~~~~~*~~~~~

Justin headed straight back inside the building, but instead of making his way over to his table of friends, he made a sharp left hand turn and headed through the crowd towards the bar at the far end of the club. He needed a moment to absorb what Libby had just said to him, and he figured that the best place to do that would be at the bar.

'I would say, I'm sorry / If I thought that it would change your mind / But I know that this time / I've said too much / Been too unkind...'

Officially Justin was underage, but tonight it wasn't that obvious from his appearance. He'd dressed up for the night out and hadn't bothered to shave, which always made him look older than his years. With any luck, he'd be fortunate enough to score a drink before any of his friends noticed him and tried to intervene. They were a bunch of do–gooders sometimes, and they always seemed to get on his case whenever he tried to test his boundaries. Justin realised that his friends only had his best interests at heart, but it sure got on his nerves sometimes.

'I try to laugh about it / Cover it all up with lies / I try and laugh about it / Hiding the tears in my eyes / 'Cause boys don't cry / Boys don't cry...'

As he reached his destination, Justin sunk down onto one of the empty barstools before leaning his elbows onto the wooden counter before him. He slouched forward and supported his chin in his hands.

'I would break down at your feet / And beg forgiveness / Plead with you / But I know that it's too late / And now there's nothing I can do...'

Had Libby really been telling the truth when she'd said that she hadn't any feelings for him? Justin wondered miserably. Could he really have been misreading the signals this whole time?

"Jack and coke, please," he said as he was asked for his order by the closest bartender. Justin gave a sly smirk and rubbed a hand over his stubbly chin as the man turned and began to go about fixing his drink without even giving him a second look. Yes, it had definitely been worth coming out unshaven, he thought smugly to himself.

'I would tell you that I loved you / If I thought that you would stay / But I know that it's no use / That you've already gone away...'

Since it looked as though his plan was going to work, all Justin needed to do now was to avoid his friends for as long as it took for him to get completely wasted. By then it'd be too late for them to do anything about it anyway. Of course they'd be pissed and give him a hard time for it later, but that would still be better than how he was feeling right now.

'Misjudged your limit / Pushed you too far / Took you for granted / I thought that you needed me more...'

"A coke for me, please," a familiar voice called to the bartender from behind Justin's back. At once, Justin felt a sinking feeling flood his stomach, and he turned his head to glance over his shoulder at his band mate. As soon as he met his eyes, JC flashed him a broad, sarcastic grin causing Justin to glower moodily back.

'Now I would do most anything / To get you back by my side / But I just keep on laughing / Hiding the tears in my eyes / 'Cause boys don't cry / Boys don't cry...'

As both drinks were placed on the bar in front of them, JC reached forward to pay the tab. He then made a big show of switching the glasses around so that his became the alcoholic one and Justin was left with the soda.

"Cheers," JC sniggered as he clinked his glass against Justin's and took a big gulp from the Jack and coke. As he swallowed and pulled the glass away from his lips, JC let out a low chuckle at the expression on Justin's face.

"Yeah, whatever," Justin replied with a sneer.

"What's going on, man?" JC asked as he sank down onto the empty barstool beside Justin, doing his best to keep the judgemental tone out of his voice. JC knew that he needed to choose his words carefully if he wanted Justin to open up to him. One wrong word and Justin would clam up and refuse to talk about it.

Unlike his other friends, JC had noticed Justin slipping over to the bar whilst everyone else had been distracted by Libby's reappearance. A niggling feeling in the pit of his stomach had prompted him to go and check up on his friend, and, as it had turned out, his suspicions had been right.

It wasn't like Justin to sneak around, and neither did he usually engage in underage drinking. JC had spent enough time with him to know that with confidence. He didn't know what had been said between Justin and Libby, but JC could only guess by the current expression on Justin's face that the conversation hadn't gone in his friend's favour.

"What makes you think there's something going on?" Justin snapped back as he glowered into his glass. He refused point blank to take a sip of the drink. He was sick of drinking soda.

"'Cause you're sitting here at the bar when you should be having a good time with your friends," JC said, flashing Justin a knowing smile. Justin continued to stare into his glass as though he hadn't heard. JC knew that he just had to be patient and wait for as long as it took for Justin to open up.

"It's Libby," Justin said eventually.

"She's had a bit of a shock tonight," JC said as he thought back to Libby's reaction to seeing Dan with another woman. "Did she say anything to you about it outside?"

"Yeah," Justin said, his voice sounding injured. "She said she doesn't have any feelings for me."

JC took another sip of his drink to give himself a chance to think. He was surprised at how quickly the conversation had changed from Libby and Dan, to Libby and Justin. JC wanted to say something about this, but quickly realised that it would probably be a mistake. "And do you think she was telling the truth?" He asked tentatively.

"Of course! She was pretty adamant about it. Besides, why would she have feelings for me?"

JC regarded his friend carefully before answering. He knew that Justin would take any advice that he gave him to heart, and therefore he wanted to be careful not to give him any false hope. But at the same time, JC was as surprised as Justin to hear what Libby had said. It seemed obvious to him, if not to anyone else, that the youngsters were crazy about each other. Even if they couldn't admit it to each other.

"Emotions and feelings are messy, J. Just because you're with someone doesn't stop you from having feelings for someone else. Libby probably does have feelings for you, but she's not able to express them. She's a nice girl, and I think that's probably one of the things that you like best 'bout her."

Justin said nothing, and instead he turned his head away to glance across the dance floor at the table where Libby was seated. Her shoulders were hunched, and she was staring sadly across the dance floor at Dan, who was now openly dancing with the brunette, still completely oblivious of his girlfriend's presence just a few feet away.

"The guy's an asshole," Justin spat as he followed Libby's gaze to the older man, who was running his hands up and down the brunette's lower back.

"Yes, he is," JC agreed as he took another sip of his drink and looked over at Dan. "But that's Libby's choice, man. Whatever happens, you mustn’t get involved in all that. It won't do you any favours to be meddlin' in her relationship."

"Neither would just sitting here and doing nothing," Justin replied as he quickly rose to his feet, his eyes fixed firmly on Dan. "Someone's gotta teach that douchebag a lesson."

JC slammed his glass back down onto the bar in a rush, splashing his hand and lap with the last few remaining drops of his drink as he did so. He tried to grasp at Justin's jacket or sleeve to stop him in his tracks, but Justin was already long out of JC's reach before he could get the chance.

"Wait! Justin!" JC spluttered as he watched his friend rush away, his words falling on deaf ears. It was already too late—Justin was already half way across the dance floor.

