The rain was still falling as steadily as it was when they'd gone into Marlene's house, and the street was still quiet and dark. But it wouldn't stay that way for long; sunrise was about an hour away. It was only at that moment that Justin realized he'd been so focused on getting JC away from Marlene and out of the house, he hadn't planned for how they were going to get away. The five of them walking down the street, especially with JC supported between two of them would definitely draw attention, even in spite of the early hour.

But that was what they would have to do. Justin glanced to his left at JC and cursed himself for not considering that problem before. Even in the dark, he could tell that JC was fighting to keep his eyes open, clearly exhausted. The only reason he was still on his feet was because Justin and Chris were supporting his weight.

Lance looked back at them, checking to see if they were okay to keep walking. Justin just nodded and they slowly began to make their way down the street, Joey bringing up the rear. They moved much slower now that they were out of the house. Partly to accommodate JC in his weakened state and also because the rest of them were fighting off their own exhaustion.

They were about to cross a street when a car pulled up in front of them, blocking their path. Justin tightened his grip on JC as the window rolled down, and the driver leaned forward slightly.

"Need a ride?"

Justin instantly relaxed, and he sensed Chris do the same from the other side of JC, apparently at ease that Justin didn't feel threatened by the person. And why would he? It was Carrie.

"God, yes," Justin said.

The car she was driving was an old Oldsmobile. It had bench seats in the front and back, which allowed for two of them to sit up front with her and the others on the back bench comfortably. Chris got into the back seat first, and Joey helped Justin get JC in, sliding him to the middle seat. When they'd accomplished that, Justin got in beside JC while Joey sat in the passenger seat.

"Where do you guys want me to take you?" She glanced at them through the rearview mirror. "Hospital?"

Justin imagined they probably did look like hell, but he shook his head. What was going to help JC most at this point was getting rid of that damn voodoo doll, and then he should be able to rest. That was basically all they needed. Going to the hospital would draw more attention they didn't need.

"Our hotel," Justin told her. He tried giving her address, but when he couldn't remember it, Lance jumped in and recited it from his near flawless memory.

It was a short but tense ride back to their hotel. Even though they were all exhausted, they couldn't relax just yet. They wouldn't be able to relax until they were back in Orlando and they could put this whole terrible thing behind them.

By the time they made it back to the house they'd been staying in, the rain had finally let up. There was no parking on the street in front of the house, so Carrie told them she would drop them and find a place to park.

They all glanced at each other before Chris cleared his throat. "We appreciate everything you've done to help, but you don't have to come in."

"Yeah, we've taken up enough of your time," Joey added.

Carrie snorted. "Please. I'm happy to help, and I'm not done yet. Not when there's more I can do. Now get inside and I'll come in after I find a parking space."

The guys looked like they were going to object, insisting she'd done enough, but Justin shot them a glance that told them to just get out of the car. If Carrie thought she could provide them with more help, Justin wasn't going to refuse it. There could be something they'd overlooked or something Silvia hadn't told them. Besides, she'd been so helpful, she deserved more than a quick thank you.

Joey and Lance jumped out of the front bench, while Chris opened his door and Justin gently pushed JC towards the open door. JC moved his arms like he was trying to help, but he was clearly too exhausted to provide any real assistance. But that was fine because it didn't take long for Justin and Chris to help him out of the car.

The five of them shuffled to the front door, Lance pulling the key out of his pocket. It felt strange to be back there because it suddenly seemed a bit homey - something it hadn't been when they'd first arrived. Justin wasn't sure if it was because they were so exhausted that everything seemed much more inviting or if it was because the feeling was brought on by having JC with them - the five of them reunited at last. He had a hunch it was the last one.

Together, he and Chris lowered JC onto the couch. Chris had already disengaged himself from JC even though he still hovered close by, but as soon as Justin went to step away, JC latched onto his arm. Even though JC still couldn't talk, it was clear what he wanted. He wanted Justin to stay.

"It's okay, C," Justin began. "I'll be right back. I just have to-"

"Give it to me," Chris interrupted. "I'll do it."

