want this night to end and my time with you to end.  We can take this slow, but my bed and my arms are open for you.”  She gasped hearing what he was saying.  She kissed along his jaw towards his ear.  She took the lobe of his ear between her teeth and heard him moan.  She pulled him tight and said, “You keep playing your cards right J, and I will have to accept your invitation.”  He kissed her as the song was ending.  Their friends started clapping for JC and Lex and  Justin spun Lizzy around his in arms as they applauded their friends.   

The group continued dancing and drinking and enjoying their night together.  The club was starting to close up and it was time to head back to the hotel.  It was just after 2 a.m. and the group was starting to fade a bit.  They got back on the bus in their normal spots. As they got back to the hotel everyone was paired off as they were walking back to their rooms.  As they all reached the guys’ rooms, everyone turned and said good night.  Joey said, “I’ll text when we wake up to see what everyone wants to do.” Everyone else replied, “Sounds good.”  Five doors opened and closed.  

Lance and Michael were going through their nightly routines getting ready for bed when Michael turned to Lance and said, “Well, babe, how does it feel to have your brothers know?” “It feels amazing. It feels like the perfect way to end this trip. I am so glad that the guys are going to stay next week as well.  I am not sure what the girls are going to do yet.  I’ll have to ask Liz later.” Michael laughed and said, “Yes, let’s not disrupt her now. This is going to be an interesting night.”

This part is written to where each section is a glimpse into each pair at the same time.  

Joey and Charlie

Joey closed the door and turned to see Charlie walking out to the balcony.  She opened the door and was looking out over the property.  Joey came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and placed his head on her shoulder.  She wrapped her arms around his. “Charlie, I don’t want to let you go tonight.  Will you stay with me tonight?  I know the guys had talked about going to Studios and Magic Kingdom tomorrow.  I think we can break away and spend some time just us. I mean if you want to, I totally understand if you don’t want to. I mean we could hang out with everyone else.  I mean I can walk you back down to your room now if yoouu.” “Joey STOP.” Charlie interrupted.  Joey just looked at her and started to turn red with embarrassment. “Babe, I would love to stay with you tonight and tomorrow.  Or later today.  Or whenever we can. I am already dreading when I have to say goodbye and I am not ready for that.  But I am telling myself just to enjoy every moment we have together.”  Joey let out a sigh of relief.  They stayed on the balcony for a bit just talking and enjoying the cool Florida air. Charlie started to shiver a little and Joey whispered in her ear, “Babe, why don’t we head inside and get some rest.”  She turned in his arms and gave him a kiss and said, “That sounds like a great idea.  What do you think of falling asleep wrapped in each other’s arms?”  He returned the kiss and said, “I think that sounds perfect.  Let me get you something to change into, and I’ll change as well.”  They walked back into the room and Joey gave her a pair of boxers and a t-shirt.  She went into the bathroom to wash her face and change.  She came out of the bathroom in Joey’s clothes and he stopped in his tracks.  She looked good in his clothes.  He quieted the voice in his head saying “I bet she will look good out of my clothes too.” He reminded himself they were not at that stage yet.  But he hoped they would be there in the future.  He walked over to her and he picked her up unexpectedly and carried her over to the bed and placed her down on one side of the bed.  They crawled under the sheets and snuggled up together.  They talked and shared kisses until they fell asleep in each other’s arms. 

Chris and Rhyann

As Chris and Rhyann walked in his room, hand in hand, she closed the door, and Chris stood between her and the room.  He walked closer to her and put his hands on either side of her head on the door.  He closed the space between them and said, “I got my food, now where are my kisses?”  Rhyann laughed at his adorableness and then she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.  Right after she ducked under his arm and was off to the other side of the room.  Chris playfully turned around and put his hands on his hips and said, “Hey now, that’s a start, but I was hoping for something else.”  Rhyann looked at him and said, “Well, Chris you are going to have to come show me what you were looking for.”  He walked over to her in a very comical purposeful walk and pinned her up against the wall and kissed her.  Kissed her in a way that took her breath away.  When their lips separated she looked at him and all she could say was, “Chris,” in the softest voice she had. “Now that’s what I’m talking about.” They went and laid on the bed to cuddle up and watch TV.  Rhyann laid beside Chris; they were laying face to face not really watching the TV, but talking.  Talking about everything under the sun.  They were in mid laughter over something Chris said. Rhyann looked at Chris and said, “I don’t know what to do when I leave in a few days. How am I going to get through the day without laughing at something you said? Or your hugs, or the way you look in my eyes when I am talking?”  Chris grabbed her hands and brought them up to his chest.  “My girl, we are going to figure this out. This week has changed my life. My brothers are back together and we are the happiest that we have been in years.  And you four are a big part to thank for it. We will figure it out together.”  They fell asleep with smiles on their faces from being in the moment with each other. 

Lance and Michael

Michael closed the door to their room as Lance sat in the large comfy chair in their room. Michael walked over and sat in Lance’s lap. Lance wrapped his arms around his fiance.  Michael looked at Lance and said, “Well, today ended up being an eventful day.”  Lance laughed and replied, “More eventful than I expected.  I wonder what will happen the rest of the week.”  They sat snuggled up together in the chair for a bit  laughing and talking.  They started to dream about their wedding and their life as a married couple.  “I can’t believe out of all of us I am the first one to get married.  I always thought I would be the last, just because I didn’t think marriage would be possible.  But, with you, Michael, anything is possible. And I know that my dreams are coming true.” “I think your brothers are starting to see their dreams come true as well.  I am so glad that I have been with you this week to witness all of this. We witnessed healing with all of you today!  I think the future is looking bright, Bubba!” They continued to dream about the future until they fell asleep.

