“What up, dawg?” Justin hollered to Joey, stopping short, making JC run into him. “What the fuck happened to your face?” The last time he'd saw his friend, Joey's hair had been longer and his face had a goatee and slight beard. He flopped down on the big hotel bed and looked over at Joey. “Shit, this is a water bed. Not hard to get motion on this fucker,” Justin said. He finally got the hint that he wasn't going to get a response. “You okay, Joseph?”

Joey's lips were closed tight and he stared off into space. They were due at rehearsal for the wedding in any minute and he hadn't even bothered to get dressed in what he'd brought. 'Something nice,' Kristen had insisted before leaving herself to go be with her friends and family. His immediate family and friends had flown in to Pittsburgh a little while ago. He'd greeted them all with a smile and hugs before coming and barricading himself in the honeymoon suite. The only reason he'd answered the door was because Justin had threatened to yell that they were lovers and that Joey had jilted him to go be with a woman. He'd almost laughed at that. Then he heard JC say something and went to let them in.

“Really, Joey, you okay?” The question came from JC, standing there looking at his friend. It looked like a cross between a panic attack and someone who was very sick.

“What time is it?” Joey asked, not answering either of them. When he heard the time, he got up, pulling off his shirt and grabbing the one he was supposed to be wearing, along with the tie. “Went and got a haircut and a shave,” he finally said, grabbing his phone and wallet, along with the keycard. He ignored the wedding gifts that lined the dresser. It made his stomach clench to read the 'to' part. 'To Mr. and Mrs. Joey Fatone'. His eye caught the handwriting on one and he stopped, shaking his head as tears came. Joey felt someone pull him into a hug and he broke down. He'd tried so hard to keep it all in and now here he was.

Justin swallowed hard, watching JC pull Joey into a hard hug, letting the other man weep on him. He pressed his fingers against his tear ducts and prayed he wouldn't break down. He'd never tell anyone, but he'd thought about kidnapping Joey. He didn't care if it broke up NSYNC or he went to jail, Justin just wanted the world right again. And now he was watching one of his brothers break down.

“Take a breath, Joe,” JC instructed, listening as the other man took a raspy breath. “Do not even apologize,” he said in the next moment, letting Joey go to step back. He watched as the man wiped his face and look at him and Justin. “Your mini bar is stocked right?” he asked, going to the small fridge and pulled out some whiskey and poured the three of them a shot.

“Here's to not giving a fuck,” Justin said, holding up his glass, watching Joey pull himself together.

“Here's to brothers,” JC told them.

Joey studied his shot, clinking his glass with the other two before downing it. “One more,” he told JC. He smiled a little at the glass with more liquid in it before looking at Josh and Justin. “This one's for the woman who still has my heart even as I promise my life to another tomorrow.” He took the shot, letting the liquor burn his throat.

Justin raised his glass. “To Mel,” he said quietly, downing the shot and slamming his glass down next to Joey's. “You're sure about this, man?” he asked, watching Joey nod. “Dude, your face is naked.”

“Don't remind me,” Joey told him. “And if you breathe a word-”

“About what?” JC said, shooting him a look. “I have no idea what the hell is going on.”

Lance and Chris were about to knock on the door when they jumped as it burst open with the other members of NSYNC.

“Holy shit, who are you?” Chris asked Joey, messing with his hair a little.

“I'm late is what I am. We have to leave,” he was glad to see Mo, Rick and Lewis flank them as they got on the elevators. Joey's phone rang and he sighed. “I'm throwing this thing into the ocean tomorrow. I swear all it's done is fucking ring.” He hit end on it, not in the mood to listen to Kristen bitch that he was late.

“It's a phone, what's it supposed to do?” Lance asked, making them chuckle.

The men all made their way out the door and to the waiting van. Joey sat in the seat closest to the driver, telling him where to go before settling back. “The plan for tonight is...I have no plan after dinner. All the guys are supposed to go do something. I know I promised Chris something fun, but shit happens old man.” Joey knew his friends didn't care what they did, and all he wanted was to not think about it.

