TITLE:   In Every Dream

AUTHOR:   Alicia Edwards

FEEDBACK:  [email protected]

SUMMARY:   A young woman and her daughter change JC Chasez’s life forever.

 

 

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Note:  This is my first NSYNC fanfic.  I am generally opposed to real person fiction, but it’s just so gosh-darn addicting!  I tried to treat the boys well, though.  Most of this was written between the hours of midnight and 2:30 a.m., so if it’s a little loopy, that’s why.  Almost all of it was unplanned.  I didn’t know what was coming next until I typed it.    I guess we’ll see how that worked out. 

 (Written 9/8/01-9/13/01)

 

Disclaimer:  JC, Lance, Chris, Justin and Joey are their own people.  Nothing in this story reflects the real them in any way, shape, or form.  Anyone else mentioned is mine and is not meant to bear resemblance to anyone real.  I hope you enjoy it!  If you like it, hate it, are completely indifferent to it… let me know.  Thanks!

 

 

IN EVERY DREAM – PART ONE

 

 

 

 

“Ow.  Crap.  Ow.  Ow.  Shit.  Ow.  Ow.  Ow.  Ow!”

 

“Why are you doing that?” Lance asked.

 

“Because…Ow!  Because I don’t want to look like an ape-man.”

 

“You are an ape-man,” Joey snickered.  “A big, old, hairy ape-man.”

 

“You should talk.  Ow.”

 

“Besides, who said anything about you being a man?” Joey asked.

 

“Ow.  How do girls do this?  Ow!  Jeez!”

 

“Do what?” Justin asked, hopping over the back of the couch.

 

“Oh, nothing you’d know about.  Yours are already perfect, pretty boy.”

 

“It’s called wax, Chris.  That’s your solution.  One firm yank and it’s over.”

 

“One yank and it’s over?  Is that how you were able to shower so fast this morning?”  JC snickered and grabbed a chair, tucking it under him backwards and leaning against the back, arms crossed over the top.

 

“Why are you all staring at me?”  Eight eyes watched Chris Kirkpatrick intently in the small mirror he had set up on the bus’s table.  Ten, if you counted his own.

 

“We want to see how it’s done,” Lance said.

 

“We’re intrigued as to how this transformation from ape-man is going to be accomplished by pulling out just a few tiny-tiny hairs.  I think you should look into electrolysis,” Joey commented.

 

“I should have looked into doing this in the bathroom, where I’d have privacy.”

 

“At least you lost the vegetation you called a hair style.  That’s a start.”

 

“You should talk, JC.  That mane you got going there could rival Mufasa’s,” Justin piped in.

 

“Hey, at least I admit I’m a white boy,” JC retorted, scowling.

 

“Don’t make me come over there and beat yo skinny white ass, boy!  Plus, my head is sexy.”  Justin ran his hands over his nearly bald scalp.

 

“Yeah, now that the Chia Pet look is over, we can actually tell you’ve got a head in there,” Joey said.

 

“What makes you think you could beat me anyway?” JC asked, his eyes twinkling with a challenge.

 

“Don’t even start with me, C,” Justin warned, his eyes glinting devilishly. 

 

“Justin, how do you get yours so perfect?” Chris asked, examining his own eyebrows, then Justin’s, then his own again in the mirror.

 

“I told you.  Wax.  They’ve got this kind you nuke in the microwave.  Works real good.”  He waggled his eyebrows at Chris’s reflection.

 

“I am not putting hot wax on my face.  Wouldn’t want to ruin this baby-soft skin of mine.”  Chris stroked his cheek with the back of his hand.

 

“Justin’s skin is still baby-soft,” Lance offered.  Justin grinned.  Joey rolled his eyes.  Chris stuck his tongue out.  “They have cream and stuff you can use to fight the redness and irritation.”

 

 JC stood up. “Thank you, Mary Kay.  Now Lance has turned into an Avon lady.” 

 

“Avon and Mary Kay are two separate establishments.  You see, Avon was founded in--”

 

“Shut up, Lance.”  Joey crossed his eyes at Lance, then turned and followed JC away from the table.

 

“So do they look okay?” Chris asked.  “Have I effectively warded off any possibility of a unibrow?  I don’t look like Bert from Sesame Street anymore, do I?”

 

“Hey, I’d be flattered.  Bert was cool,” Justin said.

 

“Ernie was cooler!” Lance argued.  “Ernie had Rubber Ducky.”

 

“Bert collected paper clips.  And counted sheep.  Bert was definitely cooler.”

 

“Rubber Ducky, you’re the one… you make bath time lots of fun,” Lance started singing in his best Ernie imitation voice.

 

“Oh, is that what you call it?” Justin asked, smirking.

 

“Guys!” Chris said, pointing at his eyebrows impatiently.

 

“Nah, he’s not yellow enough to be Bert,” Lance said to Justin.  Justin shook his head in agreement.

 

“Good.  I can’t take any more of that plucking!  Yeesh!”  Chris shuddered and tossed the tweezers onto the table.  “Let’s get ready to rock and roll, boys!”

 

“Where are we headed, again?” Chris asked, plopping down onto the couch next to Lance.

 

“Minneapolis, I think,” Lance said without looking up from the book he was reading.

 

“I thought we were going to Detroit,” Justin said from his position on the floor, leaning against the couch and playing a video game.

 

“Wrong direction, Justin.  We were in Indianapolis last, and we’re going from east to west,” Lance said, still reading his book.  Justin shrugged.  His video game man died.  He restarted the game.

 

“So are we skipping Chicago?” Chris asked.

 

“No, I think we’ll hit the Windy City on our way south from Minnesota,” Lance said, finally putting the book down.

 

“But that doesn’t make any sense,” Chris said, furrowing his brows.  “We have to go through Chicago to get to Minneapolis, and then come back east.  Why aren’t we just going there now?”

 

“See, we’re doubling back to hit Chicago, so why would it be so irrational for us to be heading to Detroit after Indy?” Justin asked, concentrating hard on his game.  His controller made subtle little movements that matched what he wanted the video man to do.

 

“Alright, I don’t know the rationale for every decision made on this tour,” Lance said.  “I just know that we are heading in a general east-to-west direction, and that we’re on our way to Minneapolis, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Justin and Chris said together.

 

Justin was laying on the floor, dribbling his basketball in quick little bounces.  Joey was at the table eating a sandwich.  JC was sleeping on the couch.  Lance was picking the plastic off his shoelace. 

 

“Anyone up for a game of *NSYNC Uno?” Chris asked, waving a deck of cards at his co-members.

 

“We’re an Uno game?” Joey asked, looking interested.

 

“How does that work?  Are we each a color?” Justin asked, quieting his basketball.

 

“There are five of us,” Lance said, retying his shoe.

 

“So?”

 

“There are only four colors in Uno.  That wouldn’t work.”

 

“Oh.”

 

“It wouldn’t be fair,” Joey agreed.  “One of us would be left out.”

 

“Which one would it be?” Justin asked.

 

“JC, because he’s always sleeping.  He’s MIA,” Joey said throwing a glance at the tangle of limbs that was JC trying to fit on the tiny couch.  “We’d just be *NSYN.”

 

“Lance, because he never sings lead,” Chris said.  “*NSY…C”

 

“Joey, because he likes to skip out on videos… takes advantage of semi-look-alike boys who are willing to take his place,” Lance said.  “And why is it that Justin always gets the first N?”

 

“Because you don’t even HAVE an N,” Justin said.  “You’ve got an E.  Feel lucky we gave you an N at all.”

 

“Oh I see how it is.  It’s a relationship of convenience.  I understand,” Lance said.

 

“You got it, Lancey Baby.”  Justin grinned.

 

“Justin, because his ego is too big to fit on a playing card,” Chris said.

 

“Chris, because he’s the oldest,” Justin said.

 

“What has that got to do with anything?” Chris asked, feigning offense.

 

“I dunno.  I don’t have a big ego!”  Justin crossed his arms and huffed.

 

“Look at him.  He’s pouting,” Chris said.

 

“Just open the cards already,” Joey instructed.

 

“Ah-HA!” Chris said.  “We’re not each a color.  There are four colors, like normal Uno.  There are just pictures of us in the middle of the cards.  Look at that!” 

 

“Let me see!” Justin said, reaching over and grabbing a clump of cards from Chris.

 

“Give them back.  I need to shuffle them.  You can look at them while we play.”

 

“Ooo, look at this one of JC!  He looks scary!”  Justin laughed.  Lance leaned over to see.

 

“Yeah he does,” Lance agreed.  “And look at that classic one of you.  What are you, like ten in that picture?”

 

“Sixteen,” Justin scoffed, moving the cards out of Lance’s view.  Chris took his chance and grabbed them from Justin.

 

“That is a pretty crazy one of JC,” he agreed, snorting.

 

“What’s going on in here?”  JC asked, staggering over to the table, his hair all ruffled from sleep.  He even had a line across his left cheek from where he had laid on the seam of the couch pillow.

 

“Speak of the devil,” Chris said.

 

“We’re playing *NSYNC Uno,” Justin informed him, moving over to make room.

 

“We’re playing with ourselves,” Chris agreed.

 

“Sounds dirty.  Can I play?”

 

“It will be a bonding experience for all!  NSYNC playing *NSYNC Uno,” Joey said, finishing his sandwich and pushing the plate aside.  “Let’s get this game going, boys!”

 

“Are we there yet?” Justin asked, plopping onto the couch next to Joey.

 

“Are we there yet, are we there yet,” Chris started singing to the tune of Frère Jacque.  “In a round, guys!”

 

“Frère Joshua, frère Joshua, dormez-vous?  Dormez-vous?” Justin sang, leaning over to the chair JC was sleeping in, staring at JC in a telepathic attempt to wake him up.

 

“It’s frère Jacque,” Chris corrected.  Justin scowled. 

 

“Since when do you speak French, Justin?” Lance asked, thumbing idly through a magazine.

 

“That was French?”  Justin was still staring JC down.  “Dude, does the guy ever wake up?”  He waved his hand in front of JC’s eyes.  Then he blew in JC’s face.  JC mumbled something and tried to turn over in the chair.  He didn’t wake up.  “Why doesn’t he sleep in his bunk?”

 

“He does it to deliberately piss you off,” Lance said, rolling his eyes a little.

