Chris swirled a French fry through the blob of ketchup on his plate before popping it into his mouth, talking around it as he chewed. On the other side of the small table, JC was cutting through the turkey sandwich smothered in gravy to take another bite. He listened with rapt attention as Chris shared the latest news about his clothing line and the shenanigans his staff had been up to at the small office he had out in Los Angeles. Occasionally JC would interrupt to ask a question or make some kind of comment, but Chris did most of the talking, which was odd. You could even say he was on the verge of rambling, and it was such a foreign feeling to him. He blamed it on JC's presence, the fact that his younger friend often rambled no secret.

Really, the whole outing was strange. He'd only gotten back into town that afternoon and received a call from JC just a couple hours after he'd returned to his home asking if he wanted to go out for dinner and catch up. It wasn't the request that was weird, but the fact that they were sitting in one of Chris's favorite restaurants. Normally when he and any of the other guys went out, there were usually arguments about where they wanted to eat. But this time JC had just suggested it and not even fought for them going to some Asian place he liked. It just felt wrong and had Chris on alert that something was up.

Still, he carried on with his story. The best way to find out if something was wrong with JC was to act like you believed everything was fine before hitting him with questions that were unavoidable and got to the root of the problem quickly. Because one true constant when it came to JC was that he could tell from a mile away if you were trying to gently steer a conversation towards him and would either redirect or make an excuse to leave. If you asked him direct questions though, it was much harder for him to avoid them without raising further suspicion.

"And so I'll have to head up to New York in a couple days," Chris said, ending his story about what was next on his list of things to do in order to prepare for the fall line he was preparing. That was the thing about fashion that drove him nuts - you had to think about a season that was months away in order to have everything designed and finished by the time that season actually came about.

"That's great," JC said, smiling at him and Chris could tell that it was genuine. "Sounds like things are really coming together for you."

Chris couldn't disagree and he ate a couple more fries before he leaned back in his chair, pushing his plate away slightly. He always got the same thing when he came to this diner and it usually left him stuffed as he always ordered a chocolate shake with his cheeseburger. But he couldn't help it. The food here was amazing and it reminded him a lot of the small town he grew up in.

"So, JC..." Chris began. JC looked up from his plate, curious. "What's up?"

"Nothing..."

There was no denying the confusion in JC's voice as he acted like he had no idea what Chris was talking about. But Chris knew better. He raised his eyebrows and said, "There's no reason for bringing me to my favorite restaurant? Nothing that you want?"

"No!" JC denied immediately, his voice rising slightly as he looked offended at what Chris was insinuating. "I just wanted to hang with you and catch up a bit."

Chris stared at JC, looking for the telltale signs he was lying. But when JC met his gaze head on, he instantly dropped that line of thinking. It may be cliché that lack of eye contact was one sure fire way to tell if JC was lying, but it didn't make it any less true. JC was terrible about lying to people, especially when he tried to do it to someone's face. He wasn't big on confrontations and didn't like to lie unless it was necessary. Still, something seemed off. It would take more digging to get to the root of it.

"You don't have to bribe me to get me to hang out with you," Chris said. His eyes still looking into JC's, searching for something. What he wasn't sure, but he had a feeling he'd know it when he saw it.

JC dropped his eyes, severing the connection with Chris as he looked down at the table. "Doesn't seem like it," he mumbled.

"What's that supposed to mean?" When JC didn't say anything, Chris leaned forward as he frowned. "JC..."

JC shook his head. "It's nothing. Forget it."

"It doesn't seem like nothing," Chris replied. He was going through his mind, trying to figure out if JC had said anything the last time they'd talked, but nothing jumped out at him. It didn't help that he hadn't talked to JC in over a week before hearing from him today, having missed a couple of his calls while he'd been in LA. And suddenly, Chris felt like he'd hit the nail on the head.

He looked at his friend and found that he still refused to look at him, opting instead to tear apart the rest of his sandwich with his fork. JC seemed to quickly sense he was being watched because after a few seconds he stopped and looked up. Once Chris had his attention he said, "I'm sorry I never returned your calls."

JC nodded, looking away again. "I know you were busy. It's okay. Not like you were the only one."

The tone seemed casual enough, but Chris sensed there was something there. Still, he had to be careful about how he treaded considering JC had the habit of closing off as soon as he felt like someone was picking at things he didn't want exposed.

"Have you talked to the other guys?" Chris asked.

"A couple times I guess," JC said. He sighed and put his fork down. "Like I said, everyone's been busy."

"I'm sure you've been busy too."

JC shrugged. "I've written twenty songs."

Chris's eyes widened a bit in surprise, but JC acted like it was no big deal. In all the time Chris had known him, he couldn't ever remember JC writing so much in a short amount of time. Okay, so they'd been off for nearly three weeks, but JC was known for obsessing over songs for days at a time. Hell, he'd probably spent three weeks on just one song before thanks to his perfectionist attitude, especially when it came to all things music.

"That's amazing," Chris told him. "Do we get to hear them?"

"Eh," JC said. "Most of them aren't very good. I basically did it to make the time go faster."

Chris blinked, momentarily unable to fathom why anyone would want their vacation to go fast. He certainly didn't have that problem. In fact, just that afternoon when he'd returned from LA he was wishing he could've had a few more days, feeling like he hadn't had much of a vacation at all since he'd spent most of it working.

"So you didn't enjoy the time off?"

"I never wanted time off to begin with."

Chris was completely floored by that admission and how matter-of-factly JC had said it. He thought they'd all been in agreement that they all needed a few weeks to handle some of their side projects. They'd only just started working on their next album and the thought had been if they could get some things out of the way, it would allow them to focus more of their energy on recording. He thought they'd all decided it was for the best. Apparently not.

"Why didn't you say something then?" Chris asked.

JC sighed, raising his blue eyes to meet Chris's brown. "What difference would it have made? I was outnumbered."

Chris shook his head in disbelief. He was beginning to rethink his earlier thoughts about how JC was a terrible liar. He had to have gotten better in order to make them believe he agreed with the decision that'd been made without any of them being suspicious that he was holding his true feelings back from them. It made him wonder just what else JC had been biting his tongue about and for how long, but Chris forced himself to dismiss those thoughts. He wasn't sure he wanted to know.

But he did want to understand what this was all about and why JC was only saying something now.

"You still should've said something. We said we would always be honest with each other." Chris waited, but JC said nothing and so he continued. "We were trying to do what was best for the group."

"Which was also what was best for you."

Chris's eyes narrowed, not liking where JC was going with this. "JC..." he began, but JC cut him off.

"I don't begrudge you guys for having side projects or making that choice," JC said. "And I didn't say anything because I knew you guys were thinking of the group. I was hoping that having a few weeks to do your own things would allow us to come back more focused. Like you guys planned."

"You have other projects too," Chris pointed out. JC started to shake his head, but Chris didn't give him a chance to say anything. "You produce for other people."

"It's not the same. I don't do it that often and when I do I make sure it never interferes with Nsync stuff."

Chris felt fury rise up and blossom across his chest. He couldn't believe JC had the balls to say they weren't as committed to the group as him. "Our stuff isn't interfering," Chris said, gritting his teeth as he tried to hold back his anger. There was no doubt if they were doing this at his house instead of in a diner, this whole conversation would be much more explosive.

"The hell it isn't," JC objected. There was no real heat to his voice, but it fueled Chris's anger just the same. But JC spoke again before he could say anything. "You already mentioned you have to go to New York in a couple days, and Joey and Lance are going to have to keep going back for their movie. We were supposed to come back after this break ready to go."

"And what would you like us to do? Give up everything we've been working on?" Chris demanded.

"Of course not," JC answered immediately. "I already told you I don't hold it against you, and I meant it. I wish I had something else to fall back on after we all go our separate ways."

Chris frowned. "What the hell are you talking about?" He was confused by what JC said and it just seemed to add to his anger, his frustration with his friend increasing.

"We all know Nsync isn't going to last forever. When it ends, you'll have your clothing line, Joey will probably do Broadway or more acting, Lance has all his companies, and Justin will probably have a solo career."

"And you," Chris added stiffly. "You'll have a solo career too."

"No." JC shook his head. "I tried doing it on my own once, and I failed. I'm not going through that again."

Chris could feel his anger drain, leaving him kind of spent as he listened to JC. Self-deprecation and believing the worst of himself wasn't a new thing for JC as he often struggled with seeing himself the way the rest of them did. But he couldn't believe that after all this time, all the success they've had, that he still managed to feel that way.

"It would be different this time though," Chris told him. "You'd already have a following and support from people in the industry." JC didn't look convinced and Chris pressed, "You wouldn't be able to stop performing. You love it too much. And even if you did, what else would you do?"

JC sighed heavily, sounding mildly annoyed. The least composed he'd sounded through this whole conversation. "You're missing the point."

"No, I got it," Chris said. "You think we don't need the group as much as you do and you're concerned about what you're going to do when Nsync is over. But why?"

JC's brow furrowed. "Why what?"

"Why are you worrying about it? None of us have even thought about leaving the group." Chris paused, looking him in the eye. "Unless you have."

"No," JC objected immediately. "Of course not. I just..."

JC sighed again, and Chris prompted. "Just what?"

For the second time, JC told him, "Forget it." He ran a hand through his long hair before rubbing at the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to bring any of this up. I think I've just been in a funk the last week or so. The weather doesn't exactly help."

Chris turned in his seat to look out the window where indeed a heavy rain was falling, but that pretty typical for Orlando in the winter. It was the trade off for living in the south - you didn't get snow, but it rained and occasionally got cold enough where you wished it would snow. But it didn't deter him from seeing it for what it was - an excuse. It was a way for JC to downplay everything that'd just transpired and get him off his back. Too bad it didn't work like that.

There wasn't a chance to call JC out on it though as the waitress came over then, asking if they would like any dessert. JC jumped at the chance and ordered a piece of pie, seeming all too happy to pretend like the conversation they'd just had had never taken place.

It only took a minute for the waitress to return with a large piece of pie that had a scoop of vanilla ice cream resting on top. Chris watched his younger friend with a frown, feeling his concern push at him at what he saw.

On the surface JC looked fine, but Chris knew what to look for and where to look. JC's eyes were a bit dull and had slight discoloration beneath them, telling him JC likely hadn't exaggerated the number of songs he'd been working on and betting they'd been the cause of sleeplessness. There was also a bit of tension in his face, but given what they'd just talked about, it could be attributed to that. It was all small insignificant stuff, but Chris couldn't find it in himself to dismiss it. Instead, he filed it in the back of his mind for later.

JC began to talk about something new, and Chris let him change the subject to something more mundane. Pressing JC further wouldn't get him anywhere at this point. But that didn't mean that this was over. Not by a long shot.

**************

Justin walked through the airport at a quick pace, his head down as he prayed that no one noticed him. The last thing he needed right then was to be recognized and have to deal with their fans, no matter how nice they may be about holding him up. He could've called for one of their bodyguards to meet him at the airport, but sometimes he felt like that just drew even more attention to him. Besides, he'd driven to the airport and he'd be damned if he was going to let his car sit in airport parking longer than necessary where it was in danger of other people's stupidity.

Thankfully, no one seemed to notice him. He was just one of hundreds of anonymous people in Orlando's airport, and it felt nice. Though, he wasn't willing to slow his pace as he knew it would only take one person recognizing him to cause a mob scene. It wasn't until he stepped out of the airport to walk towards his car that he stopped and then it was only because he had no other choice.

The second he stepped outside, he was immediately blinded by the early afternoon sun. There were a lot of clouds in the sky, which likely meant rain for the afternoon. But the sun had somehow escape from behind the gray fluff and the intense light sliced through his brain, instantly making his headache worse. He had to pause to dig out his sunglasses from his bag before he was able to continue on his way.

It wasn't a far walk to his car since he had parked in the closest lot to the terminal. Who cared if he was paying twenty bucks a day for it? The convenience of it made up for the cost in his book as it assured he could get on the road and get home that much quicker - something he was very anxious for. He wasn't even entirely sure he'd be able to make it home.

He'd just gotten back from Vegas where he had spent the last several days partying hardcore with some friends he'd grown up with in Memphis, last night included. They hadn't stumbled back into their hotel until nearly four in the morning and his flight had been at six, which meant he'd just had enough time to get his stuff together and head to the airport. And while he may have slept the entire flight, it did nothing to make up for the lack of sleep he'd gotten all week.

Justin loaded his bags into the trunk of his car before sliding into the driver seat, relishing in the feel of the soft leather as it molded to his body. He sighed as he leaned his head back against the headrest, his eyes falling closed. With how tired he was, he felt like he could fall asleep right then. But he knew he would enjoy taking a nap in his bed with a mountain of pillows rather than his car where he'd no doubt get a kink in his neck.

With that thought in mind, he opened his eyes and started the engine to get out of the airport and onto the highway. As he drove, his mind began to wander, thinking back to what'd prompted the spur-of-the-moment Vegas trip. Though he really wished his mind hadn't gone there as it basically wiped all efforts spent the last few days to forget.

Late last week his one year relationship with his girlfriend, Vicki, ended. And once it was over, he'd found himself unable to deal with the sudden quiet in his house. Not to mention he hadn't wanted to stick around to see her move all of her stuff out. He'd said as much to Trace who had then invited him to Vegas as he'd planned a trip with a couple of friends they both had grown up with. Since he hadn't had anything else to do, he'd agreed and allowed them all to force numerous drinks on him, the four of them partying for nearly three days straight in order to help take his mind off it. It'd worked, but now that he'd returned to reality, everything he'd been suppressing was rushing back.

He might have stayed there to avoid it longer, but Johnny had scheduled a group meeting for late that afternoon. And despite the fact he would've liked to continue partying in Sin City as a way to forget about what'd happened, he couldn't deny that their Nsync duties, and music in general, also provided good distractions. It was probably better that he let things get back to normal as it would eventually make it easier for him to move on and forget about Vicki.

By the time Justin exited the highway, he found he was really regretting the nonstop partying and the lack of sleep. He yawned loudly and blinked as his eyes subconsciously watered just slightly. But instead of clearing his vision, it seemed to make things worse.

Everything got fuzzy around the edges and he couldn't seem to focus on much. His eyes hurt and no amount of blinking was providing relief to the pain or the blurriness. He could barely see the road in front of him and his heart began to race as panic started to set in. It was terrifying not being able to tell how far he was from other cars and other people or if he was running a red light as he was now off the highway and driving through town. He wanted nothing more than to pull over and put himself, and everyone that was possibly near him, out of danger. But his peripheral vision was even worse and left him unable to tell if he could safely pull off without sideswiping a car or taking out a bunch of pedestrians.

Justin settled for gripping the wheel tightly with both hands, continuing to blink rapidly in hopes that his vision would suddenly clear. He also began to mumble under his breath, praying that he wouldn't get into some terrible wreck while trying to keep his cool. And when it seemed like the panic was going to take over completely and make him unable to drive any further, he blinked yet again and this time his vision cleared.

Immediately Justin spotted a Taco Bell and quickly pulled into the parking lot, taking the first free parking spot he saw. Once the car was in park and safely off the road, his body began to shake he allowed himself to finally give into what he'd been feeling and try to recover. His breathing was loud to his own ears, especially in the confines of the car, but he couldn't deny the relief he felt. Never had he experienced fear like that while he was driving and he never wanted it to happen again.

He had absolutely no idea what'd happened, why his vision had suddenly gone wonky. The only thing he could think of was that it had to do with lack of sleep. He wasn't sure if it was true or not, but it sounded reasonable. And now that he was calming down, he found that he was even more exhausted than he was before - if that were even possible. What he needed was to get home and get some sleep.

With that thought in mind, Justin pulled out of the parking space and maneuvered the car back onto the main road. His intent was to get home as quickly - but as safely - as possible. Besides, he only had a few hours to nap before he had to be at the compound for the group meeting Johnny had called.

**************

JC had just woken up when his cell phone rang. He frowned as he stretched from where he was still lying in bed, not wanting to answer it. But he knew from experience that even if it was just one of the guys, if they wanted something they would just keep calling him until he answered.

So he reached his arm to the nightstand beside the bed to grab the phone, his forehead wrinkling in confusion when he realized he didn't recognize the number. The thought of just ignoring it once again popped up, but the problem with not knowing who it would be was that it could be important. He quickly hit the accept button, answering the call just before the ringing could stop and the caller was sent to his voicemail.

"Hello?"

"JC, it's Beth," the woman on the other line said.

JC didn't need further details at all, his mind instantly conjuring up an image of her. She'd gone to high school with him and Joey and had even lived a couple streets over from him. They'd kept in touch off and on since then, and he even saw her a few times a year when he was in Orlando and had some free time on his hands. It'd been at least a year since he'd last talked to her, which was kind of unusual for them.

"Hey," JC said. He cleared his throat to try to loosen up his voice and dislodge the husky quality it had from sleep. "What's up? How are you?"

"You're in Orlando, right?" she asked, completely ignoring his questions.

JC frowned. "Yeah..." He didn't understand where she was going with this. She might want to meet up, but it seemed more complicated than that.

"I hate to ask this of you, but can you do me a favor?"

"Sure," JC answered immediately. "What is it?"

"I can't..." There was a pause and JC could almost picture her shaking her head, her long blonde hair swaying with the movement. "I can't explain it over the phone. Can we meet?"

"Where?"

"At our spot," she said. "You remember the place?"

"Yeah, I remember it," JC replied. He glanced at the clock and grimaced when he saw the time. It would take nearly an hour to get there and an hour to get back, and he only had about three hours before he had to be at the compound. He sighed. "I'll be there in an hour. Just hang tight, okay?"

"Thanks, JC."

With that quiet statement, the line went dead as she disconnected and JC hung up his phone as well. He'd wanted to lounge around the afternoon, eat his leftover Chinese food, and watch some bad daytime TV before the meeting, but now that was just a pipedream. He forced himself up and out of bed, going straight to his closet as he decided to forgo his shower in order to save time.

Once he was dressed and he'd managed to get his long, shaggy hair to somewhat behave, he locked up his house before jumping into his car. He hadn't been to Pompano Beach in over a year and it'd been even longer since he'd gone on his own, but he still remembered how to get there. It was impossible for him to forget considering he and Beth used to slip away to the small nearby beach whenever they could. There had been one day when they'd both needed a break from all the stress high school had provided and had played hooky, spending the day at the beach instead. When they'd gotten home, they'd both heard about it from their parents, but it'd been worth it.

As he drove the familiar route, JC couldn't keep his thoughts from running rampant, wondering just what this favor was. He couldn't even begin to imagine because in all the years he'd known her, she didn't ask for help much - even when she might have needed it. Regardless, he knew he would help her no matter what she asked.

The closer he got, the more anxious he became. They were supposed to have gotten together around Christmas, but he'd never heard from her. It'd been a little strange because they usually always tried to stay in touch and make plans to get together when he was in town, especially around the holidays. But communication had always been pretty sporadic with them. There had been several times where he'd missed her call because he was onstage or doing some other appearance.

A little over an hour had passed by the time he'd pulled into a parking space in the lot right in front of the beach. There weren't many cars as it was February and a little cold for most to be on the beach. He got out of his car, barely remembering to lock it in his haste to see Beth. As he stepped on the sand, his eyes scanned up and down the light yellow shore in search of his old friend. After a minute, he stopped, feeling a bit confused. He didn't see her anywhere and he was sure she would've been there. Part of him wondered if she'd left, but no, he knew she wouldn't do that. She'd known he was coming.

"JC," a quiet voice said behind him.

JC spun around, thinking some fan had spotted him and approached him only to find himself face to face with the very person he was looking for. Though, she didn't look like she had the last time they'd seen each other and it explained why he hadn't been able to find her. Her long blonde hair had been replaced with short red hair that stopped at her chin. The dark color made her green eyes appear more intense.

"Beth," he breathed at last, his lips curling into a smile. She smiled back at him before glancing down and that was when JC realized there was someone attached to her, clinging to her right hand. He could feel his smile grow as he knelt down so he was eyelevel with the brown haired little girl. "Hi, Miss Alice. You've gotten so much bigger since I last saw you."

The little girl had been eyeing him warily and JC was afraid that she didn't remember him. But then after he spoke to her, she seemed to relax as her guarded expression melted and she let go of the death grip on her mother's hand to launch herself at him. JC laughed as he caught her, lifting her up into his arms and settling her against his side as she began to talk to him.

"I'm this many now," she said, holding up a small little hand.

"Wow," JC replied, purposely making himself sound surprised as he widened his eyes. "You're such a big girl, and you're as pretty as your mommy too."

JC then looked back at Beth to find her watching them with a soft smile. Their eyes met for a moment before she cleared her throat, moving her gaze to Alice. "Honey, why don't you go play with your bucket while JC and I talk for a minute."

"Okay," Alice agreed easily and JC let her down. As soon as her feet were on the ground, she ran over to a blue bucket with a yellow handle that was just a few feet away - far enough for her not to hear what they said but close enough for them to keep an eye on her.

Without the distraction of the little girl, JC found he didn't really know what to say. Before he could stop himself, he found himself saying, "You dyed your hair."

Beth shrugged. "It was time for a change."

JC stepped closer and reached out to brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was as soft as it always had been, but it didn't feel right. As long as he'd known her, she'd been a blonde. She'd also always been naturally pale, which seemed to be heightened by the new darker hair. "I'm gonna miss the blonde," he said, retracting his hand at last.

There was a small smile on her face, but it was much more strained the others had been. He could now see the worry in her green eyes, and he knew this was about much more than asking for a favor. Something was wrong.

"Beth, what's going on?" he asked her quietly.

She shook her head, like she wasn't going to tell him. "I need you to watch Alice," she said.

"What?"

Of all the things JC had considered the favor might be for, that hadn't been one of them.

"Just for a few days," Beth said. "I have something to take care of, and I can't have her with me."

"What is it?" Beth didn't answer as she looked away, her gaze going to Alice who was piling sand into her bucket with her shovel. JC pushed, "Please, Beth. I can't help you if you don't tell me what's going on."

She tore her gaze away from her daughter, turning emerald eyes that once sparkled with laughter but that were now dull onto him. "Watching Alice will be helping me."

JC sighed. "Beth..."

"JC, I don't want you in the middle of this." JC frowned at her, wondering just what was going on and why she didn't want to tell him. As if she could read his frustration and knew he wouldn't stop until she told him something, she said, "I need to confront my ex - Alice's father - about some things. That's why I don't want her there."

"What did he do?" JC asked. He could recall only a couple of times that Beth had mentioned her boyfriend in the last five years and while she'd never said anything bad about him, he'd always gotten a feeling that he wasn't good news. But he'd never said anything because he hadn't wanted to risk upsetting Beth, especially since he hadn't had proof that there had been anything really wrong with her boyfriend. Though, something had to have happened if they'd broken up.

Beth shook her head again, and JC knew she wasn't going to tell him anything else about it. "The less you know the better." She paused and then asked hesitantly, "So you'll watch Alice?"

"I don't know if it's such a good idea..." JC started, but she quickly jumped in.

"Are you kidding? You're so good with her, and she adores you."

"Yeah, but watching her for a couple hours is a lot different than watching her for a couple days." JC looked over at the brown haired girl playing just feet away from them, seeming perfectly content on her own. He loved her, but he wasn't convinced spending a few days with him was the best thing as they were getting ready to start recording the next album. He turned back to Beth and asked, "Isn't there someone else that can watch her?"

She was silent for a moment before she said quietly, "You're the only one I trust to take care of her." She stared at him with those deep green eyes, silently pleading with him. "Please, JC."

JC looked at her, numerous questions running through his mind. He wanted to know exactly what was going on, but he also knew that she wasn't going to tell him. At least not yet. She was in a bind and asking for him for help, to keep an eye on her daughter for a couple of days while she got things sorted out with her ex-boyfriend. He could tell it'd taken a lot for her to even ask him to do this, and he didn't want to disappoint her. Besides, it was only a couple of days and depending on what happened in the meeting with Johnny this afternoon, they might not start recording for a few more days anyway.

"Okay," JC said at last. "I'll do it."

A look of relief instantly washed over her. "Thank you," she said, hugging him briefly. "I really appreciate this."

JC assured her it was no problem and Beth called over Alice, asking her to bring her toy with her. The little girl dumped the sand out of the bucket before she came running over to them. Beth got down to her level and said, "You're going to spend a couple days with JC, okay?"

"You coming too?" Alice asked, smiling innocently at her mother.

"No," Beth said gently. "But I'm going to meet up with you in a couple days. We'll all get ice cream and go to the park, alright?"

Alice looked a little sad that her mother wouldn't be coming, but she nodded.

With that settled, the three of them walked over to the parking lot and JC found that he'd actually parked next to Beth. They both unlocked their cars and together they transferred the couple of bags that held Alice's things to his trunk. Once that was done, it was time for the goodbyes as Beth said she had to go.

JC stood back, trying to give them their space, but he was still close enough that he could hear what was being said. Beth was kneeling in front of Alice, telling her to be good and listen to JC. Then she hugged the little girl fiercely, telling her how much she loved her. He was almost taken aback by the amount of emotion Beth displayed with a simple goodbye, but he reasoned that she likely hadn't left Alice's side much since she'd been born. He could only imagine how hard it would be for her to leave her daughter even if it was just for a couple days.

Finally, Beth released Alice from the hug and helped her into the backseat of JC's car, buckling her in. Once she was settled, Beth shut the back door and turned towards JC as she pulled him into a hug. He hugged her back, realizing then just how much he'd really missed seeing her.

She pulled away and told him, "If you have any problems, don't hesitate to call."

"I'm sure it'll be fine," JC said, trying to sound reassuring. "She's a sweetheart."

Beth managed a light chuckle at that, but then she quickly turned serious. "You take care of my baby."

"I will," JC promised.

They hugged once more - this one much more brief than the previous one - before they hopped into their respective cars. JC let Beth pull out first, using the opportunity to smile at Alice through the rearview mirror.

"We're going to have fun together, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alice said, though she didn't sound as enthused as he'd hoped. But her eyes were fixed on her mother's car that was pulling out of the parking lot. He could imagine how it felt to watch her mom leave, and he was quick to reassure her.

"Don't worry. It's only for a couple days and then we're all going to get ice cream together."

Alice nodded, her face smoothing out just slightly. As JC got them on the highway and headed back towards Orlando, he found himself wishing for the next couple of days to go by fast. The promise of Beth's return and the three of them hanging out was something he was very much looking forward to too.

Lance was on his Palm Pilot, checking email and going over his schedule for the next few days. He used it as much as his cell phone, and he wasn't sure how he'd ever done without it. The days when he was just a kid keeping track of their schedule with a pocket calendar and a printed copy of the cities and appearances they had to go to were long gone. Now that he had even more going on with all his side projects it was extremely important he stay on top of everything and keep himself organized.

"Hey, Hollywood," Chris called, his voice demanding Lance's attention. He glanced up from the small screen to his oldest friend and Chris continued, "You want to put the fancy gadget away? You're missing out on some important catching up time here."

Lance rolled his eyes, but he did pocket the small device. He and Joey had flown back to Orlando together and had gone straight to the compound, having arrived late enough that it hadn't made sense to go to their homes first. Because of that, they had been the first ones to arrive and were relaxing in the lounge when Chris had come in. That'd been nearly fifteen minutes ago, and Joey and Chris had been talking nearly the entire time, each of them swapping stories as none of them had really had much time to talk over their break.

"I was listening," he told Chris. "You were talking about how John screwed up the order of belts and made a mess of the design room."

Chris glanced at Joey and smirked. "Oh yeah, you were listening," he said, sarcastically.

"What? I was."

Joey shook his head. "The guy's name was Jeff, and he didn't mess up the design room. He tried baking cookies in the break room, didn't know what he was doing, and got batter and flour everywhere."

"Oh." Lance frowned then as what Joey said sunk in. "Who the hell would try making cookies in an office break room?"

Joey and Chris burst out laughing, and Lance felt like he was missing something, like one of them had already said something similar. Okay, so maybe he hadn't been listening as well as he'd thought.

The laughter was dying off as they heard the front door open and then Justin appeared a couple seconds later. They all greeted him and he smiled back at them as he threw himself onto the opposite end of the couch Lance was sitting on. Almost immediately the mood dimmed a bit as they realized something was up. He may have smiled at them when he'd first walked in, but it had been a bit strained and it was obvious just by looking at him that he looked completely exhausted.

"Geez, J. You look like something the cat dragged in," Joey said. "What's going on?"

"Nothing. I'm just tired," Justin replied, his voice near monotone as he slouched against the cushy couch cushions.

Chris gave him a look. "Bull. It's obviously more than that."

Justin's eyes flashed in annoyance and a bit of anger as he looked at Chris. "Yeah, and how would you know? Not like any of you have been around lately."

Lance blinked, feeling stunned at that seemingly random accusation. Yeah, they had all gone off in separate directions when they'd agreed to the break, but it didn't mean that they were too busy for one another. Though, Justin clearly didn't see it that way.

Chris, for his part, didn't seem surprised by what Justin said at all. He just met his gaze head on. "I know something's up because I know you. So why don't you just tell us what's going on."

Justin stared at Chris for a long moment, his jaw set and Lance was beginning to think he would refuse to tell them anything. But finally, Justin sighed and looked away as he mumbled, "Vicki and I broke up."

The three of them exchanged glances and quickly offered up their condolences, apologizing for what'd happened. Justin just shrugged them off with a look that clearly said "whatever".

"Who broke up with who?" Joey asked.

Justin slowly raised tired blue eyes to look at him. "Does it matter? We broke up, and I'd really rather not talk about it."

"So you went to Vegas to deal?" Lance asked. He made sure his tone wasn't combative and more casual like it didn't really matter. The last thing he wanted was to piss Justin off more than he seemed to be and make him lash out.

Justin's head snapped up and he looked at Lance with an expression of total surprise. "How do you know I was in Vegas?"

Chris looked at him too, seeming just as clueless as Justin. Lance sighed and said, "There were pictures of you and Trace partying." He paused. "Johnny isn't too happy."

Justin shook his head as he settled back against the couch once more. "Figures," he muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Before anything else could be said, they were interrupted by the front door opening again. Out of habit, Lance glanced down at his watch to note how late JC was as he knew that had to be him - he was always the last to arrive for these meetings. He lowered his wrist and looked up as JC walked in the room, instantly feeling like someone had kicked him in the gut. His eyes were transfixed on the little girl that was tucked against JC's side with his right arm wrapped securely around her small waist. He was more than a little confused, and he wasn't the only one.

"What the hell, JC?" Chris demanded.

At the same time, Joey asked, "Who's the kid?"

JC rolled his eyes as he moved to the open couch across from Lance and Justin. "Don't worry. She's not mine."

Lance felt a bit of relief wash over him even though he'd been pretty certain she hadn't been his. He had a feeling JC wouldn't have breezed through the door looking relatively calm if she was. Though, someone could mistake her for being his daughter if they didn't look too hard. They had same shade of dark brown hair, but that was about where their similarities ended.

"Then whose?" Lance asked.

"A friend's. I'm watching her for a couple days," JC said distractedly as he tried to pry the little girl away from his side to sit on the couch. She refused to let go of his neck though, clinging to him tightly. He sighed and gave up, sitting on the couch with her still attached to him. Rubbing her back gently, he whispered to her, "Alice, honey, it's okay."

Lance raised an eyebrow. It was obvious that JC cared for her and seemed comfortable with her - and her him as she refused to let go of him. Though it made sense because he couldn't imagine anyone giving someone their kid to watch if they weren't good friends and he'd been around her before. Still, they all knew about the same people and he could think of no one they knew that had a child.

"What friend?" Chris asked, clearly thinking along the same lines as Lance.

Justin cut in then before JC could even offer an answer, speaking for the first time since JC had come in. "Leave him alone," he said. "Just because you don't know them doesn't mean they don't exist. If he wants you to know more, he'll tell you. He doesn't need you interrogating him."

Chris opened his mouth, most likely to object, but he was prevented from Johnny walking in as he'd been in his nearby office and had probably heard that they'd finally all arrived. But he stopped in surprise when he saw the little girl that was sitting in JC's lap. He frowned as his eyes immediately went to JC.

"I'm watching her for a friend for a couple days," JC said before Johnny could say anything.

Johnny's frown seemed to deepen. "You guys are meeting with one of the producers for the album the day after tomorrow."

JC nodded. "I know. Her mother might pick her up by then. And if not, I'll just take her with me."

"JC..." Johnny began, and Lance could imagine what he was going to say. He knew Johnny's biggest concern was the media and what would happen if people saw JC with this little girl. It didn't matter if she wasn't his because surely the media wouldn't stop to consider that and would just print that she was his daughter because it would be hot gossip.

"I'm helping a friend out of a bind," JC said, interrupting him. His voice was firm and told them all that he would do whatever he thought was necessary until his friend could pick up her daughter.

Johnny sighed, but didn't say anything else about it. Instead he said, "Let's get started then."

The meeting started with them addressing the picture that'd been taken of Justin in Vegas. It actually hadn't been all that incriminating of a picture considering the drink Justin was holding had been a dark color and hard to know what it was. For all the paparazzi knew it could've been Coke, and it wasn't uncommon for people under twenty-one to get into the nightclubs in Vegas as they usually got their hand stamped at the door signaling to the bartenders they weren't able to drink. Still, Johnny had lectured Justin about being more careful in the future. He had no disillusions that he could keep Justin from clubbing and partying, he just asked that he be more cognizant of the potential for reporters lurking nearby when he was out. Justin agreed and that'd been the end of it.

For the rest of the meeting, they went over their schedule for the next couple of weeks. The hope had been to come back with all of their side projects settled, but there were still a few things that needed to be taken care of with the biggest thing being the movie. Lance had never intended on doing a movie in the middle of recording an album, but the opportunity had come up and it'd been too good to ignore as it would be the push he needed to get A Happy Place off the ground. So bearing that in mind, they would have to record in shifts to accommodate him and Joey flying back for the movie. They would actually be flying back this week - the same time Chris was heading to New York to handle some things for his clothing line.

The meeting was winding down when JC's attention was diverted by a small voice and a hand tugging at his shirt. "I need to go potty," the little girl said quietly.

A brief look of discomfort appeared on JC's face before he nodded and rose with the little girl since she'd refused to let go of him even as the meeting had progressed. Lance watched him go for a moment before he turned his attention back to Johnny, waiting to see if there was anything else he wanted to add. It turned out there wasn't and when JC returned with the girl now walking, holding his hand, the meeting was declared finished. Johnny told them all to go relax and rest up before making his exit.

"So did I miss anything?" JC asked as he reclaimed his earlier seat and this time the little girl actually sat next to him. Though she was practically pressed up against his side.

"Nah," Justin said. "He just did his usual summary for those that weren't paying attention."

"Like you?" Lance replied, giving Justin a knowing look. More often than not he was caught not paying attention in the meetings Johnny held. Hell, they all were...except for Lance. He couldn't afford to otherwise none of them would know what Johnny had booked them for.

There was a bit of quiet laughter and when it died down Joey said, "So are you going to introduce us or what?"

JC sighed and rolled his eyes, but his lips upturned into a small smile. He looked down at Alice before looking back out at them and began pointing to each of them as he said their name. They all smiled or gave a little wave as they were introduced, and JC finished by saying, "And guys this is Alice."

Chris slid out of the chair he was sitting in and crouched down in front of her, putting his hand out. She hesitated a moment, glancing up a JC who smiled at her and nodded. Reassured, she put her much smaller hand into Chris's and he shook her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Miss Alice."

She giggled and looked once more at JC. "That's what JC calls me."

Chris let go of her hand and grinned up at JC, who ducked his head and coughed into his hand. "Is that so?"

"So do we know this friend?" Joey asked. He shifted in his seat, glancing at Justin as he added, "I'm not trying to pry. I'm just curious."

"You know her," JC told him. Joey frowned, his forehead wrinkling in confusion as he likely tried to recall everyone he and JC knew that had a kid. But JC cleared it up a second later as he added, "Beth."

"Beth," Joey repeated like he was trying to place the name. His face smoothed out as it seemed to suddenly don on him. "Beth Carlson? The girl we went to high school with?"

JC nodded. "We've stayed in touch over the years and she called me earlier asking if I could meet her. She needed to take care of something and asked if I could watch Alice."

Lance suspected there was much more to the story, but the way JC glanced at the little girl told him he didn't want to say anything in front of her. He could understand that and honestly the explanation could wait...even if they were all beyond curious to know more about the situation and why Beth had chosen JC to watch Alice given their lifestyle. So he quickly changed the subject before anyone could press the subject any further.

"I guess we're going to have to pick somewhere different for dinner to accommodate our guest," he said, offering a smile to Alice. She returned it tentatively.

JC frowned. "What are you talking about? I was just going to take her to my place-"

"And what? You have no food in your house, C," Justin spoke up.

"That's not true."

"Leftover Chinese food doesn't count."

JC made a disgruntled noise and Justin grinned, finally seeming to lift out of the mood he'd been in since he'd first arrived at the compound. The lack of argument on JC's part told them Justin was right on the money, and they all had to laugh at how some things never changed.

"Like you can even cook for the kid even if you had food," Chris said as he got to his feet. He tilted his head as he regarded JC for a second before he added playfully, "What was she thinking having you babysit? You have no experience with kids."

JC looked at him and said dryly, "I don't know. I've taken care of you for the past few years."

"It doesn't even matter what you want." Joey moved so he was crouched down in front of Alice and asked her, "What do you want for dinner?"

They all turned their attention to the little girl, and she shifted under their gazes. After a long pause, she said a bit hesitantly, "Chuck E Cheese?"

Joey gave a nod, smiling at her. "Sounds good to me."

Chris turned to Justin. "You know what this means?" he asked.

"Arcade games," Justin replied, grinning as he high fived Chris.

"Hang on, guys," JC said, frowning. "I don't know if this is such a good idea."

Lance looked at him. "Why not?" It wasn't like he really wanted to go to a kid's place to eat as it didn't sound nearly as appetizing as the restaurant they were going to eat at, but that same restaurant would just be torture for someone Alice's age.

"Because we'll probably draw a lot of attention to us, and I doubt Beth intended for Alice to end up in the media by staying with me."

Justin waved a dismissive hand. "Please. Like anyone is going to be looking for us at Chuck E Cheese." He added, "Besides, she really wants to go or she wouldn't have suggested it."

As if on cue, Alice looked up at JC with her big green eyes and said, "Please, JC."

Lance could feel the affect that little gaze had and she wasn't even looking at him. So he wasn't at all surprised when JC caved a couple seconds later with a sigh. "Okay, we can go." He glanced at them. "But you guys don't have to-"

"Are you kidding? We're not gonna miss this," Chris said.

JC frowned again. "You make it seem like I'm terrible with kids."

Chris shook his head. "It's not that. I just don't think you know what you're in for. Right, Alice?" he said, winking at her. The little girl giggled.

JC resigned himself to the fact they would be tagging along and the five of them all went out to their separate cars to drive themselves. It was true they could've just gone out to dinner without JC, but this was the first night the five of them were together in weeks and it wouldn't feel right to go out with someone missing. Besides, Lance had to admit he was curious how this babysitting gig would work out for JC. Not because JC wasn't good with kids, but because like Chris said, there were always unexpected surprises when kids were involved.

**************

Joey shook his head at Justin and Chris's playful arguing as they tried to outdo each other at one of the numerous arcade games. There weren't a ton of kids in Chuck E Cheese considering it was a Monday night, but there was enough that he hoped they kept their trash talk clean. He left them to their competition and returned to the table they'd eaten their meal at where JC and Lance were sitting.

As he approached, he heard Lance ask JC, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," JC said, his annoyance coming through loud and clear. "Why does everyone keep asking me that?"

Joey exchanged a look with Lance as he pulled out a chair, taking a seat across from JC. He looked across the table at him and said, "Because you've been on edge ever since you got to the compound."

JC opened his mouth, but Lance quickly cut in, seeming to know exactly what he was going to say. "Yes, it was partly because you didn't want to answer a million questions about Alice. But your mood didn't exactly get better, especially when we were discussing our schedule."

JC said nothing. He didn't even try to deny it like Joey thought he might have. It was like he was silently admitting that yes he was in a bad mood and that he wasn't happy about how their schedule was laid out for the next couple weeks. For having returned from a three week break that was meant to allow them to get their side projects settled enough where they could begin recording the album without many interruptions, there were a number of days where one or more of them wouldn't be able to be in the studio. And Joey knew without a doubt that it bothered JC.

"Are you mad at us for doing this movie?" Joey asked.

"No," JC denied immediately. Joey frowned while Lance raised an eyebrow in disbelief. JC sighed. "Could it have been at a better time? Absolutely. But there's nothing we can do to change that now so we just have to make the best of it."

Lance leaned in slightly from where he was sitting next to Joey. "Are you sure? I don't want you to say you're okay with it because you're trying to smooth things over."

"I'm not." JC looked down as he rubbed at his forehead. After a moment, he dropped his hand and lifted his head. "I'm sorry I've been in such a bad mood. I'm just..."

"Just what?" Joey asked when JC stopped speaking, watching JC expectantly.

There was a long pause before JC finally admitted, "I'm worried about Beth."

As he spoke, his eyes were fixed on something behind them. Joey turned in his seat and saw that JC was watching Alice play with a couple of kids that looked to be a little older than her. They were in front of the small stage where Chuck E Cheese and his creepy animatronic mouse friends performed a couple of songs. She seemed happy enough, but as he looked back at JC, he could see the worry lines marring his friend's face.

"Why? What's going on?"

Lance's question had JC shaking his head, his eyes never leaving Alice. "She wouldn't really tell me. All she said was she had to take care of some things with her ex."

"Do you think he was abusive?" Joey asked. He wasn't really sure why his mind immediately went there, but he reasoned it was because those things tended to happen and it was one of the more common reasons you heard when someone was asked why they left their boyfriend.

"I don't know. I don't think so." JC frowned then like that thought hadn't entered his mind before, but he was thinking about it now. "I hope not."

"Did you know him?" Lance asked.

JC finally tore his gaze away from the area where Alice was to look at them. "No. She never talked about him much, and he certainly wasn't around when we got together."

"How often was that?" JC shot Joey a look that told him it was none of his business, and Joey held up his hands in defense. "I'm not trying to pry. I'm just curious. I wasn't aware you kept up with people we went to high school with."

"I didn't," JC said. "It was just her."

Joey felt himself smile as he remembered something. "She was the girl you had a crush on, right?"

"It wasn't a crush," JC denied. "We were just friends."

Right, Joey thought to himself as he smirked. There had always been some indescribable vibe between JC and Beth. She loved hanging out with him and vice versa. Joey had tried to convince him to just ask her out a few times, but he'd refuse every time. He still wasn't sure why because all JC would say was that what she really needed was a friend, not a boyfriend. But Joey had tried to friend her as she was hanging out with JC all the time anyway and she hadn't seemed interested. Now that she had broken up with her boyfriend maybe she and JC could finally hook up.

"Well, you must have kept in touch a good bit over the years for her to trust you with Alice," Lance said, cutting through Joey's thoughts.

JC gave a one shoulder shrug. "We didn't really. Not as much as we wanted to anyway. But I got the feeling she didn't exactly have many other people to ask."

"What about her family?"

"As far as I know she hasn't talked to her parents since they kicked her out of the house the first time she got pregnant," JC said.

Joey's eyes widened in surprise as he felt instant sympathy for her. The look on Lance's face showed he shared in those feelings. He'd only met her parents a couple times - one of them being graduation - but they'd never struck him as the kind of people that would force their own child out of the house. His mind seemed to come up with endless questions, ones that he wanted answers to and would've tried to get if Alice hadn't come running over to them then.

"JC!" she cried excitedly. Joey smiled as he watched her run up to JC, her long brown hair bouncing lightly. He must have caught her attention because as she slowed to avoid crashing into JC, she eyed him and Lance warily. It only lasted for a moment though because then she quickly turned her attention back on JC, putting a small hand on his arm. "C'mon, JC. You gotta see!"

JC smiled as he looked down at her. "See what?"

"The tunnels," she said and pointed over her shoulder as if he didn't know what she was talking about. The play set was pretty small, but it had several plastic tunnels that ran near the ceiling with a couple that led to slides which were situated in the middle.

"I see them. They look pretty cool." JC turned in his chair slightly so he could lean forward to look her in the eyes. "You gonna go play in them?"

Alice nodded. "With you," she said as she grabbed hold of his hand.

Joey couldn't hold back his laughter anymore and even Lance was chuckling. He couldn't picture JC crawling around in small plastic tunnels that were made for kids under twelve. It wasn't that JC couldn't because his thin frame could easily fit through those tunnels, but because he didn't act nearly childish enough to do such a thing. Chris on the other hand...he wouldn't care about making a fool of himself and playing with kids because he often acted like one big kid himself.

"Alice, honey, I can't," JC began, his voice taking on a sweet tone as he tried to break it to her gently. "I'd break it."

