Without even bothering to knock first, Justin furiously barged into his manager's hotel room and hit the older man who was in the middle of a business meeting with an accusing glare. "Who the hell did this?"

Having not been present for the interview caused Johnny to first shoot the younger man, in front of him, a look of confusion. Then after Lance--who had raced into the room following Justin--handed him the fax that John had sent over, Johnny shot Justin a look of empathy. "I don't know, son...but believe me, we'll find out soon."

Soon?

Not accepting this answer, Justin made a move to take a step closer to Johnny--in an intimidating fashion--but before he could do so, Lance's hand on his chest caused him to stop. "I don't want you to find out soon, Johnny. I need you to find out now."

Even though Johnny knew Justin had every right to be angry at the moment, the tone in the younger man's voice caused the manager to stiffen up greatly. "First of all, let me remind you that I am your manager and not one of your little friends, who you can just get smart to at any time and not have to say sorry for it afterwards....unlike them, I do deserve a little bit of respect from time to time."

"And second of all, as I said before, we will find out soon who is sending all this information to the media...but until then, I suggest you tell your twenty-one year old behind to chill out and to never talk to me--like you just did--again. Got it?"

After continuing to angrily stare at the man in front of him for a second or two, Justin realized that everyone around him, including Lance and JC, was staring at him in concern--probably figuring that the younger man in front of them had finally lost it; which he somewhat had. So after letting out a sigh of frustration, Justin quickly replied: "Got it."

A comment which caused Johnny, after a brief seconds pause, to slightly smirk before saying: "Good...and now that you're little temper-tantrum is over, if you wouldn't mind taking Larry and Moe back to your room so I can finish my meeting with Mr. and Mrs. Westman; the grandparents of the little girl from make a wish foundation--that you guys will be surprising tomorrow, I'd be glad to talk to you about this situation later."

"Fine..." Justin started to begin. But as his manager's words caught up to him, he couldn't help but immediately stop; inwardly thinking to himself: Make a...? Oh shit.

After turning his full attention towards the kitchen table that was in the middle of Johnny's room, Justin couldn't help but slightly blush as he noticed--to his embarrassment--that the two people who were looking at him in concern weren't business promoters behind the guy's tour. But rather yet, a middle aged couple who had stopped by to talk to Johnny about their granddaughter's special surprise. "I-uh...just wanted to stop by and say that it's a pleasure doing business with the both of you."

"Yeah, me too." Lance and JC both agreed; causing Johnny to roll his eyes in amusement before saying: "All right, now that that was said, could you guys please go and embarrass yourselves somewhere else right now?"

A question which neither one of the three men bothered to answer as they simultaneously blushed once more before following their manager's silent orders and leaving the room; Johnny's amused eyes following behind them each step of the way.

"Those guys..I can't live with them and I fortunately enough can't kill them."

"Mom, I know I haven't been home in almost six months. I just have been really busy lately with-......no, mom, I'm not trying to make up excuses, I really have been busy lately with-.....you can even ask Lance....no, we're not dating.....no, I don't need you to play match-maker....mom....mom....you're not listening!...Mom!....For gods sake, Mother! Listen to yourself!.....okay, I'm sorry for yelling at you. You can set me up on a date with whoever you want to when I come see you in two weeks, all right?"

While absentmindedly adverting her attention from the bottom of the bed, where Kayla was busy playing with the Yogi the Bear that Justin had bought her over the weekend, Cathy couldn't help but slightly laugh as she noticed Rebecca mouthing the words: "Kill me now."

"All right mom, my battery is about to die, I'm going to have to go now....no, I probably wont get a chance to call you back tonight. I have to head to the venue in a couple of hours....yes, I do realize that family is more important than work, I just-....you're right mom, I'll call you as soon as I finish doing my last head for the night, all right?...Love you too, bye, bye."

After pressing end on her cellphone, Rebecca fell back on her bed and let out a muffled scream in her pillow. "I swear, as much as I love that woman, she will be the death of me."

While slightly laughing at her friend's overly dramatic words, Cathy replied: "Aww, I'm sure it's not that bad. She probably just misses you and is excited that you're coming home to visit her."

