Matthew's yawn was long and loud and Casey snickered. "None of that when I'm onstage, OK, kiddo?"

He grinned, the single dimple in his left cheek identical to his big sister's. "I won't; I promise."

"So where's everyone else?" Paul Whitaker asked from the overstuffed chair in the corner.

"Mike's still in costuming and Lawrence and Jazz are...around somewhere." She twisted into another stretch on the floor.

The Rosemont Horizon was huge, replete with any number of dressing rooms and lounges backstage. Assuming Casey would want to spend all available time with her family, her dancers went elsewhere. She, along with her parents and brother, were spending the last bit of time before the show in a small, but cozy dressing room.

The space was painted a deep burgundy, and all of the furniture was a plush, chocolate brown microfiber. In addition to the chair her father occupied, another identical chair was in the opposite corner. There was also a loveseat, currently being shared by her mother and brother, with some throw pillows, and a rug on the floor. The rug and accents were all in brown and cobalt.

She'd already been through hair, makeup and costuming, and with just under an hour before show time, was getting into her performance zone. She had just stood up when someone knocked on the door twice in rapid succession.

She pulled the door open and grinned in surprise. "Hey, you!" She stepped back to allow JC to enter the room. "I was beginning to think we wouldn't see you until after the show."

He wasn't yet in costume, donning black sweats and a nondescript black hoodie that was zipped up to this throat. As was often the case when he wasn't out performing, he was wearing a baseball cap, this one repping the Chicago White Sox, with the bill pulled down low on his forehead. He smiled and she felt a flutter in her stomach when the familiar scent of his cologne hit her nose.

JC crossed the threshold and, with a shy smile, nodded in the direction of her family. "I missed you all before soundcheck so I just wanted to stop and say hi before the show. It gets pretty crazy afterward." He looked down at Casey who was looking up at him. "I'm not interrupting am I?"

She shook her head quickly, a delighted smile on her face. "Not at all." She tugged his arm and pulled him over to where her mother and father were now standing. "JC, this is my mom Elizabeth, my dad Paul, and my brother Matt." She pointed to everyone in turn. "Guys, this is...well, the official ‘C' of *NSYNC." She snickered at her own lame joke. "Otherwise known as JC Chasez."

"Nice to meet you all." He shook hands with her parents and her brother and everyone exchanged the requisite pleasantries.

"We're really looking forward to the show tonight, JC," Elizabeth said enthusiastically.

Casey chuckled. "So, you should probably know that my mom is a huge *NSYNC fan. And she's actually probably more excited about seeing you all in concert than she is about seeing me."

JC, Matty and Paul laughed while Elizabeth shook her head with a grin leveled her gaze at her daughter. "That's not true at all, honey. I am absolutely thrilled to see you performing tonight...and I'm also really excited to see *NSYNC." She laughed.

"Well, I can tell you with no bias that this girl here, " JC smiled down at Casey and nudged her with his elbow, "puts on one heckuva show. She's amazing on stage. I wouldn't be surprised if we were opening for her in the not too distant future."

Casey dipped her head, enjoying his compliment but feeling a little embarrassed as well. "Oh, stop," she mumbled, poking him the side. "Your bajillions of adoring fans would never let that happen."

"We'll co-headline, then." He winked at her and Casey's heartbeat increased.

"Sounds like a plan." She grinned up at him, eyes bright and dancing and he felt it like a physical force that sent chills up and down his limbs.

He coughed and forced himself to take his eyes off of her and put them back on her family. "Well, um, it was nice to meet you all. Like I said, I just wanted to say hi so I'm gonna let you guys get back to your family time. And I really do hope you enjoy the show tonight."

"It was very nice to meet you, too, JC, and we will." Elizabeth took one of JC's hand in both of hers. "I hope this isn't the last time."

Paul shook JC's hand again. "Good to meet you."

Casey moved to walk out with him. "So you're not gonna wish me luck tonight?"

He grinned down at her. "You don't need luck; you've got talent."

"You're the expert," she said, clearly pleased.

"Hey." He turned as she pulled the door open for him. "Are you doing the VIP thing tonight or going home with your family?" His bright blue eyes held on to her brown ones intently and she sensed something else lurking behind the words.

I'll be at the club tonight."

"And then?" JC licked his lips while looking at hers; Casey caught the subtle shift in his gaze and smirked. "After that, I mean." This time, there was nothing subtle about the openly hungry way he was looking down at her.

Feeling shockwaves course her body she glanced over shoulder and, glad to see her parents and brother in the midst of a conversation, pulled the door closed. "I'm coming back to the hotel," she said softly.

"There you are!" Joey jogged toward them from the hallway. "Genevieve wants your ass parked in her chair in the next five minutes." He shook a finger in JC's direction.

With an effort, they both turned to face him. "Uh, yeah, OK," JC directed to Joey.

"I'll see you guys later," Casey said, beginning to turn the door handle.  

"Hey, Casey," Joey called.

She turned to face the two men again. "What's up?"

"Your mom? She's a total milf." He nodded, a sly smirk on his face.