~~~~~*~~~~~

As Justin pushed past the people on the dance floor, the movement caught Clare's attention from where she was seated beside Libby. She squinted into the darkness, trying her best to see through the crowds of people and try to identify the man who was charging across the dance-floor.

As soon as she recognised him, Clare turned to the others at the table and said, "Who's he looking for?" Everyone at the table twisted in their seats and tracked the direction in which Justin was headed. Chris was the first to put two and two together.

"Shit!" He swore as he jumped up out of his seat, followed soon after by Lance and Joey. They all sprinted towards Justin to try to stop him before he did something that he—and they—would regret.

~~~~~*~~~~~

As he neared Dan, Justin felt the adrenaline course through his body and his fists instinctively curled up ready to throw the first punch. He roughly shoved his shirt and jacket sleeves further up his arms and licked his lips in anticipation.

I'm looking forward to this, he thought. I can't wait to see the look on his face as I dislocate his bottom jaw.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Libby stared in horror as Justin stormed across the dance floor towards her boyfriend. She felt sick at the thought of Justin squaring up against the much older, not to mention stronger, man. Acting instinctively, Clare looped an arm through one of Libby's and dragged her up out of her chair. As she came to realise Clare's intentions, Libby shook her head and looked at her with wide, frightened eyes.

"No, Clare," she begged. "I can't."

"We have to stop him," Clare told her firmly as she began to pull her forward. "You might be the only person who can do it, Lib."