"Please! You don't know my mother.....believe me when I say that the only thing on her mind right now is getting me home so she can bomber me with questions like: Have you been eating lately?, Are you sure that you haven't gotten any plastic surgery done?, When are you finally going to settle down and get a boyfriend? And let's not forget her most infamous one, which she uses every time I invite her to come out on tour with us: Have you and Lance had sex yet?"

A question which I'm sure has been on everyone's mind atleast once or twice before. Cathy inwardly thought to herself, before replying outwardly: "I'm sure she's not that bad."

A comment which Rebecca would've jumped on had their not been a knock at the door.

"That's probably Justin."

"I figured as much!" Rebecca outwardly replied, before quickly standing up and making her way towards the main room's door; afterwards opening it to find Lance and a slightly blushing Justin behind it. "What in God's name happened to you two?"

Without bothering to answer the question, Justin quickly stepped past the older woman--making his way towards Kayla and leaving Lance to be the one open for interrogation.

"Care to explain?"

Waiting until after Rebecca had closed the door behind him, Lance slightly shrugged before replying: "Let's just say things didn't go too well."

While furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, Rebecca asked: "What happened?"

A question which caused Lance, who figured this was something Justin should answer, to turn his attention towards the younger male; giving him the floor.

Figures he couldn't just lie for me.

After sighing slightly, Justin placed Kayla gently on his lap and replied: "Nothing happened...John asked me a few brief questions, I answered them as honest as I could, and then JC, Lance, and I went to speak to Johnny in private....the end!"

Given the slight anger that was heard in the younger man's voice, Cathy--who had been quietly listening to Lance and Rebecca's conversation--figured their was probably more to the story than Justin was letting on. But since she could tell he didn't want to get into it right now, she figured this would be a good time to switch conversations.

"Well, while you were stuck in your interview, you missed a rather interesting conversation between mother and daughter."

Before Justin or Lance could ask what Cathy was talking about, Rebecca--realizing what the older woman was trying to do--replied: "My lovely mother just called informing me that she recently booked me a round-trip ticket to Mississippi; which leaves on the twenty-fourth and doesn't return until the sixth or seventh of July."

"Damn!" Lance replied; eager to get off of the Justin subject as well. "I guess that means JC and I will have to fend for ourselves in the hair department....feel free to stay in Clinton as long as you have to."

After rolling her eyes at the statement, Rebecca opened her mouth to let out a retort. But fortunately enough for Lance, Justin interrupted her.

"Speaking of mothers, that reminds me.." The younger man began; before turning his attention towards Cathy for the first time since he entered the room, "My mom called last night and said that she got a good deal on a flight out from Memphis tomorrow. But since the guys and I have a make a wish thing at twelve, I wont be able to pick her up from the airport.....so, do you mind taking Kayla and going with Lonnie to pick her up? Her flight doesn't land until about one..one thirty."

Without even bothering to think about it, Cathy quickly agreed to picking Lynn up; before asking how long the older woman planned on staying.

"Just for a couple of weeks." Justin replied, before moving his gaze downwards to watch Kayla play with the lone watch on his wrist. "She just wants to check in and make sure that Kayla and I are still doing okay...you know, with everything that has been going on lately."

While slightly nodding her head in understanding, Cathy couldn't help but inwardly ask herself while watching the father and daughter in front of her:

Who could blame her?

(Tuesday, June 11, 2002)

"If you two don't mind, I think it'd be a lot easier if I went in and got Mrs. Harless while you two stayed here and kept an eye on Miss. Kayla, okay?"

Figuring the bodyguard knew better than she did, Cathy waited until Rebecca silently shrugged her response before outwardly agreeing and watching as Lonnie made his way towards the entrance of the airport.

"You know, I can't even remember the last time I was in the same state as Lynn."

After turning her attention away from the window she was looking out of, Cathy threw a questioning eyebrow at Rebecca who was perched in the passenger seat. "She was just in Orlando visiting Justin a couple of weeks ago."

"I know.." Rebecca began; while flipping on the jeep's radio, "but thanks to my best friend and his need for me to join him out on the road, I was too busy trying to make sure I still had three months worth of hair supplies to even think about stopping by to say hello."

