~~~~~*~~~~~

The tour was approaching at an unstoppable pace.

There was now only a little over a month left until the group were due to leave for Europe, and Sara was working at a breakneck speed to make sure that the men were prepared and ready.

Fortunately, there wasn't any more new choreography left to learn, but the guys still needed to brush up their steps on the old routines—which they hadn't run through properly since the last tour, over six months ago—and they were a little rusty. Most of the group's television appearances only required them to perform one or two songs at the most, and so they tended to stick to their newest material. When they weren't regularly performing the older tracks, the men had the habit of forgetting the routines, which irritated Sara no end. It was some of her earliest work, and she didn't like being reminded of how easily forgettable some of it had been.

Sara knew that the group were just as stressed and exhausted as she was, but she was determined to have the routines spotted and locked in their memories. Ideally ahead of schedule for a change.

"Where’s Chris and JC?" Sara asked as she realised that there were only three out of the five men present in the room. 

"They were here a minute ago," Lance said, looking around the room as he stretched his hamstring.

"Go and find them, please," Sara ordered Justin as he sat cross–legged on the floor having already finished his warm–ups.

"Who made me errand boy?" He complained as he narrowed his eyes at Sara. He didn't see why he had the unfortunate task of having to round up his band mates. He was on time, and he had much more reason than either Chris or JC to be distracted and off his game.

Sara turned her head and flashed him a deadly glare, which he knew meant that she was beginning to lose her patience. He knew better than to mess with her when she was in that kind of mood.

"Fine!" Justin huffed as he got to his feet and stomped across the room towards the exit. "I'm goin', he said as he made his way to the door, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath which caused Sara's heckles to rise.

She took a deep breath and tried to ignore his muttering. She had no time for dramatics, or diva–like behaviour. She had a tour to prepare for, and thanks to Chris and JC, she was already wasting precious time.

She needed all five members of *NSYNC in her studio now, and they'd better be ready to work their asses off.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Clare woke up early with her stomach wound tightly in knots. Today was the day that she was going back to Orlando. Back to her job, back to her friends, back to her normal daily routine.

It was a surreal feeling. Although she'd only been away fourteen days—a perfectly ordinary duration for a vacation—it had felt so much longer to her. Probably because she’d felt so torn about it the whole time. Part of her had been so eager to get away, and yet even as she prepared to head home, she still didn't feel completely ready. She'd begun to realise that she maybe never would.

The main reason was JC. She was so confused by it all, and she didn’t know how she would feel seeing him again.

Since deleting his emails a few days ago, a load more had arrived. And then he'd tried calling her cell, which she'd ignored. And now that she'd spoken to him—all thanks to Chris—she'd spent the night lying awake and running over their brief conversation again and again in her mind.

He'd sounded pretty desperate to speak to her, but Clare couldn't for the life of her figure out why. What could there possibly be to say? He was marrying another woman, for goodness sakes. Another woman who also happened to be pregnant! Other than keep trying to apologise, there was nothing left to say.

Libby, on the other hand, she was excited to see. Justin's updates had confirmed to her the fact that Libby was slowly regaining consciousness, and Clare couldn't wait to be back in Orlando in the hopes that she, too, could witness this. It was the one thing eclipsing her hesitations to come home. No matter how she was feeling about JC, those feelings wouldn't be enough to keep her away from Libby for any longer.

Packing to leave was turning out to be a nightmare—as usual. Thanks to the fact that she'd only packed seven days’ worth of clothes, Clare had had to use the hotels cleaning service and consequently her clothes were all nicely fluffed and dried and no longer fitted neatly into her suitcase. She'd already re–packed it twice, and her frustrations were beginning to grow.

Absent–mindedly flicking on the TV to help keep her emotions under check, Clare emptied the entire case onto the bed and started again. The task didn't hold her concentration for long, and when she heard the sound of a familiar ballad playing, her eyes snapped over to the TV screen. The last thing she’d expected to see was Justin’s face staring back at her.

“…God must have spent a little more time on you, on you, on you...”

Clare stood there, stunned. Her eyes scanned the TV screen until she realised that the she was watching a music channel, which was proudly announcing in the top right hand corner of the screen that she was watching the countdown of the 'top bands weekend'.

