They had just picked her up from the hospital.

"Home," her mother answered.

"But, home is east. We're driving west."

"You burnt that house. Remember, Allison?" Her father reminded, "So,  we moved."

"But, Lance? I can't leave Lance."

"He's gone, too. His parents moved him away. They moved down south."

"What do you expect me to do without him? He's my only friend!"

"His parents don't want him around you anymore. They're afraid you're alk him into doing something stupid, too."

"If he moved down south, so will we. I can't live without him! The only reason I'm alive is because of him."

"Keep driving, Michael," Mrs. Gates instructed.

"Where are we driving? Where are we going?" Allison asked.

"Home."

"But, I want to find Lance!"

"No! End of discussion!" Mr. Gates snapped.
 

 Before long Allison found herself pulling up into her parents' driveway, walking up the stone path to the front door. What am I doing?  Why am I here?  I haven't seen them in five years.

 She found herself knocking on the door, and before long her mother opened it.

 "Hi, Mom."

"Allison?" She asked.

Allison confirmed it was she by smiling and shaking her head yes.

"Allison!" Her mother screamed happily, wrapping her arms around her.  "Honey! I'm so glad you're here! We thought you were dead!" Her mother now had tears running down her face.

"What's all the yelling for, Katherine?" A booming voice asked.

"Daddy?" She asked, pulling away from her mother's embrace.

"Ally?" Mr. Gates ran to the door to see if he had heard right. If he had truly heard the voice of his runaway daughter. "Ally!" He wrapped his arms around her.

"Come on, Michael. Let her come inside. It's cold," Mrs. Gates said, pulling gently on her husband's shoulder, signaling for him to back away.

 Reluctantly, he pulled away, and the three entered the living room.

Allison sat in a white, floral armchair, while her parents sat across from her on a matching couch.

"So, Honey, where have you been? You disappeared five years ago, without as much as a phone call to let us know you were all right," her mother started.

"I left you a note."

"We still have that-"

"I left you a note. But, that doesn't condone what I did to you. And, I'm sorry. I'm not going to make any excuses. You're my parents, and I shouldn't have worried you like I did," Allison apologized.

"Did you find him?" Mr. Gates asked. "In your letter, you said you were going to look for Lance."

"At first, I set out to find him. But, instead, I decided I needed help.  If I found Lance, I didn't want him to see me like I was.  He saw me like that for too long. I wanted him to see a new, improved me," Allison began.  "So, I found a place. I got help. I was tired of being depressed. I wanted to know what happiness felt like. So, I got help.

"I didn't want to call you, to tell you, because I wasn't sure if it would work or not. I didn't want to get your hopes up. But, I'm fine, now. It took me five years, but I'm finally stronger. No longer a piece of glass anymore. I can fall, and not break."

"You got help? Willingly?" Her mother asked.

"Yes. And, it worked."

"The suicide thoughts? The attempts?"

"I haven't attempted in two years. But, I think about it. Just, not as often."

"But, you still think about it?"

"Mom, Dad, I'm always going to have it in the back of my mind. But, I  know I'm strong enough to not give in to it, anymore."
 

"Why? Why am I thinking about this again? It's been five years!"

"Lance, I can't tell you why," his mother told him.

Justin, Chris, JC, and Joey  had dropped their friend off at his home. Lance was now sitting on the couch, his head in his hands.

"It's really doing a number on me, Mom. I didn't even realize I was on the stage!" He raised his head, his eyes meeting his mother's, "I went back five years. I was fifteen again. I was trying to get to Allison. Trying to save her."

"Lance, it was the past. I'm sure she's moved on. You have to do the same. Move on," she told him as she placed a comforting arm around her son.

"Do you think she moved on, Mom? Or do you really think she gave up? Because, I don't know! I wasn't there! I wasn't there to help her!" He stood, and looked at his mother sitting down. "I wouldn't know, Mom! I don't know if she's twenty, or still fifteen and six feet under! I didn't get my chance to help her!"

"Lance, Honey. Calm down."

"You told me to move on, because Allison had. But, you don't know that!" He turned towards the stairs.

"Lance?"

"What?" He asked, whirling around.

His mother stood from the couch, and gave him a hug.
 

"Lance!" Allison called to him suddenly.

"Yes?" He asked, turning around.

She ran to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him on he cheek, and walked away.

He called to her as she ran next door. "Allison, please?! You promised e! You said you wouldn't do anything stupid!"

"I know," she called back. "I'm doing something smart."
 

"Excuse me," Lance said, pulling out of his mother's arms, and went up the stairs.