"C'mon, Jace. We all know it would take a lot more than your scrawny butt to bring those things down," Joey said, managing to censor himself from saying ass in front of the impressionable five year old.

JC glared at him as he knew that Joey was well aware of the fact that it wasn't his fear of breaking the play set that had him refusing the little girl's request. But Alice turned and grinned at Joey, like she knew exactly what he was doing. She then looked back at JC and stared up at him with those same doe-like eyes that she'd used on him back at Johnny's. He was a sucker for it then, and Joey knew without a doubt he'd fall for it again.

Alice seemed to sense it too because she yanked on his hand as she said, "Let's go!"

JC didn't put up a fight as he allowed her to pull him to his feet. As they started to walk away from the table, Lance told him with a teasing smile, "Have fun."

Another glare was thrown in their direction, but it didn't keep them from laughing as JC was led into the kid's play area. Joey shook his head as he watched Alice instruct him to take off his shoes. "The kid's good," he said. "She knew exactly what she was doing, and she's only five. Pretty impressive."

"She's smart," Lance agreed. "And it's going to make for an interesting couple of days for JC."

"For all of us," Joey amended. Lance gave him a confused look and Joey clarified, "You think I'm not gonna pop in to see how they're doing? I fully expect his house to be in shambles by tomorrow night, or at least someone screaming. Whether it's JC or her is up for debate."

Lance laughed. "There's one thing he'll be sure of once this whole thing's over."

"What's that?"

"He'll either want kids or he won't."

Joey nodded in agreement, laughter rising to the surface once more. He couldn't remember ever talking to JC about the subject before; he'd probably always assumed that JC would want kids considering his care giving nature. But like Lance said, they would all definitely know for sure once Beth returned to pick up Alice.

**************

JC sighed in contentment as he slipped into bed and fell against his plush mattress and fluffy pillows, feeling much more exhausted than he should've been. He'd slept in pretty late, which had been understandable given how late he'd gone to bed the night before. Under normal circumstances, he would still be wide awake, especially given that it was only midnight and he'd only been up for about twelve hours. But normal circumstances went out the window the moment he'd agreed to watch Alice for a couple days.

He couldn't believe how exhausted he was given that he hadn't done much all day, even once Alice was with him. The most taxing thing they'd done was going to Chuck E Cheese and playing the arcade games and running around in those tunnels. Well, Alice had run. JC had crawled and he was paying for it dearly now, his knees and hands rough and hurting. Not to mention he had numerous new bruises in various places that he hadn't been sporting yesterday.

They'd only stopped playing when Alice had been enticed by Chris and Justin to come with them to pick out a prize with all the tickets they'd won. The amount of tickets they'd won had allowed for Alice to pick out a blue bunny stuffed animal and she'd had enough left over for some candy. She'd redeemed it for three Ring Pops, two of which she'd promptly given to her two new friends that'd helped her get that many tickets. Chris and Justin had played it up, acting like it was a big deal as they'd immediately unwrapped the candy and put the rings on their fingers - pinky fingers since the others were too big for the small plastic rings.

Afterwards, JC had loaded Alice up in his car and had thanked the guys. He may not have initially wanted to go out, but he hadn't been able to deny that it'd been a good idea. Alice had had fun and it'd been largely due to his friends and their ability to act like a kid themselves. And it'd ultimately helped her go to sleep that much quicker.

She'd been asleep at least a few hours now. He'd set her up in one of the guest rooms down the hall after he'd given her a bath, which he'd expected some resistance from her on. But she'd seemed more comfortable with the idea of him bathing her than he had. He'd even contemplated not giving her a bath, but he knew that if he hadn't bothered to bathe her in a couple days that Beth would get on his case. Really, Alice hadn't needed his help as she'd done a pretty good job washing up. By the time they'd finished, her eyes had been half open and it'd been all too easy to put her to sleep.

JC had spent the last few hours going through his house and making sure there wasn't anything that she could get into that might result in her hurting himself. His house wasn't exactly childproof and he didn't have all the right stuff to make it so, but he made do. It'd taken him much longer than he'd thought though so he was happy to finally be able to relax a little before he headed to bed himself.

He spent the next hour or so in bed, watching TV. There wasn't anything good on though and he eventually felt the pull of sleep. Just when he'd nearly given into it, there was a scream of terror. It made him jump awake and the blood in his veins seemed to turn to ice.

"Alice," he said to himself, already up and moving towards the hallway. Rationally he knew nothing terrible could have happened - he'd been awake and moving through the house most of the night so he would've noticed if someone had broken in. Still, that didn't keep his heart from racing frantically.

He ran into the guest room where she was and flipped the light switch as he rushed in. The sudden brightness of the overhead light contrasted greatly from the cloaking dark of the hall and he had to blink a few times to get his vision to focus. When it did, he noticed that the five year old looked even smaller than she had before as she sat in the middle of the queen sized bed, shaking and looking absolutely frightened. He made it to her in a couple of quick steps and sat on the bed next to her before wrapping her up in his arms.

"Shh, it's okay. You're alright," he said quietly, hoping he was saying the right things to soothe her. He began to rub her back, thinking that might help too. "Did you have a nightmare?"

JC felt her nod against his chest, and he held her tighter as she continued to shake. She tilted her head to look up at him with watery green eyes and said in a broken voice, "I want my mommy."

He could've sworn he felt his heart break into a million little pieces at her confession. "Honey, your mommy's not here," he told her gently. "You're staying with me for a couple of days, remember?"

Alice sniffled and nodded once again. As he looked down at her, he wished he could take away her pain or make this easier somehow. Something. But the only thing she wanted was the one thing he couldn't give her. Beth had told him to call if he needed anything, but he didn't want to call her about this and have her come back because she was worried. He had a feeling whatever she was doing was important and that she needed to take care of it now when she didn't have to worry about how Alice would handle whatever she was doing.

"I miss her," Alice said quietly as she disentangled herself from him. There were still a few tears running down her cheeks, but the shaking had stopped and she did seem much calmer.

"Me too," JC replied. He realized this wasn't exactly making her feel any better so he was quick to try to reassure her. "But she'll be here soon. If everything goes well, she might even be back tomorrow night."

Alice was silent for a long moment, and JC wondered if he was successful at all in allaying her fears. It didn't really feel like it, but it was hard to tell. He could have, or he might have said the completely wrong thing and she was gearing up for round two.

Finally, she turned her green eyes on him and asked, "And you're not going to let the obsessed monster get me, right?"

JC frowned. Obsessed monster? He had no idea what she was talking about, but he figured it must have been what her nightmare was about. "Of course not," he said quickly. "You're safe here."

He watched her, trying to determine if she believed him or not. She still seemed scared, but he knew from experience it sometimes took a little while to shake off a nightmare. Plus he was sure it was hard to feel safe in a place you'd never been before, and he wondered if the strange environment had helped to bring about the bad dream.

JC was about to ask her if she wanted to try to go back to sleep when she asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

Immediately after the question left her lips, she got a nervous look on her face like she hadn't really meant to ask that and she was afraid of his answer. JC's mind couldn't help but wonder if there'd been some type of abuse, but he quickly dismissed it. She wasn't afraid of physical contact and surely that would be more of an indicator than hesitance around someone she'd only seen a few times a year. They really didn't know each other all that well, and he wasn't sure how much one-on-one interaction she had with other adults besides her mother. Then again, she'd done pretty well with the guys and she'd only just met them.

Regardless of what the reason was, JC offered her a smile and said, "Of course you can."

He stood up and she immediately latched herself to him, forcing him to pick her up so he could carry her to his room. As he walked down the hall, he found himself hoping that the rest of the night went smoothly and that Beth did show up tomorrow night because more than anything he wanted to spare Alice the pain of spending another night without her mom.

Somebody jumped on JC, landing directly on his stomach. He groaned, keeping his eyes closed as he said, "Go away Chris."

"Not Chris. I'm Alice."

Instantly, JC's mind cleared and he opened his eyes to find Alice sitting on top of his stomach as the last twenty-four hours came rushing back. He was reminded that it wasn't a typical morning, and he lifted himself up just enough for him to see the alarm clock that sat on the nightstand. 6:53 a.m. JC mentally groaned. They'd been up most of the night after Alice's nightmare as she'd refused to go to back to sleep and had only finally given in to her tiredness at five. There was no way two hours of sleep was enough for her. It certainly wasn't for him.

"Alice, honey," he began and then stopped to clear his scratchy throat. "Why don't you go back to sleep? It's really early."

Alice shook her head. "The sun's up," she said, pointing a little finger towards one of the windows.

JC turned his head and recognized the light morning hue as the sun slowly began its ascent into the sky. Barely, he thought, the sun is barely up. He looked back at her and saw that she was watching him patiently, like she was waiting for him to realize she was right.

"The sun wasn't up all night though," JC countered at last. "C'mon, let's go back to bed. You've got to be tired."

"Nope," she said, smiling at him brightly. He wondered how she could be so cheerful so early in the morning, especially given how late they'd gone to bed. She bounced a little on his stomach. "I'm hungry."

The whole bed shook, and JC forced himself to hold back another groan. "Okay, okay. I'm up."

Alice cheered, finally moving so he could get up and out of bed. Once he was standing, she jumped off the bed and he walked with her down the stairs, leading her into the kitchen. He told her to take a seat and he'd see what he had. When he opened his fridge, he grimaced.

There was half of a half gallon of milk, two containers of leftover Chinese, a few bottles of water, and a swig of orange juice left. And as bad as his fridge was, he knew his freezer and cupboards were worse. At least as far as breakfast foods were concerned. It also didn't help that on vacation he wasn't normally awake for breakfast so he hadn't bothered stocking the house with the typical fanfare that was often eaten as the first meal of the day.

"Looks like we have to go grocery shopping," he told her as he let the fridge close. He'd planned on going today anyway as he'd known he was about out of food and would need to keep his house stocked since they would be sticking around to work on the album.

Alice made a face. "I'm hungry now," she said, a little bit of whine accompanying her words.

JC sighed, glancing at the clock to the note the time once more and winced. It was quarter after seven - early enough that most places probably hadn't opened for breakfast yet. There was always McDonald's, but breakfast options were kind of limited there. He could try to find a diner nearby that was open as that would ensure a larger selection and a better chance of Alice finding something she liked.

With that thought in mind, JC turned to her and said, "Alright. Let's get dressed and we can go out for breakfast."

Alice jumped down from the chair, her little feet scurrying across the floor as she ran back through the small hallway and upstairs. JC followed at a much slower pace, knowing that regardless where they ended up for breakfast he'd be getting coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

It took him about a half hour to get himself and Alice ready. Once they were, he loaded Alice into the backseat of his car and drove out onto one of the main highways in Orlando. He kept his eyes peeled as he drove and finally as he was about to give up the search for a good diner breakfast and go to McDonald's, he spotted a small place that looked busy but not overly so. Without a second thought, he pulled into the parking lot.

When they walked into the restaurant they were immediately met by a waitress that'd been walking by and pointed out an empty table to them. JC led Alice over to it, taking her hand to make sure he didn't lose her in the crowded space. He helped her into one side of the booth and sat across from her.

As soon as they were sitting, the same waitress from earlier came over to greet them. She looked to be in her fifties and she was immediately enamored with Alice, smiling at her in an almost grandmotherly way. After she introduced herself she asked, "Can I get you two something to drink?"

The question was directed at both of them, but all of her attention was focused on Alice.

Alice ducked her head, looking down at the paper placemat as she shifted in her seat. JC couldn't help the smile that came across his face, even as he sympathized with her. He'd been the same way as a kid.

"How about we get some...milk?" JC paused, looking away from the waitress to Alice who nodded. "And maybe some juice?"

"I'll bring out some apple juice," the waitress said, jotting notes down on her small pad. When she was finished writing, she looked at him. "And what about you?"

"Coffee," he answered immediately. "Black."

The woman offered him a smile. "It's hard babysitting, huh?"

That grabbed JC's attention. He gave her a confused look. "How do you know I'm babysitting?" He wondered if it was that apparent he didn't know what the hell he was doing.

"I don't live under a rock, dear," she said, laughing lightly. "I know who you are and that you don't have a kid. Plus, I've seen that frazzled look before and most parents don't have it much with a kid her age."

JC was silent for a moment, unable to argue with her. His nerves definitely felt frayed, especially after not getting much sleep. "We had kind of a rough night," he said, feeling like he needed to give some kind of explanation if only to keep her from thinking he was completely incompetent.

"I'll be right out with your drinks then." The waitress turned her attention back on Alice and said, "I'll even bring some crayons out for you. Okay, sweetie?"

Alice looked up and tentatively returned the woman's wide smile with one of her own as she nodded once again. This time though she added a soft, "Thank you". The waitress grinned at her and said she'd be right back before stepping away.

As she left, JC found himself looking around reflexively. It was habit for him to take note of who was around when he was out so he could determine if he had to anticipate fans approaching him. Thankfully, it didn't seem like that was going to be a problem this morning as most of the patrons in the small restaurant were at least in their fifties. It also helped that he was out at a time when most of their fans were either already in school or on their way. He was grateful for it, not just because he wasn't feeling up to greeting their fans but because he could imagine it would make Alice that much more uneasy.

When he returned his attention to their table to talk to Alice, he felt his stomach drop as he saw the other side of the booth was empty. His heart began to race immediately and he felt like he was a second away from launching into full panic mode when he felt something bump into his foot underneath the table. He shifted so he could see under the table and let out a sigh of relief when he saw Alice.

"Honey, what are you doing?" he asked her, doing his best to keep his voice soft and quiet. His heart rate was quickly returning back to normal, but he didn't want to chance his emotions getting the best of him and making him come off harsh. He didn't want to scare her.

"Hiding," she said quietly.

JC frowned. "From who?"

"The obsessed monster. He's here."

JC straightened up and quickly looked around the restaurant. He'd never even met Beth's boyfriend so he had no idea who he was looking for, but there didn't seem to be anyone in the place that looked young enough to have been with Beth. Alice might have just seen someone that'd looked like him from afar - or she could've just imagined things or was playing some kind of a game. It wasn't right to just assume abuse or that she was afraid of her father when he knew nothing about the situation. For all he knew, her nightmare could have just been a typical childhood nightmare that she was still kind of jumpy from.

"Alice, sweetie," JC began, ducking his head further so he could see her face better. "He's not here. I promise." He paused. "You're safe with me."

Alice stared at him for moment like she was debating whether or not she believed him. Nothing on her face told him anything about what she was thinking, but finally after a moment she moved from her crouched position and climbed back up onto the bench seat across from JC. He offered her a small smile and was about to say something when the waitress returned with their drinks.

As soon as the waitress handed over the crayons she'd promised Alice, the five year old immediately dumped them out and began to doodle on her placemat. She gave it all of her attention, seeming to forget about the hunger she'd complained about earlier and leaving JC to guess at what she would want to eat. And when the food came about fifteen minutes later, she still didn't seem interested in eating the breakfast she'd all but dragged him out of bed for. She just colored away.

JC sighed. This was going to be a long day.

**************

Justin finished his cereal, tipping the bowl forward so he could drink the remaining milk. Once it was gone, he rinsed his bowl and spoon before placing both of them in the dishwasher. Normally he wasn't so neat and would often leave his dishes in the sink, and he hadn't even quit doing so once Vicki had moved in because she was almost messier than him. Now he found he would almost go out of his way to avoid doing things the way he had when she was around so he wouldn't think about her as much.

Not that he was successful in that at all. How could he be when everything in the house reminded him of her? They'd spent so much time together there and had fallen into such a normal routine when he was home. It'd been especially difficult to sleep last night. He was still getting used to the fact that it was no longer their bed but his, and needless to say, it'd resulted in a very restless night.

Because he'd been unable to sleep in their bed, he'd gotten up to go try to sleep on the couch downstairs thinking that would release him from the memories that haunted him in the bedroom. Of course, it hadn't. They'd spent just as much time downstairs and had on occasion fallen asleep while watching a movie together, the two of them a tangled mess of limbs. After that, he'd gone back upstairs and went into one of the spare bedrooms. That room had had some things that'd reminded him of her, but it hadn't been as overwhelming as the rest of the house and had allowed him to finally get some sleep.

It hadn't been near enough though. Despite his exhaustion, he still hadn't managed to get more than six hours, which did nothing to make up for the sleep he'd missed out on in Vegas. He knew it was his fault and he needed to get some more rest, but he couldn't bring himself to go back upstairs and try again. What he wanted at that moment was to get out of the house, the weight of what'd happened and the memories that surrounded him making it hard for him to breathe. He needed to get out and get his mind off things for a while.

With that thought in mind, Justin went upstairs just long enough for him to put some clothes on and grab his keys off the dresser before heading out. As he pulled out of his driveway, he found he didn't know where he was going. He didn't particularly care though.

He ended up getting off the main highway that took you to downtown Orlando and instead opted to drive some of the back roads. The streets were lined with houses ranging in size from large to small with numerous trees randomly placed throughout. There was some traffic, but not nearly as much as on the main road. It was relatively peaceful, and he found himself second guessing his idea for this drive as the quiet and peacefulness was only propelling his thoughts about his ex-girlfriend to the forefront of his mind.

In an effort to stop his mind from thinking, he reached for the radio and turned it on. He immediately cranked the music, not at all caring what he was listening to but making sure he focused on the lyrics. It gave him something else to focus on. He couldn't think about Vicki if he was listening to the song, picking out the lyrics, and trying to figure out just what the person was thinking about when they wrote the song.

As he crested a small hill, the bright Florida sunshine was at such an angle that it hit him right in the face. He cursed, his eyes closing reflexively but only for a second as he forced himself to open them again and squint against the sun until he was able to lower the visor. The relief was immediate, but his eyes still hurt from the sun's powerful rays. He reached up with one hand to rub at his right eye as it was the one that hurt the most at the moment, but it didn't seem to help at all. In fact, it seemed to make it worse and his vision began to blur.

Justin cursed again, doing his best to blink with just his right eye so he could use his left to keep an eye on the road ahead him. It was a lot harder than it sounded though because the eyes were used to doing everything in sync. One eye didn't blink without the other doing so at the same time. But even blinking didn't do anything to clear his vision, and he brought up his hand to rub at his eye once again.

It was in that moment that things went from bad to worse.

He was putting more energy into trying to clear his fuzzy vision than watching the road in front of him. Several feet ahead was another car slowing for a stop sign, and he didn't see it until the last minute. Immediately, he dropped his hand from his eye and allowed both hands to grip the steering wheel as his right foot quickly hit the brake. Despite his best efforts, it didn't keep his car from ramming into the back of the car in front of him.

Justin sat there for a moment completely stunned, his foot still resting on the brake. His vision was now unaffected like nothing had happened, and didn't that just figure? Ahead of him, the person driving the car did their best to pull the car off the road and he did the same. He quickly threw the car in park and got out, knowing he had to apologize and own up to what'd just happened.

The driver got out of the car as well followed a second later by the passenger door opening. It was a man and a woman, neither of them looking much older than him. And if Justin had to guess, he'd say they were a couple or else brother and sister given they looked around the same age. What he did know was that they knew exactly who he was as he could clearly see the recognition that was reflected in both of their faces, but it was the girl's reaction that had him mentally groaning.

"You-re...you're Justin Timberlake," she said, a bit of awe in her voice as she looked at him with wide eyes.

"Yeah. Look I'm really sorry about hitting you guys-"

"Don't worry about it," she interrupted.

"Leann, let me handle this," the guy said.

But the girl didn't seem at all intimidate by the guy - boyfriend or brother, it didn't seem to matter. She took a step closer to Justin and asked, "Can I have your autograph?"

"Sure," Justin said. He didn't really want to, but he figured it was the least he could do. Of course, this was only making her happy. Her boyfriend or brother or whoever he was frowned at Justin and wanting to show that he wasn't trying to use his fan to let him off the hook Justin added, "But I really feel awful about what happened. We should exchange insurance information so you can get your car fixed."

The back bumper of their car had a good sized dent in it and a couple of scratches. Justin's car actually looked worse - broken pieces of metal and fiberglass littered the ground in between the two cars and represented his broken grill and smashed front bumper. It could've been worse though. At least that was what he kept telling himself in effort to keep him from getting too upset. This car had been his favorite after all.

"No problem," the girl said as she handed him a pen and a pocket calendar from her purse. He flipped to the back where there were blank pages for notes so he could sign his name, which he did so quickly before handing the items back to her. "I can give you our insurance information and we can exchange numbers..."

"Leann, will you let me handle this?" her companion repeated once more, though much firmer this time.

She turned towards him, looking at him with a bit of surprise before it quickly faded and she shook her head in amusement like she was used to this kind of behavior from him. "Fine, Brett. You be the man and take care of this." She rolled her eyes before looking back at Justin. "It was nice to meet you."

"You too," Justin said, doing his best to offer her a fairly genuine smile.

She got back into the car and it was only once the door closed that Brett turned his attention to Justin. The look on his face was hard to read, and Justin felt compelled to apologize once again. "I'm not going to make excuses for what happened, but I'm sorry. I will gladly pay for you to have your car fixed."

"I appreciate that," Brett began, "but I'm not sure it's necessary. The dent isn't too bad. I can pop this out no problem and buff out the scratches."

Justin frowned. "Are you sure? I think we should turn this into our insurance companies."

"That'll just be more trouble than it's worth." The serious lines on Brett's face smoothed as he smiled slightly and added, "Besides, I'm not sure I want my girlfriend to have the ability to call you."

Justin laughed along with Brett, feeling some of the tension and anxiety leave his body. "Still, I want to make up for inconveniencing you." He reached into his back pocket to pull out his wallet and looked inside. He'd spent most of his money in Vegas, but he still had a couple fifties left. Brett tried to refuse the money when Justin offered it to him, but he said, "I insist."

Brett finally took the hundred dollars Justin offered and put it in his own wallet. He then held out his hand for Justin to shake, which he gladly did. It was truly remarkable that no one had been hurt and that they were so cool about what'd happened.

Both of them went back to their respective cars and Justin waited for Brett and Leann to pull back onto the road, watching them go safely through the intersection and continuing on their way. Once they were out of sight, Justin put his car back into drive and altered his route so he was now headed for Chris's house. Driving aimlessly when he had stuff on his mind just seemed to get him in trouble so he figured the best thing he could do was go hang out with Chris, maybe play some basketball or video games to take his mind off things.

When Justin pulled into Chris's driveway, he found his older friend locking his front door and looking like he was getting ready to leave. He couldn't help but wonder where because it was still kind of early as it was only going on eleven, and Chris certainly wasn't an early riser. Though, he could have something to handle with Fuman Skeeto.

"Damn, J. What happened to your car?" Chris said by way of greeting once Justin had parked and gotten out of his vehicle.

Justin sighed. "I got into a bit of a fender bender."

Chris gave him an appraising look like he was looking for any sign that things were serious than he said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Justin said, dismissively. He really didn't want to explain what'd happened or wonder why his vision kept going screwy when he was driving. It was one more thing he didn't want to think about, so he changed the subject. "Where are you off to?"

Chris continued to stare at him for another few seconds, and Justin wasn't sure he was going to let the car accident go. But he did and answered Justin's question instead. "JC's."

"He doesn't need you checking up on him," Justin said with a frown.

"Are you kidding? Of course he does. He's not exactly equipped to deal with a five year old." Chris twirled his keys around his finger as he added, "Besides, we still haven't gotten the full story as to why he's babysitting in the first place."

"That's because you're nosy," Justin mumbled under his breath. Chris narrowed his eyes in such a way that told Justin he probably heard what'd just said. He refused to apologize for it though and just looked Chris in the eye as he said, "Maybe he doesn't want you to know. Maybe, just maybe, you should mind your own business."

Chris gave him a look. "Are we still talking about JC? Because it sounds to me like you're telling me to butt out of your life. Not that I even said two words about Vicki since you got here..."

"But you're thinking about it, wondering what happened between us."

Chris's mouth twitched as he said in amusement, "Why, J, I had no idea you were a mind reader."

"When it comes to you, it doesn't take much to know what you're thinking," Justin replied. "And maybe I can just relate to what JC's going through."

"We've barely said two words about you and Vicki breaking up-"

"But I know you want to. You're dying to know what happened just like you're dying to know about JC's friend and why she asked him to watch her kid."

"And what's wrong with that? I'm trying to look out for my friends."

"Well, we don't need you to. I don't need you to," Justin said with conviction. "I'm not a little kid anymore. I think I can handle my problems myself and decide whether or not I need to talk to anyone."

Chris was silent for a long moment, and Justin wondered if he'd hit a nerve and Chris was about to go off on him. When Chris was pissed he often lashed out. But when he was truly angry, he got quiet, a silent fury building up within him. A quiet Chris was never a good thing.

Finally, Chris spoke and when he did Justin was surprised that his voice was calm and seemed to have no traces of anger in it. "Have you talked to JC?"

"Huh?" Justin asked, just as thrown by the question as by Chris's behavior.

"You blamed us for not being around before when you needed us," Chris started. "But JC's been here the whole time - he didn't go anywhere. Did you talk to him about what happened with Vicki?"

Justin looked down, unable to take the scrutiny of the heavy gaze Chris had pinned on him. "No," he admitted.

"And why not?"

Justin wanted to provide an answer, but he wasn't sure he could. He wasn't sure why he hadn't gone to JC the night that he and Vicki had split. Between Chris and JC, they knew all of his secrets because if he couldn't talk to the one about something, he would often go to the other. That wasn't to say Joey and Lance weren't good listeners or that he didn't go to them if he had a problem because he did, it was just that JC and Chris seemed to know just when to take him seriously and when not to. Lance and Joey always took him seriously and Justin knew that he could be a diva, which JC and Chris had no problem calling him out on. It'd kept him from dwelling on stuff he would've held onto otherwise.

But none of that explained why he hadn't sought out JC to talk. What Chris said was true - JC hadn't left Orlando for their entire break, and Justin knew all it would've taken was one phone call and he would've made himself available to talk. Though, Justin hadn't exactly been in town since the breakup as it'd been the very next day that Vicki had left to find a new place to stay, which had been the very day he'd gotten the call from Trace. He'd packed his bags and been on a flight to Vegas by dinnertime that day. That had to have been it.

"There was no time," Justin said at last. "I've been in Vegas since the breakup."

It sounded perfectly logical to him, but Chris didn't look convinced in the slightest.

"But now you're back and you still haven't talked about it." Justin opened his mouth to protest and Chris held up a hand. "Don't even try to convince me that Trace and your other Tennessee buddies talked to you about because I think we both know that's not why you went to Vegas with them."

Justin felt a bit of irrational anger rise up within him, hating how well Chris knew him to be able to call bullshit with what he said. Trace and his other friends hadn't really made much of an effort to talk to him; all they'd really done, if it was brought up at all, was bitch about Vicki and blame her for what'd happened even though none of them knew the story behind the breakup. If he was honest with himself, it hadn't been what he'd needed and he would've been pretty pissed about the things they said if the alcohol hadn't been flowing so steadily. Still, he wasn't sure he was ready to talk about it to anyone and have everyone tell him how he'd screwed up the best relationship he'd had.

"You can't be mad at us for doing our own stuff," Chris told him, interrupting his thoughts. "Not when you're the one pulling away from us."

Justin unconsciously took a step back, thrown by the statement Chris made and the matter-of-fact way he said it. He wasn't pulling away from them. That was what JC did - they always knew something was wrong because he'd hole himself up and isolate himself until they cornered him, making him talk about whatever was bothering him. All Justin was doing was deciding not to talk about it, and he didn't see anything wrong with that.

But before he could convince Chris of that fact, Chris switched his keys back to his right hand and said, "So are you coming with me to C's or not?"

Just like that the subject was dropped, and Justin knew Chris wouldn't say another word about it. He seemed to have said all he needed to say...at least for now. Chris wasn't exactly known for his patience, and he might try to beat a confession out of him in a couple of days if he hadn't talked to anyone.

"Sure," Justin said, moving around to the passenger side of Chris's car. There was no point in both of them driving since they were going to the same place. And given what'd happened earlier, he was looking forward to a temporary reprieve from driving.

**************

Joey relaxed against the plush cushions of JC's couch, shifting the book in his lap. He looked up when he heard the back door open and numerous footsteps as the guys all came rushing in with Alice leading the way. They were all wet, but not overly so.

"I told you it was going to rain," Joey said as he looked down at the book and flipped the page. He'd gone inside a few minutes ago to go to the bathroom and get a drink, but then he'd found himself in JC's office and easily located his high school yearbook.

"It's Florida in the middle of winter. That's not exactly a hard prediction to make, Joe," Lance said.

As they all came further into the living room, Chris looked at him and his eyes widened in disbelief. "Are you reading?"

"Hey, I'm not illiterate. I can read a book on occasion," Joey objected, feeling slightly offended at what Chris said. When he just continued to stare at him, Joey amended, "But right now I'm looking at JC's high school yearbook."

JC glared at him from where he was just inside the back door, crouched down in front of Alice as he helped her take off her shoes. "Snoop much?" he said.

"It's not snooping when it's out in the open on the bookshelf in your office," Joey replied.

JC huffed and muttered something under his breath. They all exchanged amused looks over his head. Joey and Lance had been the first ones to arrive and find JC in a bad mood. He'd relayed his struggles that morning with breakfast and then the debacle he'd encountered when trying to grocery shop with a five year old - all on just a couple hours of sleep. It was understandable, but Joey kept waiting for the dark mood to lift. Unfortunately there didn't seem to be an end in sight, but he was hopeful.

"Alice, you want to see what your mom looked like when she was in high school?" Joey asked.

The little girl's face lit up as she cried "Yeah!" and quickly made her way over to him, jumping up next to him on the couch. She leaned in close and Joey angled the book so she should could see better.

"That's your mom," he said, pointing to a petite blonde girl. Alice smiled as she looked at the picture, and JC sat down on the other side of her with a quiet sigh. Joey glanced at him before looking back at Alice. "And over here," he pointed to another picture on the opposite page, "is JC."

Alice let out a laugh that, the sound so pure and innocent that Joey couldn't help but smile at her. She turned to look at JC and wrinkled her nose as she said, "Your hair was funny."

Chris and Justin were the first ones to burst out laughing, and Joey quickly joined them. Even Lance looked up from his Palm Pilot long enough to smirk. JC frowned, but didn't protest. He just grabbed the remote for the TV as he asked Alice if she wanted to watch some cartoons.

Alice agreed because what kid would say no to watching TV? She shifted away from Joey's side and moved so she was leaning into JC instead. He managed to find Nickelodeon and almost instantly Alice became enraptured by it. She even moved to the floor, abandoning JC's side to be closer to the TV.

JC ran a hand over his face, looking the absolute picture of misery. He sat there for a second longer before he abruptly got up, moving into the adjoining kitchen. Joey watched him leave and then glanced at the others, wondering if they knew what was going on. But they seemed just as clueless as him as to why JC was in such a bad mood.

"What's up with him?" Lance asked.

"There's only one way to find out," Chris said, getting to his feet.

Joey set the yearbook aside and stood up as well with Lance following suit. The three of them began to walk into the kitchen, and Joey paused just long enough to give Justin a look asking if he was coming. Justin rolled his eyes, but he did rise from his spot on the loveseat and walk into the kitchen with them.

They found JC leaning on the island with his head in his hands. Joey's steps faltered at the sight, his worry that something was really wrong rising up. "Are you okay?" he asked, approaching tentatively.

JC jumped slightly like they'd startled him. He sighed and raised his head, straightening his back so he was only slightly leaning against the island. "Yeah. I'm just exhausted," he said, and he really did look it. He rubbed his eyes and added, "I thought kids took naps."

"That usually stops when they start school fulltime," Chris said. "Though, she's probably just in kindergarten so she likely does still nap. Being here and out of her element just throws her off."

"Great," JC muttered, running a hand through his hair.

"Have you heard from Beth?" Justin asked. "Do you know if she's picking up Alice tonight?"

JC shook his head. "She hasn't called. I'm thinking if she doesn't tonight, it'll probably be tomorrow morning."

"Don't forget we have to be over at the studio by ten to meet one of the producers for the album," Lance reminded.

JC nodded, and Joey said, "Why don't you just call her? That way you'll know for sure when to expect her."

"I don't want to bug her..."

"What's up with you two?" Chris asked. "From what Joey says, it sounds like you have a thing going on."

JC glared briefly at Joey before he looked back at Chris. "We're just friends," he said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "And that's it."

"But you want to be more." Joey was on the receiving end of another dirty look, but he wasn't deterred. "C'mon, man, you know it's true. You had something for her back in high school and it's obvious you still do. What I don't get is why you don't do something about it - why you never did."

JC let out another sigh. "It's complicated."

"Well, explain it to us," Chris said. His tone and the look in his eye told them all that he wouldn't drop it until he got some kind of answer that consisted of more than "I don't want to talk about it".

Justin elbowed Chris in the side. "You don't have to," he told JC.

"It's fine," JC replied. He paused and then mumbled, "Maybe if I explain everyone will leave me alone."

They were all quiet as they let JC gather his thoughts. He shifted so he was standing up straight, but that only lasted for a second before he leaned back against the counter behind him. Another couple seconds of silence passed before he crossed his arms over his chest and began to talk.

"Between classes and the MMC, I didn't really have much time for dating. Besides, I was happier at that point being friends and I didn't want to do anything to mess that up." He paused. "It was right before graduation that she hooked up with Billy Harris."

Joey couldn't stop himself from interrupting. "Billy Harris? That kid that got expelled for beating up that sophomore?" Without waiting for JC's confirmation, he said, "That guy was a jerk."

"I tried telling Beth that, but she said I didn't know him, that he wasn't so bad. But of course, he showed his true colors in the end." JC bit his lip, like he did when he was worrying about something. Joey realized he must be feeling bad about telling Beth's story without her permission, and he felt guilty for letting Chris push him into talking about it. Before he could give JC the opportunity to stop, he began to speak again. "She was just about finished with her first semester of college when she found out she was pregnant, and..."

"He bailed on her?" Lance asked, a sympathetic expression on his face.

JC nodded. "She still wanted to have the baby though. Her parents wanted her to get rid of it, but she said she couldn't do that. She felt like she could handle it and school, but her parents didn't agree and told her to get out." He paused again, lowering his eyes. "It all ended up being moot because she miscarried a couple months later."

Joey couldn't help but feel surprised even though he'd kind of expected as much. When JC had mentioned last night that Beth's parents had thrown her out after the first time she'd gotten pregnant, that had been a scenario that'd come to mind. That or she had the baby and had to give it up for some reason - or had even elected to put it up for adoption. Regardless, it was a sad situation and it sounded like it was only the beginning of her troubles.

"She dropped out of school so she could deal, and it was shortly after that she met Gabe. Then she had Alice about a year later," JC finished.

"And now you can step in and show her how a man is supposed to treat a woman," Chris said.

JC shook his head. "That's not a good idea."

"Why not?" Justin asked. Joey looked at Justin, a little surprised he was the one asking because he was the one yesterday that'd been advocating that no one push JC to talk. Though, he was already talking about it so maybe that meant Justin figured he wasn't forcing JC to open up about anything.

JC didn't answer, choosing instead to look out into the adjoining living room. There was no doubt in Joey's mind he was checking on Alice, and he turned himself to see if the five year old was still wrapped up in the cartoon she'd been watching. He nearly chuckled when he saw that instead of sitting up like she'd been when they'd first left the room, she was lying on the floor.

"Looks like she's ready for a nap now," Joey said, looking back at JC.

"Well, we should go wake her up." Chris started to move towards the living room, but JC's voice halted him.

"Leave her go," he said, sounding very relieved that she was sleeping.

"Jace, it's nearly time for dinner. It's too late for her to take a nap. If she sleeps now, she'll be up half the night."

JC seemed to consider this for a moment before he waved his hand, dismissing it. "I don't think so. Not after the night we had."

Chris raised his eyebrows, not at all convinced. "Okay," he said, "but don't say I didn't warn you."

There were some light chuckles, and Lance looked like he agreed with Chris. Seeing how exhausted JC was, Joey hoped what he said was true and that Alice would sleep for him tonight. Though, maybe Beth would be by to pick up Alice and he wouldn't even have Alice sleeping over again. For JC's sake, he could only hope that was the case because he wasn't sure he could take another sleepless night.

"Where is he?"

Chris looked over at Lance, hearing the frustration in his voice. They were all at the recording studio for their meeting with one of the producers for the new album, all except one - JC. He was already twenty minutes late and despite the fact they'd called him several times, there was no sign of him. The four of them had already met with the producer and had apologized for JC being late. At first, they'd waited inside with him, but about five minutes ago they'd excused themselves and went outside to allow for some privacy for them to talk and hopefully spot JC pulling in.

"He'll be here," Joey said. "You know how he is."

"Yeah, but not with stuff like this," Lance replied.

Joey looked like he was going to say something else to try to relieve some of Lance's anxiety, but Justin spoke before he could. "He's right. JC is always on time for recording. Hell, he's usually the first one here."

"He might've overslept," Chris suggested. "Alice has exhausted him."

"Or maybe Beth only came this morning to pick up Alice, so he'll be here once they leave," Joey said.

Lance sighed, twisting the watch on his wrist - something he only did when he was stressed. "Regardless of the reason, he should be here."

"And he will be," Justin said. "Just give him a few more minutes." Lance frowned and Justin let out a sigh of his own as he reached into his pocket. "Let me call him again."

They all waited with bated breath as they watched Justin hold the phone up to his ear. Chris wasn't surprised when a few seconds later, Justin lowered the phone and shook his head. The tension in the air had a bit of a nervous quality to it. Could it be that something was wrong and that was why JC hadn't been able to answer any of their calls?

"I'll go over to his house and see what's taking him so long," Chris said, already pulling his keys out of his pocket.

Joey began to nod in agreement, but Justin held out a hand, signaling Chris to stop for a second. "This isn't some ploy to take off and go back to your own house, is it? Last time you said you were going to get something out of your car and then you never came back."

"I took JC and Joey with me," Chris said, smiling at the memory. It'd been back when they'd been in the middle of recording No Strings Attached and things had gone wrong from the moment they'd walked in the one day. The tensions had eventually gotten so high that Chris had stepped outside, initially to escape for just a moment, but then JC and Joey had followed him out. JC had been strung out far more than the rest of them, and Chris had deemed a break was necessary, resulting in the three of them leaving for a late lunch. They'd ended up calling Justin and Lance to get them to join them and the five of them hadn't gone back to the studio that day.

"And left me and Lance to deal with Johnny's wrath," Justin replied. He made a face as he likely remembered that day too. "I don't want to deal with that again."

Chris couldn't help but smirk in amusement at his youngest friend. "Don't worry. I'll be back here with Jace before you can say Jack Robinson."

Lance and Justin both rolled their eyes while Joey chuckled. Chris shot him a small smile before he quickly crossed the parking lot to his car, unlocking the door and sliding into the driver's seat. He started the car before backing out of the parking spot and pulling onto the road, trying to manage a speed that wasn't leisurely but that wasn't reckless either. There was nothing to imply that something might be wrong; JC could very well just have overslept and often nothing short of a bomb going off could wake him.

It was a fairly short drive to JC's house, and Chris immediately spotted JC's car as he pulled into the driveway. Once he parked, he jogged up the short walkway to the front door and promptly rang the bell. He frowned as he couldn't hear the usual chime and pressed the small button once more only to have the same results. The doorbell must be broken or out of batteries or something.

With a bit of apprehension, Chris reached out to test the doorknob. It didn't turn and he nearly sighed in relief. That had to be a good sign because, worst case scenario, if someone had broken into JC's house to kidnap him or murder him surely they wouldn't care about locking the door. And as he fumbled with his key ring to look for JC's key, he silently vowed that if JC was just sleeping in his bed he was going to kick his ass.

Chris unlocked the front door and stepped inside. He immediately did a sweep of the first floor even though he had a feeling JC wasn't down there, and he was right. The only sign that JC had even been downstairs was the kitchen that was in disarray with a number of dirty dishes on the table and island with pots and pans in the sink. It was an usual sight as it was no secret JC sucked at cooking, and the most he would ever cook for breakfast was a Poptart in the toaster.

Shaking his head, Chris turned his back on the mess and headed up the stairs. He reached the top of the landing when he heard voices. As he turned the corner and headed towards the guest rooms, they grew louder and the one most definitely belonged to JC. Almost instantly whatever residual tension that'd wrapped his stomach in knots disappeared.

"Alice, honey, please get dressed," JC was saying as Chris approached the guest room Lance normally took when they stayed over. "Please."

There was no denying the desperation in JC's voice, but Alice was completely unmoved as she said very petulantly, "No."

Chris stopped in the doorway and he cursed when he saw that not only was Alice still in her pajamas but JC was too. "Jesus, you're not even dressed yet?"

JC jumped in surprise and he looked towards the door. He cursed and met Chris's gaze. "How late am I?"

"Half hour so far," Chris replied. JC let out a puff of air, something between a sigh and a sound of aggravation. "She's not coming then?"

Chris purposely avoided saying Beth's name because he wasn't sure how Alice would react to it. Surely she had to be missing her mother given it'd been a couple days since she'd last seen her. Hell, as far as Chris knew, she hadn't even talked to Beth since JC had taken her.

JC knew exactly what he was asking and he shook his head. "I called her last night, but she didn't answer."

Chris frowned. There was no denying the tension in JC's face, and he felt some of his own worry for Beth even though he didn't know her. JC hadn't heard from her at all since he'd taken Alice for her, which didn't seem right. If Alice were his kid and he'd left her with someone for a couple days - even a friend - he'd definitely be checking in whenever he could. Why hadn't Beth done so?

"So what happened this morning?" Chris asked, forcing himself to get them moving. He'd promised the guys he'd bring JC so they could get to work. If he didn't, there was no doubt Johnny would hear about it and be furious. It was something he wanted to avoid at all costs.

"We overslept." Chris gave JC a look and JC rushed to continue, "We had another rough night. We were up half the night and it was so late when I finally got her to go to sleep. Then I woke up with only a half hour to get me and her ready and I tried to make her breakfast, but she wasn't interested in anything. So I gave up and have been trying to get her dressed, but she refuses until I French braid her hair. But I don't know how and I've tried telling her that, but-"

Chris held up a hand, effectively cutting off JC's rambling. "Whoa, JC. Take a breath before you pass out, will you?"

JC was winded, his breathing heavy and irregular. He did take a deep breath though and released it kind of shakily, trying to get his breathing under control. "Sorry," he said. "I just-"

"I know," Chris said, interrupting him again. JC didn't need to say anything; he could read everything on his face. "I'll get her dressed. You go get ready."

"No!" Alice protested loudly like she thought they'd forgotten she was in the room. Her face was a cross between a pout and a scornful expression.

JC hesitated, looking very much like he wanted to go get ready but also that he had to take care of Alice. But Chris could handle her so he told JC, "Go. I got her."

JC looked back at Alice once more like he was going to say something to her, but after a second, he got to his feet and sluggishly left the room. Chris shook his head as he left, knowing by the way he was moving and his attitude that the studio would be a struggle today. But they wouldn't even get there if he didn't get Alice dressed.

"Come here, Miss Alice," Chris said, beckoning her over to him. He knelt down so he was more at her level.

Alice shook her head. "No!" she protested again. "Not getting dressed."

"You told JC you'd get dressed if he French braided your hair. He may not know how, but I do."

Her face softened. "You do?"

Chris nodded and this time when he gestured for her to come here, she immediately went to him. Her turned her around so he had easy access to her hair and quickly parted her long hair, twisting the three different strands around each other. He finished, but found he had nothing to secure the end of the braid.

"Where's-" he started to ask, but Alice held up one of her little hands that was holding a pink scrunchie. He thanked her as he took it from her and quickly secured her braid.

Once he was finished, she demanded to see it. He lifted her up and moved her in front of the mirror above the dresser so she could see herself. She smiled, showing that she was satisfied and after he put her down, she immediately ran over to her bag and pulled out some clothes.

She basically dressed herself with just a little help from him. He was helping her tie her shoes when he sensed JC come in. As soon as she saw him, she jumped up and cried "JC!" before running over to him. He bent down and picked her up, settling her against his side as he let her gush about her hair and what a good job Chris did.

"You look beautiful, honey," JC told her when she'd finally stopped talking, his voice lacking the enthusiasm he might've had if he'd been more rested. Though he did try.

Chris rose from the floor and walked over to JC. Now that he was face to face with him, he could see just how much he was affected by the little sleep he'd gotten. His eyes were bloodshot and kind of puffy, his color a bit paler than normal which made his dark circles stand out more. He looked tired and Chris felt sorry for him, but they had to go.

"We better go," Chris said. "Before everyone thinks we played hooky again."

JC's lips twitched just slightly, and Chris knew he was remembering that day they'd blown off recording with Joey. He could only hope that today's session didn't warrant a break like that. He wasn't sure how it would go given JC's mood and their little guest, but he knew he'd run interference if he had to.

