An hour later Alexis and Michelle were settled in the living room with takeout Breakfast burritos from El Sombrero and LARGE cups of coffee.  The coffee table was covered.  There wasn’t an inch of free space.  On one corner, Michelle’s laptop and on another the stack of *NSYNC CDs; including singles, imports and full albums.  Behind that, the stack of DVDs and VHS tapes of concerts and all the TV performances Michelle had ever recorded; everything from TRL to Rosie and even some of the International appearances.  In front of Alexis, a note book, a pen and her cell phone. 

“Ok, what are we doing?  You said “revenge” but on whom?” Michelle asked confused.

Alexis looked to her sister and grinned.  “Clive Davis and any Jive/RCA Board Executive who thinks I can’t cut it on the *NSYNC tour.”

Michelle laughed and nodded.  “Ok, I am in, what are we doing?”

Alexis grinned more if it were possible.  “Well, actually, something you said last night gave me the idea.”

Michelle looked confused.  “What did I say?”

Alexis turned to her sister and smiled.  “Last night, when you called out Clive you said that he hadn’t been in the *NSYNC circle all that much, that he’d been in and out of the picture a lot what with all the label mergers and acquisitions so I am wondering, just how well do you think he and the other Board members know the *NSYNC catalog?”

Michelle looked thoughtful for a moment.  “Hmm, I couldn’t say.  Why? What are you thinking?”

Alexis grinned.  “I’m thinking we take an *NSYNC song, one that isn’t as well known, but still recognizable, one with an upbeat tempo, then we change the lyrics a bit, you know, so a girl can sing it, slow it down, maybe even redo the arrangement a little and shove it back in their faces.”

Michelle looked at her sister in disbelief for a moment then busted up laughing. 

“That is a FUCKING FANTASTIC idea!  I LOVE it!”

Alexis blushed.  “Thanks.  Now I just need to find the right song.”

Michelle giggled.  She was already narrowing in on a song.

“You need to do a song from the debut album.” Michelle said grinning.

“Ok, why that specific album?” Alexis asked curiously.

Michelle smiled devilishly.  “No Strings Attached and Celebrity are too easy.  Too predictable.  If you go with a song from the debut album it will show you’ve done your homework.”

Alexis nodded.  “Got it!  Ok, *NSYNClopedia, what you got for me?”

Michelle laughed.  “*NSYNClopedia?!  Cute! I’ll take it!”

Alexis giggled a bit too.  “Seriously though, what songs do we have on the debut album that we can work with?”

Immediately, Michelle grabbed the cd case from the stack and flipped it over to look at the track listings.  To be fair, she had the cd memorized but having the track listings in front of her was still helpful, especially since Alexis didn’t know the album like she did.

“Hmm…well…”I Want You Back” and “Tearin’ Up My Heart” are out.  Those are both singles.  Too easy.  All of the ballads are out too…”God Must Haver Spent”, “I Drive Myself Crazy”, “For the Girl Who Has Everything”, “Sailing”, “Everything I Own.”

“Ok, so what’s left?”

Michelle looked at the back of the Cd again.  “I Just Wanna Be With You”, “Here We Go”, “You Got It”, “I Need Love”, “Crazy For You” and “Giddy Up”

Alexis snorted.  “Yeah, “Giddy Up” is out too! I don’t care how good it might be, I’m not singing anything called THAT!”

Michelle laughed and nodded.  “Agreed.  “Giddy Up” isn’t right for this, but that still leaves five.”

For a long time, Michelle sat, staring down at the CD case as she went over each track in her brain.  She knew enough about music to understand what Alexis was trying to do, but choosing the perfect song wasn’t an easy task. 

“I think “Here We Go” is out too.  I like it, it’s not a bad song. I just don’t think it’s right for what you’re trying to do.”

Alexis nodded.  She trusted her sister implicitly, especially with regards to *NSYNC.

It got quiet again, Michelle was deep in thought and until they picked a song there wasn’t much for Alexis to do.  At the moment she was picking at her burrito.  She was hungry but at the same time she was too anxious and excited to eat much.  Sighing a bit to herself, Alexis took her coffee cup and raised it to her lips just in time for her phone to ring.

It was JC.

Alexis gave her sister a look and hit “accept call”, then placed the call on speaker and put the phone down on the coffee table so they could both listen.

“Hello.”

It was a deep voice, and definitely not JC’s.

