"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

Justin was following JC through the maze of cages. He'd called JC up a few hours ago to see how things were going only to be invited to go to the animal shelter with him. Apparently, JC had decided to get Lance a pet and he wanted someone to help him pick one out.

JC glanced over his shoulder at him. "I didn't ask you to here to second guess me. I want your help."

"And I'm helping by asking if you think this is really necessary," Justin said. "How do you know Lance is even ready for another pet?"

JC sighed, stopping just outside one of the rooms that held even more cages. "I don't, but I think it'll do him good. It'll give him something new to focus on."

With about a week left of the first leg of their No Strings Attached tour, Lance's pet ferret, Dirk, died. The pet had traveled with them and had been sick for several days leading up to his death. Naturally, Lance had taken it pretty hard, especially since he'd only gotten Dirk a couple years ago - only a third of how long ferrets should live.

"He might not want the distraction though," Justin pointed out. "Besides, we don't have that much time left before we hit the road for the second leg."

"Which is why I was thinking of another low maintenance pet."

"And you're obviously not thinking of a turtle or something," Justin said.

"No," JC agreed, leading them into the room they'd been standing outside of. As soon as they crossed the threshold, multiple meows reached Justin's ears.

Justin glanced at JC, raising an eyebrow. "Cats? You think a cat is a good pet for Lance?"

"Yeah, why not?" JC said, almost seeming a little defensive that Justin thought his choice of pet for Lance was ridiculous. "They're not nearly as much work as dogs, which would make it easier for him to take it on the road with us if he wanted."

Justin had a feeling Lance wasn't going to want to take any animal on tour again after what'd happened with Dirk. Emergency vet visits were always hard enough, but bouncing from city to city made it that much harder since a new vet had to be found and filled in on the situation. Not to mention it'd been hard to fit that in with their hectic tour schedule and a couple of times, Lance had to have Melinda, one of their PR people, take Dirk to the vet while they did whatever they had to that day.

"Yeah, but a cat? Does Lance even like cats?"

JC turned to glare at him. "You think I'd get a pet that Lance wouldn't even like? You honestly think I'm that stupid?"

"No," Justin objected quickly. "I just figured Lance as more of a dog person. Now you, you're a cat person."

JC rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored Justin as he moved further into the room, walking slowly past the numerous cages. Justin looked at various cats that peered out of their small prisons with their sad eyes and he had to admit that they tugged at his heart, giving him the sudden urge to take them all home. And that was really saying something because Justin definitely was more into dogs than he was cats.

"How about this one?" Justin said, nudging JC in the back and pointing a one of the cages in the middle that he was looking at.

JC turned and looked at the white fluffy cat for a moment before he shook his head. "He'll shed too much. I'm trying to make this as low maintenance as possible, remember?"

"Well, if you're going for less trouble, you should just get him a bunch of fish. You barely have to do anything with them," Justin said.

"And they provide no real kind of companionship at all," JC replied. "I think Lance would benefit more from getting that instant gratitude that comes from a cat or dog. Because they openly return the affection given to them."

"Okay," Justin nodded. "That makes sense. But it's only been a couple weeks since Dirk died. Don't you think it should be up to Lance when he's ready for another pet?"

JC sighed. "I'm just trying to help him. He's been so depressed lately. I figured having a new pet to take care of and love would help."

Justin rubbing his chin. He had a feeling that what he was going to say next wouldn't go over too well with JC. "Are you sure this isn't a distraction for you?"

JC narrowed his eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, considering what happened last week..."

"This has nothing to do with that."

Justin held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, all right. We're just concerned. We don't want you to let things build again, and none of us really heard much from you last week."

JC huffed. "I have one little meltdown and suddenly everyone thinks they have to tiptoe around me." He looked Justin in the eyes. "I'm fine."

"You're sure?"

JC's gaze was unwavering. "Positive."

"Okay," Justin said, letting the subject drop. "Shall we keep looking then?"

JC didn't answer; he just turned around and continued walking along the cage lined walls. He would slow occasionally to peer in at a certain cat, but he would dismiss it for one reason or another and keep moving down the line. Finally, JC stopped in front a cage and pointed to a cat in one of the top cages.

"How about that one?" he asked.

Justin looked to where JC was pointing. The cat was a charcoal color with a couple white spots, its coat very sleek and shiny. He glanced at the little piece of paper attached to the front of the cage. It's name was Sheila and it was a female, which was pretty obvious when Justin spotted the collar it wore that had numerous pearls around it. But what he really took notice of was the expression on its face. She almost seemed to be glaring at him, giving her a very possessed look.