**************

When Justin woke up, he felt a bit disoriented. It took him a second, but he quickly realized he was lying on his couch. He'd pretty much immediately retreated to it with a wet washcloth that he'd run under cold water that he'd placed on his eyes in attempt to get rid of the pounding that was behind them. The session at the studio hadn't gone very well, and the stress of it had made his already existing headache worse.

When Chris and JC had finally shown up, there'd been a bit of relief as a small part of them had begun to fear that something had happened to JC. They'd all been surprised to see Alice with them, and Justin had even felt kind of annoyed. Obviously JC couldn't just leave Alice alone and it wasn't like anyone else could watch her, but he knew she'd be a distraction to them in the recording studio. And she had been.

She'd been quiet for a while at the beginning, but then she'd started to complain that she was hungry. JC had snapped at her that if she'd eaten breakfast like he'd asked earlier, she wouldn't be hungry. This of course had made her upset, and Chris had quickly jumped in, offering to take her to the break room as there usually was some donuts or muffins in there. JC's mood hadn't improved much from that point on either - not that he'd been in a great mood to begin with.

JC was always unbearable when he was in a bad mood, but that was never more true than when he was in the studio. For some reason he became even more controlling, his perfectionist side demanding everything be done exactly how he wanted and up to his standards; it didn't matter if it was his place or not. And that was exactly what'd happened today.

They'd decided to start with one of the songs Justin had written, and JC had asked for Justin to sing one of the lines in the bridge a different way. It hadn't been a terrible suggestion, but he hadn't appreciated it just the same. He hadn't asked JC for his opinion, and it sure as hell wasn't his song for him to critique. Something he'd made sure JC was aware of.

"That line is fine the way it is. I'm not changing it," Justin said from inside the recording booth, letting the intercom carry his voice into the room on the other side of the glass.

"I'm not asking you to change it necessarily. I just want to see what it'd sound like this other way," JC replied.

"That's not your call. You're not the writer or the producer, and you're wasting everyone's time."

"By making a suggestion?" JC frowned at him through the glass. "I thought recording was a collaborative process?"

Justin couldn't help but snort at that. "Like you're open to collaboration when it's your song. And just because you're playing around producing for up and coming groups doesn't mean you're good enough for this yet."

JC's piercing blue eyes met his own, and Justin instantly felt guilt when he saw the pain lurking there. His anger and frustration had made him say something he hadn't really meant, and now he couldn't take it back. Without another word, JC stepped back and sat down, joining Lance and Joey on the small couch as Chris and Alice had yet to return from their search for a snack.

Justin knew he'd gone too far and he regretted what'd been said. He did. But JC wasn't innocent in this whole thing either. Before they'd gone on break, they'd had a fight about the material for the upcoming album. He'd mentioned he wanted to write with Wade, which JC had thought was ridiculous, saying that Wade was just a choreographer and had no business writing songs or being in the studio with them. Justin had disagreed and told him he was being a selfish prick, and that'd been the last they'd really spoken, not talking much at all during the break. Even now, not much had been said between them, and if Justin was honest, their fight was the real reason he hadn't talked to JC about his breakup with Vicki.

He would have to apologize for what he said because he knew recording this album would become unbearable otherwise. They wouldn't be recording again for a couple days though so he had time. Enough time that he didn't feel particularly rushed to make amends even though the sooner he'd get it done, the better it would be for everyone.

With a sigh, Justin removed the now nearly dry cloth from his eyes with the intent of rewetting it and resuming his prone position. His head wasn't pounding nearly as bad as before, but it was still enough of a nuisance that all he wanted to do was go back to sleep.

As he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness. He frowned, wondering just how long he'd slept. It hadn't seemed like he'd slept long enough for it to get this dark, but then again, he hadn't exactly slept well in the last week. He gave his eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkened house, but his vision remained completely black.

His stomach churned nervously as he brought his right hand up in front of his face, hoping that maybe it was just so dark in the house that he could only see what was right in front of him. But that was quickly shot to hell as he waved his hand back and forth just inches from his nose and saw nothing. He could feel the slight wind that was created from the repetitive motion, but nothing about his vision changed.

He was blind.

"Oh my God," Justin said shakily.

This wasn't happening. This couldn't be happening. People didn't just go blind for no reason. And yet...here he was, unable to see a damn thing. Something was wrong. Very wrong.

He was on the verge of panicking, but he did his best not to give in to those feelings. Freaking out wouldn't do him any good - it wouldn't help him figure out just what the hell happened and how to get his sight back. If he could even get it back, he thought to himself before he could stop it.

Justin gritted his teeth, doing his best to force the thought out of his mind. Instead, he took a second to try to remember what he'd done with his phone - his cell phone or his home phone. He closed his eyes and suddenly he was able to recall tossing his cell phone onto the coffee table beside him before he'd lied down in attempt to get rid of his headache.

He opened his eyes, more out of habit than anything as it was completely pointless at the moment, and blindly leaned forward, his hand searching the coffee table for his phone. After a couple seconds of mindless groping, his fingers closed around it and he picked it up, quickly realizing his next dilemma. How was he supposed to call anyone when he couldn't see the keypad? His best bet was to scroll through his contacts, but of course he didn't remember who all he'd put in his phone which made it impossible to know who was in what position in the list.

As Justin blindly began to move down his contact list, he cursed himself for not having set up his speed dial. He was trying to navigate to his mom's number - the one person he counted on to fix just about anything. It was hard to tell where her number would be in his list though because he wasn't sure just how many people were listed before her alphabetically in his contact list. Finally when he felt like he'd reached the point where her number would be, he stopped and after hesitating only a second, he managed to hit the button that started to connect him to hopefully his mother.

He listened to the phone ring anxiously. After a couple rings, the line was opened and a deep voice said, "Hello?" Lance. It wasn't his mother, but he could deal with Lance. He would know what to do just as much as his mom.

"Lance," Justin said and the anguished tone sounded so foreign to his ears. He never liked to come across weak, especially now that he was older and he avoided it whenever he could. But given the circumstances and the fact that he was about two seconds from freaking out, it was understandable.

"Justin?" He could practically hear Lance frowning. "What's wrong?"

"I..." Justin took a shaky breath. "Can you come over? I can't...I don't want to talk about it over the phone."

"Of course. I'll be right there."

"Thanks," Justin said quietly. "And Lance? Just let yourself in, okay?"

"Sure," Lance replied, the concern clearly evident in his voice. "I'll see you in ten."

What that, the call was disconnected and Justin dropped the phone beside him on the couch. He forced himself to sit still, afraid to move at all given he had no idea where anything was in his house. Sure, he had a general idea of where all the furniture was, but it wasn't like he'd ever had to pay close attention to exactly where everything was and how many steps he could take before running into something. Not to mention, he wasn't exactly the cleanest person and he could easily trip over something and end up breaking his neck. It was certainly the last thing he needed and why he'd asked for Lance to let himself in.

The next ten minutes were the longest ten minutes of his life. He did his best to keep a hold of his emotions and his body shook from the effort of keeping them at bay. When he felt his control slipping, he bit his bottom lip, hoping that would help. But ten minutes of sitting in silence allowed for his mind to go wild with the possibilities of what was wrong with him, what'd caused it and it just further freaked him out. And in the end, he lost the battle and began to cry as his terrified emotions took over.

Lance arrived a few minutes later as Justin could hear the front door unlock before opening. He did his best to calm himself and wipe his tears away, but he knew he was unsuccessful as he heard Lance call his name just seconds before he came into the room. The footsteps paused for a second before they hurriedly crossed the room and Justin could feel Lance standing next to him.

"Justin, what's wrong?" he asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Justin turned his head towards the sound of Lance's voice and said, "I can't see."

An involuntary gasp escaped Lance's lips, and Justin could practically feel Lance's gaze boring into his eyes, looking for any kind of reaction. A hand was placed gently under his chin and made him turn his head from side to side. Finally, the hand dropped and Lance let out a shaky sigh.

"What happened?"

Justin shook his head, turning his head away. There was no point in looking at Lance when he couldn't see him anyway. "I don't know. I took a nap to try to get rid of a headache and when I woke up..."

"C'mon," Lance's hand wrapped around his bicep while the other was placed on his back as he gently tugged him to his feet, "we need to get you to the doctor."

Justin didn't protest at all. This was what he'd been hoping for - someone else to take charge and tell him what to do because he was in too much of a state of shock to consider his options. He allowed Lance to lead him, listening to his quiet instructions as he helped him navigate past furniture and clothes and shoes that were strewn about the floor.

After what felt like forever, they'd made it to Lance's car and Lance carefully helped him into the passenger seat. Justin sunk into the soft cotton, feeling completely spent from the short trek. Though he knew it had a lot more to do with the emotional roller coaster he was going through than the actual distance they'd crossed from his living room to the driveway where Lance's car was no doubt parked.

Lance didn't say anything until the car was moving, Justin assumed, out of his gated community and onto one of the main streets of Orlando. "I'm gonna call Chris and let him know what's going on."

Justin said nothing, just tried to focus on his breathing. He was trying keep some semblance of control. Plus, he was afraid that if he let his thoughts go wild that the anxiety and stress of it all would make his heart race much too fast, causing him to pass out. Being unable to see anything was bad enough, but he'd be damned if he was going to let himself be wheeled into the hospital unconscious and not having a clue what was wrong with him. Whatever the doctors came up with, he wanted to hear it firsthand.

He tuned out Lance's conversation with Chris until he heard him say, "Okay, you call Joey and JC, and I'll-"

"No!" Justin objected, jumping up slightly and being restrained by the seatbelt across his chest.

Something in the air shifted and he could picture Lance staring at him with a look of total surprise. "What? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Don't call JC."

"Justin..." The way Lance said his name told Justin he thought JC had a right to know. Whatever had happened to him was serious and JC had always been the one to take care of them when something was wrong. But that wasn't what Justin wanted. Not now.

"Please," Justin pleaded. "Not yet. I can't deal with him right now."

There was a long pause and Justin could hear Chris's muffled voice through the speaker of Lance's phone. Though, he wasn't able to make out what was being said. Finally, Lance sighed - one that signaled he was relenting - before he told Chris to hold off on calling JC. It was at that point that Justin stopped paying attention again and went back to focusing on his breathing.

When the car stopped and the engine was turned off, he realized they must have arrived at the hospital. He could hear Lance's door open and he fumbled for his own door handle. It took a couple seconds, but his hand managed to locate it and wrap around it. He pushed the door open and started to rise only to once again be restrained by the seatbelt. Annoyed, his hand searched for the release button and quickly pushed it once he found it. He maneuvered out of the seatbelt and cautiously got to his feet, stepping out of the car. Almost immediately Lance's hand wrapped around his arm.

Justin wanted to snap at him and shake off his hold, not wanting to be led around like a child and who knew who might be around to see this. It wasn't like he had a choice though. Being unable to see anything left him pretty damn helpless and he would just make a bigger fool of himself if he tried to navigate through an unfamiliar area by himself.

"I called ahead and had a private waiting room set up for us," Lance told him quietly as they slowly and carefully walked towards what Justin assumed was one of the hospital entrances.

Justin said nothing again. He could practically feel Lance's unease, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. The closer they seemed to get to the hospital, the more his stomach churned, making him feel nauseous. He wanted to know what the hell had happened and what was wrong with him, but at the same time, he was almost afraid to know. What if it was something that couldn't be fixed? What if he was permanently blind?

It was a thought that haunted him as he sat in the room that'd been designated for them. For as still as he sat in his own house, he was even more rigid as he waited with Lance for the doctor to be available. Part of being a pop star was that the scenery was always changing so the familiar places were few and far between. But being in a strange place without the ability to see where you were or what was around was downright terrifying.

Justin wasn't sure how much time passed before the door opened and for a second he thought it was the doctor finally ready for him, but then he heard the hurried footsteps just before both Joey and Chris's voices spoke at once. He shook his head, allowing the simple action answer both of their questions. He wasn't okay and he refused to talk about what happened - it wasn't like he even knew himself.

"You got here fast," Lance said, obviously speaking to their two older friends.

"We were close by checking out that new restaurant," Joey replied.

Someone stepped closer to Justin, but before anything else could be said, the door opened once again and this time it was a nurse telling them that the doctor would see them now. Justin practically jumped to his feet, but somehow in his anxiousness to get this over with his feet had gotten caught on one another and he stumbled. He probably would've face planted if it hadn't been for the strong, steadying grip on his arm.

"Easy, I got you," Chris's voice told him quietly.

Justin relaxed and allowed Chris to lead him out of whatever room they'd been in and into what he was sure was an examination room. When they stopped, Chris backed him up against something and told him to hop up. He did so and heard sharp crinkling as he sat on the surface, and it was a sound he'd heard quite a few times before. He was sitting on one of those examination tables with the thin paper on top. Now that he was about to be checked over by a doctor, he felt his nerves skyrocket and he let out a shaky breath to try to calm himself. He nearly jumped out of his skin when a hand wrapped around his shoulder.

"Hey, relax," Chris's voice said immediately, and Justin could easily hear the concern. "It's still just me. I didn't go anywhere."

"We're all here," Lance felt the need to remind him.

Justin nodded, taking another breath to try to get his nerves under control. He could hear a set of footsteps as someone moved closer. A second later a man spoke, introducing himself and then explaining that first he was going to do a couple of quick tests with his pen light. It seemed pointless to him. He'd told the doctor he was blind and he had to have noticed it as soon as he'd walked in, so he didn't understand why he needed to run tests to confirm what they already knew. But he didn't say anything, allowing the doctor to do whatever he felt necessary.

"Have you had any trouble with your eyesight prior to this?" the doctor asked.

Justin could feel all eyes on him and he shifted uncomfortably on the table. "Yeah, sort of. My eyes have been hurting and my vision has been blurring off and on. A couple of times it happened while I was driving..."

There was a sound of surprise and it sounded like it came from Lance. "Justin..." Chris started, but Justin quickly cut him off.

"I didn't know. I just thought it was because I was tired." He turned his head in the direction of where the doctor had been standing and said, "I haven't been sleeping well lately."

Justin was cursing himself for that now. Maybe if he hadn't been so determined to write it off as nothing, he wouldn't be blind. What had seemed so insignificant before now seemed like warning signs that'd been screaming at him that something was wrong. He wished he'd listened before it got to this point.

"Have you done any drugs recently?"

Justin's head snapped up at the doctor's question. "What?"

"What kind of question is that?" Joey asked, sounding indignant that the doctor dared to ask such a question.

"I only ask because some drugs have been reported to cause problems with eyesight and even temporary blindness."

Justin was silent for a long moment. As soon as the doctor had asked the question, his mind had flashed back to Vegas when he'd been partying with Trace and their mutual friends. It hadn't been just alcohol that'd been easily accessible at those parties and he'd been guilty on a couple occasions of allowing one of his friends to provide him with something a little stronger than alcohol that would take the edge off more. He didn't want to admit it though. He didn't want to admit that a bad choice had gotten him to this point.

"Justin," Lance began, snapping him out of his thoughts, "you need to answer the question. No one will judge you, but in order for the doctor to help you and figure out what's wrong, he needs to know everything."

Justin hesitated for a moment longer before he sighed and nodded. "I took some with a few friends in Vegas. I don't even know what it was though. It was just being passed around at some of the parties we were at."

"How long ago was this?" the doctor asked.

Justin shrugged. "A couple days ago."

There was a scratching noise and Justin furrowed his brow as he tried to place it. Then suddenly it hit him - it was the sound of someone writing. The doctor must be taking notes on what they'd discussed.

"I'm going to order a number of tests. Based on what you said, I'm not sure drugs are the cause behind this as it's been at least several days since they've been ingested. I'm not writing off anything though."

"Okay," Justin said, swallowing down a bit of the nerves he was feeling. "Do what you have to."

The doctor said he'd put in the orders for the tests and be right back. Once he left the room, a heavy silence hung over the four of them until Lance cleared his throat. "I think we should call JC now."

"No," Justin said immediately. "I don't want him here."

"Why?" Joey asked.

Justin paused, wondering what he was going to say. Part of why he didn't want JC there was because of the fight they'd had earlier, but that wasn't the main reason. "You know how he gets," he said. JC had a tendency to be overbearing when one of them was hurt or sick, and considering he was barely holding it together as it was, JC freaking out was the last thing he needed to deal with.

"He still needs to know," Lance said.

"I'll call him," Chris offered just as a nurse came in informing Justin that they were ready to begin some of the tests.

Chris hadn't removed his hand at all through the doctor's initial examination and it was only when he stepped away from Justin that he realized just how much Chris had helped to keep him grounded. Fear tore through him and he desperately reached out, latching onto Chris's arm.

"Stay. Please," Justin said. He knew he was on the verge of begging and he hated that he sounded so weak, but Chris provided a strength then that he was unable to attain himself right then.

"Sure. I'll stick with you the whole time, okay?" Chris returned to Justin's side and Justin allowed himself to relax just slightly. He was still terrified, but he knew Chris would never let anything happen to him - he'd step in if something didn't seem right or if Justin got too overwhelmed by whatever tests they had planned.

"Joey and I will be in the waiting room," Lance said. "And I'll call JC."

Justin just nodded, thankful they were there, but also needing some space. Their footsteps faded and he forced himself to listen to the nurse as she explained some of the tests. He prayed that it wouldn't take too long and that they'd know what was wrong with him by the end of it.

JC pulled back the comforter and watched as Alice climbed into bed. Once she was settled and lying with her head on one of the large pillows, he lowered the blanket and tucked it around her small body. She looked up at him with half lidded eyes, though she tried to fight the pull of sleep.

"JC," she said, her voice quiet and lacking all of the attitude it'd had earlier in the day. She continued to struggle to keep her eyes open. "Are you still mad at me?"

He sighed as lowered himself onto the edge of the bed next to her. "No, honey. I'm sorry I snapped at you today. It wasn't your fault. I was just in a bad mood."

JC had immediately felt terrible for yelling at her at the studio when she'd complained that she was hungry. He'd just been frustrated and in a bad mood for having gotten such a late start and not being on time for their first real recording session. She'd been pretty quiet the rest of the day and she'd done whatever he'd asked of her. She hadn't even fought him on eating all her dinner. It'd made him feel like shit, and he wanted to keep all the negativity from bleeding into tomorrow. The last thing he wanted was to have another day like today, and even more, he didn't want her to be afraid of him.

"Are you sure?" she asked, looking at him with innocent green eyes - eyes that looked so much like her mother's.

JC nodded. "Positive." He offered her a smile and reached out to brush her long hair back. "Try to get some sleep."

He made it to the door before her voice stopped him. "Is my mommy coming to get me soon?" she asked.

JC was quick to reassure her as he turned to face her. "Of course. She might even be here as early as tomorrow morning."

If Alice believed him or not, he wasn't sure. All she said was "good night" and he returned the sentiment to her before flipping off the light and pulling the door mostly shut as he stepped into the hall. It wasn't until he was downstairs in the kitchen, far away from her and risk of her overhearing him that he let out a sad sigh. The truth was he had no idea when Beth would be back. She should've been back before now, and he was terrified what that meant.

JC pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and tried calling her. It wasn't extremely late and while he'd tried her before, maybe because it was almost too late to call it would prompt her to get back to him sooner. The phone rang for a few times before finally going to voicemail, and with another sigh, he hung up. He didn't have the energy to leave another message and he wasn't really sure what to say that he hadn't said already.

She wasn't the only one he was worried about though. Lance had called him from the ER to tell him that something had happened to Justin, that he had suddenly become blind. He'd wanted to rush out the door and go down there, but Lance insisted that he should stay put. There wasn't much he could do for Justin as he was heading in for tests, and Lance had also pointed out that the emergency room was the last place a five year old girl should be. JC had agreed, knowing she'd be freaked out if he took her there. But Lance's call had been hours ago and he'd yet to hear anything about Justin. It was putting him even more on edge than he already was.

To try to get his mind off things and keep himself busy, he spent the next fifteen minutes doing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen. By the time he'd gotten back with Alice from the studio, it'd been nearly time for dinner so the dinner dishes had just gotten added to the pile from his numerous attempts at making breakfast that morning. When the kitchen was clean, he didn't feel as relaxed as he'd hoped even though he knew he would only truly relax when he heard about Justin and knew that Beth was okay and able to return. Despite that, he made himself some tea to try to help force some calm to wash over him.

JC took his tea into the adjoining living room and tiredly plopped down on the armchair, curling up with his tea balanced in his lap. He took a few sips, listening to the quiet house. He knew he should turn the TV on as it would help provide a distraction from his thoughts - at least more than the silence currently was. But he didn't because he couldn't bring himself to summon enough energy to reach for the remote.

He wasn't aware he'd fallen asleep sitting there until he was jolted awake by a sudden, loud noise. His eyes flew open, frantically searching for the source of it. Almost right away he saw the guys standing there with Justin practically lying on top of the end table next to the couch, like he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going and ran into it.

At once, JC set the tea on the nearby coffee table and got to his feet. He stepped in front of Justin, allowing himself the opportunity to look at him. He frowned when he realized Justin's eyes didn't focus on him. Sure, the blue eyes were looking at him, but it was clear they weren't really seeing anything. He tried to swallow past the lump in his throat and push down the "are you okay" that wanted to spring from his lips because it was clear that what'd ever happened to Justin hadn't been easily resolved.

"What happened?" JC asked. He glanced at the guys but found himself looking back at Justin even though he knew he couldn't really see him. "What'd the doctor say?"

"I'm blind," Justin said, his voice flat and emotionless.

JC frowned. "Permanently?"

He continued to stare into Justin's blank, unseeing eyes as part of him wondered if Justin was just being overly dramatic. But an even bigger part of him was scared that his reaction was justified. Justin seemed unwilling to give him an answer, which just put him even more on edge. JC looked towards the guys and repeated his question.

"Is it permanent?"

They were silent for a long moment. It seemed to stretch on and JC was about to snap, unable to take not knowing when Lance finally cleared his throat before explaining. "It could be," he said.

"Could be?" JC repeated. His forehead creased as he tried to make sense of this. "So it could be temporary too?"

Lance nodded. "The doctor thinks so. Apparently there's a blood clot in the retinal veins behind Justin's eyes, which created a blockage and made him go blind. It's usually temporary, but if it doesn't clear up on its own, it could become permanent."

"What's the likelihood of that?"

"The doctor gave us some eye drops to try to help the process along. We're supposed to use the bottle until it runs out and then see him in a few days if Justin's vision hasn't improved."

"You're going to have to help him with the drops," Joey told JC.

"Me?" JC put a hand to his chest. "Why me?"

"Because the three of us have to go out of town tomorrow morning. Lance and I have to shoot a few more scenes for our movie and Chris has to go to New York."

Any confusion JC had felt just moments before instantly cleared and he felt anger rise up in him. "Are you kidding me?" he demanded, unable to believe what they were saying. No way were they putting a movie above helping out their friend.

At the same time that JC spoke, Justin objected with, "I'm not staying with him."

Lance stepped closer to Justin. "C'mon, Justin. We already went over this. You can't stay in your place alone. What if something happens to you? You need to be around people right now."

"You mean because I can't do anything for myself," Justin muttered darkly.

JC felt a bit hurt at Justin's behavior and his strong objections to staying with him. It likely had everything to do with the fights they'd had lately, and he honestly shouldn't have been surprised. Justin could hang onto a grudge when he wanted to. That didn't mean it didn't sting to hear him object to staying with him.

Shaking his head, both to get his mind off that and in disappointment of the guys, he said, "I can't believe you guys are just going to ditch him right now and run off to take care of your own stuff."

"You think we're happy about this?" Lance shot back, his annoyance evident as he defended himself and Joey. "It's the last thing we want right now, but we're not able to dictate the schedule. To call off would be to inconvenience a lot of people and would just ensure it's a distraction for even longer."

"I don't need a babysitter," Justin said through gritted teeth, stepping away from Chris. He quickly turned on his heel, likely to stalk out of the room, only to lose his balance and stumble backward. The momentum of it carried him a few steps before he collided with corner of the armchair, the action nearly causing him to do a header into the wall. Only Joey's reflexes stopped it from happening.

Justin, for how angry he'd been a second ago, now had a look of fear on his face and a tight grip on Joey's arm. "Easy, J. I got you," Joey said, and Justin did seem to relax a little.

Chris stepped forward then. "C'mon, I'll help you get him upstairs," he said to Joey, coming up on the other side of Justin.

Justin's face darkened, the brief fear he'd felt when he'd been in danger of falling having passed. He didn't say anything though as he resignedly allowed Chris and Joey to help him navigate out of the living room and towards the stairs that would take him to the guest bedrooms. JC watched them go, his heart heavy as he worried about his youngest friend and what would happen to him if this blindness ended up being permanent.

"We hate this as much as you do."

Lance's quiet voice brought JC's attention back to the living room and he sighed. "I know. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to accuse you of not caring."

"It'll only be for a couple days and then we'll be back to help."

"Maybe he'll be back to normal by then."

"Maybe," Lance said, though he didn't look very convinced. JC knew he was obviously hoping for the best, but he was likely trying to be practical about it and their expectations.

One thing JC could guarantee was that whether the blindness lasted a couple days or forever, Justin wouldn't be dealing with it alone.

**************

Chris wandered downstairs the next morning, dressed but not all that awake. Something he was hoping to quickly remedy with a couple cups of coffee before he head to catch his flight. He got about a foot inside the kitchen before he stopped, surprised at the sight of JC sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea steaming in front of him.

JC glanced up at his entrance and tiredly nodded his head towards the counter by the sink. "Coffee's over there."

Chris immediately spotted it and made a beeline for it, taking a mug from the cabinet above and pouring himself a cup. He took a drink, noting the rich hazelnut flavor. It wasn't something JC was known for making. "Lance make the coffee?"

"Yeah," JC said, nodding again. "He and Joey just left a little bit ago."

Chris took his coffee and moved to the table, sitting down across from JC. He regarded him with a frown. JC's long hair was sticking up in various places and the dark circles under his eyes were further accentuated by the worry lines on his face. It didn't look like he'd slept much at all, and that had to be even more true if he'd been awake when Lance and Joey had left as they'd needed to leave about an hour before Chris did.

"I'm surprised you're up already," Chris said. "The munchkin wake you again?"

Alice wasn't anywhere in sight, but given the last two mornings, he wouldn't have been at all surprised if she had been the cause in another sleepless night for JC. But JC shook his head. "I just didn't sleep well last night." He paused and then added, "A lot on my mind."

Chris could relate. He hadn't slept all that well either, worrying about Justin and what the doctor had said. It could very well be temporary, but it could be permanent too. That kind of uncertainty left hope but also a bit of fear. He also worried about how JC would fair with Justin given the tension between them and the fact that he was still babysitting Alice. It was a worry that was renewed as he watched JC slowly drink his hot tea.

"Are you sure you can handle this?"

"Yeah, of course," JC said immediately. He frowned at him. "Why do you ask?"

"Because Alice has already been keeping you pretty busy and this thing with Justin...it's not exactly something we know anything about or what we should be doing." Chris paused and added, "And he can be a real asshole when he's in one of his moods."

JC gave him a look. "You don't think I know that? As his best friend, I've only been dealing with his moods for forever."

"You're not usually on the receiving end of them though," Chris replied knowingly.

JC sighed. "Well, don't you think this is even more reason he needs to stay here? We need some time together to work things out before we get back in the studio."

Chris knew JC had a point. They had to get whatever tension that was between them cleared up before they began working nonstop on the album. If they went into the studio the way things were currently, it was unlikely much of anything would get done as neither of them would cooperate or collaborate with each other out of spite alone. It wouldn't be productive and it would cause whatever this rift between the two them was to become even bigger. But he also knew from experience how long Justin could hold a grudge against someone and how mean he could be if he'd made up his mind not to make amends with whoever had wronged him.

"I can stay and act as a buffer," Chris said.

JC shook his head tiredly. "You can't. You're needed in New York."

"I'm not. Not really. In fact, I can probably call Alicia right now and let her know that I'm not coming in..." Chris started to reach for his cell phone, but JC reached across the table and intercepted his hand, wrapping his long fingers around Chris's wrist.

"You can't," JC insisted. "You told me all about the things you need to wrap up at dinner the other night, remember? I can handle things here for a couple of days."

Once again, Chris knew JC was right. He really couldn't push back anything or delegate the things he had planned to do in New York to other people. As the owner of the company there were decisions that only he could make, and it was those kinds of things that demanded this trip in the first place. At the very least he needed to go up and make sure he had all of the looks for the collection finalized. Still, that didn't mean he was happy about leaving JC to deal with Justin, especially given the strain between the two of them.

"I just don't want you to spread yourself too thin."

JC forced a smile. "I'll be fine. Justin's probably going to do whatever he can to avoid me anyway."

Chris regarded JC for a moment. He wanted to press the issue, but he had to get going or he was going to be late for his flight. Besides, the sooner he got to New York, the sooner he could get his stuff taken care of and then return.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Chris said at last, looking JC in the eye.

JC agreed and Chris stood up, clapping him on the shoulder. He walked over to the sink with his coffee cup and quickly drained the rest of the contents before rinsing it out. Glancing at the digital display on the microwave, he inwardly cursed as he knew he had to get a move on. All he wanted to do was one last check to make sure he had all his stuff packed as they'd all grabbed bags they'd need after Justin had been released from the hospital and they'd been on their way to JC's. It'd saved them from having to go back to their own houses this morning and while he was sure he'd packed everything, he wanted to be sure he had everything he needed for his trip. At the very least he needed to make sure he had all of his notes and such about the upcoming collection.

Chris walked out of the kitchen and only made it a few feet before he had to pull up short. Justin was standing there, just inside the adjoining dining room. He didn't look lost or confused exactly, but he did seem out of place with where he was standing. It seemed like he'd been on his way into the kitchen when he stopped to listen to them talking. Chris wasn't sure if he was happy Justin hadn't locked himself in JC's guest room, proud that he'd managed to navigate downstairs to the kitchen by himself, or annoyed that he'd stopped to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Do you need something? You hungry?" Chris asked, watching Justin carefully. He was trying to figure out what mood his young friend would be in today.

"I'm going back to bed," Justin mumbled, his eyes narrowed. He spun on his heel and went back in the direction he'd come, moving a bit faster than Chris had expected him to.

It was still easy enough for Chris to fall in step with him though. "I'll follow you up," he said.

Justin stopped abruptly, turning to glare at him. The gaze was a bit high, but the fury on his face was unmistakable. "I don't need any help," he practically growled.

"Good because I wasn't offering," Chris replied, not at all fazed by the attitude. "I want to talk to you."

Justin rolled his eyes but said nothing else as he resumed walking once more. Chris followed Justin out into the hall and stayed a couple steps behind him as he watched Justin climb the stairs with critical eyes. His steps were hesitant as they carefully searched for solid footing before actually putting weight down on his feet while he gripped the railing tightly. It was hard to watch because very rarely did Justin have hesitance about anything - he was always so confident about everything he did and moved with an easy fluidity. Now he was stiff and unsure. Chris could only pray it wouldn't be permanent.

Finally, they made it up the stairs and navigated into the guest room Justin had claimed as his with Chris gently nudging Justin in the right direction. Justin walked over to the bed, only stopping when his leg hit the mattress. He turned around and carefully lowered himself onto the bed. Chris stepped closer, purposely shuffling his feet a little so he would know where he was in the room.

"What do you want to talk about? Don't you have a flight to catch?" Justin asked with a snide expression on his face.

Chris nodded and then realized belatedly that Justin couldn't see that. "I do," he agreed, his tone even. "I just wanted to tell you to take it easy on JC."

"Are you kidding me?" Justin exclaimed as he jumped to his feet. It was the first fluid, effortless move he'd done since they'd discovered he was blind. "I'm freaking blind and being babysat like some kid, and you're worried about him?"

"Don't be stupid," Chris objected immediately. "Of course I'm worried about you, but I know you're in good hands with JC. I just don't want you being a dick to him for no reason."

"No reason?" Justin echoed. "You have no idea what's been going on between us."

"True, but I do know JC's reached out to you to make amends and you're busy holding onto some stupid grudge." Justin's face darkened and he looked like he was going to say something, but Chris cut in before he could. "Honestly I don't care what you're fighting about, but it needs to end. And I know this whole thing with your eyes has you freaked, but it doesn't give you the right to lash out at him. This isn't his fault."

"It's mine, right? For taking the drugs, for not getting help sooner."

The words were said with such bitterness and contempt, but the blue eyes began to water. Chris's heart broke just a little more, hating the vulnerability that was displayed in those eyes and how much Justin was trying to hide it, to hold everything together. He closed the gap between them and pulled Justin into a hug. Justin resisted it at first, but he eventually gave into it and hugged Chris back.

"This isn't your fault either," Chris said quietly. "I'm sorry it's happened to you, but don't let the fear control you. We don't even know if it's permanent. Just play it by ear, alright?"

Justin nodded, sniffling a little but no tears fell. Chris pulled away and eyed him for a moment, feeling a strong urge to cancel everything that was waiting for him in New York. He hated seeing any of his friends in pain and everything in him wanted to fix this even though he knew he couldn't. It was a waiting game. Something Justin was terrible at, and it was just part of the reason why he was so angry.

"I'll be back tomorrow night, but if you need anything just call. I'll be back here in a few hours."

Justin didn't say anything, and Chris squeezed his shoulder before he left the room, pulling the door shut behind him so Justin would know for sure he left. With a heavy sigh, he went back into the room he'd spent the night in to check that he had everything packed. In his head he was already plotting ways to get more done in a shorter amount of time in New York because everything was telling him he needed to be here.

And he had this feeling that by the time he returned, Justin wouldn't be the only one needing someone to lean on.

**************

Bored.

That was the only way to describe what Justin was feeling. Well...angry and more than a little frustrated too. He was lying on the bed in one of JC's guest rooms with his eyes closed. After all, it wasn't like they were doing him a lot of good being open. In fact, he'd spent a great majority of the day sleeping. He supposed it was good because he was finally getting some much needed rest that he'd been depriving his body of, but his mind was now screaming for stimulation of some kind.

Whenever you were sick, the best part about staying in bed all day was watching TV. Obviously he wasn't sick, but the TV thing applied when you were having a crappy day or in a bad mood too. Of course, now the very thought of it just depressed him further because there was no way he could do that. Or basketball. Or write music. Or anything else he did in his spare time.

Justin rarely slowed down, even when he was sick, and this forced lethargy was driving him crazy. He had just laid down and gone to sleep after Chris left because he'd been afraid to do anything else. Sure, he'd managed to make it downstairs early that morning without a major incident, but it'd taken a lot out of him just to perform the simple task of walking to the kitchen. And it'd been different then because the house had been quiet and he'd been convinced that most everyone had still been asleep. Now the house was alive with activity as JC and Alice moved about, playing in different rooms as she grew tired of whatever she and JC were doing. The last thing he wanted was to have JC stumble onto him as he was trying to navigate his way through the house and offer to assist him. Being blind left him vulnerable and dependent, which Justin just didn't know how to deal with.

It'd led him to being barricaded in this room and self-inflicted or not, it sucked. And what just added fuel to the fire was JC constantly poking his head in every few hours or so, asking if Justin needed anything. If Justin was awake, he usually feigned sleep. But a few times he'd told JC to just leave him the hell alone. Not that it ever deterred JC because he kept making those appearances, trying to get him to leave the room.

A short knock snapped Justin out of his thoughts, and he could hear the door creak slightly as it opened. He sighed. Speak of the devil.

"Justin?" Justin could hear footsteps as JC moved further into the room, but he kept his eyes closed. Maybe JC would think he was sleeping again and leave. But of course he wasn't that lucky as JC spoke again. "Justin, c'mon. I know you're not sleeping."

Knowing that the jig was up, Justin let out an annoyed sigh and opened his useless eyes. "Leave me alone, JC," he said, his voice dull and flat.

But JC wasn't discouraged at all. "You've been in here all day. It's time to come out."

Justin couldn't help the indignant feeling that rose up in his chest and he jerked to a sitting position, turning his head in the direction he'd heard JC's voice. He desperately wished he could see him so he could glare at him properly, give him a look that would wipe the sympathetic/concerned expression JC no doubt had on his face. But then if he could see, he wouldn't be in this situation to begin with.

"You don't think I deserve to be upset?" Justin demanded angrily. "This could be permanent."

"It could also be temporary," JC was quick to refute.

"Well, if it is temporary why can't I just stay here until it's back to normal?"

JC was silent, and Justin knew he had him in a catch-22 moment. If he said he needed to adjust, he was implying that it was likely permanent. But if he said it was temporary, it could excuse his behavior and force JC to back off. Something Justin could tell he didn't want to do. He didn't have to see to know that because he could easily hear the concern in JC's voice and he knew from experience how relentless he could be when he tried to "fix" whatever the problem was.

"You haven't eaten all day, and I'd feel better if you came down and ate some dinner," JC said at last.

JC's voice was soft, and it just seemed to grate on Justin's nerves even more. "Who the hell cares if it'll make you feel better? You're not the one who's blind, unable to do anything!"

JC sighed and Justin could picture him shifting his weight as he heard his clothes rustle just slightly. "I know you're upset, but that doesn't mean you have to take it out on me. I'm just trying to help."

"Like you did with your ‘suggestions' for the album?" Justin said, using air quotes. JC had all but flipped out when Justin had said he'd wanted to bring Wade into the creative process this time around. He'd basically told Justin in no uncertain terms would Wade be welcome in the studio with them, like it was his decision and his alone. It still made Justin's blood boil to think about it.

"I'm sorry about that, and you would know that if you'd answered any of my calls in the last few weeks."

"I was busy," Justin said stiffly.

JC sighed again. "Justin..."

"No!" Justin objected loudly, his very little patience snapping with that damn tone JC often took with him that said he was overreacting. "Why is it you always get made out to be the victim here? Hell, Chris even told me to take it easy on you. I mean, shit! He doesn't even know what's going on and he's on your side."

"Justin, I'm sorry," JC said. "I didn't tell the guys to take sides, nor do I want them to because there's nothing to take sides for. I'm sorry about what I said. You can work with whoever you want."

Justin grunted, turning his body away from JC. "Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I don't need your permission."

"Justin, would you listen to me?" JC said, frustration starting to invade his patient tone. "I didn't mean to act that way. It was just...when you said you wanted to work with Wade, it was just a knee jerk reaction."

"It was a jerk reaction alright," Justin muttered in reply.

JC's voice took on just the slightest bit of edge. "Yeah, but now you're the one acting like a jerk because you won't let this go. I was stupid and jealous, but I apologized. You need to accept it and move on."

"Well, it might all be moot anyway. I'm not exactly able to perform if I can't see."

"That's not true. You're not useless and you don't have to give up music. If it's even permanent. It might not be."

Justin couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't sure who JC was trying to convince more - him or himself. It was no secret that JC didn't handle change well, and he especially couldn't stand it when something was seriously wrong with one of them. He'd been a nervous mess back when Lance had gotten sick and ended up in the hospital. But the crazy thing about JC was he always seemed to have hope, and right now all that was doing was pissing Justin off further. Right then all he wanted was to wallow and be left alone to deal with the loss of his vision, whether it was permanent or not.

"Shouldn't you be watching Alice?" Justin snapped, reminding him of his other responsibility. It was the best way to get JC to leave him alone because outright asking him or yelling at him hadn't done much of anything.

There was a long pause, and Justin wondered just what JC was doing. He could imagine he was fidgeting, or maybe running a hand through his hair with that stress line wrinkled deep in his forehead. It was impossible to know and it was infuriating. A lot of what JC said wasn't necessarily vocalized, but it was easily visible in his body language to those that were closest to him. It helped them all navigate around JC's defenses and figure out how best to handle his emotions. Not having that just further reminded Justin of what he'd lost, and he just added it to the list of things he couldn't do now that he was blind.

"You should still get out of this room for a little, even if you don't want to eat," JC said at last, which was really the last thing Justin had expected him to say. "I put clean towels on the sink in the bathroom."

"And how the hell am I supposed to shower?" Justin demanded. He sure as hell wasn't going to let JC help him - he didn't even want him to help him to the bathroom. It would be mortifying to have someone help him with something he'd done on his own since he was a kid.

"It's five steps to the middle of the hall, turn left, walk seven steps, and then turn left again. Three steps will put you inside the bathroom and next to the wall where the medicine cabinet is." JC paused. "I think you can figure out the rest from there."

Justin was surprised by JC's answer. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but specific directions on how to get to the bathroom on his own wasn't what he was expecting. And before he could even come up with anything to say, he heard JC turn on his heel and his retreating footsteps as he walked out of the room.

When he was gone, Justin lied back on the bed, thinking about everything that JC had said. He was still tense and agitated, but he recognized that maybe he'd been kind of harsh with JC. None of this was his fault, and he wasn't angry with him. Not about him going blind anyway. Though, JC had apologized for the fight they'd had right before the break. An apology Justin had refused to accept.

Justin heaved a heavy sigh. The apology didn't make up for what was said, and he was certain there was more to why JC had said the things he had than he'd alluded to. It was something he could talk to him about - talk, not yell or just outright refuse to listen which was what he'd been doing. He at least owed him that much before he decided to continue holding this grudge against him. And maybe he might owe JC an apology of his own.

As Justin shifted on the bed, he became suddenly aware of how full his bladder was. He hadn't gone all day because he hadn't needed to since he hadn't really drank or eaten anything. That and he'd slept most of the day. But he needed release now and honestly, that shower didn't sound too bad either.

Tentatively, Justin sat up and turned to his left where he knew the door was. He got to his feet, trying to recall JC's directions. As he took five steps forward, he had a sudden fear run through him that JC was still in the hall and would catch him and try to help. But that thought was erased when he heard Alice's voice with JC's responding to hers a few seconds later, drifting up the stairs.

By some miracle, Justin had managed to recall JC's directions and found himself in the bathroom. He couldn't stop the spark of accomplishment that ran through him. He was by no means okay with all this, but it made it a little more bearable knowing he could at least get to the bathroom on his own. Though, he knew there were many battles ahead of him.

What Justin didn't know was that his blindness would be overshadowed by an even bigger problem.

JC looked out into the backyard that was visible through the sliding glass door from where he was sitting at the kitchen table. Alice was sitting across from him finishing up her dinner. He'd been eating with her too, but he'd given up on cleaning his plate several minutes ago as his thoughts began to drift. He chewed his bottom lip as he felt an overwhelming sense of worry. Beth had been the main cause of his worry the last couple of days, and that'd been bad enough but now what was going on with Justin just added to it. What made it even worse was that neither situation was something he could really fix. He wasn't used to sitting back and doing nothing when those closest to him were struggling with something.

"I'm done," Alice announced as she pushed her plate away.

Her voice snapped him out of his thoughts and he looked at her. She'd managed to eat most of the spaghetti he'd made and had hardly touched the small salad he'd also given her. Though, that didn't really surprise him much. He hadn't figured that Alice ate salad because kids weren't exactly willing to eat their vegetables that much, but he had no idea what kind of things Beth normally fed her. JC hadn't eaten all of his dinner either so he couldn't exactly say something to her without being a hypocrite.

JC picked up all of their dishes, stacking them carefully on top of each other and transferring them to the sink. He placed them in it without bothering to rinse them, turning around to face Alice. She remained where she was, like she was waiting for something. He was sure she wanted to ask him something and he remained silent, allowing her time to build up the courage to ask him.

"When's my mommy coming?"

Her quiet voice coupled with the sad, worried expression on her face was enough to tug at his heart. He wished he could give her a definite time and mean it because as comfortable as she seemed to be with him, there was no doubt she was missing her mother. And he couldn't bring himself to lie to her anymore - he was worried too and he had a feeling she could sense that much.

Still, the last thing he wanted was her to worry about it. She was only five and worrying about where her mother was and if she coming back for her was too much for someone so young. Because he didn't want to lie to her, the next best thing was to try to get her mind off it. At least for a little while anyway.

"Do you want to open some presents?" JC asked.

That got her attention. She looked up at him, a spark to her eyes that showed she was interested and a smile that tugged at her lips. "Presents?"

JC nodded. "I didn't get to see you at Christmas, remember?" He paused. "So you want to open them?"

"Yeah!" she cried enthusiastically.

JC crossed the short distance between them, reaching out and picking her up to set her on the floor so she wouldn't fall from trying to get down from the couple of phonebooks she was sitting on. He'd stacked a couple on the chair for her so she could be at the right height for the table. Once he placed her back on the floor, she looked up at him expectantly.

"C'mon, they're in the study," JC told her.

He led the way and her little feet scurried after him as she tried to keep up with his bigger stride. They entered the office and she stood in the middle of the room as he went over to the closet on the far side of the room. He picked up a few of the larger presents, leaving a small one sit on the shelf in the closet. When JC turned around and made his way over to Alice, she was already sitting on the floor, watching him with anxious eyes.