“Lance?” Michelle asked, raising an eyebrow at her sister.

“Yeah, hi.” Lance replied awkwardly.

“Hi. What are you doing with Josh’s phone? Is everything ok?” Alexis asked worriedly.

“Umm…well…no, not really.  We were supposed to be doing Seacrest this morning, you know, to promote the album, but then Johnny came to tell us about the thing with you and the label.  How they want you to prove you deserve to be on the tour and well, he sorta FLIPPED OUT!  Justin, Joey and Johnny are trying to calm him down but it’s not going so well.  He’s PISSED, we all are, he’s just being a bit more EXPRESSIVE and LOUD about it.”

“Where is he?” Alexis asked.

“In a conference room with Johnny, Justin and Joey.  Chris is on the phone with Melinda.”

“Let me talk to him.” Alexis said sighing.

The fact that JC was so worked up about this was endearing and heartbreaking at the same time. 

Lance nodded then stood from his seat and started down the hallway towards the conference room at Seacrest studios.  On his way by Chris, who was just finishing his own phone call with Melinda, Lance motioned for him to follow.

“Who is that?” Chris mouthed to Lance.

“Alexis and Michelle.” Lance replied.

Chris nodded knowingly.

Inside the conference room it was not going well.  JC was pacing back and forth, grumbling to himself and rubbing his neck.  The veins on his neck were plainly visible as was the one at his temple.  His breathing was heavy and his hands were clenched into fists.  He was angry, really ANGRY.  In fact, he hadn’t been this angry in a really long time. 

JC could feel his blood boiling inside of him and the more he thought about what the label was trying to do the angrier he became.  This was reminiscent of the old days, when the label had tried to control them, when Lou had tried to control them and he didn’t like it.  None of them did.  However, the fact that Alexis was involved just made it feel ten times worse than it had before.

“They can’t do this! She signed a contract with us!  Her label has grounds for a lawsuit if they do this!” JC growled.

Johnny nodded.  He understood JC’s anger and frustration.  He felt it too.  In the years since he had signed *NSYNC they’d become more like family than clients and he’d seen Alexis’s talent.  There wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she didn’t deserve to be on this tour.  She most certainly did and the fact that the label wasn’t holding up their end of the deal made his skin crawl. 

“My guess is they’ve considered that, but decided that since her label is so small, they could get away with offering a settlement to get out of the deal completely.” Johnny replied.

“They don’t know Alexis! She won’t settle!  I know she won’t!” JC shot back.

Johnny just nodded and sighed.  He didn’t know what else to say.

Lance and Chris entered a moment later.  Chris shut the door to the conference room behind them then nodded to Lance.

“Ok, go ahead.” Lance said into JC’s phone.

“Josh! Can you hear me? It’s Lexi.”

JC stopped pacing and turned to where Lance was holding the phone out so they all could hear.  Just the sound of her voice made him unravel.  Her voice was clear, confident and calm and just hearing her say his name made him choke up a bit.  He hated that this was happening to her, and what made it worse was that he felt powerless to stop it.

“He hears you.  We all do.” Justin called out.

“Josh, I need you to listen to me, ok?”

JC nodded then slumped into a chair and tried to force the lump in his throat back so he could speak.

When he didn’t respond verbally Alexis took it as her cue to continue.  She knew all too well how Josh got when he was upset or angry.

“I know you! I know how upsetting this is for you! I know how angry you must be right now and I get it! I totally get it!  This isn’t right, it’s not, but you’re forgetting the most important thing…” Alexis said grinning at her accomplice.

“What’s that?” JC managed to get out, his jaw still clenched.

“You know me! Clive and the Board DO NOT!”

A smile tugged at JC’s lips.  She was right, Clive and the Board didn’t know Alexis the way he did, and if there was one thing he knew better than any of them, it was that Moretti’s didn’t go down without a fight.

“She’s right Josh…what’s that saying…”hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” well…you don’t “scorn” two Moretti’s and come out of it unscathed, you just don’t …you of all people should know that.” Michelle chimed in.

“Should I be concerned?” Johnny asked as he tried not to smile.

“No, Sir.” Both girls said grinning.

“I’ve got this!  Michelle and I, we have a plan, but you’re going to have to trust me Josh.”

“What’s your plan?” Justin asked grinning.

“I can’t say just yet, Michelle and I are still working it out, but trust me when I say this is going to work!”

“What if…” JC started to protest.