"She looks kind of bitchy. Like she'll attack you in your sleep or something," Justin said at last.

JC rolled his eyes. "You try living in a small cage. I'm sure you'd be pretty bitchy too." He reached his hand in through the bars to pet her and Justin was almost amazed the cat went right to his hand, rubbing up against it. "She seems sweet enough."

"You think Lance will like her?"

JC shrugged and nodded. "I think so," he said. "Her fur is short enough that he won't have to worry about grooming her all the time or her shedding all over his furniture. And since she's an adult, she's out of that scratching everything in sight phase."

Justin crossed his arms over his chest. "And since when are you such a cat expert?" he asked, trying to be serious. But really, he was finding himself more and more amused as the minutes passed and JC revealed more of his cat knowledge.

"It's common sense, Justin," JC said, sounding more than a little exasperated. He glanced at him. "Stop acting like you've never been around a cat before."

Justin shook his head, letting his amusement show now as his lips upturned into a smile. Only JC could verge on sounding preachy about cats. He understood why his friend was determined to do this for Lance, but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to work out exactly like JC hoped.

"So you going with that one then or you want to look some more?" Justin asked.

"She's it," JC said with a nod. "Stay here and I'll get someone to help us."

JC left and Justin pulled his hat down a little lower on his head. The place was pretty much dead so they hadn't had to worry about being recognized, but still he prayed that whoever JC brought back wasn't under the age of twenty. He wasn't really in the mood to be recognized, even if he knew it wouldn't cause a mob scene if he was.

Thankfully, the person JC came walking back with was a woman who looked to be in her fifties and if she recognized either one of them, she didn't say anything. JC directed her to the cat he was interested in, and she seemed relieved at his choice.

"Oh good. I was beginning to think I was the only one who liked her," the woman said. "She's been here for quite a while."

"How long?" Justin asked.

"A couple months. Her previous owner was an elderly woman who died and the family dropped her here." The woman glanced at them. "She was actually going to be put down today before you boys came along."

This time it was JC who asked a question. "Why?"

"Unfortunately, we don't have room to house all of the animals people try to drop off here. I personally think it's terrible to kill off those that are sick or having trouble finding homes, but I'm just a volunteer here." The woman smiled at them. "But it seems like she's gotten a second lease on life today."

The woman patted JC's shoulder, and Justin could tell that JC felt that much better about his choice. Knowing his friend as well as he did, he was probably thinking it'd been fate that he'd been drawn to that cat. Justin couldn't fault JC for having such a big heart, but he still wondered if it was ultimately going to get him into trouble. Because Justin really couldn't see Lance with this cat.

***********

It'd taken about a half hour to go through the adoption process, but JC had pulled away from the animal shelter with a meowing cat in the carrier that sat in the passenger seat of his car. He made a quick stop one of the local pet stores so he could pick up the essentials, not wanting Lance to have to worry about buying any of that stuff. Once he'd gotten everything he thought the cat could need, he headed home.

When he pulled into his driveway and carried the cat across the threshold, its meows seemed to get louder, like it could sense it was somewhere new and wanted to be let out. JC spoke to it, trying to get it to stop screaming as he walked upstairs.

"Shh, it's okay. I'll let you out in a second. Just calm down."

Surprisingly, the cat seemed to quiet down like she understood what he was saying. JC shook his head, figuring it had more to do with the soothing tone he'd used. He made a right at the top of the stairs and walked into the first guest room, closing the door behind him before he let the cat out.

He didn't even have to coax her to come out of the plastic carrier as she came right out as soon as he opened the door. She did a brief glance around the room before jumping right up on the bed where he was sitting. Surprised but pleased, JC gently stroked her.

"You're a brave thing, aren't you?"

The shelter had given him pointers for getting the cat to adapt to his house - Lance's house when JC passed the pet along to him. They'd told him that generally the cat's first instinct would be to hide since it was in unfamiliar surroundings, but that didn't seem to be the case here. It even more cemented the fact that he'd picked out the right cat for Lance because it would surely make the transition seamless.

JC petted the cat once more before he left the bedroom, making sure to close the door behind him so she couldn't get out and hide somewhere in the rest of his big house. He went out to the car and carried in all of the things he'd bought for her, taking it upstairs and putting it in the guest bedroom for now. It'd taken him several minutes to get the cat settled in the room, filling her bowl with food and water and getting her litter box together. He had just finished putting the cap back on the litter container when his doorbell rang.

