Joey looked out of the corner of his eye while the group finished their before show prayer. It was the first time he'd really seen her in last two days. Every time he'd get anywhere close to her, she'd turn around and leave. Avoiding him. He wondered if it was just him or if it was something he'd done or said. Joey had thought back to everything the past week and couldn't think of anything to set her off. His eyes narrowed as she hugged Justin, laughing at something he'd said before briefly meeting his eyes, a slight frown coming to her face. “What the hell is her problem?” he muttered, trying to shake off the nerves and adrenaline a bit before they took the stage.

“Joey!” a voice called out, and he inwardly tried not to cringe before he turned to answer. It wasn't a cringe out of despair, just that Kristen's voice had become more bubbly and giggly as the week had progressed. The sight that met him, however, was one he liked. His girlfriend stood there in a tight form fitting dress, looking like a million bucks.

“You look good, Kris,” he said, stopping so one of the stage people could apply a bit more make up, knowing he'd sweat most of it off. His eyes left hers for a moment to watch the woman he had been looking at leave. He nodded to the stage hand in thanks, giving Kristen a quick kiss.

“I told my friends you'd wave to them,” she said, giving him a big smile, pressing her breasts against him.

Joey stopped, enjoying the moment before heading on, practically running out the door. “Mel!” he yelled, looking both ways but not seeing her. “You seen her?” Joey asked one of the security guys, hoping he had.

“She went towards the catering room. You got five minutes,” the guy yelled after Joey.

Joey got to the door that said catering and opened it, sending up a silent prayer that it was empty, save for her. “Hey,” Joey said, watching her jump at the sound of his voice, dropping the knife that had Miracle Whip on it and smiling at her cuss word. “You aren't coming to the show?” A very different woman than Kristen, dressed in a pair of jeans and a green t-shirt from Old Navy, a lanyard around her neck admitting her anywhere she wanted to go with the hard card hanging from it. Her favorite Nike's on her feet and glasses, her hair up in a messy ponytail. Joey watched her stand there, hating the silence between them.

“I've seen the show about twenty times now, Fatone,” Melissa finally said, not turning around as she bent down to wipe up the spilled condiment. “What makes this one different?” she'd tried hard the past few days not to be mad that her best friend had been otherwise occupied, and the shade of green she was wearing for jealousy didn't fit her well. So she'd done the only thing she could think of, which was avoid Joey all together.

“I've tried to talk to you for two freakin' days, Mel. You just give me the silent treatment like I killed your dog or somethin',” Joey spat out, hating to be ignored- more so that this was a person he'd known for years.

“Maybe you did kill my dog,” she said back, emphasizing the 'aw' sound in the word dog so it came out much like his New York accent instead of her southern one.

Joey growled, marching up to the table and grabbing the plate of food she had fixed and held it up out of her reach. “Tell me what the problem is, or the sandwich gets it.” A faint smile came to his face when his brown eyes caught her green ones and she smiled slightly before stomping her foot.

“Damn it, Joseph!” Melissa yelped, pushing Joey and trying to get her food before he dumped it into the garbage. “You're an ass, if you want to know the problem!”

Joey stopped fighting her and tossed the food in the trash. “You're lying. Your right eye twitched, babe,” he huffed, folding his arms over his chest, watching her glare at him and mutter under her breath. The term of endearment pissed her off more, much like hearing Joseph come from her mouth. “Do I have the plague or is this something more along the lines of a lover's quarrel that I am getting blamed for?”

Melissa seethed, about to jab him in the chest with her finger when she stopped. “You think this is about me and Travis? Why would I bring you into that? He and I are fine! I mean, I have to listen to you and Kristen practically having phone sex...”

Joey's eyebrow raised as he heard her voice change at the mention of his girlfriend's name. “You're jealous...” he said, smirking. Joey wasn't sure how to feel about the look that momentarily crossed her face, waiting for an answer.

“Kiss. My. Ass...Why would I be jealous of her? She has to put up with you,” Melissa tried to act indifferent about it.

“Then try not to act like a bitch, Mel. It doesn't suit you. You can do a lot better than Travis anyway, if you want my opinion. He sleeps with anything that walks.”

“He does not! How do you freaking know? Like you're much better anyways!” she yelled. “You can do a lot better than Kristen!Wearing clothes that fit small teenagers so her tits fall out of the shirt! And you act like a dick when she's around.”

“Like I said, you're jealous.”

“Shut up!” Melissa's voice got louder and she took a step closer to Joey. Everything about him made her mad, from the red in his hair to his goatee and Superman jersey he was wearing tonight. “You piss me off, Fatone. You don't have any idea what you're talking about!”

“Then you wouldn't be getting so mad about her being here. You didn't care about wearing make up last week, and now it's like you went and bought the whole fucking Clinique line.” Joey said quietly, taking a step closer to her as well, his voice getting a pissed off tone. He didn't mind make up on women, but in his mind, his best friend didn't need make up.

“It was on sale,” she replied cooly, giving him the evil eye. “Go sing and dance and make girls scream and cry. I don't wanna see you right now.”

“You coming?” Joey asked her, hearing his name beyond the door. He ignored the last statement, even though it hurt.

“Not to watch you, asshole,” she replied flippantly. Melissa saw a momentary stab of pain in Joey's eyes and she turned around, looking down at the table with food. They'd fought and argued before, but she'd never resorted to calling him names.

Joey stood there for a minute, then let out a curse in Italian, slamming the door as he left.

“Dude, where the fuck have you been?” Justin asked, shoving Joey playfully. He frowned when his bandmate just glared at him. “What's up, Superman?” he asked quietly, all of them bringing their hands in for the usual 'NSYNC' yell before they went on stage.