 

“We’ve got to at least be in Minnesota,” Joey said distractedly, flipping through channels on the TV without settling on any one program in particular.

 

“We are.  I saw us pass the ‘Minnesota Welcomes You’ sign a while back,” Chris said.

 

“Land of ten thousand lakes,” Lance said to no one in particular.

 

“I haven’t seen a single lake yet,” Justin complained.

 

“Maybe you were too busy trying to wake JC up that you didn’t notice,” Chris pointed out.

 

“There are ten thousand of them.  You’d think I’d have at least seen one.”

 

“You know, some state names are pretty stupid.  Like the Volunteer State.  What’s with that?” Joey said, still trying to find something worthwhile on the tube.

 

“That is dumb,” Justin agreed.  “Which state is that?”  Joey shrugged.

 

“Yours,” Lance said.  “Tennessee.”

 

“How do you know this stuff?” Chris asked.  Lance shrugged.

 

“So which states have we been through today?” Joey asked Lance, tearing his attention away from the television for a moment.

 

“The Hoosier State, the Prairie State, the Badger State, and the North Star State,” Lance said.  “Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, respectively.  The great Midwest.”

 

“How do you know this stuff?” Chris repeated.  Lance shrugged.

 

Justin was listening to his disc man.  He tapped his thigh with one hand to the beat, and with the other he balled up little pieces of paper to throw at Chris.  Chris was building a defense wall out of Justin’s used paper balls, and making ammunition of his own out of a Styrofoam cup.  Lance was writing a letter to someone at the table.  Joey was still flipping through channels on the TV.  JC was still sleeping.

 

All of a sudden there was an earsplitting scream and the bus gave a grand lurch and skidded to a halt.

 

JC fell out of the chair.

 

Justin started to laugh at JC before he remembered that someone had screamed.

 

“What the fuck was that?”  JC asked, rubbing his bruised behind, pouting.  His hair was once again a mess and his eyes looked extraordinarily sleepy.

 

“I have no idea,” Chris said, still bracing himself against the wall.  He peeled his arms away slowly and then stepped forward.  Lance stood up and then offered JC a hand.  Joey stuck out his hand as well, and together they pulled JC to his feet.  JC continued to rub his bottom, then decided to switch and rub the sleep out of his eyes.

 

“Oh my god, Claire!”  The voice that had screamed just moments before reverberated through the bus, even though the producer of that voice was outside.

 

All five guys heard the panic in those four words and bolted forward.  JC was definitely awake now.  The driver was already out the door and kneeling next to a woman the guys only assumed had screamed.

 

“What?”  A little blond girl looked up innocently, clutching a dog’s leash in one of her tiny hands.  She couldn’t have been more than four or five.

 

JC looked at Justin.  Justin turned and looked at Chris.  Chris shrugged and looked at Lance.  Lance turned to look at Joey.

 

“Oh, honey, you scared Mommy very much!” the woman said, gathering the little girl into her arms.  The dog attached to the leash barked.

 

“Look at the doggy!” Chris said quietly to Lance.

 

“Is everything okay?” JC asked, looking so alert no one would have guessed he’d been dead to the world only moments before.  “What happened here?”

 

The woman was visibly shaken.  She looked to only be in her early to mid-twenties.  She brushed golden hair from her eyes, still hugging the little girl tightly.

 

“Oliver ran out into the street--”

 

“He was chasing a squirrel,” the girl said.

 

“Chasing a squirrel, apparently.  We were taking him for a walk – Claire had his leash and just ran after him… and the bus…” she sunk to her knees again, a level that put the little girl’s feet on the ground.  Claire still clutched her mother, although she looked more concerned for Mom than over the fact that she had almost become, well… no one wanted to think about that.

 

“Why don’t you come inside,” JC said, stooping to help her up.  Justin reached over and took Claire from the woman’s arms and JC helped her up the bus’ steps and over to the couch.  So far she didn’t seem to register any recognition of the five guys she was with.

 

“Do you want some water?” Justin asked.

 

“Or anything to eat?” Lance added.

 

“How about a blanket?” Chris piped in, paying a little more attention to the small dog he was urging onto the bus than to the woman he was speaking to.

 

“What about for you?”  Joey asked, looking at Claire.  Claire looked to her mother for guidance.

 

The woman took a deep breath and let it out.  “I’m sorry.  I’m really sorry.”

 

“Don’t worry about it.  We needed a little excitement.  We’ve been on this bus about nine hours now,” JC said, trying a little to lighten the mood.  Since no one had been hurt.  The woman smiled.  She had a pretty smile, even with the fear still fresh in her green eyes.  Claire climbed onto her mother’s lap.

 

“I’m Claire,” she said confidently.  “Who are you?”  The guys looked at each other.  JC raised his eyebrows.  Chris shrugged.

 

“My name’s JC,” he said, offering his hand to the tiny girl.  She looked at it, and instead of shaking it, she gave him five.  JC laughed.  “Spunky kid,” he said, grinning.

 

“I’m Justin,” Justin said, holding his hand up for a high five.  Claire complied. 

 

“I’m Joey,” Joey said, going for the low five.  He shot the woman a sideways glance to see if any recognition was dawning.  So far she seemed pretty wrapped up in scrutinizing her daughter, just to make sure there was nothing wrong.  She was lifting Claire’s hair to check her neck, looking at her arms and legs, and checking the top of her head.

 

“My name is Lance,” Lance said, opting for the high five.

 

“I’m Chris,” Chris said, offering his hand for a low five.  When Claire went to slap it, he pulled his hand away. 

 

Claire burst out laughing.  “Hey!” she scolded, planting her tiny fists on her hips.  She had gotten tired of her mom’s poking and prodding and slid off her lap. 

 

They all turned to look at Chris as giggling erupted.  Chris giggling was a frightening sight, indeed.  “Stop it!” He laughed, playfully pushing the little brown and black puppy away.  The dog wouldn’t stop trying to lick Chris’s face.

 

“He likes you,” the woman said, finally starting to unwind. 

 

“Yeah, that’s the most love Chris’s gotten in a looooong time,” Justin said. 

 

“Hey!”  Everyone laughed as Chris scowled, pretending to be hurt.  “This little guy is kinda cute though.”

 

“That’s Oliver,” the woman said.  She seemed to have calmed down almost to normalcy.  “He’s only three months old.”

 

“Wow, that’s gonna be a big dog,” Justin said. 

 

“He’s a boxer,” she explained.

 

“And what about you?” Joey spoke up.

 

“She’s not a boxer,” Chris said.  “At least I don’t think she is…” He eyed her arms, looking for bulky muscles. 

 

“I mean what’s her name?” Joey explained.

 

“Well, why don’t you ask her?” Chris said, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly.

 

“Oh, sorry.  I’m Jocelyn Mitchell—what did you say your names were?”  There it was.  Realization was dawning.

 

JC laughed.  “My name is JC…”

 

“What’s this?” Claire asked from the floor, picking up the video game controller and turning it over in her hands.

 

“You’ve never played a video game?” Justin asked with amazement.  Claire shook her head, her blue eyes wide with wonderment.  “Dude, this kid’s never played a video game!  We’ll have to fix that.”

 

“What’s his name again?” Jocelyn asked, leaning close to JC.

 

JC looked at her, a little confused.  She didn’t know the number one teen heartthrob in America’s name?  “That’s Justin.”

 

“Thanks,” she whispered, flashing a small smile.  She had obviously gotten over the fright of the near-accident.  “Oh, we should go.  My gosh, I’m sorry.  I don’t mean to intrude—” she was getting flustered again.  The thought had just occurred to her that, in her panic, she and her daughter had boarded a bus that had been driving down a rural Minnesota road—a bus she had never seen before, with six strangers, and she hadn’t thought twice.  She’d been preaching “stranger danger” to Claire for a long time now, and here she was doing the opposite.

 

“It’s no intrusion,” JC insisted. 

 

“I’m sure it’s not, but I don’t know you, and I’ve heard horror stories about people who pick up hitch hikers.  Especially in vans.”

 

“It’s a bus, and you weren’t hitch hiking.  You were walking your dog and we almost hit you.  And we don’t bite, I promise.”  JC didn’t know why he felt the need to stay here with this woman and her daughter at least a little longer.

 

“Justin might,” Chris said.  “But we’ll keep an eye on him for you.”

 

Justin shot Chris a look from his position on the floor trying to straighten out the video game controllers.

 

“Stay just a few minutes,” JC urged Jocelyn.  “Just so we can know you’re alright.  I promise we’re not scary or mean.  It would make us feel a lot better about almost flattening you if we knew we were at least sending you off knowing you were going to be okay.  Please?”

 

Jocelyn looked at Claire, who was happily watching Justin set up the video game for demonstration.

 

“Alright, we’ll stay for just a minute.  Until my heart rate gets back down to normal.”  She put a hand to her chest to test it out.  “So if we’re going to be here a minute, want to help me out with the rest of these guys?  I was a little preoccupied when you were introducing yourself to Claire.”  She smiled lovingly at the little girl sitting on the floor.  Claire was watching intently as Justin tried to explain the complexities of Sonic the Hedgehog to a four-year-old.  JC noted, though, that Justin had had the sense to remove James Bond from the game system.  It was a little too violent for a preschooler, and even Justin thought so.  Maybe there was hope left.

 

JC pulled himself out of his thoughts and remembered that Jocelyn had just asked him a question.  Lance was on the couch, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, watching Justin’s hedgehog’s every move.  “That’s Lance,” he said, nodding in that direction.  Lance looked up at mention of his name, and Jocelyn smiled at him.  He returned the grin and added a little wave.

 

Joey and Chris were on the floor by the table, fighting for the attention of Oliver, the playful puppy.  “That’s Chris, and that’s Joey,” JC said.  Neither one heard their names.

 

“Which one’s which?” 

 

“Well, Joey has the goatee… so does Chris.  Chris has… so does Joey.  Um… the hairier one is Chris.”

 

“Gotcha.”  Jocelyn laughed a clear, ringing laugh.

 

“So you really don’t know who we are?”  JC had to know.

 

Jocelyn’s arching brows furrowed a little.  “Should I?”

 

“How old are you?”

 

“Twenty-two,” she said, “why?”

 

“It’s just… nevermind.”  JC smiled.  She really had no idea.  That was somewhat refreshing.