"That must be your owner," JC said to the cat, standing up. He'd called Lance on his way home, asking him to stop by in a bit.

JC went downstairs once more and opened the door to reveal Lance like he'd expected. "Hey, Lance," he greeted, opening the door wider and letting him inside.

"Hey, JC," Lance said, giving him a small smile. He glanced around as JC shut the front door. "So what's up? You said you had something you wanted to show me?"

JC nodded and motioned for Lance to come with him as he said, "Follow me."

In no time they were in front of the door to the guest room. JC paused just slightly to glance over his shoulder at Lance before he led them into the room, closing the door after Lance stepped inside to make sure the cat didn't bolt out. But he hadn't needed to worry because the cat was lying on the bed right where he'd left her.

"You got a cat?" Lance asked, looking over at JC as he walked over to the cat. He held out his hand for the cat to sniff before he reached out to pet it.

JC shook his head. "I got you a cat."

Lance paused in petting the cat, glancing down at the animal. He sighed. "JC..."

JC could sense that Lance was going to say no and he rushed to justify to Lance why he'd bought him the cat. He didn't want to just outright dismiss it without listening to him.

"I know you're still upset about what happened to Dirk, but I thought a new pet would be a good distraction. And you know, cats aren't all that different from ferrets," JC said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I don't think I'm ready for another pet yet."

"You're not replacing Dirk. This is just a new animal to give you companionship," JC went on. "Justin thinks I should've gotten you a dog, but I figured it'd be easier to have a pet that didn't require constant attention. But to have something that can also give you comfort and ease the pain of losing Dirk."

Lance abandoned the cat to move closer to JC. "JC, I appreciate what you're trying to do. Really I do. But I don't want another pet right now. Besides, it's not really a good time to get a pet since the next leg starts up in a month and a half."

It was JC's turn to sigh. Justin had warned him Lance might react like this, but he'd figured Lance would cave when he saw the cat because he was such a softie when it came to animals. He couldn't fault Lance for feeling the way he did though.

"Okay," JC said. "I understand. I was just trying to help."

"I know," Lance said, offering him a more genuine smile than he had when he'd first opened the door. He turned around to pet the cat again. "What are you going to do with her now? Take her back?"

"Nah," JC said, moving to the bed and petting the cat. "I don't have the heart to. They were going to put her to sleep."

Lance petted the cat under her chin and she seemed to lean into his touch. "What's her name?"

"Sheila," JC said. "She's three years old, which means she's out of that annoying kitten stage where they scratch everything."

Lance chuckled softly. "Yeah, they can be pretty destructive."

JC watched Lance, able to see the sadness behind his eyes. He was obviously still upset over Dirk, but JC had a feeling there was more to it than that. There was nothing specific he could put his finger on, but he was never one to ignore those kinds of feelings because they were usually right. Not that he really knew what to do about since he didn't know what exactly was causing the sadness Lance was displaying.

Before JC could attempt to dig into it, Lance spoke. "So how's Justin doing?" he asked.

"Huh?" JC blinked, taken aback at the sudden change of subject.

"You mentioned Justin thought I'd like a dog better, so he must've been with you when you picked out Sheila," Lance said. "How's things going with him? Everything still good between him and Kim?"

JC shrugged. "I guess. He didn't really say much to me about it."

"You mean you didn't ask," Lance corrected. JC shot him a look and Lance held up his hands. "Hey, I don't blame you. Who would've thought the baby of the group would be the one in the most serious relationship."

Kim was the girl Justin had been seeing for over six months now. He'd met her while they'd been in the studio, having run into her a few times a week when he stopped to get coffee before their morning sessions. Apparently numerous flirts had been exchanged between the two of them and eventually Justin had grown tired of the game and asked her out. Since then, the two of them had been nearly inseparable.

The entire thing had taken JC and the rest of the guys by surprise. There was no denying that Kim was a great person, but it'd been almost a little hard to believe she'd captured Justin's attention like she had considering how normal and almost boring her life was. But JC believed that was part of what had drawn Justin to her - she provided him with a look into the life he might've had if he'd gone to high school like a normal kid. Justin had even confided in him once that he felt like she was the first person outside of them to really see him for the person he was and not Justin Timberlake, superstar of Nsync.

"I'm happy for him though," JC said at last. And it was true. He was glad Justin was able to have a normal relationship, especially given how much things had blown up for them since last year. Everyone was clamoring for their attention, a lot of girls practically throwing themselves at them. But Kim, she'd been there before all that'd happened.