“Uh-uh! Nope! I love you Josh…but I’m not letting you go there. I’ve got this! Trust me!”

A smile started to spread across JC’s face, and next to Alexis, Michelle was grinning like a fool. 

“Lexi?! Did you just say “I love you?” JC asked as he grinned and bit his lip.

Around the room, the rest of the men present were all smiles too.

Alexis giggled a bit and blushed.  “I guess I did, but we can discuss that later, privately, for now, you have a radio interview to get to and I have work to do.”

“Can I call you later? Like tonight?” JC said, still grinning.

“You better!” Alexis replied.

Once the call ended Alexis and Michelle dived right back into the task at hand.

“You’re sure this is going to work?” Michelle asked, examining the CD track list for a third time.

Alexis grinned and nodded.  “Absolutely!”

Truthfully, she was confident but there was a tiny sliver of doubt.  If it didn’t work, if she wasn’t allowed to tour then Alexis didn’t know what she was going to do.  She would cross that bridge IF and when she came to it.

“Let me see the list.” Alexis said, looking to her sister.

Michelle nodded and turned her lap top so that Alexis could see the list of tracks that remained.

Alexis sighed as she read the list on the screen.  This was far from easy, and she had no idea where to start.

“I don’t know any of these.  Maybe we should listen to them, so I can get an idea of how they sound normally.” Alexis suggested.

Michelle nodded in agreement then opened the CD case and popped the CD into the CD drive on her laptop.

One by one they listened to the tracks, sitting in silence as Alexis analyzed each song.  None were really resonating with her.  For whatever reason, Alexis just couldn’t find what she was envisioning in her head.  However, that all changed when they neared the end of the CD.  It was one of the last tracks on the list and as soon as the first verse started Alexis’s eyes went wide and the smile on her face turned into a full grin.

“This one!” Alexis exclaimed.

“Really?!” Michelle asked in surprise.

Alexis nodded, the smile still present on her lips.  “YES! This one!  Are there any performances of this one anywhere?”

Michelle grinned.  “Several actually, the Disney Special, the Pay Per View special and the *N The Mix video all have performances of this song.”

Alexis laughed.  “Well, then, fire em’ up! I have studying to do.”

***

On Thursday morning at 8:30 a.m. Alexis, Michelle Kenny and Andrew marched into the Jive/RCA studios ready for battle. 

Alexis was only slightly nervous but she tried to not look the part. 

“You ready for this?” Andrew asked as they entered the building.

Alexis grinned.  “Absolutely!”

“Well, I’ve gotta give you points for confidence.  I’m a mess!” Andrew confessed chuckling awkwardly.

Michelle giggled and patted the older man on the shoulder.  “She’s got this, trust me!”

Like before, Andrew checked in with the Receptionist then they were left to wait.  About 15 minutes later Johnny Wright came out to greet them.

“You’re early…I like it…could you maybe rub some of that off on JC?” Johnny teased.

It was his way of trying to ease the tension.  He knew they were all a bit anxious, as was he, and the guys of *NSYNC.  In fact, the guys of *NSYNC were a mess because it was completely out of their control at this point.  They’d made their argument, and for the most part, it seemed as if the Clive and the Board were listening but they knew that ultimately it would be up to Alexis to convince them.  Although, the guys of *NSYNC were already planning to put up one HELL of a FIGHT if the Board didn’t vote their way.

Alexis smiled and nodded.  “I’ll see what I can do.”

Johnny nodded then flashed his best reassuring smile.  “A piano has been secured per your request and the guys will all be present.  To be honest, they were pretty insistent on it.  Clive tried to pull the “official Board meeting” card but Justin and JC weren’t having it.”

“Did they pitch a fit?” Michelle asked laughing

Johnny chuckled.  “More or less.”

Alexis giggled slightly.  It was nice to hear that all the guys of *NSYNC were on her side.

“Can I get any of you anything? Water? Tea? Coffee?” Johnny asked politely.

He was trying to put them at ease, more importantly, he was trying to put himself at ease.  This had already been a stressful day and it was far from over.

“Water, please.” Alexis replied.

The others all politely declined his offer. 

Moments later Johnny returned to lobby with a bottle of water and a smile. 

“Thank you.” Alexis replied taking the bottle from his outstretched hand.

Immediately, she opened the bottle and took a few quick sips.  Truthfully, she was nervous but was doing best to hide it.  She knew there was a lot at stake and a lot of people rooting for her.  She didn’t want to let them down. 

