"Dammit!" JC tossed the controller to the couch as Chris jumped up in excitement.

"That's the third time. Admit it, ‘C: you suck!" The older man proceeded to do a short victory dance.

JC rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "I ain't admitting shit. This game is rigged."

"Who's got next?" Chris looked between Lonnie and Dre.

With a shake of his head, JC walked through the sliding pocket door to the bunks. After hoisting himself up and into his bed, he settled into the space. He pulled his phone from beneath his pillow and stared at it, blinking slowly.

Casey was on his mind.

It was mid-morning, not super early in the grand scheme of things, but considering the fact that they were still a couple of hours away from their next stop, he assumed she'd be asleep.

He'd been thinking about it since the night he'd found her sitting in the moonlight. And the snippet of conversation he'd caught the previous afternoon had cemented his decision.

He'd been backstage some hours before the show. He was coming around the corner, and Casey was standing in the hallway with Dara. He'd only been trying to be polite, not wanting to barge in right in the middle of the conversation. He wasn't lurking, or spying. At least, not on purpose. He was going to say something, as it soon as it seemed like a good time. But then it became apparent that whatever they were talking about had Casey a little agitated. And he wanted to know why. And the fact that Dara seemed calm was a good thing, until he heard his name.

"Casey," Dara says firmly, staring down at her client, "let me worry about Tony."

Casey's eyes widen, and just when she's about to open her mouth to respond, Joey thumps JC on the back.

"JC!" he exclaims obliviously. "Johnny wants you."

Casey and Dara had seen him in the hallway after that and the conversation was over. He hadn't even bothered to ask Casey what was going on, knowing she wouldn't have told him.

With a deep breath, he scrolled through his phone's contact list and chose a number. The phone rang and he nervously chewed on a fingernail.

"Hey, JC," the obviously surprised voice said upon answering.

"Jazz," JC said with something like relief in his voice. "Casey's not near you, is she?"

***

Maybe this was a bad idea after all. Standing outside Jasmine's door, hand poised to knock, it felt a little like betrayal. Or at least like sneaking around behind her back. Which--considering he'd asked Jasmine if they could talk privately when Casey wasn't around, considering he waited until she was gone, off to a do a photoshoot and interview for who knows how many hours--was exactly what he was doing.

But he was already there. And Jasmine was already waiting. JC took a deep breath and rapped on the door. An instant later, she was opening it and ushering him inside.

"All the secrecy and now you're standing here in ninja mode." Jasmine raised an eyebrow, a smirk on her lips. "Should I be worried?"

JC crossed the threshold and pushed the hood back off of his head as she closed the door behind him. He glanced down at his clothes, snickering a little; the black hoodie and sweats were a coincidence.

He smiled down at her. "It was just at the top of my bag."

She nodded and gestured to the sofa as she curled herself into a chair. "So what's up, JC?" She stared at him expectantly, her expression full of unmasked interest.

When he'd called her from the bus, Casey was, as he'd expected, asleep. Despite the vague sense of guilt he felt in asking Jasmine to meet with in private, he was glad she'd agreed readily.

He coughed a bit nervously as he took a seat. "I guess I'm just going to cut to the chase, Jazz." He glanced at her, before looking down to his lap, rubbing his hands over his thighs. "I want to know what happened with Tony that night. You know, when she first came on tour."

If she was surprised by his question, JC thought, she didn't show it. Jasmine continued to look at him, blinking slowly and seemingly pondering the question momentarily.

"I know you're probably wondering why I'm not talking to her," he began.

She quirked an eyebrow up and shook her head. "Uh, no. I'm pretty sure I know why you're not talking to her."

He snorted. Jasmine knew Casey as well as-- probably more than--he did.

"But," she continued slowly, "I don't think I can tell you anything you haven't already heard." She shrugged and absently picked at a fingernail. "I didn't actually see much, JC."

He inhaled deeply, and nodded. "I just...it's like he has this hold on her still. And I keep thinking that maybe if I know more about that night, I can help her." He smiled self-consciously and shrugged.

Jasmine's inhale was slow and measured. "I was going to borrow something from her. I don't remember what it was now, but that's why I was there in the first place.

"We were laughing about something, and maybe that's why we didn't hear them or...maybe they were quiet. I don't know." Her eyes shifted down to where where her hands were fidgeting in her lap.

"They?" JC repeated, brow wrinkled.

Jasmine met his eyes briefly. "There was a girl in the room with him."

He scoffed. "I didn't know anyone else was there."