JC and Lex

Josh and Lex entered his room and closed the door, the electricity between the two of them was filling the room.  Lex walked over to the little stereo that was in his room and turned on the radio.  She didn’t care what they listened to, she just wanted the energy from the club to continue.  As she was searching the stations for the right mood, Josh moved up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.  He brushed her hair to the side of her face and started kissing down her neck.  His body was swaying, as his lips made their way down to her collarbone. Lex stopped at whatever station she was on; she was getting lost in Josh’s kisses.  He turned her in his arms and they started dancing.  They weren’t dancing to the music on the radio, but the music that they were hearing on their own.  Lex was running her hands over his strong arms as Josh was running his hands around her hips.  He ran his hand around the small of her back at the same moment she moved her arms to wrap around his neck, his hands connected with skin and both of them felt the shock.  She looked up at him and he leaned in and kissed her. The kiss started off slow and sweet, and as his hands ran up her back under her shirt, the kiss intensified.  He lifted her up without breaking the kiss. His hands were under her ass and her legs wrapped around his waist and he carried her to bed.  He crawled up on the bed, never letting her go.  He started kissing down her collarbone right above her breasts, he kissed down to her stomach as Lex’s hands grabbed his ass.  She started to laugh.  He stopped what he was doing and propped himself up on his elbows, curls falling on each side of his face.  “What is so funny, right this minute?” Lex started to blush out of control.  She grabbed the pillow and hid her face in it.  Josh laid beside her and kissed her check.  “Honey, what is it?” She turned to look at him and propped herself up and said, “Ok don’t laugh at me, promise?”  Josh nodded.  “OkwhenyoustartedkissingdowntomystomachallIcouldthinkaboutisWipeoutiskissingmystomach.” She let out a long sigh and buried her head in the pillow again.  Josh was trying to hold in his laughter, but he promised her that he wouldn’t laugh at her.  He looked at her and pulled the pillow away, “Lex, did you say all you could think about was Wipeout was kissing you?” “Yes, I know it is silly.” He looked back at her and said, “Babe, I have had a lot of people say a lot about I can’t believe this or that, but WIPEOUT? Oh I’m going to have to keep you. I haven’t thought about Clarence in a lifetime.”  They laughed about the moment and curled up together talking.  Their hands continued to touch each other’s bodies, but in a less needing you way.  They continued to talk through the night.  They would talk and make out and talk a little more and make out a little more.  They eventually fell asleep with Lex laying half on Josh’s side. 

Justin and Liz:

They walked in his room and Justin sat down to take his shoes off.  He was humming, not even thinking, but Liz noticed it.  She came up behind him and started rubbing his shoulders.  “J, you seem really tense. What are you so stressed about? You just blew everyone away by being on stage with your brothers.  No one ever expected you to be here. You should be swinging from the ceiling.  And I know I might be a little biased, but I think you sounded amazing. I might be kicking myself a little for not paying attention to your voice back in the day.  But I will say this grown sexy man voice singing those songs tonight was very attractive.  And I am glad that I am paying attention now.”  He grabbed her hand off his shoulder and pulled it close to him.  After a few moments he pulled her around to sit in his lap.  He looked at her, kissed her and said, “Lizzy, I am so excited about what happened tonight.  And I really think that we will be able to sit down and talk about what we can do in the future this week before we go our separate ways.  I just don’t want to disappoint anyone.  I don’t want to disappoint the fans, the guys or (he paused for a moment) you.  Gosh, my voice has changed so much since we originally recorded those songs.  And there is more that this grown sexy man voice can do for you.” He said, whispering the last part in her ear.   He was holding her on his lap resting his hands under her ass. She looked deep into his eyes, “Baby, no one is going to be disappointed.  You should take a peek at social media tomorrow.  The fans are losing their minds.  I know I did, but I know not everyone had Justin Randall Timberlake singing to them in Disney. The real fans just want you guys to be happy.  If you find that happiness together then that is just a bonus.”  “Do you think the fans will be upset if I start dating someone?  You know maybe someone out of the spotlight, someone that encourages me with keeping in touch with the guys, someone that gets along with the guys, someone who sees me for me, and not me as Justin Timberlake, but just Justin, someone that I really like and could see a future with?” Liz had the biggest shocked look on her face.  “Justin, I don’t even know what to say.  All this is going so fast, but it feels so right.  Like this whole trip was meant to bring us together and the 5 of you back together. I think that if the fans saw you really happy and you didn’t forget about them, then I think they would be super happy for you.”  He wrapped his arms around her tight and whispered in her ear, “Well they better get ready.  Because I am so happy right now, and I don’t care what anyone else says about how long we have known each other, but I want you beside me.  I don’t know how we are going to do this when you go back home, but I think I am going to take some extended time off and maybe spend some time in Georgia.  Do you think that would be okay? Because I want to see where my girlfriend lives, and peek into her day-to-day life, if she’ll let me.”  “Justin, what are you saying?  Are you saying you want to come home with me next week?  Are you saying you want us to start dating?” “Baby, that is exactly what I am saying.  I want to see where this goes.  All I know is in the last week I have never felt more at home, more peace, more happiness, and more loved than I have been with you.  You are everything that every other relationship wasn’t.”  Liz had tears in her eyes.  “Justin this week has been a dream that I don’t want to wake up from.  I would love to show my boyfriend around my home.”  He leaned in and kissed her.  He lifted her up and moved to the top of the bed.  He leaned back and held her still in his lap.  “Let’s enjoy the rest of the week, and then we will make arrangements to see what is next.  Just know, you are not getting rid of me for a very long time.”  They stayed wrapped in each other's arms as Justin sang to her, and they fell asleep.

Friday

Lance and Michael woke up and guessed they were the first ones awake.  Lance pulled out his phone and pulled up the group text with the guys:

LB: Anyone awake?

JT: We are awake, but not up and moving around yet.

JF: Ugh awake now, thanks Bass.

CK: One of us is awake, but I am not waking the other yet.

JC: I am not moving yet.

LB: Anyone want to grab lunch before we head to the castle?  Or do y’all want to just meet up to go to the castle? 

JC: Why don’t we grab lunch somewhere at the park?  

JF:  I’ll call Melinda and see if she can get us in at Be Our Guest.  

JT:  Man that sounds great!  The girls will love that.  Today is going to be a great day!

CK:  It started out great. See you guys out front around 1? 

Everyone confirmed that time worked.  They all enjoyed a little more time cuddled up with the one they were with.  They had a few hours before they were going to head to the Magic Kingdom. After a lazy start to the day all the girls needed to go back to their room to get ready, and catch up on the night before.  

Text with the girls and Michael:

Liz: I’m heading back to the room shortly to grab some clothes for the day and my shower stuff. 

Lex: Same...I’ll be down there in a minute. 