“I still can't get over the hair, man,” Justin told Joey, shaking his head. “You look nineteen.”

“Fuck you,” Joey replied, sighing when they pulled up to the church. “Don't screw around...I got people so far up my ass for this to be 'perfect'. I just want to get through this tonight. As fast as possible,” he added as they all got out, security following them and finding a seat at the back of the church.

“Finally!” Kristen barked at Joey, giving him a glare. “I told you when they got here, you'd be late.”

“I'm late because I was getting ready, they were waiting on me,” Joey told her, stopping to hug his grandparents who were there sitting on the second row. Steve had picked them up from the airport not long ago. Joey didn't miss his Grandma Faye holding his face and tisking him. “I know, Granny.”

“You look as young as Justin,” she told him, patting his cheek and kissing him chastely.

“And he acts as young as Chris,” Justin chimed in as they lined up how they were supposed to. He was standing between Lance and Chris, with JC on the other side of Chris. Steve was closest to Joey since he was the best man and David was at the end.

Joey took his place and watched as Kristen and her father walked down the aisle. He tried to smile, to act happy, praying he could make the muscles in his face work. Thanks to the shots of alcohol, he was lucid enough to do so, taking her hand from Kristen's father, George.

The minister told them what was going to happen and Joey listened, trying to get a grip on his mind. It was not on the here and now. It was backtracking to find a place that was drama free. He smiled slightly when it landed on a thought.

“You look hot, Fatoney,” Melissa's voice said.

“You look good too, Mel-Rizzo.”

Joey heard himself tell the minister they were going to do the traditional vows and then he leaned in and kissed Kristen's lips, watching her smile. This grand wedding, the honeymoon she'd insisted on right before tour, the ungodly reception was all her idea. He was just along for the ride, letting her do what she wanted. He'd only put his foot down when she'd asked for money, telling her the only thing he was paying for was the rehearsal dinner and the honeymoon. It had caused a big fight, but she'd still gotten what she wanted.

“Awwww, you two are so perfect together,” Kristen's best friend Kimberly gushed, taking a picture.

“Perfect like what?” Justin muttered, rolling his eyes. He could show them perfect. He pulled out his phone and sent a text. 'Faking an appendicitis tomorrow.'

He laughed at the reply. 'Chica: Faking dead tomorrow.'

“You two need help,” Chris said, looking at his phone, watching people talk and move around. He pulled out his own phone and sent Rachel a text. 'Thought you guys were coming tonight.'

'You can take the heartbroken to the airport, but you can't make them board the plane.'

Chris bumped Lance's shoulder and shook his head. “Well tomorrow's gonna suck worse,” he muttered, giving a glance to Joey.

“Just don't tell him unless he asks,” Lance replied, glad when they were going to eat but still standing around.

“Tell me what?” Joey asked, catching the last of what Lance said, looking at him expectantly. “What is it I'm not supposed to know?” He ignored Kristen pulling on him.

“Rachel and Mel missed their flight,” Chris finally said. “They got to the airport and...” his voice trailed off when Joey swallowed hard.

“Well I'll just tell the wedding coordinator to take two off the reception list,” Kristen said, not hiding the mirth in her voice. “Your friend didn't send her RSVP anyway, so I didn't count on her coming. So I guess it was just one.”

“Kris,” Joey's voice traveled down the aisle where she had joined her friends, giggling. She looked up and saw the look on Joey's face and her smile faltered. “Take Melissa's name off the guest list and she won't be the only one not showing up tomorrow. That's not a threat.”

The two families eyed the bride and groom and then each other. No one was coming to Kristen's defense and they all breathed a sigh of relief when she nodded in understanding.