Fighting back his tears, he went to his room, closing the door behind him. Reaching his arms under his bed, he pulled a shoe box out. Sitting himself on his bed, he opened the box, and lifted a small, framed picture of he and a girl with long, brown hair, pulled into a pony tail. Her eyes were brown and sad. Her smile showed her perfect, pearly teeth, yet no happiness shown through. Beside her, was Lance. His green-yellow eyes were twinkling, with a perfect smile full of life, full of happiness. The two were fifteen in that picture, that was taken two weeks before the fire.

As much as he tried, he couldn't fight the tears any longer. They flowed freely, as he clutched the picture close to him.
 
 

The Next Day...
 

"Okay, we leave for Detroit, Michigan tomorrow night," Lou Pearlman, *NSync's  manager, was saying. "We leave at five thirty in the morning for the airport. The plane leaves at six forty-five."

"Detroit? Michigan?" Lance asked.

"Yes."

Lance's eyes went blank and his mind began to wonder. But, before his memories could take over he was brought back to reality by his friend's voice.

"Lance?" JC asked.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay, Buddy? You look a little pale."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Are you sure it isn't Minnesota? Detroit, Minnesota?"

"I'm sure, Lance. It's Detroit, Michigan. I didn't know there was one in Minnesota," Lou stated.

 Absently he said, "Yeah. There is. I saw it on the Internet."

 "How much sleep did you get last night?" Justin asked.

 "Why?"

 "You're eyes are bloodshot."

 "Oh. I just-I-" He was cut off by a phone ringing.

 Everyone checked their phones.

 "It's mine," JC said, before flipping the cover and pressing the power button.  "Hello?... Yes, Sweetheart...  Uh huh, I remember. Eight o'clock, sharp... I love you, too. Bye." He hung up the phone.

 "Nimet?" Joey asked.

 "Yeah. She was just making sure I was going to be able to make our date tonight," JC answered.

 "Why do we have to go to Michigan?"  Lance asked.

 "Hey, Buddy-" Chris said, patting his shoulder. "You're originally from there. I thought you'd be happy to go there."

 "Not really. I left too many things behind there, I don't want to rekindle anything," he answered.

 "Sounds like an old flame lives there!" Lou laughed. "Don't worry, Son, we'll keep you too busy to worry about her."
 

Two police officers caught him, and held him back. "Son, you're going to have to stay back," one of them told him.

"You don't understand! My best friend is still in there! She only listens to me! I can get her to come out of the house!"

"I'm sorry, Son. It's too dangerous."

"Don't call me, 'Son'! Let me go! I have to talk to her!"
 

 "Please, Lou, don't call me, 'Son',"  Lance said, before walking away.

 "Is he acting strange to you guys? Or is it just me?" Joey asked.
 

Katherine walked into her daughter's room that morning, like she had every other day for five years. She would often sit on her daughter's bed, crying, wishing, praying for her daughter's safe return. As she walked in there today, she saw her wishing had come true, and Allison was home, safe, and in her bed.  Now, tears began to fall.  She clasped her hands together in prayer, and asked God to keep her home and safe.

There was a slight moan coming from Allison's bed, and she turned, and awoke from her slumber. "Mom?" She asked sleepily.

"Yes, Dear."

"Mom? What are you doing?" Allison was now sitting up against her pillows.

"Nothing. I just wanted to see my baby sleeping again." She moved fully into the room, and seated herself on the full sized bed in her daughter's room. "I missed you so much."

 "I missed you, too, Mom." She reached over, and embraced her mother. "I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean to worry you like I did. I just didn't think how much I was hurting you."

"It's okay. You're back now. That's all that matters," Katherine told her daughter as she wiped her tears, and smiled. That one smile seemed to have made her go back in time, for she now looked her age, and not that of a ninety year old woman.  "Come on, Sleepyhead. Let's get some breakfast made."

"Where's Daddy?"

"He's at work. He came in here this morning, and kissed your head good-bye. He'll be back later."

The two walked out of her room, and into the kitchen.

"Now, what do you want for breakfast?"  Katherine asked her daughter.

"You remember what you used to make me for breakfast?"

"French toast?" Her mother asked.

"Yeah, you remember," Allison smiled.

"Yeah, how could I forget? Lance loved it, too!"

Allison's face grew solemn at the mention of her friend's name. "Yeah.  He did, didn't he?"

Noticing the look on her daughter's face, Katherine said, "Honey, I'm sure he's okay. Really. I bet he's doing just fine."

"I know. I just miss him, that's all."  Allison replied. When the room filled with tension, she quickly put on a smile, "Come on, let's make breakfast."

They set out gathering all of the ingredients for breakfast, and the house soon filled with a delicious aroma.

After they had eaten, and after the breakfast dishes had been cleaned and put away, the two departed from the kitchen, and into the two bathrooms, where both showers released hot water.

After the mother and daughter were cleaned and clothed, Katherine suggested, "How about we go shopping? Like we used to?"

"I'd like that, Mom. Let's go!"