Charlie: Joey just jumped in the shower here, I’m heading that way now. 

Rhyann: I’m heading that way. 

Michael: WAIT none of you are in your rooms.  I’m coming to get the scoop. 

Michael jumped up from his bed, freshly showered and dressed.  Kissed Lance and said, “Babe, I’ll be back. I am going to get the scoop.  No pun intended, Scoop!  None of the girls stayed in their rooms last night.  I’m going to see what happened.” 

Lance laughed at him, “Oh I know, they were all still in bed when we were texting earlier. Be gentle.”

Michael was waiting at the front door of the girls room when Lex showed up first.  He grabbed her and spun her around, “I want to hear all about your night with Josh!” “Not until everyone else gets here, and I'm not telling you all about my night.”  The others gradually made their way to the room.  All sleepy, but with hearts in their eyes.  They all crawled on one of the beds and started to go around the circle sharing the details they wanted to share.  They each knew that they weren’t sharing everything, and they were okay with that.  They all had private special moments the night before that they wanted to hold close for the time being.  They shared almost everything else with each other.  They gathered their things and started getting ready for the day.  Liz grabbed her clothes and shower items and said, “I’ll see y’all in a bit I am going to shower in my boyfriend's room.  See you at the van.” And left.  The other four jumped up and ran out the door screaming, “Wait, Get Back HERE.  You are not going to drop that and leave.”  There was so much commotion going on outside in the hall the guys all opened their doors to see what was going on.  Liz ran to Justin’s door and ran behind him.  He turned and looked at her wanting to know what was going on.  “What?  I just told them that I was going back to my boyfriend's room and I would see them at the van.”  Justin and Liz started laughing.  He picked her up and spun her around.  He gave her a kiss and then looked at the 8 sets of eyes on them and said, “Well she speaks the truth.  Do any of you have an issue with that?” When no one replied he said “Good.  You weren’t going to change my mind anyways. Now, we will see you at the van later.  Love ya!”  Justin closed the door, and he and Liz burst out in laughter. 

Their friends were left in the hall shocked.  Chris spoke up and said, “I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time.”  JC looked at his brothers and said, “It is nice to have him back.”  Everyone went back to their rooms with smiles on their faces and started to get ready for the day.  Michael walked back to his room with Lance. As Michael entered the room, Lance closed the door and said, “Yep, today is going to be very interesting.” 

The group made their way down to the van. The 5 couples walked hand in hand to the van.  They were all acting like teenagers in the early stages of a relationship.  They made their way to the Magic Kingdom for lunch.  The girls were being kept completely out of the loop.  Melinda had been able to get them a table at Be Our Guest off to the side and as out of the way as possible.  The girls were blown away that the guys had set up this lunch for them.  They enjoyed their lunch and tried to avoid as many pictures as possible.  Now that the word had gotten out that all five guys were at Disney, today was going to be a little more difficult for the guys not to be noticed.  As they were eating lunch, they were discussing what their plan for the day was.  

JC spoke up, “I really think if we break off it will draw less of a crowd.” He leaned over to Lex and whispered in her ear, “And I want to make out with you on the people mover without our friends being with us.” Lex laughed at him and put her hand on his thigh and said, “I can get behind that plan.” 

“I think C is probably right.  And I have some ideas that I wanted to do with Rhyann without you goofs.” Chris looked at her and winked.  

They all decided to go their own way for the day, but would meet back up to watch the fireworks together.  As lunch was wrapping up everyone started to plan where they were going next.  Lance and Michael wanted to go to EPCOT, well Lance wanted to go to EPCOT.  He couldn’t be at Disney and not ride Mission Space as many times as possible.  Chris and Rhyann were heading to Hollywood Studios with the first stop being Tower of Terror followed by Rockin’ Roller Coaster.  Joey and Charlie were headed to Hollywood Studios as well but starting in Star Wars Land.  Justin and Liz were going to Space Mountain. JC and Lex were heading straight to the people movers, followed by A Small World.  

(The following all take place at the same time, just peeks into everyone’s day)

Lance and Michael took off to EPCOT.  He wanted to ride Mission Space and go see the new space restaurant.  Even though they had just eaten, they could get a drink right?  They spent most of their day at EPCOT drinking around the world, and talking.  Talking about their future, the wedding, their friends.  “Babe, what do you think will happen next week when everyone goes home?” Lance looked at Michael asking with a little worry in his eyes.  “I don’t know, Bubba. I want to think that the relationships that are building this week will be able to continue in the future. I have never seen the guys this happy.  It is amazing. When they are happy, you are happier.”  Michael whispered in Lance’s ear as they were waiting to board Soarin’.  

“Turkey, would you be totally against me texting Liz and Justin and seeing if we could spend some time with them this afternoon? Just the 4 of us? I really would like to get to know her a little better.  She is bringing back Curly, and I could not be happier.  I have missed my friend.” Lance asked.  “Of course.  I am enjoying seeing this version of Justin.  I hope we get to see more of him,” Michael replied. 

Lance: Hey Best Friend!  I don’t know what you and Justin have planned for the day, but do you think that we could meet up sometime today and hang out a little bit?  I wanted to hang out with my Best Friend before she leaves me.

Liz: BEST FRIEND! That would be fantastic.  What if we meet up for dinner just the four of us and then we can do some rides until the fireworks.  

Lance: Sounds perfect!  Just let us know where to meet you and we will come to y’all.  

Liz and Justin were currently on the Buzz Lightyear ride and Justin was kicking her butt.  “What’s up babe?” Justin asked while he was trying to take down Zurg.  

“Oh we have dinner plans with Lance and Michael tonight. I hope you don’t mind, gosh I should have asked you before I agreed.” Liz started panicking a little. 

Justin turned towards her, “Lizzy, I can’t wait to have dinner with Lance and MIchael, this will be super fun.  I don’t get to see them as much as I would like.”  He thought for a minute and then started talking again, “No, I take that back.  I haven’t made the time that I needed to see them. But I feel like all that is going to change.” 

Justin leaned in and kissed her as the ride was coming to an end.  They walked off the ride, Liz grabbed his hand and said “Okay, Mouse, where are we headed to next?” 

“The PeopleMovers, Space Mountain and A Small World and then you get to pick.” 