“Let's go eat. The sooner we eat the sooner we can go get drunk,” Joey said, watching Kristen get into the stretch limo that had been rented for today and tomorrow. He pulled out his phone and looked at it. No text messages or calls missed. Joey shouldn't have expected any, but he was hopeful. He and Melissa hadn't talked since that night she'd come to Los Angeles. It had been a stretch for him to think she'd come, but he'd been holding out hope.

His head snapped up when he heard a familiar voice on Lance's phone that was on speaker.

“Why aren't you coming?” Lance asked his sister, frowning.

“I'm going to Disney World and drowning myself in the water on Magic Mountain. That's why,” Melissa retorted.

“That ride's closed,” Chris told her, “try Pirates of the Caribbean.”

“Shut up!” JC hissed, punching Chris in the shoulder.

“You can't sit in the car in the airport all night. I can't believe you locked Rachel out of the car.”

“It was her dumb ass that got out first. I told her I didn't want to go to Pittsburgh but she put me in the car. Shut up, Rachel! I told you I didn't want to go!” they heard her yell and pounding ensue. “Call the cops, not like I haven't been to jail before!”

“Chica,” Justin said, trying to keep his voice even, looking at Joey. “We need you here. Joey needs you here.”

“Need me for what? What could you possibly need me for? No one needs me...other than Rachel so she can get in the fucking car.”

“Melissa Nicole,” Joey finally voiced, proud that his voice didn't crack. “Open the damn door and let Rachel in.”

“Make me,” Melissa snapped.

Joey snatched the phone from Lance and took it off speaker. “Goddamn it, Bambina. Quit being such a selfish bitch and let Rachel in the car. And after that, you better apologize to her and then to me. I'm not in the mood to listen to your bullshit,” he listened to what was going on and his voice softened. “No. You don't have to come...I know. Yeah, I cut it. No one to impress or anything. It's okay, Mel.” He handed the phone back to Lance and rubbed his face hard. Joey looked at the other three when they just stared. “She was being stubborn.”

“You called her a bitch,” Chris said, surprised.

“She called me a motherfucker, so we're even,” Joey told him, “I'm sure Rachel will go drown her in the mall fountain by tomorrow evening if they're even talking by then.”

“This is better than any Springer episode ever,” Justin said, shaking his head. “Let's go eat. I can't wait to see what the fuck happens tomorrow.”

“I'm sure you won't be disappointed,” JC told him as they met up with the rest of the wedding party. He just hoped the girls would be alright if they were staying in Florida. He sent a text to Rachel. 'You okay?' his phone buzzed with a quick reply back.

'Fine. After this drama I'm running away to a deserted island.'

'Can I come too?' he asked, chuckling at himself.

'I'll have my people contact your people. Going to see Mr. Chow and then go back home. Might sleep tonight if I can drug Mel. Wish me luck.'

'Uh, good luck..I think.' JC shut his phone and sat down, looking at the menu. He knew why he was in Pittsburgh. It wasn't because he thought Joey's marriage was a good idea. Or because he was absolutely happy about the blessed event. He was there because his friend needed him. He knew Joey would need him in the next few months, and so he'd be there. Even if he didn't agree with it. Josh thought about Joey's situation and what he would do if it was reversed. He might be in the same boat and in that case, he'd want as many people as there as possible that loved him. He thought of Melissa and prayed things would be alright, worried about her and Rachel. But there was nothing he could do being so far away.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*

“Rachel, wake up!” Rachel's eyes barely opened and she groaned. “What's wrong? What time is it?”

“We're going, I got our tickets changed to the 2:15 flight to Pittsburgh. We should be there by 6:30,” Melissa said, bouncing on one foot and then the other. “Get up Rach! All our stuff is still in the car,” she pointed out, flipping on the light as Rachel clenched her eyes shut.

“You couldn't have decided this earlier?” Rachel asked, having just gotten to sleep a couple hours before, staying up with her friend until Melissa had decided to go to bed. Or so she thought. “Did you sleep?” Rachel blinked a couple times and looked at her friend and sighed.