 

“Five guys in a bus… I have to admit that is a little strange.  Are you, like… I don’t know, the starters for a basketball team?”

 

JC laughed.  “Sometimes we think so.”  He nudged Joey and Chris out of the way to pull two folding chairs up.  They didn’t even notice.  They were busy trying to get Oliver to fetch a rolled-up piece of paper.  “Looks like Claire’s having enough fun playing that game to warrant a longer break in our driving than just one minute, and we may as well save our feet and have a seat,” JC said, looking at the determined look on Claire’s face as she tried unsuccessfully to make Sonic jump over a hole.  He glanced up front where the driver was taking a much-welcomed break and reading a magazine.

 

“Just make him run really fast,” Justin advised.  “He’ll skip right over that hole.”  Claire nodded, sticking her tongue out in concentration as the level restarted itself for her.  “Now… RUN!”  She pushed as hard as she could with her little fingers and jerked the controller upwards in an attempt to urge Sonic to jump the hole without actually pushing the “jump” button.  Amazingly, however, the cartoon hedgehog cleared the hole.  Claire got so excited she ran right into a bad guy, spilling her rings.  “Go after the rings!  Pick some up!” Justin urged.  She got two, but promptly ran right back into the bad guy, and got hit again before she could collect more rings.  “Awwww,” Justin said.  “Next time.  Wanna try again?”  Claire nodded.

 

“She sure is having fun.  This whole thing is pretty new to her.”

 

“How old is she?” JC asked, seeing the love in Jocelyn’s eyes as she spoke of her daughter.  Claire was clearly Jocelyn’s favorite topic of conversation.

 

“She’s four.  She’ll be five in September.  September twenty-seventh.”

 

“So is she starting kindergarten?”

 

“Not until next year.  The cut-off was September first.  Although I know she’s smart enough for it.”  Jocelyn was touched that this JC was interested in Claire.  She looked at her watch.  She sighed a little.  “Okay, it’s been more than a minute and I think my heart has calmed itself down fully.  Thanks for worrying about us.”  She smiled.  “We should probably let you get on your way.  Come on, sweetie, we have to go.”  She held out her hand to Claire.

 

“Why do we have to go?”  Claire asked.

 

“Because these nice men have someplace to go.”

 

“Could I please play with this viddy-game?  Please?”

 

JC smiled at her slip.

 

“No, honey, we need to take Oliver out anyway.”  She threw a glance at Chris and Joey, who were still fascinated with the dog.

 

“Oliver doesn’t wanna go.”  She crossed her tiny arms across her chest, puffing it out determinedly.  “And Justin said this TB plays movies too.  Not just viddy-games.  Remember when we went to see that movie?”

 

“I remember, Claire.  But sweetheart, remember how you didn’t like it when we had to wait in line at the grocery store?  We don’t want to keep these people waiting.”

 

“I could watch Snow White!  Like in the book, but on the TB!  How we watched it when we went to the movies!”

 

“Does she not watch much TV?” JC asked.

 

“We don’t have one,” Jocelyn said, holding out her hand and wiggling her fingers, a sign that Claire was supposed to take her hand.

 

“Wow,” JC whistled.  Someone in America without a TV.

 

“We’ve had some money problems.  When I got pregnant with Claire, my parents… sorry, you don’t want to hear it.”  Why the heck did she tell him that?  She wasn’t one to broadcast her life’s story or any tough spots she might be encountering.  JC could see the pain creep into her eyes.  It was there for just a second, and then she blinked and it was gone.  “Come on, Claire, don’t make me count to three.”  Claire stuck out her lower lip and looked on the verge of tears.

 

JC felt that little tug in his gut again.  He could see the determination in Jocelyn’s eyes.  This was a person he could learn a lot from, and for some unexplainable reason he felt the need to get to know her.  To perhaps offer her something she couldn’t get from just anywhere.  Not that he knew what that was, but he wasn’t ready to send her on her way just yet.

 

“Do you have any plans for this weekend?”  It was Friday afternoon.  They had a show tomorrow night, and most of Sunday off.  Then they would be headed to Des Moines, Iowa Sunday night, perform Monday night, then to Kansas City for Tuesday, and Chicago for an appearance Thursday and a Friday and a Saturday show.  Then they’d have some more time off.  He’d done his homework on their hectic schedule.

 

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow.

 

“As in the rest of today, tomorrow, and Sunday?”  JC waited for her answer.

 

“Not really.  I’ve been trying to find us an apartment that I can afford…” There she went again, letting her personal problems slip out to total strangers.  But for some reason, Jocelyn felt completely at ease with these five young men.  There was something about them that made her want to talk.  She could see in each of their eyes that they meant absolutely no harm to her or her daughter.  And she was a pretty good judge of character.  Maybe it was the stress that had been building the last few months.  Maybe it was the near-accident of just a few minutes earlier.  But Jocelyn Mitchell was feeling spontaneous.  “Maybe some time away from the stress would be good.  What did you have in mind?”

 

“Well, first I have to ask again.  You really don’t know who we are?”  He didn’t mean to be egotistical about it.  He was truly curious.  Jocelyn shook her head.  “We’re kind of a singing group.  We have a show tomorrow night in Minneapolis.  If you want… if it’s okay with the guys… maybe you and Claire could tag along for the weekend.  See the show, you know.  If you want.”  The other four guys were nodding their heads enthusiastically. 

 

“You guys sing?”  Jocelyn’s eyes lit up a little.  “That sounds like fun.”  She let out a little sigh.  Only Minneapolis.  She had grown up in the city and surrounding area, knew it like the back of her hand.  If the situation got uncomfortable, she could just leave.

 

“Please, Mommy?  Please?”  Claire jumped up and down, a huge grin on her face.

 

Oliver barked.

 

Jocelyn laughed.  “That’s it.  It’s unanimous.  We’ll come.  You guys really don’t mind?”

 

“Does that mean we get the doggy on the tour?” Chris asked, his eyes twinkling like a child’s.

 

“I don’t really have anyplace to leave him…” Jocelyn’s face fell a little.  Surely a dog on a bus was not going to fly.

 

“Hey, it’s cool,” Joey said.  “I think he likes us anyway.”  Oliver barked his agreement.  Joey scratched the puppy behind his ears.

 

“Well, then it’s settled.  You’ll stay,” JC said.

 

“Y’all are crashin’ with us tonight!” Justin said, grinning his toothy grin.  He stuck his hand out for a high five with Claire.  She had the high five bit down pat.

 

“That okay with you, James?” JC called to the front of the bus.  He got a thumbs up in return.

 

“We’re only about forty-five minutes, an hour out of Minneapolis,” James called back.  “We can swing by this area on the way out again.”

 

“Awesome!” Justin whooped, clapping his hands excitedly.  Claire did the same.

 

“So you’re looking for a new place to live?” JC asked, hoping he wasn’t prying.  “New school district for Claire?”

 

“That, and I’d kind of like to find a place without little crittery friends.”  Jocelyn scrunched her nose.  “Claire doesn’t need that kind of friend.”

 

“Wow, things must be tough.”  JC’s throat clenched at the thought of god-knows-what living with him.  Jocelyn seemed upbeat about things, though.

 

“We’re tough.  Aren’t we, Claire?”

 

Claire was snuggled up against Justin’s stomach as he lay stretched out on the couch.  They were watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Claire looked at her mother and nodded.

 

“So tell me about it,” JC said.  “If you want,” he added.  He knew what it was like to have people prying into his private life.

 

Jocelyn nodded, leaning on the table a little.  She hadn’t been able to talk to anyone about her situation in a long time.  Maybe it was easier with strangers.  JC’s blue eyes showed nothing but interest and compassion, and that was calming.  “Well, I got pregnant with Claire when I was seventeen.  That’s about the point when my parents decided they couldn’t handle such an embarrassment.  We’re from a small town just out of Minneapolis.  People talk.  I was able to make it through my high school graduation, but they kept me home once I started to show, and told me I had to put the baby up for adoption.  When I had her, though, I looked at her and… and I just couldn’t give her up.  That was my baby.  So my parents gave me an ultimatum.  The baby or them.”  She took a deep, shaky breath and JC let his fingers brush hers.  “So I chose her.  I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I let someone else take her away from me.  I had enough money to last a few months, and at that point Kevin was still helping out.”

 

Jocelyn looked over at Claire, whose eyes were getting heavy.  She had her head rested on Justin’s arm. He looked about ready to hit the sack too.

 

“He left when Claire was a year and a half.  Couldn’t take the pressure, I guess.  I was working at the Wal*Mart during the day while he took care of Claire, and he was working the night shift at UPS.  I guess in reality I was working more like the six-to-three shift and he had a five-till-two a.m. shift.  We hardly ever saw each other and we were doing the best we could.  When he left, I couldn’t afford daycare, so I had to quit my job.  It’s been kind of touch-and-go since then.  I’ve had odd jobs when I could get friends to take care of Claire, and I found a restaurant I could work in that would let me take her with on the night shift while she slept.  That’s pretty much where we’re at now.”  It felt good to get everything off her chest.  To just talk about it to someone.  Jocelyn hadn’t had anyone who seemed genuinely willing to listen to her in her life for a long time now.

 

JC’s heart surged for her.  He scolded himself for all the times he’d complained about his job, his life.  He felt now that he’d pretty much had everything handed to him on a silver platter, even though he knew that wasn’t true.  They’d all worked extremely hard to get where they were.

 

“You don’t have to work this weekend, do you?” JC asked, hoping he wasn’t pulling her from her job.

 

“No… last week they told me I couldn’t bring Claire with me anymore, so I had to quit.  And I couldn’t pay the rent, so that’s why I’m looking for a new place.  Slim pickins around here, let me tell ya!”  She laughed.  “And now there’s Oliver.  We found him a couple months ago.  He was lost and alone, and Claire just fell in love.  But it sure makes it harder to find an apartment that will take dogs.  They ask for a higher security deposit.  In case, you know, he destroys things.  But he’s really well behaved!”

 

They looked over to where Oliver was curled up at the foot of Chris’s bed—with Chris sleeping right next to him.  JC laughed.  “Looks like he found a new friend!  I think Chris misses his own dog.  Justin wouldn’t let him bring his dog with this time.  They don’t get along.”

 

Jocelyn laughed.  “I sure hope Justin gets along with Oliver.”