They walked hand in hand over to the PeopleMovers.  It was pretty much a walk on so they stood and let several cars go between them and the people in front of them and jumped in a car.  They sat on the same side of the car and they were off.  Liz snuggled up next to Justin with his arm wrapped around her.  

“Lizzy, what is your plan for the rest of your time in Florida? Do you know when you are going home?  I don’t want to let you out of my sight until I have to. Tell me I can come visit you soon?” he asked with a hint of uncertainty.

“Originally I was flying home tonight, but I changed my flight to Sunday.  I plan on spending as much time with you as you can handle until I have to step on that airplane.  And anytime that you want to come visit you are always welcome.  You know, I’ve never been to California.” She winked at Justin and moved really close to him she whispered, “Maybe I can come see you as well.” 

“We are so making that happen, babe! I want to show you everything. I want to see your world, and I want to show you mine as we make our own world together.”

Chris and Rhyann were on Slinky Dog Dash for the third time in a row.  It had been their first stop when they arrived at Studios.  After Slinky they were heading to Star Wars Land.  Chris was like a kid in a candy shop.  He was so excited to finally be standing in Star Wars Land, and being here with Rhyann was making it even better.  After they had ridden everything in Star Wars Land, they were off to build lightsabers.  They were laughing and joking with each other, and both of them were amazed at how well they were getting along.  Rhyann finished her lightsaber and drew it out on Chris.  

“You, old man, are now my servant.  You must meet all my demands for the remainder of the day.  Are you up to the task?”

Chris drew his lightsaber on her and wrapped his arm around her, pulled her close and whispered, “Princess, I will do whatever you ask. And that doesn’t expire.” He leaned in and their lips met, sweet and soft at first and then grew deeper.  He pulled away from her and looked at Rhyann, “I need to stop that here, it is not family friendly what is going on in my mind right now.”  They walked out with their lightsabers and headed towards the Tower of Terror.  They left their lightsabers with a cast member to pick them up later and were off to ToT!  They spent the next hour or so jumping back and forth between Rockin’ Roller Coaster and ToT!  After a few more rides and dinner they were planning on heading back to the Magic Kingdom to meet up with everyone else.  They picked the Sci-Fi Drive In for dinner.  It was one of Chris’ favorite places from back in the day and he couldn’t wait to share it with Rhyann.  After they had dinner, they watched the “movie” and stole kisses from each other.  They started planning when they would be seeing each other again.  Chris told her that all the guys were staying one more week in Orlando together.  “I am really hoping that we can sit down and talk about the future, if we even want there to be a future.  I haven’t heard all five of us being on the same page in almost 20 years. It is just bizarre that we are all ready to talk about the band.  I don’t want to be too hopeful, but I am getting old and don’t know how much longer I can wait for this. So after we talk this week I’d like to come see you next week.  I think I will need to talk all this out with someone and I think I’d like that someone to be you.” Chris had been rubbing his thumbs on the backs of Rhyann’s hands as he talked.  He looked her in the eyes and didn’t know how to interpret the look on her face.  “Oh shit, did I say something I shouldn’t have said?  Did I tell you too much? What are you thinking? Ry, talk to me please.”  Rhyann looked at him and ran her fingers over his beard on his cheeks, and moved in closer to him and kissed him.  They both let out a sigh and pressed their foreheads together.  Rhyann pulled Chris’ hands over her heart and said, “Chris, first of all, you are welcome to come visit whenever you have time.  I wouldn’t be able to take off work, but we would have the weekend and nights.  But I love the idea of you being home waiting on me when I get home from work.”  Rhyann chuckled at that idea.  She continued, “If you guys are wanting to sit down together to talk about the future, then you guys need to do that alone so you guys can work out anything holding anyone back. I can’t deny that I am giddy on the inside that this talk is finally happening.  I will be there to listen to you as you work through this and then when it happens I will be your biggest fan screaming for you as you take the stage or whatever you guys decide to do.  And just know you are not too old for this.  You sound amazing, and you look better than you did 20 years ago.”  She moved a little closer to him in their “car” and got as close to him as she could and whispered in his ear, “I’ll be happy to help you remember how young you really are whenever you want.”  She bit at his ear when she felt his body shiver.  Chris turned to face her and kissed her with everything he had in him.  “Girl you are driving me crazy right here in the backseat of this car.”  They continued stealing kisses and enjoying their time together, just the two of them, before heading to Magic Kingdom. 

Joey and Charlie headed straight to Star Wars Land. They walked hand in hand looking at all the amazing things in the land.  It was the first time that Charlie had seen it.  Whether you are a fan of Star Wars or not, you cannot deny how immersive it is when you walk into the land.  Their first stop was blue milk.  Joey wanted to share all his love of Star Wars with Charlie.  He told her all the insider things that they passed.  After enjoying their milk it was time for rides.  They rode both Star Wars rides multiple times before heading to Toy Story Land.  One of the things that Charlie had always liked about Joey was his love for Disney and Star Wars and just his all around young-at-heart spirit.  She was seeing so much more of that today.  They were currently waiting for the Swirling Saucers to start spinning.  They were taking a selfie when the horn started to sound notifying everyone the ride was about to start.  Joey put his phone up and wrapped his arm around Charlie.  He knew what to expect, but she was not ready when they started spinning.  She slammed right into Joey’s side. They both started laughing as Joey pulled her close as they were spun around.  They could not stop laughing as the ride continued.  After finishing up the rides in Toy Story Land they rode a few more rides before heading to Hollywood and Vine for dinner.  Joey had called ahead so they could have a private area for dinner. Over dinner they talked about Joey’s daughters and the projects he was working on.  “Joey, I know you have so much on your plate, but I would love for us to keep in touch after I leave.”  Joey looked at Charlie, “Charlie, babe, it is going to take a lot for you to get rid of me.  I want you to come visit as often as you can, I want to come visit you, I want to text you good morning and you text me good night. I want to see where this goes with us.  I don’t want to rush anything, but I want to see where this leads. And it’s a bonus that my best friends like you.”  They laughed and Joey grabbed her hand and kissed it.  They finished their dinner and rode a few more rides before heading to Magic Kingdom.  