Chris obviously hadn't forgotten what still needed to be done, and all it took was one look at his face for Justin to know he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Sighing, Justin pulled the voodoo doll out of his pocket with the hand JC wasn't clinging to and handed it to Chris.

"You remember what to do?" he asked.

"Yeah, I got it covered," Chris said. "You sit down. You look almost as bad as him."

Justin glanced at JC and how pale his older friend still looked, doubting what Chris said. He did sit down though, and JC seemed to relax a bit, leaning into Justin's shoulder. Joey sat down on the other side of JC, the motion causing Justin to snap out of the daze he'd started to fall into.

"Where's Lance?"

"He went outside with Chris," Joey said. He rubbed JC's shoulder. "Just hang in there, Jace. Everything will be fine in no time."

The sound of the door opening startled them, JC especially. His body jerked and his head whipped over to the door. It was just Carrie, and he relaxed slightly. But Justin could still feel his heart race as JC's weight fell back into him, seeming unable to even sit up straight.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you guys," Carrie apologized. "So who's first?"

Justin was about to ask "For what?" when she held up a first aid kit. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Let me guess. Girl scout?"

She shook her head, looking amused. "My mother's a doctor."

"Lucky us," Justin said, giving her a small smile.

"All right, Joey. You're closest so you're up first," Carrie said.

Joey stood up and followed her into the kitchen, both of them disappearing from view. There was a sudden exhale of breath and Justin turned his head to catch JC say, "Justin."

The voice was barely above a whisper, but it had a raw quality to it that made Justin's heart ache for his friend. Then, JC broke down, sobbing into Justin's shoulder and his heart wrenched painfully. But at least whatever curses Marlene had put on JC had been finally lifted.

Justin wrapped comforting arms around JC. He barely heard the back door slide open, and Chris and Lance stepping back inside. All he was focused on was trying to make JC feel safe as he held on tight, no words needed. Not right now anyway.

Time passed, but Justin wasn't sure how much. JC had finally settled when someone tapped Justin on the shoulder. He turned his head and saw Chris standing there.

"C'mon, dude. Let Carrie look you over." When Justin made no move to untangle himself from JC, Chris said, "It's okay. I got him."

Justin slowly got to his feet, feeling the weight of his exhaustion deep in his bones. JC quietly protested his departure, but Chris sat down in Justin's now vacant seat and gently wrapped an arm around his shoulders. As Justin moved away from them and towards Carrie in the kitchen, he saw JC curl into Chris, who said quiet reassuring words to him.

"He's gonna be okay," Carrie said quietly, her eyes going to the couch. "You all will."

Justin sighed heavily as he sat down in the empty seat facing her. "I hope so."

There was a brief moment of silence before she said, "Let's start with that side, huh? Take your shirt off."

"If I didn't know better, I'd say this was all a part of your plan to see me undress."

It wasn't said with the same flirtatious tone Justin might have used, but he did manage a half smile. He was trying to make things a little easier on her because he could tell she was a little uncomfortable. It wasn't something he saw so much as it was something he sensed, and he couldn't blame her. He didn't know if he'd be so cool about everything if he was in her shoes.

But she still managed to banter playfully saying in return, "Who says it's not?" She winked at him, still trying to play it cool, but her cheeks were tinged with pink.

"So how bad is it?" he asked, watching her clean the long scratch on his side. He winced as the hydrogen peroxide burned the tender skin.

"It's not too bad. Deep, but not enough for stitches so consider yourself lucky."

"I think all the good luck has come from you." She blushed more, even as she went about taping gauze to his side. He persisted, "Seriously. I don't know what we would've done without your help. Thank you."

She actually looked up and met his gaze. "I'm just glad I could help, and that nothing serious happened to any of you."

Carrie moved onto cleaning the numerous cuts on his arms, silence falling over them. Then, Justin remembered there was something he still didn't know.

"How did you distract the paparazzi?" he asked her. He hadn't given her any suggestions, but she'd sounded like she had it covered. He hadn't bothered to ask because he hadn't cared at that point, focused solely on getting to JC. But now he was curious.