JC lowered himself to the floor, taking up a half-lotus position as he sat across from her. With a smile, he placed the gifts in front of her. She looked at him with a bit of hesitance, silently asking if she could start opening. He nodded, and that was all the encouragement she needed.

There were three presents and she opened the smallest one first. It was a cassette tape and her little face scrunched up in confusion. JC couldn't help but laugh a little before he quickly explained what it was.

"I made a tape of a bunch of songs for you," he told her. "They're all your favorite songs only they're sung by me."

All the confusion disappeared and a big, pleased smile broke out on her face. He couldn't help but grin back. It'd started off as a joke the last time he'd spent the weekend with her and Beth as they'd listened to a tape of kid oriented songs. Beth had confessed they were driving her crazy, but JC had been amused and found himself singing along to a couple with Alice. It'd been then that Beth had said she was convinced he could sing the phonebook and make it sound amazing and that he should record children's songs. At the time it'd been a joke, but as the holidays had rolled around and he'd been unsure what to get Alice, it'd popped into his head and he thought it was a gift both Alice and Beth could appreciate.

The thought made him sober, reminding him of his worry for Beth and the fact that he hadn't heard from her in days. He wished she were there watching her daughter open gifts and opening the one that he still had tucked away for her. It was hard to push those feelings away, but he did his best as he didn't want to alert Alice to his fears, especially since he'd suggested this as a way to get her mind off of things.

While he'd momentarily zoned out, Alice had opened the second present which was a coloring book with crayons. She smiled her appreciation though her eyes were fixed on the final gift that was the biggest out of all of them. He watched with a small smile as she tore through the paper and then opened the cardboard box. She let out an excited squee as she lifted the stuffed dog with floppy ears out of the box he'd been shoved into.

"I always wanted a doggy," she said, practically beaming at JC.

JC couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping his lips. "I know." Alice had all but begged Beth for a dog, but Beth had always refused for one reason or another. He'd seen this stuffed animal at the mall and knew it would be perfect for the little girl.

"Thank you, JC!" she cried as she jumped up and threw her small arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. JC returned the hug. When he released her, she picked up the dog she'd momentarily discarded and settled back onto his lap.

"Can we put the tape in?" she asked, her eyes on the small cassette that lay in arm's reach on the floor.

JC shook his head. "Nah. Why don't we save it for later, okay?"

"Sing for me now? Please." She looked up at him hopefully and it was a look that practically turned him to mush. But he didn't stand a chance at saying no when she added, "Just a preview."

JC laughed. "A preview, huh? I guess we can do that."

JC cleared his throat, his mind briefly scanning through the songs before deciding to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. He started the song and nearly cringed at the husky quality of his voice, but he pressed on. His voice didn't quite hit the high note on "up" and he forced himself not to clear his throat as he continued. As he sang the last line, a voice joined in, harmonizing with his. He jumped, startled even though he knew who it was.

Alice clapped her hands once they were finished, looking very pleased with the impromptu performance. JC's eyes were on Justin and he could tell that while he looked less pissed than he was before and had just finished a kids song with him, he still looked serious and more than a little tense. Knowing that they needed to talk, JC looked down at Alice.

"Sweetie, you want to take your doggy and your coloring book and go pick a movie to watch in the living room? I'll be in in a minute."

She took the hint and did as he requested. Once she was gone, JC got to his feet and he was a bit surprised when Justin was the first one to speak. He was even more surprised by what he said.

"Are you getting sick?"

"What? Of course not," JC denied immediately even as he cleared his throat. Okay, so it felt a little scratchy and he'd been kind of sniffling, but that didn't mean he was sick. He couldn't get sick. There was enough to do what with running after Alice and worrying about Beth, not to mention the fact they were supposed to start recording their album in the next couple days. He didn't have time to be sick.

"You told me to listen and that's what I'm doing," Justin said. "And it sounds like you're getting sick."

JC scowled, figuring it was just like Justin to take something he'd snapped out of anger and desperation to be heard and throw it back at him. Though, he knew deep down it wasn't something Justin was doing out of spite, that he really did care. He felt pretty sure Justin didn't come down to fight with him. Hell, he hadn't even wanted to leave the room all day; it seemed unlikely he'd come down just for the sake of telling JC off.

"Do you need something?" JC asked. His tone wasn't rude, but genuine and sincere. He wasn't exactly sure what Justin's motivations were for coming downstairs. Maybe he was hungry after all.

"We need to talk."

"About what?" JC bent over to pick up the discarded, shredded wrapping paper and crumbled it in his hands. He had a feeling he knew what it was that Justin wanted to talk about, and if he was right, staying busy would hopefully help him get through it.

"About what you said upstairs."

JC nodded to himself. His feeling had been dead on. There were several small pieces of wrapping paper scattered about from when Alice had struggled to rip part of the paper that had been taped really well to the box. He glanced up distractedly even though he knew eye contact wasn't needed since Justin couldn't even see him. "What about it?"

There was silence, the only sound the one of paper crinkling as JC crumbled each addition piece into the pile that his right hand was wrapped around. After a few seconds Justin snapped, "Will you stop whatever the hell it is you're doing!"

JC immediately paused at the loud tone of voice and looked up at his friend. Justin was still standing just inside the room, his hands clenched at his sides and his jaw tense. He looked stiff, like he was too afraid to move, which JC was sure had to be the case. Knowing he couldn't avoid the conversation any longer - that Justin wouldn't let him - he took the scraps of paper in his hand and walked over to the trashcan, depositing them in it.

He turned towards Justin and wanted to put a hand on his arm to lead him over to the couch, to try to get some of the tension to leave Justin's body. But JC was afraid he would pull away from him and it would just make things worse. So he stayed where he was, a couple of feet from Justin, and asked, "What, Justin? What do you want from me?"

"I want you to explain it to me. I want you to tell me why you were jealous," Justin said, his voice much calmer than before.

"I already told you I was wrong, and I apologized. Can't we just forget about it and move on?"

Justin shook his head. "I need to know why you said what you did. Why my best friend wasn't supportive of what I want to do."

JC sighed heavily, turning away slightly. "You know that's not true. It's not like that at all, and you know it."

"Then what?"

JC let his thoughts take him back to that day a few weeks ago just before they'd gone their separate ways for the break. He'd had Justin over to his house so he could listen to a couple of songs that he was working on, that he'd been thinking about submitting for the new album. They'd eventually gotten onto the subject of what they wanted the album to sound like and that had been when Justin had said he wanted to work with Wade. Something in JC had snapped, and it'd taken him a week to figure out why.

"Things haven't been the same between us, have they?"

JC's question must have thrown Justin because he frowned, his brow furrowing in confusion. "What?"

"C'mon, Justin, you know what I'm talking about," JC said. "We don't hang outside of work anymore."

"You're mad I'm spending time with my other friends?"

"Of course not. I'm happy that you have friends you feel you can rely on, and I know you had to spend time with Vicki when you were home since you guys were hardly together." JC paused, unsure how Justin would take the mention of his now ex-girlfriend. But Justin's face was impassive and JC continued on. "My point is that things are just different. You don't follow me around all the time, wanting to do everything I do."

"And that's a bad thing?" Justin challenged with a bit of attitude. He seemed insulted, like he thought JC wasn't supportive of the independence he'd really gained in the last year.

JC shook his head. "No!" he said, quickly realizing that Justin couldn't see him and what he was doing. He was getting frustrated that Justin was taking offense to everything he said and couldn't understand what he was trying to say, and for him that was even more proof things were different. He sighed, trying to think of how to explain how he felt to Justin.

"I feel like I'm in high school again," JC began, trying to get his thoughts in order as he spoke. "That you're on the precipice of great things and you all promise to keep in touch, to be friends for life. But your life is about to change in a big way and it's hard to keep promises like that."

"JC, we already went through a big life changing thing. The lawsuit."

JC nodded, and immediately cursed himself as he quickly stopped. He needed to stop doing that. "I know, and that's when things started to change. We became even bigger than we were practically overnight and had to rush through finishing up the album. But we'd promised we'd take our time with the next one and really enjoy it - that we'd write a lot of it together."

The confused expressed that Justin had had on his face as he listened to JC instantly smoothed and he almost sounded a bit incredulous as he said, "That's why you wigged out when I said I wanted to write with Wade?"

"Yeah," JC admitted a bit sheepishly as he looked down at the floor, his barefoot toeing a scuff mark on the hardwood floor. He knew it was childish, but he couldn't help how he felt either. "I know it's stupid, but I had it in my head that it would be the five of us with some uninterrupted studio time. Now I feel like I'm being left behind because you guys are all moving ahead with your own projects."

JC's mouth snapped closed, and he swallowed down any other words that threatened to escape. He hadn't meant to say that much; it'd seemed he'd gotten on a roll and hadn't been able to stop. And the fact that Justin instantly picked up on it and responded to it didn't surprise him in the least.

"JC, that's ridiculous," Justin told him quietly. "I don't have any other projects going on, so you're not the only one."

"Yeah, but you had Vicki. It'd seemed like you guys were heading down the path of settling down together."

Justin shook his head and mumbled to himself, "That was part of the problem."

Despite the quiet reply, JC had heard him. It got his mind spinning with ideas since none of them still knew exactly why Justin and Vicki had broken up, but he wasn't going to jump to conclusions. He wasn't going to badger Justin about it either, but he was going to make sure he knew the offer was out there to talk.

"Do you want to talk about it?" JC asked.

Justin angled his head just slightly and for a second it almost seemed like he was looking right at him, but his eyes didn't focus. As sad as it was, JC was almost grateful not to have Justin's eyes boring into his own, especially when he said, "You want to talk about Beth?"

Just then a little voice called from the living room. "JC, c'mon! I got a movie!"

JC let out a breath, happy to have an excuse to end this conversation. He called back to Alice, letting her know that he'd be right there. Then he stooped down to pick up the discarded cassette Alice had left behind and as he began to straighten, he spotted his guitar laying across the small sofa nearby. An idea began to form in his head and crossed the room to grab it, quickly and quietly messing with the tuners. He then picked it up and place it in its stand nearby, letting his hand run across the strings and he had to wince at the sound it made. His guitar was never out of tune, and hopefully by the time the movie Alice had picked was over, it would be tuned once more.

"You want to join us?" JC asked Justin, pausing in the doorway even though he knew what his answer would be.

As expected, Justin shook his head. "I think I'm going to hang in here a bit, okay?"

JC assured him that was fine and gently pulled the door so it was mostly shut, leaving Justin alone in the room with his guitar.

**************

Justin adjusted the last tuner, shaking his head. He hadn't realized it at first, but now he knew JC had purposely messed with the guitar and had made sure he'd brushed against the strings for him to hear how horrible it sounded. Of course, Justin had and it'd compelled him to cross the room and pick up the guitar. It'd felt so natural to tune the guitar and it'd been the first thing he'd done without hesitation since he'd gone blind.

JC was clever; Justin would give him that. All JC had told him all day long was that being blind didn't make him incapable, and now he felt like that could be true. He hadn't needed to see to tune the guitar and while there were things he needed to be able to see to do, he was beginning to recognize that maybe he could get by with doing some of the things he'd normally done on his own. Even now as he absently strummed the chords on the guitar, he could feel his earlier belief that being blind - if it was permanent - would completely ruin his career slip away. Okay, he might not be able to perform as well onstage as he wouldn't be able to do choreography and a lot of their gags, but he wasn't incapable of singing and making music.

That didn't mean he was ready to commit to adjusting to being blind though. JC had not only given him hope that his career wouldn't be over if the blindness was permanent, but also that it really might not be permanent. It made Justin feel bad for all the things he'd said to him recently and he began to believe that he did owe JC an apology after all.

He carefully set the guitar on the couch next to him before rising to his feet. There was just a brief moment of hesitation before he took a step forward, turning left and walked towards where he knew the door was. It was one of the first time he'd moved with confidence, the exercise with the guitar proving to him he could do things on his own. That and he knew that JC had likely been going around making sure there was nothing laying in the middle of the floor for him to trip over.

Once he got to the door, he found that it was mostly closed so he took a step back and gently pulled the door towards him, making sure he was clear of it. Now that the door was open, he stepped out of the room and paused once more. He listened, thinking he'd hear the movie JC and Alice were watching, but the house was silent. As far as he could tell, there seemed to be no one on the first floor. He supposed maybe he'd been in the office longer than he'd initially thought and JC had taken Alice upstairs to get her ready for bed.

The problem with that was Justin wasn't entirely sure he remembered how to navigate through the house, especially without noises to follow. He closed his eyes, picturing the layout of JC's house in his mind. Of course he didn't know where everything was, but he could visualize the general layout. When he opened his eyes, he was sure of where he had to go and he stepped forward, moving cautiously through the foyer to reach the staircase.

When he reached the top, he paused once more to listen to see if he could determine where JC might be. The hall was heavy with silence and Justin frowned, about ready to resign himself to just picking a direction when suddenly a noise sliced through the quiet. A phone was ringing and it was coming from the left. JC's room?

Justin turned and carefully made his way to JC's room, resisting the urge to put his hands out in front of him. He was pretty sure there wasn't anything he could run into in the hall so there was no need for it. As he moved down the hall, JC's voice as he answered the phone got clearer and Justin was kind of surprised at how well he could hear him given that he wasn't in the same room as him.

"Beth, finally!" JC cried, his voice expressing his relief clearly.

Justin finally made it to the doorway of JC's room and he leaned against the wall just outside of it. All he could hear was JC's side of the phone call and it was easy to tell that his relief was quickly fading away, being replaced with irritation and concern.

"No, Alice is fine. The reason I called so many times was because I hadn't heard from you. You said a couple of days and-"

JC's voice stopped abruptly, like Beth had cut him off. He spoke again a couple seconds later, "Of course I don't mind watching her, but she misses you. She keeps asking me when you're coming to get her and I don't know what to tell her. I was beginning to think something was wrong and was getting ready to call the cops."

Justin frowned as he listened to just how intense JC's worry for Beth had gotten. When they'd confronted him in the kitchen a couple days ago, he'd admitted he was concerned about Beth and whatever was going on with her ex that she was trying to take care of. Since then it'd clearly manifested itself into something much bigger, and Justin felt a bit of guilt for having overlooked it. He'd been so wrapped up in first trying to forget about Vicki and now his self pity over being blind that he hadn't seen it. Not that he could be faulted for that because it was understandable given the situation, but he still felt bad about it. He and JC always had each other's backs and now it felt like it'd become much more one-sided with JC holding up his end of it and not him.

"Everything is not fine," JC snapped, and Justin could only assume that Beth had tried to assuage his fears. There was a deep, heavy sigh from JC before he began to speak again, his voice softer now. "Beth, you have to tell me what's going on."

Justin could only imagine what her response was. Even though he didn't know her, he could almost picture her balking at the request. From the little bit that JC had told them about her, it was evident to all of them that she cared for him as much as he did her and Justin would bet everything he had that she was trying to protect him. Something that seemed to only infuriate JC.

"You can't just disappear for days at a time with an ex that is an asshole and expect me not to ask what's going on." JC's voice was low, like he was trying to keep it from carrying down the hall to Alice's room who Justin could only assume was sleeping at this point. Even so, there was no denying the seriousness and touch of anger in it. "And if you want me to keep watching Alice, you will talk to me."

Justin knew JC's threat was an empty one - there was no way he'd force Beth to pick up Alice if she was in the middle of something that could result in the little girl getting hurt. It was a desperate tactic and one that almost always blew up in his face when he tried using it on the guys. Justin wondered if Beth knew him as well as they did and would call him out on it. He suspected she must have because JC softened his voice and sighed once more, this time sounding much more defeated.

"Beth, please. I know you wanted to handle this yourself, but it's obvious things aren't going the way you want." He paused, coughing slightly and sniffling a little. Justin thought he was getting emotional, but then he remembered how rough JC had sounded when he'd walked in on him singing to Alice downstairs. JC said, "I'm your best friend and I don't want to see anything happen to you."

There was a long pause, and Justin waited to see what Beth had said. For as much as JC's empty threats didn't work, his earnest pleas to help were often hard to ignore. And that must have been true for her as well because finally he heard JC say, "Wait a minute, I need to grab a pen."

A cacophony of noises followed, and Justin could only assume that JC was rummaging through drawers for a pen and paper. He seemed to have located one several seconds later because he directed Beth to go ahead and there was a soft scribbling sound.

"I'll see you tomorrow morning then," JC said.

Justin waited a few seconds, making sure that JC had ended the call and was off the phone before he stepped into the room. Almost instantly he bumped into something and given the fact that it moved from the momentum of him running to it, it had likely been the door. He figured it had to have been half shut and that was why he'd run into it. Regardless, it'd created a sound that echoed through the room and immediately alerted JC to his presence.

"Geez, Justin. You scared the hell out of me!" JC exclaimed, and he sounded slightly winded. Before Justin could apologize for the unintentional scare, he could feel JC step closer to him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Justin assured, dismissing his concern. He let just the briefest silence settle over them before he asked, "You aren't really going to meet Beth tomorrow, are you?"

"Why wouldn't I?" JC asked, and Justin could practically hear the frown.

"Because it sounds like she's gotten herself into a dangerous situation and-"

"Wait a minute," JC interrupted. "How much of my phone call did you hear?"

Justin hesitated just briefly. "All of it. At least all of what you said."

JC was silent and Justin could imagine his eyes narrowing in anger. He knew it was wrong to have stood there and listened to what was supposed to be a private phone call, but he hadn't been able to help himself. It didn't excuse what he'd done, but it didn't change the fact that it'd happened either.

So, undeterred by the anger he was sure JC was directing at him, he continued, "I got the gist of what you were talking about, and it sounds like her ex is bad news. I know you want to help her, but don't you think it'd be better to get the cops involved?"

"She about freaked when I said I was getting ready to call them." JC sighed. "I don't know what's going on, but I have a bad feeling - a pit in my stomach that won't go away. Maybe once I know the whole story I can find a way to help."

Justin wasn't surprised by that admission. JC was always trying to help people - those he was close to definitely got most of his attention. He hated to see those he loved in trouble or struggling with a problem and often did whatever he could to make it better. It was a reason they all went to him on a fairly regular basis, but Justin wasn't convinced this situation with Beth and her ex-boyfriend was something JC could help with.

"You're not taking Alice, are you?"

"No," JC answered immediately, his voice firm. "Beth wants Alice to stay here where she's safe, and she doesn't need to hear what Beth has to say about her father."

"Well, you can't just leave her alone either." Justin could sense JC was going to protest and quickly intervened, "And I don't count. You know I can't watch her. Not like this."

"I can get Stephanie from across the street to come over and-"

"No," Justin interrupted. "I can't have anyone see me like this. And you know what's more important to Beth is that you stay with Alice."

The room was quiet for a moment. "Yeah, but she needs me," JC said, his voice soft and almost desperate sounding. It was something that made Justin frown in concern. "I need to help her."

"Look, JC. I know you're in love with her, but-"

"I'm not. We're just friends."

Justin scoffed. "Please. You love her. I can hear it in your voice when you talk about her." He paused. "I know Elaina really messed you up, but you have to trust yourself. You know what you feel for Beth is more than friendship."

"You're wrong, Justin. I love Beth, yeah, but as a friend. That's all."

Justin let a sigh of his own escape, recognizing that JC was unwilling to admit it to himself right then. He wasn't sure why, but he knew that pushing the issue wasn't going to get him anywhere. So he steered the conversation back on track, to the issue of JC meeting with Beth.

"Can you at least wait until one of the guys returns before you go meet her?"

"She's expecting me to show up at ten o'clock tomorrow and..."

"And Chris might be back by then," Justin said. "Even if he's not, will you please just wait until somebody shows up? That way you know you'll have one less thing to worry about when you go meet Beth."

There was a long pause. Justin was counting on JC's worry for Alice and how she would fare with a complete stranger she just met babysitting her to convince him he should wait until one of the guys showed up. He'd gotten the feeling when Chris had left that he was going to rush through whatever he could to get back as soon as possible. He only hoped that would be the case and someone else could talk him into getting the cops involved instead of trying to help Beth out of what was clearly a bad situation by himself.

Finally, JC said, "Okay."

Justin felt immediate relief, thankful for small favors. He hadn't gotten to apologize to JC like he'd planned on when he'd first emerged from the office, but it could wait. There was more than enough on JC's mind and the last thing Justin wanted was to bring all of the hurtful things he'd said to the front of his mind. In the meantime, he would do what he could to help distract JC.

Chris let himself into JC's house. He'd considered ringing the doorbell but then thought better of it when he realized that the occupants of the house might still be sleeping. Mostly he was afraid of what JC would do if Alice was considering she hadn't been sleeping well since he'd taken her for Beth. And as he walked into the house, he began to believe even more he was right to suspect everyone wasn't awake.

The silence was almost deafening, and the only thing that kept it from being overwhelming was the occasional noises he made. Shutting the front door, locking it behind him, throwing his keys on the nearby table. He figured he'd make some coffee and then see if anyone was up. It was the promise of caffeine that propelled him forward, his soft steps navigating through the house towards the kitchen. It was when he stepped into the living room that he realized someone was up after all.

Justin was sitting in the beat up armchair that JC had positioned next to the couch with his back to Chris. It was kind of creepy in a way, him just sitting there in silence with nothing on. Chris realized he wasn't exactly in a position where he could really watch TV, but if he were Justin he would've turned it on just to have the noise of it. Though, maybe he was sleeping and that was why he didn't have anything on.

Chris took a step forward just as Justin said, "Chris?"

He about jumped out of his skin and then admonished himself for behaving so foolishly. Taking a breath, he tried to calm his now racing heart. Okay, so Justin was awake.

"How'd you know it was me?" Chris asked, letting the bag he'd brought in fall from his shoulder to the floor. He'd had a brief thought that maybe Justin was already beginning to adjust and learning how to use his senses in a way he hadn't before to make up for his lack of eyesight.

"I didn't. I was hoping," Justin said.

Chris instantly frowned. "Why?" He moved so he was able to see Justin's face, looking for any clue as to what was going on. Why he would've been waiting, hoping he'd show up early. "You and JC have a fight?"

Justin began to say no, but then he quickly amended, "Yeah, sort of. But everything's fine. We sort of made up."

Sort of? It was the thought that was running through his mind and his brow furrowed as he tried to make sense of what Justin was trying to tell him. "Okay. So..."

"JC finally got a hold of Beth last night and he's supposed to meet up with her this morning. I made him promise not to go until you or Joey and Lance showed up, but I think he was planning to go no matter what," Justin explained.

"And what? You think I can stop him?" Chris asked, getting the sense for just why Justin had asked JC for one of them to show up. It was pretty clear to him just from what Justin didn't say that told him he didn't think it was a good idea.

Justin's face scrunched up and he looked in his direction. "You have to, Chris. Something's obviously going on with her ex and I don't want him caught in the middle."

"It's his decision if he wants to go."

Justin blindly reached out, and Chris stepped a little closer, allowing him to grab onto his arm. "I have a feeling something bad will happen if he does. Please, Chris."

Chris was more concerned by the way Justin was clutching his arm than what he was saying. He could tell that Justin was worked up over whatever scenario he had in his head that he was convinced would happen and he would do whatever he had to in order to wipe the scared look off his face. It was so unnatural on his face and it wasn't one Chris saw often so he wanted to do what he could to remove it.

"Okay, I'll talk to him," Chris said.

"I'll go with you."

Justin stood up and went to take a step before his feet were truly planted and nearly tripped over the edge of the chair...or Chris's foot. He wasn't really sure which, but he had barely managed to catch him. Though, he knew it'd likely been caused from him standing up too fast because he'd clearly gotten down here on his own okay.

Still, it prompted him to suggest that Justin stay put and let him talk to JC on his own. Justin opened his mouth to object and Chris quickly added, "If you come with me, he'll feel like we're ganging up on him. Besides, he might still be sleeping."

After a bit of hesitation, Justin agreed and blindly groped for the couch, looking for purchase so he could sit down again. Chris watched him with a frown, hating how unsure Justin was and how unnatural it was to see him moving so awkwardly. Everything Justin did seemed so effortless and now the simplest things took more energy and focus than they ever had before. It took everything in him not to interfere though, knowing that would just make things worse.

Finally, Justin had managed to lower himself onto the couch. Once he did, he looked in Chris's direction like he could sense he was still there and was saying, "Well? Aren't you going to talk to him?" which was all the prodding Chris needed. He told Justin he'd be right back and then turned back the way he came, changing direction before he reached the front door so he could go up the stairs.

He paused just briefly at the top before he headed for the master bedroom. As he stepped through the doorway, he immediately noticed that the bed was occupied but it wasn't by JC. Alice's much smaller form was on the one side of the bed, blankets pooled at her waist and one arm curled around a stuffed dog. She was sleeping innocently and looked dwarfed in the large bed. It made him wonder if she'd had more nightmares and that was why she'd ended up in JC's bed. But that didn't explain where JC was.

Chris stepped further into the room, his eyes going to the connecting bathroom. The light was off, which told him JC wasn't in there. He was about to walk out of the bedroom and search the house for him when JC walked out of the large walk-in closet. Their eyes met for the briefest of seconds before JC returned all of his attention to the task of buttoning up his shirt.

"Good, you're here. Now I don't have to call Stephanie," JC said distractedly.

Chris was momentarily thrown by how terrible he sounded - it was clear his sinuses were all stuffed up. It seemed like the lack of sleep the last few days had caught up to him and weakened his immune system to allow him to get sick. But he forced himself to focus on what JC had said, not how he said it.

"Nice to see you too. My trip went well. Thanks for asking," Chris replied sarcastically.

JC rolled his eyes as he buttoned the second to last hole in his shirt. "You know I'm glad you got done what you needed to, but now I have something to take care of."

"Meeting Beth." Chris nodded once, watching JC carefully. He'd moved on to buttoning the cuffs of his shirt and the stiffness in his muscles told Chris he was on edge, likely nervous about what Beth would tell him. "Yeah, Justin told me."

"He didn't send you up here to talk me out of going, did he?" JC looked up at Chris and his eyes narrowed as he realized the answer for himself. His voice rose a bit as he demanded, "Are you kidding me?"

Then his eyes immediately shot over to the bed where Alice was. She was still sleeping, but she did roll over and mumbled quietly. He glanced around for a second before his arm shot out and he roughly grabbed onto Chris's arm, dragging him into the walk-in closet and shutting the door. Chris understood that he didn't want to wake Alice, but it was a weird place to have this conversation.

"Justin has no right to ask you to get involved. This is my decision. Not his, not yours," JC said, glaring at Chris.

Chris frowned at him. He hadn't expected this level of hostility. "He's worried, and based on what he told me, so am I."

"What the hell did he tell you?" JC didn't wait for an answer as he continued, starting to unbutton the shirt as he spoke. "All he heard was my end of the conversation. He has no idea what's really going on."

"From what I hear neither do you. That's why you're meeting her."

For some reason it'd taken JC less time to get the shirt off than it had to put it on and he yanked it off, tossing it aside. He stood there in a wife-beater, hands on his hips as he stared at Chris. "I know that she's in trouble."

"And you think meeting with her is going to change that?" Chris asked. JC didn't offer an answer as he pulled a long-sleeved t-shirt from a nearby hanger and threw it over his head. "It's not. If she's really in trouble, it's the police she needs to talk to, not you."

JC yanked the shirt down, smoothing it out with his hands before he looked at Chris. "You don't understand. She all but flipped out when I told her I'd been getting ready to call the cops if I hadn't been able to get a hold of her."

"That just convinces me even more that the police need to be involved."

JC shook his head. "You don't understand."

"I understand that you're hung up on her and-"

"I'm not!" JC interrupted, his voice firm. "We're just friends."

From the bit of exasperation Chris could detect in JC's voice, he knew this wasn't the first time someone had called him out on the true feelings he had for Beth. There was no doubt it'd been Justin and not just because he was the only one with JC the last twenty-four hours but because Justin knew just when to confront him with it. But it seemed JC still wasn't ready to face what they all knew to be true - it was apparent to all of them that he loved her. He wouldn't be doing all this if he didn't.

"And that you want to help her," Chris continued as if JC hadn't cut him off. "But this isn't something you can fix. The only thing you'll do is put yourself in danger."

"You don't know that," JC said, his voice low. It wasn't filled with anger but something else. Something Chris couldn't exactly put his finger on.

"No, but I know situations like this don't turn out good." JC looked at him confused, like he was wondering just how Chris knew. He cleared his throat and said, "I had a friend in high school. Her father was abusive and her mother struggled to get away from him for years. And any time her friends tried to step in, things just seemed to get worse."

JC looked at him, his jaw set. "That's not going to happen to Beth. I won't let it."

Chris shook his head. JC didn't get it, but it was clear he only had one thing on his mind. He wanted to swoop in and save Beth, and nothing was going to keep him from it. Still, he tried one more thing as a last ditch effort.

"Justin doesn't want to see anything to happen to you, and neither do I. If you go, you're going to get caught in the middle and end up hurt."

JC sighed heavily. "I appreciate what you're saying and the fact that you're worried, but I have to do this. If there's even a chance I can help, I have to try. For Beth, for Alice."

Chris stared at JC for a long moment. He wanted to argue further and point out that he didn't even look like he was up for what was surely going to be an emotional conversation. It was obvious that JC was exhausted and the paleness of skin was a major hint that he wasn't feeling as well as he should be. But he also knew it would be moot because nothing was going to stop him right then. He may not agree with it, but he understood it was something he had to do.

"Okay," Chris said finally. "Just be careful, okay?"

JC agreed and brushed past Chris to open the closet door and step out into the bedroom. Chris turned and watched as he walked over to the bed where he leaned over to give Alice a quick kiss on the forehead. With one last glance over his shoulder at him, JC rushed out of the bedroom and down the stairs. Chris sighed as he leaned against the doorjamb of the closet, praying JC didn't get hurt in this whole messy situation.

**************

JC glanced at the directions he'd printed out from Mapquest, ensuring that he was still on the right track. He was meeting Beth at a place just outside of Orlando and he wanted to make sure he didn't keep her waiting because he got lost. Given the way she'd sounded on the phone, he was sure that if he wasn't there right when they'd agreed to meet that she'd leave.

As he drove, his thoughts ran wild as he tried to imagine just what she was going to tell him. He knew that Chris and Justin were probably right - that something was really wrong with her ex, but he just had no idea what to expect. Beth had hardly spoken of the man and JC certainly had never met him. The feeling he got though wasn't a good one, and his worry just continued to increase the closer he got to the meeting place.

If he was honest with himself, he was also worried about Alice. He knew she was in good hands with Chris and that nothing would happen to her, but Beth had put her in his care. It almost felt wrong for him to leave her with someone she didn't really know. He wondered if Beth had had similar qualms about leaving her daughter with him. They spent as much time together as they could, but sometimes that ended up only being one or twice a year.

For some reason his mind was recalling a particular memory - Alice had been two years old and it had probably been the last time he'd seen Beth truly relaxed. It'd been a warm fall day, almost too warm for the middle of October. But it hadn't mattered much when they'd found a large tree to sit under at the park, relaxing under its cool shade as they ate their lunch. JC and Beth had talked, catching up on everything that'd gone on with them while Alice had played with some of her toys at one end of the blanket they'd spread out. Though the numerous toys hadn't occupied her for long.

JC and Beth had been in the middle of discussing something. He couldn't remember what it'd been anymore, but Alice had interrupted, standing in front of them. "What's this?" she'd asked, holding up a small hand that closed around an equally small feather.

"It's a feather," he and Beth had both answered at the same time. They'd looked at each other and laughed.

JC had gently taken the feather from the toddler's hand and used it to tickle her neck. She'd squirmed and ducked out of his reach, giggling. Beth had wrapped an arm around Alice's waist and had carefully brought her down to lie with them before attacking her stomach, her fingers dancing over her daughter's sensitive skin. He'd sat back and watched with a smile until Alice had pleaded for him to help in between the giggles, and he'd been more than happy to come to her rescue. Together he and Alice had turned the assault onto Beth and she'd fallen onto her back, proving her daughter had gotten her ticklishness honestly.

It'd been such a carefree day, and JC's heart ached with the memory of it. Even though he hadn't seen Beth for longer than an hour the other day, it had been easily apparently that she hadn't had a day like that in a long time. Maybe that had even been the last time. The thought provided him with even more motivation to help her get whatever was going on with her ex worked out so hopefully he could help her have more days like that.

Over the last couple days, almost every time he thought of Beth he remembered the worry lines on her face and the fear hidden deep in her eyes. And the more time that passed, the more he'd come to realize there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. In the back of his mind he could hear Justin saying that it was because he loved her. JC knew in his heart he was right, but he'd never allowed himself to admit it before. It seemed like every time he developed feelings for someone, something would happen and everything would be ruined. He hadn't wanted that to happen with him and Beth. Besides, prior to now he'd had no reason to believe she wasn't happy with Gabe and he would never do anything to jeopardize her happiness.

A horn blared, jarring him out of his thoughts. He blinked and quickly realized that he'd been sitting at a red light that had just turned green for several seconds too long, prompting the person behind him to show their irritation. The fact that he'd allowed himself to get so distracted while driving was unsettling, and he forced himself to focus only on following the directions to his destination. Getting into an accident was the absolute last thing he needed right then.

When he finally arrived at the address Beth had provided to him almost fifteen minutes later, he glanced down at the directions and back up at the street address. According to the directions he'd printed off, he was in the right place. He was thrown by the location as Beth hadn't mentioned them meeting in a public place. When she'd given him the address he'd assumed he was meeting her at her place - a place he'd never seen before. Though, that obviously wasn't the case.

It was a small train station that sat on the edge of the equally small town that was situated shortly outside of Orlando. The parking lot seemed fairly large, but there were only a handful of cars parked. Currently there were no trains in the station and for some reason it helped to give the place a creepy vibe. He didn't understand why Beth wanted to meet here, but he knew she had to have her reasons. Ones that he wouldn't hear until he got out of the car.

JC opened the car door and once standing outside, he made sure to lock it before closing it. He glanced around, looking for the car Beth had driven when he'd met her at Pompano Beach a few days earlier, but he didn't see it. A quick look at his watch told him he was right on time. She should be here.

From where he was standing he spotted stairs that would lead to the upper level, and he started for them so he could have the ability to spot her when she arrived. All of the trains were on the ground level and the only thing he could see on the upper level were a few benches. It seemed like it was meant as a waiting area, and there were a few people that were lounging on the metal benches. One was a young man who looked like he was in college with a large backpack and a duffle bag. On another bench nearby was an older couple that JC could imagine were waiting on someone from an incoming train, maybe a grandchild. There was no sign of Beth, but he didn't want to take a seat as he didn't want to miss her arriving. Not that he'd be able to make himself sit still anyway as his anxiety propelled him to move, sometimes pacing a few steps.

After a few minutes, he abruptly stopped and leaned against the railing that ran along the edge of the platform. He looked to the ground below, his eyes searching for the now red-haired Beth. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he sagged further against the rail, sure that she hadn't arrived yet and growing even more worried by the second. His mind ran wild with all the possibilities of what was keeping her and each one was worse than the last. They were freaking him out and he felt like he was about to have anxiety attack when a sudden light pressured was on his back.

He jumped and quickly spun around, inadvertently knocking the person that'd touched him away. The terror only lasted for a second as he quickly recognized Beth and reached out to steady her before she could fall, having been thrown off balance from him.

"Sorry," he apologized. He wasn't sure how she'd managed to sneak up on him, but he supposed he'd let his thoughts get the better of him and that it'd distracted him enough to not have heard or seen her approach.

Beth shook her head. "It's my fault. I didn't mean to scare you."

JC angled his body more so he was facing her. When he did, his eyes immediately went to the dark coloring on her cheekbone and the small cut just below the bruising. He looked at her, anger rising up in him as he demanded, "What happened? Did he do that you?"

"It doesn't matter."

JC ignored her as he got close and gently prodded the swollen flesh. Beth flinched and turned her face away from him. His anger just seemed to intensify. Though, he did his best not to yell when he said, "Why didn't you tell me he was abusive?"

"Because he wasn't until I told him I was leaving," she said, her voice so quiet it was almost carried away with the wind as she was still facing away from him. She was looking out at the bridge that you had to cross to get to the train station's parking lot.

JC watched her for a moment, trying to determine if she was telling the truth. He knew she wasn't telling him everything. That was why they were there after all, and despite the overwhelming need he had to demand that she tell him what happened and leave nothing out, he knew he had to ease into it.

"We need to get the police involved," he said at last.

Beth spun on her heel, facing him as she strongly objected. "No!"

JC blinked, completely stunned by her reaction. "They can help. They can get a restraining order on Gabe and make sure you're safe," he argued gently, trying to get through to her without sounding harsh.

She sighed. "It's not that easy."

"Don't tell me you're still in love with him." He was repulsed by the very idea that she could have feelings for someone that hurt her. The way she reached out and put a hand on his arm told him that his thoughts had likely been displayed on his face.

She looked him in the eye and said, "No. I realized I haven't for a while. If I ever did."

JC was almost thrown by the admission. He'd suspected that things hadn't been perfect between them, the fact that she hardly ever spoke of him said that much. But to say that she wasn't sure she'd ever loved him? It made him wonder just how she'd ended up with him then, how she ended up pregnant with Alice. Not that he didn't realize things happened and you didn't have to be in love with someone to have sex and become pregnant, but he'd never thought she'd be the type to just jump into a relationship with someone she didn't love.

"Then why?" he asked. "I can help you get a lawyer - make sure that you get everything you need. That Alice is safe and neither of you have to see him again."

He wasn't sure if a judge would actually okay Gabe being unable to see his daughter, but at the same time, he didn't see why not. Kids were a soft spot for most everyone, and if they thought her father might be a danger to her they wouldn't let him have custody. At least he would hope not.

"None of that would stop him," she said, her voice once again going quiet as she averted her eyes. "I think he has friends that are cops. They would believe him over me."

JC scoffed, unable to believe anyone would believe some asshole over her. She didn't have a deceitful bone in her body, and he was convinced others could see it too. "What is he, in the mob?"

Beth raised her eyes to meet his. "In a cult."

JC's eyes widened. "How the hell did you end up with someone in a cult?"

"I think you know," she said softly, her green eyes not leaving his. Though, he could see the fear in her eyes. He couldn't understand why at first because he'd never given her a reason to be afraid of him or his reaction to something as he'd always supported her, but it made sense a second later when what she said clicked.

He unconsciously took a step back in surprise. "You're in a cult?" he exclaimed, his voice getting a bit louder than he'd intended.

Beth looked around anxiously as she bit her lip, like she was scared someone had overheard them. She grabbed onto his arm suddenly and yanked him over to the small brick encased office that was currently empty. "You have to understand," she began, her voice much quieter than his had been. "After I miscarried, I was in a bad place. The thing I'd risked everything for, that I fought with my parents about was gone, and I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where to go."

"You could've come to me," JC said. He'd even asked her to. It'd been around the time he and the guys were getting ready to head to Europe, and she hadn't wanted to impose. She'd said she didn't want to get in the way of what he needed to do.

"You were busy trying to get your career off the ground. It was important."

"You were important too. Are important." JC sighed and a ran a hand through his long hair. "I would've dropped everything to help you, but you kept me at an arm's length. Still do."

She nodded reluctantly, like she knew he was right but didn't want to admit it. "At first it was because I was so depressed and I didn't want you to see me like that. Then when I met Gabe...I guess I thought I was in love and wanted to spend every minute with him."

"And now?" JC prompted. He could appreciate what she was saying, but none of those reasons justified why she'd kept everything from him for so long - why she still was.

She shrugged. "I guess I thought it was for the best." She paused, tugging at a strand of her hand. It was a habit she'd done a lot over the years, but it just looked strange with her doing it to short red locks instead of her long blonde hair. "I only recently realized what was really going on - who Gabe really was. It seemed like keeping you in the dark about it all was the best thing, that it'd keep you safe." She shifted anxiously as her eyes darted around before returning to his. "I still don't think it's good that we're meeting like this."

"I don't need you to protect me," JC said, trying to keep himself from sounding petulant. "If anything, it sounds like you need protecting."

Beth looked away. "I don't think you can protect me," she replied quietly.

JC gently grabbed a hold of her chin and forced her to look at him. "Why don't you tell me the whole story and we'll take it from there, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed. JC released her, and she took a shaky breath, glancing around once more before she began. "I met Gabe through a friend of a friend. He was so nice and he understood what I was going through. Even more, he offered me redemption for what my parents saw as a sin."

JC knew Beth's parents were very religious. They'd freaked when she'd told them she was pregnant as they believe you should only have sex after marriage, and they'd expected their daughter to do so. When they found out she hadn't been the good little virgin they'd wanted her to be, they'd all but flipped out and tried to convince her to get an abortion so no one would find out what'd happened. She'd refused and managed to keep up a good front until she left, calling JC shortly after and breaking down as she relayed how they'd reacted.

"He'd explained to me that he was the head of a small religious group that was much more open. That next to God, love was the greatest force on Earth and his group were like a family." Beth's eyes locked onto his. "I'd been rejected by my parents, and here was a group of people that were willing to take me in, that said what happened wasn't my fault."

JC forced himself not to point out that he'd been just as willing to bring her into his family and that he'd told her countless times not to listen to her parents. Instead he asked, "This is where you fell in love with him?"

She nodded, and JC couldn't help but feel disappointed even though she'd basically already admitted as much. "I'd known him for a couple months, spending a lot of time with him before he offered me an invitation to join his group. I'm still not sure if I was really in love with him or just the way he made me feel like I was capable of being loved."

"I love you!" JC blurted. He felt his face grow warm and he was sure his cheeks were red with embarrassment. It was one thing for him to recognize what Justin had said about him being in love with Beth, but never had he expected to reveal his feelings in such an unexpected way. But then hearing about her desperation to have someone love her had caused something in him to snap.

There was a pause and JC was afraid his confession had made her uncomfortable. He was about to apologize and try to take it back when Beth said, "I know."

JC felt a bit of the surprise she must've felt just moments ago. He hadn't realized she'd known how he felt about her - how he'd always felt. The question now was, did she feel the same?

He got his answer a second later as she reached out, taking hold of his hand and squeezing it gently. The soft smile on her face said it all. "Timing has never been right with us, has it? I wish I'd wised up to what Gabe was up to sooner. Then maybe we could've been together."

JC wanted to point out that they still could, but right then it was more important to know what was going on. It was the only way to help her get her life back - hopefully one where she was happier. "What's he doing?"

Beth took a breath and looked him in the eye. "He was doing experiments on Alice."

JC gasped, pulling his hand out of hers as he stepped back. "What?"

"It's not as bad as you're thinking. It's not like those things in the science fiction novels we had to read in high school," she said, trying to reassure him. She took his hand again. "Alice was never physically hurt. He's been trying to open a channel in her mind - he thinks she's gifted." His brow furrowed in confusion, not understanding what she was saying. She must've realized because she clarified, "He thinks she's psychic."

JC was in total disbelief. He didn't know what to say. Despite what Beth had said, it'd sounded like science fiction to him. And what made it even worse was she believed it. He could hear it in her voice, that she thought Gabe could be right.

"So then what made you decide enough was enough? I mean, if he wasn't technically hurting her." The last part was said with a sarcastic edge, proving he wasn't as willing to believe what Gabe supposedly thought of Alice.

"I said he didn't physically hurt her, but that didn't mean she wasn't in pain," Beth said, her eyes narrowed just slightly. Not in anger at him, but at the memory she was recalling with Gabe doing whatever it was he'd done to her daughter. "What he did was taxing on her mentally. I tried to get him to relax on it, tell him that if she truly had abilities she should be allowed to come into them on her own and enjoy being a kid in the meantime. He didn't agree and pressed her harder."

Tears glistened in her eyes, softening his frustration with her. With a sigh, he pulled her close as he wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay. He can't do anything to her now. She's safe," he whispered into her ear.

Beth nodded against his chest. She hung on to him for a moment longer before she finally pulled back so she could look at him. "That's why I left her with you. I knew you'd take care of her and keep her out of harm's way."

JC opened his mouth to say something, but he instantly forgot what it was when someone else spoke. "Gabe thought you might betray him."

Beth immediately stepped out of his grasp and spun on her heel. In front of them were two people - both men. They were average looking, one slightly more muscular than the other but not overly so. The four of them were the only ones standing on the upper level - the older couple and young college student gone, presumably on the train platform below to wait for the train.

He tried to step in front of Beth, sensing something off about the two people standing in front of them. She intervened, putting a hand on his chest and glancing at him briefly as she shoved him back. "Get out of here, JC."

"No, not without you," JC said. He would be damned if he was going to leave her here with people that had clearly been sent by Gabe.

"Aw, isn't that sweet," the shorter of the two guys mocked.

Beth turned slightly to face him, but he could tell she was keeping one eye on the two men. "Go!" she commanded, shoving him much harder this time. She tried to sound firm, but she sounded more desperate than anything.