~~~~~*~~~~~

Justin didn't give Dan a chance to notice his presence before he aimed a rough punch at the side of the older man's face. The young brunette who had been dancing with Dan shrieked and dodged out of the way as Dan absorbed the blow. Recovering as best he could, Dan let out a growl of anger as he turned and grasped Justin forcibly by the shoulder.

"What the hell?" Dan shouted as he swung Justin roughly to one side. Justin did his best not to look intimidated by Dan's show of strength and he pushed his face closer into the older man's. Dan might be stronger than him, but Justin had the advantage of height.

JC reached the pair just in time to hear Justin shout, "You're an asshole!" JC's eyes immediately turned from his friend's furious face to the crowd of people that were gathering around them. The argument was already drawing attention, and JC was concerned that sooner or later someone would recognise Justin. It wouldn't be good for the group to end up in the newspapers because of a public brawl. Or—even worse—have it end up on the Internet.

JC searched the crowd for one of his band mates, and immediately Chris and Joey surged forward to assist JC in pulling Justin backwards and out of Dan's face.

"Why, it’s the kid," Dan said with a sneer as he slowly began to recognise Justin. "You want a piece of this?" He jeered and spat at Justin's feet. The crowd uttered a groan of disgust, but Justin was too distracted by the visible spot of blood in the pile of saliva by his feet. He realised immediately that he'd hurt Dan a lot more than the older man was letting on. His punch must have chipped a tooth, at least. Lunging forward with his fist raised, Justin hoped to make contact once again with Dan's face, but JC and Joey held him back in their strong arms.

"C’mon man, he’s not worth it," Chris told him as he pulled on Justin's right arm and tried his best to get in–between the two brawling men. Chris knew it was a risk, but as the eldest member of the group he felt responsible for Justin. Joey noticed Chris' vulnerability as he stood with his back to Dan, and he reached out to place a cautionary hand on his shoulder. Things were bad enough without Chris being beaten up, too.

"You're an asshole, and you don't deserve her," Justin continued to yell at Dan over Chris' shoulder as he fought against his friends' restraint. He wanted so badly to wipe the smirk off of Dan's face and he wished that his friends would just let him. Even though he knew that he severely lacked the experience to really give Dan the beating that he deserved, Justin was determined that he wasn't going to back down no matter what it cost him.

Dan snorted in amusement and narrowed his eyes at Justin. "And she'd be better off with a gay little kid, who spends his time making out with boys would she?" At once the crowd surrounding them burst out laughing at Dan's insult and he turned around to face his crowd of admirers, clearly enjoying the attention. Justin felt his cheeks burn with humiliation but he refused to be distracted. He continued to scowl at Dan, his anger only being fueled by the audience's reaction.

"Walk away, man," JC said firmly to Justin as he reached out to squeeze his shoulder. He personally had so little respect for Dan that nothing he said could injure him. JC knew that Justin, however, would be mortified by Dan's words. His face was a mask of pure fury, and JC realised that if he didn't manage to pull him away now that there would definitely be a fight. "Chris' is right. He's not worth it. Just walk away."

Justin watched as Dan revelled in the response that he'd drawn from the crowd. As if his ego wasn't big enough, he was acting like a pro–wrestler who'd just achieved the smack–down of his career. It made Justin sick to see him swaggering around and before he knew it, he felt the sickening taste of iron in his mouth from having bitten down so hard on his bottom lip that he'd caused it to bleed.

It was bad enough that Dan had hurt Libby, but now he was insulting his band mates? His brothers? It made Justin feel sick to the stomach to think of JC, Joey, Chris and Lance being abused so publically because of him. Especially by someone as worthless as Dan.

Justin lunged forward once again, and by putting all of his weight behind it, he managed to shake JC and Chris off with one easy move. He waited until Dan had turned back around to face him before aiming another punch right in the man's jaw. The crack that emanated from Justin's fist making contact with the bone immediately silenced Dan, as well as the laughter of the crowd.

"What's up, old man? Feel that one, did ya?" Justin sneered as a nasty grin crossed his face. Punching Dan had felt good. So good.

