Elizabeth closed her eyes as she was going through the waves of nervousness all over again. She had spent the night at Lynn’s condo because they had talked the night away. She had given Lynn a “good” version of the six years she spent in France. She briefly mentioned Travis, the first man she had loved and lost, and she told her about the life in general. She hadn’t gone into too much detail because the wounds were still fresh and deep, she still didn’t know how to face her demons. Lynn seemed to understand and repeatedly told her that they would talk once she was ready. They had endlessly talked about Justin and the guys. Lynn told her about their success, failures, and how they were doing now, but mainly how Justin was doing. Elizabeth couldn’t believe that Britney had broken Justin’s heart. They had been so good together. Lynn also told her about Cameron and how Justin had almost married her. Lynn told her she stopped the wedding because she had a bad feeling about it. Elizabeth fidgeted in her seat for the tenth time in thirty seconds and chewed on her bottom lip.

“Liz you’ll be fine. I can’t believe you still attack your lip like that when you’re nervous. We all thought you would grow out of it.” Lynn said with a chuckle.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes but made sure Lynn didn’t see her. “Yes, I still chew on my lip and I seriously doubt I’ll ever grow out of it. And please don’t tell me not to be nervous ‘cause it’s not going to work. I haven’t seen them in forever, they probably forgot about me.” She said with a frown forming on her lips.

Lynn looked over at her and instantly felt sympathy for the young woman. Coming back was like a whole new experience for her. She was still shocked herself and she knew the guys were going to hit the roof, but in a good way.

“Trust me sweetie, there hasn’t been a day where they didn’t think about you. Chris even remembers you and you remember how feeble minded he can be right?” Lynn said with a chuckle.

Elizabeth giggled at Lynn’s comment. Ever since she could remember, Chris had always been picked on. True it was funny as hell but she still felt bad at times. She missed him so much. She remembered when she went to Europe with them and Chris tried to give her a fatherly talk for staying out too late. She had ended up laughing in his face but it was all good because he laughed at himself as well. He just wasn’t the serious type, that’s what JC was for. Now JC was a whole different story…

“We’re here,” Lynn said simply and took off her seatbelt. Lynn had called JC and told him to tell everyone to meet at his house that day because she needed to tell them something. Chris, Joey, Lance, JC, and even Trace would be there. Justin had called his mother after hearing about the meeting because he was headed to New York the day she was meeting with them. Lynn could see the disappointment on Elizabeth’s face, even though she hid it well. She was disappointed herself. She had been wishing for Elizabeth to somehow come back in their lives so that she could be with Justin. Lynn turned her attention to Liz when she heard her sigh.

“Just give me a sec ok. This is and even bigger than going to see you. This could land someone in the hospital.” Elizabeth said with a slice of humor.

Lynn laughed at her and hopped out of the car. She walked over to Elizabeth’s side of the car, opened the door and knelt down. Lynn grabbed her hands and looked at her with concern.

“Sweetie, these guys are you friends, your family. You came all this way to see them, I know you’re afraid but don’t be. You know them. They have not changed; some of them have matured into amazing adults but not all of them. I think you know whom I’m talking about. Please just go in there and be who you’ve always been. They miss you Liz. I don’t think you realize how much love those guys in there have for you, even after all these years.” Lynn said.

When Lynn finished talking Elizabeth closed her eyes. She knew Lynn was right. She had to do this. The guys deserved that much. Opening her eyes she looked up at the house and back at Lynn. “Ok, let’s go.”

Lynn smiled and patted her hands. Elizabeth took a deep breath, shut her side of car, slid her sunglasses on, and followed Lynn up to the front door. Elizabeth looked at the magnificent house in front of her and realized that there was something familiar about it. When realization hit, she almost broke down. This was the dream house her and JC had talked about when she was 15. He had told her that one day he was going to be rich and build his own house and he wanted her to tell him how he should build it. She had protested pointing out the fact that if she told him how to build his own house, it would be her dream and not his. Instead of telling him what he should do she had suggested a few things. She had told him to build a balcony around the whole entire house so that he and his lady friends could see the night sky anywhere on the roof. He also painted it baby blue like she had suggested. Elizabeth snapped out of her trance when she noticed that Lynn had ringed the door bell. Any minute now someone would open the door. Her hands were sweating so badly and her heart had never beaten so fast in her life.

“LYNN!!!” came Chris’s excited greeting. He tightly hugged Lynn but pulled back when he heard somebody call his name.

“I’M COMING!!!” He yelled to someone in the house. He turned his attention back to Lynn and for the first time noticed the girl standing next to her. He gave Elizabeth a curious look at first but was distracted when someone yelled his name again, this time saying that his barbeque was burning.

