JC paused outside of Sabrina's apartment door, taking a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. As much as he wished he was in complete control of his emotions and ready to deal with whatever Sabrina asked of him, he wasn't. Being blackmailed the last year had been bad enough, but to be back here again about to step into an apartment he'd spent much of his time? It was almost too much. One thing that did give him comfort though was he wasn't the same weak, beat down kid that she'd known.

He nodded his head at the thought, and finally raised his hand to knock. Lonnie was in the car just outside. JC had wanted to drive himself, but Lonnie had refused to let him go alone saying he wasn't letting him out of his sight again and he'd spent more years in LA than JC had. When they actually got here, JC had to spend a couple minutes convincing Lonnie not to come in with him, but in the end Lonnie had agreed. Something that JC was more than grateful for, especially as the door opened and he came face to face with Sabrina.

"You're here sooner than I thought you'd be," she said by way of greeting. Then she stepped aside, opening the door wide so he could follow her inside. She looked over at him. "I guess your friends didn't have as many questions for you as I thought they would."

JC wanted to lash out at her and say that they wouldn't have had nearly as many questions if it wasn't for her. He wasn't stupid enough to believe they wouldn't have had any questions if she hadn't said something because they were his best friends and were no doubt hurt he'd kept them out of the loop on everything. Those questions he could've handled no problem. Answering ones about time spent with Sabrina and the things they'd done were significantly harder.

"Maybe if you hadn't baited them, they wouldn't have," JC said, doing his best to keep his tone even as he watched her take a seat on the couch. He refused to let her manipulate his emotions and respond the way she no doubt wanted him to.

"You could've just lied to them and said I didn't know what I was talking about." She leaned back against the couch cushions, looking at him with a knowing gaze. "Something you've had no trouble with before since you've lied to them all these years."

JC realized then what he hadn't before - that he could've just denied anything Sabrina had said. He'd been the one to cop to stealing with Sabrina and while he hadn't been brave enough to look at their reactions, they hadn't said anything that implied they'd already known. It was likely he could've gotten away with lying to them, but after everything he'd felt honor bound to tell them the truth.

"It was time to tell them the truth," he said.

She smirked. "Ah, there it is. That morality and sense of duty that you struggled with so much when we were together."

JC let out an aggravated sigh. "What do you want?"

"What do I want?" she repeated with a sly smile as she pushed herself to her feet. "I want a lot of things, JC."

JC's fists clenched at his side. It was getting harder and harder to keep control of his emotions. All he wanted was to figure out what she wanted, give it to her, and get the hell back to Orlando where he could put all this behind him. "What do you want from me?" he asked. "What do I owe you for getting me out of jail?"

Sabrina's smile grew, and she closed the distance between them, her hips swaying as she sauntered up to him. She only stopped when there was a foot between them. He wanted to step back and remove her from his personal space, but he forced himself to remain where he was. She leaned in close and softly spoke a single word.

"You."

JC's forehead wrinkled with confusion. "What?"

"I want you, JC," she said. "I always have."

This time JC couldn't stop himself from taking a step back, though this time it was in surprise. He stared at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

Ever since she'd come to the police station, he'd figured she was going to ask him for more money. He'd never once considered anything else because all she'd ever seem to want from him was money. She had been part of the reason he had been so broke during his year in LA - because she'd kept asking him to cover her rent or to buy her something that she just had to have. But this? This was something he never saw coming.

"You should know by now that I don't joke about the things I want," she said.

"Well, I don't want you," he replied. It was harsh, but he didn't feel bad about it. It was hard to feel any kind of sympathy for her after all the crap she'd put him through.

She wasn't deterred though. In fact, she stepped right up to him so her body was practically pressed against his and looped her arms behind his neck. "I don't believe that. We were good together-"

"Because you used me to get whatever you wanted," JC interrupted.

"And I know you cared about me," she continued, like he hadn't even said anything.