Casey wrinkled her nose in distaste as JC shook his head and groaned. "That's really disgusting, Joey."

"Seriously, Joe?" JC echoed her disdain.

Joey shrugged and smiled goodnaturedly. "I don't mean any disrespect or anything. They say if you want to know what a chick's gonna look like when she's older, look at her mom. Your mom's hot, Casey." He looked over at JC. "It's something to think about, man." With a nod, he sauntered off.

JC and Casey stared at each other and burst out laughing. "Is there ever a time that he's not thinking about sex?" she said.

"Maybe when he's eating." JC shook his head and snickered. "I gotta get to Genevieve. I'll see you later, OK?" With a wink he was off down the hall.

Casey took a deep breath and opened the door, re-entering the room with her family.

"Matt wants to check out the concession stand," Paul was saying. "So we're going to do that, and go to our seats, I guess."

Elizabeth nodded. "Ok. I'll meet you guys soon."

Paul kissed his daughter on the cheek on his way to the door. "Break a leg, kiddo."

She winked at her dad and gave him a thumbs up before hugging her brother. "Get the nachos," she said, affectionately rubbing the top of his head. "Or the chili fries. They're awesome."

"Good luck, Case!" he said, before following his father out of the room.

"So," Elizabeth said as the door closed behind her husband and son. She eyed her daughter with the hint of a smile on her lips. "JC."

Casey sat back down in the chair she had previously occupied. "What about him?"

"He seems nice."

"Oh, yeah. He is." She nodded, chuckling nervously.

"It was really nice of him to stop by before the show, just to meet us ."

"Um...yeah. That's JC." Casey kept glancing up at her mother, trying to decipher the semi-amused expression on her face. She could tell she was about to say more, and her mind raced.

She had closed the door behind them when she walked out into the hallway; her mom couldn't have possibly heard any of the conversation. And even if she had, she was pretty sure they hadn't said anything too incriminating. She hoped.

"So how exactly did you guys go from not talking to...talking?" Elizabeth asked mildly.

"I, uh...we..." Casey tried to think quickly, mentally kicking herself for not coming up with some sort of story earlier. "Like I said earlier, we just kind of ran into each other one night and we, um...started talking about, um...stuff." She twisted her thumb ring.  

"Hmm." Elizabeth's smile widened. "And now?"

Casey's forehead creased as she looked at her mother in confusion. "And now...what? We're friends."

"And so he came to your dressing room before the show, ostensibly to meet your parents. Just because you're friends now?" She raised an eyebrow, grin in place, and shook her head slightly at her daughter.

Put in those terms, maybe it did sound a little suspect. But Casey was certainly not going to give her mother any more information than was absolutely necessary. She shrugged again. "It's not a big deal, Mom. JC's just...like that. And I've talked a lot about you guys to him, you know? When we're...hanging out or whatever."

"Hanging out?" Elizabeth pursed her lips and raised her eyebrows. "Euphemistically speaking, right?"

"Mom!" Casey sputtered.

Elizabeth almost doubled over with laughter as she watched her daughter's display of wide-eyed discomfort. "Oh, Casey, don't ‘Mom' me. And for the record, if you're trying to pass off whatever's going on between you and JC as ‘just friends' you shouldn't do it when the two of you are in the same room."

Momentarily forgetting her hair and makeup, Casey cradled her head in her hands and looked down at her lap. She was close to her mother, extremely close. And although her mother was well aware that her daughter's virginity had long been gone, the prospect of talking about her sex life with her mom made Casey feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"So, the truth. What's going on with you and JC?" Elizabeth regarded her daughter with amused curiosity.

"Nothing really," Casey mumbled.

Elizabeth snorted. "Liar."

"Mother!" Casey made a face.

"Honey, I know you're on stage every night and you're used to putting on a show for strangers, but I'm not one. I've known you your entire life and I know you well. There is a whole lot more than ‘nothing' going on. And I'm not asking for details--"

"Good, because I wouldn't give them to you," Casey interjected.

"--but you can be honest with me." Elizabeth crossed her arms loosely over her chest.

"It's just..." Casey rolled her head around on her neck and sighed deeply. "Everything with Tony wasn't all that long ago, you know? And JC and I are...we've been spending, uh, a lot of time together. And I guess I just feel like, with all that happened, especially the way things ended, maybe it looks bad that I'm involved with someone new, so quickly."

Elizabeth uncrossed her arms and clasped her hands together in her lap, leaning forward slightly in her seat."Casey, from where I sit, it's blatantly obvious that you like JC. A lot. And that you're happier now and just...lighter...than you have been in a long time. Am I wrong?"

With a small smile, Casey shook her head. "No, you're not wrong."

"Then what about it could possibly look bad?" Elizabeth smiled. "He's clearly smitten with you."

"Really, mom? Smitten?" Casey rolled her eyes and smiled. "He's so...different. But in a good way. And I don't think I can even really explain how. It's only been a couple of months but I...you're right. I like him. A lot."

"Like that wasn't obvious." Elizabeth snickered. "Now it's also obvious that he's the reason we've been getting fewer late night phone calls from you."