Josh and Lex headed to The People Movers. While they were going around looking at the castle, Josh pulled Lex’s legs in his lap and winked at her as she was sitting across from him.  “I could ride this for hours,”  he said while he ran his hands over her calves.  “I could stay like this for hours.” Lex sighed at the feeling of Josh’s hands on her bare skin.  When they came back around to the end of the ride, they asked if they could stay on for a while.  The cast members agreed, and they continued to ride around chatting about last night’s show and the uncertainty of the conversation the guys were about to have and what it meant for the future.  What it meant for his future, for their future.  Once they finished at the People Movers they headed towards A Small World.  After a few more rides, they headed towards Main Street.  They walked hand in hand and laughed as they talked along the way.  They stopped on the side of the castle to take some pictures.  Lex grabbed her camera and propped it up for an impromptu photo shoot.  Lex turned Josh to where his back was to the camera, she jumped in his arms as the timer went off.  She looked at the picture and was so happy with it.  She showed it to Josh to see what he thought.  “Lex, babe, look at you.  You are beautiful.  You look so happy, it is all over your face.”  He kissed her and she sighed. “Josh this is so much, you, here by the castle, kissing me like that!  Whose life is this?” “This is your life, and I can’t wait to see what is going to happen, and I get to be a part of it.” “Do you care if I post this on Instagram?”  Lex asked.  “No, I think that is a great picture for you to post! I have an idea that I want to post.  Whoa, wait, babe, do you care if I post something on my page?  I know you locked your account down, and you don’t have to accept requests from people.  Okay, wait here I’m going to get something that I want for my picture. Don’t let anyone sweep you off your feet while I’m gone.”  Josh hurried off and Lex was so confused on what he was doing.  He came back about 10 minutes later with a bag.  He pulled out two sets of ears. “For you my princess! And mine,” as he put both their ears on.  “Ok so what I want to do, you stand in front of me and lean to the right.” He set the camera up and came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and leaned to make sure the camera could see her ears.  Once the camera had taken several shots he brought the phone over to her.  “Josh, these are great!  It really captures emotion without really seeing me.”  “Let’s pick the best one.”  After they picked the best picture Josh opened his Instagram to post the picture.  He captioned it with “This really is the happiest place on earth!” He tagged Lex and hit that blue checkmark.  “Well that is done, let’s enjoy the rest of the night before we meet back up with everyone else.”  They both muted their notifications and were happy to be here together. 

Lance, Michael, Justin and Liz met back up for dinner.  They sat in a booth in the back of Tony’s.  Lance and Liz sat on one side of the table with Justin and Michael across the table.  They ordered their meal, and caught up on the day. Justin cleared his throat, looked at Liz and then looked at Lance, “Lance, I want to apologize to you.  I have not made an effort to see you as much as I should, as much as a brother should. And for that I am truly sorry.  Your best friend made me realize that I have not been the brother and friend that I should have been to all of you.  That changes right now.  Plus, I think your best friend won’t let me get away with it anymore.”  Lance couldn’t believe the change in Justin in this moment.  It wasn’t just his words, but it was his whole persona. “J, I know you and I are so busy, we all could have done better.  If I learned anything through the last year with all this lockdown stuff, it is that I need to do better with my relationships. I’m so glad all 5 of us were able to spend some overdue time together. And I know we will be seeing more of each other in the very near future.”  “I have been thinking for a while, but this week has just confirmed it, I think I want to find a more permanent home in Tennessee. I just feel better when I am out of LA or NY.  I feel more like myself, whoever he is.” “Babe, that’s really big.  And very exciting!” Liz smiled at him and rubbed her foot along his leg just to let him know she was there.   The group finished their dinner as it was getting to be time to meet the others for the fireworks.  They walked over to the grassy area a few minutes before the fireworks were to begin.  The rest of the group was already there chatting and laughing with each other. 

The others joined their friends, they all sat close to each other and wrapped in the arms of a special person.  The fireworks show began. There was singing, there were tears and there was the hope of what was to come.  When the fireworks finished, they stayed in their grassy area a little while longer.  They waited for the crowd to die down a little before they started to head out.  Charlie looked at Joey and then at her friends, “I am so sad that this is our last night at Disney.” Rhyann snuggled up to Chris, “This place just became so much more important and special to me.”  Chris kissed the side of her head and whispered, “Me too. Maybe we can all come back every year together, and then maybe you and I can sneak back just us.” When the crowd cleared out enough for them to feel comfortable, they made their way to the bus.  The girls and Michael were walking together in front of the other guys.  The group upfront were laughing and had their arms linked together as they walked to the bus.  The guys walked behind them, JC looked at his brothers and said, “Guys I don’t know how we got so lucky, but I feel better than I have in a long time.  I don’t want to say goodbye to the girls yet, but I am really glad we are going to have some time together, just us guys.”  

The van was extra quiet on the way back to the hotel.  Everyone was soaking in the time with each other.  They made it back to their floor, there was sadness in the air.  Michael spoke up as everyone was reaching their rooms, "So what's the plan for tomorrow? If everyone is going to be sad like this, I don't want to hang out with any of you. I mean I can't do the sadness now." Lance wrapped him in arms tight.  

"I would like for all of us to do something tomorrow, but I also want to spend some time with Lex, just us," Josh said as he was playing with her hair and kissing her shoulder.  

"Why don't we do brunch together and then we can break off.  We know we are all going to the airport on Sunday when the girls leave." Joey commented.  

The group agreed that brunch in the morning was the perfect idea.  It gave them time in the morning to not rush, and then gave them all time in the evening before saying goodbye the next day.  They all said their good nights and set a time to meet the next day.  

Lance and Michael entered their room and Michael walked up to his fiance and wrapped his arms around him.  “Babe, everyone will be okay.  You guys have another week together and you know y’all will talk to the girls every day.”

Lance turned in Michael’s arms and looked at him and kissed him. “Thank you, babe, for knowing exactly what is going through my head without having to say anything.  I am so looking forward to next week with the guys, and I know we have gained 4 new friends, sisters. I just hate having to see the guys say goodbye.  They have all been so happy this week, and that’s all I want for them.”

“Well, lucky for you, that is all I want for you too.”  Michael pulled Lance towards their bed.  He removed both their outfits and they crawled into bed.  