"I did," JC agreed and he forcefully removed her arms so he could step away from her. "And you used how I felt about you against me. Why the hell would I ever want to be with you again?"

"Do you have a girlfriend?" she asked.

JC frowned. "No, but-"

"Then I fail to see the problem." She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and yanked him forward so their bodies were pressed together again, their mouths inches apart. "C'mon, JC. You know you want me."

"I really don't," he said, staring into her eyes. "I haven't since that day at Marc's when I saw you for the psycho bitch you really are."

He stepped away, and she glared at him. "I don't think you understand the position you're in here. You asked me what I wanted, and this is it. You either give me what I want, or I send your ass back to jail."

"I won't stay there," JC said, sounding more confident than he felt.

Sabrina gave a casual shrug. "Maybe, maybe not." Then her lips pressed into a thin line, her eyes intense as they locked onto his. "But believe me when I say your management team won't be able to keep it quiet again. I'm sure the press would love to get their hands on the story of a rising pop star locked away for murder."

JC felt his blood pressure skyrocket, and clenched his fists so tight his fingernails were cutting into his palms. "You're blackmailing me to sleep with you?"

"I was blackmailing you to be my boyfriend again, but I love how your mind works." She smiled slowly, it stretching into a wicked thing. "Let's jump right to the fun stuff. You sleep with me, and I won't go back to the police station."

JC turned away from her, breathing heavily as he tried to rein in his anger. This was what he'd been afraid of, but even knowing how she manipulated people, he hadn't been prepared for this. He wished more than anything she'd just wanted money because that would've been easier to deal with. And as disgusted he was at the idea of being forced to sleep with her, he was more terrified of going back to jail, especially with the threat of her telling the press. Jail had been bad enough on its own, but having the press hound him and others for a story would mean the end of their career. Something he couldn't be responsible for, not when his actions had put them here in the first place.

"So do we have a deal?" Sabrina asked.

JC took a deep breath and unclenched his hands. He turned around to face her and took her outstretched hand. Instead of shaking it though, he held it firm and pulled it towards him, causing her to stumble forward a couple steps. She looked up at him with mild surprise and a question in her eyes.

"I sleep with you once, and we're even. You won't say anything to the cops and you certainly won't breathe a word of anything between us to the press," he said, staring her down. "That's the deal."

She looked at him for a couple seconds before a smile slowly spread across her face. "Sure thing, boss."

JC wanted to roll his eyes at the way she was mocking him, knowing she was more than amused at his firm attitude when it was the complete opposite of how he'd been when they were together. But before he could even start the action, she put a hand behind his head and pulled it down so his mouth met hers in a fiery kiss.

It took a lot of restraint to keep himself from pulling away, and it took everything in him to kiss her back. An image of Penny flashed before his eyes, and he couldn't help but feel guilty. Even though they weren't together, he felt like he was cheating on her.

Since the moment the police had shown up on his doorstep in Orlando, he'd wished he hadn't broken things off with her, needing her gentle strength and reassurance. Now all he could think about was the last time they'd spent the night together. He wanted to try to use it to help him through this here because if he could pretend Sabrina was Penny maybe he could actually get through this without pissing off his ex-girlfriend.

The problem was that the two girls couldn't be more different. Though he and Penny had had their wild nights, often sex between them was slow and sensual with a lot of foreplay. It was truly an act of love between them even though the words had never once passed either of their lips. But gentleness had never been a quality of Sabrina's. Something he was reminded of as her lips crashed back onto his, forcing him back in the moment.

All JC could think to do was to match her move for move. When they'd been together years ago, he'd let her lead and call all the shots. But he wasn't that weak kid anymore, and he refused to let her bring him back to that place. So he met her ferocity with his own, hoping that by doing it fast and dirty he could get out of there that much sooner.

Sabrina moaned in pleasure, and JC grabbed her, lifting her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around him, kissing him with fervor as he maneuvered them to her bedroom where he deposited her on the bed. Their clothes were shed quickly, JC not at all interested in giving her the opportunity to do a strip tease and drag this moment out. Much to his surprise, she was actually letting him to keep control. Though, she did remind him just who was in charge when he tried to ask for protection.