He glanced at the men once more, knowing they had likely followed her and come to drag her back to Gabe. Given what she'd told him so far, he couldn't let that happen. But he certainly wasn't up for fighting them off either, so he did the only thing he could think of. He grabbed onto Beth's arm and ran for it.

Beth stumbled for a few steps as the sudden movement had taken her by surprise, but she managed to get her feet under her and scrambled to match his longer stride. JC could hear footsteps behind him and tried to run down the stairs to the lower level as quick as possible without falling. Then suddenly there was a crack and Beth fell forward, her hand falling from his grasp.

JC quickly turned, expecting that she'd just tripped only to find that she was lying on her stomach with a red patch spreading across through her thin t-shirt. He stared in horror, his mind managing to put the pieces together. The crack, her falling, the blood...one of those assholes had shot her. She didn't move at all and that was all he needed to know that she was dead.

He wanted nothing more than to kneel by her side and cry, but the guys were nearly on top of him and not slowing down. Clearly getting Beth hadn't been their only objective; they wanted him as well. More than likely they wanted to use him to get to Alice. Well, if that was the case, that wasn't going to happen. Not now, not ever.

JC took off running once more, jumping the last three steps and not even pausing for a second. Not even when he'd landed harder than expected causing him to stumble as pain raced up his ankle. They were on his tail and the relief of him making it to his car was brief because as he fumbled with the keys to unlock the door, one of the men grabbed onto his arm and tried to pull him away. JC yanked his arm, somehow managing to slam his elbow into the guy's nose. It resulted in the man releasing him and it gave JC that extra second he needed to get his key in and open the door.

As soon as he was in, he locked the door while at the same time shoving the key in the ignition. The car roared to life and he quickly threw it into reverse, backing out of the space and nearly running over the guy he'd popped in the nose. He didn't hesitate as he threw it back into drive, practically peeling out as he sped out of the parking lot.

All the while he tried to force back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him. He'd lost one of his best friends - a girl he loved - and he hadn't been able to do anything about it. As her best friend he'd failed her, and it was something he'd never forgive himself for.

Chris sat in the armchair that was near the couch where Alice was sitting with Justin. Well, actually she was more an extension of Justin - curled up against his side. She was quiet, her eyes fixed on the television. But he wasn't convinced that it really had her attention.

It'd been about a couple hours already since JC had left and about an hour since she suddenly fell, her face scrunched up in pain as she asked for her mommy. Chris had fought to keep himself calm, not only for Alice but for Justin as well as the concern on his face had been veering on panic. Surely it had been terrifying hearing Alice crying and not knowing exactly what was going on - how bad things actually were. But Chris had been unable to find a cause as to why she was crying. There had been no bruises or cuts that he could see, and yet she'd continued to cry, asking for her mommy in-between sobs.

In the end, Chris had done what he could to comfort her and reassure her that she would see her mom soon. He'd held off on telling her that JC had gone to talk to her just because he wasn't sure what the outcome of it would be and he didn't want to promise her something that wouldn't happen. There was no telling what would come from JC's talk with Beth and whether or not it would result in Beth coming to pick up Alice or JC having to watch her a few more days.

Chris was beginning to get worried. JC had been gone for a while, but he hadn't said exactly where he was going or how long he would be. That was what Chris kept telling himself anyway, trying not to let his mind go to thoughts of JC in the middle of some crazy domestic dispute. Though, it was much harder than it sounded because he just kept picturing Beth not being alone when JC showed up to meet her and him getting into it with her ex-boyfriend. It was an unsettling thought, and one he tried repeatedly to keep at bay.

As a way to try to help distract himself, Chris turned towards the TV and the cartoon he'd found for Alice to watch. He vaguely recognized it from seeing it on in passing in the few hours of downtime they got in their hotels sometimes when they were on the road. When he was home, it was very rare he was up early enough to even flip past the Nick Jr. shows.

It only took about five minutes for him to lose interest in it, and he thought about suggesting he put on a movie instead. Alice certainly didn't seem all that into the show either. But before he could even begin to voice the question, the sound of the front door opening derailed that thought.

He wasn't the only one who'd heard it either. Justin had turned his head in the direction of the front door. Alice, for her part, didn't seem to have much of a reaction. Her eyes were half closed and Chris couldn't tell if she was falling asleep or just out of it, but he got his answer a second later when he rose to his feet.

Alice turned her head, looking up at him from the couch. It only lasted for a moment before she began to push away from Justin, moving like she was going to get off the couch and follow him. Knowing he needed to talk to JC without worrying about what she'd hear, he quickly said, "Stay here and keep an eye on Justin for me, okay? He gets in trouble when left alone."

"Hey!" Justin protested. Chris was sure that while he was playing along for Alice's benefit, he also took offense to what he said. But all that mattered right then was that Alice nodded, agreeing to stay put until Chris returned.

He left them in the living room, walking down the small hallway to the foyer. Almost immediately his eyes fell on JC, who was leaning against the door with his head bowed. Chris slowed, coming to a stop a couple feet away from him and frowning in concern.

"JC?"

JC looked up and alarms immediately went off in Chris's head. Blue eyes stared emotionlessly at him and the redness surrounding them seemed to just enhance the color of the irises. His nose was red too, which stood out when compared to his flushed cheeks. It almost looked like he'd been crying. Something had obviously gone very wrong.

"What happened?" Chris asked, forgoing asking if he was okay. There was no point in it because he knew JC would say he was fine, which would be a complete lie.

JC shook his head slowly. "I left her there," he said, his voice so quiet it was barely above a whisper.

"Did you guys have a fight?"

Chris had honestly expected JC to return with Beth. He hadn't figured JC would be able to let her go off on her own again given how she'd all but disappeared the last couple days. Not when it was so obvious how worried he was about her. He knew from experience how JC could be when he was like that, and he was sure she wouldn't be able to say no to him. Though, it looked as though she'd found the power to somehow.

"No," JC said softly, his eyes lowered.

"Then what happened? Why do you look like you've been crying?" Chris pressed.

There was a pause before JC raised his eyes to look at him as he answered. "I feel like crap." As if trying to prove what he said was true, he sniffled right then and Chris had to grimace at the sound of the mucus that'd clearly clogged his nose.

Chris couldn't dispute what JC said. He certainly looked like crap. Though, that didn't mean he was sold on the idea that there wasn't anything else to it. In fact, the uneasy expression on JC's face as he swallowed roughly reinforced that thought. It almost looked like he was both trying to work up courage to say whatever it was he was holding back and was trying to keep himself from vomiting right there. But before Chris could even press him and try to get him to explain what'd happened, JC changed the subject.

"How's Alice?" he asked. He didn't even give Chris a chance to answer before he fired off another question. "Have you guys eaten lunch yet?"

"No," Chris said, a little thrown. Was JC really going to dismiss his questions and pretend like he hadn't just disappeared for a couple of hours to talk to Beth?

Apparently he was because with Chris's answer, he moved away from the door for the first time. Chris followed the younger man into the kitchen and watched with a bit of confusion and curiosity. He was sure he was looking for something to make for lunch, but he didn't understand why he was acting like this was normal. Nothing about this situation was normal and there was no doubt that he didn't even know the half of it.

Chris sat at the table, studying JC as he moved about the kitchen. He glanced briefly into the living room just to ensure that Alice was still sitting with Justin and he was happy to see that she and Justin were talking. It looked like Justin was doing his best to keep the little girl occupied, and he was grateful for it.

As he turned his attention back to JC, he felt his concern kick up a notch. JC's back was to him, but he could clearly see that things weren't as good as JC tried to make them seem. His shoulders were slumped and his head was bowed. Even though he was in the middle of cutting up an apple, Chris knew him well enough to know that the body language had more to do with whatever was on his mind than focusing on slicing the fruit. But when JC's hands began to shake, that confirmed that something was definitely wrong.

Chris was on his feet in an instant and crossed the room in a couple of quick strides. By the time he reached JC's side, his friend was practically quaking from head to toe. He didn't know exactly what was going on, but he knew that JC seemed on the verge of breaking down. He couldn't let him do that when Alice was just in the next room; it wasn't something JC would want either. So Chris grabbed onto JC's arm and made him drop the knife he was still holding before quickly pulling him away.

The study was the closest place, but Chris sensed JC's bedroom would be a more appropriate place for this. There would be no chance of Alice hearing anything, and given the state JC was in already, the bedroom would be more comfortable for him. He just knew that once JC got whatever it was off his chest, he wouldn't be up to making lunch for Alice anymore; he'd need some time to pull himself together.

It only took about a minute to reach the bedroom and once they were inside, Chris pulled the door closed to effectively ensure nothing would carry down to the living room. As soon as the door clicked into place, JC slipped out of his grip and crashed to his knees as he began to breathe heavily, his chest rising and falling rapidly. He looked like he was going to cry, but no tears came. It was like he was trying to keep them at bay, though Chris wasn't sure why.

Chris came over and knelt next to JC. "What's wrong? What happened?"

JC shook his head weakly as he wrapped his arms around his midsection. He was still breathing very quickly, and Chris was beginning to worry that he was going to hyperventilate.

"C'mon, JC. Tell me. Whatever it is, it's clearly tearing you apart." Chris put a hand on JC's shoulder and squeezed. "JC..."

JC took a few gulping breaths, struggling to take in oxygen given how fast his chest was rising and falling. Finally, he managed to speak. It came out as practically a whisper at first, so soft that Chris wasn't sure JC had even said anything. He leaned in closer and JC repeated himself, like maybe he'd known Chris hadn't heard him.

"She's dead!" he cried, and there was no longer any question what he'd said.

Chris felt his chest tighten painfully as he pulled JC into a hug without any hesitation. His pain didn't have much do with Beth as it did with his friend. Of course he felt terrible that she died, but he hadn't known her. He hadn't even met her. What he felt was sympathy for JC, knowing just how he felt about her and what she meant to him.

JC was now sobbing - almost hysterically - and his breathing remained as ragged as it had before. The only difference was now he was no longer trying to hold anything back. He clung to Chris tightly, his hand fisting the back of his t-shirt. Chris rubbed his back and spoke to him softly, trying to soothe him. He was terrified of what would happen if he couldn't calm JC and get him to breathe regularly again. It would surely result in a trip to the hospital and he knew that wouldn't help things at all. Not for JC and certainly not for Alice downstairs who was still oblivious to what'd happened to her mother.

Thankfully, JC did manage to regain some control over his breathing. Chris continued to rub his back and offer what comfort he could. He still didn't know what'd happened, but it wasn't important right now. The whole story would come out eventually. Right now all that mattered was doing what he could for JC.

When the crying began to subside, Chris gently started to pull away from JC and saw that he was practically asleep. He gently shook JC to try to keep him awake just a little bit longer. "Not yet. C'mon, let's get you into bed first."

JC didn't argue or fight him as he stood up, pulling JC up with him. Chris carefully shuffled them over to the bed where he lowered JC onto the soft mattress. Because JC's eyes were already half closed, it only took a few seconds for them to close completely and his breathing to even out in sleep.

It wouldn't be peaceful, but Chris knew rest was the best thing for him, especially given how much the cold had already taken out of him. Hopefully JC would stay asleep for a while because the longer he was asleep, the longer he could avoid the heartache he would no doubt endure when he awoke.

**************

JC was in the middle of one of those dreams where you knew you were dreaming. He was walking through the empty halls of a high school - his high school. It'd been years since he'd been there, and he didn't understand why he was dreaming of it. As he wandered through the halls, he looked for any clue as to why he was there or even when it was. He got his answer as he turned a corner and began walking down the hallway where the foreign language classes were.

There was a poster that helped to take the mystery out of the dream. It had the words "Class of ‘94" on it, advertising the senior prom. So he knew when the dream was taking place, but he still didn't know why he was in his high school. Even in spite of the poster, he wasn't exactly sure of the date and if the prom had already happened or not.

With no other clues around, JC continued down the hall. A couple minutes later he found himself in front of the library near the auditorium. His feet began to move - almost on their own accord - as he walked into the library. He wasn't really sure why he was heading into the small enclosed part of the school, but he figured there was something the dream wanted him to see that would only be found in the library.

He walked in and almost immediately he recognized the slight moldy scent that reached his nose. He'd almost forgotten the musty smell the high school library had, especially during the warmer months of the year. It was largely due to the poor ventilation of the air conditioning and subsequently resulted in the library being almost freezing during the winter.

As he stepped towards the fiction section of the library where several tables were, he quickly realized he wasn't alone in the room. It took him only a second to recognize the person sitting at one of the small tables with several books laying haphazardly in front of her. It was Beth.

It seemed like she sensed his presence because she looked up and immediately smiled when she saw him. "You get all caught up with Mrs. Thompson?"

Finally, things began to click for him. Beth looked exactly as she had as a senior in high school and what she said also sparked something in his mind. This was an actual memory. Though, he felt like he was reacting to everything for the first time, as if he hadn't already lived through all this once before. But what was really weird was that things began to change from how he remembered.

"Yeah," JC said, pulling out a seat at the table and sitting next to her. "I mean, I guess."

Beth quirked an eyebrow. "You guess? Was there something else you wanted to talk to her about?"

"No, but I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay..."

Beth gave him a look that told him he was being weird, but she waited patiently for him to speak. This was a moment he remembered clearly, but this was where things began to turn out differently.

JC took a deep breath, staring into her green eyes and said, "I think I'm in love with you." He then immediately shook his head and quickly amended, "No, I know it. I'm in love with you."

As he waited for her reaction, his heart beat loudly in his ears and painfully against his chest. He hadn't said this the first time around and he wasn't sure why he had now. In the back of his mind he knew this was still a dream and none of this was real, but the anxiety he felt waiting for her to say something felt very real.

A long moment passed and JC began to feel the panic in his chest build, the silence getting to him and nudging him to just take back what he'd said. He'd been prepared to do just that - to try to bluff his way around what he'd told her - when she finally spoke.

Beth looked at him seriously for a second before her face broke into a soft smile. "I know," she said. "And I'm in love with you too."

Before he was able to process that she'd known he loved her, she leaned into his space and pressed her lips against his. He was surprised by the move, but it only took him a second to register that Beth was, in fact, kissing him before he kissed her back. As he did, he felt a rush of emotions stirring within him. He'd wanted to do that for a long time and he was in disbelief it was actually happening.

The kiss went on for several seconds and JC was convinced that when they finally pulled away that they'd end up sharing a couple of breathless laughs. But that wasn't how it happened at all. Beth was the one to break the kiss, and as she pulled away, JC could clearly see the love in her eyes. It was a look he was sure was being reciprocated back to her. He could tell something was different though, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

It was only when she severed all physical contact with him that he realized they were no longer sitting in the high school library. Instead, they were standing in a large homey kitchen. Then he looked back at Beth and he smiled at her even though in the back of his mind his mind was trying to make sense of the shift in the dream.

"How do you do that?" she asked, smiling back at him.

JC moved closer to her, pulling her close to him once more. "Do what?"

"Look at me like you're seeing me for the first time."

"Maybe because I fall in love with something new about you every day," he whispered in her ear before gently kissing her on the side of her neck. She squirmed slightly, laughing. He smiled as he pulled back and put a hand low on her slightly rounded stomach. "And I know it's going to be the same with this little guy."

She looked amused as she said, "Just how do you know it's gonna be a boy?"

JC shrugged a little. "Just a feeling I have. I called it the last time so I'm pretty sure I'm going to be right this time."

As if on cue, there was an excited cry of "Daddy!" just before there was the sound of excited footsteps. Alice ran into the kitchen, holding a picture she'd colored to present to him and Beth. JC picked her up and held her close as he let her chatter on, feeling happier than he could ever remember.

Then, without any warning, he jerked out of the dream. He woke up feeling disoriented, unsure exactly where he was or what was going on. Though, it only lasted a second as he remembered everything that'd happened and the grief that washed over him was like a knife to his heart.

The dream just made it even worse. He hated to think that all of this could have been avoided if he'd just told Beth how he'd felt about her back in high school, especially before he moved away. He hadn't because he hadn't wanted to mess up things with her and Billy because even though he was a jerk, she'd seemed happy with him. And if he was honest with himself, he was afraid that she'd stop talking to him if he objected too strongly. Now he wished he had. If his dream was any indication, things could've been so much different. At the very least she wouldn't be dead.

Dead. It was one single word, but it had such finality and it tore at his heart. Never again would Beth get to see her daughter, tell her how much she loved her, or watch her grow up into what JC was sure was going to be a beautiful woman. She'd been robbed of life at such a young age, and it wasn't fair.

"Oh, God..." JC whispered, his voice choking the words as a sob rose up in his throat. Tears threatened to fall and he would've let them if it wasn't for the voice that spoke.

"JC?" It was Justin. "Are you okay?"

It was a stupid question and JC didn't have to look at Justin to know he recognized it as soon as the words left his lips. He turned his head and saw Justin was sitting in an armchair that was situated over by the large windows. He wasn't exactly surprised to see him, but part of him wondered how Justin had managed to get there. Then again, he'd gotten upstairs and to JC's bedroom on his own yesterday.

He almost asked Justin what time it was out of habit, but he stopped himself in time and looked at his alarm clock on the nightstand instead. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that it was nearly eight o'clock. He couldn't believe he'd managed to sleep for so long - it certainly didn't feel like he'd gotten nearly eight hours of sleep. The entire day was gone and it was nearly Alice's bedtime.

The thought of the little girl had him flying to a more upright position. His body protested the sudden move as his vision swam and his stomach churned, but he ignored all of it. Somehow in all of his grief he'd forgotten about Alice. The girl he'd sworn to take care of for Beth.

"JC, what's wrong?" Justin asked, his voice concerned but he didn't move from the armchair.

"Where's Alice?" JC demanded. He could only assume that she was with Chris given that his oldest friend wasn't in the room, but he didn't like not knowing for sure.

Justin looked like he wanted to get up and come closer to try to comfort JC, but he remained where he was. JC wasn't sure if it was because he was afraid to move or if he was trying to give him some space. Though, he didn't really care. All he wanted at that moment was to know where Alice was and if she was okay.

As if Justin could sense the impending panic, he said in a low voice that JC was sure was meant to be soothing, "Shh, JC. Calm down. She's fine, I promise."

"That's not what I asked."

"She's getting ready for bed."

JC snapped his head over to the door when he heard Chris's voice. His heart rate increased as he saw him standing just inside the doorway. He'd been banking on the fact that Chris was watching her and while she wasn't in much danger in the house, she wasn't old enough to be left unsupervised.

He actually opened his mouth to reprimand Chris for leaving her alone when Chris held up his hand and said, "Joey and Lance are helping her. They're giving her a bath right now."

JC couldn't help the relief he felt and he fell back against his pillows, suddenly completely exhausted. Chris stepped further into the room, shutting the door behind him like he'd done earlier when he'd pulled him upstairs after he'd first returned. He sat at the foot of the bed, looking down at him.

"What happened, JC?"

JC had no doubt Chris wasn't asking about the brief bout of panic he'd just suffered from; he was asking for details about how Beth had died. It wasn't something he really wanted to talk about. The fact that it just kept playing out over and over in his mind was bad enough. He'd never be able to erase the image of her lifeless body. It was an image that made him sick and he swallowed roughly, silently pleading with his stomach to settle and not expel its meager contents.

"You don't have to tell us if you don't feel up to it," Justin said, his eyes narrowed in Chris's direction.

JC appreciated what Justin was trying to do, but he knew he had to tell them. He owed them an explanation, especially since he was sure this was going to change everything for the five of them. Well, the six of them really if he included Alice.

"It's okay," he told Justin. He took a deep breath, trying to psych himself up for it as he knew it wouldn't be easy. Chris and Justin said nothing, which seemed to make it a little easier. Finally, he sighed and pushed himself to sit up with his back against the headboard before he began...a little more blunt than he'd intended. "Gabe shot her."

"Her ex?" Justin asked.

Chris's reaction had been a little different. "What? He showed up when you met with her?"

JC shook his head slowly, trying not to bring on another dizzy spell. He cleared his throat, trying to dislodge both the thick mucus and the emotion that threatened to overtake him. "It was her ex, but he wasn't there." He paused and added, "At least I don't think he was. But he sent some people to bring Beth back and they..."

"They were the ones who killed her?" Justin asked gently.

JC nodded, swiping at his eyes as he sniffled. "They...they shot her in the back. We were trying to get away..."

Chris held up his hands, signaling for him to stop. His forehead was crinkled in confusion. "I think you better start from the beginning."

A tear fell from JC's eyes and he quickly wiped it away. He knew it was necessary in order for them to understand what'd happened, but he wasn't sure he could explain everything to them without breaking down. Though, he had to try. Beth deserved for people to know how she'd really died and understand why she'd done the things she had. That and he was pretty sure he was going to need help if he wanted to get Alice away from Gabe. So he took a deep breath and began again.

"Gabe is the leader of a cult."

Chris lowered his eyes, shaking his head sympathetically. "Oh no."

"A cult?" Justin repeated. "Like the KKK?"

Chris rolled his eyes. "Leave it to you to think of one of the worst cults. They're not all like that, but they all have one person imposing their ideals on other people."

"Did Beth know about that?"

JC looked away even though Justin's blindness kept him from actually locking eyes with him. He hadn't reacted well when he'd found out that she was part of a cult and he doubted they would either. But most of all, he didn't want to admit it because he didn't want it to change their opinion about her.

"Justin," Chris began. He sighed. "She knew because she was in it."

"What?" Without looking at him, JC could tell that Justin was confused, surprised, and no doubt well on his way to judging her for it.

JC raised his head, glancing over at Justin before looking at Chris. "It wasn't her fault. She had no idea what she was getting into."

"We didn't say it was her fault," Justin began to object, but JC cut him off.

"No, but you're judging her for it. If she'd known who he really was, she wouldn't have gotten involved. He took advantage of her when she was vulnerable."

"That's how it usually works, but I promise you, we're not judging her," Chris said.

Justin nodded his head. "Yeah, if anything it makes us more sympathetic to what she was going through."

JC sighed. "I'm sorry," he apologized as he rubbed at his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. He knew they hadn't meant anything by their questions, but he still felt compelled to defend her. "I just..."

"We know," Chris assured. There was a brief moment of silence, which JC was sure was meant to give him time to realize they weren't trying to antagonize him. After nearly thirty seconds, Chris spoke again and tried to get the conversation back on track. "So what happened? What made her realize the truth and that she wanted out?"

JC hesitated. He didn't really want to tell them what Beth had told him because he knew they would have a hard time even believing it. Hell, he certainly had and if he was honest, he was still struggling with it. But he had to say something because he had to make sure they knew Alice couldn't go back to Gabe.

"She didn't like how he was treating Alice," JC said at last, hoping he could get away with being vague.

Chris leaned forward, his eyes narrowed just slightly. They weren't narrowed in anger at him but at the thought that some man - a man who was supposed to be her father no less - had purposely hurt an innocent little girl. "How was he treating her?"

JC shook his head, realizing his mistake. He knew how Chris felt about people who abused their kids, whether it was physically or verbally. It was something that always made him see red, and JC was really regretting bringing out that kind of reaction. He did his best to gloss over it and redirect Chris's attention.

"She didn't explain and we were interrupted before I could ask."

"By the guys Gabe sent?" JC nodded and then quickly realized that Justin wasn't able to see a nod so he vocalized his agreement. Justin continued, "What did they want?"

"They wanted to take her back to Gabe." JC sniffed, unsure if his nose was running because of his cold or the unshed tears that burned his eyes. "I guess he had her followed. She tried to get rid of me, but I grabbed her hand and forced her to run with me. And then next thing I know, they..." He took a shaky breath and was unable to stop the tears from falling this time. "They shot her in the back."

Instantly, Chris moved from the foot of the bed to sit next to him and wrap an arm around him. JC leaned into him, tears streaming down his face and his body quivering just slightly at the effort to keep himself from breaking down completely. He heard Justin get up from the chair and carefully make his way to the bed before he lowered himself down on the other side of JC. He put a hand on his back, doing his best to offer support.

"We're here for you, Jace," Justin said. "We'll help with whatever you need."

JC was silent for a long moment, trying to will his tears to stop so he could pull himself together. He knew he needed to mourn her properly, but there were things that needed to be taken care of first. Like the funeral.

"Where was she taken? Did the news say?" JC asked, raising his right hand to wipe the tears off his face. His sinuses were now clogged and already his head began to pound from the pressure it caused.

Chris shifted uncomfortably next to JC, and he was sure that if Justin had been able to see that the two of them would've exchanged uneasy looks. As it was, Chris just heaved a heavy sigh and said, "It wasn't on the news. We haven't heard anything about it all day."

"What?" JC's heart clenched painfully. No way was that possible. "It happened in a public place! We were at a train station. They had to have found her!"

Justin gripped his bicep, putting a slight pressure on it - not enough to cause pain but to get his attention and keep him from completely panicking. "There's been no mention of it. No one even called today except for Lance to say that he and Joey were on their way from the airport."

JC's stomach churned uneasily as he came to the only realization that made sense. "They must've taken her with them."

There was a heavy silence that lingered between the three of them for a minute before it was broken by Chris clearing his throat. "We need to get the police involved," he said.

"No!" JC jerked, pushing himself away from Chris and simultaneously pulling out of Justin's grip. "We can't! She asked me not to."

Chris let out a short breath, looking slightly annoyed. "JC..."

"She thought he had friends at the police. It's why she didn't go to them before. She didn't want to do anything that might put Alice at risk, and neither do I." JC glanced at Justin, wishing selfishly that he could see because it was always harder for him to ignore JC's pleading gaze than it was for Chris. But he turned that look on Chris. "Please."

Chris stared at JC and JC did his best not to look away. He needed to convince him that holding off on the police was the right move. At least for now until they knew whether or not they could really be trusted and weren't on Gabe's side.

"Fine," Chris said at last. "But you should at least get Lonnie and maybe a couple of the other security guys over here. Those guys must know who you are and it sounds like Gabe is the type of person to do whatever he thinks is necessary to get his daughter back."

Justin's forehead creased with worry. "You really think he'll send those people here to get Alice?"

"Yes, I do," Chris said but his eyes were still locked on JC's. JC felt sick, knowing what Chris was saying was a very real concern to have. He could only hope that Gabe and whoever those people were wouldn't find out where he lived. But if they did, he knew one thing for certain:

He would die before he let them take Alice.

Justin shifted, trying to get comfortable once more so he could fall back asleep. He wasn't sure why he had woken up, but his body was too sluggish for it to be morning. Of course, it was practically impossible for him to tell considering that even when he opened his eyes all he saw was inky darkness.

It was just one more thing he added to the list of things that frustrated him about the whole situation. He was never really obsessed about time - he hardly ever wore a watch and it often drove Lance crazy because it more often than not had him showing up a little late to things. Wearing a watch was never a big deal because you could always get a general idea as to what time it was just by looking at the window and seeing where the sun was. But now he couldn't rely on those visual cues, and he found that he was becoming obsessed with knowing the time. He suspected it was because it was a way for him to try to regain control of his day and feel like he was doing the things he normally would do because when all you saw was darkness all you wanted to do was sleep.

Though of course now that he actually wanted to sleep, he was unable to. This was largely due to the fact that he couldn't seem to get himself to relax; he was a bit on edge with not knowing why he'd woken up and as the minutes passed, more and more thoughts ran through his mind.

He wondered if JC was still sleeping; he certainly hoped he was. Chris had had a hell of a time trying to get JC to go back to sleep after he'd told them what'd happened to Beth. With Chris stating that Gabe would likely do whatever to get Alice back, JC had wanted to go check on her and put her to sleep himself. He'd tried to reason that he didn't want her to think he'd forgotten about her considering he hadn't seen her all day.

Justin had done his best to help Chris convince JC that seeing Alice right then wasn't the best idea because there was no way he was up for that. Even though JC had calmed, it'd been easy to see he was still on edge and wouldn't be able to handle seeing Alice. He'd said he just wanted to check on her, but Justin and Chris had both known that whenever he saw her he likely wouldn't be able to avoid telling her what'd happened. It was hardly something that should be told to her right as she was getting ready for bed, and it wasn't like the news wouldn't keep until morning. Unfortunately, she'd be dealing with the fact that her mom was dead forever. Just like JC would too.

It upset Justin to hear JC so upset, and it frustrated him to no end that he couldn't do anything to help. Now, he knew there wasn't anything he could truly do because it wasn't like he could bring Beth back to life, but he felt like he wasn't even able to properly comfort JC. His blindness left him hesitant and less confident than he normally was, which was why he'd hung back for the most part and let Chris comfort him - he didn't want JC to pick up on his unease and have it add to his own negative emotions. Plus he hadn't wanted to take the attention away from JC because as terrible as what'd happened to him was, JC was going through something much worse.

That didn't mean it was easy to sit back and let Chris handle most of it though. Justin might not have been able to see JC's tears or the sorrow on his face, but he'd been able to hear his pain. Every sob and hitched breath was like a knife to Justin's heart. He'd always hated to see any of his friends in pain and this was certainly no exception. In fact, this was worse than usual because there was truly nothing any of them could do to make it better.

Justin figured he had to have dozed off or at least lost track of time because he jumped awake to a commotion down the hall. Granted, it was muted, especially given that his door was closed. But he could hear it just the same. Well, he could hear Chris anyway.

"JC," Chris hissed and even from a few doors down Justin could hear the aggravation in his voice. "What are you doing?"

JC either didn't reply or he spoke too softly to be heard from Justin's room. Regardless something was going on and he wanted to make sure everything was okay. He sat up and turned to his head to the left where the nightstand was, glancing at the clock. The numbers were blurry, but he was just able to make out the numbers when he squinted. 3:17 AM. Nothing good could come from JC being up this early and...

Justin stopped, his entire body freezing as he let the last few seconds sink in - specifically what he did. He slowly let his eyes roam the confines of the bedroom, taking in everything about the familiar guest room. It was hard to take in every detail considering the room was dark and cast in shadows and all blurry, but he couldn't find it in himself to be bothered by it. The shadows were easily blamed on the moon streaming through the window, and the blurriness...well, who cared if things were a little blurry. All that mattered was that he could see.

He wanted nothing more than to let out a loud sound of excitement, but he managed to control himself as he remembered there was a five year old girl fast asleep across the hall. And he had no doubt he'd get hell if he woke her up. Then he remembered what'd woke him up in the first place, and he forced himself to push his excitement aside. He was still insanely happy - deliriously so - but he couldn't revel in it when something was going on with JC.

Without another thought, Justin jumped up from the bed and went to the door. He felt so damn happy that he was able to quickly move down the hall to the master bedroom, all of the hesitance of the last few days gone. His blurry vision wasn't so bad he couldn't make out things or people - it was just hard to see the details of things. And it resulted in him making it to JC's bedroom in record time.

Justin stood just inside the doorway and frowned at what he saw. Even though his vision was off, he was still able to clearly differentiate between his friends by their build and just the way they held themselves. Chris was standing next to JC's bed with his arms crossed while JC was moving spastically throughout the room. He'd grab something from one drawer or the closet before crossing the room to deposit it in a suitcase. Justin remembered Chris's earlier exclamation and repeated it himself. What the hell was JC doing?

He was going to ask JC why he was packing, but Chris spoke before he could. "Do you honestly think running away is going to do anything?"

"I'm not running away," JC objected, not pausing in his mission in the slightest. Though, Justin was almost convinced he would collapse at any second given his exhausted, disheveled appearance. "I'm just putting some distance between Alice and Gabe."

"You honestly think it's going to be that easy?" Chris demanded, and it wasn't hard to tell that he was quickly losing his patience with JC. Justin would've expected him to be a bit more patient and understanding given the circumstances, but he supposed it was too early in the morning to expect that out of Chris. "Who's to say Beth didn't try that? And look where it got her."

Almost immediately Justin could feel the energy of the room shift. He understood the point Chris was trying to make, that he was only looking out for JC and worried, but he shouldn't have gone there. It was entirely too soon to say something like that about Beth.

JC slammed the drawer he'd been going through shut. "Shut up!" he said, glaring at Chris. The hoarse quality of his voice from his cold made him sound harsher than normal. "None of this is her fault." And after pausing just a second more, he went back to packing his things in a very agitated manner. "I can get further than she could."

"And where are you gonna go, huh?" Chris didn't give him an opportunity to answer as he continued, "You can't stay in hiding forever. Our career doesn't exactly allow for that."

JC narrowed his eyes, though he didn't stop his repetitive movements this time. "I think I have more important things to worry about than my career right now."

"Your career?"

JC stopped, leaning tiredly against the wall near his dresser as he sighed heavily. He bowed his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it like that. I'm just trying to do what is right for Alice."

Chris uncrossed his arms and stepped closer. "I know, but she's not the only one involved in this."

"No." JC shook his head. "This has nothing to do with you guys. Sure I might be messing up our studio time, but we can push that back a bit, can't we?"

"Chris is right."

Justin turned along with JC and Chris to see that Joey and Lance were standing just outside the door. A hand rested on his back and Justin turned his head to see it belonged to Joey, and he was being gently guided further into the room so Lance could step further into the room. He wasn't surprised that none of them had really noticed that he was no longer blind - he still couldn't see enough to really look them in the eye unless he took the time to focus his gaze and squint. And anyway, they were all busy concentrating on dealing with JC.

Lance walked until he was halfway between JC and the door before he continued, "We're involved whether you want us to be or not. Gabe and the people he sent after Beth probably know who you are."

"And so they'll know they can find you with us," Justin said with a nod, following Lance's logic.

Justin might not have been able to clearly see the panic on JC's face, but he could sense it. JC backed away from them and turned back towards the closet, like he was going to begin packing again.

Chris sighed, sounding aggravated. "JC-" he began, but stopped when Joey stepped forward.

Joey reached out and grabbed onto JC's arm, trying to still his movements. When JC tried to pull away, he latched onto the other arm as well so he was holding onto JC's biceps and looking him in the face. "C'mon, C. You know you can't just take off."

JC shook his head, not in disagreement but like Joey didn't get it. "You're right. I can't take off by myself. You guys have to come with me." There were multiple objections, but JC interrupted. "It's the only way I can know he won't be coming after you guys to get to me."

"There are no guarantees," Lance said, stepping a little closer but not trying to crowd Joey and JC. "Based off what Chris told us you said about Gabe, it doesn't sound like he'll let much of anything stop him from getting Alice back. It won't matter if we're with you or not - he'll come looking regardless."

"We'll just go somewhere he can't find us."

Justin could hear the desperation in JC's voice, and his heart clenched painfully for his friend. "JC, we can't. You might not like it, but Chris was right before when we said you can't just disappear and go into hiding. None of us can. And what kind of a way is that to live for Alice? You don't want her to live in fear, do you?"

"I want to keep her safe and this is the only way I know how!" JC cried, a little emotional and a little frustrated as he finally pulled out of Joey's hold.

Chris frowned. "This is not your responsibility. It's not up to you to protect her."

"What?" JC began to back away, putting more space between them. "You're wrong! Beth counted on me to look out for Alice. I can't...I can't..."

JC's voice trailed off as he folded in on himself, wrapping his arms around his midsection like he was in pain. His breaths were coming fast and ragged as he tried to fight off the tears.

Justin took a step forward, wanting to comfort his friend, but Joey was closest and so he beat him to it. Without a word, Joey pulled JC into a hug. It was one of the bear hugs that he was known for, that usually never failed to comfort any of them when they were down. Though, Justin wasn't sure it would be much help in this situation.

"We know you're trying to take care of Alice, but you have to know you can't do this on your own," Joey said. "We can get some of our security team over here and work on coming up with a way to keep Alice safe permanently."

"How?" JC asked, his voice cracking on the single word. Justin wasn't sure if it was from the emotions he was still trying to fight or if it was from his cold, but it broke his heart all the same.

Lance moved closed. "We'll figure something out. You're not in this alone."

JC was quiet for a long moment, and Justin was sure that he was going to argue some more. But after a minute, he finally nodded slowly and straightened as he pulled out of Joey's hug. "I'll call Lonnie."

He stepped forward like he was going to do so right that second, but Chris intervened, grabbing his arm gently. "JC, no. It's almost four in the morning. You can't call him now."

"But what if Gabe or those guys show up? I can't let anything happen to Alice."

Justin frowned, so unused to JC sounding so fearful. It made him uneasy and he wanted to do whatever he could to get rid of it. Apparently Chris felt the same because he said, "I'll stay up, okay? I'll make sure nothing happens."

"I can do that," JC replied.

"You should get some rest, C," Justin told him. JC began to object and he immediately cut him off. "You sound like hell, and you know you won't be much good to Alice if you don't take care of yourself."

Justin thought once more that JC was going to fight him on it, but after a few seconds he just sighed heavily and nodded reluctantly. The posture told Justin that JC realized it wasn't an argument he would win and maybe he was recognizing just how exhausted he truly was. It was proven even more when he let Joey lead him back to bed. Just before he got comfy, Lance grabbed the medicine off the nightstand and offered a couple of pills to JC along with what Justin was sure had to be a lukewarm bottle of water. JC took them both, washing the pills down with water before settling back against his pillows that were slightly propped up against the headboard so he was laying somewhat upright.

"Wake me when Alice gets up," JC mumbled even as his eyes began to close.

"Get some rest," Chris said, and Justin was almost impressed at how he'd sidestepped promising anything to JC. It was obvious JC needed rest and it was highly unlikely any of them would purposely interrupt it. They could certainly handle watching Alice when she woke up if JC was still sleeping.

They all stood there for a moment longer, seemingly to see if JC was actually asleep. There was no doubt in Justin's mind that he was because he could hear the slight change in his breathing rhythm...even from where he was standing. And after a couple more seconds, the others obviously felt the same and turned to head out of the bedroom.

As they did, Justin could make out Lance looking at him and he looked back, squinting slightly as he tried to read what expression was on his face. But it became clear when he heard a quiet intake of breath just before Lance surged forward, grabbing his wrist and leading them all out into the hall. It was only when they were all out and Joey closed the door behind him that Lance spoke.

"You can see?"

Lance's voice was urgent but hushed, like he was still wary of his voice carrying into JC's room or down the hall to where Alice was still sleeping. Justin could also detect the hint of excitement, and the feeling was contagious as he finally let himself to feel giddy.

Justin nodded. "Everything's pretty blurry, but it's better than being blind."

"How did this happen?" Joey asked, stepping closer and putting his face practically in Justin's, like he wanted to see for himself that Justin could see.

Justin shot a look at Joey as he stepped back, putting some distance between them. "I don't know. I just woke up and was ready to head to JC's room when I realized I could actually see."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Chris asked.

Justin sighed, feeling a little like Chris was reprimanding him for not bringing it up immediately. "Because JC was kind of in the middle of panicking," he said, his tone telling them it should've been obvious.

"That's exactly my point. It would've been a good distraction for him," Chris replied.

Lance barely glanced at Chris before he looked back at Justin. "Regardless, we should get you checked out by a doctor tomorrow."

"Okay," Justin agreed easily. He wasn't going to argue with that. While he didn't love going to the doctor, he was anxious to see what they said about the change in his vision - if this was a sign that it would be coming back completely. He hoped so.

**************

JC was dead asleep.

At least until he heard an anguished cry of "JC!" just seconds before a small weight slammed into him.

He immediately jerked out of his restless sleep, his senses already in tune to the little girl that had been living in his house the last few days. Though, he was almost getting used to the early morning wake up calls too. While he still dreaded them, they didn't take him by surprise anymore and he didn't complain about it. At least he wasn't going to today. He couldn't, not when Alice all but threw herself at him, wrapping her little arms around his neck and burying her head into his shoulder.

JC did his best to sit up with her attached to him and he wrapped his much larger arms around her small body. "Alice, honey, what's wrong?"

"I had a nightmare," she said, her tiny nails digging into his skin as she adjusted her grip around his neck. "It was about Mommy."

He froze. A fresh wave of grief washed over him, trying to overwhelm him and make him lose control again. He forced himself to push it away. Now wasn't the time to give in to those feelings. Alice needed some kind of reassurance from him. Though, he couldn't exactly give her that anyway - at least not without lying to her. And he couldn't do that, not about this.

"Alice..." he began, but stopped to clear his throat. He grimaced as the mucus was dislodged from the back of his throat. Then he gently reached up and pulled Alice's arms away from his neck, moving her so she was sitting on his lap and he could see her face. "About your mom..."

"She's gone, isn't she?"

Alice was looking at him with big green eyes, a deep sadness in them that no five year old should have. His heart stopped. She didn't know, did she? There was no possible way she could...

"What do you mean, honey?" he asked, forcing himself to stop thinking of worst case scenarios and just find out for sure.

A big, fat tear fell from her left eye and rolled down her cheek. And he knew before she even said anything. "Mommy's an angel now," she said.

JC was unable to stop his own tears from falling. "How do you know that?" he practically whispered, unnerved that she had somehow already known what'd happened to Beth.

"I could feel her go. In here and in here," Alice said, touching first her heart and then her head.

A sudden feeling of fear came over him, fighting his grief for attention. Normally he would never believe that such a thing could be true - that Alice could have felt it the moment her mother had died. But he had heard of odd cases where a loved one could sense when another had died or was severely injured even from miles away. If that was true, it made sense that it could be heightened by a psychic connection, and if what Beth had told him about Alice was true...

JC shook his head, unable to let himself go there right then. Losing Beth was bad enough; he didn't think he could deal with Alice's potential psychic abilities and what it all meant. He couldn't deny that she had felt something when Beth had died because ever since her body hit the pavement, he felt like there was a deep void within him. But he didn't know what the extent was of what she felt, and in his mind the how wasn't nearly as important as comforting her and trying to help her deal with it.

"I'm so sorry, Alice." He gathered her up into another hug. "I miss your mom too."

Alice cried harder, and JC tightened his hold on her, hoping he was giving her some kind of comfort. Though, he knew things wouldn't be okay in her world for a long time. It took months, hell even years, to move on. He vowed right then he would always be there to help her.

They stayed like that for a couple of minutes until JC felt her little sobs subside and she relaxed in his arms. He gently pulled away so he could look at her. "Are you hungry?" he asked, knowing that things would never be the same again but trying to give her some kind of normalcy and routine she could depend on.

Alice was quiet for a long moment before she finally nodded. It was lacking the usual enthusiasm she'd had the last few days when breakfast was mentioned, but he took it as a good sign nonetheless. He was half afraid she'd be too upset to eat; he certainly wasn't hungry. Though, part of it probably had to do with his stuffed up nose and pounding headache from his clogged sinuses.

He went to release Alice so he could get out of bed and stand up, but she refused to let go of him. With a quiet sigh, he shifted her so she was settled more against his hip and carefully got out of bed. From there, he readjusted her once more to make sure he had a good grip and that she wouldn't fall before he headed for the kitchen.

The house was quiet and for a moment JC thought that everyone was still sleeping, Chris included even though he'd promised to stay awake to keep an eye out for any trouble. Though, JC was aware that Chris likely had said that so he could get some sleep without feeling too guilty about it. But he began to wonder if Chris had kept his promise because as he got closer to the kitchen, he could hear noises coming from within and soft voices talking.

When he entered the room, he found all of the guys sitting around the table. They all looked up at his entrance, including Justin. And it was at that moment that JC realized that Justin hadn't just looked in his general direction, that he was looking directly at him. He might not be looking him in the eye, but clearly he could see at least somewhat.

"You can see," JC said, his eyes still fixed on his youngest friend.

Justin nodded. "It's not a hundred percent, but I have a feeling it's getting there."

Alice wiggled in JC's arms, and he let her down, making sure her feet were firmly on the floor before letting go. Once he did, she ran over to Justin and climbed up in the chair next to him, leaning in like she wanted to see what JC had noticed. He made a face at her, causing her to giggle quietly.

"That's great," JC said, and he actually found himself smiling. He knew his relief couldn't compare to what Justin was likely feeling, but he was happy to know that the blindness hadn't been permanent. "I guess those eye drops really did help."

Initially, Justin hadn't been all that thrilled about taking the eye drops. Mostly because he didn't like having anyone do anything for him, and that had certainly been no exception. It'd been the only thing JC had been allowed to do for Justin the last few days, especially when he'd sequestered himself away in his guest bedroom. He hadn't done it since Chris had returned though so he could only assume that he'd taken over for JC, helping Justin put them in instead.

"It's a good sign," Lance agreed. "We're going to take him to the doctor later."

"When?"

"Our appointment is around noon."

JC frowned. "Do you think that's a good idea?" He realized how that sounded and rushed to explain, "I mean, with everything else that's going on. I don't want you guys to have any trouble if you're followed..."

"Here," Joey said, suddenly appearing at JC's side and startling him just slightly. He grabbed onto his arm and gently pulled him towards the now empty chair that was where Joey had been sitting. JC allowed him to, feeling a little flustered as the action had him forgetting what he was saying.

"That's not going to happen," Chris objected, responding to what JC had begun to say.

