The first thing you need.

"A Kiss to End It All"
Part One

Chapter 1

�� A young girl skates quickly through a huge crowd of screaming fans. Jumping a guard rail, she skids and almost runs into a guard standing in the way. As she tried to skate around him, he grabs her by her backpack.

�� "Ma'am, where do you think you're going?" The guard, who had 'House' printed over his pocket on the left side of his shirt asked her, annoyed at her intrusion. She smiled devilishly as she pulled a worker's pass from inside her shirt where it lay hidden from view.

�� "Inside, to finish my job, if you don't mind," she quickly retorted as she eluded the guard, who once again grabbed for her rucksack, but missed. Skillfully, she skates through the rotating�doors of the lobby and up to the desk. Setting her clutch onto the counter, she looked around. "Mel," she screamed, "do you need any more errands?" Mel is her boss and one of her best friends.

�� "No, Valencia, that's it!" Her friend Melania yelled back from her closed office behind the counter.

�� "Okay, so what do I do now?" Valencia shouted back at her.

�� There is a short pause, then Melania replies, "I don't know. Entertain the guests! Do something useful for once!" Valencia smiles rambunctiously and begins to skate around the lobby, picking up speed, oblivious to the group of males that narrowly entered the lobby through the help of a select team of sentries outside of the hotel. Pushing off with her breaks, Val does a cartwheel and a back handspring and begins to skate backwards, preparing for another maneuver. Not watching where she is skating, she runs into a guy who has tacitly sauntered up behind her.

�� "Oh, I'm sorry," she murmurs as he catches her from falling.

�� "No problem, it's not every day I get the chance to catch a pretty girl, falling in my arms. I'm . . . " he trails off as he notices her gawking at him, her mouth gaping open. Tenderly he pushed her chin up and she swallows abruptly.

�� "Chris, I know," she responds, recognizing him. "I listen to your group. `N SYNC, right?"

�� "Yea, that'd be us. That was a great trick." He returned, wanting to change the subject. "How'd you learn to do that?" Chris asked, it's not every day you find a person that interested or talented on roller blades, much less a girl.

�� "After two years of hockey, gymnastics, and Roller Jamming, you pick up a few things," she responded with a laugh, amazed at her new found luck. She finally met someone from her favorite group.

�� "I never caught your name," he pressed examining the youthful dame in front of him.

�� "I never threw it, but it's Val, short for Vale . . . "

�� "Valencia, yes I heard. I just didn't want to seem rude, not asking your name since you already know mine." Val smiled at his benevolence. There was an awkward, eerie silence that enveloped them as they just admired each other.

Chapter 2

�� "Chris!" a voice yelled, from behind them, shaking them out of their abstraction. Valencia heard footsteps, and swivelled around to find herself getting lost face to face with a pair of enchanting, vivacious kelly eyes. "Oh, hi, uh, Chris, we're leaving for the venue," the young man, whom Val recognized to be Lance said, acknowledging her standing next to Chris as he walked up.

�� "Huh? Oh, okay, Lance. See ya around, Valencia."

�� "Valencia?" Lance asked, staring at the female figure in front of him. "Aren't you Icebreaker? You know from the Sundogs, umm, Gator's girl?"

�� Chris's jaw dropped.'Gator's girl?" He thought to himself, 'I knew a girl like that would have a guy.'

�� "Yea," Val whispered. Her face also dropped at the mention of Gator Gletty, her ex-fiancee, even though she was only 17. He and she were part of the elite Florida Sundogs Roller Jam team. She dropped out because of a fight between Gletty and Sam Martin over her.
�� "Why don't you jam any more?" Lance asked. "I miss you . . . r skating style." He recovered quickly, trying not to seem too interested. He was terrible at flirting, and he often held back too much. She smiled at his obvious attraction to herself.

�� "Yea, well, you're the only one. Gator and I are no longer on speaking terms, but I still talk to Gina Lambardo, Debbie Rice, and Denise "The Barracuda" Loden, who, by the way is finally marrying Shawn "Atk Attack" Atkinson." Lance smiled and opened his mouth to begin again, but she cut him off. "And to answer your next question, no, I'm not dating anyone at the moment." She quickly shook Chris's hand and placing a kiss on Lance's smooth cheek, turned and skated off.

�� "Wow . . . " Lance breathed unintentionally out loud.

�� "What about me?" Chris pretended to sulk, acting coquette.

�� "Oh, baby, I still love you." Lance joked back. "Oh, man! I rambled on about her and forgot to introduce myself." Lance whacked his forehead in disgust.

�� "She's not stupid, dude." Chris countered. "She knows who you are, and I think she likes you."

�� "Really? You think so?" Lance snapped out of his daydream just long enough to hear 'she likes you.'