"My friend was having a party and I called a couple of the reporters, telling them I was at such party and who just walked in but Nsync," she said. "They hightailed over to my friend's house pretty quick."

"And your friend didn't mind?"

Carrie gave him a look. "Are you kidding? She was totally cool with being part of a rouse to get the paparazzi of your backs."

Justin let out a short laugh. "Well, you and her got backstage passes when we come to town on our next tour, okay?"

He was going to say more, but he stopped short when he heard Lance talking to Joey and Chris.

"We might have to go to the airport after this to get a rental. I doubt any places are open around here this late...or early depending on how you look at it," Lance said.

"No," Justin told him, careful not to turn towards him since Carrie was still working on disinfecting the last of the scratches the dogs had left behind. "You really think Jace is up for a drive like that. It's probably like ten hours or so."

Their eyes immediately fell to JC, who'd managed to fall asleep leaning against Chris. Lance looked back at Justin. "It'll be easier than trying to get him through airport security and onto a plane."

"Not if it's a private plane."

The guys all glanced at each other. "J, you know we can't draw attention to ourselves like that," Lance said.

"All eyes are already on us!" Justin cried, exasperated. He sighed then, trying to regain his composure. "We're already going to have to deal with the press. What's one more thing?"

They were silent for a second before Joey nodded. "You're right." His eyes went to JC. "The sooner we get home, the better. For all of us."

There was no further argument and Lance pulled out his cell phone, making the call to Johnny to have him set it up. Pain in his arm snapped Justin back to Carrie as she put a band-aid over a deeper cut on his arm that had begun bleeding again after her ministrations. She smiled at him, telling him he was done.

"Thanks," he said. He stood up and stretched, wincing as he felt some bones pop. He looked over into the living room. "C'mon, Joey. Let's round up our bags."

Joey stood easily and followed Justin into the bedrooms. There weren't many bags since they'd just thrown together carry-ons before they left Orlando, so it didn't take long at all to pile them by the door. When they'd done a final sweep to make sure they got everything, Lance was off the phone with Johnny and said there would be a private jet waiting for them at a local airstrip.

So they threw all their bags into the trunk of Carrie's car before piling in themselves, ready to get the hell out of New Orleans. Finally.

**********

An hour later, the five of them were 30,000 feet in the air on their way home at last. When Carrie had dropped them at the airstrip, they all had thanked her profusely for all her help. Justin kissed her cheek once again - something he knew the guys would give him hell for when things got back to normal. He wasn't attracted to her romantically, but he considered them friends, being genuine when he told her they'd have to get together when the next time they were in town.

It was quiet onboard, all of them sprawled out in the small jet. JC was curled up on a small bench, a blanket thrown over him and his head resting in Justin's lap. He seemed much more at ease now, especially in sleep. Justin's eyes were closed, practically on the verge of sleep when the guys started to speak in low tones.

"Thank God that whole thing is finally over," Joey said.

"Yeah, I'm fine with not going back to New Orleans for a while," Chris added.

"Somehow I don't think any of us are as happy to leave as JC," Lance said.

"And he wouldn't be if Justin hadn't insisted something was wrong," Joey pointed out. His tone wasn't accusing but matter-of-fact.

The thought of JC being stuck with Marlene made Justin tense a bit, especially since they now knew just what she'd put him through. Not once had he been able to explain the feeling he'd gotten after hearing JC's message. His gut had just told him something was really wrong, and he was beyond glad he hadn't questioned it.

"Don't we feel like the biggest assholes now?" Chris said. "All we did was doubt him."

"We had no idea what was really going on."

"Neither did he, Lance. But he was the one that kept insisting we look." There was a pause before Chris continued, "If JC had called me, I probably wouldn't have believed him. I would've left."

Justin could hear the guilt in Chris's voice. Chris had been ready to leave, willing to believe JC was on his way to LA like he said. But he'd also confessed later his anger at Justin had kept him from seeing the truth sooner. It was all water under the bridge as far as Justin was concerned anyway because Chris had been all in it in the end, which was when it really mattered.