“Are you ready?” Johnny asked.

Alexis took a deep, quiet, steadying breath and nodded.

“Yes, Sir.”

“They are ready for you.” Johnny replied.

Silently, the small group of people followed Johnny down the hall to one of the Conference rooms.  A long, rectangular table stood at the back of the room, against one wall.  Behind the table sat Clive Davis and the other Board members.  Alexis noted that only one was female, the rest were male and significantly older.  Next to them, sitting quietly, with smiles on their faces were the members of *NSYNC. 

Alexis caught Justin’s eye first.  He gave her a wink.  Next, she looked to JC.  He just smiled at her and bit his lip.  Truthfully, he was checking her out.  She looked GORGEOUS, at least by his standards.  She was dressed in black, skinny dress slacks, a pair of black ankle boots and a dark green, sleeveless, button down, silk shirt with the top two buttons undone, exposing just the perfect amount of skin. 

Next, she looked to the other three.  They were smiling back at her and when she met Lance’s gaze he mouthed, “Good luck.”

Alexis didn’t say anything but smiled a bit more, letting him know she understood.

Along one wall were more chairs, for Kenny, Andrew and Michelle.  She was glad to have them with her.  It made her feel less intimidated by the situation.  On the opposite wall, the piano she had requested. 

“Thank you for coming.” Clive said calmly.

“Didn’t really have much of a choice now, did I?” Alexis replied.

Clive chuckled nervously.  “No, I guess not.  Whenever you are ready Miss Moretti.”

Alexis nodded then took a seat at the piano.  Once she was seated Alexis took a deep breath then closed her eyes briefly.  This was it.  Her one shot at proving these HATERS wrong and she was determined to make sure they never doubted her skills again.  Even if she didn’t make it on the tour, even if they shot her down, she was determined to make them sit up and take notice. 

Taking another deep breath Alexis placed her hands on the keys and started to play.  The melody was slow, and pretty but somewhat familiar.  JC and Justin quickly exchanged looks of confusion with the other members of the group.  They knew the song, that much was obvious but at the moment none of them could place where they’d heard it before.  At least not until Alexis started to sing.  As soon as Alexis sang the first line of the first verse six jaws dropped to the floor.  Johnny Wright and the members of *NSYNC sat there completely GODSMACKED by what was happening in front of them.

Alexis had completely rearranged the song.  The tempo was much slower, much more seductive and a bit haunting as well.  She sounded AMAZING!  Like nothing, anyone in the room had heard before.  It was inspiring to watch.

Wherever I go, Whatever I do

Whenever my heart is crying out for you

Wherever I go, whatever I do

I’m Crazy for you

Then, Alexis started to sing the solo parts and it was all JC could do to not react.  The way she was singing, her eyes fixed on him was making him squirm in his chair.

It’s not easy to be alone

It’s not easy to fall in love

Every night I just get down and pray

That you come my way

I’ve never known what love could do

Wish you’d come baby and set me free

I can’t let it be, yeah

By the time she finished the song Michelle, Kenny and Andrew could barely contain their grins.  Meanwhile, Justin, Joey, Lance and Chris were trying to keep their excitement in check and JC, well, he was trying to calm his now racing heart.  If there was any doubt in his mind that he had feelings for Alexis they were gone now.  That much was certain. 

“Could you give us a few minutes?” Clive asked politely once she finished.

Alexis nodded and stood from the piano.  She followed Kenny, Andrew and Michelle from the room and down the hall towards the lobby to wait without so much as a word.

Johnny was trying to hide his smile, but was failing miserably.  The best he could do was to bite his bottom lip and shake his head.

“You do realize what she just did there, don’t you Clive?” Justin asked with a smirk.

Clive shook his head.

“No.  I must admit that I don’t.”

JC grinned.  It was a sly, almost evil grin but he just couldn’t help himself after that performance.

“That was an *NSYNC song!  From the debut album.”  JC replied.

“It was? I didn’t recognize it.” Clive said, his confusion evident.

“It was.  It’s from the debut album.  Miss Moretti completely re-did the arrangement and slowed the tempo down.  It’s normally an up-tempo song.” Lance added.

Clive Davis couldn’t help but laugh at this.  “Did she now?”

“Yes, Sir, she most certainly did.” Chris said grinning.