“How did I get so lucky to fall in love with my best friend? You know how to take care of me better than anyone else.” Lance fell into the comfort of Michael’s embrace.

Lance and Michael woke up knowing that they would be having the most normal day out of everyone. They had planned on being a support to their friends today. They knew that today would be hard for their friends and them. Lance grabbed his phone to see if anyone was awake yet, but there were no messages. He and Michael pulled up Instagram instead and loved all the posts from the show and the posts from his bandmates. They decided they were going to lay low until they heard from everyone or it was time for them to meet for brunch. They were planning on a day together at the spa and by the pool and whatever else they could come up with around the resort.  

Justin woke up with Lizzy snug in his arms. He squeezed her tight and started running his fingers through her hair. He grabbed his phone and opened the camera. He grabbed a picture of her from his view. He wanted to have a picture of her so when he woke up without her next to him he could look at the picture and remember what he felt like right at this moment. Lizzy started to stir and turned and looked at Justin as he was still staring at her. 

“What? Why are you looking at me like that? Good Morning!” Liz asked as she snuggled close to him.

“I am just soaking in the last morning that we can stay like this for a while.Y’all have early flights tomorrow, and I just want to savor this feeling. Don’t be upset, but I took this beautiful picture of you this morning while you were sleeping so when you aren’t next to me and I wake up missing you I have this.” Justin showed her the picture he took and she looked so happy in her sleep.  

“What do you want to do today, babe?”

“I know you want to hit the golf course today. Will it be too late after brunch? What if after that we go to Downtown Disney and spend the day there?” 

“Babe, I canceled my tee time yesterday, I can golf next week with the guys when I am missing you. I don’t want to spend the last day we have together on the greens. Downtown Disney sounds great! We can grab a nice dinner and then make our way back over to Magic Kingdom for dessert and fireworks. What do you say?” Justin smiled at her excitement. 

“J, that sounds like the perfect last day together, for a while.” She replied with tears starting to form in her eyes. 

Justin wiped her eyes and grabbed her face and kissed her. He looked back at her, “I know this is going to be hard, but we can make this work. I know we can.” 

They stayed in bed talking and cuddling and stealing a few kisses here and there until it was time to get ready for brunch. 

Across the hall Chris and Rhyann were planning out their day. They decided they were going to park hop to all 4 parks today! They were going to start at Animal Kingdom then Hollywood Studios, then EPCOT and finish at Magic Kingdom for the fireworks in front of the castle. They knew they wouldn’t be able to do much, but it was something they both wanted to do and today seemed like the best day to do it. They would have their escort so they wouldn’t have to wait in the lines and could cheat it a little. They wanted to ride at least one of the major rides at each park and get a snack or meal from each park along with one suvenioner from each park. They were so excited to get this experience together.  

Chris looked at Ry, “I love that you love Disney as much as me. Whenever I have mentioned doing this to anyone they always tell me it is ridiculous and what a waste of a day running all over the place. You are over here planning out the shortest route to each place we want to go. Today is going to be amazing.”  

“Chris, this is one of my bucket list items that I have always wanted to do. I can’t believe you actually want to do this. We are going to have so much fun today and the memories we make are going to stay with us forever, I just know it.”  

Ryhann locked her phone and put her notepad to the side and stood up on the bed looking down at Chris, he looked up at her not knowing what she was going to do next. He sat up and leaned against the headboard. She straddled his legs and he ran his hands up her legs as far as he could reach. She slid down sitting on his lap, she ran her hands through his hair that he was growing out. He kissed along her neck up to her ear, he whispered to her, “You are changing my world.” She gasped and he kissed her. The kiss was hungry and full of excitement. She could feel his excitement beneath her. As their hands were roaming the other's body Chris pulled his lips from hers and ran his hands under her shirt, surprised by the fact that she was not wearing a bra. He moved his hands around to her breasts and ran his fingers over her nipples. She sighed at his touch. She sat up and removed her shirt and then removed his shirt. He pulled her close, the first touch of skin on skin and they sank into each other’s touch. He kissed his way around her shoulders down her chest. He took one of her nipples in his mouth as his hand showed attention to the other. Ryhann’s head tilted back as she got lost in the attention Chris’ mouth was giving her. Chris lifted her up and turned her around on his lap, she leaned into his arms as he wrapped her tight in his arms. He thought, “She fits perfectly in my arms.” She could tell he was thinking about something. She turned and looked at him, “Chris, what’s wrong? What are you thinking about?” “I was just thinking about how perfectly you fit in my arms. And trying to make myself slow down.” “Chris, you are perfect. Let’s see where today takes us. I don’t want us to rush into anything, and I am not upset about our morning. In fact, a little make out session before brunch sounds perfect.”  

Charlie and Joey were up and getting ready since everyone was meeting in Joey’s room. Charlie was in the shower and Joey was sitting on the counter and they were discussing what they wanted to do for the day. Before they went to sleep the night before they decided they were heading to Universal. Joey wanted to show Charlie around his old stomping grounds. As much as Disney was part of his history with the band, Universal was his history. Even though most of his landmarks were no longer there he could still show her where they were. They talked about making their way back over to Magic Kingdom for the fireworks, but figured they would play it by ear. They were both excited about the day and even more excited about spending the day just the two of them. Charlie was wrapping up in the shower and stuck her arm out to grab her towel but it was not where she left it. She poked her head out the shower and looked at Joey, 

“Fatone, you better find my towel now or I’m going to spend the day with Lance and Michael.” 

“But babe you don’t want to spend the day with them, you know you want to spend the day with me. Who knows what kind of trouble we can get into.” 

Joey handed her the towel she was looking for, she stepped out of the shower and walked past him and grabbed the robe from the closet. She came back into the bathroom to brush out her hair and brush her teeth. Joey couldn’t stop looking at her. “Charlie, I don’t know what I need to get Melinda for Christmas this year, but it is going to be better than any gift I have ever given her before.” He stepped up behind her and wrapped his arms around her and watched her get ready. She looked back at him in the mirror, “Well make sure you sign my name to that card, because I can never thank her enough for this week.” He kissed her shoulder, slapped her butt and stepped in the shower throwing his clothes over the curtain. 