Dan clutched at his jaw and met Justin's eyes. His own were so dilated with adrenaline and rage that he looked practically feral. JC saw the look in his eyes and felt his stomach constrict with fear as he realised that what was about to happen would most likely put Justin in the hospital.

~~~~~*~~~~~

Dan was so quick to react that Justin was on the floor before he even knew what had happened to him. Dan loomed over him, his face contorted into a furious grimace as he prepared to give the youngster the beating of his life. Clare tightened her grip on Libby's arm and stared down at Justin's face in horror. She knew that she had to do something to stop what was about to happen, but what could she do?

Time seemed to freeze and Clare felt as though she were watching and waiting for the next minute to arrive for hours. It was only when she felt her hand slap against the side of her thigh that she realised that Libby was no longer standing beside her.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Libby shouted as she pushed ahead of Clare through the crowd. She shoved people out of the way and ran forward to get herself in between the two men.

As soon as she was close enough, Libby got straight in Dan's face and shoved his fist back at him before he could connect it with anything. JC, Joey and Chris used her temporary distraction to quickly help Justin get back onto his feet. The young man was very shaken and pale, but his eyes never left Libby's small frame.

Standing next to the hulking figure that was Dan, Libby looked tiny and fragile. Her face, however, was a mask of fury, and in that moment, she was an easy match for Dan's anger.

"Protecting the new boyfriend, are we?" Dan shouted right back at her as he glanced over her shoulder and sneered at Justin. "Why'd ya go from a man to a boy?"

"You're a man, eh, Dan?" Clare sneered over the noise of the music and gave out a snort of amusement at the idea. As she spoke, Lance arrived at her side and tried to hush her. He didn't like the way things were progressing with Dan and he didn't want Clare provoking him further.

"Let me tell you something," Libby said with her face so close to Dan's that she could almost have kissed him without needing to move an inch. She looked into his dark eyes and pursed lips and felt sick inside. Was this really the man that she had let kiss her? Touch her? Was he really the one that she'd wasted six months of her life on? Six months that she'd never get back.

"That boy is more of a man than you could ever be," Libby sneered at Dan before dismissing him with a shrug of her shoulders. She turned and prepared to walk away, no longer wishing to spend any more time in his presence. Libby took a few steps forward but was momentarily disoriented by the crowd of people that had surged forward to surround her. She shook her head to try to clear her thoughts and pushed forward in the direction that she thought would lead back to the table.

She managed three steps forward before Dan caught up with her and angrily spun her around to face him. "Don't you walk away," he shouted at her. "I'm not finished with you yet." Libby struggled under his grasp but Dan refused to let her go. She felt his fingers tighten around the delicate skin of her wrist and her eyes widened at the burning sensation that his hold caused.

"Stop!" Libby cried, looking up into Dan's eyes but no longer recognising him as the man that she had tried so hard to love. Before she had a chance to say anything else, Libby saw him bunch up his other hand into a fist once again, only this time it was aimed in her direction. She quickly screwed up her face in anticipation of the pain that she would doubtless soon feel.

It never came.

Libby tentatively opened her eyes to see Chris standing there with his arm outstretched having caught Dan's fist in his open palm. As Libby looked at Chris' face in surprise she noticed that his expression was so cold that it sent a chill through her.

"You will never do that again," Chris told Dan as he slipped an arm protectively around Libby's shoulders. When he was sure that Dan had gotten the message, and it was safe for him to turn his back, Chris escorted Libby back to the table, followed closely by the rest of their friends.

Libby was grateful for the support of Chris' body to keep her upright. Her legs felt like jelly and her whole body was trembling. She was trying to keep it together, but inside she could feel the hysteria building like a pressure cooker. She needed to sit down soon before her legs gave way beneath her.

"Are you all right?" Chris asked her in a concerned voice as he guided her towards the nearest chair. Libby sat down and stared up at him with wide eyes. She nodded her reply only after finding that she was unable to speak.