"No you wouldn't. You would've picked up on the same things Justin had," Lance assured Chris. Justin had to agree. None of them would've argued with him if they'd heard the barely masked fear in JC's voice that he had.

There was a moment of silence before there was a quiet squeak as one of them probably shifted in their seat. Then Chris spoke again. "I don't think I'm gonna let Jace out of my sight anytime soon. Especially in cities with crazy religions that use magic."

Joey laughed, but it was dry and humorless. "Yeah. Felt like we were in a horror movie, especially at the end there."

"Well, in JC's defense, I'm sure he didn't know what he was getting into either," Lance said.

"Maybe in more ways than one." Justin felt a bit of confusion and he figured Lance and Joey must've looked it because Chris clarified, "She could've put a spell on him. You know, to get him to go back to her place."

"Or maybe he was attracted to her," Joey offered. "I mean, she was kind of hot."

Justin mentally rolled his eyes, even as he considered what Joey and Chris said. The idea of JC being under a spell was easier to believe given everything that'd happened the last couple days. And while JC wasn't extremely trusting, he tended to believe in people if he got a good vibe from them. So either way was possible, and the only person that could tell them which was right was JC.

"Something else I've been wondering," Chris began, seeming to ignore Joey's last comment. "How did those dogs become visible? Marlene thought we used a potion, but none of them could that, could they?"

"No," Joey said, and Justin could picture him shaking his head. "There were a couple smoke bombs and some sleeping ones, but that was basically it."

After a moment, Lance said, "It was probably Marie Laveau."

"Makes sense I guess. You know, being that she saved our asses," Chris replied.

"That also means the bird from the cemetery was her doing."

"Well, Lance," Joey started with a slight teasing tone, "I think we kind of figured that. You were the one that said birds aren't smart enough to do that."

"I was trying to be logical."

Chris snorted. "There wasn't much that was logical about this whole thing."

"Doesn't seem like one pound cake was enough, does it?" Joey asked. The comment was so Joey, but rarely were his comments followed by a heavy silence. They all knew they owed a lot to Marie Laveau because they wouldn't have made it out of there without her help. Hell, they probably wouldn't have even found JC.

"At least it's over," Chris said, his voice quiet. "And they can finally rest."

"Until we see Johnny anyway," Lance pointed out.

Joey groaned, and Justin wanted to echo it. Johnny was going to flip out when he saw them. "Let's not think about that now, okay?" Joey said.

There was no disagreement as a comfortable silence fell over them. Justin must have fallen asleep shortly after because the next thing he knew he was being shaken awaken. He opened his eyes and blearily looked up at Lance, who was removing his hand.

"C'mon, J. We're here."

Justin immediately looked to his right and saw that JC was no longer asleep next to him but standing next to Joey, leaning tiredly into him. Somehow he'd managed to sleep through everyone else getting up and ready to deplane. Really, it was a testament to how exhausted he was that he'd slept through landing.

He stood up and Chris slung an arm around his shoulder. "All right, guys. Let's go home."

Lance led the way out of the plane, and as soon as they stepped out, Justin sighed as he spotted Johnny standing next to Lonnie. He'd hoped they'd at least be able to get some sleep before they were hounded by their manager. But Johnny lost his scolding look once the five of them had stepped off the plane and he took in their appearances.

"Are you guys okay?" he asked, still looking at them with a critical eye. He zeroed in on Justin and his concerned expression deepened as he cried, "Justin, what happened?"

Justin looked down and immediately saw the reason Johnny looked a bit panicked. He hadn't changed his bloody t-shirt. Something he was definitely cursing himself for not doing and having the foresight that Johnny would assume the worst when he saw blood.

"I'm fine, Johnny," Justin said, bringing his eyes up to meet Johnny's. "It's just a scratch."

But Johnny wasn't reassured. "Maybe we should get you checked out to be safe. Get you all checked out."

"We already were," Joey said.

Johnny looked doubtful, but he let it go. "Well, you want to explain to me how you guys got in this state to begin with?"

Chris sighed. "We'll tell you everything later, all right? We just want to go home and get some sleep first."