Jasmine stared at him quizzically. "Oh. Well." She shook herself and continued. "Casey opened the door and this girl was there and like, Tony wasn't even embarrassed. She was. So she like, grabbed her shirt and shoes and ran out of the room. And he was just sitting there with this nasty little smile on his face.

"And Casey was really quiet and she told me she'd meet up with me later which obviously meant she wanted me to go." She paused again, bringing one hand up to her hair. She wound and unwound her ponytail in her fingers, and continued to stare down at her lap.

"I didn't want to go. Something told me to stay, which probably sounds really convenient after the fact." She made a little sound of disgust. "I never trusted him. None of us--Me, Mike, or Lawrence--did. When Amber was here she and Casey got into a fight about how he treated her."

She shrugged and continued. "I just never understood their relationship, and I don't think anyone else did, either."

JC made a face and nodded in agreement.

"Anyway, I left. Sorta. I stayed right outside the door because..." She trailed off and shrugged. "I don't know why, really. I just felt like I should be there. And at first I couldn't hear anything, and I almost walked back down the hall to my room, but then I heard them yelling."

She stopped talking again, and JC resisted the urge to press her to continue. He gnawed on his thumbnail as he waited for her to go on.

Jasmine pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "From start to finish it was maybe like, ten minutes. Them yelling and then I heard him laughing. I had my ear right up against the door." She shuddered. "Something about it creeped me out, and then I--" She stopped suddenly, lifting her head to meet JC's eyes.

"There was this eerie couple of seconds of silence and I put my ear to the door and it was muffled but it sounded like she was close and I heard her tell him to let go and then there was this like, thump. I don't know how to describe it." She took a deep breath and dropped her gaze again.

"I knocked on the door and called her name and when she didn't answer I started banging on the door and yelling. And I know it was only a matter of maybe thirty seconds or so, but it felt like hours, and Justin and Lonnie came down the hall and, well, you know what happened after that."

JC well-remembered the commotion that followed even though he only heard it from the other side of his hotel door. Hotel security was called, followed closely by the Baton Rouge police. He found out later that Tony was escorted out of the hotel in handcuffs and Casey was taken to the hospital.

"After she got out of the hospital the next day I asked her what happened and she, you know, wouldn't answer. She said it was done, and Tony was gone, and that she was fine. And she asked me to drop it. So I did." Jasmine shrugged.

"That sounds like Casey," he said with a nod. "Something's going on right now, though. And I'm pretty sure it has something to do with him. She hasn't said anything to you?"

"No" Jasmine said softly. "She's been kinda spacey sometimes, like during rehearsals. Lawrence asked her if everything was OK and she said she was just preoccupied with whatever's going on with the new album."

"I guess that's the official story, then. It's the same thing she said to me, but..."

"You don't believe her?" she supplied when he didn't finish the statement.

JC laughed shortly. "No." He briefly considered mentioning that he'd heard Dara say Tony's name backstage, but thought better of it. "I just wish she'd talk to me. Or someone." With an audible exhale he stood up. "Thanks, Jazz."

She followed suit, trailing him as he walked toward the door. "You're welcome but, like I said, I'm pretty sure I didn't tell you anything you didn't already know."

He rocked his head from side to side. "I didn't know about the chick in the room with him, so there's that."

"I'm not sure how that's helpful, but..." She laughed as he reached for the door handle. "JC?"

He turned to face her, not yet pulling the door open. "What's up?"

"I think if you keep asking, she'll talk to you. About everything."

His expression as he looked down at her was clearly skeptical. "What makes you think that?"

She smiled, looking a little embarrassed. "I, um, don't wanna like, weird you out or anything, but I think you two are really good together. I think you're really good for her. And she trusts you. Even if like, you don't think so. She does."

He grinned down at her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders for a hug. "You're good people, Jazz. Thanks again."

JC headed back down the hall feeling no better than he had before his tête-à-tête with Jasmine. If anything, he was more curious than ever about what happened in the hotel room.

With Jasmine's words bouncing around his head, he unlocked his hotel room door.

***

JC looked up when the blue beanie baby fell into his lap.

"I never should've said anything. It's outta control." Justin collapsed onto the chair across from him, several other Carolina blue items in his hand.

As was the case since the first time he'd publicly mentioned his love of the Chapel Hill Tarheels, fans bestowed gift after baby blue gift upon him. The meet and greet they'd held earlier netted him even more items, from t-shirts and hats, to stuffed animals and socks, and everything in between.

They were in a small room backstage, waiting until it was time to begin getting dressed for the show.