Well, that makes a little more sense, Clare thought as she continued to watch the video. She couldn't help but feel a little smug that the video had been included in the countdown. It was one of her favourites, and she loved the arrangement of the song, the vocals, the concept and even the crazy white suits that the men had been forced to wear.

Unable to fight it, Clare smiled fondly as she remembered back to the day of the video shoot.

+ + +

"Okay, guys, the director is kinda getting edgy," Clare warned the men through the dressing room door as she waited for them to get ready to film the next segment of the video. "Are you ready yet?"

Clare glanced over her shoulder at Justin's mother, Lynn, and Libby, who were standing behind her looking anxious. The group had been expected on set ten minutes ago, and it didn't give a good impression keeping everyone waiting.

Fortunately, at that moment the door opened and the five members of *NSYNC trooped out in single file, their faces showing their displeasure and discomfort in the blindingly white suits.

"This sucks!" Justin complained as he tugged on the collar of his suit and sneered.

"Shhh!" Lynn chided as she rushed over to him and gently slapped his hand away so that she could re–adjust his collar. "Don't be rude."

Libby sniggered as Justin bowed his head, chastised, and stood still so that his mother could dress him. Hearing her laughter, Justin's head snapped up and he narrowed his eyes at her over his mother's shoulder.

"I seem to be having a little trouble with this tie..." JC grumbled in frustration as he turned to Clare and pulled awkwardly on one of the uneven flaps. Clare grinned and shook her head as she reached up to neaten his tie for him.

"A grown man who can't even dress himself," she teased as she clicked her tongue. Once she was satisfied with his tie, Clare patted him gently on the chest and stepped back to admire her work. "There ya' go, Romeo."

"Thank you," he grinned, although he still looked unbelievably uncomfortable. So much so that Clare had to laugh. Whoever had decided on the white suits had really been kidding themselves that it was a good look.

Clare glanced from JC to the rest of the group, who were all cutting eyes at each other, clearly having a lot that they wanted to say but not wanting to say it in front of their peers. She looked them all up and down, checking that they were all similarly well–dressed.

"I guess you'll have to do..." Clare continued to tease, even though deep down she felt herself well up with pride at the sight of them. They all looked so smart and handsome. "Unfortunately we don't have enough time to make you as handsome as we'd hoped..."

"Plus the plastic surgeon was unavailable!" Libby added with a giggle, and the five men all turned to her with narrowed eyes. None more so than Justin.

"Ohh, you're so funny," Justin retorted as he broke out of line to try to tickle her around the middle. Libby jumped out of the way of his hand and let out a little squeal of protest. "You're such a funny, funny person..."

"Come on!" Lynn chided him as she grabbed him around the shoulders and gave him a gentle shove in the direction of the green screen, where the director of the video was waiting. The rest of the group reluctantly followed after.

"I do believe I got to you!" Libby called after him in a sing–song voice as she and Clare followed after.

+ + +

The video hadn't been *NSYNC's most memorable music video to date, but the day of filming had certainly been memorable for Libby and Clare. It had been the first time they'd witnessed the making of a music video, and they'd been delighted to be asked by the group to attend. It had been one of the early memories that had cemented their friendship with the group, and one that Clare wouldn't change for anything.

She smiled as she thought back to the time when everything had been so new and exciting. When she'd woken up each morning excited for the day ahead, raring to get to work to find out what was in store for her.

It had been before her and JC could tell each other's thoughts by just a glance. When she'd still been getting to know him, and him her. But it had been an exciting time. A time of discovery and surprises. A time of intimate moments together without the added weight of second–guessing his words and actions to see if they concealed a hidden meaning. She'd been so open with him because it had been so easy to be herself, and be honest with him. She'd enjoyed his company simply because he was interesting to talk to and had seemed to take an interest in her, too.

Clare hadn't known the exact moment when her feelings had crossed the line between friends and something more. It had been so natural, so easy that she hadn't been able to mark it in a significant way. She'd simply looked him in the eye on an ordinary, insignificant day at the Compound and known without a shadow of a doubt that she loved him. It had been as simple as that.

Clare let out a deep sigh as the ache inside of her slowly began to consume her once again. She'd let her mind get carried away and now she'd end up having to pay the price. She glanced at the unorganised pile of clothing on her bed and her empty, open suitcase beside it. There was only one thing that would keep her mind of JC for a while, and that was packing.