 

“He doesn’t need to,” JC said.  “He’s getting along well enough with Claire to keep himself preoccupied.”  They were both snoring softly now.

 

“Justin, wake up!  We’re here!” Joey said, shaking Justin.  Justin opened one eye and glared at Joey.

 

“Hey Justin,” Lance said, smiling evilly.  “I thought you hated it when people fell asleep on couches or in chairs… or not in bunks.”

 

Justin rubbed his eyes, careful not to disturb Claire, who was still sleeping.  Justin worked his arm out from under her little head slowly.  She opened her eyes.  “Are we there?” She asked, yawning.

 

Joey, apparently on wake-up duty, dove onto Chris’s bed, waking him up with a body slam.  Oliver yelped and hopped out of harm’s way and Chris groaned.  “Man, that nap was NOT long enough,” Chris complained, stretching dramatically.

 

The guys gathered their belongings and filed out of the bus.  Jocelyn scooped Claire up and followed.  The two of them didn’t have any bags with them.

 

JC looked at his watch.  They’d been on the road since seven that morning.  It was almost six.  Time for dinner.  “Let’s get settled and then we can look for some eats,” he suggested.  Everyone seemed to think that was a fine idea.  “Hey, Justin, is it okay if I stay in your room?  So Jocelyn and Claire can have mine?”

 

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” Jocelyn said, switching a still-sleepy Claire to the other arm.  “We can get our own room.”

 

“With what money?  No, you’re our guests and we’re going to treat you real good.”  He grinned. 

 

“We practically dragged you along.  We wouldn’t dream of putting you out on the street once we got here,” Justin agreed.

 

By the time everyone got settled in and Justin and JC had finished arguing over who got the bed that was situated in front of the TV (JC won), Claire had woken up sufficiently and everyone was starving.

 

“My vote is for Waffle House!” Justin called.

 

“They don’t have Waffle Houses in the north,” Lance reminded him.  “Let’s go to Bennigan’s.  Fine Irish cuisine.”

 

“We went to Bennigan’s last week,” Joey whined.  “How about Olive Garden.”

 

They all rolled their eyes.  “They have Olive Garden everywhere,” JC said.  “Let’s go to the Hard Rock.”

 

“And they don’t have those everywhere?” Chris asked.  He searched his brain for something that might satisfy everyone.  “Hardee’s, anyone?”

 

“How about Scott’s Deli,” Jocelyn suggested.  “They have the best roast beef Florentine sandwich.  And surprisingly, I don’t think there even is a Hard Rock here.  Sorry, JC.”

 

“Then Scott’s Deli it is!” Chris said.  “Point us in the right direction, if you please, Madame.”

 

Chris chased Justin.  Justin yelped and hopped out of Chris’s reach.  “Gotcha!” he cried, grabbing Chris’s arm from behind.

 

“Not so fast, sucker,” Chris said, twisting free and getting Justin into a headlock.

 

“Don’t mess the hair!” Justin called out.

 

“What hair?  It’s all gone!” Joey said.

 

Chris released Justin.  Justin gave him a whack for good measure.

 

“Children, children,” Joey started,  “let’s show our friends here that we can behave like mature adults.”

 

Chris snorted.  Lance covered his mouth in an attempt not to laugh out loud.  JC shook his head, trying to keep his smiling to a minimum.

 

“Oh, right.”  Chris straightened his shirt.  Then, when he thought no one was looking, he elbowed Justin in the ribs and took off in a flash.

 

“Ow!  You’re gonna get it.  I’m gonna whomp yo a—behind.”  He caught himself and threw a glance at Claire, who was riding atop JC’s shoulders, before taking off after Chris.

 

JC chuckled.  Lance shook his head.  Joey pretended to ignore them, then broke into a sprint to join in the fun.

 

“How’s the view?” JC asked, straining his eyes to see upwards without moving his head.  Claire had her arms clamped tightly around his forehead.

 

“It’s good!”  She rested her chin on his head and breathed out, ruffling his hair.

 

“Hey, that tickles.”  He had his hands on her knees, stabilizing her, and he squeezed her thighs right at the ticklish spot in return.  Claire wiggled and laughed, holding tighter to his head.

 

“Hey, what took you guys so long?” Chris asked, leaning casually against the side of the hotel.  Joey and Justin were in the lobby poking around.

 

“We didn’t feel the need to train for the 500 meter dash,” Lance said, strolling through the lobby doors.

 

“After you, my lady,” Chris said, holding the door open for Jocelyn.

 

“Duck!” JC instructed, stooping to fit his tall frame with Claire’s height added on top though the door.  Once in the lobby, Jocelyn reached up and disengaged Claire from JC’s head.  He brushed his hair back in place with his fingers.

 

They all boarded the elevator.  “Hey, thanks for showing us that place,” Lance said to Jocelyn.

 

“No problem.  I used to eat there all the time when I… when I still lived with my parents.”  She lifted Claire up and settled her on one hip.

 

Once on the fourteenth floor Joey and Lance turned left to go to their rooms, Chris walked straight ahead into his, and Jocelyn followed JC and Justin to the right. 

 

“Do I get a goodnight hug?” JC asked, eyes twinkling.

 

“Yup!”  Claire tossed herself into his arms.  He gave her a good squeeze and she planted a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek.  “Night, JC.”

 

“Hey, what about me!”  Justin held his arms out and Claire jumped into them.

 

“He’s always got girls throwing themselves at him,” JC said out of the corner of his mouth to Jocelyn.  She laughed.

 

“Goodnight, girl,” Justin said, putting Claire down.

 

“Night Justin!”

 

“Goodnight to you, too,” he said to Jocelyn.

 

“Goodnight.  And thanks for everything, guys.  I’m really having a good time.”  She grinned and unlocked the door.

 

“Goodnight,” JC said and followed Justin into their room.  Once inside the room, Justin hurtled himself onto the bed in front of the TV and worked his shoes off with the opposite foot.  He folded his arms behind his head and sighed contentedly.  “Hey!” JC protested.  “I won fair and square!”

 

“I got here first,” Justin said.

 

“But I won!”

 

“I’ll rock-paper-scissors you for it,” Justin offered.

 

“That’s what we did earlier, and I WON.”

 

“You only won three out of five.  Two more games and I’d have had you beat.”

 

“I won five out of five, because you insisted we keep playing to give you a chance.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.  Well, I’m comfy.  He burrowed himself down into the mattress and closed his eyes.

 

JC scowled and closed the bathroom door.  Justin would have to get up to get ready for bed…

 

“So, what are we doing today, boys?”  Jocelyn pulled her door closed and turned to look at the five guys already waiting for the elevator.  She was wearing the same outfit she’d had on yesterday.

 

“Oh my gosh, we didn’t give you time to run home and grab a change of clothes!” Lance exclaimed.

 

“That’s okay.  I got a couple toothbrushes free from the front desk last night.  We’ll survive in these clothes.  Unless you’re embarrassed to be seen with two girls in recycled threads.”

 

“Yup,” Chris said.

 

“Totally,” Joey agreed.

 

“Mortified,” Lance nodded.

 

“Completely mortified,” Justin added.

 

“I guess that answers your question,” JC said.  “What we’re doing today is shopping for the lovely ladies.”

 

“Yippee!” Justin said, bouncing a little.

 

“No.  No way.  I can’t let you guys spend your morning doing something as girly as shopping!” Jocelyn protested.

 

“Justin loves shopping,” JC said.

 

“Shut up.  So do you,” Justin retorted.

 

Jocelyn got a little bit of a pained look on her face.  “No, seriously.  We don’t need to go shopping.”

 

“Don’t worry,” JC said.  “It’s on us.  You’re our guest and we’re going to show you the greatest weekend in the history of great weekends.”

 

“Really, guys, it’s alright!”

 

“Do I get a new dress?” Claire asked, looking up hopefully.

 

“Yup!” Justin said at the same time Jocelyn said “No.” 

 

“No arguments,” Lance said.

 

“We have sound check at three, and it’s nine-fifteen now, so if we hurry and eat breakfast at the coffee shop I saw downstairs, we could get in a good four hours of shopping before we have to leave for the venue,” JC said, checking his watch.

 

Jocelyn saw that they weren’t going to take no for an answer, so she nodded and started to take Claire’s hand.  She looked at her daughter just in time to see her slip one of her hands into Justin’s hand and one into JC’s.  Jocelyn couldn’t help but chuckle. 

 

By one o’clock, all seven members of the group were bringing their morning of shopping at a small mall just outside of Minneapolis to a close-- all carrying bags.  They had only been recognized a couple of times and had only been asked for autographs twice.  They were thankful that the girls who had approached them had done so quietly and without causing a scene so that they could have as peaceful and relaxing a morning as possible.

 

Everyone was getting energized about the concert that night.  Justin felt the need to jump up and prove he could touch every exit sign that was within human reach.  Lance had bought a cowboy hat and was whistling a song everyone only guessed was country.  Chris bounced around like a pinball, examining things on shelves and racks quickly on their way out.

 

“Wow, so people actually recognize you guys,” Jocelyn said in wonderment as a small group of teenage girls whispered and stared at them but didn’t make any move to go near them.

 

JC laughed.  “Sometimes,” he said.

 

“Why do you think we didn’t attempt the Mall of America?” Justin asked.  “We wouldn’t have made it to the concert.  We’d still be signing autographs.”  JC shot him a dirty look and Justin played innocent.

 

“The boy has an ego the size of Texas,” JC said under his breath to Jocelyn.  She laughed.

 

“When can I put on my new dress, Mommy?” Claire asked, hugging a shopping bag to her chest and trying not to let it drag on the ground.  “And my new shoes?”

 

“When we get back to the hotel,” Jocelyn told her, guiding Claire by a hand on top of her blond head.

 

 

“Okay, we’re going to have to go, but we’ve talked to that guy right there.  His name’s Carl.”  JC nodded in the direction of a rather large, bald black man with dark sunglasses who radiated ‘don’t mess with me.’  “He’ll let you in to the sound check, and we also got you seats for the concert.  But after the sound check is over, you can come back to our dressing room and chill, if you want.”  Jocelyn nodded. 

 

So far, they had been taken in the back entrance and had not had any encounters with screaming fans, but she could hear their calls from outside.  She marveled at things one could miss while spending four years completely engrossed in raising a child and struggling to provide for her.  She had a feeling that these five guys were bigger than she could have ever imagined.