Lex was sitting by the sliding door drinking her coffee. She was curled up in the chair with a blanket wrapped around her. She had woken up about 30 minutes ago and couldn’t get back to sleep. She didn’t want to wake Josh, so she decided the spot she was in now was the best. She was thinking back over the week they had just had together. She heard him start to stir, and she looked over at him as he stretched in the bed. She couldn’t take her eyes off of him. When he stretched, the covers dropped down revealing his chest, his strong chest that she slept against the last two nights. He immediately started reaching for her, but he realized she wasn’t there. He sat up and looked around for her; their eyes met and they both grinned at each other. “Honey, you better get your fine self back over here. This bed is empty, and it looks like you would fill this space perfectly. Plus I’m not ready to be missing you yet.” Lex got up from the chair and walked back over to the bed. She crawled in, and Josh wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I really like seeing you in my shirt honey,” he whispered in her ear. She had grabbed it this morning from the pile of clothes that found their way to the floor during the night. As she laid in his arms she thought back on their night.  

She never expected it to happen, but it was so perfect. When they got back to the room there was sadness in the air after they crawled in bed to watch a movie. They knew tomorrow was their last day together. They didn’t watch much of the movie. It started with a few kisses and roaming hands and before they knew it clothes were being removed. Josh looked down at her, “You are so beautiful.” He brushed her hair out of her face and kissed every place on her that he could. He had never felt like this before; he couldn’t get enough of her. She looked back up at him “Josh, I need you now.” He entered her slowly, paying attention to her reactions. Lex sighed thinking back on in the way he made her feel, she sank into his body snapping out of memory. “And what are you smiling about over here, beautiful?” He turned her in his arms. “You, last night, all of it.” She blushed as she responded. “You know I wouldn’t be opposed to spending the day in bed and you reminding me about last night.” He winked at her and then kissed her. “You won’t hear any complaints from me about that, but I do think we need to be at brunch or the search party will come after us.” They laughed and agreed they needed to at least go to brunch, they would figure out the rest of the day later.  

Everyone gathered in Joey’s room for brunch. They talked about their plans for the day. Everyone was so torn over spending time together as a group and all the plans they had made. Ultimately, after breakfast, everyone broke off for their day. It was a later start than everyone was expecting, but enough time for what everyone had planned.  

Lance and Michael were on their way to Magic Kingdom from the resort after spending the day at the spa and the pool. They wanted to catch the fireworks one more time. They walked in and stopped. There was something breathtaking about the castle covered in Christmas lights. They grabbed a selfie and a few pictures in front of the castle before heading to the area they reserved for the fireworks. Lance and Michael both opened up Instagram and posted one of their pictures in front of the castle. The caption read, “One last night of magic.”

Chris and Ryhann had just finished riding Space Mountain and were going to Casey’s to pick up dinner to eat while they waited for the fireworks to start. They had accomplished their goal. Even with the late start they were able to make it to all 4 parks, ride at least one of the major rides and had a snack at each park. It had been everything they hoped for. On the way to Casey’s they couldn’t pass up a clear shot of the castle with the lights. They asked their guide to take their picture and then took a couple of selfies. They grabbed their food from Casey’s and headed to the area where they were watching the fireworks. They looked over their pictures and picked one to post on their private accounts. They opted for no caption, just the castle emoji. 

Joey and Charlie decided that they could make it back to the castle from Universal for the fireworks. One last night with the Disney magic. They had made their way around Universal with Joey showing her all his personal landmarks. They had a great day of laughter and hearing all of Joey’s stories. They took pictures in front of Mel’s and where the Graveyard Revue was. When they walked back in to Magic Kingdom, Charlie gasped at the awe of the castle. She looked at Joey and said, “Today was great at Universal, but there is just something about this castle. I am going to miss it.” He wrapped his arms around her, “I am going to miss you more.” They snapped a quick picture in front of the castle and opened each of their IG accounts and captioned the picture, “I’m going to miss this.” They made their way to their spot to watch the fireworks. 

Josh and Lex spent their day driving to the coast for a quick afternoon and dinner at the beach. Josh could never pass up putting his toes in the sand and cooling off in the waves. Lex was not a beach person, but she was becoming a Josh person and could not wait to spend the day in the Florida sun with him. They lucked out with a warm afternoon. They found a quiet spot on the sand where they could sit, talk, get sun and have the occasional make out session. Lex couldn’t keep her eyes off his arms and chest. After dinner on the beach, they drove back to Orlando. Josh wanted to surprise her with their last night together at Magic Kingdom to enjoy the fireworks. They walked to their spot for the fireworks and grabbed a picture of the two of them, Josh wrapped his arms around her and snapped the picture. They wanted to document their last night together. They pulled up Instagram, “Two posts in a week? Who are you Joshua Chasez?” Lex laughed. They posted their picture on each of their accounts with the caption, “The perfect ending to a great week.”

Justin and Lizzy had a totally touristy day. They shopped for all the souvenirs that they didn’t need. They made a LEGO set for Justin to take home with plans of them building it together during one of their visits. They went to the Christmas Shoppe and picked out matching ornaments to go on each of their trees so they were with each other even when they weren’t. Justin even snuck in an ornament Lizzy didn’t know about, he purchased an “Our First Christmas Together” ornament. He just has a feeling that this would not be the last Christmas he would have her in his life. They lost themselves in the World of Disney, buying way too much! After dinner at The Edison, they walked through the Christmas Tree Trail before heading back to the castle for the fireworks. When they got to their area for the fireworks, Lizzy surprised Justin with his and her Christmas Mickey ears. He grabbed his phone and then kissed her in front of the castle and snapped the perfect picture. He looked at the picture, “Well this one is perfect, but we can’t post that one yet.” They took another picture together and posted it to Instagram reading, “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.” “Justin, everyone is going to lose their minds.”  

*All Instagram postings above were made within minutes of each other.

Lex grabbed her phone that kept dinging, she tried to ignore it. She gasped at her notifications. “Josh, did you know everyone was here? All of us have posted pictures in front of the castle tonight. Where is everyone?” “Honey, what are you talking about?” “Look!” She pulled up Instagram and showed him everyone’s posts. He pulled out his phone and opened the group text:

JC: Seriously did we all end up at the same place together?

CK: What are you talking about?

JF: I’m ignoring y’all the fireworks are about to start.