He pulled away from her mouth, panting slightly as he asked, "Condom?"

She shook her head and grabbed onto his hips, pulling them against hers. JC started to pull away. There was no way he was doing this without a condom. But then Sabrina said, "If you stop, then our deal's off."

JC stared at her in disbelief for a long moment, but then the anger took over because there was no way he was going to break their deal and she knew that. This was Sabrina as he'd always known her, and he was pissed that he still managed to fall victim to her manipulations even after all this time. She even smiled at him, knowing that she had him caught.

He leaned down and captured her lips in a rough kiss as he lifted his hips and slid into her. As a habit, he wasn't usually so rough with women, but his anger had taken over. He almost hoped that if he was rough enough, she would get pissed and put a stop to it. But she seemed to enjoy herself as he watched her come apart beneath him while he pounded into her.

She reached her climax first, but he wasn't far behind. Their bodies trembled, and with the deed done, he fell bonelessly on her. He panted, trying to catch his breath and will himself to gather the strength to get up. All the while his head spun with so many thoughts and emotions. It was hard to focus on just one, but what he ended up landing on was disgust. Disgust with her for blackmailing him to sleep with her, but also disgust at himself for putting himself in a position to be blackmailed in the first place. If he'd seen her for who she really was in the beginning, he wouldn't be in this situation right now.

JC pushed himself up and got to his feet, locating his boxers immediately and pulling them on. He began collecting his clothes so he could dress and get the hell out of here. As he picked up his jeans, he heard the bed squeak and knew Sabrina was sitting up in bed watching him.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked, her voice sultry like she'd fully expected that once he'd gotten the chance to be with her that he'd want to repeat the performance. What she didn't seem to understand was that it was the last thing in the world he wanted. He wouldn't let himself fall into old habits with her.

"You got what you wanted," he said, sliding his jeans on and zipping them up. He looked up to give her a hard expression. "We're done here."

His head lowered so he could do the top button on his jeans, so he didn't see the look on her face. But her words made him stop dead. "Not quite," she said.

He jerked his head up in surprise. Though, anger quickly replaced the feeling, and he glared at her with all the intensity he could muster. "We had a deal," he replied lowly.

"We did," she agreed with a single nod. "But I'm not the one who orchestrated this whole thing. Yeah, I played my part and worked the situation to my advantage, but I answer to someone else."

"Who?"

"Tommie Ellis."

JC's blood ran cold. Even though it'd been years since he'd heard the name, he hadn't forgotten who the man was. How could he when he was the gang leader all of Sabrina's friends had talked about? He'd never been brave enough to ask if any of them were in the gang, but considering the neighborhood the majority of her friends lived in was part of Tommie's territory, he'd always assumed it was likely at least a couple of them were. All he'd really known was that this guy was not someone you wanted to mess with - or be on his bad side. And to hear that he somehow knew about JC and wanted something from him terrified him more than he could say.

"What does he want with me?" JC asked. He found his shirt and pulled it over his head in attempt to distract himself.

"To meet the man who killed Marc."

"But I didn't kill him. You did!"

She gave a little shrug, not seeming to care that the motion caused the sheet that was wrapped around her to slip so her breasts were exposed. "That's not what I told him."

JC felt his blood pressure skyrocket as he stared at her in disbelief. He wanted to demand why she had said that when she was the one that'd killed Marc, but he already knew the answer. It was self-preservation, and it was a selfish move that didn't surprise him in the least given everything he knew about her. Though for the life of him he couldn't figure out why Tommie Ellis would even care.

"What's it to him anyway?" JC asked.

She smirked, looking like she was trying to keep herself from bursting out laughing. "Marc was his brother." JC's stomach dropped at that, realizing he was in so much more trouble than he'd thought. Sabrina continued, "Well, step-brother. But family's family I guess."