“Oops… I better go take care of that. Come in Lynn and you too young lady.” With that said he dashed inside and out of sight. Lynn just chuckled at his antics and so did Elizabeth. She stepped in after Lynn and was greeted by three familiar faces. Sitting on the couch was Trace, Lance and Joey. As soon as they walked in their attentions turned from the TV to them. They all gave Lynn a smile and one by one they got up and hugged her. When they were done with Lynn they turned their interested gazes to Elizabeth and her breath caught in her throat.

“Well, who is this lovely lady Lynn?” Joey said in a flirtatious manner. He hadn’t changed at all. Elizabeth smiled when she heard his question but she didn’t say anything.

“You don’t need me to tell you who this is Joe. You know her and I bet if you look hard enough you’ll figure it out. As a matter of fact, all of you know her.” Lynn said.

“We do?” asked Lance and Trace at the same time.

“Yes, you do,” Lynn repeated.

Joey sighed and looked at the girl again. She did seem familiar. That hair, that skin… he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“What’s with the mystery though, if we know her and she knows us why are y’all being so mysterious about everything?” Trace asked in confusion.

“Well that wouldn’t be much fun now would it Trace?” Elizabeth said taking off her glasses revealing her eyes that set her apart from a lot of people. She heard the guys give a sharp intake of breath as recognition finally hit them.

Lance was the first to recover and he stepped forward to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. This couldn’t be who he thought it was. But there was only one person he knew that had those eyes, those unbelievably chocolate eyes that always took everyone’s breath away. “Liz? Oh my goodness… Liz is it really you?” he choked out still looking at her in disbelief.

Elizabeth smiled and nodded, not trusting her voice. She didn’t know what to say to him. He looked so confuse and shocked, his green eyes still searching her brown ones.

“It can’t be…” Lance said still not believing her.

“It’s really me Mississippi…” Elizabeth said calling him by the name she’d called him for years.

“Oh my… it is you. Hahaha, guys its Liz. It’s really Liz. Come here girl!” Lance shouted excitedly and embraced her. Elizabeth quickly put her arms around him and hugged him tightly noticing how built he had become. Meanwhile Joey and Trace were standing behind him shouting and jumping up and down for a chance to hug her.

“O MY GOD LIZ IS HERE!!! SHE’S HERE, SHE’S BACK… I CAN’T BELIEVE IT. DAMNIT LANCE COULD YOU HURRY UP AND LET EVERYONE ELSE HUG HER, JEEZ.” Joey yelled.

“I agree with Joey. I’m sure you’re smothering the girl right now Lance. Hurry the hell up, damn.” Trace said.

Lynn laughed at their antics and didn’t even bother to reprimand them about their swearing. She knew they were just excited.

Lance finally let go of Elizabeth, stared at her for a few seconds and then hugged her again. This time Joey literally pulled the two apart and took Liz into his arms. He hugged so tightly that everyone else wondered if Liz was still alive.

Elizabeth tried her best to get some air into her lungs and hug Joey at the same time.

“JOEY… AIR!!” She shouted into his chest. Joey finally got the hint and let her go, a big smile on his face. Not to be outdone by the others Trace grabbed Elizabeth as soon as Joey was done with her and gave her a comforting hug.

Elizabeth almost cried at the contact because she had known Trace almost as long as she had known Justin. She held back tears as he squeezed her and whispered in her ear. “I always knew you’d find your way back to us.”

A tear of happiness rolled down the side of her when she heard him say that. When they finally pulled apart Trace noticed the tears on her face and gently whipped it away. Elizabeth looked into his brown eyes and smiled. She had missed him so much.

“We missed you so much around here Liz,” Joey said bringing her out of her thoughts.

Before she could say anything, Chris walked into the room and everyone gave him their attention.

“What the hell is going on in here? I heard Joey screaming something about Liz and…” his voice trailed off as soon as he saw the sight in front of him. Standing in the middle of Lynn, Lance, Trace and Joey was the face of the one person he had missed more than anything in the world. He walked closer thinking that his eyes were deceiving him but there she was. She was real. She was back. Liz was back.

“Hi Chris…” she said softly and took a few steps towards him. Chris closed the cap between them and embraced her without question. Those eyes, the hair, the skin… unless Liz had a clone, it was her. He didn’t need to question it.

Elizabeth was surprised by Chris’ reaction at first but she quickly recovered and hugged him back tightly. After what seemed like forever the two pulled apart and Elizabeth noticed the tears that had rolled down Chris’ face.

“Dude are you crying?” Joey asked with a big smile on his face. Chris rushed to cover up what had obviously just occurred.

“Of course I ain’t crying man. What kind of question is that? I was using some onions outside and I guess they messed up my eyes.” Chris lied.

Elizabeth gave him a funny look. “Chris, you’re allergic to onions.” She said.

Chris opened his mouth to lie again but Trace cut him off. “Don’t even try it Chris. It’s okay if you were crying. Liz coming back is big for all of us. Damn, girl we have so many questions for you but first… we need to go see Jace. He’s in the back yard.” Trace said getting the attention off Chris.