"Yeah," Lance agreed. "I'm not gonna lie though. I'm kind of jealous."

JC looked at Lance, getting the feeling this was a large part of what was feeding the depression JC had sensed earlier. "It'll happen for you. You'll find someone just as great."

Lance nodded. "I know. I just wish it'd happen sooner rather than later."

"Hey," JC said, leaning forward to make sure he caught Lance's eye. "They say it happens when you're not expecting it, right?"

Lance stared at him, giving him that calculating look like he was trying to figure out if what JC was saying was true. "You really believe that? Even after what happened with-"

"Yes," JC said, cutting him off. He barely resisted sighing in aggravation. That was the second time today one of them had tried to bring it up and he wasn't interested in talking about it. "You shouldn't be using me as an example anyway. I thought we both agreed we want what Justin has with Kim."

Lance laughed. "Yeah. You know, I'm waiting for the day he proposes to her."

JC made a face. "Don't say that. They're both way too young to be thinking about marriage."

"That doesn't mean they're not."

JC's eyes narrowed suddenly. "Did he say something to you?"

"No," Lance shook his head. "I'm just saying I wouldn't put it past him."

As much as JC hated to admit it, Lance had a point. He silently vowed he would talk to Justin about Kim and see how things were truly going. If Justin was thinking about marriage, JC hoped he would've talked to him by now. Then again, he probably didn't want to go on about how great things were with him and Kim when JC just had yet another relationship fail miserably.

A meow brought JC out of his thoughts and he looked over to see the cat rub her face against Lance's hand. Lance scratched her behind her ears, running his hand over her head.

"You sure you don't want to take her? She obviously likes you," JC said.

Lance smiled slightly. "I'm sure."

JC nodded, letting the subject drop for good. He'd tried, but he couldn't force Lance to take a pet he didn't want. And he didn't mind keeping the cat for himself. He could use a little company of his own.

***********

"What if I screw everything up?"

Lance reached across the table to pat Joey's forearm reassuringly. "You won't. Everything is going to be fine," he said, repeating the same things he'd been telling Joey for the last week.

"How can you be so sure?" Joey asked. "I have no idea how to be a dad."

"Maybe not now, but you will. It'll come to you, and you'll feel like this was always meant to be."

After the first leg of the tour ended about a week ago, Kelly had sat Joey down and told him that she had just found out she was pregnant. Joey had taken it in stride in front of his girlfriend, but that night he'd gone out with Lance and had gotten wasted. It'd been his way of getting through the shock and trying to sort through everything he was feeling. Fear had been the most dominating feeling, but Lance had gotten Joey to admit that night that he was excited about having a baby.

And Joey was excited, the feeling seeming to grow as each day passed and he grew more and more comfortable with the idea that his longtime girlfriend was pregnant. Not that Joey had told Lance as much, but he could just tell. Still, the more Joey's excitement grew, the more his fear of being a good father did.

"I'm just terrified I'm going to mess up this baby. I mean, we're at the height of our careers. I'm hardly going to be home," Joey said.

"Things are crazy right now," Lance agreed. "But Kelly's not due until March. Who knows what our schedule will be like then. Things might have settled a bit."

Joey rubbed at his forehead. "I guess. I just always thought that if I did have kids, it'd be long after Nsync ended. That way I could be there for them."

"And you will be," Lance said, squeezing Joey's arm. "We'll all do whatever we can to help and make sure you get home as much as possible. That goes for the pregnancy too."

Joey nodded. "Thanks."

Lance gave him a smile. He withdrew his hand and took a drink of his beer, letting the loud music of the club fill the silence between them for a moment. Chris and Joey had extended the offer to go out earlier, and Lance had gladly accepted, more than welcoming to the distraction from his morose thoughts. JC and Justin had both declined coming out; Justin having a date night with Kim and JC wanting to get some writing done.

"Have you talked to Kelly about how you're feeling?" Lance asked, looking back at Joey.

"Well, I think she could tell I was freaked at first," Joey started. "But she knows I am excited about it."

"Maybe you should tell her about how nervous you are. I'm sure she's feeling similar things. And even if she's not, I'm sure she can relate."

Joey's lips twisted upwards slightly. "You mean you don't like being my shrink?"

"Actually, I don't think you can afford me," Lance joked.

Joey laughed. "That was lame, Lance."

Lance just shrugged. That may be true, but he'd gotten Joey to laugh and relax and that was all he'd really wanted. It was strange to see Joey so full of stress and worry because he was such a happy, easy going person.