"So what does he want from me?"

She relaxed back against the bed, looking so nonchalant that he just wanted to shake her. "Money. $25,000 in cash."

JC frowned. "I don't have that kind of money and certainly not in cash."

"Well, you better come up with it because he wants to meet you tomorrow at 7am."

"Where?"

"If you want to stick around I can drive you there in the morning myself," she said, giving him her best come hither look complete with smoldering eyes. She even patted the open space on the bed next to her.

JC glared at her, crossing his arms over his chest. She had to know there was no way in hell he would stay - not after everything she had done to him. After a moment of holding each other's gazes, she sighed.

"Alright. I'll write the address down."

She got out of bed completely naked and didn't even attempt to cover herself at all as she went to the nearby desk. As she searched for a piece of a paper and pen, JC sought out his socks and shoes and put them on. When he stood back up, she was standing right in front of him holding the piece of paper out to him.

He took it and glanced at it briefly before sliding it in his pocket. Then, without a word, he turned and walked away from her. There was plenty left unsaid between them, but he didn't bother because he knew she wouldn't go there. She was only interested in what could benefit her, and taking responsibility for the things she'd done and the way she'd treated him wouldn't.

"See you around, JC," she said, her sultry voice following him as he stepped out of bedroom.

JC didn't so much as look over his shoulder. He just left her apartment and didn't stop until he got in the car Lonnie had been waiting for him in. As he slid into the passenger seat, he let out a heavy sigh and let his body melt back into the seat feeling emotionally and physically exhausted.

"That good, huh?" Lonnie said.

JC just sighed again. Though, he did turn his head to look at Lonnie. "Is Todd still staying at the hotel?"

"Yeah, I think so. Why?"

"I need to speak with him before I meet up with the guys."

Lonnie just nodded and started the car. JC relaxed knowing that Lonnie wasn't going to press him for more information and eternally grateful for it. As it was, he was still having trouble processing everything that'd happened inside Sabrina's apartment.

He hated himself for allowing Sabrina to use the same old tricks on him. He might not have bent to her whim to please her, but he'd fallen for her manipulations just the same. Only this time there was even more to it - him being extradited hadn't been orchestrated by her but rather by a known gang leader. It terrified him more than he could say, and he cursed himself again for just running off that day at Marc's and not reporting Sabrina to the police.

Every day since he'd left LA, he'd regretted meeting Sabrina. He'd also hated how he'd been so despondent from failed auditions and other struggles that he'd clung to the one person who had looked at him differently. At the time it had seemed like the unforgiving city had finally cut him a break, which made him blind to the fact her attentions weren't because she cared about him. Certainly she hadn't felt about him like he had about her - he'd fallen in love with her despite the short time they'd been together.

Since then, he'd done his best to make sure he didn't put himself in that position again. He'd kept his girlfriends at an arm's length, afraid to let them in and lower his guard around them. Something that had worked pretty well...until Penny. She'd managed to get around the walls he'd built around his heart and made him fall in love with her - even if he hadn't realized it at first.

JC's smile was bittersweet as he stared at the window, thinking back to the night that had been a turning point in their relationship. Even if he hadn't realized it at the time.

They were at a karaoke bar. It had been Penny's idea to go out as a way to distract them all from the nonstop meetings they'd had all day with their lawyers. Initially it hadn't been a bad idea, but when JC had realized they were at a karaoke bar, his mood had quickly soured. Even as he watched his tone deaf girlfriend purposely make a fool of herself onstage.

"Damn, girl," Justin said as Penny stepped off the small stage where she had just sang a Shania Twain song. "I think you owe Shania an apology for what you did to her song up there."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Oh come on. I wasn't that bad."

"Yeah," Joey agreed. "Besides, people don't expect much from karaoke."

Penny lifted her eyebrow at him. "Are you saying I'm a bad singer?"

Joey coughed and a gave a little shrug. "Uh...no?"