JC's eyes went to where Alice was sitting, not wanting to say too much in front of her and scare her. She had enough to deal with already without adding to it. "You don't know that."

Chris sighed, heavily. "Why don't you let us worry about that? You should go back up to bed."

JC shook his head. He could understand they were trying to look out for him, but they couldn't keep him from worrying about things or pretending like Gabe wasn't a threat. It was true that he felt like shit and wanted nothing more than to sleep for like three days straight, but he wouldn't allow himself to rest until he was sure there any danger had passed.

"I came down to make Alice breakfast," he said.

"Joey and Lance can do that," Justin replied.

Lance looked at Justin from across the table, raising an eyebrow. "Is that so?"

"Well, yeah. Joey's already up." And right as Justin said this, Joey placed a steaming mug of tea in front of JC. Justin continued, "And we all know that out of the five of us, you guys are the least culinarily challenged."

"Alright, fine. I suppose it would do us all some good to eat breakfast," Lance said.

Joey moved closer to Alice, stooping down slightly so he was more at her level. "What would you like to eat?"

JC would've expected her to shy away from Joey given that she didn't really know him, but she just looked back at him and quietly requested that she would like pancakes. And of course, Joey being Joey, he suggested, "With chocolate chips?"

Alice nodded, a small smile on her face.

Lance rose from the table and asked, "Do you want to help us?"

She paused for a long moment before she said softly, "Okay."

Part of JC wanted to object, knowing that it was probably going to result in a huge mess. But he couldn't bring himself to do it, especially because it could very well help take her mind off her mother. At least for a little bit. He hoped anyway, and he had a feeling that Lance had suggested it because he recognized that too.

As Alice jumped down from the chair she'd been sitting in, Justin leaned in just slightly and asked in a quiet voice, "Does she know?"

JC nodded, knowing exactly what he was referring to. "We talked about it upstairs a little."

He wasn't ready to admit that she'd already known that Beth was dead before he could even tell her. There was a large part of him that was still afraid how the guys would react if they found out that Alice may have some psychic abilities. But he also wanted to give himself some time to wrap his own mind around it and figure out what he was going to do about it. And that wasn't exactly something he was prepared to make a decision on just yet.

"Is she okay?" Chris asked.

JC shrugged, taking a drink of his tea. It'd cooled down significantly, but it was still warm and the peppermint flavor helped to open up his sinuses. At least temporarily. "As okay as she can be I guess."

It felt like they both were just trying to continue on, the stress and fear of what might happen with Gabe weighing on both of their minds. Because while nothing had been said, he was sure Alice was more in tune to what was going on than the guys probably thought she was. She would have to be what with Beth having run away from Gabe and the rest of the cult because of the things he'd apparently done to Alice. Things that JC didn't know about in detail and might not ever know.

Almost as if Justin could sense the inner turmoil he was feeling, he reached out and put a comforting hand on his arm. "Nothing is going to happen to her. She's going to be okay."

JC wanted to believe that, but he couldn't. Not without knowing she was safe from her father. It was his number one concern, and he suddenly remembered what Chris had told him last night. "Have you called Lonnie?"

"Yeah, he'll be over in an hour or two with a few of our security team," Chris said.

JC briefly wondered how that call had gone. Because they were supposed to be recording their album, there wasn't really much need for their security team; they were supposed to be on a vacation of sorts. If he was them, he wouldn't really want his vacation interrupted.

"What all did you tell him?" JC asked.

Chris looked him in the eye. "The truth," he said simply. "You know we can't keep secrets from our security team. At least not about stuff like this."

JC knew he was right. He might not want many people knowing about the situation with Beth, but if anyone needed to know it was their bodyguards. Besides, he trusted them completely and knew that none of them would say anything about it to anyone outside of the five of them. They would even keep it from Johnny if they asked, though they would make their opinion known that their manager should be informed. That thought had him sighing a little, closing his eyes as he realized Johnny knew nothing about what was going on.

"We need to let Johnny know about all this," JC said, opening his eyes and looking at Justin and Chris. "He's probably expecting us in the studio today."

"No he's not," Lance said, obviously having overheard them. He looked up from where he was frying bacon over one of the burners on the stove. "I already told him we wouldn't be coming in, and I said we'd be stopping by later to fill him in on what's been going on."

JC sighed again. "Okay. Well, I can meet you guys at the compound so we can all talk about it."

"It's okay. You don't need to come," Justin said.

JC opened his mouth to object, but Lance spoke before he could say anything. "We're going to tell him we all need a few days at least. Maybe more. You're going to need some time to get better and...to handle some things before we get back in the studio."

JC was aware Lance was purposely being vague for Alice's sake as she was standing just a few feet away on a step stool as Joey supervised her mixing the pancake batter. He couldn't argue with Lance's logic and so he let it go, preferring to sit there and finish his tea as he watched Alice help Joey make the pancakes.

He suddenly felt so exhausted. There was so much to do and so much uncertainty that lied ahead, but he couldn't prepare for any of it until the situation with Gabe was dealt with. He could only hope it happened soon because there were some important decisions that needed to be made for Alice, and the sooner they could be the made, the better it would be for her.

Justin sat in one of the hard plastic chairs that resided in the waiting room of the doctor's office, his leg bouncing. He was much too anxious to sit, but he knew he couldn't get up and pace around the office. For one thing he would surely annoy the receptionist behind the desk and for another, he was trying to keep a low profile. As well as he could with Lance and Chris with him along with two of their burly security guards.

It'd been at JC's insistence that they took Mike and Dre with them, while Lonnie and Tiny stayed at the house. Justin had initially protested because he'd wanted to keep him going to the doctor as quiet as possible. No one had seen him the other day when he'd first gone in and he wanted to keep it that, which would be much harder with their bodyguards. But JC had expressed his concern that Gabe had people watching them and that they would try to do something to them as a way to get to him. That had been all it took for Chris to agree, and the look on JC's face was enough to keep Justin from protesting.

Suddenly a hand was pressed against his leg, effectively stilling the movement. He looked over and wasn't at all surprised to find that the hand belonged to Chris. "What?"

"Stop jiggling your leg. It looks like you have to pee," Chris said, removing his hand and sitting back in his seat.

Justin could hear Lance sigh from the other side of Chris before he leaned forward so he could look past Chris. "You nervous?" Lance asked.

He thought about downplaying it, but he nodded. "Yeah, kind of."

"Why? Your vision is getting better," Chris said.

"I know." Justin shifted in the uncomfortable chair, sighing a little. "I think I'm just afraid this is temporary. That this is like a big tease before I'm pitched into a world of darkness again. Permanently."

Lance offered him a sympathetic expression. "The odds of that happening are probably pretty slim. I think it's pretty encouraging you can see, even if it's not perfect."

Justin knew that Lance was right and that he was just being crazy for thinking that he might lose his sight again. But considering how suddenly he'd lost it in the first place, he didn't think it was out of the question to consider it as a possibility. Though, if his vision wasn't in jeopardy of disappearing again he would make damn sure that he would never touch drugs again. Even though there was no solid proof that his recreational drug use at the parties in Vegas was the cause, he wouldn't risk it again. Not now that he knew just how much he'd really taken his eyesight for granted and how hard things were without it.

Finally, a nurse came out to take him back. She called a name that Lance had set up as an alias for him because saying "Justin Timberlake" in a semi-crowded waiting room would completely destroy the low profile he was trying to keep. He followed her back with Chris and Lance coming up behind him while the bodyguards remained in the waiting room.

Justin hopped in the exam chair as instructed and was told that the doctor would be in shortly. He sat there, trying not to fidget too much as he made his best effort to wait patiently. Thankfully he didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes before the doctor came in, quickly introducing himself as Eric Kline.

"Alright, I was briefed about your situation," the doctor said as he took a seat on a stool that he rolled over so he was next to Justin. "Can you tell me in detail what you've been experiencing?"

Justin nodded, taking a breath to try to calm his nerves and get his thoughts together. He explained to the doctor the sudden blindness and the rationale the doctor in the ER had used to try to reason why it'd happened. Then he told him about how it'd seemed to return just as suddenly, albeit a bit blurry.

The doctor listened, jotting notes down on his clipboard. When Justin was finished, Doctor Kline set aside his notes and said, "Okay, let's take a look at those eyes, huh?"

He stood up to grab some eye drops, which Justin realized were the same ones that the ER doctor had used to dilate his pupils so the eye was more visible. The lights were turned down to a low light before the doctor carefully placed the drops in Justin's eyes. After giving his eyes a couple seconds to adjust, Doctor Kline began the examination.

Justin did his best to stay still and, most importantly, not to move his head much unless the doctor specifically asked him to. It was easier said than done though, and several times he found himself gripping the arms of the chair he was sitting in as his anxiety coursed through him. Finally, after what felt like an hour but surely wasn't more than fifteen minutes, Doctor Kline straightened his back and got up to turn on a dim light across the room.

"Just lie there for a minute to let your eyes adjust to the light as I tell you what I saw, okay?"

Justin didn't say anything, but he nodded ever so slightly. He wanted to turn his head to look at Chris and Lance, but it wasn't really necessary. It was obvious they were just as anxious as he was to hear what the doctor had found.

"The good news is that your eyesight is definitely improving. Whatever had caused the problem has seemed to be corrected."

"And the bad news?" Chris asked, and Justin didn't need to look at him to know he was frowning. He could hear the concern in his voice.

"No bad news," the doctor said, shaking his head. "His eyesight will continue to improve and I have no reason to believe it won't be back to normal soon. The only thing I will caution is to not overwork the eyes while they're still healing."

The tone he said that in made it sound like he believed that was exactly what Justin was doing. "I'm not," Justin said, feeling a bit defensive.

"When was the last time you rested?" Doctor Kline asked.

Justin paused, having to think about it. His sense of time had been all screwed up since he'd gone blind, and it was hard to remember how much time had actually passed versus what he'd thought. But apparently his hesitation was enough to prove the point, and the doctor continued.

"I would advise that you go home and at least try to sleep for a few hours. Given how sensitive your eyes still are, eyestrain could potentially reverse the progress you've made."

"What about the blurriness? That'll go away with time?" Lance asked.

The doctor nodded. "You might as well continue using the eye drops until they're gone as they can only help strengthen his eyes. It's really just dependent on getting rest and allowing time for them to finish healing."

"And that's it? His vision will be back to normal just like that?" Chris asked.

"All signs point to that, yes."

Justin couldn't help the relief that washed over him at hearing it confirmed once more. He'd been so terrified that he would be blind for the rest of his life, but now all he felt was immense relief...and elation. All he wanted was to shout his joy from rooftops, but he managed to pushed down the feeling and settled for smiling at the doctor.

"Thanks, Doc," he said as he all but jumped up from the chair.

Doctor Kline watched him, and Justin could see the amusement in his eyes. "I would suggest you take it easy, and you might want to grab some sunglasses on your way out. Your eyes are still dilated and can be easily damaged if they're not protected."

"We got it covered," Chris said. He stuck his hand out and the doctor grasped it, shaking it briefly. "Thank you."

Justin said his thanks too, and he followed Lance back out to the waiting room where the bodyguards were. Lance stepped forward to sign him out. It had to have been the only good thing about his eyes not being one hundred percent - he hadn't had to fill out any paperwork. And as nice as that was, he found a part of him couldn't wait until the next time he had to fill out some monotonous form. It was odd the things you took for granted when you were unable to do them for yourself, even for such a short time.

Once Lance got Justin checked out and confirmed there was nothing else the receptionist needed, they headed for the door. Just before they stepped outside Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out his pair of sunglasses, handing them to Justin. He sighed thinking it was unfortunate he hadn't had the foresight to bring his own, but he thanked Chris all the same. After everything he'd gone through the last few days, he certainly didn't want to do anything that would risk setting back the progress his eyesight had made.

They were about halfway to the car when a sudden voice calling Justin's name made them stop. He wasn't able to see her well as the sun was forcing him to squint even with the sunglasses and the distance didn't help either. But he would recognize her voice anywhere, and once she got close enough he was able to make out enough features to confirm it.

"Vicki," Justin said, suddenly feeling awkward and not quite sure what to say to his ex-girlfriend.

"Justin." He might not be able to see every detail clearly, but he knew her well enough that he didn't really need to see her to know what she was doing. Her head turned just slightly and he could tell the instant that she frowned. It was just seconds before she greeted his entourage.

Out of all of them Lance was the only one to speak. "Hey, Vicki." He glanced at Justin and back at her before he said to Justin, "We'll be over by the car."

Justin nodded, vaguely watching the four semi-blurry forms of his friends and bodyguards walk away. They didn't go all the way to the car as Lance had indicated, but they were far enough that it gave the semblance of privacy while still allowing them to keep an eye on him. He wanted to argue it and demand they wait in the car, but he knew it wasn't really them trying to be nosy. They'd all sworn to JC that they would be careful while they were out and they had to ensure that no one was around to potentially take advantage of this distraction in the form of Vicki.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. A part of Justin hated that was her first question, that she didn't lash out in anger. It almost would've been easier if she had.

"Yeah," Justin said. "I was just getting a checkup." He was suddenly glad the building behind him was a large medical professional building that had several different doctors in it so no one could truly know the real reason he'd been there.

But Vicki didn't appear convinced with his lie. "A checkup?" she repeated, an eyebrow raising in suspicion. "You always take Chris and Lance and a couple of your bodyguards with you for just a physical?"

Justin didn't know what to say in response to that. He certainly couldn't tell her the truth. Not because he didn't trust her, but because she was no longer was in his inner circle and needed to know. So he ignored her question and instead asked one of his own.

"Is there a reason you stopped me?"

If she was hurt by his clear brush off, she didn't show it. "I just wanted to say hi." Justin gave her a look, knowing there had to be more to it than that. After a moment, she amended, "And I wanted to see if you wanted to talk."

"About what? There's nothing to talk about."

"I thought you might've changed your mind."

Justin gave her a disbelieving look. "And that's why you moved all your stuff out?"

"I was trying to give you space," Vicki started. "But yeah, I figured we'd talk again and I'd move back in."

He shook his head. "That's not going to happen. I didn't change my mind," he reiterated.

"Justin..." Vicki stepped forward with a hand out, and he took a step back so he was out of her reach. He could almost see the hurt look on her face as she pulled back her hand, but she didn't attempt to reach for him again. "I know that article freaked you out, but you can't let them ruin what we have."

"What we had was nice," Justin said, being sure to use past tense. He didn't want to give her any illusions that he hadn't meant what he said earlier and let her think they weren't over. "And this has nothing to do with the article. We're not right for each other. We don't want the same things."

"That's not true!" she objected. "You want the same things as me. I know you do. You're the person I'm supposed to marry and have kids with."

Without even knowing it, she'd proven his point right there. She might be able to picture having kids with him, but he couldn't. "We're too young to get married," he said, trying to voice his thoughts without coming off too harsh or mean.

"But if it's right, what does it matter?" she demanded. "We've been together for a year, and up until last week I thought you were working up to proposing."

Justin was well aware that she'd been waiting for him to ask her to marry him. He'd be lying if he said he hadn't entertained the idea of being married to her, but he'd never considered it seriously. He couldn't with how hectic his life and career was right now. But that hadn't stopped one of the many tabloids from considering it and putting out a story saying they had a source that'd informed them of his impending wedding nuptials, like he'd already proposed.

Vicki was right in that the article was the thing to set the events of the last week into motion, but that was where it stopped. He hadn't let it affect his decision to break up with her. It'd just been the push that'd forced him to put the thoughts he'd been having for the last couple months into action.

He loved Vicki, but he'd begun to feel pressured as she started putting out hints that she wanted a proposal. It'd made him question if they were meant to be together because he seemed unable to picture things as clearly as she could. In the end, he'd realized they weren't on the same page - she was ready to settle down and have kids while he wanted to enjoy his twenties first. He hadn't wanted to hurt her, but he knew stringing her along would've hurt her a lot more.

"I loved you, Vicki," Justin said at last. "I still love you, but I'm not in love with you."

It was an important distinction. He didn't know when he'd fallen out of love with her, but it wasn't fair to let her go on thinking nothing had changed. Maybe they did want the same things, but he didn't want marriage or kids within the next few years. If he had to put a number to it, he'd say he probably wouldn't want any of it until he was at least twenty-five. Vicki didn't want to wait, and he knew he couldn't ask her to wait that long. Timing was everything and they would never be in sync.

"What did I do? Whatever it is I can fix it," she said.

"You didn't do anything. It's all me."

Vicki was silent for a long minute as she stared at him. He did his best not to fidget under her gaze. Finally, she said, "You're really serious, aren't you?"

Justin held her gaze, forcing himself not to look away. "I am."

There was a bit more hesitation before she asked, "Can't we be friends?"

"I'm sorry," he said, shaking his head. "I think that'll just make it harder."

He could sense that his words hurt, like a knife to her heart. But she did her best to hide it as she cleared her throat and looked at him once more. "Good bye, Justin," she said and quickly leaned in to peck his cheek.

And just like that, she stepped away and continued on into the building. He watched her go for a second, feeling remorseful. The last year with her had been great and she'd been a close friend that he'd been able to share just about everything with. And if the last few days was any indication, it was going to take a while for him to get used to being on his own again.

Justin turned back to his friends and found they were still waiting with Mike and Dre. He walked over to them and said, "C'mon, the sooner we get to Johnny's, the sooner we can go home and relax."

He pretended not to see the looks that Chris and Lance exchanged with each other as he got in the car. His elation over the great news from the doctor had waned with the unexpected appearance of Vicki, and now he was just anxious to get back to JC's. Taking a nap didn't sound half bad now.

**************

Joey sat at the kitchen table next to Alice as he watched JC moved about the room, preparing lunch for Alice. It was just after noon and he wasn't expecting the others back for at least another hour or so. He was anxious to know how the doctor went and what Johnny had to say, but he knew he'd find out in a couple hours. For now he just had to try to be patient and get his mind on something else.

"Are you sure you don't want me to do that?" Joey asked JC, frowning as he watched him give into a coughing fit after stooping down to retrieve a pot from one of the lower cabinets. He'd offered when JC had first mentioned he was going to make lunch, but he'd been turned down.

And so it wasn't any surprise to him when JC refused yet again. In fact, JC seemed quite annoyed at the question as he turned his head to glare at him. "I think I can handle heating up some soup and chicken nuggets."

Joey raised his hands as a sign of defeat. Once JC turned his back to what he was doing, he glanced across the table at Lonnie and the bodyguard looked back at him with an arched eyebrow. They'd very briefly filled in Lonnie as to what'd been going on, and he'd told the rest of their bodyguards before they'd even arrived. When they did show up, Lonnie's concern had been apparent - something that seemed to have grown the last couple hours as he got to see how JC was handling everything.

Well, really it was JC's refusal to deal with everything that had them concerned. Joey wanted nothing more than to talk to him about it, but he knew JC wouldn't say anything. Definitely not in front of Alice anyway, and he seemed determined to stay by her side, to be there to help her through her mother's death. All the while he pushed off his own feelings about Beth. It was a classic JC move and one Joey was very familiar with, but unfortunately most days you had to just wait it out. JC couldn't avoid his feelings forever and they would be there to help him when they finally spilled over the walls he'd built to delay his grief.

So Joey just continued to sit by, watching JC finish making lunch. He grimaced every time JC would sniff and wipe the dripping snot running out of his nose onto his shirt sleeve near his shoulder. The large oversized sweatshirt he was wearing made his skinny frame look even smaller and more frail. His red rimmed eyes and haggard expression didn't help any either. If any of their mothers were there, they would send him to bed immediately. But of course, they weren't and Joey felt like he didn't have the right to tell JC what to do especially since they were in his house.

JC turned the burner off and spooned some soup into a bowl before carrying it over to the table to sit it down in front of Alice. "Be careful, sweetie. It's hot," he cautioned her before quickly turning to retrieve the chicken nuggets from the oven.

The sudden movement caused him to stumble and Joey was immediately on his feet even though he knew he wouldn't be able to move nearly fast enough to catch him. Lonnie rose as well and while he was closer, he was still at least a foot away from JC. But thankfully JC was next to the island and was able to use that as leverage to keep himself upright and on his feet. Still, it didn't nothing to quell the worry Joey had, and if anything it made him determined to force JC to do something that would at least somewhat help with his cold.

"Here, Jace. I got it," Joey said, stepping away from the table completely and reaching JC in a couple of quick strides. He gently grabbed onto an arm and steered him away from the stove, pushing him to a seat at the table near Alice.

"Joey..." JC tried to protest as he worked to shake off Joey's hold. But JC wasn't near strong enough to really exert any kind of force that would remove Joey's hand - not with how weak the cold and his already previous exhaustion had made him anyway.

"I said I got it," Joey repeated. "Some chicken nuggets for Alice, and some soup for you."

He winked at the little girl as he said her name, causing her to giggle just slightly. It only lasted for a second, and he wished it would've lasted longer. He may not know her as well as JC seemed to, but he could tell that the demeanor she'd had since she'd woken up was much too serious for her.

JC sighed heavily. "Joey, I don't want any soup. I'm not hungry."

"You should be," Joey retorted, though he tried to keep his voice light. He didn't want to pick a fight with JC. Mostly because he didn't want to potentially upset Alice, but also because it didn't seem worth it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen JC eat, and he had a feeling that maybe part of the reason this cold was kicking his ass so bad was because he was literally running on empty.

"But-" JC continued to try to object only to be cut off by Lonnie.

"You should just let it go. You're not going to win this," the bodyguard said, barely glancing in JC's direction before he went back to reading that morning's paper.

JC let out a sound of annoyance, and Joey barely managed to keep himself from laughing at the look on his face. He looked more like a petulant five year old than the little girl sitting next to him. Normally Justin was the one who regressed greatly in maturity when he was sick or didn't get his way, but given everything that'd happened the last couple days, it was more than understandable.

"How about we all have lunch?" Joey suggested. He thought if they all ate that it would make JC feel less like the attention was on him and making sure he ate. But at the same time, he also knew that JC would have a much harder time refusing to eat when everyone else was eating.

"I didn't make enough for everyone," JC said.

Joey couldn't help but laugh at that, knowing JC said that to try to deter him from getting them all to sit down and eat. "Which is quite rude of you," he replied. "But I think I can handle heating up another can of soup."

He grabbed a plate and threw a few chicken nuggets on it before setting it in front of Alice. Then he went rooting through the cabinets looking for another can of soup for several seconds, but then JC sighed and pointed out which one held all of his non-perishable foods. Joey smile a little to himself knowing that JC had given in and resigned himself to having lunch with them. And that was all that mattered to Joey.

They invited Tiny in for lunch and the five of them spent the next half hour eating lunch, carrying on light conversation. Though, it was mostly Joey and the bodyguards talking. They tried to get Alice and JC to join in, but Alice seemed to have clammed up more since their bodyguards had arrived. And JC had eaten maybe half of his soup before he looked like he could fall asleep right there at the table at any moment.

"Why don't you go upstairs and take a nap?" Joey suggested when it was clear that JC wasn't going to be making any more effort to eat. "I can clean up lunch."

JC was silent for a moment, and Joey thought for sure that he was going to object and insist that he was fine. But after a long pause, he did a slow blink before nodding. "Yeah, okay."

Joey was almost surprised at how easily he'd agreed, but he knew not to look a gift horse in the mouth. It was obvious JC needed rest and if he was going to do that then that was great. Though, he knew he wouldn't really allow himself unless he could knew that Alice would be looked after.

Just as he opened his mouth to say that he would hang with Alice, she said, "I'll go with you."

"Alice, I thought me and you could hang out. Watch a movie and color maybe," Joey told her.

The little girl shook her head as she jumped down from her chair, immediately going to JC's side. "I stay with JC."

She was clinging to JC's right arm, looking more uneasy than Joey had seen her since they were first introduced to her. Not that he could blame her. She'd just lost her mom - it was a lot for a kid to deal with, especially her age, and she was probably just trying to stick close to the person that she felt closest to. And that was JC.

"Alice..." Joey began, prepared to try to entice her to stay with him instead. As much as he understood why she wanted to stick by JC, it didn't change that he needed rest. Something that he wouldn't get much of if he was watching her.

"It's okay," JC interrupted. "She can lay in bed with me."

Joey gave him a look. "JC," he said in a tone that belayed what a bad idea he thought that was. When JC didn't respond to it, he sighed and tried a different tactic. "You don't want her to get sick, do you?"

"I won't!" Alice objected. She then looked at Joey and said with a solemn expression and a sweet voice, "Promise."

JC gave Joey a look, one that said he understood what he was saying and that he didn't want her to get sick but he didn't want to refuse her either given what'd happened. Joey could practically see the struggle in his eyes and he realized then how deeply he really cared for her. It wasn't just out of a feeling of obligation to Beth that JC was watching Alice - he truly loved her and wanted to do whatever he could to help her. He was going to put aside his needs to do what he felt was best for her, and Joey knew at that moment that he'd lost.

Without another word between them, JC slowly rose from his seat and bent over slightly to pick up Alice. He groaned a bit as he lifted her up and settled her against his side, jostling her just slightly. Joey watched him with critical eyes, looking for any sign that he wasn't able to carry Alice because it hadn't been long since a wave of dizziness had nearly taken him down. But he seemed okay...at least for now.

"C'mon, Alice," JC said. "Let's go watch a movie in bed."

Joey watched them leave the kitchen, not feeling any less concerned. Though, he couldn't help feeling proud of JC. He was handling everything pretty well considering how much had happened in just a couple short days.

"Makes you feel like he'll be a pretty good dad someday, doesn't it?"

Joey turned in his chair to look at Tiny and couldn't help smiling slightly as he nodded. "There was never a doubt in my mind," he said. After all, there was a reason they called him the "daddy" of the group.

"You still look worried though," Lonnie pointed out.

Joey couldn't help the small sigh that escaped. "It's been a rough couple of days for him."

"He'll handle it," Lonnie replied. "Just like he always does."

Joey agreed, but he couldn't help thinking that it wasn't that simple. Their bodyguards had often seen all of them at their worst and likely knew that JC would struggle with his attempt at dealing with what'd happened, but they didn't see it firsthand. He wasn't sure JC was handling it much at all currently, and he worried what would happen when JC finally let himself deal with Beth's death. Though, he knew there was no sense in worrying about it now. They'd be there to help him through it and that was all that mattered.

Doing his best to keep his mind off it, Joey grabbed his soup bowl and stood up. He collected a couple other dishes before carrying them all over to the sink. It took another trip to the table to collect the rest and put them in the sink. He turned on the tap water and briefly rinsed off the dishes. Even though he told JC he'd do the dishes, all that meant to him was that he'd clear them off the table and move them to the dishwasher.

Joey had just finished stacking the dishes into the already full dishwasher when the doorbell rang. He shut the door to the appliance with a frown, wondering who was at the door. He was expecting the guys to return pretty soon, but there was no reason they would need to ring the doorbell as they all had keys to each other's houses.

Lonnie and Tiny both looked at him. "You guys expecting anyone?" Tiny asked.

Joey shook his head. "It's probably just one of JC's neighbors complaining that we're taking up all the street parking again," he said.

It happened a lot when they had parties at JC's house and while his driveway was fairly large, it was never big enough to accommodate everyone's cars. Lance's car might have been missing, but they had a couple of their bodyguards' cars too. Some of JC's neighbors could be really kind of bitchy.

Joey headed for the front door and knew without looking that Lonnie and Tiny were following. When he reached the door, he glanced out through the peep hole. He didn't recognize the people on the other side, but that wasn't unusual considering he didn't know many of JC's neighbors. He opened the door and almost immediately he was sprayed in the face with something.

Gagging and rubbing at his eyes, he stumbled backwards. His eyes burned, there was an odd taste in his mouth, and he could smell something sweet. He didn't know what he face full of, but he knew now that these people obviously weren't JC's neighbors.

"JC!" he managed to yell even in between gagging coughs.

Suddenly, Joey's felt weak and his legs collapsed beneath him, sending him crashing to the floor. At that moment, he heard a soft thump just before the foyer filled with smoke. Not that he'd been able to see much anyway given how much his eyes were watering from whatever had been in the spray. He could hear other coughing joining his, and he felt his fear for JC and Alice spike.

As everything grew hazy and he felt the pull of unconsciousness, he hoped that they were okay.

Upstairs, JC had fallen asleep, not lasting long in the movie that Alice had picked to watch as his exhausted body had begged for some relief. He had just woken up but unsure why given that it hadn't been very long since he'd fallen asleep. Glancing to his left, he saw that Alice was awake and actually looked fearful, her small arms wrapped around his middle as she clung to him. This immediately put him on alert.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" he asked her. But no sooner had the words left his mouth did he understand why she was scared.

Two guys came rushing into the room, and JC felt his stomach drop immediately as he recognized them. They were the same men that showed up at the train station, the same two that killed Beth.

Hurriedly, he worked to push himself up so he could grab Alice and try to run. There wasn't really anywhere for them to go, but he could lock them in the bathroom or something to buy them some time for help to arrive. The fact that no one had chased these guys up the stairs was very unsettling and told JC that it was up to him to protect Alice.

But his body was slow to respond, much more sluggish from his short nap than he wanted it to be. The men were much quicker than him too, and they were over to his bed in a matter of seconds, grabbing Alice and roughly ripping her away from JC.

"JC!"

"Alice!" he yelled.

The men had already turned to run out of his bedroom and he somehow found the energy to jump up from his bed, launching himself towards the door. He stumbled a bit upon landing and before he could even react, the guy that wasn't carrying Alice turned on his heel. JC didn't even see the gun, but he heard the loud bang and the sharp pain that tore through his shoulder a second later.

Instantly, he dropped to his knees, gasping in pain as he clutched at his shoulder. And that was all they needed to get away - the man carrying Alice already halfway down the stairs and the guy that shot JC right behind him. Several seconds later, JC heard a car take off down the street, tires squealing as it left in a hurry.

JC crumpled as the sobs rose up in his throat, wracking his thin frame and making him fall back against the door jamb. The pain in his shoulder was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He'd just failed Alice - and by extension Beth - and that was something he could never forgive himself for.

"That took forever," Justin complained from the backseat. They had just pulled into JC's neighborhood and he'd been whining about how long they'd been at the compound talking to Johnny since they left. Much to Chris's annoyance.

Lance glanced at him through the rearview mirror, not taking his eyes off the road for more than a second. "It wasn't that bad."

"I thought he handled it pretty well considering," Chris added.

"Yeah, sure. Of course, you weren't the one he was asking a ton of questions to." Chris could see Justin cross his arms over his chest through the side mirror. "You'd think having gone blind would give me a free pass from an interrogation."

"He wasn't on your case, he was concerned," Lance corrected.

Justin waved him off, but he did fall silent. Chris exchanged an amused look with Lance, knowing that Justin wasn't as put off about Johnny's questions as he acted. Considering he'd been terrified of being blind the rest of his life, it was obvious he was happy that it was now just a story - something that'd happened to him briefly. As long as he didn't do anything that would reverse the progress he'd made anyway, and Chris didn't expect Justin to do anything like that in the slightest.

Lance turned to pull into JC's driveway and almost immediately Chris got a feeling in his stomach, a strange one that told him something was wrong. It was something that was further heightened after they parked and headed up the drive, now able to see that the front door stood wide open. His stomach dropped at the sight and the three of them went to rush forward to go inside, but they were stopped by their bodyguards.

"Let us go in first," Dre said.

Dre and Mike didn't wait for their consent before they pushed past, cautiously but quickly entering the house. Chris glanced at Lance and Justin before he rushed inside with them right behind him. They knew Dre and Mike were just doing their job, but Chris got the feeling that whatever happened had been a while ago. And the sight that greeted him in the foyer seemed to confirm that.

Lonnie and Tiny were on the floor just a couple feet away from Joey, though they were both awake. Joey seemed to be unconscious, and Chris quickly scanned his body, looking for any blood or sign of major injury. There was nothing as far as he could see, but it sounded like he was about to find out what'd happened.

Mike had asked Lonnie, who looked to be the most coherent of the two bodyguards, what'd happened and Lonnie frowned a little like he was trying to recall exactly what had happened. "The doorbell rang, and Joey went to answer it. He was sprayed in the face with something. We were only a few feet behind him and I was able to make out two guys before they sprayed me too. And then they threw a smoke bomb, which made it impossible to see anything."

That was all Chris needed to hear. He ran upstairs, afraid of what'd happened to JC and Alice if that had happened to their bodyguards and Joey. As he climbed the stairs, he was already figuring he would find no one - that whoever those guys were had gotten to JC and Alice and had taken them. It turned out he was only half right.

Leaning heavily against the doorframe was JC's slumped form. His chin was resting on his chest and his eyes were closed. Chris knelt down beside him and shakily reached out for his neck to check for a pulse. He let out a relieved sigh when he felt a slow but steady rhythm under his fingers. But that was when he noticed the blood on JC's shoulder and on his right hand. It took him only a second to figure out that the shoulder was what was actually injured and that the hand just had the transfer of blood, likely from JC grasping his arm in pain.

Without thinking, Chris took off the coat he was wearing and balled it up before pressing it firmly against the still bleeding shoulder. It elicited a grimace and a quiet groan from JC, which was music to his ears. He kept his right hand holding the makeshift bandage in place while his left reached up and rested against the side of JC's face. "That's it. C'mon, C."

At that moment Chris heard footsteps coming up behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Justin, who looked to be a little shell shocked at the sight of JC, bleeding and barely gaining consciousness. He understood the fear because he was feeling it too, but they didn't have time for it.

"Get the blanket off his bed," he instructed Justin.

Justin only hesitated for a second before he quickly but carefully made his way past the two of them to get into the bedroom. As he did that, Chris removed his hand from JC's face and pulled out his cell phone to call for an ambulance. He took a shaky breath to calm himself as he listened to it ring and a second later a female dispatcher answered. He answered all of her questions to the best of his ability and told her JC's address as Justin returned and draped the large comforter from the bed over JC as best he could considering Chris was a permanent fixture to his side to keep pressure on the wound. She asked him to stay on the line, but he didn't listen to her as he saw that JC was showing more signs of fully regaining consciousness.

Chris shifted, pressing a little harder against JC's shoulder and almost wincing himself as JC let out a painful cry. He felt bad for causing him more pain, but he couldn't help the relief he felt at seeing blue eyes staring back at him. It didn't seem like he was completely with it, but that might be a good thing at the moment.

"It's okay, JC. We're here," Justin said, kneeling on JC's other side and taking his hand. He didn't seem to care at all that it was covered in blood.

JC looked at Justin before looking back at Chris, his eyes filling with tears. It was hard to say if it was from the pain in his shoulder or what'd happened. He felt it was obvious what'd happened, but he also felt like he still needed to ask.

"JC, where's Alice?"

JC was quiet longer than Chris was comfortable with, and he began to worry that maybe he was in shock and hadn't even heard him. But JC's face crumpled and tears fell from his eyes as he said quietly, "Gone." He paused and tried to take a breath but ended up choking on a sob. "They took her!"

Justin and Chris shared a brief worried look before they both began to do their best to reassure him. Chris didn't know much about first aid - at least not the kind that involved gunshot wounds - but he knew no matter the injury you were supposed to try to keep the person calm. It didn't seem possible given what'd happened and how upset JC had already been over Beth prior to any of this happening, but he'd certainly try.

"Shh, it's alright," Chris soothed. "We'll get her back, but right now we need to focus on you."

"No," JC protested, shaking his head. It barely moved side to side, and how weak he seemed to be worried Chris. Though, he had to remind himself that JC hadn't exactly been feeling one hundred percent since he'd agreed to watch Alice what with the lack of sleep and then the ever present cold.

Justin leaned forward just slightly so he was more in JC's line of sight and could make eye contact with him. "C'mon, Jace. You know you can't do anything until we get your shoulder looked at."

JC didn't respond, but that was fine because there were loud footsteps behind them. Chris turned and saw, like he expected, that the paramedics had arrived. There were two of them - a man and a woman - and the female asked him to step back so they could work on JC.

He had no problem with that, knowing he was in good hands. So he took several steps backward, taking the now stained coat with him as there was no longer a need for it. Justin seemed much more reluctant to remove himself from JC's side, still clutching his hand tightly. Chris would've gone around the paramedics to gently pull him away, but because they were basically at the top of the stairs on the edge of the landing there wasn't really any room to do so. So he settled for giving Justin a look, and even then it was still with great reluctance that Justin moved back so the male paramedic could work alongside his partner.

In a matter of just minutes, the paramedics had placed some gauze over JC's wounded shoulder as a temporary bandage and had him hook up to an IV. Chris had almost expected JC to freak when he saw the needle, but his eyes were half open and he was convinced that JC must've been on the verge of unconsciousness again. When the paramedics carefully moved him to the small stretcher they brought in with them, the female looked at Chris and Justin.

"Are one of you riding to the hospital with him?" she asked.

"I am," Chris said before Justin even had the chance to.

She nodded once. "Meet us outside," she instructed.

Then she and the other paramedic lifted the stretcher and carefully lifted JC into the air, carrying him down the stairs. As soon as they were out the door, Chris looked at Justin and could see he was about to protest. He quickly cut him off and said something that was going to garner an even stronger objection.

"I'm going," he said firmly. "And you're going to stay here."

Justin reacted pretty much exactly how Chris had thought he would. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped as he let out an incredulous, "What?".

"You need to rest."

Justin gave him a look. "It's not like I'm going to be able to sleep. I might as well go to the hospital."

Chris sighed heavily, knowing how freaked Justin was seeing JC like that and that he wanted to make sure he was okay. He got it, but he wanted to make sure that Justin was going to be okay too. "I want you to stay here and at least try to sleep. Or lay down with your eyes closed. The doctor said you need to rest them and what could happen if you overdo it. I don't want you to set yourself back."

"But JC-"

"Is going to be fine," Chris interrupted. He leveled him with a serious gaze. "I promise. If I didn't think so, I wouldn't be telling you not to come to the hospital. And someone should be here for Joey when he wakes up."

Justin was silent for a long moment and Chris thought he was going to fight more, but finally he sighed. "Fine."

Chris reached out and gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze before turning to hustle down the stairs. Justin was right behind him, and when they got to the bottom they found that Lance was waiting for them. Their bodyguards and Joey were no longer laying in the foyer, and Chris suspected Mike and Dre had moved them when the paramedics arrived to clear a path.

"Dre called for a doctor to come check out Joey along with Lonnie and Tiny. I think I'm going to stay to make sure Joey's okay."

Chris nodded. "Good. Justin's staying too. I'm going to the hospital and I'll let you guys know as soon as I hear something."

"You're not taking anyone with you?" Lance asked, frowning. It was clear he was referring to their security team.

Chris opened his mouth to say that no he wasn't because they were kind of down a couple of bodyguards currently and he was more worried about them, that whoever had done this would come back. But before he could, a deep voice spoke and cut him off.

"Yes he is."

Chris sighed. "Mike," he began, but he didn't get a chance to say more.

"Save it, kid," Mike instructed, holding up a hand. "Given what happened, it would be stupid to let you go off anywhere alone. I'll follow you to the hospital in the car."

"He's right, Chris," Justin said. "Just like you want me to stay to make sure I'm okay, we want to know that you're going to be okay."

Chris knew Justin had a point, and he couldn't really object without being a major hypocrite. So he relented and told them to call with any updates on Joey while promising he would do the same about JC. He then quickly dashed out the door, knowing the paramedics were waiting on him. He just prayed that the hospital would have good news concerning JC and his injured shoulder. They certainly couldn't take any more bad news right now.

**************

Chris leaned forward, locking his fingers behind his neck as he looked down at the tiled floor of the ER waiting room. Mike was sitting next to him, his eyes turned out as he watched the room, no doubt so he could be on alert for anything that may be suspicious. Not that he expected anything to happen Chris was sure. Being that Gabe had gotten what he'd wanted there was no need for him to continue to go after them. Though, he understood that Mike was just doing his job. God knew the last thing they needed was something else to happen.

With a heavy sigh, Chris unlocked his fingers and shifted so he was sitting back, slumped in the seat. They had been waiting there for nearly two hours now, and with each second that passed his worry intensified. Why was it taking so long? Did that mean the damage to JC's shoulder had been bad? There were so many questions and no one around to answer them. He'd tried to weasel information out of the nurse stationed at the nearby desk, but all she told him was that he had to wait for the doctor to come out.

"Here."

Chris blinked, snapping out of his thoughts at Johnny's voice and took the proffered coffee cup. Johnny had arrived within the first half hour of Chris arriving at the hospital with JC as Lance had called him, telling him what was happening. When Johnny had first got there, he'd fired off questions at Chris. How was JC? How did this happen? Does this have something to do with JC's friend and her daughter? Does anyone else know about this?

There was no doubt that Johnny was concerned for JC as he saw them all as almost like his own children, but he also knew that that wasn't the only thing he had to worry about. Johnny had to know exactly what was going on so that he could work with their PR guy to smooth anything over should any information about the situation get out to the press. So far things had been quiet, and Chris prayed they stayed that way. Dealing with the press was the last thing any of them needed.

Chris took the cup of coffee from Johnny, muttering his thanks. Johnny remained standing in front of him, a frown on his face.

"Are you sure we shouldn't call his parents?"

It was a question Johnny had asked about an hour ago, saying that it was probably a good idea to get his parents down here. Chris had told him no, explaining that they should at least wait and see what the doctor said before they decided if that was necessary. And he stood by that.

Chris shook his head. "It should be up to him, don't you think? I don't want to call them in if he doesn't want them here."

"Why wouldn't he?" Johnny asked.

Chris shrugged and was about to offer up a reason why JC might not want his parents around, but he spotted a doctor come out from the double doors that led back to the examination rooms. He stood up, sensing the doctor was looking for them and finally had news on JC. And sure enough, the doctor was heading right for them.

"Are you here for Joshua Chasez?" he asked as he approached.

"JC," Chris corrected automatically, nodding. Johnny turned around to face the doctor, and Mike stood as well. "How is he?"

"He's stable, and he's being moved to a recovery room now," the doctor said. "We got the bullet out and luckily there wasn't much damage. It didn't go as far in as it could've and it missed any nerves there completely. He's very lucky."

Chris wasn't sure that was the word he would use to describe JC given how much he'd suffered from this whole situation, but he couldn't deny he felt grateful that he seemed to have caught a break. It was about time.

"So he'll make a full recovery?" Johnny asked.

The doctor nodded. "His shoulder has been bandaged and is currently in a sling. It will have to remain that way for a few days, but there is no lasting damage to the tissue or muscles. He'll just have to take it easy for a while as it heals."

"Can we see him?" Chris asked, feeling a bit impatient. He was obviously glad to hear the doctor say that he would recover and that he was okay, but it was something he needed to see for himself.

"Of course. I'll show you to the recovery room he's been placed in," the doctor said and motioned for them to follow.

As they walked down the hall, Chris had more questions for the doctor. "And how long will he have to be in there? Can he go home today?"

The doctor nodded once again. "I see no reason why not. We just want to monitor him for a couple hours to make sure he remains stable and that there's no infection with the wound."

They walked further down the hall and at the end of the hall Chris saw a couple of police officers standing outside of a door. He felt his gut twist slightly, knowing that they were there because of what'd happened to JC.

"Is it really necessary for the cops to be here?"

"I'm afraid it's protocol whenever a gunshot wound in involved. However, I wouldn't allow them in to see your friend if I didn't think that he could handle it," the doctor explained. "He was coming around when he was being moved to this room."

Chris was glad to hear that JC was awake, but he didn't like that he was almost being bombarded to talk to the police so soon after his surgery. Even though he wanted the police involved and thought their help was necessary, he didn't want to do anything to further upset JC. Something that would surely happen if they just walked in there, demanding answers to their questions.

"I can go in first, right?" Chris asked the doctor, purposely ignoring the two cops. He wanted them to know who was truly in charge here.

"Yes, I feel that would be best. Mr. Chasez may be a bit disoriented at first." The doctor looked him in the eye and continued, "I should warn you though, he may be in a bit of pain. Because of the amount of cold medicine he'd taken, we can't put him on a morphine drip or any other pain medication without risking some severe side effects."

Chris nodded to show he understood, and he opened the door to JC's room. He stepped inside and just before the door closed, he could hear Johnny asking the doctor some more of his own questions. When the door clicked back into the frame, JC turned his head and met his gaze.

"Hey, Jace," Chris greeted as he moved closer, taking a seat next to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

JC attempted to say something, but all that came out was a rough sounding croak. He cleared his throat before trying again. "Like hell," he rasped.

Chris nearly winced at the harsh quality to his voice. He knew that it was partly because of the cold he'd been suffering from the last couple days but also likely from the surgery. And he looked just as bad as he sounded. His skin was so pale, and his eyes were red and sunken. His bandaged shoulder and the sling were easy to see as he was shirtless. Something that just seemed to make him cold as Chris noticed the goose bumps that ran up and down his arms.