~~~~~*~~~~~

"Today is the day that I finally get rid of you!" Jamie teased playfully as she hauled the last of Kelly's suitcases to the front door of her apartment, letting out a loud huff under the weight.

Kelly spun around on the bar–stool that she was sitting on whilst finishing up the last of her breakfast cereal and flashed Jamie a smile. "It's not like we've spent loads of time together anyway!" she retorted playfully as she dropped her spoon into the now empty bowl.

"That's called work, hon," Jamie told her with a wry smile. "It happens to the best of us."

"No, it's called boyfriend," Kelly corrected her with a giggle, laughing at Jamie's reaction. "But at least I got to meet *NSYNC! And my cousin's future husband..."

"Shut up!" Jamie chided, colouring slightly at Kelly’s words. She was nowhere near ready to think of Chris in that way. Even calling him her boyfriend still felt a little weird.

"I'm only teasin'," Kelly said with a grin. "So are you gonna miss me?"

Jamie hesitated and tilted her head to the side, pretending to need time to think about her answer. Kelly rolled her eyes and smirked. "Jeez, thanks!"

Jamie giggled and crossed the room to wrap her cousin up in a warm hug. "Of course I'll miss you! You're welcome back here any time."

"Any time?"

"Just make sure you call first," Jamie added as an afterthought and the pair of them burst out laughing.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Clare stepped off the bus and sucked in a deep breath as she scanned the bustling crowd for signs of her friends. She'd told Chris that she would arrive at the Orlando Crossings Mall at ten forty–five, and true to her word the bus had arrived exactly on time.

Fortunately, Clare’s was one of the first suitcases to be unloaded from the hold, and so she was able to quickly wheel it across the road to the entrance of the mall where she’d told her friends she would meet them.

It took a few seconds before she spotted a familiar face in the crowd, and she waved a hand above her head to try to catch her friends’ attention. "Fat One!" She called loudly and Joey's head snapped around at the sound.

"Gid'!" He called back causing the rest of the group to follow his gaze until they, too, spotted Clare.

"Jeez, I see you were so impressed with your first chin that you added another one!" Clare teased as she reached out to Joey for a hug. She chuckled into his ear as he pulled her tightly to his chest. She reached out a hand and patted his stomach. "I remember you only having the one stomach, too!" Joey growled and pretended to be offended.

"And I remember when you weren't so bitter and twisted," he retorted with a glint in his eye.

Clare threw back her head and laughed. "You remember that far back?"

"Aha! The wanderer returns!" Chris said as he made his way over. At the sound of his voice, Clare turned and flashed him a grin.

"Hey," Clare said as he also pulled her in for a hug. "Is it just you and Joe?"

"Nah, Jam's here..." Chris said as he turned to the side to let Jamie slip through the gap between them so that she could also say hello. Clare beamed at her friend and reached out her arms wide to wrap Jamie up in an enthusiastic hug. They both giggled as they rocked from side to side, feeling as though they hadn't seen each other in months.

Clare opened her eyes and intended to say something to Chris, but instead found herself staring straight at JC, who was standing awkwardly beside Jamie, his hands stuffed deeply into his jean pockets. He flashed her a tense, uncomfortable smile as he met her eyes.

Clare’s head shot around to shoot daggers at Chris.

"...and JC came too," he added quickly, the grimace evident on his face.

"I can see that," Clare muttered as she turned her attention to the pull–out handle of her suitcase. "Dare I ask why?"

"Because we need to talk," JC answered hastily.

"No, we don't," Clare snapped before wheeling her case in front of her body so that it could act as a form of barrier between them. JC took a step towards her, hesitated momentarily before glancing down at her case and looking up to meet her eyes once again. Hurt and confusion were evident in the depths of his eyes, but Clare refused to let it sway her reserve.

She shrugged carelessly. “What? We don’t.”

"I really—"

"Yeah, well, brains aren't everything. In fact, I guess in your case they're nothing!"

"Jeez, did you take a course in insults while you were away?" Joey interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "Because if so, you should think about asking for your money back."

"Nah, that's all her," Jamie said with a chuckle as she headed over to where Chris was standing. She slipped her hand into his and gave it an affectionate squeeze. "She's always been like this, you've just never been on the receiving end of it before."