They both grabbed their purses and jackets and set out for the mall.  When they pulled into the mall parking lot, they immediately noticed how busy it was, for it was only nine o'clock, and on a Saturday morning.

"I thought kids slept in on Saturday mornings?" Mrs. Gates asked.

"I didn't when I was a kid."

"Yeah, that's because you had to be up every Saturday for your piano lessons."

"I know."

The two walked in the mall, and noticed all the teenagers piled into the music store.

"I wonder what's going on in there," Allison thought aloud.

"One way to find out.  Come on. " Katherine took hold of her daughter's hand, and pulled her over to the music store. She found one girl, who didn't look a day older than eleven and asked, "What are you all doing here?  Especially at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning. Don't you know you should be in bed?"

"Normally, I would be. But, we're all here to buy tickets to a concert. My favorite group is coming tomorrow!"

"A concert got you all up this early?"

"I've been waiting for hours," the girl replied.

"And you're still in the back of the line?"

The girl shook her head, "But the waiting will be worth it once I get the tickets!"

"Who's this group?" Katherine asked.

The girl pointed a poster in the store window, it was barely visible because of all the heads in the way. But, Allison was able to make out the name of the group, and the picture underneath.

Allison went pale, "Mom."

"What is it, Dear? You look so pale."

"Look," she stated as she pointed to the poster.

Katherine looked at the poster, and saw the name. The picture wasn't visible to her, because of the height difference between she and her daughter. Then, when the line moved, the picture was there in front of her eyes.

She saw the same thing her daughter saw, the blonde hair, the unmistakable yellow-green eyes. The smile. It was Lance.
 

"I'm so glad we decided to do a concert at noon!" JC exclaimed.

"Why?" Joey asked.

"It allows me time to make a date with Nimet!"

Joey chuckled slightly, "Figures."

Lance walked out onto the stage, joining the four other members of  *NSync. "Come on guys. This is the last rehearsal before the concert, then it's to make-up and wardrobe."

Within minutes music was flowing, the guys were dancing around the stage, and five perfectly harmonized voices echoed from the microphones. Lance was fighting back the memories which wanted to envade his mind. His solo was coming up. But, the memories were beginning to win, beginning to take over his mind. The picture which he clutched in his sleep with him last night had positioned itself in the front of his mind. He tried to shake the picture away, tried to concentrate on the music, on the words, on the dance moves.  But, it was to no avail.  The memories were stronger than he.
 

Come on, Allison. Smile," Mr. Gates has been trying to get Allison to smile for the camera almost all morning.

"Let me do it," Lance told him. He bent down, and whispered something in her ear.

At first Allison laughed at what he said, then as the laughter subsided, a simple smile took it's place.

Mr. Gates smiled at Lance, then snapped the photo.

"I'll be back," Allison stated, then ran into the house.

"Lance, you're the only one that can do that," Mr. Gates commended.

"Do what?"

"Make her smile. How do you do it?"

"What I said to her was something she and I laugh at all the time."

"What would that be?"

"Allison and I spend a lot of time together. Our friends constantly think we're secretly having some kind a love affair or something. We laugh at them.  So, I simply whispered that stupid song they are always taunting us with."

"What's the song?"

"I don't think it was a title, but it's something like 'Sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G'. Or something like that, we don't pay to much attention to it.  But, it makes her laugh."

Allison ran back out of her house. "Come on, Lance," she said, pulling him along with her. "Bye, Daddy!"

"Atleast, he can make her smile," he sighed to himself, watching as the two friends, ran down the street.

"Lance, I have something to tell you," Allison had said, her face had taken on a serious look. The look that was always plastered on her face.

"What is it?"  Lance asked, worried. He knew that sentence. He knew what was coming next.

"This is good-bye."

"What?!" He was actually surprised this time, she had never been that blunt about it. She had never said good-bye, first.

"I'm going to New York. My piano teacher wants me to audition up there for some music school. I'll be gone for the weekend."

Lance sighed in relief. He was happy that she wasn't going to tell him she was going to die again. "Really?" He asked. "That great!"

"No, it's not."

"Why not?"

"Because, it's not good enough.  I don't want to go to music school, I want to be a real musician.  Perform for real audiences."

"But, this is just a stepping stone.  It makes the path to get there, Ally.  Don't you see that?"
 

Nothing was ever great for Allison.

"Lance!" Chris yelled for what seemed to be the millionth time.

"Oh, um, what?" Lance finally responded.

"What's up with you? You've missed you cue, again!" JC answered.

"I'm sorry. My mind's just be wondering lately."

"We have to get to make-up and wardrobe," Joey said. "Or we'll have to start the concert late."

"Come on," JC said, giving Lance a slight push, to get him started off the stage.

They all walked backstage to the dressing room, to prepare for the show.