“About an hour,” Melissa told her, her glasses on and her hair pulled up. She had her purse and was ready to walk out the door.

“Give me a little bit to get dressed and we'll go. What made you change your mind?” Rachel got up and grabbed the jeans she'd been wearing the day before, along with some clean clothes.

“I hated not being there where Joey was. It sounds stupid, and I'm going to be an emotional wreck, but I have to go. He's my best friend,” she finished, biting her lip. Melissa held up a small plastic bag with a jewelry store logo on it. “Besides, I have a present.” It had been in her room with Rachel's stuff for the past couple of months until Melissa had moved back in to Lance's house.

Rachel nodded, sending up a small prayer when she went in to brush her teeth. She prayed that her friend could make it through what was going to happen later. A part of her wanted to tell Melissa it was too late, but if Rachel had some hair brained scheme in the middle of the night, she could count on her best friend to come along. They made it to the airport and checked in, sitting waiting for the call to board.

“You think Joey's asleep?” Melissa asked softly, messing with her phone.

“Don't call him,” Rachel told her. “If he's asleep, he'll see any message you send him in the morning.”

“Wasn't gonna call him, was just asking. He's probably drunk. Tonight I plan on forgetting the whole day.”

“Then why are we going if you want to forget the day. Sort of a moot point,” Rachel pointed out, giving Melissa a look when she gave one of her own. “Just saying. Earlier you weren't going because you were a basket case, now we're getting on a plane at oh my god thirty in the morning. I'm going to sleep. I would say you should too, but that probably won't happen.” She gave Melissa's hand a reassuring squeeze. “He'll be happy to see you, Mel.”

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^***^

Melissa took a deep breath and looked at her reflection in the mirror above the visor once more. She'd held back tears, proud of herself. It had taken a lot of courage to make it to this point, to decide she was going to walk into the church and support her best friend on his wedding day. The small box sat wrapped beside her, seeming somewhat insignificant now, but this was what had kept her going to this decision. Melissa chewed on her bottom lip after getting out of her car. She was early, but she knew Joey was already there getting ready. Lance and the rest of the group were there too, all of them together. Rachel was still getting ready, promising Melissa she would be there before the wedding started.

Her eyes avoided looking at the decorations, and she didn't sign the guestbook. A lump of emotions welled up in her throat as she made her way down the hallway towards the door where the groom's party was, hearing shouts and laughter coming from within. Melissa held her hand up, ready to knock on the door when she hesitated. She'd come to give Joey a gift, to talk to him. But what if she couldn't do it? What if her emotions threatened to run away with her like they'd done countless times over the past few months. Melissa hadn't come there to ruin Joey's wedding day.

Before she could knock, the door opened and Justin jumped a little at seeing someone on the other side of the door. "Chica," Justin said softly, pulling pulling her into an embrace.

"Don't," Melissa whispered after momentarily allowing herself to seek comfort; to draw a little bit of strength from Justin. "If you start, if you look at me that way, I'll start bawling my eyes out and I won't be able to do this. I need to do this Justin. I need to speak with him. Just for a couple minutes. It's...it's just something I need to do." Looking back on this moment, Melissa would have been proud of herself for holding it together, but right now she didn't feel very put together.

Justin stared down at the woman in front of him who still had refused to meet his eyes. His heart went out to her. He knew today wouldn't be easy for her. He shouldn't be surprised she was here; if the roles were reversed, he would have put as much distance between the church and himself as possible. But it just went to her character that she was here putting her own heartbreak aside and be happy for the man she loved who was marrying someone else.

"Hey, man," Justin craned his neck to the man behind him. He leaned closer to Lance, whispering in his ear. "Melissa wants a few minutes alone with Joey."