Clive Davis chuckled a bit more and nodded.  The fact that she’d redone an *NSYNC song showed her drive and determination.  It also showed that she wasn’t just another pretty voice.  She had true, raw talent and she knew how to use it to her advantage.

Clive looked to the other members of the Board and they all nodded.  IN fact, the female member of the Board was smiling so big she could hardly contain herself.

It was then that Clive turned to the members of *NSYNC. 

“You’re sure this is what you want?” He asked.

All five men grinned and nodded. 

“Absolutely!” JC said happily.

“Without a doubt!” Justin agreed.

Clive nodded again and then looked to Johnny.

“Will you please go get Miss Moretti?”

Johnny smiled then stood from his chair and left the room.

In truth, it had only been a few minutes since Alexis and her team had left the conference room but it felt like an eternity.  The waiting and the not knowing were driving her insane. 

“You can come back now.” Johnny said smiling as he approached.

“That was quick.” Michelle replied nervously.

Johnny chuckled.  “Not quick enough if you ask me.  This shouldn’t even be happening, but what do I know, I’ve only been with the group since the beginning.”

Silently, the group followed Johnny back to the conference room where Clive, *NSYNC and the Board were waiting.  Michelle, Kenny and Andrew took their seats again meanwhile, Alexis stood in the center of the room, her eyes locked on Clive. 

Clive looked at Alexis and shifted a bit in his seat.  Her green eyes were on fire.  He knew what she was thinking.  She was expecting the worst. 

Clive smiled a bit and shook his head as the words her sister had said the night of the party played over in his brain.

“That was an *NSYNC song you just did, wasn’t it?”

Alexis held her ground.  “Yes, Sir.”

“Did you do the arrangement yourself?”

“Yes, Sir.” Alexis replied as she tried to fight her smile.

“So, none of these men sitting next to me helped you?”

“No, Sir, the only help I had was from my Publicist/Personal Assistant.” Alexis replied.

Clive looked to Michelle and then back to Alexis.  “Your Publicist helped you? I’m confused.”

Alexis was doing absolutely everything in her power to control her smile by this point. 

“Yes, Sir, the only person or persons I have ever met in my life that know as much about *NSYNC as she does are probably the members of *NSYNC.”

Clive chuckled a bit at this revelation while the members of *NSYNC were all grins.

“I see.”

There was a brief pause that followed but it was very brief.

“45 minutes, is that what you were told?” Clive continued.

Alexis was momentarily confused.  “I’m sorry Sir, 45 minutes for what?”

“Your set, 45 minutes is what the contract says, is that correct?” Clive replied.

Alexis nodded calmly.  She was starting to get nervous but didn’t want to show it.

“That seems a bit short, don’t you think?  I mean, if you are going to be the ONLY opening act, I would think that the group would have given you a bigger time slot, don’t you?”

“Sir?”

Now Alexis was incredibly confused.  It sounded like Clive Davis was going to honor the contract but she didn’t want to get her hopes up prematurely.

Clive looked to the other members of the Board again and they all nodded.  Then, the female Board member began to speak.

“I think what Mr. Davis is trying to say is that we were all VERY impressed with your performance and are willing to admit that we made a SERIOUS error in questioning your abilities.  Your INCREDIBLE talent is apparent and it would be a GRIEVOUS mis-step on our part to void your contract at this time.”

“Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to say.  9 times out of 10 I am right, but every now and then I do get it wrong.  I got this one wrong.  We all did, and by “We” I mean myself and the other members of the Board.  Obviously, the members of *NSYNC saw something in you that the rest of us were incapable of seeing until just now. I apologize for that Miss Moretti.” Clive replied.

“What does that mean Mr. Davis?” Andrew asked anxiously.

Clive smiled.  “What it means is JIVE/RCA would LOVE to have you on the *NSYNC “Private Affair” tour but on two conditions.”

Alexis tried not to make a face as she replied.  She had a feeling there was going to be a catch.

“What are the conditions?” Alexis asked, still standing her ground.

Clive smiled a bit more.  “I can sense your apprehension Miss Moretti and although it is warranted, I can assure you, it is not necessary.  The conditions are this; 1, you allow us to revise the contract to give you an hour time slot instead of the previously agreed 45 minutes and 2, you add THAT song to your set list.”

Upon hearing Clive’s response Alexis FINALLY allowed her smile to break free.

“Done, but only if it is ok with the members of *NSYNC, I mean, it is their song.” Alexis replied.