JT: I’m trying to spend the last night with my girl and the lights. What are you talking about?

LB: C, want to tell us what you mean. 

JC: We are all at the castle!!! You MORONS! 

ALL: WHAT!

JT: How did we all do that? 

JF: Come to us, we are over on the left hand side where we were the other night, there is plenty of room. 

The group gathered together. They all laughed and shared some moments from the day while they waited for the fireworks. Ryhann was wrapped in Chris’ arms and whispered to him, “This is the perfect way to end the week.” He kissed her cheek as the fireworks started.  

The morning they were dreading had finally arrived. They each ordered breakfast in their own rooms. They wanted to soak in as much time as possible before heading to the airport. The girls' flights were all close enough that they could all go at the same time. Bags were packed and waiting by 4 doors. Joey and Charlie were looking out on the balcony when his alarm went off. “Babe, it’s time. I’ll text everyone and let them know to meet in the hall.”

JF: Okay guys, the car is here. Time to go. 

LB: Do you want us to go with y’all?

JT: Absolutely, Lizzy would be sad if you weren’t at the airport. Even more sad.  

CK: I guess it is time. 

JC: This sucks.

Five doors opened, one at a time. Suitcases were rolled out and the girls were hanging on tightly to their guys. You could tell that everyone had been crying at some point, and there was not much being said between everyone. They piled in the van as a group of 10 for the last time. They took advantage of the 30 minute drive to the airport. Stolen kisses, whispers and savoring each other was all they were focused on. Justin spoke up, “Joe, I have to tell you while we are all together THANK YOU! Thank you for bringing us all together. You have changed all of our lives forever.” Lizzy squeezed his hand. They pulled up to the airport. JC had reached out to the airport and reserved a meeting room, so they could all say their goodbyes privately. Hugs all around as they told each other they would see each other soon before everyone paired back off.  

Lance grabbed Liz and gave her a big hug. “Best friend, let me know when you get home. You better get those wedding planning thoughts going, because we are going to need help. We will talk soon.” He kissed the top of her head and hugged her tight, “I’ve never seen him happier,” he whispered to her. She looked back at him and said, “He has done the same for me. I love you, best friend!” They hugged and Lance and Michael stood off to the side as he watched his best friends say goodbye to these women who had changed their worlds.  

Charlie was snug under Joey’s arms trying to keep the tears from running. “Babe, call me when you get home, text me from the plane, let me know you get to the gate, anytime you need me I’m there, no questions asked,” Joey rambled. She looked back up at him and just nodded. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her. He kissed her like there was no tomorrow.  

Ryhann was sitting in Chris’ lap, and they were already planning on a zoom date that night. “You better let me know how this week goes. This is going to happen Chris. I can feel it.” “Of course you will be the first to know. Call me when you get home. I am going to miss you in about five minutes.” He told her and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. 

Josh held Lex’s hand and looked at her, “Think you can find some time for me in a couple of weeks or maybe days?” Her face lit up, “Of course I can. You are welcome anytime. I’ll call you tonight and we can start planning.” “How am I going to sleep in that big bed tonight without you?” he said as he kissed her temple. He wrapped her up in his arms and gave her one last kiss to last them both a couple of days. 

Justin looked at Lizzy and said, “Babe, will you come with me for Thanksgiving? I’ve already cleared it with mom, and she can’t wait.” Liz looked at him shocked, “Justin, what in the world? Your mom? Thanksgiving? Are you sure?” “I have never been more sure about anything in the world.” “Of course I will come.” He picked her up and spun her around. She wrapped her legs around him and leaned in to kiss him. 

They all made their way to security where they would actually have to let go. One last round of hugs and kisses and Lizzy looked at the group, “No goodbyes, just see you soon!” The girl's fingers slipped from the guys hands, and they walked towards security. The guys stood shoulder to shoulder watching their happiness walk away. The girls turned around and blew kisses to the guys. One last wave, and they were out of sight. Justin took a deep breath, “Now what?” 

Chris jumped on Joey’s back and said, “Don’t you leave me too.” The guys stood there a little longer hoping that the girls would come back. 

Lizzy sat straight up in her bed and gasped. She felt the bed shift and arms reach up to her, “Babe are you okay?” “I just had the most realistic and flashback dream.” “Was it a good dream?” He snuggled up a little closer to her. She was about to speak when there was crying coming from the room down the hall. “I’ll get her.” He kissed her and crawled out of the bed, headed for the room down the hall. She could hear the door open on the monitor. “Daddy!” The little voice called out. “What’s wrong, Princess? Did you have a bad dream?” He asked her as he picked her up. Lizzy was watching their sweet interactions on the camera. “No daddy, I had a good dream, but I want it to come true. Can it come true, daddy?” change to younger text “Of course it can come true. But, let’s get you back to sleep and you can tell me all about it in the morning.” He laid down next to her in her little toddler bed. “Daddy, will you sing for me?” “Of course.” He started humming first and then started singing, “Dreams come true, they do….” When he finished singing she was asleep. He kissed the top of her head and went back to his bedroom. He walked back into his room and looked at Liz. She had tears in her eyes, “What is it with you Timberlake women and that song?” He crawled back in the bed with her and dried her tears. “Now, do you want to tell me about this dream?” “I dreamed about the trip that changed our lives, and all our best friends' lives.” “Oh you mean the greatest week of my life? Can you believe that was five years ago?” He kissed her and grabbed his phone. He snapped a quick selfie of the two of them and pulled up the text chat that started five years ago.  

JT: Was just thinking about the greatest week of our lives. See you all tomorrow. (Insert picture.)

JC: Five of the best years!  

JF: Timberlake you better be ready the crew is coming! Can’t wait to see you all.

CK: Hey, I’m old! I’m trying to sleep, you losers.

LB: Glad to see someone else is still up. The twins are so excited to see y’all tomorrow. 

RK: Love you dorks, but the old man is falling back asleep.

CF: Five years? How is that possible!  

MT: Lance, get back in here! Love y’all!

LC: I have news tomorrow!

LT: All I have to say is dreams really do come true. 

Justin looked at Liz, and said “They do when you wish upon a star.” They snuggled back into their bed and fell back asleep so glad that they all made the tiny decisions five years ago that changed their lives forever.