�� "Yea, dude, and don't you dare tell me that you just like her 'skating style.'" Chris joked as he pulled his friend toward the back of the foyer, the opposite of where Valencia went, thinking to himself, 'she's so nice, God, I hope they don't fall for each other, I really like her."

Chapter 3

�� Later that afternoon, Chris and Lance are walking around the hotel lobby looking for Justin, when . . .

�� "Hey, uh, Chris!" Chris turns around to see Val skating up to him and Lance, pulling Justin along on another pair of skates.

�� "HELP!" Justin screamed as his skates slipped out from under him. Lance quickly lunged forward to catch him, but misses, breaking Justin's fall, and Justin is now sitting on him.

�� "Uh,� . . . Justin?" Lance asked propping himself up on his elbows.

�� "Yea, Lance?" Justin replied looking down at him.

�� "Get off me you over grown lug!"

�� "Oh, yea." Val helps Justin back up to his feet, laughing hysterically.

�� "Don't you ever take those off?" Chris asked in mock sarcasm, looking her over, then raising his eyebrows and motioning toward her skates. He mentally shook himself. 'Woah, there boy, you just broke up with Heather and she's only 17.'

�� "Huh?" Val asked quickly looking up from Lance and letting go of Justin's hand. "Oh, yea, certain times, wanna find out what times?" she replied in a seductive tone, wiggling her eyebrows.

�� Chris cocked an eyebrow back, "Oh, yea, you know it, baby." He quipped, helping Lance to his feet. Lance quickly brushed himself off and flashed a grin at Valencia for being able to take on Chris.

            "So, Valencia . . . " Lance began.

            "Val," she corrected.

            "Val," he nodded. "Where you headed to?"

            "Oh, I don't know. Me and Justy here are probably gonna skate down to the beach." She replied mischievously, bumping Justin, who almost fell over again.

            "Oh," Lance stated, trying to hide his disappointment by looking at the floor. Justin noticed Lance's naturally vibrant expression melt into a drooped, covetous look at the mention of him going with Val.

            'Aww, Damn!' He thought, 'He likes her! Don't do it Justin, she is too hot. Don't you. . .' "Hey Lance, maybe you could take my place." 'Don't you dare. . ." "I'm beat." 'STOP!' "I think I better quit before I kill myself." 'You idiot! What did you do?!' His mind shouted. 'I helped a friend.' He told himself. 'Damn, voices in my head, now I know I'm definitely going crazy.' Justin finished, confused, yet proud of himself for handling it so well. After all, he was passing up an afternoon with a pretty girl for a friend.

            "Really?" Lance asked, looking up at Val and Justin still standing next to each other and hoping he wasn't kidding, and just trying to get his hopes up.

            "Yeah, it's great with me, if you rather come. As long as SOMEONE comes, I don't want to go alone." Val smiled at the men standing in front of her. She liked them all, Justin was cute, athletic and really nice, while Chris was really funny and loved the same things she did, but Lance seemed more her type. The kind that wasn't afraid to cry, but wasn't the loser type. She like the kind who couldn't quite hide their feelings, so she could quickly and easily read his mind.

            "What if none of us wants to go with YOU?" Chris began to start in on a new victim.

            "Well, tough! Lance'll come." She smart mouthed, grabbing hold of Lance's hand and skating towards the lobby door.

            "Wait!" Lance yelled, pulling back, and almost knocking Val's skates out from under her as she moved forward. She spun around to meet a naive smile forming on Lance's face. Her eyes questioned his authoritative reasoning and he flashed her an amicable smile. "I don't have my skates on."

            "Oh," she smiled placate. "It would help if you did huh? You can't very well skate, or keep up without them."

            "Yeah, I guess that's the case. I probably could keep up, but I couldn't SKATE without them." They turned and silently boarded the elevator bound for the third floor, where Lance shared a room with Chris.

Chapter 4

           Lance quickly slipped on his skates and they skated hand-in-hand to the beach near the hotel. "Val?" Lance slowly turned to face her, looking into her crystal blue eyes.

          "Yes, Lance?" she fixed her eyes on his captivating creamy green eyes.

          "Valencia, are you. . .are you. . .are you and Justin, umm. . .umm. . ."

          "Dating?"

          "Yea. . .umm Dating?"

          "That's a real good question. Are Justin and I dating? Hmm, that's a good question. . ." She tapped her chin, pretending to ponder the thought. "Um, . . .NO!" She giggled and continued skating. Lance quickly caught up to her and spun her around. He pushed her chin up forcing her to look him in the eyes. She gasped in surprise at his aggressiveness, he seemed so tranquil.

          "So, if your not dating Justin. . ." Lance suddenly became shy again. "Would you be interested in, maybe, perhaps, going out to dinner, or a movie, sometime or something?" He looked down, staring at the cement, then feebly, glanced up, hoping to catch her reaction. When he did, she placed her hand on his cheek and smiled.