It was obvious Johnny was anxious for answers, but he wouldn't deny what he knew was best for them. And if they truly looked as bad as Justin expected, it really wasn't a hard decision for Johnny to back off and allow them to pile in the SUV Lonnie was going to drive them home in.

Johnny told them to call him as soon as they were feeling better and were able to talk about what'd gone on the last couple days. Lance promised they would and Lonnie drove away, taking them to JC's house at their request. They figured that'd be the best place for JC to recover and they certainly weren't going to leave him alone - and probably wouldn't for a while.

**********

It took them about a half hour to get to JC's house, and it'd taken them a few tries to rouse JC. None of them had been surprised that he'd fallen asleep because he was always soothed to sleep when he rode in something that moved, but it was especially understandable considering everything he'd been through. So he was pretty out of it as they led him through the front door and up the stairs to the master bathroom. They had to get him to bathe in holy water to make sure every last bit of the curses that'd been on him were gone.

Chris held JC upright as Justin and Joey worked together to remove JC's jeans and his two shirts, leaving his boxers on figuring JC might be uncomfortable about being naked. As they undressed him, he barely moved and his eyes had a glazed over look to them. Except for when the voodoo doll was first burned and the curses lifted, he'd pretty much been like this. It made Justin think maybe there were a few lingering effects from all the voodoo he'd been subjected to.

Joey started the water and Lance pulled out a rosary Silvia had given him to bless the water with. When the tub was half full, Chris and Justin gently eased JC into it. They stepped back to allow him to soak and the four of them glanced at each other.

"How long do you think he needs to be in there?" Joey asked.

They all shrugged. That was the one thing Silvia hadn't mentioned, so they stood there unsure what to do. It wasn't necessary for all of them to be in the bathroom with JC, but none of them wanted to leave him and get some sleep until they knew he was one hundred percent okay.

A couple minutes later, JC blinked like he was trying to clear his vision and for the first time since they'd rescued him, he actually looked okay. Extremely tired and thinner than they'd last saw him, but it was much better than he'd been looking.

"What is this? A peep show?" JC said softly, squinting against the harsh florescent light as he looked up at them.

They all laughed quietly at his small joke. "Please, dude. You're not even naked," Chris said.

JC groaned and shivered, the cooling water no doubt giving him a chill. "Can I get out now?"

"Yeah, of course," Justin said, stepping forward and extending a hand to his friend. He helped JC get to his feet and glanced back at the guys. "Go make yourselves useful and order some food or something."

The guys didn't object, leaving the two of them alone in the bathroom. Justin looked back at JC, who's cheeks were tinged pink. JC didn't normally embarrass easily, but it was a bit of an awkward situation.

"Can you get me some dry clothes?" JC asked.

"No problem," Justin said, already moving towards the bedroom. He went to the dresser across from the large bed and pulled out a t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, walking back into the bathroom to hand them to JC.

JC thanked him and Justin stepped back out into the bedroom, closing the bathroom door to give JC some privacy. He was nearby just in case JC had problems, but there were none. When JC came out of the bathroom a minute later, Justin already turned down the bed for him. But JC eyed it uncomfortably before he looked at Justin.

"I'd rather be on the couch...if that's all right."

Justin hated how hesitant and scared JC sounded. He cursed Marlene for affecting his friend like this, whether directly or indirectly. "Yeah, man. It's your house. C'mon let's see what the guys ordered."

JC was steadier on his feet than he'd been the past few hours, but Justin still threw an arm around his shoulders, trying to take on some of the weight to make things easier for him. They got downstairs and found the Joey and Chris sprawled out among JC's furniture in the living room. Chris scooted to the end of the couch to make room for them.

Lance was in the kitchen making pancakes since it wasn't exactly late enough for pizza shops or other places to be open. They all filled up on the fluffy pancakes and sat around watching TV, things feeling like normal for the first time in days. But Justin knew things wouldn't truly get back to the way they were before until he talked to JC and helped him deal with his disastrous trip to New Orleans. Something he was content to wait on as they got some much needed rest. For now anyway.