Before anything else could be said between them, Chris came up to the table. "What are you girls talking about?"

"You," Joey said, smiling.

Chris blew on his nails and buffed them on the collar of his shirt. "Yeah, I figured. No one can resist this."

Lance looked at Chris before turning to Joey, barely holding back the urge to laugh. "Are we sure Justin's ego is his own? Seems like he got it from Chris."

"Or Chris got it from him," Joey countered. "Justin's certainly lost a bit of his ego since he got together with Kim."

Chris shook his head. "That boy's forgotten everything we taught him about women," he said with mock disappointment. He looked at them then. "Not that you guys are doing much better, sitting up here alone just talking. You gotta get out on that dance floor."

"Maybe in a bit," Lance said.

Chris sighed, rolling his eyes. "You're killing me, Bass." He turned to Joey. "What about you?"

"I'm in," Joey said, downing the rest of his beer and rising from the table. He glanced at Lance. "Catch ya later."

Lance laughed as Chris all but dragged Joey out onto the dance floor and over to a couple of women Chris had been flirting with earlier. He supposed it would've been a good idea for him to be out on the dance floor because it would increase his odds of meeting someone. But he wasn't sure he'd be able to meet the kind of person he wanted a real relationship with in a bar.

He'd actually been kind of surprised that Chris had orchestrated this night out because Lance had hardly talked to him the past week since the first leg had ended. But he supposed it wasn't really all that weird. They usually all wanted some time apart from each other after a tour ended, and it didn't take much more than a few days for them to start calling each other to see how things were going. When you spent so much time with someone, it was hard to suddenly not see them every day.

And because they were so close, they could easily tell when something wasn't right with one of them. Lance was getting that feeling from Chris, despite the fact he hadn't said anything was wrong. He had no idea what it could be, but he figured it couldn't be too serious because as closed off as Chris could be, he knew when to cave and confide in them.

Lance spent another hour at the club, eventually giving in and dancing to a couple of songs. But he decided to call it a night shortly after that, saying goodbye to Joey and Chris before he walked off the dance floor and out of the club. He paused just outside like he always did, allowing his senses to adjust to the much quieter surroundings. It was in that moment that he noticed someone standing on the corner of the street - more specifically a woman.

Without thinking much about what he was doing, Lance walked over to her and said, "Can I help you? You look kind of lost."

The woman turned and Lance was momentarily stunned at her beauty. She was tall with jet black hair that seemed to offset her stormy gray eyes as it rolled in gentle waves around her face falling just past her shoulders. Her long legs were enhanced by the short red dress she wore and her long fingers played with the pearl necklace she wore. She was probably one of the prettiest girls he'd seen in a while.

She smiled at him. "I am actually. I was at a lounge with a couple of friends, but they ditched me and now I can't find my way back to my hotel."

Lance asked her where she was staying and she gave him the name of the hotel, which he recognized immediately. "You're actually not too far," he told her. "It's just a few blocks up the street on the left."

"Thanks. I was hoping I going in the right direction."

Lance licked his lips, feeling a bit nervous and not really sure why. He was used to dealing with many different kinds of people on a daily basis. It's because you like her, he said to himself. And it was true. For whatever reason, he felt drawn to her.

"I could show you the way if you want," Lance offered.

She gave him a sweet smile. "I'd like that." She stuck out her hand then and said, "Vanessa."

"Lance," he said, shaking her hand. He could almost feel the electricity between them. "Nice to meet you."

She withdrew her hand and gestured for Lance to lead the way, which he gladly did. Without any hesitation, she fell in step with him. He glanced at her and asked, "You here on vacation?"

"Something like that," she said, a bit of a twinkle in her eyes. "I take it you live here."

Lance nodded. "For the last few years. I'm from Mississippi originally."

"I thought I could hear a bit of an accent." She smiled at him again. "Seems like I've come across a real southern gentleman."

Lance blushed before he could stop himself. He cleared his throat to shake it and he continued with their small talk as they walked. It only took them a couple minutes before they reached her hotel where they stood awkwardly for a moment. Even though they'd only just met, he felt like there was something special about her. Like they could be together. But he was uncomfortable about being so forward, especially since he didn't know how she felt.

That all went out the window when she said, "You want to come in and I'll buy you a drink at the bar? Just a way to thank you for helping me back."

"Sure," Lance smiled. "That sounds nice."

He walked into the hotel lobby with her, following her into the bar. This night had taken a turn he hadn't expected, but he was happy for it. Perhaps JC was right. The right person could come along when you least expected it.