JC laughed and chucked the bear back at him. "If the *NSYNC thing doesn't work out for us, you can open up a UNC museum."

Justin rolled his eyes playfully and pulled a Tarheels hat over his head. "What are you doing?"

"Staring off into space, mostly." The brunette gestured down at the notebook in his lap. "I had a train of thought going, but my mom called and I lost it."

"Yeah, I saw you on the phone earlier. How's everyone?"

"I only talked to my mom, but she says everyone's good and everything's fine." JC drummed his pen against the notebook. "I, uh, told her about me and Casey."

Justin's eyebrows raised. "Yeah? What'd she say?"

"You know my mom; she's cool." JC smiled crookedly. "She said she figured something was up because I went from not talking about Casey at all to...well, I guess her name comes up more than I realized now." He shrugged. "She wants to meet her when we get back to Florida."

"Hmm." Justin nodded. "That's something, huh?"

JC stared at his friend for a moment, noting the barely concealed smirk on his face. He shook his head, chuckling. "You obviously have something to say about it, so go ‘head and say it."

Justin's eyes widened in mock surprise. "What do you mean, Man? I'm just saying it's good, you know? You met her parents; she's meeting your parents. It's all official and shit."

JC pursed his lips, considering Justin's use of the word official. He shook his head, eyes downcast.

"So what's that mean?" Justin asked, leaning forward in his chair.

"It means we're not technically official, because she doesn't want us to be official," JC replied acerbically.  

"Well," Justin began slowly, "you're technically official, just not public. There's a difference. Technically."

JC cut his eyes at his friend. "That...sounds like Casey's logic. But whatever. It doesn't really matter."

"Liar," Justin challenged, smiling lightly.

Ignoring the comment JC said, "I told her a while ago that I was fine with taking things at a pace she's comfortable with and I, you know, meant that."

"But it obviously matters to you."

JC sighed, tiredly rubbing his face. "I don't like, need to make an announcement in People or anything. But every time I get asked if I'm dating someone and I say no, and every time we're out in public and she works overtime to get as far away from me as possible, we're lying. And I hate being a liar." He shrugged again.

Justin watched him quietly for a few moments, blue eyes sharp and focused. "Is that all it is? I mean, I know you value truth and honesty and all that shit."

JC made a face but Justin continued before he could respond. "But does the way you feel about her not wanting to be public have less to do with being sincere or whatever, and maybe more to do with you and your, ah, feelings for her. And the fact that maybe you think her feelings aren't quite the same?"

JC stared back at Justin unblinking, before becoming preoccupied with gnawing at a hangnail.

"Hmm," Justin murmured. "I thought for sure you'd argue with me."

"I think," JC said quietly, "I could be falling for her. Maybe."

"Think maybe?" Justin scoffed. "You're sure it's not more than that, because I was thinking something along the lines of L-O--"

"It's a little soon for all of that, Man." JC smiled as he cut him off. "But I, uh...she's different. I feel different about her, you know? And just when I'm positive that she's feeling the same way, she..."

He shook his head, scowling. "Something's going on with her right now. Something I'm pretty sure has to do with her shitty ex-boyfriend. But I don't know what she's thinking, and she won't tell me."

"Have you asked her?" Justin crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back.

"Have you met her?" JC's expression was disdainful as he snorted. "Casey can be really direct when she wants something, but she's also really good at being cagey when she wants to be."

He sighed and went back to chewing on his fingernail. "I want to know what happened in that hotel room with Tony."

"I've told you what I know," Justin said with a shrug. "Last time I talked to her, Jazz didn't know much more than I did, really. But you could ask her."

"I did," JC said. When Justin looked at him quizzically he explained. "Ask Jazz, I mean. I talked to her yesterday. Casey was gone doing an interview or something so I--"

"Seized the moment?" Justin interjected.

JC snickered. "Something like that. But like you said, she doesn't know much more than you do. She asked Casey what happened right after and Casey asked her to drop it. Because that's just what Casey does." Each time he repeated her name, he couldn't help but feel a little more agitated about the entire situation, and her unwillingness to about it.   

"Then maybe you could tell Casey how you're feeling about her and everything else, and ask her to level with you." Justin stared at him pointedly.

JC began to speak when the door to the small room opened. Lara, one of the wardrobe assistants, poked her head in. "Hey guys, we need to borrow you for a few minutes."

They both stood, assuring her they were on the way, but before they could cross the threshold through the door Justin poked JC in the back. "Talk to Casey, JC. Be honest with her."

JC glanced back over his shoulder. "We'll see."