          "I'd like that," she replied slowly.

          "Really?" Lance looked into her eyes, hoping she wasn't joking. What he saw was a sincere expression held in adoration. She nodded slowly as he placed a timid hand to the side of her face. Her mind raced at his soft touch, she had never felt that spark with anyone else.

         'Kiss her!' Lance's conscious told him. He moved closer to her, knowing that she was the one. He hadn't even known her two days, yet he knew she was it. He leaned in slightly. 'You can do it!' His mind shouted. Their faces were inches apart.

          'Kiss me!' her mind screamed at the man who in one day of knowing had stolen her complete psyche.

Chapter 5

          "Hey Val!" someone yelled. She sighed and turned around.

          'I was THIS close!' His mind hollered at him.

          'So close yet so far!' her intellect told her, 'oh, well.' She sighed again and looked up to see who had ruined her affinite moment.
          "Hey, wazzup, girly?" Val's best friend skated up to them, pulling her boyfriend, Trevor along huffing and puffing.

          "Oh, hey Rhea. Wazzup chica? You look like you just took on Grant Hill and Kobe Bryant."

          "Yea, well, rollerball'll do tha to yas!" Lance laughed at her heavy British accent. "So who's tha dude? You goot enother bf, V.C.?"

          "No. . ." Val began.

          "Yes," Lance quickly spoke up. "Hi. I'm Lance." He extended his hand and RheAnn shook it timidly.

          "Hi. I'm RheAnn, beta known as Rhea, and dis is Trevor, beta known as T.J."

          "Nice to meet you."

          "Nice to meet you too." Val had looked up at Lance when he said yes, and now she was giving him the evil eye.

          "Lance, can I talk to you?" she spoke up, hastily, yet trying to remain calm.

          "Huh? Oh, yea, sure. Excuse me Rhea, I'll be right back." Lance turned towards Val to speak to her.

          "Come here, Lance," Val said pulling him away form Rhea and T.J. "What's with you?" She asked finally, turning to face him, her eyes blazing with fear, hope and aspiration.

          "What do you mean?" Lance stared blankly at her, hoping he didn't do anything stupid, still hoping for the best, but fearing the worst.

          "Playing the mystery man, are we? You know what I'm talking about Lansten," she replied, fury dripping from every word. Lance thought for a minute and realized that BF meant boyfriend, not best friend like his original thoughts. He wouldn't mind being her boyfriend, but for now, he wasn't. He opened his mouth to start to speak, but the expression on her face cut him off. Her eyes held the same longing for the emptiness to be filled, and he longed to fill it for her.

          "Valencia? Can I be your boyfriend?" Lance asked her shyly, a wave of vermillion washing over his neck and face slowly.

          She gasped in surprise at his response, but then smiled her brightest smile, and intertwining her fingers with his, pulled his hand to her mouth and kissed the back of his fist. She leaned forward and whispered, "yes, I'd like that," in his ear. Kissing him on the cheek, she pulled him back towards RheAnn and Trevor.

Chapter 6

          Neither Rhea or T.J. had noticed the conversation between Valencia and Lance, they were too busy discussing their plans for that night.

          "So, V.C.," RheAnn smiled at Val, who still had her fingers intertwined with Lance's.

          "Where are we going tonight?" Trevor finished for her, doing some sort of weird handshake with Valencia.

          "I don't know, T.J. What are you and Rhea doing?" Val replied, looking at Rhea, then at Lance, who flashed her a grin once more.

          "I don't know either.� Rhea, what are we doing tonight?" Trevor whinned.

          "I don't know, T.J. Wanna do something fun?" Rhea asked him, wiggling her eyebrows mischievously.

          "What?� Whatdya. . .oh, yea!!� See ya V.C., Lance!� Let's go RheAnn!" Trevor practically pulled Rhea away, grinning.

          "Hang on Trev. Well, I gotta go V.C.! Talk to you later!" RheaAnn shouted before skating off with Trevor.

          Valencia giggled, "Boy those two never stop, do they?"

          "Well, from what I've seen, . . . no." Lance laughed, remembering the young girl he had just met.� "I like her accent," he remarked as they started skating back toward the hotel.� The sun was setting and the strip was getting darker.

          "It's fake," Val confided as the air around her chilled.

          "Really? Wow. Oh, you must be cold, here.� Take my jacket." He replied taking off and handing her his jacket. She smiled and slipped the jacket over her shoulders.

          "Thank you," she whispered, leaning in closer to him as they skated.

Chapter 7

          Mean while back at the hotel, Chris is pacing around the room nervously.

          "Dammit! Where is he?" Chris yelled still walking around the room.