Casey bit back a grin, standing up from her chair.

A knock sounded at the door and Jasmine appeared when it opened. "‘Scuse me, but, Case, we need you out here now."

"On my way," Casey directed to her friend. Turning to her mom she said, "Guess we'll have to continue this later. Or not." She grinned.

"Come here." Elizabeth wrapped her arms around her daughter and kissed her cheek. "I love you and I'm so proud of you."

"I love you too, Mom. Thank you."

"Break a leg!" Elizabeth patted her daughter's shoulder and exited the room to the left.

With a wide smile, Casey walked out behind her and linked arms with Jasmine; the two young women headed in the opposite direction down the backstage hallway. "We're going to kick ass tonight. I feel it."

Jasmine grinned. "Hell yeah!"

***

Amber inhaled deeply. Casey's set over, she was backstage, waiting for her friend to emerge from her dressing room. She knew she'd be coming to the private skybox, but she hoped to grab a moment alone with her friend before being surrounded by all of her friends and family.

She hadn't seen Casey in a couple months, and the last time things had been a little chilly.  That, she reasoned, was really on account of Tony.

"I don't get it, Casey," Amber huffs, furiously crossing her arms. "That lying bastard was doing more than just talking to her!"

Casey rolls her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose. "I don't want to do this now, Amber."

"But, Case--"

"I'm serious!" Casey's voice rises, but after she looks around to make sure she hasn't brought attention to herself, she lowers her voice and blows out a breath. "I believe you, OK? But it doesn't matter. I know that it doesn't make sense--"

"It sure doesn't!" Amber retorts furiously. "He's treating you like shit, Casey, and you're letting him."

Casey glances over her shoulder and sees Tony coming near, his expression stormy. "I'll explain later, OK? Just..." She throws one more backward glance at her boyfriend. "Stay. Have fun. Dance. Drink. We'll talk tomorrow, OK?"

"Casey!" Tony's voice booms. "Let's go."

Casey pleads with Amber with her eyes. She mouths, "We'll talk tomorrow."

Amber nods curtly. "Fine."

Casey plasters a smile on her face, turns and takes Tony's hand and they walk away.

There was no talking tomorrow. Or the next day, at least not about Tony. What there was, was some distance between them after that. And mostly, Amber acknowledged, on account of herself. It didn't make sense, Casey's relationship with Tony. He was an asshole through and through, and she always seemed to make excuses for him. Or else she pretended like she didn't notice. Notice the way he constantly flirted with other women. Notice how nasty he could be when he was talking to her. And because she knew her friend wasn't an idiot, Amber couldn't make sense of why she was, apparently, acting like one.

She was only on the tour for a few more days after that, and she wanted an explanation for why her friend would continue to stay with a man who disrespected her at every turn. When the explanation wasn't forthcoming, she pulled away. After she left, conversations with Casey were fewer and farther between.

Pulling up to the venue had been surreal. While the vast majority of the crowd were females of various ages obviously there to scream themselves silly for *NSYNC, she'd seen a few fans with signs and other paraphernalia associated with Casey and her music. My best friend is a bonafide celebrity. Amber smiled to herself. It was evident, what with all of the hoopla going on around her, but it was still a difficult concept to wrap her mind around. In the months it had been since she had been on the road, it was clear that Casey's star was rising quickly.

Above everything else, she had hoped that Casey's new found fame wouldn't be the reason everything changed.

***

Her usual post-show rush was an all-out euphoria that night; her first major arena performance at home had gone spectacularly well. As she ran backstage amidst the raucous shouts from the crowd, Casey was positive that there wasn't a drug available--illicit or otherwise--that could make her feel any higher than she was.

Her dancers were as giddy as she was, laughing and whooping it up. Every bit of discomfort and tension from the eventful day had faded as soon as she hit the stage. Everything--every step, every note--had been executed perfectly. She noticed Everett a little further down the hall and although he was in the midst of an exchange on his walkie talkie, he nodded in her direction, smiled and gave her a thumbs up. She'd originally planned on changing quickly, before heading to the skybox to be with her family and friends, but she was almost vibrating with energy now. She decided to stay in costume and go straight to the box to watch the rest of the concert.

With the help of a crew member she was taking off her headset mic and the accompanying bodypack transmitter when she heard the familiar voice.

"That was awesome!"

Rid of the equipment, Casey turned and practically launched herself into Amber's open arms. "Hi, you!" she squealed, as her friend squeezed her back. "

"You were so amazing tonight, Case!" Amber gushed. "Sitting there and seeing you play at home was just...wow! I'm pretty sure your mom was crying.."

"That sounds like my mom." Casey giggled and sobered. "So what happened earlier? Is everything OK?"

Amber looked confused for a moment before realization dawned on her. "Oh...I, um, yeah. Everything's fine, I just...we'll talk later, OK? I just wanted to tell you, before we head back out there in front of everyone, that I'm really happy to see you. I know when I left things were a little weird and all, but I'm happy to be here."

"I'm glad you are too. " Casey squeezed Amber's arm and smiled.