Melissa watched Lance's head snap in her direction. Her eyes met his piercing green gaze but she never wavered. There was no way she was going to let him or anyone else talk her out of this. She swallowed hard and nodded slightly. Her hands were now shaking and she hid that by fiddling with the box in her hands. Her eyes went to a spot on the wall above their heads, trying to drown out what was being whispered, She knew it was about her and about her being there.

Lance watched his sister and wished things had been different. He'd seen her break down, scream and cry and now here she was. It wasn't for herself, but for Joey. Lance walked over to where Joey was sitting, fiddling with his cell phone, his tuxedo shirt still unbuttoned and his tie hanging around his neck undone. "Hey, Joe," Lance said, giving him a small smile. "You got a visitor." He looked down at his friend,. Gone were the dyed red tips. After Kristen had complained, Joey had given in and had his hair colored back to his natural dark hair color. His face clean shaven, something he hadn't seen but once or twice in the last few years.

Joey's head snapped up at Lance's words and his eyes widened when he caught site of Melissa standing in the open door. His heart stumbled. A lump rose in his throat and his breath hitched. He saw the pain etched on Melissa's face and he tried to catch her eye, but she kept her gaze firmly averted. The guys filed from the room to give them time alone and he almost called them back. If they stayed, he wouldn't have to do this. He wouldn't have to open himself up to the pain that was sure to come. But he stayed silent and the door shut behind Chris with a soft click, leaving him alone with the one person he loved more than anything in this world. The one person he swore to the moon and back he would never hurt.

There wasn't a day that passed since New Years that his brain didn't bring up the image of Melissa when he told her Kristen was pregnant and he was marrying her. His heart broke into pieces and sometimes he could still hear the sob that escaped from Melissa; that pained sob, wretched from her soul. He could still see the tears streaming down her face and feel the haphazard fists on his chest as she tried to hurt him as he had hurt her. What she didn't know was there was nothing she could have done to make his heart hurt anymore than it did at that moment. Gone from his life was his best friend; his other half. He knew with Lance still being his friend his path would still cross with Melissa but their relationship had been forever altered.

Bambina," Joey whispered as he stood from his chair. He ached to touch her. To reach out, grab her and pull her into her arms. He wanted to hold her and never let her go. He wanted to promise her that they would be together. He wanted to wrap her up in his arms, hold her against him and run from the church. Run until Mel was back in his life, by his side. But he couldn't. He stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets. An act that hopefully would keep him from reaching out for her. "You came. I-- I wasn't sure you would." He was still a little hurt about what had happened in California, but it paled emotionally in comparison to this.

"I wasn't sure I would either until I was dragging Rachel to the airport this morning around one," Melissa admitted, taking a step or two towards Joey. Her eyes finally met his, green ones blinking back tears to his brown ones. Eyes she thought she would drown in, that she'd seen angry and sad and loving. Mel bit her lip and looked away, bringing out the package. "I wanted to give you something," she told him, her voice shaking slightly.

Melissa's heart ached. She couldn't give him what Kristen was, which was a baby. Not because she couldn't get pregnant, it just hadn't happened. She stuffed down that jealous monster, trying to live in the moment. This one that had them together. She reminded herself it was to tell Joey goodbye, to wish him luck and to let him go. She wasn't sure she could do it any other way. It wasn't that she wanted to do it, but it was necessary. "I saw it and knew you had to have it," Melissa held out the box to him.

Joey's fingers brushed hers as the box exchanged hands. At the contact their eyes briefly met. The pain in Melissa's stole his breath and he gave a hard swallow. The present was the size of a jewelry box and it was on the tip of his tongue to crack a joke about marriage. But he squelched it. Nothing about today was a joking matter. He pulled the silver ribbon donning the box, letting it fall to the floor. Using his thumb he lifted the top. He breath caught as he stared down at the items nestled inside.