JC looked like he was going to say something else, but Chris quickly shushed him and poured a cup of water from the pitcher that was sitting next to the bed. He put a straw in it and held the cup close to his face, the straw positioned so he could easily drink.

As began taking slow sips from the straw, Chris said, "The cops are here."

JC released the straw from his lips and gently used his right hand to push away the cup, signaling that he was done for now. He licked his lips and looked away as he said, "I don't want to talk to them."

"JC..." Chris began. Maybe this wasn't the best thing to start with, but he knew the cops wouldn't allow them to have too much time to themselves. And he really kind of wanted JC to talk to them. This situation had gone on long enough and it definitely had gotten to the point where they needed help if they wanted to get Alice back, which Chris was sure JC did.

"What good will it do?" JC asked, grimacing in pain as he shifted slightly.

"You can get Alice back for one," Chris said, giving him a look. He couldn't believe JC refused to see that. "And not to mention you can get Gabe thrown in jail."

JC looked at him, looking more helpless than challenging that Chris had expected him to be. "How?" he asked. "It's not like we have any proof that he killed Beth or stole Alice back. They aren't going to arrest him just because I tell them I know he did it."

"They can find the guys that did Gabe's dirty work, tie them back to him."

JC shook his head. "Not if they're working for Gabe."

Chris couldn't help but sigh in aggravation. It was the same excuse JC had given him last time when he'd first pushed for them to call the police, and he didn't understand it. JC was letting Beth's fears dictate what he did, just like they had surely done for her. Even if Gabe knew someone in the police department, there was no way he knew everyone.

"JC, you have to stop giving him so much power. It's exactly what Beth did and look where she ended up."

JC's eyes filled with tears and his body began to quake slightly like he was trying to hold back sobs. "Stop it! Don't you talk about her like that."

"Did you ever think this is what he wants?" Chris challenged, determined to make JC see how ridiculous this was. "That he could be lying? That he just said that so it scares people into staying with him?"

"Beth didn't do that," he objected, his voice quiet and sounding thick from the built up mucus in his sinuses.

"No," Chris agreed. She had left, but JC was missing the point. "But she was scared of him. Scared of what he would do if she went to the police, which just made it that much easier for him to get to her."

JC didn't say anything, tears falling from his eyes. He bit his lip, like he was still fighting to keep some semblance of control. Part of Chris wanted to pull JC in for a hug and tell him to just let out everything that he was feeling, but he knew this wasn't the time for it. As much as he needed to grieve, they could do a lot more with his help. He knew the most about Gabe and Beth's situation, and that would be critical to finding Alice.

"C'mon, C. You know this is the right thing to do." Chris leaned forward, putting himself in JC's line of vision so he would look at him. "Alice is counting on you. You can still save her."

The door opened then, and Chris nearly groaned at the poor timing. He supposed he should be grateful they'd given him as much time as they had because he'd known they'd be impatient to get their job done. But he felt like he was on the verge to getting through to JC. Johnny walked in behind the cops and he stood near the door as the cops moved to the foot of the bed so they were in JC's line of sight.

"Mr. Chasez, I'm Ed Strickland," the taller and older one said. He gestured to his partner. "And this is Vince Wise. We're here to ask you a few questions about what'd happened."

JC said nothing. He was looking down at his sheet covered legs, like he was trying to avoid their gazes. Chris jumped in and said, "Do either of you know a Gabe?" He wanted to say his last name, but he didn't even know his last name. But he still wanted to at least see how they reacted to his question.

There were confused looks on their faces and even Johnny seemed unsure why Chris was asking this, but Chris kept his gaze locked on the two men. He wanted an answer to his question. And finally, after they exchanged a glance, the two men finally spoke.

"What does that have to do with anything?" the younger cop said with a bit of an attitude. Chris narrowed his eyes at him, feeling the man wasn't being all that professional.

"I don't know any Gabes," the older cop that'd introduced himself as Strickland said. He glanced briefly at JC before looking back at Chris. "Does this have anything to do with what happened?"

"Send your partner out of the room, and I'll tell you," Chris said.

"What?" the other cop replied. He looked angry. "This isn't how this works."

He seemed like he would've gone on, prepared to rant, but his partner held up a hand. "Why don't you let me handle this, okay Vince?"

The younger cop shot daggers at Chris, but he listened to his partner and walked out the door. Once they were gone, Chris felt immensely better. For some reason he had a feeling that guy wouldn't be much help, even before he opened his mouth and proved what a douche bag he was.

"Will you tell me what happened now?" Strickland asked.

Chris shifted in his seat, sitting back. "Well, it's not really my story to tell."

He looked over at JC, who had yet to say a word or look up from his blankets since the cops had come in. Finally, he took a shaky breath and raised his head so he was looking Strickland head on.

"I'll tell you if you promise to help," JC said.

Strickland offered him a firm nod. "That's my job."

With another deep breath, JC finally launched into what'd happened, starting at the beginning. Chris couldn't help but feel relieved and immensely proud. It seemed like he'd said just the right things to JC for once.

**************

Justin opened his eyes, feeling a bit cautious. But he immediately relaxed when he realized he still had his sight and it did seem to continue to get better and better. He was still kind of afraid he would wake up and be blind again. Maybe after a couple more times of him waking up with nothing changing he would truly relax and accept that his blindness did seem to be behind him.

He'd forced himself to go up to bed and lay down like Chris had instructed after the doctor had examined Joey and given him the all clear. Surprisingly it hadn't taken him all that long to fall asleep. It still took about an hour, but given that JC was at the hospital and they'd been still waiting to hear how he was from Chris, it didn't seem long at all. And he had to admit that his eyes did feel better - they didn't hurt as much as they had.

A glance at the alarm clock on the bedside night table told him he'd been asleep for about four hours. Surely, JC and Chris had to be back from the hospital by now. Unless of course JC was hurt more than they'd originally thought. He did his best to push that thought away, but he knew he wouldn't truly believe it until he saw for himself.

Justin stood up, not having bothered with covers at all when he'd gone to bed. He walked out into the hall and towards JC room, peeking in. A sigh of relief escaped his lips when he saw JC laying in bed, sleeping with the covers pulled up almost to his neck. It felt so much better knowing he was home and back with them where they could keep an eye on him. And of course that he wasn't injured badly enough for a long-term hospital stay.

He walked down the stairs and towards the living room thinking that was where the guys probably were. But as he got closer to the living room, he could hear voices and knew that they weren't coming from there. So he altered his path just slightly and turned left instead of right so he ended up in the kitchen where indeed the guys were sitting around the table.

"That cop was such an asshole," Chris was saying as Justin stepped further into the kitchen.

"What cop?" he asked, moving around the table and taking an open seat near Joey who was sitting across from Chris.

"One of the cops that showed up to talk to JC at the hospital," Lance said.

"Yeah, but I got rid of him. The other guy that JC talked to was much nicer and more understanding."

Justin blinked, surprised by that. The last time it'd been brought up that JC should talk to the police, he'd practically freaked at the idea. "JC talked to the police?"

Chris looked at him and nodded. He likely understood his surprise given that he'd been the one to witness JC's strong objections to getting the police involved too. "Yeah. He realized that they have more power to help find Alice and arrest Gabe for everything he did."

"What all are they doing?" Joey asked.

"Well for starters, they're going to look for Beth's body."

Justin leaned forward. "You think they'll find her?"

Chris shrugged. "As long as those guys didn't take her body back to Gabe. Like for proof or something that they'd killed her."

Justin sat back a little at that, the thought of it disturbing. It was bad enough those two guys had just murdered her in cold blood, but it was really twisted to think they might've taken her body back to Gabe as almost like a trophy. He sincerely hoped that wasn't the case and that the cops did find her. Not only so she could be found and her death publicly recognized but so JC could deal. He'd about flipped out when they'd told him that no one had found her and nothing about her death had been on the news; he felt she deserved a funeral and for people to know what'd happened to her. And maybe by giving those things to her, it would allow JC to deal with his grief more.

"Are they going to look for Gabe?" Lance asked.

"Well," Chris started and then sighed. "It's a little tricky because JC has never met him so he didn't exactly have a description to give to the cops. But he did tell them what those two guys looked like, and so Strickland is going to be on the lookout for them."

Justin figured that was the name of the cop Chris kept referring to. It was clear he'd missed a lot, but he didn't want to interrupt and demand that they fill him in everything they'd talked about before. Well, he did, but it could wait.

"And they're going to use them to find Alice?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"And if they do find her, what happens then?" he pressed. He may not know Alice very well, but he was concerned for the little girl. Though, he couldn't deny part of it was he was worried about her because he knew that if anything happened to her JC would be devastated.

"Well, assuming that they find Gabe too and throw his ass in jail, they'll probably look for any other family she can go to. If there is none, she'll be put into the system," Chris explained.

"And given what JC has told us about Beth's family, they probably won't find anyone," Lance pointed out.

Justin frowned. "Being thrown into orphanages and foster homes doesn't sound good."

"It sucks," Chris agreed, "and they usually try to avoid it at all costs. But it will be better for her than being with her father, especially if he's abusing her."

"That's not going to happen." Their attention was immediately drawn to the doorway of the kitchen and they saw JC standing there. "I'm going to adopt her."

They were all surprised at the declaration, but Justin found he was more taken aback at his friend's haggard appearance. His clothes were wrinkled from sleep and his hair was mussed. He had more color than he had when they'd first found him before the ambulance had arrived, but he was still really pale. Justin couldn't see the bandage on his shoulder given that the t-shirt JC was wearing covered it, but his arm was in a sling. It was obvious that he was exhausted and in pain, but his expression was firm.

"JC, do you even know what you're saying?" Chris asked.

JC glared, seeming to take offense to that. "Of course I do. I have to do this. It's the right thing to do."

They all glanced at each other, and Lance cleared his throat. He stood up and went over to JC, putting a hand on his uninjured right arm. "I know you're attached to her and want to do this for Beth, but you have to know this isn't a good idea."

JC jerked his arm away from Lance, coughing and grimacing in pain as he did so. "I'm doing this for Alice. She needs someone that loves her and can take care of her. I can do that."

"C'mon, C. You know this just isn't feasible. How are you supposed to take care of her when we're constantly traveling? Kids need stability."

JC just seemed to intensify his glare aimed at Chris. "She needs to be with someone she trusts. I can take her with us. She's so well behaved it won't be a problem."

"What about school?" Joey asked. "She's about that age, isn't she?"

"I'll get her a tutor. Like we did for Justin and Lance."

Lance shook his head. "That was different, JC. Chris is right. She needs stability - to go to the same school and see the same friends day after day. She needs routine and our lives are anything but."

JC's eyes narrowed further and he looked like he was two seconds away from losing his cool. Justin could understand why the guys were concerned about JC's decision, but all they were doing was getting him more worked up and just pissing him off. He surely felt like they were all ganging up on him, trying to tell him how stupid he was for trying to help a little girl that he was clearly attached to.

"If this is what you want, we'll make it work," Justin told JC. When JC looked over at him, he nodded and almost instantly he could see some of the tension leave JC's body now that he knew he had at least someone on his side.

It was silent in the kitchen for a long moment before Chris broke it. "Do you even want kids?" he asked.

JC shrugged, looking exhausted as he let go of his anger once he realized they weren't attacking him anymore. "I never thought about it before. It wasn't like any of my girlfriends ever gave me the opportunity to really consider it. But it just feels right."

Chris sighed. "I just want to make sure this is really what you want. That you're not doing this because you feel like you have to. Beth would understand."

"That isn't why he's doing this," Joey said. Justin turned to look at him, a little taken by surprise. He didn't know that JC had talked to Joey about why he was looking after Alice, but clearly he had. "He's doing it because he loves her. Any of us can see that."

Justin realized that it wasn't so much that JC had talked to Joey but that Joey had just seen what was so obvious. JC was painfully attached to Alice and doted on her, acting probably more like a father to her than Gabe ever had. And Justin knew without a doubt that JC would do a fantastic job raising Alice. Maybe this wasn't the way any of them had ever expected a kid to come into their lives, but he couldn't help but agree with JC. It felt right watching him with her.

"Joey's right," Justin said. "Alice needs JC. After everything she's been through, she deserves to have someone be there for her now that her mother can't."

JC gave him a watery smile, and Justin smiled back at him. They might have fought a lot recently, but when it came to the things that truly mattered, they always had each other's backs. And Justin vowed to make sure that never changed as he was sure that JC would probably need all of their help to get him through this.

"Okay," Chris said at last. "I'll help you; we all will. You know that."

JC nodded. "Thank you," he said quietly.

"I'll call a lawyer," Lance said, already reaching into his pocket for his cell phone. He glanced up at JC. "And I'll let Johnny know."

JC shifted, and Justin could tell that he felt bad about adding more to Johnny's plate. But it wasn't enough to deter him from what he felt was the right decision. It was something Justin was actually glad for. Too often JC worried about what the press or other people would think and would let it keep him from doing something he wanted. This was too important for that, and it wasn't like it was a sure thing the press would even find out about it. Maybe eventually, but hopefully by that point Alice would be officially in JC's custody and comfortable with the five of them so it wouldn't be that big of a deal.

Justin stood up and moved to JC. "C'mon, Jace. Let's get you back to bed. You look dead on your feet."

JC shook his head weakly. "I wanna shower."

Justin looked at him and the exhaustion was so easy to see. He was hesitant to let JC shower by himself, afraid that his legs would give out on him and that he'd hurt himself or injure his shoulder even more. "How about a bath?" he suggested.

"Fine," JC relented, his cold making him sound even more miserable than he looked. But he allowed Justin to gently steer him towards the stairs. The sooner JC got his bath, the sooner he could get back to bed.

Justin had a feeling he was going to need to regain as much of his strength as he could because it seemed unlikely things would be as easy as the cops arresting Gabe, leaving JC to adopt Alice. He hoped it happened like that, but he was quickly learning that things concerning Gabe were much more complicated than they appeared.

"Are you sure you want to do this so soon?"

JC sighed, a bit aggravated. "It's already been long enough. The sooner I do this, the sooner we can get the ball rolling to get Alice back."

"I think what Lance is trying to say is that you were just shot yesterday," Joey said. "Maybe you should take it easy."

JC shook his head. If it'd been up to him, he would've told Lance to call the lawyer last night after he'd gotten his bath. It didn't matter that he'd barely been able to keep his eyes open once Justin had helped him back to bed. All he could think about was doing whatever he could to help Alice and that meant he had to put the things that would do that into motion. So as soon as he got up and managed to make his way downstairs, he'd told Lance to get the lawyer he had in mind to come over this morning.

Now they were about a half hour from the guy showing up and his friends were trying to convince him to reschedule, saying that he should be concerned with healing and getting better. But what they didn't get was that he didn't care about himself. The only thing he wanted was to get Alice away from her crazy, dangerous father. Everything else was going to take a backseat to that.

He sighed again as he turned to look at them. "I understand where you guys are coming from, but I'm okay. I swear."

The guys glanced at each other, clearly unwilling to believe him. "Why don't you at least get back into bed?" Chris suggested. "You can talk with the lawyer just as well in bed as you can downstairs in the kitchen."

If JC had been able to cross his arms, he would've. Instead he had to settled for narrowing his eyes and giving each of them a firm look. "I am not taking this meeting laying in bed."

"I told him about the situation, and he would totally understand," Lance said.

JC didn't even bother responding. He just walked out of his bedroom, letting the action speak for itself. Carefully, he made his way down the stairs so he could make some tea before the lawyer showed up.

Once he got to the kitchen and set about making his tea, he realized how much of a pain it was to do things with one hand. His left arm was set up in the sling, Justin having helped him back into it after his bath last night. JC hadn't really minded at the time because his shoulder was killing him so he didn't want to move it much anyway. Now though, it was just slowing him down and frustrating him that it would take him much longer to make tea than it normally did. At this point he wanted full mobility, crippling pain in his shoulder be damned.

JC was at the sink with the kettle, wondering how he was supposed to hold it and turn on the water to fill it without making a mess when the guys came walking in. Just as he reached out and was about to attempt it, Chris came walking over and turned on the faucet.

"It wouldn't kill you to ask for help, you know," he said.

JC glared at him. "I would've figured it out."

Chris turned off the water a moment later. "You can't do this all on your own."

JC took the kettle over to the stove and set it on one of the front burners, turning it on as he rolled his eyes. "It was just tea," he said, turning around to face not only Chris who was still standing by the sink but the others that were now sitting around the table. He didn't understand why this was a big deal.

They all glanced at each other, but it was Joey who spoke. "We just don't want you to refuse help from us because you're trying to protect us."

JC couldn't deny he was worried about what this might do to the guys, especially once Gabe found out he was going to try to take Alice away from him. He was afraid of what might happen, but that wasn't the only thing. He didn't want them to see him completely fall apart and potentially renew their objection that he wasn't fit to handle adopting Alice along with everything that came with it. It was essential he keep his wits about him and remain in control as he didn't want anything to jeopardize him being able to adopt Alice. Though, he had to admit he wasn't really equipped to handle this on his own either.

"I'm not trying to do this on my own," JC said, looking at each of them. "I know I'm going to need help to get Alice back and I appreciate you guys being here for that." He paused briefly to take a breath, his sinus congestion making him more easily winded. "But I don't need you getting on my case for moving about my own house or making tea. I'm not that weak."

"We didn't say you were," Justin objected.

"But we're concerned about you pushing yourself too hard. You were just shot yesterday." JC opened his mouth to object, annoyed they kept throwing that in his face. But Chris held up his hand to signal him to stop and continued, "You know you're supposed to be resting and yet we have to keep fighting you on it. You think we can't see how exhausted you are or how much pain you're in, but we can."

JC sighed. "And does it change anything? No. I'm the one that the police and lawyer and everyone else wants to talk to. So yeah, I'm going to push aside whatever I'm feeling so I can do what's needed to get Alice back."

"That's not healthy, JC," Lance said quietly. "You can't keep ignoring what your body needs because it seems inconvenient for you. To help Alice you have to first take care of yourself."

The whistling kettle kept JC from answering as he turned to shut off the gas burner and grab a mug from one of the nearby cabinets. As he set about making his tea, he couldn't help thinking that what Lance wanted - what they all wanted - just wasn't possible. In his eyes, he couldn't allow himself to stop and rest until he knew that Alice was okay, away from her obviously crazy father. Only then would he be able to relax a bit and maybe allow himself to finally feel all of the things he'd been pushing off since he saw Beth gunned down in front of him.

"JC..." Chris began just as JC finished pouring the boiled water into his mug. He shook his head as he started to steep the tea bag, knowing he should've figured he wouldn't get off that easy.

But then the doorbell rang, and JC knew this was the end of the conversation. More than likely that was the lawyer and they would all have completely different things on their minds by the time he left. Lance was already rising from the table to answer the door, and JC took his tea to the table, taking a seat.

Chris moved to sit down as well, and that was when Lance returned with another man following close behind that JC could only assume was the lawyer. The guy looked like he was at least in his fifties and he introduced himself as Phil Warner, reaching across the table to shake JC's hand before taking the last open chair.

"Mr. Bass briefed me on the situation over the phone," Phil began. He pulled a legal pad out of his leather bag along with a pen, sitting them on the table in front of him. He glanced at JC and continued, "But I'm best able to help when I know all the details. So if it's alright with you, Mr. Chasez, start at the beginning."

JC happened to glance over at Justin who was obviously trying hold back a smirk and failing pretty miserably. Despite the serious situation, he couldn't help but feel some amusement himself. It wasn't often they got called by their last names; it was a really odd feeling.

"We can be on a first name basis here, can't we?" he asked, looking over at the lawyer. "None of us are really used to people talking to us so formally."

Phil nodded once, smiling too. "Of course." He clicked his pen, readying it as he let his hand hover above the piece of paper. "Whenever you're ready, JC."

JC took a deep breath, and almost instantly regretted it as he felt a sharp stabbing pain in his left shoulder. He did his best not to react to it though and forced himself to release his breath slowly. The pain was fading a bit more manageable level, and he began to give Phil the rundown of everything that'd happened the last few days.

It took nearly twenty minutes to get through it all, and by the end of it JC was feeling a little winded. So much so it sparked a coughing fit that lasted several seconds, irritating his sore throat. A bottle of water suddenly appeared in front of him, and he looked up to see Joey returning to his seat. He nodded once at him, silently thanking him for it before he twisted the cap off and took a couple of long swallows.

When he was done, he found that Phil had finished up jotting down the notes he'd been writing throughout JC's explanation. The lawyer was looking at him with a serious expression, and JC lowered his water back to the table, sensing that things were about to take a serious turn.

"Whatever it is, just tell me," JC said.

"I appreciate the situation you're in and that you want do what you feel is right, but legally speaking you have no right to make a claim for Alice."

JC frowned. "What? Why not?"

"Because you're not family," Phil said.

"What does that matter?" Justin asked, the confusion evident on his face. But JC wasn't confused. He was downright pissed. The thought that he was being denied from adopting Alice just because he wasn't family had him seeing red.

"And she's better off with a father that abuses her?" he demanded. "How does that make any sense?"

The lawyer for his part didn't even so much as flinch at JC's raised tone and glare that was directed his way. "There's no proof that he abuses her," he started, but JC quickly cut him off.

"Beth said-"

"It doesn't matter what she said," Phil interrupted. "Maybe if she was around to give testimony to the fact. All you know is what she told you and you won't get anywhere with hearsay if you take this to a judge."

JC clenched the fist of his uninjured arm, feeling his anger rise up and get more intense. He tried to force it down, knowing he wasn't really mad at the lawyer but the situation. Still, it was hard to separate it out because he couldn't take his anger out on the one person that truly deserved it. Gabe.

"So where do we go from here? What can we do?" Lance asked, his voice calm. Clearly he was trying to be the reasonable one and keep things from getting too heated and out of control.

Phil put down his pen and glanced at JC before he looked over at Lance. "We can make a call to social services and get them to do an inspection. If they find something questionable or something that makes them give Mr. Hunter a negative review, then we'd have more of a reason to make a claim for Alice."

"What do you think the odds of that are?" Chris asked.

The lawyer shrugged and shook his head. "It's hard to say. If he really is hurting Alice, social services will likely find evidence of it. They know what to look for with these kinds of situations."

If he was hurting Alice? If? There was no doubt in JC's mind that everything Beth told him was true and that Alice was being abused by Gabe. Maybe it wasn't always physical, but that didn't mean it wasn't happening or that it wasn't just as damaging. She was a defenseless little girl that needed protecting, that needed saved from the crazy man that was her father. Was he the only one that saw that?

JC unconsciously curled his other hand into a fist, which sent shooting pain from his injured shoulder down through the rest of his arm. He gasped at the intensity of it, instantly relaxing his fingers. Chris was sitting next to him and he began to reach out, but JC roughly jerked his entire chair sideways so he was out of touching distance. The action almost caused the chair to topple over, but it managed to stabilize itself and remain upright after wobbling just briefly. In that moment, he didn't care that they were concerned and worried about him. It just fueled his anger that seemed to be growing more and more by the minute.

"What about the fact he had those guys break in here and steal her back?" he demanded, his eyes fixed solely on the lawyer.

Phil actually did look a little uneasy now, but he kept his voice and expression calm as he said, "I'm afraid there's no proof right now that he told those guys to do that, or that he's even connected to them. And technically..."

"What?" Lance prompted when he trailed off.

Phil looked away from JC, seeming unable to say whatever it was while JC was staring at him. His gaze was turned towards the other guys. "Technically Mr. Hunter could charge JC with kidnapping."

"You're kidding," Justin said, disbelief written all over his face. "But Beth told JC to watch her for a few days."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Phil said. "There have been cases where one parent accuses the other of kidnapping the child, even if it wasn't necessarily true."

For a moment all JC felt was stunned. This couldn't be happening. He knew it wasn't going to be easy to adopt Alice, but this lawyer was basically saying it wasn't even possible. Not when they had no real proof Gabe had done any of the things that JC knew he had done, or at least put into motion. And without it, they had no case. No judge would take a case, much less rule against the only family she had, when there was no evidence of the things they were accusing Gabe of.

But quickly that feeling faded and the only thing that was left was rage. It'd been his job to protect Alice - that was what he'd promised to do by agreeing to look after her for Beth. He'd already failed at that once, and now the lawyer was telling him he going to do it again? No. It was unacceptable. He couldn't let her down, not when he knew the truth of what she experienced with Gabe. Even if he hadn't believed what Beth said, the constant nightmares he'd soothed Alice of would have convinced him.

He could almost hear her anguished cry as she'd wake violently, almost sobbing as he tried immediately to comfort her. It weakened him and spurred on his anger at the same time. Phil was speaking, responding to something one of the guys had said, and JC realized he'd had enough.

"We're going to do what we can," Phil was saying as JC shook his head and roughly pushed his chair away from the table.

It scraped loudly against the linoleum, which drew everyone's attention to him. But JC didn't pay them any attention, ignoring them as they asked him if he was okay, where he was going. He just got up, not even allowing himself a moment to make sure he was steady on his feet. His anger carried him out of the kitchen and up the stairs, and it was only when he reached the top that he realized he'd been holding his breath. He collapsed to his knees, coughing so hard that he almost felt like he was going to start gagging.

His coughing was so loud in his ears that he almost couldn't make out footsteps coming up behind him. He fell forward, his right arm coming out to catch himself so he wouldn't face plant just as a hand was placed on his back and someone knelt beside him.

"Jace?" It was Justin, who lifted him up and pulled him in for a hug. His voice was soothing as he said, "It's okay. Forget what the lawyer says. We're going to get her back. You know we will."

JC didn't understand at first why Justin was trying to console him, using that soothing tone of voice that he only pulled out the few times he'd caught him crying. But then he quickly realized that the wetness in his eyes that he'd thought was just from him coughing so hard was actually tears and that his coughing had turned into soft, breathless sobs. Normally, he would allow Justin's words to comfort him and allow himself to believe in his optimism, but not this time.

"You don't know that," JC protested, trying to pull away from Justin.

"Of course I do. We'll find another way, some way to prove that Gabe isn't fit."

For some reason, this just reignited JC's earlier anger and he roughly pushed away from Justin. It was a struggle to get to his feet, but he forced his sore, exhausted body to get up. "You don't get it," he said, his chest heaving slightly from the crying. "It's not that easy. You have no idea what he's capable of."

JC expected Justin to back off, to be hurt by the words that were snapped at him. But instead, Justin rose to his feet and met JC's gaze head on. "Considering what he did to Beth and to you, I'd say we know exactly what he's capable of."

"You don't," JC insisted. "You have no idea what it's like to watch his goons kill someone you love. To have them gunned down in front of you and not even have a chance to say goodbye. And that's only the tip of the iceberg. There's so much you don't know about him."

"I would if you would just tell me," Justin replied, his voice rising in annoyance. "You keep shutting us out and refusing to let us help." He looked at him with a serious expression. "We may not know exactly what you're going through, but that doesn't mean we don't understand."

"Yes, it does. None of you have even come close to experiencing something like this, so no you don't understand." JC shook his head then, and almost instantly regretted it as the world shifted on its axis. He knew he needed to escape to his bedroom or else he would shortly drop right where he was standing. "Just leave me alone."

"JC..." Justin reached out and just brushed his hand against his uninjured arm when JC turned on him.

"I said leave me alone!" he snapped, jerking out of Justin's grasp and half stumbled into his bedroom that was a few feet away.

After slamming the door behind him, he somehow managed to make it to his bed where he instantly collapsed feeling completely spent. He was exhausted, mentally and physically. It made him wonder how he was going to find the strength to go up against Gabe, but he knew he needed to figure it out somehow. Alice was depending on him.

**************

A loud ringing sliced through JC's dream, instantly pulling him out of sleep. He opened his eyes, feeling disoriented even as he turned towards the noise. As he did, he cried out as the move caused tense muscles to twist painfully. His left shoulder was practically throbbing, the pain bringing tears to his eyes and the knotted muscles at the base of his neck just added to it.

But he did his best to ignore it as he reached for his phone. It wasn't that he necessarily wanted to talk to anyone, but there were a few people he wouldn't mind hearing from. And the lawyer and Officer Strickland were at the top of the list. So he stretched, trying to push himself up so he could grab the still ringing phone.

He underestimated how close he was to the edge of the bed and how stiff his body was. It severely limited his movement, and he ended up falling off the bed, crashing to the floor with a loud bang. The sound instantly drew Chris into the room. JC was trying to use his good arm to push himself up as Chris quickly moved further into the room.

"Jesus, JC," he said, quickly moving to JC's side. "What the hell happened?"

Chris didn't even wait for JC to answer. He reached out to pull him to his feet, but JC waved him off as he reached up to grab the phone off his nightstand. It would surely stop ringing any second now, and he wanted to answer it before that could happen.

JC quickly hit a button to accept the call before he put it up to his ear. "Hello?" he said. His voice was hoarse and thick, making him sound much rougher than normal. He cleared his throat and repeated the greeting as the person on the other line hadn't answered him yet.

"Is this JC?"

JC frowned, hearing the female voice that didn't sound familiar. "Who is this?"

"Monica." The name didn't ring a bell, and she seemed to realize that because she clarified, "I'm a friend of Beth's."

JC sucked in a breath, his eyes filling with tears. Briefly he wondered how she got his number, but it didn't matter. She was clearly calling him for a reason, and he had to assume she was looking for Beth - that she didn't know what'd happened to her. And why would she? There had been nothing about her murder on the news, and he suspected it wouldn't until her body was found.

"I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this, but she's..." He paused, swallowing roughly as he worked up the courage to actually say it. He exhaled deeply and said, "She's dead."

There was a moment of silence before Monica said in a said voice, "I know."

"You know?" JC knew he sounded surprised and confused. The only people he figured knew about Beth's death was Gabe and the people he hired, himself, and the guys.

"Yes," she said, not offering any explanation. "And I have something to give you."

JC's brow furrowed, unable to figure out this woman. "What?"

"Can we meet?" she replied. "I can't tell you over the phone."

His mind immediately went back to the last phone call he'd had with Beth. She'd said the same thing, and he couldn't stop the fear that rose up in his chest. What if something like that happened again? Even more, what if it was some kind of a trap to draw him out into the open so Gabe could have those guys kill him?

JC shook his head, dismissing that thought. If Gabe had wanted him dead, he would've been killed when those guys broke in to take Alice. Still, he couldn't help the nervousness he felt.

"It'll be worth your time. I promise," Monica said when he remained silent.

JC hesitated for a second before he said, "Okay. Where do you want to meet?"

She rattled off the address of a coffee shop. Thankfully, it was a place he was familiar with so he didn't have to scramble to find a piece of paper to write it down. They agreed to meet in an hour and he hung up the phone, sighing as he leaned back tiredly against his bed.

"Who the hell was that?"

Chris's voice startled JC, and he looked up at his friend, somehow having forgot he was there. The hard expression on his face and the crossed arms told JC that he wasn't going to let him just leave to meet up with Monica. Not that it was going to deter him, not at all.

"A friend of Beth's," JC said. He positioned his right arm so he could use the bed to give him the leverage he needed to push himself to his feet. Chris stepped closer and offered out a hand to help him but he ignored him, determined to do it himself. Once he was on his feet he looked Chris in the eye. "I'm going to meet her."

"The hell you are," Chris replied. JC opened his mouth to object, but Chris continued. "This could be something set up by Gabe. He might be trying to get to you because you're the only person that knows what he did to Beth."

JC sighed. He wasn't surprised that Chris's thoughts immediately went there because his had too initially, but he had a feeling this wasn't anything orchestrated by Gabe. "In a crowded coffee shop?" he asked.

"You met Beth in a public place before and look how that turned out," Chris pointed out.

JC felt a sharp pain in his chest at the memory that was brought to the forefront of his mind at the words, but he forced himself to push it away. This wasn't the time to dwell on the grief. He had to get ready to meet Monica, and he knew he wouldn't be able to walk out the door until he convinced Chris there was no real risk involved.

"This is different. There are going to be a lot more people at a coffee shop than a train station." He paused and added, "And if Gabe really wanted to kill me, he knows where I live. He doesn't need to draw me out to do it because he proved those guys can get past any security I have no problem."

Chris stared at him, and JC forced himself not to look away from the intense gaze. He wanted Chris to see that he was determined to go meet this girl and see what she had for him. It had to be something from Beth, and there was no way he was going to stay home.

Finally, Chris let out a heavy sigh. JC could sense he was beginning to cave, but he wasn't there yet. "Are you sure you're up to it?" Chris asked.

JC couldn't help but groan in annoyance. "Why do you guys keep asking me that?"

"Because you like to ignore the fact that you were shot and have been dealing with it without painkillers." Chris sounded a bit annoyed himself. "Maybe if you didn't look like you could collapse at moment's notice, we wouldn't keep asking."

JC rolled his eyes. "I'll rest when I get back, okay?"

"I'm going to hold you to that."

JC nodded, knowing without a doubt that he would. Chris asked if he needed help getting dressed, and JC simply gave him a look that said he was not interested in him babying him. He seemed to take the hint because he told JC that he was going to let Lonnie and Mike know that they were going to leave.

As Chris left, JC sighed. He should've figured that Chris would insist on going along with dragging along a couple of bodyguards. Mike and Lonnie were the only ones that had stayed as the others had gone home. They wanted to remain watchful, but because Gabe had gotten what he really wanted - Alice - the likelihood that Gabe or those people would make another appearance was pretty slim. So they agreed that a couple would remain with them just in case and be relieved every day by two other bodyguards on their team. But JC wasn't going to argue them coming along. It would waste too much time, and honestly it would make him feel a little better since he didn't know exactly what this meeting would entail.

It was a bit of a struggle to change out of the t-shirt he slept in and into a sweatshirt, but he managed. The rest was easier to do and once he was dressed, he went downstairs to find that Chris and their bodyguards were ready, along with Lance who said he was going to come too. JC didn't think it was necessary, but he didn't object. He just wanted to get there on time because he was afraid if he showed up late that Monica wouldn't wait around.

The drive to the coffee shop was fairly short, and by the time they arrived, JC felt his body practically humming with nervousness or anticipation. He wasn't really sure which. There was nothing he could think of that Beth would want him to have, but he knew it had to be something important or else she wouldn't bother trying to get something to him via a friend.

They were actually about ten minutes early, and somehow they managed to find a table that would be big enough for all of them, including Monica. Lance went over to the counter to order some coffee for them, while JC let his eyes wander the room. He had no idea who he was looking for and they'd agreed that she would find him, but he couldn't help looking and wondering if she was maybe already there as well.

It was nearly ten minutes before Lance returned with their drinks as there had been a bit of a line. Though, the place wasn't anywhere close to being packed. They each took their drink and JC fidgeted, getting more impatient as each minute passed. Finally, after nearly ten minutes later than the time they'd agreed to meet, a woman approached their table.

"JC?" she asked, a hesitant look on her face. She was shorter than Beth and looked to be more petite.

JC nodded once. "You're Monica?"

"Yes," she said, her face relaxing a bit as she took the open seat across from him. She glanced at Lonnie, Chris, and Lance with an uneasy look on her face.

"It's okay. They're my friends," JC said quickly, trying to reassure her. He didn't want to scare her off. "They insisted on coming. They actually won't leave me alone given everything that's happened."

"Can you blame us?" Chris muttered. Lance elbowed him in the side, and he sighed, leaning back in his seat like he was signaling that he wouldn't say anything else.

Monica offered him a sympathetic expression. Then she gestured to his injured shoulder as she asked, "That from Gabe?"

"Sort of. The two guys he sent to break into my house," JC said.

She sighed. "Leon and Jesse probably."

Chris leaned in slightly, seeming unable to retain his unspoken promise of silence. "You know who they are?"

"No, not for sure. But Gabe usually always uses the same people to do his dirty work. I doubt that changed since I left."

"Left?" Lance asked. "So you were in the cult with Beth?"

"Yes. Gabe doesn't want anyone that isn't committed to what the group believes, what he's trying to accomplish," she explained. Then she met JC's eyes. "But it was much easier for me. I didn't have anything he wanted."

"Alice," JC said solemnly. His eyes filled with tears as he remembered how she'd screamed for him as she was violently ripped away from him, carried out of his house without much of a fight from him. "I'm trying to get her away from him, but it's hard when you don't have proof that he's not fit to have her."

"I think this should help."

Monica pulled out a large envelope from her purse and put it on the table, pushing it towards him. He looked down at it and saw his name was scrawled across the front in Beth's neat handwriting. After taking a shaky breath, he reached out and opened it. He found a couple of things inside: a smaller envelope and an official looking piece of paper.

"It's her will," he said. He looked up at Monica. "How did you get this?"

"She gave it to me. She wanted to make sure everything was in order before she left the cult, left Gabe because she wasn't sure what would happen." Her eyes were a soft brown that looked at him with sympathy as she encouraged, "Read it."

He set aside the letter and gave his full attention to the will. His eyes skimmed the official language part of the document, going down to the part where she could state what things she was giving to whom. It was a pretty short section, but it made it that much easier for him to spot his name. As he read the line, he felt a tear slip down his cheek.

"She requested I become Alice's guardian," he said, looking over at Chris and Lance.

Lance reached out and gently tugged the document out of his hands, reading over it himself as Chris leaned over his shoulder. When Lance was finished reading, he put the paper down and looked at JC. "You still have to fight with Gabe for custody, prove that he's not fit as a parent. But this should at least get you the opportunity you need to do so."

Chris was sitting next to JC, and he squeezed his uninjured shoulder. "You'll call the lawyer about this, right?" he asked, talking to Lance.

"I'll call as soon as we get home," Lance said.

JC wiped at his tears and looked at Monica. "Thank you."

"Of course," she replied, giving him a small, sad smile. She looked around almost nervously before glancing down at her watch. "But I have to go now."

JC wasn't going to object, knowing she'd just helped them in a huge way. But Chris didn't see it that way. He seemed sure that she could help them much more than with just what she'd delivered.

"Wait," he said. He looked at her with serious brown eyes. "Can't you tell us more? Surely you saw a lot in the cult, stuff that could help JC get custody of Alice."

She shook her head. "I really don't know much. Gabe kept a lot of things secret when it came to him. A lot of what I know came after I left from Beth." She tapped the letter that JC had set aside. "She probably explained everything in there."

She stood up, and JC knew that she was done. He still didn't understand what the purpose of Gabe's cult was, but all he knew was that whatever went on in it had to be something serious if people were afraid of him. Though, he reasoned that it could just be that because she was out of it now, she didn't want to get involved in anything having to do with him now. Either way, he sensed this would be the last they'd hear from Monica.

"Can you at least give us the last names of the guys you mentioned?" Chris pushed. "That will make it easier for the police to find them."

Monica bit her lip, and JC thought she was going to say no. But she eventually nodded, and Lance quickly produced a pen from his pocket. She grabbed a napkin and quickly wrote down the two names.

"I'm afraid that's as much as I can do to help," she said as she offered the napkin to Chris. Her eyes were fixed on JC.

"You did a lot. Thank you," he replied, sincerely.

She offered him one more smile and wished him luck before she left. JC sat at the table, feeling a bit in a daze. Just that morning he'd thought they'd hit a dead end with him adopting Alice, but now maybe they could actually get somewhere. He still had to read that letter from Beth, but he was waiting until they returned to his house to do so. There was no doubt in his mind that he would be driven to tears reading it, but part of him was looking forward to it. It would be one last moment with her, and he desperately needed that.

The five of them sat in a conference room, waiting quietly as the lawyer read over Beth's will and letter. Lance glanced at JC, noticing that he was biting at his thumbnail. It was something he only really did when he was anxious, and the stiffness in his posture told Lance he was trying to prepare himself for the worst.

Lance looked back at the lawyer and saw that he was nearly finished reading Beth's letter. He was curious what it said because JC had gone straight to his room once they'd returned to his house from meeting Monica. They'd respected his privacy, despite their worry when he hadn't emerged from the bedroom all night. Just before they'd gone to bed, Chris had peeked his head in and informed them that JC was asleep. Likely he'd given into his exhaustion after reading the letter.

When he'd woken up, he'd immediately sought Lance out to ask what the lawyer had said when he'd called last night. Lance had been tempted to lie, knowing that JC would want to go, but at the same time he was aware it would be nearly impossible to get him to stay. And sure enough as soon as Lance had told him that Phil asked if they could come in to give him the documents, JC had said he'd go get dressed.

He hadn't been surprised because he knew there was no way JC would let them take care of stuff he felt he should be involved in. But they were all concerned that he was pushing himself too hard. Every time they tried to tell him though, he always got defensive and upset. Lance hoped they could come up with some way to get through to him before he managed to put himself in the hospital.

"This is just what we needed," Phil said, looking up at last as he laid the letter down on top of the will that sat on the table in front of him.

JC practically sagged with relief. He still looked kind of on edge, but he didn't look like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders anymore. But Lance sensed there was more, and he wasn't the only one.

Chris leaned forward, his eyes fixed on the lawyer. "But..." he said, prompting him to continue.

"But this is just the beginning," Phil said. "Beth's will gives us the legal authority to make a claim for Alice, but we still have to prove that Gabe is unfit to have custody."

"Isn't that what her letter does?" Justin asked, gesturing to the folded sheet of notebook paper.

JC nodded, shooting the lawyer a look before turning his gaze to Justin. "It does."

"That's true," Phil began cautiously, looking at JC, "but it won't be enough. There will have to be more substantial evidence to back up what she said."

"In case she's lying you mean." JC's eyes were narrowed, clearly pissed at the insinuation that Beth may have exaggerated what Gabe had done to Alice.

Phil shook his head. "No, I don't think she's lying. But it doesn't change the fact that we're going to need more in order to really prove that he should have his custody revoked. I'm confident we can do it though. The things Beth wrote are things Gabe will have to answer for."

"Like what?" Joey asked.

Phil's eyes immediately went to JC in a clear sign that he should be the one to tell them. JC, for his part, refused to look at any of them. "Do you really need to know all the gory details?" JC asked.

"We don't need to know all the details, but the more we know the more we'll be able to help," Lance said.

JC sighed, reluctantly raising his eyes to look at him. "This isn't something you guys can help with."

"Why don't you give us a chance before you write us off," Chris said. He was giving JC the no nonsense look that told them that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Lance recognized it because they had all been on the receiving end of it before, and he waited with baited breath to see if JC would continue to fight him on it. Out of all of them, JC had been the only one to really be successful at getting Chris to back down.

JC and Chris were staring at each, their gazes locked and it seemed like neither was willing to be the first to break. Finally, with a heavy sigh, JC looked away. His attention was on his hands that were running along the edge of the envelope that had originally contained Beth's letter.

"You remember how I said Gabe was the leader of the cult?" he asked, glancing up at them only for a brief second to watch them nod before quickly lower his eyes again. "Well, he was apparently doing experiments on Alice."

Lance felt his eyes go wide, and he could tell that the others were as shocked as him. They all looked at each other, all of them thinking the same question. But it was Joey who gave voice to it. "What kind of experiments?"

JC hesitated for so long that Lance thought for sure he wasn't going to tell them. Finally, he said, "Psychic experiments."

Lance wasn't sure what he was expecting JC to say, but he could say that certainly wasn't it. He didn't know if he entirely believed what he said - perhaps he'd misunderstood the situation. Psychics weren't real, and it didn't make sense that Gabe would focus his attention on that.

"Are you saying Alice is psychic?" Justin asked, his brow furrowed.

It wasn't possible. Lance had never once heard of anything that definitely proved psychics existed, and he doubted the ability resided in a five year old girl. As far as he was concerned, there wasn't enough evidence to support such a claim.

JC sighed yet again, nodding. "Yeah, I think so."

"How do you know?" Lance immediately asked.

"Because Beth told me...before she died and in that letter," JC said, gesturing to the letter that still sat across from him in front of Phil.

Lance looked over at the lawyer. "You believe that Alice is psychic?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe. All that matters is that Gabe thinks she is and that he's doing experiments to bring it out more," Phil said. "If we can prove to the judge the kinds of things he's been doing to Alice, there's no chance he'll retain custody."

"But shouldn't that mean that JC needs to act like it's not true?" Lance pressed. "To show that he's not as delusional as Gabe."

"Just because you don't believe in it doesn't mean it's not possible," Chris replied.

Lance quickly moved his gaze to his oldest friend, his eyebrow raising. "You believe this?"

"It makes sense." They all looked at him with confused expressions, except JC who looked like he'd known all along which Lance supposed he probably had. Chris continued so as to explain, but his gaze was fixed on JC. "An hour or so before you showed up after meeting Beth, she started screaming and crying for her mom. At the time I couldn't see any reason for it, but now..."

"She knew about Beth," JC finished. He let out a shaky sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. "Yeah, I didn't really have to tell her. She came to me after being woken from a nightmare and just knew."

"Some people have intuition when their loved ones are hurt, right?" Joey asked. "Couldn't that be it?"

Chris leaned forward so he could look past Justin to see Joey. "That's part of it actually. And kids are usually much more susceptible to psychic abilities."