"I see." Cathy replied, while absentmindedly thinking to herself that it was odd hearing Rebecca refer to Lance as her best friend--even though everyone on tour knew that's what the two were to one another.

I guess it's just interesting hearing her say that since half the time she acts like he's nothing more than her own personal sparring partner while the rest of the time she acts as though he's her annoying older brother.

"Here they come..."

Snapping out of her thoughts, Cathy followed Rebecca's line of vision towards the sidewalk in front of the truck where Lonnie and Lynn were quickly heading towards them--two bags in each one of their hands.

"Whoever said women tend to pack too much stuff obviously had Lynn Harless in mind when coming up with that quote."

After smirking slightly at the comment, Cathy leaned past Kayla, who was sitting quietly in her car-seat, and opened the door on the other side of the truck.

"Thanks." Lynn replied, before telling Lonnie she could hold the bags she was carrying and sliding in on the other side of her granddaughter. "So, how are you two girls doing?"

"Good as can be." Cathy replied, while watching Lynn shut the door beside her and turn towards Kayla with a comical expression on her face. "How about you?"

"Couldn't be better..except for the fact that I'm so hungry I could eat a horse right now." The older woman joked, before turning her attention towards Lonnie--who had just stepped in the jeep--and saying: "Oh kind and most handsome bodyguard, please tell me that you know of a great restaurant or fast food spot near here...if so, I'll make sure that my son and his friends will forever be in your debt."

After sharing a small chuckle with Rebecca and Cathy, Lonnie jokingly replied: "That's okay, him and the rest of the guys already are in my debt. But don't worry I'll take you to a great place anyway....it's right up the street from here."

"Thank God!"

Trinity Grille (15 minutes later)

"Hmm, the all-you-can-eat Mississippi Catfish meal is only five dollars a plate...I guess it's a good thing the boys couldn't make it. They would've had a field day with this one."

"Who are you telling?" Rebecca chimed in agreement; after taking a short look at the large menu in front of her. "I'm still recovering from the last time the guys and I went out to an all-you-can-eat buffet...I swear I don't know who needs the bibs more: Kayla and Brianna or Joey and Chris."

After sharing a small laugh with both Rebecca and Lynn, Cathy turned her attention towards the little girl beside her who--after covering her mouth unsuccessfully, so that the other women at the table couldn't hear--told everyone that she had to go potty.

"Okay Kay...just hold on for a second." Cathy mockingly whispered back, before taking the small girl out of the booster seat that the waiter had seated her in and making her way towards the ladies restroom; throwing over her shoulder as an afterthought: "We'll be right back."

"All right...." Lynn replied, before turning her attention back towards Rebecca as soon as Cathy and her granddaughter were out of hearing distance: "So now that the misses is finally gone, how about you tell me how she's really coping with my overprotective son and his caffeine-addicted friends....? Any breakdowns yet?"

Knowing that Lynn could be just as nosey as she was caused Rebecca to slightly laugh to herself before responding back with: "Interestingly enough, not yet that I know of...she actually looks like she's enjoying herself here. The crew and I like her and I know all of the guys and Kayla do as well."

"And how about my son...does he like her?"

To anyone else that question might've sounded innocent enough, but after being around Mrs. Harless for more than a few months at a time, Rebecca knew exactly what the older woman was asking. "Sometimes I'm not really sure...they both try to act like nothings going on between the two of them besides a business relationship. But then their are times when I wake up in the middle of the night and catch Justin on our bus watching Cathy and Kayla sleeping on our couch. And that makes me wonder if theirs something there that neither one of them realizes yet, if you know what I mean?"

"I do." Lynn commented after a second of thinking about it. "But I also know that my son is a very attractive man and Cathy is a very attractive woman and when those two types of people cross one another anything can happen."

"Very true." Rebecca replied back, after taking a small sip out of her glass of water, "But until that something happens, what do you think we all should do about it?"

Spotting Cathy and Kayla coming from the ladies room in the corner of her eye caused Lynn to slightly smile at the pair before turning her attention back towards Rebecca and silently replying: "We do what we've been doing all along...we sit back and enjoy the show."

A comment which Rebecca responded back with:

"Hmph...that's easier said than done."