"You know, I think we should leave," Joey said to Chris as Clare slipped into the seat beside Libby and reached across to squeeze her hand reassuringly. Joey was all too aware of the people staring and gossiping about them and it was making him feel very uncomfortable.

"We're not going to run away," Chris said as the rest of the group gathered around him. "Me and Justin are going to go and get some drinks, and then we are going to carry on as if nothing has happened."

Although a few glances were exchanged between the group, no one argued with Chris. Feeling a bit more confident that he had control of the situation, Chris walked around the perimeter of the table until he reached Justin and gave him a gentle but firm shove in the direction of the bar. Stumbling over his feet, Justin followed after his band mate.

Once they were far enough away from the table to be out of earshot, Chris turned to Justin and elbowed him gently in the ribs. "You okay, man?"

Justin mumbled an incoherent reply. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to answer such a question, and, being completely honest with himself, he didn't even know if he could.

"Jeez, you scared me," Chris continued with a snort of amusement as he remembered back to the look on Justin's face as he'd charged towards Dan. "I'm proud of you, but you scared me," he reached over and pointed a finger in Justin's face. "Don't ever do that to me again. That guy could've beaten the crap out of you." Justin avoided Chris's eyes and shrugged even though he was more affected by his friend's words than he was willing to admit.

"You gotta think, man. It's not like it is back home. You gotta' consider how your actions will affect the group. What do you think would've happened if Libby hadn't stopped him? You really think you can do your job with a broken nose and who knows what else?"

"Sorry..." Justin replied gruffly. His face didn't show it, but he was feeling pretty close to the edge. So far that evening he'd gone through such extremes of emotion that he wasn't sure if he could take much more. He felt ashamed that his actions could've hurt his friends, and the one thing that he cared about the most—his career. Justin respected Chris and felt embarrassed that the older man was forced to give him a lecture.

"It's done now, man," Chris replied as he realised that tears were beginning to form in Justin's eyes. Chris slapped him amiably on the back and started to snigger. "Just promise me that you'll think a bit more next time. I'm too old to be dragging you out of that kinda shit."

Justin blinked back the tears and shot Chris a sideways smirk causing the older man to laugh. At once the awkward tension between them was gone and Justin soon found himself laughing along with the joke. As they reached the bar, Justin risked a backwards glance at Libby, who was still being consoled by the rest of their friends. He'd avoided looking at her until now as he'd been afraid of what he might see.

Across the room, Libby was still seated at the table, flanked by Clare, who had her arm over her friend's shoulder as she listened intently to something that Libby was saying. From their body language, Justin could tell that Clare was trying her best to comfort her friend.

As he continued to stare, Libby suddenly looked up over Clare's shoulder and met his eyes. Justin instantly glanced away and pretended to be interested in something happening on the dance floor. He felt embarrassed to have been caught looking at her, and he mentally chided himself for being so blatant about it. Could it be that she was angry with him? Was she grateful that he'd stood up to Dan? Or had he damaged their friendship with his actions? Would she feel embarrassed by what had happened and be awkward around him? Or worse, avoid him completely?

"Three cokes, a single Jack and five double Jack's straight up, please," Chris called to the barman, jarring Justin from his troubled thoughts. As he listened to Chris' order, Justin's brow furrowed into a frown.

"Chris, that ain't right man," he mumbled, reaching across to nudge his friend into awareness. Chris turned to him with a grin and winked as the barman lined the glasses up in front of them. Chris paid for the drinks and discreetly handed Justin the single shot of Jack Daniels.

"You've earned this," Chris said in a discreet voice, and he watched with amusement as a comprehending grin slowly spread across Justin's face. Chris gestured at the glass in his friend's hand to encourage him to drink up. Justin didn't have to be told twice. He raised the glass in a quick salute before downing it in one gulp.

"Don't tell JC," Chris told him as he took the empty glass from Justin's hand and replaced it with one of the three glasses containing soda. His tone was joking, but the warning was all too real.

Carefully picking up the rest of the glasses, Chris headed back towards the table, glancing back once over his shoulder to grin at Justin. "You coming?"

~~~~~*~~~~~