          "Calm down. Hey! That's not fair!" J.C. replied as he yelled at Joey for killing his character on the Playstation game they were playing.

          "He'll be back soon, Chris." Joey said laughing as he watched J.C.'s player die. Just then, Justin walked into the room from going to the lobby and Chris nearly attacked him, thinking it was Lance.

           "James Lance . . ." Chris began as the door swung open. "Justin! Where's Lance?!"

           "Huh?" Justin asked bewildered.

          "Where's Lance? Chris is playing, or trying to play daddy again." Joey cracked as he started a new game because J.C. quit and ducking from a pillow aimed at his head.

          "I don't know.� He's not back yet?" Justin replied.

          "No, he's not, and I'm beginning to worry about him." Chris said, taking a seat on the sofa.

          "Relax, Gramps!� I'm right here.� Don't get your boxers in a knot." Lance stated walking in the room hand-in-hand with Valencia.

          Chris's heart sank.� 'Lance and Val?' he thought.� 'There goes my chances with a jammer.'� "Where have you been?� I was worried sick.� You know it's not safe to be out without a bodyguard for that long." Chris tried desperately to hide his disappointment with anger for Lance's disapproving behavior.

          "Relax.� No one recognized me.� Val and I just met up with some friends of hers on the strip and we started talking.� I didn't MEAN to be out so late." Lance said quickly, trying to explain himself before Chris got any madder.� It wasn't THAT LATE.

          "I better go, Lance.� Nice seeing you again, Chris.� Bye Joey, Justin!" Val said dropping Lance's hand, hugging him, and slipping quietly out the door.

          "She's quite a girl," Lance said after she shut the door behind herself.

          "Yea, well that doesn't excuse your behavior, Lance." Chris repeated, leaning back into the over-stuffed cushions of his favorite sofa.

          "What's your problem?" Joey asked, turning around to face Justin and Chris on the sofa, as he turned off the playstation.

          "What do you mean, 'what's my problem?" He could have been mobbed by fans, or worse, and we would know nothing about it."

          "Mobbed by fans?� Lance?� Yea, right.� You know des be wantin all me!" Justin laughed as he caught the pillow Lance threw at his torso.

          "Could've, but that's the point, Chris.� I wasn't.� Nothing happened, and I'm here safe and have two new friends and a girlfriend." Lance replied, his hands flailing animatedly.� His eyes bore into Chris with the pain of his reprimands.

          "I'm glad you're home safe, but I worry about you.� Please, don't let it happen again." he sighed.� "I'm too old for this.� I'm going to bed." Chris replied as he quickly retreated to Lance and his suite.� Once inside, he threw himself onto his bed and pulled out his journal.� He'd been keeping one since `NSYNC started, so he could always remember that time in his life.� Flipping through, he found the next blank page and quickly dated it.

          'Dear Journal, why am I so messed up?� I snapped at Lance today without even thinking.� Why?� Because I think I have a thing for his new girlfriend.� She's pretty and funny, and really athletic.� I know there are other girls out there, but there's just something about this one.� She's way too young though, only 17.� That's too young for me.� I miss Heather.� God, I need a life, and a girl . . . just like Heather.� Val is. . .'"

         Just then Lance walked into the room.� Chris shut his journal and threw it under the bed in record speed.� Lance looked sadly at him, tears springing to his passive eyes.

          "Chris . . ." Lance started, laying down onto the bed.

          "Wait, Lance.� Let me say something first." Chris spoke up.� Lance sighed in disdain yet approval.� "Lance, I'm sorry.� I shouldn't have snapped at you.� I guess I was just jealous because you have such a wonderful girl, and I just lost mine to a Backstreet boy."

          "It's okay, Chris.� I did wrong.� I didn't realize you liked Val, and that you still love Heather.� You should've been able to tell me that.� I've just pushed you aside lately.� I should've listened to you more.� It's not all your fault." Lance told him, getting off the bed and talking a seat on Chris's next to him.

          Chris smiled.� "Promise to always be there for each other?"

          "Promise."

          "Well, goodnight, oh, and good luck. She's a real card."

          "Huh? Oh, yea." Lance laughed and climbed into his bed after shutting out the lights.

Chapter 8

          The next morning went as expected for any pop group.� Chris apologized for being so pensive and told the rest of the group what he had told Lance the night before.� Lance didn't get to see Val before they left for the venue, even though it was early, she had already left on an errand downtown.� He had wanted to invite her to the concert that night.� Justin wanted to ask her about her little boss friend, Melania.

          The sound check went wonderful, except for Chris and Justin clowning around, Lance missing a few dance steps, as usual, and Joey fumbling up a few of his cues and song lines.� At lunch, Lance kept his eyes open for Valencia, because he had left her a message at the front desk, but she never showed up.