"And what does JC say?" Lance asked. Their attention all turned to him, and he gave a small smile as he looked at Penny, who was looking at him expectantly.

"No comment," he said. She laughed, and the corners of his mouth twitched, like he wanted to really smile and join in with her laughter. But his face fell, the small lighthearted moment unable to break through the foul mood that had settled over him.

Some girl they didn't know and who was clearly intoxicated stepped up on the stage next, and JC tuned her - and the conversation among the guys - out completely. He stared down at his drink, which was just a soda. As much as he wanted nothing more than to get drunk after the miserable day they'd had, they had to be up early for a few radio interviews and then spend the rest of the afternoon with the lawyers again.

So caught up in his thoughts and mood was he that when an arm slid across his shoulders, he nearly jumped out of his skin. Even though his mind had already realized the slim arm resting on him belonged to Penny. He tilted his head so he could look at her face, and he saw that she was giving him a small smile.

"Why don't you come sing with me?" she asked.

JC made a face. "No thanks."

"Well, I can't stand to sit here and watch you be miserable."

JC turned his head, breaking eye contact with her. He couldn't bear to look at her as he muttered, "No one's forcing you to stay."

The noise level around him quieted slightly, and he knew without looking that his snippy remark had caught the attention of his friends. They had abandoned whatever conversation they'd been having, and a quick glance told JC that they were studiously avoiding looking at him or Penny. Though, he had no doubt that while they were opting to stay out of it, that they were listening in.

"What's this all about?" she asked. He could hear the frown in her voice.

JC shot her a dirty look that made it loud and clear how ridiculous that question was. Her lips narrowed to a thin line, and she shook her head. She pushed herself away from him so they were no longer touching, but the way she was sitting still allowed her to look down at him.

"It's not a stupid question. I know you're upset about the lawsuit and scared of what's going to happen, but you know things are going to work out."

JC cut her off there. "No, I don't know that. We could lose everything, and the fact that you brought us here in the first place tells me you don't get it."

"Get what exactly?" She crossed her arms.

"This is what could happen to us if we lose!" he said harshly, aware of the people around him and doing everything in his power to keep from yelling. "We could end up singing in karaoke bars, so I don't appreciate this little preview into our future."

To his surprise, her hard expression faded. "That wasn't what I-" She shook her head, and he could see the tears beginning to build in her eyes. It made him feel like a jerk, especially with what she said next. "I just thought it'd be fun."

He knew without looking that he had the attention of the guys. That they had given up openly staring to look at him in surprise. He could just imagine the expressions on their faces. Even though he and Penny had only been going out a couple of months, they all had bonded with her.

JC let out a long sigh, and he forced himself to look Penny in the eyes. "I'm sorry. I know you mean well, but you can see why I'm a little irritated."

"Maybe," she sniffled, wiping at her eyes even though the tears hadn't actually fallen. She was doing her best to force her emotions away and regain control. "But I do know you're not telling me everything." She looked at him for a moment with a pensive expression before an idea seemed to spring to her mind. "You blame yourself for this, don't you? For not catching what Lou was doing sooner."

JC said nothing, just looked down at his hands. But that apparently was enough because he heard the squeak of leather as someone leaned forward. Then Chris said, "Jace, none of this is your fault. None of us knew what he was doing, how much he was really taking."

"Yeah, JC. We're all just as responsible for what happened as you," Lance said.

JC jerked his head up, narrowing his eyes. "No. I should've caught it. I was in LA and I saw the kinds of things they did out there. I got tangled up with the wrong people and..." He shook his head, cutting himself off. He was getting off topic. He looked past Penny to his friends. "I knew Lou was probably taking more than his fair share. Because that's what everyone did out in LA. I just didn't know how much."

"And that's not your fault," Chris repeated. JC tried to protest, but he couldn't even get a word out. "I mean it, JC. None of us blame you, and I don't want to hear anything about it again."