“I'll deal with Mel later,” Joey replied, his voice low. She'd pissed him off, but he was going to get through the show. He had other things to worry about besides Lance's little sister. Other things, but what she'd said really tore him up.

“Oooo, so you had a fight. Who won, dawg?” Chris chimed in, getting a slap in the head from JC. “What? He must have tried to kiss her or some bull if she's pissed at him.”

“Will you shut up,” Justin hissed, the mics coming on in a few seconds.

Joey just shook his head, taking his place on the lift to raise the group up on the stage. He could tell you every note to every song and dance move, every part he talked at. He gave a smile to Kristen, finding her down in the pit. His eyes wandered over to the empty chair a few seats over. Joey looked over at JC, who gave him a raised eyebrow as they both sang and he gave a small shrug. He couldn't get away from that side of the stage, so he just sucked it up.

The sounds of the concert could be heard, the crowd singing along to the songs, shouts and screams of fans, the muffled talking of the guys. Melissa Bass stayed in the catering room, picking at her food until she finally threw it away, disgusted. Travis would still be working and there wasn't anywhere she wanted to just sit, so she walked around. Pausing at the door that would lead her around to the pit, she sighed. Two more shows and Kristen would be back in her hometown of Pittsburgh. Things could go back to normal. Or as much normal as a tour could get. She smiled at one of the security guys.

“Sup, Mo?” she said, high fiving the guy who dwarfed her, all muscles and mean looking until he smiled.

“Not much, sister. You're missing your boy...”

“Whatever. He's being a jerk,” she said, shaking her head. Melissa heard a pause in the show and moved then, opening the door. She could maneuver around between the costume people and backup dancers quick enough.

It was dark and a hand caught Melissa's shoulder before she got all the way out to the pit. “Apologize to him,” a deep voice whispered to her. “Now.”

Melissa turned to see her brother looking at her. “I didn't do anything,” she said quickly, hearing a cough behind Lance, realizing she was standing in their way. Her brother squeezed her shoulder hard. “You got a minute and a half.”

Pressing herself up against a beam under the stage, Mel watched her brother, JC, Chris and Justin walk by with Joey bringing up the rear.

“What did you tell them?” she asked Joey, making him stop. It was close quarters and she could feel his chest rise and fall, his scent a little stronger since he was sweating. A mix of his cologne and deodarant and just...him.

“I didn't say shit. What do you want?” Joey was still pissed and this was not where he wanted to talk at. “We can do this later, Mel. I'm working.”

“I'm sorry, Joey,” she said quickly, swallowing. Melissa wasn't going to cry, but her voice got raspy and thick with emotion. “I hate it when you're mad at me.”

Joey sighed, not ready to talk about it. He was mad and there was no time. “Later,” he bit off, moving past her in a hurry.

Melissa watched him go, sighing deeply. She made her way to the buses, climbing on the one that was for her brother and the rest of the group. There were four more that held the band, back up dancers, crew and opening act. It was a spacious bus and she wandered back to the bunks, taking her shoes off and shoving them in her bag, getting in her bunk and closing the curtain. It was dark, but the noise of the bus engine running kept her awake. As if she could sleep anyway. It would be at least another hour before the guys made it back.

Melissa flipped on her light laid there, staring at the pictures on her wall, most of them of the guys. Taking out her sketchbook, her pencil made lines, finishing up a picture and signing it before she flipped through the book. One picture was taped to the front cover and it made her smile. JC had taken a picture of her and Joey asleep on the couch in the back of the bus. They'd been up playing video games and had fallen asleep. Somehow they'd both ended up under a blanket with her face pressed into Joey's neck, his hat still on backward, his arm around her, controller in his hand. It was one of her favorite pictures, but as far as she knew, Joey hadn't seen it. JC had played it off, giving it to her with a stack of pictures. Turning the light off, she laid there in the dark, her mind a mess.

It did make Joey feel a bit better she'd apologized, but it wasn't what he wanted. He wanted them back to how they were. It was comfortable, and had been that way almost since they met. “Bye Bye Bye,” started and Joey let his mind wander a bit.

Six months into being 'NSYNC, Lance came into the studio with a girl behind him. She was short and blonde, same green eyes as Lance and laughing at something he'd told her. They'd been recording and were taking a break.

“Nice of you to make it back, Lancey poo,” Joey said, thumping him goodnaturedly on the shoulder. “Who did you bring with you?”

“This,” Lance said, bringing his sister in front of him, “is my little sister, Melissa. Mel, this is Joey..Justin, JC, and Chris.”

She blushed and shook their hands, finding a seat to watch them. She was sitting there with a notebook out, her pencil going as she looked and sketched. Joey was the first one done, coming out to sit and watch.

“You're good. Do you draw stuff for money? Or in art class?” he asked, impressed that she'd caught them all in a quick sketch, going back and adding in shading here and there. Joey was lucky to draw a stick figure.

“Just art class. It's all for fun. I'm in choir too, this is my spring break,” Melissa replied, the conversation easy between them until Joey heard his name again.

“Well, we'll have to all go hang out sometime,” he told her, shrugging off the feeling he got when she nodded at him, a small smile on her face.

Joey's thoughts were broken when he realized Justin was looking at him, a raised eyebrow as he was being drug back under the stage to change. “What?” he asked, not sure what had happened.

“You zoned the fuck out, dawg. You were singing and dancing, but it was f-ed up. Like a zombie. If Kristen needs someone else to entertain her while you get some sleep...” Justin didn't finish the sentence, grinning as he changed shirts and pants.

“Stay the hell away from my girlfriend, Timberlake.” Joey took a deep breath and let it out, knowing he couldn't let his mind wander again. Changing clothes as well, he got ready to sing the last set of songs, grinning at Kristen when they got back on stage, pushing other thoughts to the back of his mind.