Elizabeth nodded in agreement. Chris grabbed one of her arms, Trace grabbed the other and Joey and Lynn walked behind them still talking about what Chris had just done.

“So how long have you been back?” Chris asked…

“Where are ya staying?” asked Trace…

“Why didn’t you call us?” continued Chris…

“Yeah, why?” Trace agreed.

“Jeez, boys I can only answer one of y’all at a time and I can only answer one question at a time too. I’m not that talented.” Elizabeth said with a smile. Before she knew it they had traveled through the overly furnitured living room and exited out the back to the yard. They were met by JC at the door. When their eyes met JC dropped the spatula he was holding and his breath caught in his throat.

“Elizabeth?” he choked. JC could not believe his eyes, but he knew he wasn’t dreaming. Elizabeth Ryans was in his house. His “sister” was in his house. The girl that had vanished for the past six years was in his house. He noticed that she was biting her lip and he smiled. She was nervous to see him. If she was nervous about him… boy Justin is going to faint. She looked completely different. If it wasn’t for her hair and her eyes, he wouldn’t have known it was her. She looked stunning and grown up. The baby blue tank top she sported matched her belt that was worn with jeans. She looked healthy, happy and nervous. JC watched her take a careful step towards him, still biting her lip.

“Hi Joshy,” she said using the nickname she had given him years ago. JC couldn’t control himself anymore. He looked at Chris, Joey, Lance, Trace, and Lynn who were standing behind Elizabeth and smiled at them. He closed the gap between them and hugged her tightly to his tall frame. She was so small, she still hadn’t grown one bit.

“Am I dreaming?” He asked still not believing what was going on.

“Naw man, cause if you are dreaming than so are we,” Joey said.

After several minutes of holding her JC finally let Elizabeth go. Tears were freely streaming down her face and she didn’t care who saw. JC whipped at her face. He didn’t like to see her cry, even if they were happy tears; he had seen too many tears from her in the past.

“Come on, don’t cry. Let’s go eat. Food always seemed to cheer you and I hope you haven’t changed too much since you’ve been gone.” JC said with a smile.

Elizabeth laughed through her tears. “Nope, food still has plenty of room in my heart,” she replied causing everyone to chuckle. They walked outside to the magnificent backyard where she noticed a magnificent basketball court, a tetherball poll, and numerous food items. It looked like they had steak, ribs, hot dogs, and burgers. They got her some food and they all sat at one of the tables with an umbrella. No one said a word. Everyone just seemed to stare at her.

“What?” Elizabeth finally asked in frustration, waking everyone up. They smiled sheepishly and Lance was the first to respond.

“We’re just amazed Liz. We honestly never thought we’d ever see you again and now here you are. You look great, you’re smiling, and you’re alive.” Lance explained.

“Sweetie, Justin hasn’t even seen you yet. O my god, JUSTIN HASN’T SEEN HER YET,” Joey shouted.

JC smacked his head when he startled everyone. “Way to state the obvious dumb ass. Ignore him Liz, he’s being stupid but you already knew that.” JC said with a smile and patted her hand.

“Dude you never answered my question Liz. How long have you been here?” Trace asked.

Elizabeth cleared her throat before answering. “Two days. I spent one night at Marcus’ hotel and than I stayed with Aunt Lynn last night.” She said in a soft voice that the guys had never heard before.

“How was France? I mean we’ve been there too but…yeah.” Joey said not know how to phrase his question.

Elizabeth smiled at him letting him know it was okay to ask. “Well I can’t say it was the happiest experience of my life but as y’all can tell, I’m alive and well. I just couldn’t stay there anymore but I didn’t know what was going to happen once I came home. Y’all have no idea how scared I was.”

JC laughed at her. “Yeah we do. If you gnawing at your lip was any indication, yeah we knew you were nervous. There’s no need to be though, it’s just us. Trust me we’re still the same. I’m sorry Justin couldn’t be here.” JC said.

“It’s ok. I understand why he’s not here. I’ll see him another time, I can wait.” She said truthfully. Chris could see that she was disappointed and he finally made up his mind.

“That’s it, we’re going to New York,” he said, receiving stares from everyone.

“What? … Why?” Elizabeth stuttered.

“To see your best friend. He’ll want to see you too, trust me. Everyone ready for a road trip? We’re gonna go see Justin in New York.”

Elizabeth tried to talk Chris out of his crazy idea but everyone seemed to agree with him so she was completely out numbered. After the plane tickets had been booked, they were scheduled to leave that night. Elizabeth and Lynn quickly said goodbye to the guys so that she could go get her things at the hotel. They agreed to meet up at the airport in 4 hours. Things went completely at lighting speed for Elizabeth but she didn’t care. She was going to go see Justin and that was all that mattered.