JC didn't know what to say, but they were all waiting for him to agree with them. So he nodded his head even though he wasn't sure he believed it. Though, his chest didn't feel as tight as it had just moments ago. He couldn't tell if his friends believed him, but if they didn't, they seemed willing to let it go. At least for now.

A waitress walked by then, and Joey lifted his beer, gesturing for her to bring another round for the six of them. Though, it was really only Joey and Chris that were drinking. JC looked over at Penny, thinking she'd use this as an opportunity to leave. It was what most women he dated did after they had a fight or felt uncomfortable around him.

But she stayed.

There was an awkward, heavy silence over them for a moment. Then, Penny jumped up and announced that she was going to do another song. The karaoke stage was empty again, the last person having jumped down a second ago. She stood up and she reached out for Justin.

"C'mon, Justin. We can do a duet."

Justin sighed. "Don't pull me into this," he whined, though he smiled slightly.

"This ought to be good," Joey murmured.

"How long do you think it'll take before Justin tries turning her mic off?" Lance asked.

Chris leaned forward, interested. "Are we making a bet?"

"No," JC said before either Lance or Joey could get a word out. "You're not betting against my girlfriend."

"Who says I'd bet against her?" Chris replied, giving him a playful smile.

JC shook his head, focusing all of his attention on the stage. The first notes of the song poured out of the large speakers, and he couldn't help but smile at her choice. Instead of their duet being a typical song like You're the One That I Want from Grease, Penny and Justin were singing Don't Stop Believing.

Penny was singing, and JC tried not to wince. She truly couldn't carry a tune, which was a shame because she had such a love for music. But the crowd didn't seem to mind as she moved deliberately around the stage, deftly avoiding Justin as he tried to put a hand over her microphone. She was having fun, which in turn was making the crowd have fun.

She danced over to the edge of the stage that was in front of their table, and JC looked up at her. As their eyes met and she gave him a soft smile, he felt his heart flutter. Just that fast his bad mood melted away, and he couldn't help smiling back at her. So when she reached out a hand for him, he grasped it and jumped onstage.

She handed the microphone over to him in time for him to sing the next verse. He looked at both her and Justin as he sang the line, "Some were born to sing the blues." In return he got smiles from all the guys.

He was still worried about the lawsuit, but in this moment he realized there was nothing else he wanted to do with his life. No matter what happened, and he couldn't believe he'd almost forgotten it.

It wasn't until the next day that he'd been able to place the feeling he'd had when Penny had smiled at him from that stage. Then it had hit him like a ton of bricks. He was in love with her. He'd spent months hanging out with her, talking all the time, and growing closer to her with each day that passed even if they weren't in close proximity. In a lot of ways she'd become another friend, and so he'd been completely unprepared to fall in love with her.

When he'd first admitted to himself he was in love with her, he'd watched her for the signs that she didn't feel the same, or at least incapable of getting to that point. But as the days passed he'd realized she seemed to care about him a lot. She was considerate in a way none of his other girlfriends had been, and she hadn't taken any of things he'd snapped at her personally like she understood he was under a lot of stress. Knowing that she loved him - or could grow to love him - should've made him feel secure in his feelings, but instead it'd terrified him. Because after all, for a while there he'd actually thought Sabrina had retuned his feelings when instead she was just using him. And so he'd broken up with Penny, deciding not to risk that happening again.

JC hated himself for being so weak as to not face up to his true feelings, and he'd been conflicted with his decision ever since. Even in the midst of the past few days with being extradited and facing his ex-girlfriend, he'd wished Penny was still around and missed her greatly. He still wasn't sure he'd made the right decision, but he'd burned that bridge. He'd broken up with her - and likely had broken her heart - and there was no coming back from that.

He shook himself of those thoughts, knowing he couldn't do anything about it. What he needed to focus on was explaining the situation to Todd and asking him what the best move would be. He couldn't imagine Todd would tell him to meet with the gang leader, but he was scared of what would happen if he didn't.

This whole thing had gone from bad to worse, and he sincerely hoped it was over. He wasn't sure he could handle one more thing going wrong.