 

“Are we going in?”  Claire looked up at her mother, excitement written across her face.  Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were large and sparkling.  Jocelyn grinned and nodded her head as the two of them followed Carl into the arena before the rest of the fans were let in.

 

“Hold onto my hand, Claire, and don’t let go,” Jocelyn instructed sternly.  They chose seats about three rows back, right in the center.  There were a few other VIPs already in chairs.  Then the doors opened, and two hundred screaming teenagers surged forward, taking seats and talking excitedly.

 

“Mommy?”  Claire looked up at Jocelyn with a touch of fear in her eyes.

 

“It’s okay, sweetie.”  Jocelyn smiled and squeezed her daughter’s hand.

 

Once everyone was seated, the guys started to trickle out onto stage.  First came JC, who stood behind the keyboard and messed around with a few melodies.  Lance and Joey came out next, chatting with each other a little shyly.  Lance ducked his head and waved at the crowd, eliciting an excited roar.  Chris bounded out a few minutes later, yelling “What up, Minneapolis!!”  He got a huge response from that. 

 

Justin ran onstage last, totally playing to the crowd.  He waved, grinned, showed off his muscles, and had a great time.  Everyone loved him.  And Justin was obviously loving every minute of it as well.  In fact, all five men looked to be having a genuinely good time.  They looked completely comfortable up there on the stage, like this was where they belonged.  And they were happy.

 

The guys chatted with the crowd for a few minutes, and each question they asked was met with a roar and a thunder of clapping.  Then they managed to quiet everyone down enough to sing a song.  Jocelyn let Claire stand on her chair to see over the people in front of her.  She got goose bumps listening to the harmonies being sung onstage.  These guys really were good!

 

Before she knew it, the singing had ended and the floor was opened up for questions.  Jocelyn paid close attention, since any answer they gave was completely new to her.  She couldn’t help but notice five very distinct personalities in the way they reacted to each question.  It was all very intriguing to her.

 

So these guys she had never heard of, five men making up a band she now knew was called *NSYNC, five people she’d never have given a second notice to had she seen them on the street, were a national phenomenon.  Who knew?

 

Jocelyn was pulled back from her thoughts when she heard them thanking the audience for being so attentive.  “We’d also like to thank two very special guests of ours, Jocelyn and Claire.”  JC grinned down at them from his place on the stage, and all five of them waved wildly at the two girls.  Claire jumped up and down on her seat until Jocelyn managed to get her to stand still, afraid she’d fall off.  As the ushers started to herd the crowd of screaming girls out of the arena, JC and Justin hopped off the stage and made their way in Jocelyn’s direction. 

 

Girls were trying desperately to touch the two of them as they moved through the crowd, and the guys weren’t phased in the least.  They reached out and shook hands, offering a grin or a wink whenever possible.  Lance and Joey sat on the edge of the stage with their legs dangling off, and Chris ran over to the drums and tried to play his own rendition of Wipe Out.

 

“Hey girls, how’d you like it?” Justin asked, holding his hand out for the traditional high five from Claire.

 

“Good,” she said, slapping his palm.

 

“Just good?”  Justin pretended to be hurt.

 

“Grrrrrreat!” Claire shouted, jumping on her chair again.  This time Jocelyn picked her up.

 

“Careful,” she warned.  “You guys did sound great,” Jocelyn agreed.  “I had no idea.”  She laughed.  “I’ve spent four years completely consumed by this munchkin.”  She squeezed Claire’s cheek and Claire swiped her hand away, shooting her mother a dirty look.

 

“Well, thank you,” JC said.  “Come on, we’ve gotta get backstage.”  Lance and Joey hopped off the stage and jogged to keep up with them.  “Come on, Chris!”  Chris pouted and put the drumsticks down.

 

“You like?” Lance asked Jocelyn.

 

“Very much,” she said.  “Can’t wait for tonight!”

 

“Do you really think so?”  Justin raised his eyebrows in surprise.

 

“Sure.”  Lance shrugged.

 

“Wait, you’re telling me you think Harry Potter is going to be more of a classic than the Goonies?”

 

“Harry Potter is going to be a movie marvel,” Lance said.  “All the kids already love it.”

 

“But—but—the Goonies is a classic!” Justin protested.  “A prime example of fine American filmmaking during the 1980’s.  That kind of quality doesn’t compare to Hollywood magic nowadays.  Today everything’s based on big budgets and impressive special effects.”

 

“Kinda like our show, huh?” Lance observed.

 

“Do you know what cracks me up?” Chris asked.  “Hairy bald guys.  It’s like a total oxymoron.”

 

“You’re an oxymoron,” Justin said.

 

“Have you called Rogaine yet?”  Joey asked, leaning over Chris’s head and examining his hair, “Because pretty soon you’re going to BE one of those hairy bald guys.”

 

“Hey!  Leave me alone.”

 

“Yeah, leave the old guy alone,” JC said from his position at the pinball machine.  He had one foot up on a milk crate and Claire was straddling his knee, trying her hardest to reach the buttons at both sides of the machine.  JC was helping her a little when the ball got too close to the hole for comfort.  Her pink tongue was visible between her lips as she worked the levers expertly—when the ball was at the top of the machine.  She cheered when her points went up, from virtually no doing of her own, but it made her feel good.  JC grinned.  “You’re doing well, kiddo,” he said.  Claire beamed.

 

The ball rolled straight down the middle of the machine and even JC couldn’t save it.  “Darn!” he said.  “Good game, Shorty.”  He lowered her to the floor.

 

“Did you see, Mommy?”  Jocelyn nodded enthusiastically, grinning at her daughter.

 

Claire squatted down at JC’s feet and started trying to tie his laces.

 

“She’s been working on learning to tie shoes,” Jocelyn explained.

 

“Does she go to pre-school?” JC asked.

 

“Last year she did, and she’ll start again a couple weeks.”

 

“Hey!” JC exclaimed as Claire pulled as hard as she could on his laces.  She looked up at him and dissolved into giggles.  “Come here, you!”  He bent down and scooped her up around the waist so that the top half of her body hung upside down.  That made her laugh harder.  He balanced Claire’s small body in one of his arms and let the fingers on his other hand find her ribs.  “How many ribs do you have?”  He asked.  “One… two…” Claire wiggled and squirmed and shrieked with laughter.  Lance, Joey, Chris and Justin all turned to see what the commotion was.  Oliver barked, dropping the bone he had been working on.

 

JC’s eyes were wrinkled in laughter as he lowered Claire to the floor.  She immediately reached up and tried her darndest to get her hands on his ribs.  JC twisted, trying to get away from the tiny fingers.

 

“Help me, Mommy!” Claire squealed.  Jocelyn looked at the other four guys.  Chris nodded and grinned devilishly.  Jocelyn shrugged and attacked JC’s ribs from behind.

 

Lance looked at Joey and raised one eyebrow.  Joey grinned and nodded.  They saw it.

 

“Okay, okay, I give up!  You got me!”  JC raised his hands in defeat, breathing deeply from laughing so hard.  His cheeks hurt, he had a stitch in his side, and his eyes were watering.  He hadn’t laughed that hard in a good, long time.  “Whew!  I’m pooped!”  JC plopped himself onto the couch, stretching out his long limbs.

 

“Big surprise,” Justin said to Lance.  “He’s always tired!”

 

Lance pushed himself up off the floor and went into the dressing room to start getting ready.  Joey did the same.

 

Chris and Justin, in some spontaneous attempt at being productive, started running through a spot in one of their dances they always had a little trouble with.  “No, it’s cross, then jump,” Justin said, demonstrating.

 

“I wanted to thank you for the weekend,” Jocelyn said, sitting next to JC.  Claire had found the coloring book Chris had bought for her that morning and was laying on her stomach on the floor trying her best to stay within the lines.

 

“Weekend’s not over,” JC said.

 

“I know, but it’s been amazing so far.  With all the stress I’ve been having lately, it’s really, really good to just get away from all of it, even for a day.  So thank you.”

 

“You really have it rough, don’t you?”  JC asked, concern flooding his blue eyes.

 

“I do what I have to do, that’s all.”  Jocelyn shrugged.  “I just want the best for Claire.  She’s everything to me.  As soon as she goes to school, I think I’m going to try to get some kind of degree.  Even if all I can do is get an associate’s, and even if it takes me ten years to do it.  I want to be able to tell my daughter that her mom went to college.  I would have never, ever, never in a million years, have guessed my life would turn out like this.”  She took a deep breath and let it out.

 

JC urged her to go on with his eyes. 

 

“You know, I was valedictorian of my senior class.  I was in the National Honors Society.  I sang with the choir.  I was going to be a lawyer, like my dad.  I had all these big plans…”

 

“You can still do all those things,” JC said, touching her knee gently.

 

“I know.  And I wouldn’t ask for my life to be different.  Claire is better than a sheet of paper saying I memorized a bunch of law books.  I wouldn’t give her up for the world.  It’s just… hard.”  She glanced at Claire, making sure she was out of earshot.  Lowering her voice, she continued.  “I never planned on getting pregnant.  I thought I was going to marry Kevin.  We had both gotten accepted to the same school.  When he left us, he went to college.  He didn’t want to be a ‘working-class man’ for the rest of his life.  He told me he had good things in his future.  I know I have good things in my future, too, they’re just not the same things I saw for myself five years ago.”  Jocelyn had made a pact with herself never to bad-mouth Claire’s father and never ever to hint that Claire might have been a mistake.

 

JC nodded.  “I feel really lucky for everything I have.  Music is my life, and I’m so fortunate I get to do what I love every day.  But I really admire everything you’ve given up for Claire.  She’s a great kid.  You’re a great mom.”  Sometimes it was hard for him to remember Jocelyn was only twenty-two.  She had wisdom beyond her years.   The two of them had really clicked, and it was hard to remember they had only met twenty-four hours earlier.

 

“Thanks, JC.”  She looked into his clear blue eyes and saw true sincerity there.  His hand was next to hers on the couch, and his pinky finger moved to brush hers. 

 

“Hey, JC!  Plannin’ on puttin’ on a show tonight?”  Justin stuck his head around the door.

 

“Hell, yeah!”  JC patted Jocelyn’s knee and jumped up from the couch, throwing her one last grin as he bounded into the dressing room.