Justin looked back at her with an equally wide smile and nodded while his group mates did the same.

“We will allow it, but only if you let us sing it with you.  THAT arrangement is AMAZING!” Justin said grinning.

“I think I can handle that.” Alexis giggled slightly.

“Do you have any questions Miss Moretti?” Clive asked.

Alexis shook her head then looked to her team.  “No Sir, what about you guys, any questions?”

Andrew grinned.  “Just one.  When can we expect to see the new contract?”

Clive nodded.  “I will have the lawyers draft an amendment to the old contract as soon as we leave here.  Since we are just amending it and not drafting a new contract it shouldn’t take but a few hours so I should have it over to you by the end of the business day.”

“Perfect! I’ll have our lawyers look it over and hopefully have it back to you by tomorrow or the day after at the latest.” Andrew answered.

Clive nodded his affirmation then turned to Alexis and Michelle.  “Great work ladies, but now comes the real work, preparing for a nationwide tour.  Since I am guessing that most of the creative components will come from the two of you, I would advise that you start working on ideas for the set, your set list, a Rider for the tour and wardrobe.”

“I can have the wardrobe designer for *NSYNC reach out if needed.” Johnny volunteered.

Alexis looked at Michelle and winked then turned back to face Clive, Johnny, *NSYNC and other members of the Board.  Immediately, Michelle’s eyes went wide and she had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud. 

“With all do respect Mr. Wright, I think I have the wardrobe part covered.”

“You already have a designer? Whom?” Clive asked curiously.

“April Denise.” Alexis replied confidently.

JC nearly choked on his water causing everyone to look at him as he sputtered a bit, shook his head and tried not to smile.  Whether he liked it or not, it made sense, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit that April’s designs didn’t look KILLER on Alexis.  Regardless, it definitely made things more interesting.

“April Denise?! I’m not familiar with her.”

From the side of the room Michelle could no longer maintain her giggles.  Her face was almost beet red and she was clutching her stomach as she held up three fingers for Clive and Johnny to see.

“Three? I’m not following.” Clive answered confused.

“At the release party, you asked if there was another Moretti you should be worried about running into.” Michelle explained between her giggles.

Clive chuckled a bit as he nodded.  “I see!  Well, if she is anything like the two of you then I have no concerns whatsoever.”

“You have NO IDEA.” JC smirked.

Clive just shook his head and laughed.  “Well, then, if there is nothing else, I will have Mr. Wright see you out and we will be in touch one way or another by the end of the day.”

Alexis, Michelle, Kenny and Andrew all said their “thank you’s” and then followed Johnny out of the conference room to the lobby and main entrance. 

Not even a minute later the men of *NSYNC politely excused themselves and quickly made their way towards the lobby.

“Wait up!” Joey called after Alexis and the others.

Everyone stopped as the members of *NSYNC practically ran down the hallway.  JC reached the group first, sweeping Alexis into his arms and spinning her around.

“You KILLED it!  OH MY GOD that was AMAZING!” JC exclaimed before popping a quick kiss on her lips.

“That was EPIC!  And that arrangement, WOW! Just WOW!  Oh YES! I definitely CANNOT wait to do that on tour!” Justin added excitedly.

Alexis giggled as JC set her back down on the ground.  “Thank you, but I can’t take ALL the credit, Michelle was a HUGE help.  I definitely couldn’t have done it without her.”

“You did good ‘Chelle!” JC said grinning down at her.

Michelle smiled then shrugged.  “Thanks, really, seeing your faces was all the thanks I needed, and yeah, I GUESS you’ve earned back that nickname but just YOU.  No one else. “

“Got it.” JC replied while the others nodded.

JC then turned to Alexis and grinned then licked his lips slightly so only she noticed.

“We are celebrating tonight!”

“OH?! We are, are we?” Alexis giggled catching his hint.

“YES! You and Me, Pretty lady! We are CELEBRATING!”

“What about us?” Chris asked pretending to pout.

Alexis giggled and nodded.  “How about after the Video shoot tomorrow we all celebrate?”

“Done!” Joey replied.

***

That evening Alexis arrived at JC’s place at around 6.  She was dressed much more casually, skinny jeans and a crop top tank top that showed off her nearly flat tummy. 

JC was all smiles when he opened the door.  He was dressed casually as well, a pair of jogging pants and a grey v-neck t-shirt that showed off a bit of the hair on his chest and the ever present Leo pendant around his neck.