"They're cufflinks," Melissa told him. She didn't need to tell him, but the silence was overbearing. It never used to be like that between them. They didn't have that kind of relationship where they needed to fill every gap. "I spotted them in a jewelry store and drug Rachel in." She held back that this was supposed to be a wedding gift from her as Joey's bride-to-be. Now it was sort of a going away present, something to remember her by. The lump in her throat grew and tears welled in her eyes. She knew Joey wouldn't wear the 24 Karat gold S with garnets surrounding it, the Superman emblem, but she knew he would be excited to have something like that, something different.

"Oh Mel," Joey gasped as he held one of the cufflinks up to get a better look at it. It was a well known fact that he was a Superman fanatic - anything Superman. If it had a Superman logo on it, he probably had it. "These must have cost a fortune..." He looked at Melissa before looking back at the links.

Melissa shrugged, "They were worth it." And they were because she could file the look that Joey had on his face when he saw them away in her mind.

"Can you help me put them on?" Joey asked, holding his breath.

Melissa put them on, praying the whole time she wouldn't drop one of them. "There," she said, admiring his 'jewelry' and wondered if he was going to get ready.She didn't want him to. She wanted him to see his face light up as he shouted 'April Fool's' and take off his tux revealing normal clothes underneath. She wanted the door to thrust open revealing the guys and Rachel laughing at the look on her face once the joke was revealed. She fingered the edges of Joey's shirt still hanging open.

"You aren't going like that are you?" Melissa stared at the white undershirt covering his chest. She ran her fingers against his stomach. "I had..." she began but stopped, swallowing hard. A tear fell and she ignored it, knowing others would take its place. She had to tell him, to make him understand. "I had this whole speech planned out I was going to tell you," she said softly. Melissa's hands shook a little as she buttoned his shirt, reaching up for the next set.

She didn't look up at Joey, her hands pausing at every set of buttons, trying to memorize him. This moment. She got to the tie and had to look at him to tie it correctly. "Now I don't know what I was going to say at all...if it even mattered," she whispered, her hands reaching up for his face barely grazing his cheek.

Joey caught Melissa's hand in his own and held it against his cheek. His eyes drifted close and he felt a tear roll down his cheek. He squeezed his eyes shut in hopes of stopping the tears, but more continued to fall; one right after the other. He pursed his lips trying to stop the quiver threatening to overtake them and when that didn't work he bit his bottom lip. The pain was intense. He had never felt anything like this before and he hoped to every God he could think of that he would never feel this way again. "It matters..." he whispered, his voice cracking through the tears. "Oh Bambina, everything about you matters," he lost the restraint he had shown earlier when Melissa appeared in the room and drew her tight against him. He breathed her in, relished in her arms. He kept his eyes closed as he calculated every thing about her; how she felt pressed against him, how she smelled. He caught the scent of her shampoo, the whiff of her perfume, stubbly applied. He memorized the caress of her dangling earrings as they glanced on his cheek as she searched for that spot on his shoulder that had always been - would always be - hers.

Melissa laid her head on Joey's shoulder. His tears brought on more of hers, ones that she couldn't stop. It took her a few minutes for a rational thought to come to her mind, something other than mindless babbling, of begging him not to get married. "You'll be an awesome husband...and a great Dad. And anytime you don't think so, just remember me telling you that you will," her voice was raspy and thick with tears. It took her a minute to get her breathing and voice back under control.“I..I got all my stuff packed,” she told Joey softly. “I didn't know I had so much crap. Or that I needed so much stuff to go in my own place.”

“Three thousand miles away,” Joey added, shaking his head as more tears fell, his eyes closed. He wished he could wake up back in his home in Orlando, with Melissa by his side, his ring still on her finger. Her ridiculous amount of shoes taking up space in his closet and shouts of frustration coming from the kitchen after assuring him the house wasn't burning down. But it wasn't possible. In less than an hour, he would be walking out that door taking his place at the altar, his friends standing next to him, his family in the crowd. The happiest day of his life; his wedding day. But when those doors opened to reveal his bride it wouldn't be his best friend, his other half - his soul mate. It was then he realized that he had truly lost her.