 

Jocelyn pulled her knees up to her chest and locked her arms around them, resting her chin on her left knee.  She sighed.  Why were these guys being so nice to her?  They had taken her in, bought her clothes, and were taking her to a concert.  And they seemed to truly love her little girl.  And that was the most important thing of all.

 

JC jumped up and down, shaking his arms out.  He stretched his neck, sticking his chin as far into the air as it would go.  He rolled his shoulders.  He was ready.  “Let’s go,” he said, running in place a bit.  Chris was standing next to him, shaking out every conceivable part of his body, including his tongue.  He wiped the spit off his face with the back of his hand.

 

“I’m ready,” Chris said, grinning.

 

“The Dirty Dog Didn’t Dare think that Doing Duty was that Dastardly,” Lance said, over enunciating every word. 

 

“Lemon face!”  Joey cried out, remembering an exercise he’d done in high school before performances.  The four of them scrunched their faces into the sourest expression, following Joey’s lead.  “Lion face!” he yelled.  They all opened their eyes and mouths as wide as they could.  “Where’s Justin?  Justin!  Lemon face!”

 

“I’m coming, I’m coming!” Justin shouted from somewhere in the back of the dressing room.

 

“Did you do your lemon face?” Joey asked.  Justin walked out of the room with his face as scrunched as possible.  “Lion face,” Chris instructed.  Justin complied. 

 

“Alright, I think we’re good to go!” JC said, bouncing a few more times for good measure.  Jocelyn and Claire would be in the front row, right in the middle.  JC had had to pull a couple of strings, but it hadn’t been hard.  He didn’t want them to just see the concert – he wanted them to experience all the concert had to offer.

 

They could hear the crowd screaming wildly as they made their way out onto the stage.

 

Jocelyn got chills.  This was unlike anything she had ever been part of before.  She and Claire had missed most of the warm-up bands, but she didn’t mind.  They both felt sharp in their new outfits, and Claire wasn’t the least bit tired, even at this late hour.  In fact, Jocelyn had to do everything she could to keep Claire from jumping right out of her seat.

 

The guys were great.  Amazing, even.  She had received winks and grins from all of them.  What she was even more amazed at was the magnitude of fans.  How could she have missed something this big?  How could she have lived right here in America and never have heard of *NSYNC?  It was because she didn’t own a TV, nor would she probably have had time to watch one if she did.  It was because the radio in her car was broken, so she and Claire listened to old cassette tapes while they drove.  She knew why, but she just couldn’t believe she’d allowed herself to miss out.

 

The only thing putting a damper on the night was the knowledge that tomorrow afternoon she would be dropped off in a small town outside of Minneapolis.  She would go back to her life of not knowing what was coming next, where her next paycheck would come from, or if she was going to be able to give Claire a birthday present next month.  She glanced at the little girl on the chair next to her and realized that tomorrow would come as a huge letdown for her, too.

 

Maybe they should just leave when the concert was over.  She wasn’t sure she wanted to deal with good-byes.  These five men had been so kind and generous to her, she wasn’t sure how to thank them in return.

 

When the last song was preformed, the roar of the crowd was deafening.  Claire had to cover her ears, but she still screamed right along with everyone.  Jocelyn laughed and let out a whoop or two of her own, clapping until her hands hurt.  The energy on stage had almost floored her.  How could they dance like that, singing all the while, for that long?  ‘Endurance training’ popped into her head.  Before the lights went down, she caught JC wink in her direction.  No, she wasn’t going to leave straight from the concert.  She had to say good-bye.  She owed them at least that much.

 

Jocelyn and Claire took a cab back to the hotel.  A cab that had already been paid for.  Claire had been sound asleep in her mother’s arms before they even made their way out of the arena, so Jocelyn put her right to bed and sat up flipping through channels on the TV, waiting to hear the guys’ arrival.

 

It was almost forty minutes later when she heard the familiar sounds of their voices as the elevator doors opened.  She tiptoed out of the room and greeted them in the hallway.

 

“Great concert,” she said, grinning.

 

“Thanks!  We knew you’d like it,” Justin said, returning the toothy smile.  “Anyone wanna go out to celebrate?”  He looked at the five faces in front of him and waggled his eyebrows mischievously.

 

“I’m up for it,” Joey said.

 

“This old man’s tired,” Chris said.  “I need some shut-eye.”

 

“Me too,” Lance said, stifling a yawn.

 

“JC?”  Justin wiggled his eyebrows again.  “I know you want to come!  I bet the party scene’s hopping in Minneapolis!”

 

“Nah, not tonight,” JC said, stealing a sideways glance at Jocelyn.

 

“Oooo, he wants to hang with his lady-friend,” Chris said.  Jocelyn blushed.

 

“I’m tired, okay guys?  Concerts take a lot out of me.  I need my beauty rest.”

 

Justin and Joey snickered.  They went to get ready to hit the town.

 

Lance and Chris stumbled off to fall into their perspective beds.  That left JC and Jocelyn standing in the hallway blinking at each other.

 

“So, you liked it?” JC asked.

 

“Oh, yes.  Very much.  So did Claire.  I couldn’t keep her in her seat!”

 

JC chuckled.  “I noticed.  I noticed you jumping around once or twice, too.”

 

Jocelyn blushed a little and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes.  “You saw that?”

 

JC just smiled.

 

They stood there a minute more, just breathing in the silence.  It was a comfortable silence.

 

“Well, I suppose I should let you get some sleep,” Jocelyn said.

 

“Actually, I’m starting to wake up a little,” JC said.  “Plus, Justin’s in there getting ready to go out.  Who can rest with all that commotion?  Would you want to maybe go down to the hotel restaurant and grab a cup of coffee or something?”

 

Jocelyn tipped her head at her room.  “Can’t.  Claire’s sleeping.”

 

“Oh.  Yeah.  Well, how about room service?  We can talk quietly.”

 

“Actually I think Claire could sleep through an earthquake.  That would be nice.”  She smiled and held the door open for JC.  She couldn’t believe she was here, sharing a hotel, let alone sitting in the same hotel room, with someone she now realized was one of the biggest pop artists in the country, even the world.

 

JC smiled affectionately at Claire as she slept soundly on the bed closest to the window, Oliver curled up at her feet.  “I see Chris opted to let the dog stay with you folks tonight?”

 

“He is my dog,” Jocelyn pointed out.  “So what did you want to talk about, Mr. JC?”

 

“Nothing in particular.  But I like hearing about Claire… and you.  Tell me your hopes and dreams, Ms. Jocelyn.”

 

“Not before we order our coffee, or we’ll both be asleep before I can get the first sentence out.”

 

“Consider it done,” JC said, picking up the phone.  He had two vanilla lattes and a couple croissants sent up.  “Is a vanilla latte okay?”

 

“Sounds good to me.  I don’t get to drink much fancy coffee.” She laughed.  JC loved her laugh.  “I wanted to thank you again for everything.  It’s been… absolutely wonderful.”  She leaned back away from the table and looked around the room.  “All of it.  It’s a dream.  I’m sorry I have to wake up tomorrow and go back to reality.”

 

“You could come with us,” JC said, only half joking.  He was surprised he’d said it at all.

 

“You know I can’t.  Claire starts pre-school again in a couple of weeks, and I have a job to find, an apartment to search out.  I’ve got my work cut out for me!”  She flexed her muscles and grinned.

 

“I know.  It’s just fun having you guys around.  Having Claire around.  She’s spunky and unpredictable and… well, she’s a lot like Chris.”  They both laughed. 

 

“Or Justin,” she added.  “She likes you guys, too.  I can tell.  She doesn’t warm up to just anyone, especially not as quickly as she did to you guys.”  JC loved the way Jocelyn’s eyes twinkled when she talked about her daughter.

 

Much the same way Jocelyn loved the way JC’s eyes lit up when he talked about his music.

 

There was a knock on the door.  “Room service,” JC said and stood from the table.  He returned a few seconds later with the coffees and croissants, handing her one of each.  “So tell me, Jocelyn… what’s your middle name?”

 

“Elizabeth,” she said, blowing gently into her coffee cup.  Steam rose from the foam.

 

“So tell me, Jocelyn Elizabeth Mitchell.  Tell me about yourself.  Your hopes, your dreams, your fears…”

 

“I don’t usually come out with my life story over pastries and coffee,” she said with a twinkle in her eye.  She sipped her coffee tentatively, hoping not to burn herself.

 

“You save that for tour buses with strangers and dressing room couches?” JC winked, taking a drink of his latte.

 

“Usually.” 

 

“The bus is just outside,” JC reminded her.

 

“And my daughter is sleeping in here.”  She smiled softly.

 

“What if I start?”

 

“I’m just afraid I’ve painted a picture of myself that’s… I don’t know.  I don’t even know what I’ve told you.  It’s weird.  When I started talking to you, things just came out.  Things I didn’t expect to say.  To anyone.  Things I sometimes don’t even admit to myself.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like about my family.  About why I’m twenty-two years old, living alone with my four-year-old daughter, struggling to get by.  I like to think it was my choice—”

 

“That’s not what you told me earlier. You told me your parents made you choose between them and Claire.”

 

“That’s true.  But I chose to leave them, and I keep telling myself that I gave up.  That I could have had it both ways if I’d been strong enough to work for it.  I can’t help but feel like Claire was an excuse for me to break away…”

 

“I don’t think that’s it at all.”  JC’s eyes were soft as he peered at her from across the table.

 

“No, I don’t either.  Tell me about your family, JC.”

 

JC sat back in the chair.  Jocelyn watched as a calm washed over his face, as his eyebrows unfurrowed themselves and any pain or concern escaped completely from his eyes.

 

“That’s all I need to know,” Jocelyn said softly.

 

“What?”

 

“The way you looked right now when I asked you about your family.  The love is written all over your face.  It’s completely unmistakable.  I wish I had that.”

 

“I do love them.  I’d give up the world for them.  My mom, she’s the greatest.  The absolute greatest woman alive.  But Jocelyn, you do have that.  You have that with Claire.  I see a lot of my mom in you.  She and my dad struggled when we were kids.  Things weren’t always easy.  But the love was always there in surplus.  And that made everything okay.  The hard times weren’t as hard, and they were soon forgotten, because we were always there for each other.  She’s supported me in every decision I’ve made.  Everything.  I know that I’ve got my family behind me 100%, and I’m behind them 100% in return.  I see that with you and Claire.  She thinks the world of you, Jocelyn, and that’s really what matters.”