"If I want any shit from you I'll squeeze your head!" Clare warned Jamie as the group slowly made their way towards the underground parking lot where Chris had parked his car. The group easily fell into step with each other, all except for Clare who had a hard job avoiding JC. Every time he tried to get close enough to talk to her, Clare pretended to have some sort of trouble with her case so that she had an excuse to stop and fall out of step with him.

"How can someone so small hold so much hate?" He asked aloud after she'd stopped for the third time.

Clare scowled at him as they reached the car and Chris tossed her case not very carefully into the trunk. Watching the exchange between the pair, Chris glanced meaningfully at Jamie, who grinned and raised an eyebrow.  

Jamie had been adamant that JC shouldn't come with them to pick up Clare, but Chris had insisted. Now that she was being proved right, Jamie couldn't keep the smug grin off her face. Thanks to Chris, they now had a tense forty–minute car journey to endure, and it was all his fault.

"It's a monster you created, buddy," Clare spat at JC.

"Come on," Chris muttered impatiently as he made his way round to the driver's side of his car and climbed in. Jamie followed suit and made herself comfortable in the front passenger's seat beside him, leaving three seats vacant in the rear for Joey, Clare and JC. Clare narrowed her eyes at the realisation of what was happening.

"Oh no! No way am I sitting in the back with you two!" Clare barked as Joey began to slip into the left hand seat, leaving the door open for her to follow him. He leaned forward and flashed her an innocent smirk.

"What?"

"What do you mean what?” She asked, jarring her thumb in JC’s direction. “I’m not sitting next to him.”

"God! She's only been back five minutes, and she's already bossing us all around!" Chris groaned from the front seat. "Just get in the car, dammit. Who cares who sits next to who?"

“Whom,” Jamie corrected under her breath, receiving a warning glare from Chris for her efforts.

“Just get in the car!”

"I care,” Clare huffed, refusing to get into the car until Joey vacated his seat.

"Well, hurry up and sort it out then. This isn't the only thing I have planned for today, you know,” Chris complained.

"Oh yeah," Jamie remarked with a snigger. "Got a date with your Playstation, have you?"

Chris once again narrowed his eyes at his girlfriend. "Maybe," he muttered under his breath. "It is my day off..."

Clare stood beside the car, staring expectantly at Joey who held her gaze but did nothing. "What?" He asked eventually.

"I'm waiting for you to move!"

"Just get in the car!" Jamie groaned from the front.

"I told you, I'm not—"

"Fine! God!" Joey exclaimed as he slid back across the seats and climbed out of the car. Clare immediately flashed him a winning smile before jumping in to his now vacant seat. It’d taken a while, but she was finally getting her way.

Just as Joey was about to slide into the seat after her, JC reached forward and grasped his arm. Joey turned, and reading the expression on his friend’s face, took a step away from the vehicle, allowing JC to slip silently into the centre seat. Once JC was settled, Joey jumped into the rear driver’s seat, slammed the door closed and told Chris to drive off. With any luck, they’d be out of the car lot before Clare realised what had happened.

Chris didn't need telling twice. He wheel–spun out of the parking space before glancing up to meet Joey's eyes in the rear–view mirror. Both of them were silently laughing, waiting for the moment when Clare would turn and see JC sitting beside her instead of Joey. Up till now she'd been distracted by fiddling with her seatbelt and checking that she had her handbag with her. She was completely oblivious.

Suddenly remembering her most recent conversation with Lisa over email, Clare turned her head to ask Joey how his girlfriend was feeling, but instead of meeting a pair of brown eyes she was faced with two dark blue ones instead, accompanied by a winning, toothy smile.

JC didn’t waste a second. "Hi,” he said, dazzling her with all of his charm.

Clare hated herself for it, but the hint of a smile lifted the corners of her mouth and she had to turn her head towards the window so that he couldn't see that she was smiling. Damn him, she chastised herself as she fought back a chuckle. She'd never been able to resist that cheeky grin. And if this was any indication on how long she'd be able to maintain her wounded, angry façade, then things weren't looking good for her. She'd have to up her game.

I can't get rid of you / I don't know what to do / I don't even know who is growing on whom / 'Cause everywhere I go you're there / Can't get you out of my hair / Can't pretend that I don't care, it's not fair

You're really growing on me / (or am I growing on you) / You're really growing on me / (or am I growing on you) / Any fool can see.

~~~~~*~~~~~