Immediately upon opening the door JC reached for Alexis’s hand, pulled her into the house and then promptly shut the door behind her with the other hand. 

“Come here Pretty lady.” He whispered pulling her into him.

His hands went around her waist and his forehead he rested against hers.  His eyes fluttered closed for a moment and he sighed with content as he breathed in her scent.  Her shampoo smelled of peaches and vanilla and it was making him wild with anticipation.

“I’ve been waiting all day for this.” He whispered, his eyes still closed.

“Me too.” Alexis whispered back.

JC pulled away a bit and smiled at her.  Her green eyes were sparkling and the smile that tugged at her lips lit up her face.  Smiling to himself, JC stood there for a moment just taking her in.  She was intoxicating and he just could not get enough.

“Are you hungry?” He asked pulling her towards the kitchen.

“Famished! I was too nervous to eat this morning then too busy to eat this afternoon.  As soon as we got home Michelle went into FULL ON business mode.  She’s already working on a new web design for my official site and designing her own business cards and of course we had to call April and my parents.”

“Of course, how are Susan and Frank?” JC asked chuckling.

“Good.  My mom asked if this meant she could “officially” lift the embargo on all things Joshua Scott Chasez and *NSYNC related?”

JC laughed.  “And?”

“I said “yes”, of course.”

JC nodded, then grinned and bit his bottom lip.  “Good answer.”

“Then we told her that Michelle was dating Justin Timberlake and I think she nearly imploded.”

JC laughed out loud rather loudly at this.

“What did she say?”

“She said two pop stars was enough, that if April started dating a member of *NSYNC then certain sanctions may have to be re-instated.  I told her there was no cause for alarm because Lance is gay, Joey is married and Chris really isn’t April’s type.”

“What is April’s type?” JC smirked.

Alexis giggled.  “I’m not entirely sure, but I know it’s not Chris.”

JC nodded and smiled then brushed the hair from Alexis’s face.  “Well, enough about Chris and April, what do you say to some dinner and wine out on the patio?”

Alexis sighed and rubbed her tummy as it gave a little grumble.  “I’d say I think you’re speaking my language.”

JC chuckled then popped a kiss on her lips before leading her out to the patio.  He had everything already set up and waiting.  Candles had been lit on the table, next to them a bottle of wine and various Chinese take out boxes alongside two place settings complete with chopsticks.

“Look at you, tryin’ to be all cute and romantic with your candlelit dinner!” Alexis giggled.

JC made a face and nudged her playfully with his side.  “Tryin?!  Who said I was tryin’?! You’re lookin’ at a professional baby!”

This time it was Alexis’s turn to make a face.  “Who are you calling “Baby?!” No Sir, I’m not anyone’s “baby!”

JC grinned and pulled her in close.

 “NO?! You’re sure about that?” He whispered, his voice low and thick.

“Mmm Hmm.” Alexis replied quietly, her voice catching in her throat.

“Hmm, and there’s nothing I can do to persuade you otherwise?” He continued, his blue eyes piercing hers.

His eyes were on fire, causing her heart to begin pounding in her chest. 

Alexis shook her head but couldn’t speak.

“What if I said, “I love you”? Would that change your mind?’ He asked quietly, his eyes still glinting.

“Josh.” Alexis warned.

JC grinned then wrapped his arms around her waist again and pulled her into him, resting his hands comfortably on the small of her back.

He was looking down at her now, his eyes locked with hers as his lips gently grazed her mouth.

“You said it first Lexi, now it’s my turn.” He whispered.

“Josh, please?! Don’t joke around.” She managed to get out as her heart now rammed into her chest cavity.

JC pulled a hand free from her back and lifted it to her face, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand as he spoke.

“I’m not joking Lexi.  I love you!  I always have, I just didn’t realize it until you were gone.”

Then, as if right on cue her stomach began to growl loudly.  He looked down to where the noise had come from and couldn’t help but chuckle. 

“C’mon, let’s get some food in you.  We can continue this discussion later.”

Alexis blushed and nodded then pulled away a bit.  JC pulled out a chair for her, then helped her scoot in before taking his own seat. 

“Josh?” Alexis asked just as he was about sit.

He looked up at her, the candles flickering across her face and smiled.

“Yeah.”

Alexis blushed again and bit her lip.  “I love you too.  I have since the day I met you!”