 

JC was becoming blurry across the small table as Jocelyn’s eyes welled up with tears.  “Thank you,” she whispered.  JC wanted to reach out to her, to touch her and comfort her, but Jocelyn pulled her arms around herself.  So he just watched her.

 

“And the guys, they’re the best friends I could ask for,” JC continued.  “Friends are as important as family.  Remember that.  What you can’t find in your family you can find in good friends.”

 

“I listen to you talk about your family, JC, and I think, why aren’t all families like that?  But mine wasn’t.  I am an only child, born to two professionals who I firmly believe gave birth to a child to fulfill their sense of well-being, not because they really wanted me.  They were always selfish.  I hate saying that—I hate speaking poorly of the two people who granted me life, but that’s really all I have to thank them for.  They gave me all the opportunities in the world, but they have not supported me.  Did you know that they didn’t come to a single one of my concerts?  I sang with the choir starting in the second grade.  Every year up through high school, and they didn’t come to hear me once.  Not once.  They didn’t come to my ballet recitals, not to my violin performances.  They didn’t come see my play basketball in junior high, not even in the championship game.  They weren’t at my National Honors Society induction, they didn’t come to see any of the plays I worked on.  We never had a “family day” at the zoo or the movies.  From the time I was a kid I had various babysitters watching me after school while my parents worked.  They always told me it was in order to provide for me, but when they had the chance to support me, they threw me out instead.”  Jocelyn spoke evenly and without emotion.

 

“You asked me what my hopes, dreams and fears are,” she continued.  “I’m afraid I will fail.  Fail my daughter, fail myself, fail someone.  I feel like I’m just wandering aimlessly through life right now.  I do what needs to be done to get through the here and now, but I don’t have much of a plan.  My hopes and dreams are that I am able to give Claire everything she needs, and maybe a few things she wants.  And I’m going to give her all the love in the world.  I hope to be able to provide for her as best I can.  I dream of going back to school to finish my education.  I hope to be a role model for Claire.  I hope to find the man of my dreams, someone who can be a father to her.  I also hope to be independent enough not to need him.”  She laughed, then, trying to lift the seriousness. 

 

“You’re more of a success already than you can imagine,” JC said.  “I know you’ll be able to do everything for Claire you want to, and maybe something for yourself in the meantime.  I don’t doubt that you will get your degree.  You’re already a role model to Claire, and you’ll find your Prince Charming.  I have no doubts.”

 

Jocelyn was a little shocked at the depth to which she’d gone into her life story.  She couldn’t get over the pull JC seemed to have on her.  He made her want to share all of her deep-down secrets.  She had never felt so comfortable talking to another person in all her life.

 

“Thank you.  And what about you, JC—what is your whole name, anyway?”

 

“Oh, I forgot.  You don’t follow the fan magazines.”  He flashed her a quick smile.  “Joshua Scott.  Chasez.  That’s where the C comes in.”

 

“So tell me your hopes and fears, Joshua Scott Chasez.”  She was done sharing the depressing feelings she had for her family.  She was ready to listen fully to what he had to say.  She settled her chin on her hands and gazed at him with pure green eyes.

 

“Fame and fortune.  That’s all I need.”  He sipped his latte.  “No, seriously.  I want the same things everyone else does.  I want security.  I want to feel safe.  I want to be happy.  I want to be able to make music for as long as that makes me happy, and to realize that it’s time to quit when it stops doing that for me.  I’m afraid of failing, too.  I’m afraid of letting down myself, the guys, my family, the fans.  I’m afraid of not staying true to myself.  I need to remember who I am and what’s important to me before I can do anything else, and I’m afraid of losing that.”  He sighed.

 

“You won’t lose that, JC.”

 

“I was starting to feel it,” he said, looking at her across the table.  This was something he’d barely admitted to himself, let alone saying it out loud to another person.  “I was starting to get wrapped up in everything we’ve got going for us.  Awards, adoring fans, money… it all looks really good at the moment.”

 

“I don’t blame you.” Jocelyn smiled.  All of those things sounded pretty good to her, too.

 

“You know, running into you kind of snapped me out of that, I think.”  He chewed on a piece of croissant.  “I mean, I have to admit I was a little surprised when you didn’t know who we were.”

 

Jocelyn laughed.  “I am too, after seeing all the hype tonight.  I’ve just been so consumed with Claire—”

 

“That’s just it.  You know what’s important to you.  And I do too, deep down.  Family, love, all of that is so much more important than fame and fortune and being worshipped by thousands of people I’ll never know.  You showed me that again.  I want a family.  I want to feel needed, and I’m afraid I’ll never find that.  I’m afraid of people seeing me as just the ‘C’ of *NSYNC.  I want someone—one special person, whoever that may be—to see me as Josh.”

 

Jocelyn concentrated on sipping her coffee. She pulled a piece out of her croissant and put it in her mouth, letting the buttery bread melt there.  She swallowed.  She had only known this man for two days.  It was ridiculous to let the thought enter her mind that it was she that he was talking about.   She looked up and found herself staring right into JC’s crystal blue eyes.  He shifted in his chair and his knee brushed hers under the table.

 

“I-- ”she cleared her throat.  “JC…”

 

“What?” he asked, his eyes widening innocently.

 

“Thank you.”  A slow smile crept onto her face.  “Thank you for bringing me here.  Thank you for this outfit, and for Claire’s outfit, and for the clothes you bought us to wear tomorrow, and for her *NSYNC Fan Barbie Doll and for taking us to the concert and for everything.  Thank you for listening to me, and for talking to me.  Thank you for this weekend.”

 

“It’s not over yet,” he reminded her.  “And it wasn’t just me.  All the guys helped.  All the guys loved having you two with us.”

 

 “I know.  They’re wonderful. You’re all wonderful!  I don’t know how to thank you five enough, I really don’t.”  She laughed then.  “This is crazy!  It’s what dreams are made of.  And on that note…” she finished the rest of her latte and popped the rest of her croissant into her mouth, “I’m going to bed.”  She swallowed and stood up from the table.

 

JC followed suit, stuffing the rest of his bread into his mouth and washing it down with the remaining coffee.  “Good night, Jocelyn.”  He leaned over and brushed his lips across her cheek as he walked by.  He was out the door by the time it registered to her.

 

Jocelyn had forgotten to set her alarm and awoke to Oliver’s whimpering.  “He has to go, Mommy,” Claire said, sitting attentively on the edge of the bed.  She had the TV on with the volume low.  Jocelyn recognized ‘Sesame Street’ immediately.

 

“Don’t get too used to watching TV,” Jocelyn said with a smile, reaching over and ruffling Claire’s hair.  Claire turned the set off.  Jocelyn pulled herself out from under the covers and wrapped a robe around herself.  She clipped Oliver’s leash to his collar, took Claire’s hand, and made her way down through the lobby and out to the dog-walking area.

 

When he was done, the three of them went back up to the room.  It was almost 10:00, but there was no sign of any of the guys.  Jocelyn gave Claire a bath and then showered herself.  By the time she emerged from the bathroom, Claire had dressed herself in her new shorts and t-shirt.  She was grinning proudly.

 

There was still no sign of life on the floor when Jocelyn peeked out of the room.  She looked at her watch.  Quarter of eleven.  Hmmm.  The security guard was still seated by the elevator, so she knew they hadn’t left without her.  She retreated back into the room and turned on the television, a rare commodity.

 

At eleven fifteen there was a knock on her door.  Not just a knock, an excited pounding.

 

“What?” she asked, pulling the door open.  There stood Justin, JC, Lance, Joey, and Chris, all grinning like small children waiting to be praised for something they had done.  She couldn’t help but burst into laughter at the sight of them.

 

“Good morning!” Claire said brightly, receiving a high-five from each of them.

 

“Morning, Little C,” Justin said, trying hard to contain the smile everyone could tell was just bursting to get out.  “Good morning, Joss.”

 

“We had a meeting this morning,” Lance said, still grinning mischievously.   Jocelyn caught a flash of something in his green eyes.

 

“So is that why it’s been a ghost town since I got up?” Jocelyn asked.

 

“We wanted to do something for you, to thank you for keeping us company this weekend,” Lance continued.

 

“We thought about a lollipop, but that wouldn’t last long enough,” Chris said.

 

“So…” Justin stepped forward a little.  “Here.”  He held out a little box to Jocelyn.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“Open it,” JC urged.  He couldn’t keep the glitter out of his eyes.

 

“Wait!” Joey stopped them.  “Here, this is for you.”  He handed Claire a box to unwrap as well.

 

Jocelyn lifted the lid off her box and pulled out a key attached to an *NSYNC key ring.  “What, is this the key to all your hearts?” she asked.

 

“Awwww, she wants the key to our hearts,” Chris said, putting a hand to his chest dramatically.  “Isn’t that sweet?”

 

“No, it’s the key to your apartment,” JC said.  He couldn’t control his grin anymore.

 

“My apartment?  How did you get this?”  She was confused.  She was about to move out of her apartment.  Had JC taken the key from her purse last night, just to give her a key chain?

 

“We signed the lease tentatively this morning,” Lance said, beaming.  “It’s got your name on it, all it needs is your signature.”

 

“You found me an apartment I can afford?”  Things were not sinking in.

 

“Actually, the first year’s rent is already paid.”  JC smiled sheepishly.

 

“Mommy, what’s this?”  Claire was holding up a blue t-shirt that read ‘Happy House Learning Center’ across the front.

 

“That is a pre-school,” Justin said. 

 

“It’s an all-day program,” Joey piped in.  “So you can get a part-time job and go to school part-time, too.”

 

“It’s the best pre-school in Minneapolis,” JC added.  “Not a daycare.  A pre-school.  She’ll be learning things.”

 

Tears welled up in Jocelyn’s eyes.  Was this happening?  Was this true?  It couldn’t be.

 

“Man, I’m pooped.  We been busy this morning!” Justin exclaimed, stretching for effect.

 

“No.  I can’t accept this.  Any of it.  It’s too much.  What have I done for you?  Nothing!  Not a thing.  You all have been so nice to me, and for what reason?  Because my dog ran in front of your bus and almost got people killed?  Because I interrupted your schedule, forced two of you into the same hotel room, and have let you buy me things?  I don’t want charity.  I should have stopped you long ago.  I can’t accept this.”

 

“You can, and you will.  What you’ve done for us, Jocelyn Elizabeth, is you’ve kept us company.  You’ve been a reality check.  You’re selfless and committed and a true role model to anyone.  I’ve never met someone who works as hard as you, who cares as much as you do, who loves as much as you do.  I’ve never met anyone like you.  We put on the best damn show of our careers last night, and you know why?  Because you and Claire were in the audience.  You’ve given everything you have and more to Claire, and you deserve something in return.  We’ve been given so many things in life, and we’re so very grateful, but it’s our turn to return the favor.”

 

Tears were running freely down Jocelyn’s face.  “Mommy?”  Claire didn’t know what was going on.  Jocelyn pulled her daughter close, rubbing her hand through Claire’s silky hair.

 

“It’s okay sweetie,” she whispered, and felt Claire’s little arms circle around her hips.

 

Jocelyn stepped away from Claire and pulled Justin first into an embrace.  She clung tightly to him and sniffled.

 

“Here.”  Chris offered her a hankie.  “Don’t mess up Justin’s shirt.”  He winked.  Jocelyn took the handkerchief from Chris and let go of Justin.  She blew her nose and handed it back.  “Eww, no.  I don’t want it,” Chris said, scrunching up his nose.  That made Jocelyn laugh.  She wiped her eyes, then gave Lance, Joey and Chris hugs.

 

She turned to JC.  “Don’t you want to see your new home?” he asked.  He slipped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her to him.  She let her head rest against his shoulder for a minute.  Justin lifted Claire up and Chris took Oliver’s leash.  Joey and Lance grabbed the remaining bags and followed everyone into the elevator.

 

The bus pulled up in front of a recently-built apartment building in a bright neighborhood in Minneapolis.  “The pre-school’s about two blocks that way,” Lance said, pointing.  Chris was jumping up and down, eager to show her the inside.

 

“Come on!” he said.

 

Jocelyn stuck the key into the door of what was to be her very-own first-floor apartment.  She gasped as she looked inside.  The place was beautiful.  There were soft gray carpets and blue couches with specks of purple, green, and red running throughout.  “We thought the furnishings might at least be semi-Claire-proof,” Justin said with a grin.

 

“And Oliver-proof,” Chris added.

 

“There’s not furniture in every room,” Joey said, apologetically.  “The couches were here.”

 

“I do own a couple things,” Jocelyn said with a grin.

 

There was a hand-drawn sign above the kitchen door that read “Welcome to Your New Home.  We Hope You *NJOY it.”  It was signed by all five men.

 

“Hey, Little C!  Come here!  I want to show you something outside!”  Justin held out his hand, which Claire took.  Joey, Lance and Chris bounded after them.

 

“This is beautiful.”  Jocelyn felt the tears tighten her throat.  “It’s… it’s too much!  It really is!”  She sniffled and dug Chris’s handkerchief out of her pocket.

 

Her hands were shaking as she wiped her eyes.  “I want your dreams to come true,” JC said softly.  “I want you to be able to give Claire what she needs, and hopefully some of what she wants.  And I want for you to be able to give you some of what you want, too.  I know this won’t cover everything, but maybe it will take some stress off ya.  And they allow dogs!”

 

Jocelyn’s resolve crumbled and her shoulders shook.  She was somewhere between laughing and crying.  She had never had anyone be so nice to her in her entire life.  JC folded her into his strong arms, stroking her hair gently.  She wrapped her arms around his back and clung to him as if her knees were going to give out.  She wasn’t entirely sure they wouldn’t.

 

“We didn’t think this would upset you!” JC said, pulling back just enough to look into Jocelyn’s face.

 

“No, it doesn’t.  I mean… it’s shocking.  It’s amazing.  You guys are really doing all of this for me?  But… why?”

 

“Because you’re you.  You’re special.  You may not see it yet, but it’s there.  The guys—we all saw it.  You grounded us a little, I think.  Showed us what’s important.  We see it in your daughter, too.  You go be the best mom you can be.”  He kissed her forehead then, warm, soft lips against her skin.

 

Jocelyn looked up into those eyes as blue as an ocean.  “Thank you.  Again.  Thank you again.  I feel like I’ve only been saying thank you lately.  I don’t deserve this.  I--”

 

“Shhhh,” JC whispered, hugging her tighter.  She reached up then and found his mouth.  A quick, short kiss.  A kiss of thanks.  Even that quick brush sent tingles throughout Jocelyn’s body.  JC felt it, too.  He leaned in, then, finding her lips again.  He was gentle and kind and cautious and loving, asking her permission with his body language.  A warmth rose from Jocelyn’s stomach, spreading out to the tips of her fingers and toes, all the way up into her nose.  She ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck.   All the emotion she had kept bottled up inside her for god knows how long was released into that kiss.

 

JC didn’t want the kiss to end.  Here, in his arms, was a truly remarkable woman.  She had come to them by fate and had been a bright light in the midst of a tough schedule.  The fact that she’d had no previous knowledge of the five men known as *NSYNC still baffled him, but it made him like her even more.  He’d known this woman only a few days and he felt like he’d known her all his life.

 

“Oooooooo!” 

 

Chris’s call interrupted the kiss.  Jocelyn pulled away and licked her lips, not particularly wanting to look anyone in the eye.  So she looked at her shoe.  There was a scuff on the top.

“JC and Jocelyn, sittin’ in a tree…” Justin started.  Chris elbowed him in the ribs.  “Ow!”

 

“Mommy, there’s a playground outside!  And a place for Oliver to play!”  Claire was jumping up and down excitedly.  “Do we really get to live here?”

 

Jocelyn looked each guy square in the face.  If this was a joke…  They were all nodding, all telling her with their eyes that this apartment was hers, and that it had been a unanimous decision to do this for her.

 

“I really don’t know how to thank you,” she said.

 

“I do,” Justin said, stepping forward.  He pulled a piece of paper out and scrawled something on it.  “Call this number.  It’s JC’s cell phone.  I can tell right now that he’s gonna be a miserable son of a gun to be around for the next couple months if you don’t.  You’ll be doing us all a favor.”  He pushed the paper into Jocelyn’s hand.

 

“So I really get to live here, huh?  No catch?”

 

“No catch!” they all said together.

 

“But you can’t start living here until you sign the lease.  The apartment guy’s doing us a huge favor by letting us do this on a Sunday.  We had to call the guy at home.  And it’s already almost one o’clock.  If we’re going to grab some lunch—“

 

“All you think of is food, Joey!” Justin exclaimed.  Joey grinned sheepishly.

 

“Well, let’s get a move on then!”  Jocelyn was actually starting to feel good about this.  “Do you want to live here, Claire?”  Claire nodded enthusiastically.  “Then it’s settled.  Let’s go sign that lease!”

 

The lease signing took no more than ten minutes.  There was nothing in there to cause Jocelyn worry.  This really was a clean deal.  They all went to lunch about halfway between the apartment office and Jocelyn’s old apartment.  They were in front of her driveway in no time, and it was time to say good-bye.

 

“’Bye, Lance,” Claire said.  Lance gave her a low five, and then scooped her up into a hug.

 

“Good-bye, kiddo.  We’ll miss you.”

 

“Bye-bye, Joey.”  Claire gave him a high five, and then he bent and kissed her cheek.

 

“Bye JC.”  Claire looked sad when she stopped in front of him.  She gave him a low five, then threw herself into his arms for a hug.

 

“Bye Claire.  I’ll see you again, though.”

 

“Promise?”

 

“Promise.”

 

“Bye Justin.”  She gave him a high five, and then went for the hug as well.

 

“Good-Bye, Claire Mitchell.  Hey, promise me you’ll come watch the rest of Snow White with me sometime.  And we won’t fall asleep.”

 

“Only if we can play some viddy-games too!”

 

“Deal.”

 

“Bye Chris.”  Chris held out his hand for a low five, and then pulled it away before she could slap it.  Claire giggled.

 

“Kid’s cute when she laughs.  Hey Munchkin, take care of my dog for me, alright?”

 

“He’s my dog!”  She grinned.

 

“Well, tell Oliver he can come by and play any time.”  Claire nodded.

 

Jocelyn hugged each guy tightly and kissed their cheeks.  “Thank you for everything.  For an amazing weekend, for taking me to your show, for showing me that there are decent males out there yet!”

 

They all laughed.  Joey squeezed Jocelyn’s arm and boarded the bus.  Lance gave her another quick hug and followed Joey.  Chris grinned a goofy grin and bounded up the steps.  Justin kissed her on her cheek and ducked through the bus door.

 

“You’ll really call me?” JC asked, peering into her eyes.

 

Jocelyn nodded.  “When I get a phone.”  She grinned.  JC pulled her into a tight hug and gave her one more kiss.  “Thank you.  Thank you for everything and more, Josh.”  She stepped away as he got onto the bus.  It was like a movie—the heroes mounting their horses, or in this case, tour bus, and riding off into the sunset.  Jocelyn stood holding Claire’s hand and Oliver’s leash and they waved as the bus pulled away.  “Let’s get started on our new life.”

 

The bus was quiet.  Joey was at the table listening to his disc man and doodling on a piece of paper absently.  Lance was in the chair, legs thrown over one arm, reading a book.  Justin and Chris were battling each other in James Bond, volume off.  No one wanted to disturb JC.  He was on his bunk, knees up, hands folded behind his head, just looking at the ceiling. 

 

“Gotcha, sucker!” Justin hissed under his breath.

 

“Man!  That was no fair,” Chris protested quietly.

 

“How about some Sonic?” Justin asked. “For Claire.”  Chris nodded.

 

“Justin will use any excuse to play another video game,” Lance whispered, still engrossed in his book.  Justin stuck his tongue out at Lance.

 

The game started.

 

“Justin, watch out for the hole!” Chris hissed.  Justin’s Sonic fell in.  “Weren’t you just coaching Claire on that the other day?” Chris whispered, stifling laughter.

 

“Shut up,” Justin whispered back.  “I wasn’t concentrating.”

 

“You guys don’t have to be quiet on account of me,” JC said, turning to look at them.  Four pairs of eyes were on him.

 

“You doing alright?” Justin asked.

 

“Yeah, I am.”  JC sat up.  “She’ll call.”  He grinned.

 

 

 

 

END PART ONE

Part Two