"Say she does actually have those abilities," Lance started, looking over at JC, "are you prepared to handle that?"

JC's eyes narrowed, like he knew what Lance was thinking. "Nothing is going to keep me from adopting her." His voice was firm, the gritty quality from his cold making him sound rougher than normal.

"I didn't think it would," Lance said, and he truly didn't. He knew that the only thing that would keep him away from Alice was if Gabe somehow got sole custody. "I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."

"I know." JC's voice was short and clipped, and Lance sensed maybe he'd pushed him too far. "In my eyes it changes nothing. It might just go away once it's not being forced to the surface from Gabe's freaky experiments. And if it doesn't...I'll help her deal with it the best I can."

"And us," Justin added, leaning in slightly so he could put a comforting hand on JC's shoulder. "We'll help too. Whatever you need."

There were nods all around, and Lance sat back in his chair. He'd spoken his piece and if JC was okay with it, then he had nothing further to say about it. Without a doubt he would give JC his full support and do whatever he could to help.

Phil cleared his throat, at once bringing their attention back to him. He shuffled the papers in front of him as he said, "Now, we're going to have to talk about next steps."

Lance sat up straighter, preparing to do what he always did and listen intently so he could fill in the others later if they missed anything. Though, a quick glance around the table showed that their postures were much more alert and their gazes focused on the lawyer. JC in particular had a look in his eyes that Lance had only seen a handful of times, and he knew that JC would do whatever necessary to get Alice back.

He could only hope it worked out in their favor.

**************

Justin cursed as some lo mein noodles slipped through his chopsticks, landing in his lap. He immediately grabbed another napkin from the center of the coffee table to pick them up and clean his jeans.

"That's the third time that's happened," Joey said, the amusement apparent in his voice.

"You obviously don't know how to use chopsticks as well as you boasted," Chris added. He then used his foot to gently nudge JC, who was sitting on the floor with his back against the couch. "Maybe you need to teach him how again."

JC made a noncommittal noise that had the rest of them frowning over his head.

After the meeting with the lawyer, Lance had suggested they pick up some lunch on their way back to the house. It was obvious he was suggesting more for JC than for himself, especially when he ordered from JC's favorite Chinese place. But when Justin had thought back to when he had last seen JC eat and came up empty, he'd understood and shared in Lance's concern. Apparently Joey had gotten him to eat half a bowl of soup the day Alice was taken, but that was two days ago. JC had been sleeping at least, but it was no wonder he still looked exhausted and like he was running on empty. So they were doing their best to get him to eat, and JC was currently humoring them even though it was clearly the last thing on his mind.

"Here, finish the last egg roll," Lance said, placing it in the takeout container JC was currently eating out of.

He shot Lance a dirty look, but after a moment's hesitation he picked it up and slowly began to eat it. Obviously he was just doing it to keep them from getting on his case. Though, Justin had to figure that he felt better now that he'd finally eaten because even if he hadn't wanted to, it was something his body clearly needed. Hopefully now he'd at least have more energy to help him recover fully from both his lingering cold and his gunshot wound.

Their lunch was interrupted by a phone ringing. Lance immediately started to reach for his, but the distinctive jazz ringtone signaled that it wasn't his phone that was going off. As he sat back, JC set his chopsticks back in the container and put down his container so that he could grab the phone that sat on the coffee table in front of him.

JC answered the call, and they all watched curiously, wondering who was on the phone. There seemed to be a short moment of pleasantries exchanged before JC asked, "What did you find?"

Justin set aside his container of noodles, leaning in slightly. They all could guess who was on the phone. There were only a couple of people that were looking into things for them: the lawyer and the cop. Considering they had just left Phil's office a little over an hour ago, Justin was counting on it being the cop that had been working with JC.

Whatever it was that had been said clearly wasn't good, if the way JC paled was any indication. Justin could almost physically see the moment that JC withdrew into himself, obviously not listening to the caller anymore. Chris seemed to pick up on this as well, even with JC's back to him, and he yanked the phone out of his hand.

"Strickland?" he asked. "What's going on?"

They all looked at Chris, anxiously waiting to hear what happened. Chris nodded as he listened to whatever was being said, his expression becoming grim. "One of us will be down shortly," he said at last.

When Chris finally hung up the phone, he sighed heavily. Justin and Lance exchanged a look while Joey asked, "What did he say?"

Chris raised his eyes to look at each of them. "They found Beth's body."

Justin sucked in a breath, his eyes immediately going to JC as he understood now why he'd reacted the way he did. He still looked almost in a daze, and Justin knew he couldn't even begin to relate.

"And they want JC to go down and identify her?" Lance guessed.

"Yeah," Chris said, nodding. "But I think one of us can do that. He doesn't need to see her like that."

JC took Justin by surprise by demonstrating then that he wasn't as out of it as he looked. "No," he said firmly, using his hand to try to push himself to his feet. Joey leaned forward to help, but JC batted his hand away and shifted his hand to the coffee table to give himself more leverage. When he was finally on his feet, he glared down at Chris. "I'm going."

"JC..."

JC shook his head, seeming angry at the tone Chris took with him. It was one that said he knew best whether he was right or wrong. "You can't stop me. This is my responsibility. I have to do this."

Chris got to his feet, looking JC in the eyes. "No, you don't. One of us can go down to Orlando Regional and do it."

"You don't even know what she looks like!"

"I do," Joey said. "I can do it."

JC gave him a disbelieving look. "The last time you saw her was in high school. She looks nothing like she did then." He turned to look at the rest of them, leveling them with a serious gaze. "I'm the only one that can do this, and if I have to drive myself down there I will."

Justin could see the stubborn look on JC's face and knew he wasn't going to back down on this. But Chris also had a similar expression. He could appreciate what Chris was trying to do, that he was trying to protect JC from seeing Beth like that and further intensify his grief. Still, it didn't change that JC was right - none of them were really in the position to be able to identify her as the only one that had even met her before was Joey which had been several years ago.

"I'll take you," Justin said, standing up.

JC gave him a look of appreciation, but Chris turned his disapproving expression on him. "I don't think that's a good idea," Chris said.

"Why not?"

"Because your eyes are still healing," Chris replied. "What if something happens while you're driving?"

Justin sighed, feeling a bit annoyed even though he understood Chris's concern. He'd nearly wrecked his car a couple of times before he'd gone blind from his vision blurring and being obscured by dots that'd seemed to dance before his eyes. But he was confident that wouldn't happen now. Ever since his doctor's appointment, he had been resting his eyes more and they didn't even hurt anymore. The remaining blurriness he'd experienced with his vision was now gone and had been since late yesterday. He wanted the chance to at least try, to allow himself an opportunity to get things back to normal.

"Nothing will," Justin said at last. "But if I feel like I can't handle it, I'll pull over and let JC drive."

Chris looked over at JC. "You're okay with this?"

Justin looked at JC, unsure for once what he would say. It was no secret that JC was overprotective, especially when it came to him. It was something that never failed to annoy him, but considering JC had been looking out for him since the MMC days, he couldn't exactly fault him for it. And there was no doubt Chris was trying to exploit that.

"If he says he can handle it, I trust him," JC said, looking Chris in the eye.

They looked at each other for a long moment before Chris finally sighed and nodded, relenting and backing down from the argument. Justin looked at Chris with a bit of surprise, not having expected that at all. It usually took a lot more to get him to back down from anything. He wasn't going to argue it though.

"I'm going to go get ready," JC said, breaking the brief silence that had fallen over them. He didn't wait for a response as he turned and walked out of the room.

Once he was gone, Lance looked at Justin. "Are you sure this is a good idea? Maybe we should go with you."

Justin shook his head. "This is going to be hard enough. He doesn't need all of us crowding him."

"I think he'll need us because of how hard it will be," Chris replied.

"He will," Justin agreed. "But not right away." He saw that Chris was going to argue further and he quickly added, "Besides, we're easier to spot if we're all together. This isn't something we really want the press to know about."

The guys were silent, and Justin knew they realized he had a point. As much as they all wanted to be there for JC, all of them going to the morgue allowed for a greater chance of them being spotted by someone. The story of course would spread like wildfire, and Justin was convinced it was the absolute last thing JC needed right then. He had enough to deal with already.

"Should we at least call Lonnie and have him go with you guys?" Joey asked. They had sent their bodyguards home after they'd left the lawyer's office as they felt it was unlikely they would see Gabe or the people he'd sent to grab Alice. It'd been two days since that'd happened and it seemed that if anything was going to happen it would've happened already.

"No, I think we'll be okay," Justin said. "We'll just go there and come right back."

Chris sighed again, looking more stressed and worried than Justin could ever remember him being. "Well, just call if you have any problems, okay?"

Justin agreed, and he went out to the hallway to get his shoes. That was where JC was, sitting on the bottom step of the stairs as he stared at the wall opposite him with an almost vacant expression.

"JC?" Justin wasn't entirely sure JC had heard him and was prepared to repeat himself, but it wasn't necessary as JC turned to look at him. "You ready?"

JC nodded, slowly getting to his feet. Justin wanted to ask him if he was okay, second guessing now that he was truly able to handle this. But he knew it would be pointless to ask. JC would tell him he was fine and refuse to let anyone else do what he felt he needed to do. So he just said nothing and led the way to the driveway where JC's car sat.

Once they were on the road, Justin began to rethink not letting the others come. The silence in the car was nearly overwhelming, and he struggled desperately to find something to say. Everything he came up with though sounded so weak in his head. It was frustrating because he felt like if the roles were reversed JC would know exactly what to say, and he especially wanted to offer him some kind of comfort like JC had done for him when he was blind.

The fear of saying the wrong thing kept him from vocalizing any of the things that ran through his mind. Still, he had to say something because the silence was practically painful. He glanced at JC and decided that if he couldn't come up with the right thing to say about Beth and the whole situation then he'd try to take his mind off of it. Even if it was only for a brief moment.

"Thanks for what you said to Chris back there."

JC blinked, Justin's voice seeming to startle him out of his thoughts. He looked over at him. "What?"

"What you said to Chris about trusting me. I appreciate you having my back."

JC continued to look at him weird. "Okay..." he said in a voice that clearly said that what Justin was thanking him for was ridiculous.

But Justin knew different. It wasn't ridiculous to just assume that JC would always have his back. That wasn't to say the others never did because of course they did, but JC was always the first to do so...within reason of course. He didn't let anything else going on between them affect the constant support he gave him - gave all of them. Justin was pretty sure he was a better man than him.

"I'm serious," Justin said, glancing at him once more but being sure to keep his eyes on the road ahead of him. "You always support us without question, and I'm gonna do the same for you. We all will. Whatever you need from us to get through this, we're here for you."

JC looked away, his gaze going out the side window. Justin wasn't sure he was going to respond, but after a second he said quietly, "Thank you."

Justin wanted to press the issue further and apologize for how he'd treated JC over the last few weeks, but he spotted the sign for the hospital and turned as directed. He knew now wasn't the time to get into it. JC had enough on his mind without worrying about clearing the guilty conscience Justin had.

He pulled around the back of the building to where the entrance to the morgue was, and he let JC set the pace as he parked and turned the car off. They sat in the car for a few seconds before JC took a deep breath and opened his car door. Justin took that as the signal that he was ready and got out of the car too.

Once they were in the building, there was a cop standing against the wall. He straightened as they entered and moved right for them. "Mr. Chasez," he greeted, sticking his hand out to JC as he approached.

JC shook his hand, looking like he was trying to swallow back nerves. Justin stepped forward from his place beside him. "You're Officer Strickland?" he asked. The older man nodded and Justin introduced himself.

Once that was out of the way, Strickland said, "I'm sorry to had to come down here and do this, but it's procedure."

"It's okay," JC replied, his voice quiet. Justin knew it was anything but okay and JC was just doing his best to downplay it in hopes that his emotions wouldn't completely overtake him.

"It'll only take a second and then you can go back home."

"Have you found those guys yet?" Justin asked as the three of them moved down the hall, Strickland leading the way.

The cop shook his head. "Not yet. We've got a couple of leads we're following up on though. Having their last names has certainly made it much easier because now we know what to look for."

They approached a metal door then, and Strickland opened it and motioned for them to go in. JC hesitated for a moment, and Justin knew that right then he was regretting having eaten lunch. Honestly, he was kind of regretting it himself. He'd never seen a dead person before. His father's parents had died years ago, but his mom had thought he was too young to attend the funeral. Still, he was going to be strong because he knew it was what JC needed from him.

JC took a shaky breath before he stepped inside the room, Justin and Strickland following closely behind him. There was a woman in there that had on a white lab coat and Justin could only assume that she was the one in charge. She was standing beside a metal table that clearly had a body on it but was currently covered by a white sheet. Strickland joined her on the one side of the table while JC and Justin stepped up to the other side.

Justin glanced at JC and saw that he was looking a little green. He reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, trying to offer some comfort and support. It was with the physical contact that he realized how much he was shaking, and not for the first time, he was beginning to second guess JC's insistence that he do this. He even thought about telling JC that he could still back out, but JC spoke before he could even get a word out.

"Go ahead," he said.

Justin moved his hand down to JC's, loosely grasping it and allowing him to decide if he needed the support or not. JC clutched his hand tighter, swallowing nervously as he watched the woman carefully pull back the sheet so the face was revealed. At once Justin himself felt his stomach churn violently and he wished he'd let Chris be the one to come and do this with JC after all.

The body on the table below them was bloated, the facial features almost nonexistent from the swelling. There was still enough that you could tell the person had been a woman, even if the short red hair hadn't been a clear indicator. He found it hard to believe that this was Beth, even though he'd only seen a single picture of her from JC's high school yearbook.

Strickland looked over at JC, who had yet to say anything. "Is this Beth Carlson?"

JC's eyes didn't move from where they were fixed on her face. He didn't acknowledge in any way that he'd even heard the cop, but after a second, he gave a slow nod. "Yeah," he croaked. He cleared his throat. "Yeah, that's her."

Justin saw the tears shimmering in JC's eyes, threatening to fall at any second. He wanted to suggest that they leave now that JC had identified her, but it didn't look like he was prepared to leave her yet. It broke his heart that JC had to see her like this. This wasn't the way he was supposed to remember her. Hell, she wasn't even supposed to be dead.

"Where did you find her?" Justin asked, his voice quiet. It seemed wrong to speak louder than a whisper in such a setting.

"In the river about fifteen miles from the train station," Strickland said. "That's why her body is swollen like this."

That seemed to be all JC could take because without any warning he released Justin's hand and turned on his heel, all but running out of the room. Justin glanced at the cop and saw he was offering him a sympathetic expression, but he didn't stop to offer an apology. He had to get to JC, find where he went.

Justin glanced quickly up and down the hall, looking for any sign of his friend. He didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, but he couldn't have gotten far. That was when he spotted the sign for the bathroom a couple doors down, and he immediately headed towards it remembering how green JC had looked.

Sure enough when he walked into the bathroom he was met with the sounds of retching. Justin sighed quietly as he leaned against the wall across from the sinks. So much for them getting food into him. It hadn't even had any time to do any good as his body had probably just started to digest the large lunch they'd all had. He doubted they'd have much luck getting him to eat later either.

He thought about waiting outside for JC because the sound was kind of making the nausea he'd experienced in the morgue return, but he wanted to be there for him when he finished. JC had somehow managed to lock the door to the stall before throwing up contents of his full stomach, so Justin really couldn't do anything more than wait. Though, he wasn't sure he'd do much else even if he could because he knew how much he hated being crowded when he was sick, and JC was no different.

The retching had turned to dry heaves and finally about a minute later, Justin finally heard the toilet flush. He could tell from shuffling and rustling of clothes that JC was having a hard time getting to his feet, but somehow he managed because the door opened after another moment. Even though Justin had known JC would exhibit all the typical signs of illness, he was taken aback by just how terrible he looked.

JC's flushed face made the dark circles under his eyes that much more apparent, and his hair was slick with sweat making it look greasy and stringy. And somehow Justin only realized just then how much weight JC had lost the last few days, seeing the way the t-shirt hung loosely over his thin frame. His face even looked gaunt. And while his cold did seem to be slowly dwindling, it still left him with a raw, red nose and bloodshot eyes.

As soon as JC stepped out of the stall and let go of the door, his knees buckled. Justin dove and managed to catch him, wrapping a gentle but supportive arm around his waist. He started to walk them over to the sink, but JC pushed him away. Justin was almost convinced that he would just collapse if he let go, but he recognized the look on JC's face and knew he had to at least let him try. JC usually made himself suffer more than was necessary as he often pushed his body further than it could withstand, but in the end he did end up realizing he needed help and would ask for it.

JC somehow made it to the sink, albeit a bit wobbly, and carefully bent over it to cup some water for him to wash his mouth out. It took longer considering he only had one hand free to cup the water with, but he managed to get it. When he was finished, he left the water running and his right hand gripped the edge of the sink tightly. He raised his eyes to the mirror and Justin saw him wince, like he couldn't believe how terrible he looked. And then without any warning, tears filled his eyes and immediately ran down his cheeks as a strangled sob left his lips.

"I don't think I can do this." He lowered his eyes so he was looking into the sink, his body practically shaking from head to toe as he tried to hold back his sobs. Though, it was a battle he was currently losing.

Justin wasn't sure if JC was talking about the inevitable funeral for Beth and the planning he would likely do for it or if he was talking about Alice. He decided it didn't matter; it didn't change his answer.

Finally Justin felt like he was able to do what he'd wanted to do since they'd entered the morgue. He pulled JC away from the sink and into a tight hug, though he was careful not to put too much pressure on the injured shoulder. "You can," he told JC, his voice quiet as he tried to sound soothing, "and we'll help you through it all."

He felt JC shake his head against his shoulder, his tears soaking his t-shirt. "How am I supposed to protect Alice when I couldn't even protect Beth?"

This just seemed to make JC cry even harder, and Justin could swear he felt his heart breaking into pieces. Never had he heard him sound so broken and hopeless. Not since this whole situation had started anyway. But he was determined to do what he could to get him to shake that feeling - to have some hope that things would turn out. He pulled away so he could look JC in the eye, needing to get through to him.

"It's not the same. There was nothing you could do to help Beth," Justin said, trying be reassuring. "But now you're in the perfect position to help Alice."

"He could be doing anything to her right now!" JC cried, his voice rising and cracking. He wiped at the tears on his face even as more continued to fall. His eyes went to the floor and he whispered, "She must be so scared."

"We're going to get her back." Justin gripped JC's uninjured shoulder, speaking with as much conviction as he could muster. "No way is Gabe going to pass the Social Services inspection. You're so much better for her and they'll see that."

JC finally looked at him, sniffling and wiping at his nose. "What if they don't?"

"We'll just make sure they do," Justin said. JC too would have to undergo an inspection from Social Services to assess his house and what his relationship was like with Alice, but he didn't need to be worrying about that now. What he really needed was to go home and get some rest. It had been an extremely rough day, and he needed some time to deal with it before worrying about what he had to do to prepare for the impending visit.

JC said nothing, but his crying seemed to have slowed. At least, his chest was no longer heaving with the effort of taking in ragged breaths through his sobs. For as exhausted as he looked earlier, he now looked like he could truly collapse at any second.

"C'mon," Justin threw an arm around JC's back, purposely going lower than his shoulder so as not to aggravate the injury that was still wrapped, "let's go home."

JC didn't push him away this time and actually allowed him to lead them out of the bathroom. Strickland was in the hallway, but Justin didn't bother stopping he just nodded at him briefly before walking out of the hospital's morgue. Anything else that the cop needed, he could just call later. Right now all that mattered was taking care of JC, whether he felt he needed it or not.

"Is he sleeping?"

Joey watched as Justin took a seat at the end of the couch opposite Lance. He nodded at Chris's question and said, "Yeah. Finally wore himself out."

From the moment Justin and JC had returned from the morgue, the three of them had been able to tell immediately that it hadn't gone well. Not that something like that could really go good, but it had been clear that JC hadn't handled identifying Beth's body well at all. They'd all wanted to know what had happened but all Justin said was that he needed some help getting JC settled, which Chris had immediately jump to do. Then once JC was settled back in his bedroom, Justin had shooed them all out, saying that he had it covered now.

"How bad was it?" Lance asked. "Really."

Justin sighed, raising his eyes so he could look at each of them. "Bad."

That single word told Joey all he needed to know, and he had no reason to press any further or demand more details. But not Chris. He leaned forward where he was sitting in the old armchair that was near the couch, frowning at Justin.

"Did he freak when he saw her?"

"I wouldn't say he freaked out," Justin started. "But yeah, he eventually lost it. Not that you could really blame him though considering the condition she was in."

Justin looked a little green as he said that, and Joey knew he was picturing Beth's dead body. He didn't envy him at all, and even more he was wishing one of them had gone with JC instead to spare him from that. And he could tell by the look on Chris's face that he was thinking something similar. There was nothing they could do about it now though.

"What did she look like?" Chris asked.

Justin swallowed, seeming to lose even more color in his face. He seemed to be trying to work himself up to speak, but Joey quickly stepped in. "We don't need to know that," he said, giving Chris a look that told him to back off.

Chris sighed. "I just thought if we knew it would help us get him through what he saw."

"Nothing is going to help that, or erase it from his mind," Joey said. "He was in love with her and she was murdered. And to make it even worse, he had to identify her body that was found days after it'd happened. He probably won't ever forget that."

Lance nodded. "Joey's right. All we can do is try to make things as easy on him as possible and help him deal with everything."

"Is he really dealing though?" Chris asked. "Or is he just dealing with the emotions that spill over when things start to become too much to handle?"

"I think he's actually allowing himself to grieve now," Justin said.

"And how do you know?"

Justin narrowed his eyes at Chris, like he didn't appreciate him insinuating that he didn't really know what JC was going through. "Because I know him. Up until now he was trying to put on a brave face, but now..."

"What?" Joey asked.

"He's scared," Justin said, looking down and shaking his head sadly. "He's afraid of what's happening to Alice, that he can't protect her, that he can't do any of this." He raised his eyes to look Chris in the eyes. "That's how I know. He doesn't give into those kinds of feelings if he's trying to put up a strong front."

Joey nodded, thinking back to other situations over the years that had elicited that kind of reaction from JC. Obviously none of them were on the same scale as this, but he had a tendency to react the same no matter what. Often it led to him freaking out about small things that didn't really deserve such a strong reaction, but that was just who JC was. If he felt like certain things were expected from him, he would force himself to push down his feelings and put up a stoic front. Like he did during the lawsuit.

It'd taken them longer to realize it than it should have then, but they had all been so stressed and trying to deal with everything else that was happening. Now though, it was solely JC that was experiencing a high stress situation. It was hard knowing that none of them could truly relate to what he was going through like they'd been able to with the lawsuit, but they were all determined to help him through this. And now that he was finally allowing himself to properly grieve for Beth, maybe he would finally hand over the reins a little and let them help.

"So what do we do now?" Chris asked.

"Well, I can start making arrangements for a funeral," Lance said.

Joey frowned at him. "Are you sure? Shouldn't that be something JC does?"

"There are a lot of details involved in planning a funeral, and it's the last thing he needs right now." Lance paused. "Besides, we have Beth's will. I'm sure she laid out her wishes in there."

"He's going to be pissed if you do this without talking to him," Justin warned.

But Lance didn't seem at all concerned. "I'm trying to help him. He's not going to want to do all of this on top of the meetings with the lawyer and the cops."

"You still might want to clear this with him."

"Well this isn't something that has to be done right now," Joey said. He looked at them, specifically zeroing on Lance since he was the one offering to make all the arrangements so JC wouldn't have to. "Right?"

Lance hesitated for a moment. "I don't know how long the morgue will hold on to her body. It might be better to just get it over with now anyway."

Justin frowned. "What about Alice? Shouldn't she get to say goodbye?"

"She doesn't need to go to a funeral," Chris said. "She's too young, and it's hard enough for her already without being confronted with her mother's dead body."

Joey could understand why Justin had asked - that it seemed like you would want a moment to say goodbye to a parent. But what Chris said was true - a funeral was no place for a five year old, even if it was her mother's. She had endured a lot already and she didn't need the nightmares it would surely give her.

"Do you think JC's up to it?" Joey asked.

"I think it's better to get it out of the way," Lance said. "That way he can truly deal and focus all of his attention on getting custody of Alice."

"I still say you should talk to him about it before you starting making plans."

Lance looked at Justin. "Okay. I won't do anything until later."

A moment of silence fell over them, each of them silently wondering what they should do now. Joey was the first one to speak, asking, "How long should we let him sleep?"

Sleep was one of the best things for JC given that his body was trying to heal from both his cold and his gunshot wound. But as they realized earlier, sleep wasn't the only thing that was going to make him better; he needed to eat too. So as tempting as it was, they couldn't let him sleep all day again. They would have to wake him at some point so he could work on building up his strength again and to help him work through the things he was surely feeling about what'd happened to Beth. Joey couldn't remember any of them really talking to him about it, and he was concerned what might happen if they left it alone.

"At least for a few hours," Chris said. "We'll wake him for dinner."

Just as he said that, there was a loud scream upstairs. The four of them were immediately on their feet, rushing upstairs as horrible thoughts ran through their minds. Joey didn't know exactly what the others were thinking, but he was willing to bet it was similar to what was going through his mind - that those guys had come back for JC or maybe Gabe came himself this time. A dozen different scenarios flashed before his eyes in warp speed, but as they all ran into the bedroom, they pulled up short as they realized all of their fears had been unfounded.

JC was lying in bed, unharmed besides the shoulder wound he'd already been inflicted with. He was curled into a ball, his body shaking violently as he sobbed and Joey didn't have to come any closer to tell that he was drenched in sweat. Justin and Chris sprung into action immediately, moving to either side of JC and doing their best to soothe him.

Joey looked over at Lance and knew that the concern on his face surely mirrored his own. But then they both joined Chris and Justin on JC's bed, showing their support. It would take all of them to help JC through this, and it was something they were determined not to fail at.

*************

JC was in the middle of yet another nightmare. It was the same one he'd been having, but it didn't get any less scary with the increased frequency. His heart still raced and he still thrashed about in his sleep. And just like always he jerked awake violently.

"Beth!" he cried, his right arm out in front of him as he'd been trying to reach out to her in the dream. His left arm struggled against the sling it was still in.

His flailing hand was caught and held still before being gently lowered to his side. "Take it easy, JC."

JC blinked, forcing away the images of Beth's bloated, rotting body crying out to him for help. Justin was sitting next to him, still holding onto his forearm. This was a scenario that had been played out with each of the guys for hours now. He was pretty sure they had taken up to sitting with him in shifts and it seemed now it was Justin's turn.

JC forced himself to take a deep breath to try to get his breathing under control once more as he glanced around the room. It always took him a minute to get his bearings. He could see the late afternoon sun streaming through the window, and he found he couldn't believe it'd been at least twenty-four hours since he'd gone down to the morgue to identify Beth's body. The nightmares hadn't allowed him to sleep longer than a couple hours at a time since he'd returned, which had made it seem like a lot more time had passed.

"What time is it?" JC asked once he finally felt he had a better grasp on reality, the tendrils of the nightmare no longer squeezing his heart so tightly that he couldn't breathe.

"Nearly three o'clock."

JC had expected him to say five or six and that it was time for dinner. The guys had been insistent that he eat, and with him waking every few hours it was easy enough for them to bug him about it. He hadn't once felt all that hungry, but he'd gone along with it, usually so he could leave his bed and the nightmare behind for at least a little bit. But he would normally end up nearly falling asleep at the table before he could even eat all of his food and they would help him back into bed once more.

But now JC could sense that something else was up. There was something in Justin's voice, something that told him that he wasn't just there to sit with him while he slept. Automatically, he felt a pit in his stomach begin to grow as he feared the worst.

"What's going on?" he asked. Justin hesitated for a second too long, and JC felt his patience instantly disappear as panic rose up in him. "Tell me!"

"Social Services is on their way over."

JC turned his head so fast he felt a sharp pain in the side of his neck. Chris moved closer to the side of the bed, glancing briefly at Justin before looking back at him. The panic JC felt was quickly abating, but confusion took its place.

"What? Why?"

"For the inspection," Chris said.

Justin leaned forward, grabbing hold of JC's hand and squeezing it to get his attention. "We tried to get her to put it off until at least tomorrow morning, but she insisted. She says with these kinds of cases there is usually rush to make sure the child is in a truly safe environment."

"When is she coming?" JC asked.

"She'll be here in an hour," Justin said.

All of JC's earlier panic returned, though this time for a different reason. "But I'm not ready!" he protested. "The house is a mess and..."

"And Joey and Lance are taking care of it," Chris said. "You just worry about getting yourself ready."

JC pulled his hand out of Justin's hold and ran it through his long hair, sighing heavily. He was wishing now he'd gotten his hair cut like he'd originally planned a week ago. The appointment had been scheduled and he'd cancelled it at the last minute, deciding he liked the long hair. Now though all he could think about was that the social worker was going to take one look at him and immediately begin to form an opinion of him, wondering what the hell made him think he could take care of a kid.

But there was nothing he could do about it now. The best he could try to do was dress appropriately and tame his hair as much as he could. Before he could worry about that though, he needed to get in the shower.

"I'll start a bath for you," Justin said, obviously thinking along the same lines as him.

JC shook his head, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm getting a shower."

"JC..."

"I'm getting a shower," JC repeated, interrupting Justin. He gave both him and Chris a pointed look as he added, "Without any help."

JC could tell they were worried, that they likely didn't think he was strong enough or that his shoulder was healed enough for him to get it wet and have it be pelted with water. But he was determined to do this on his own. He couldn't appear weak in front of the social worker, even if he was exhausted and his heart was heavy with grief. He had to show her that he was strong and fully capable of taking care of Alice.

Without another word, JC grabbed some clean clothes out of his closet before disappearing into the bathroom. Once he was in there, the simple task of showering took much more energy and was much more painful than he had anticipated it being. When he was finished, he was panting slightly both from the pain and hot water.

He'd just put on his pants when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, he finished buttoning his jeans as he said, "What?"

"You want me to bandage your shoulder?" Chris asked on the other side of the door. Though JC knew that he wasn't really asking, and knowing Chris he'd just barge in whether JC actually let him in or not.

He couldn't help sighing again as he opened the door and stepped back to allow Chris to enter. Chris gave him a quick once over and shook his head. JC could guess what he was thinking - that he'd lost too much weight and was much too pale. That the shower had taken even more out of him, and he hadn't had much energy to spare in the first place.

"You're going to need a belt," Chris said as he moved around JC, putting down the toilet seat lid and gesturing for him to sit.

JC glanced down at his pants. Okay maybe they sat a little lower on his hips, but that didn't mean he needed a belt, right? He didn't think so, and he told Chris this as he sat down on the toilet.

"It's fine if you're going for that crotch-down-by-your-knees thing," Chris replied, moving back to the sink where the bandages and ointment they'd been using for the gunshot wound were. "It seems to be a big thing with all the rappers now. Though I wouldn't recommend it. I've heard you rap before and you're terrible."

JC knew that Chris was trying to goad him into defending the raps he'd done, saying that he'd been sixteen at the time and goofing off with Tony. But he wasn't going to allow himself to be distracted. There was only one thing on his mind and that was making sure they were ready for the social worker. Or at least as ready as they could be given the next to no notice she'd given them.

"Is everyone ready?" JC asked, watching as Chris opened a new bandage from the sterile packaging and applied some ointment to it.

Chris sighed, seeming disappointed but not surprised that his attempt to distract JC hadn't worked. He turned to JC and carefully pressed the bandage against his shoulder. JC did his best not to squirm, but he couldn't help grimacing at the pain that was inflicted by Chris's touch even though he was obviously being as gentle as he could.

"As ready as we can be I guess," Chris said, taping the bandage in place. "Joey and Lance got most of the rooms picked up and Justin was taking care of yours."

One last piece of tape was added to his shoulder, and JC nodded his thanks to Chris, both for bandaging him up and helping to get his house to be more presentable. He stood up and grabbed his shirts off the counter near the sink, quickly but carefully throwing on his tank top and then his solid blue long sleeved button up shirt.

As he did the last button, he walked out into the bedroom and found that Justin was tossing his pillows back on his bed. It wasn't made as neatly as JC probably would have had it, but it was better than it'd been and he knew he had to be nearly out of time. He went to his closet and pulled out a belt, carefully looping it through his jeans and buckling it while trying to ignore the pain the simple motion caused in his shoulder.

When he finished he looked up and found Chris smirking at him. JC rolled his eyes, while Justin looked on in confusion. He almost felt lighter right then, his muscles around his lips might've pulled up into a small smile if Chris hadn't thrown his arm sling at him. There was no way he was going to wear this, and he knew there would be quite a bit of push back.

"I'm not wearing it," JC said, tossing the sling into his closet.

"JC..." Chris started to protest, but JC cut him off.

"No, Chris. I don't want to wear it and you can't make me."

Chris's eyes narrowed, but before he could say anything, Justin spoke. "Don't you need to keep your shoulder still while it heals?" he asked.

"Yes," Chris said immediately.

"But only for the first few days," JC was quick to add, especially when he saw the way Justin frowned in concern. "Then he said I just have to take it easy. And it's not like I can keep it in the sling forever anyway. I have to use it some or it'll get too stiff."

Chris gave him a look. "Not enough time has passed for that to happen. So why don't you just put it on instead of trying to be a tough guy and making the pain you're already feeling worse."

JC glared at Chris, not appreciating the way he was being ordered around. "I'm not going to look weak in front of her," he snapped.

"Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Chris fired back. "You look like you're about to keel over. The sling would at least give a visual clue that you've been injured."

JC opened his mouth to reply, but Justin quickly cut in before he could. "Okay, let's not fight." He looked over at Chris. "Chris..." he started.

Justin didn't get the chance to finish what he was saying because the doorbell rang, and JC knew their time was up. He didn't even bother looking at Chris or Justin as he turned and walked out of the room, heading for the front door. His heart hammered against his chest, and he forced himself to take a couple of deep breaths before pulling the door open.

On the other side of the door stood a short woman who looked to be in her forties. She was dressed professionally and had an expression on her face that commanded respect. Surely it was something she'd developed over the years to compensate for her height, and JC wasn't ashamed to admit he found her intimidating. Then again, that likely had everything to do with why she was there.

"Mr. Chasez?" she asked. When he nodded, she stuck out her hand and said, "Hello. My name is Patricia Armstrong. I'm with social services."

JC shook her hand. "Hi." He then released her hand and stepped back, opening the door wider and allowing her to step inside.

She did, and he shut the door behind her. As he turned around, he found that the guys had joined him in the foyer and he sighed quietly before introducing the social worker to them. She graciously shook each of their hands, her face friendly enough. But as soon as that was done, she looked at JC and he knew at once that she was ready to get down to business. He wasn't though. Not yet. There was one thing he needed to know first.

"How's Alice?" he asked.

"I'm not supposed to talk about anything I saw at Mr. Hunter's house," she started, her expression firm, but JC quickly cut her off.

"I don't care about any of that. I just need you tell me how she's doing." He looked at her with a pleading expression as he added almost desperately, "Please."

She stared at him for a moment, and JC was sure she was the type of person who did everything by the book. But she must have felt some pity for him because she said, "She's okay."

JC wasn't sure at first if what she was saying was actually true or if she was just saying that to appease him and get him to let it go. But after a moment he decided she was telling the truth. She didn't strike him as the type to lie, especially concerning someone's worry over a child. After all, it wasn't like his worry was unfounded. That was why they were going through all of this - to prove the best place for Alice was with JC and not her father.

"Thank you," he said, feeling just a tiny bit of tension ease from where it'd settled between his shoulders.

She gave him a curt nod before she finally got to what she came for. "I want a tour of the place if that's okay. And then we'll sit down and talk a bit."

"Okay." JC nodded, swallowing nervously as he looked around briefly. He felt completely unprepared for this and he wished he'd had more time. Though, that seemed to be the point - to give social services a true sense of what life would be like in the home. "I guess we can start in the study and make our way upstairs."

"Fine by me," she said.

JC led her around the house, trying not to fidget as she moved around the rooms to get a closer look at certain things. She also asked him numerous questions about things she saw as potential dangers that he hadn't taken care of, like the fireplace in the living room. Would it be shut? Where was the gate to keep curious kids away? He did his best to assure her that he would make sure his house was completely safe for Alice, and that he'd only had a short time to prepare his home as he hadn't expected to watch her in the beginning.

The nervousness only seemed to get worse as he led her upstairs and they entered the guest room that Alice had claimed for herself. It was the first time he'd been in the room in days, certainly since she'd been taken by Gabe's henchmen. She hadn't had a lot of things with her, but the things that were in the room made his heart heavy with grief. Her purple suitcase in the corner of the room. The stuffed dog he'd given her sitting on the made bed.

He leaned heavily against the dresser, feeling breathless but doing his best to act as casual as possible. Her back was turned so it gave him a little bit more time to try to pull himself together. But he wasn't able to keep from worrying the guys, if the looks they kept shooting him was any indication.

Somehow he managed to pull himself together by the time the social worker turned around so he was standing straight, ready to answer any other questions she had. But she seemed satisfied with the tour of the house and suggested that they go sit down so they could talk. JC nodded, leading everyone back downstairs to the kitchen.

As he entered, he glanced over his shoulder at her and asked, "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be very nice," she said.

JC started to cross the kitchen to the stove, but Lance stopped him. "Go ahead and sit. I'll take care of it," he said.

JC glanced briefly at the others, knowing part of the reason they were stepping in was because of how he'd concerned them upstairs. But he wasn't going to fight them about it, especially not with the social worker sitting just feet away. He nodded his thanks to Lance and took a seat at the table across from Patricia as the others also pulled up chairs.

"I just have a few questions," she said.

"Okay." JC fiddled with his hands underneath the table, feeling his nerves kick up a notch and desperately trying not to let it show. "What do you need to know?"

"Prior to this, did you want kids?"

JC looked at her in surprise. What he may or may not have wanted before was irrelevant now. He wouldn't be going through all this if he didn't want Alice. But she clearly didn't agree as she stared at him, waiting for his answer.

He sensed she wouldn't accept a vague answer and would probably be able to tell if he was lying, so he was trying to figure out what would be the best thing to say. And while he was doing that, Justin asked, "What does that matter?"

She looked at Justin with an almost stern expression. "It matters a lot. In scenarios like this, people take in a child and because they never really wanted kids they end up giving the child up. Or else they're not invested in the child's life and wellbeing. Either way, it's not an ideal situation for the child."

"And neither of which will happen," Justin replied, his eyes narrowed like he was offended on JC's behalf. JC appreciated what he was trying to do, but he knew it was up to him to convince her that none of those things would happen.

JC put a hand on Justin's arm, silently telling him to back off. Justin sat back in his chair, and JC leaned forward just slightly, meeting the social worker's expectant gaze. "I haven't been in a serious enough relationship where I considered it, but I think I always figured I'd have kids when I met the right person."

"Would Beth have been that person?" she asked.

JC inhaled. She'd asked the question that'd been on his mind for the last few days. He still wasn't sure what the answer was, and that was the problem with Beth being dead - he would never know.

So he answered honestly as he said, "Maybe." He paused, and that was when Lance placed a cup of tea in front of both him and the social worker. He glanced down at his tea before looking back up at her again. "But what I do know is that I love Alice, and I want to take care of her. Not just because it was what Beth wanted but because I know I can be what she needs."

"And yet you've only seen her a couple times a year," she countered. "How can you possibly know what she needs or take care of her?"

"You're concerned about my career," JC said, able to read between the lines and hear what she wasn't saying.

She nodded. "Yes, but that's not all. I'm not convinced you're prepared to handle taking care of such a young child. How can you be when you obviously don't take care of yourself."

"What?" JC nearly dropped the mug of tea he was holding. "What do you mean?"

She took a sip of her own tea, not seeming at all fazed by his reaction. As she set her mug down, she gestured across the table at him. "It's obvious you haven't been taking care of yourself," she started, but Joey interrupted before she could finish.

"He was shot and-"

"I know about the incident," she replied, cutting him off. She looked back at JC though she was clearly still addressing Joey and the others. "But that doesn't excuse the condition he's in. That happened days ago, but it's clear he hasn't allowed his body the time to heal."

JC looked down at his tea, unable to deal with the intense gaze she had fixed on him. It was one thing for the guys to get on his case about it because they always did, but it was completely different when a stranger called you out on it. He found that he couldn't even bring himself to object. It wasn't as cut and dry as she made it out to be, but what she was saying was true - he'd hardly let himself rest. But how could he when there was so much to do?

He might not have felt like he deserved to defend himself, but the guys clearly had no problem sticking up for him.

"Because he's been trying to do what he can to make sure Alice is safe," Justin replied.

She raised an eyebrow. "At the expense of his own health?"

"That's what he does. He always takes care of everyone else first and himself last," Justin said. "And as infuriating as that normally is, I know it's something that makes him more than capable of being Alice's guardian."

JC raised his head just enough that he could see Justin out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't expected him to defend him so vehemently, and to commend him for something they normally got on his case about. But he couldn't deny it made him feel good to know that they truly supported him in this.

"I'm not trying to discount what he's done," the social worker began. "I wish more parents and guardians were self sacrificing. But it doesn't set a good example for the child."

"What do you mean?" Joey asked.

She began to explain, her gaze permanently fixed on JC. As he looked at her from across the table, he realized she was speaking directly to him now. "Is that what you want her to learn? That it's more important to take care of other people than herself?"

JC recognized immediately what she was getting at. He'd been told before numerous times - usually by the guys - how unhealthy his need to put other people first constantly was. It was hard to change though because it was a natural state for him. But she was completely right; he didn't want Alice to have the same attitude. Caring about other people was great, but he knew he sometimes took it too far to his own detriment. And it wasn't something he wanted for her.

"So you don't think he's cut out to be her guardian because he actually cares more about other people than himself?" Chris demanded.

The social worker shook her head. "I didn't say that. I'm just trying to determine what would be best for the child. I'm just telling you my concerns."

Chris opened his mouth to reply, but JC knew that he'd been silent too long. It was up to him to argue his case, and he doubted she would take his request to be Alice's guardian seriously if he just sat back and let the others fight this battle for him. He wasn't that kind of person either.

"You don't have to be concerned," JC said, looking her in the eye. "I may make mistakes, but I'm human. My career and lifestyle may not be ideal, but I love her and I'll do whatever for her. And that should be all that matters."

When he finished, he could've sworn her lips were upturned in a small smile. It was so brief though that he wasn't entirely sure he hadn't imagined it. Her expression was serious once more and she nodded to him.

"I think I have everything I need," she said, getting to her feet. She looked at him again. "I would spend the next few days getting better if I were you. You'll want to feel your best for court."

"I will," JC vowed.

He started to push his chair back to walk her to the door, but she waved all of them away, saying that she'd let herself out. They all sat there as she walked out of kitchen and then a few seconds later they heard the front door open and close.

Once she was gone, all of the energy that'd seemed to carry him through the visit left him. He slumped in his chair, completely exhausted and now unable to keep himself from thinking about how much of it was self-inflicted. And how he was determined to make sure he looked stronger and healthier for the impending court date. Even though the lawyer hadn't given them the exact date yet, it was surely going to be soon, especially now that the social worker had visited both him and Gabe.

With that in mind, JC raised his head and looked at the guys who seemed to be waiting for some kind of a reaction from him. And he knew they would be surprised that it was a simple question.

"So what's for dinner?"

JC sat on the cool sand, staring out into the ocean. He was sitting far enough from the water that when the waves came rolling in, they were just shy of missing him. His knees were bent and he was slouched forward slightly so he could rest his forearms on them. Beside him on the sand was an urn that held Beth's ashes.

The night after the social worker had done her inspection, Lance had asked JC what he wanted to do for Beth's funeral. JC had felt his stomach plummet. He'd known he would have to take care of it of course, but it was one of those things he'd never be ready for. Mostly because he didn't want to take that step to say goodbye to Beth, even though he knew that she was gone.

But he'd remembered a past conversation he had with Beth years ago. It was when they were seniors in high school and her grandfather had died. She'd returned from the funeral, saying that never would she want so much money spent on everything that encompassed being buried. That and she'd said the idea of being laid out creeped her out. Her will had also supported that, which made it all that much easier on him.

The guys had asked if he'd wanted to set up a visitation of sorts for anyone to pay their respects. JC had considered it, but in the end he'd declined. Based off the small glimpse he'd gotten at her life in the cult, he wasn't sure how many friends Gabe had allowed her to had. And the friends she did have, like Monica, seemed too skittish and likely wouldn't come to a visitation anyway in fear of running to Gabe. Honestly, it'd been something JC was afraid of too. The only time he wanted to face Gabe was in court.

So Lance had made the arrangements for Beth's body to be cremated. JC had selected the most basic urn, knowing that it wasn't going to hold Beth's ashes for long. Even though it hadn't been specified in her will, he knew that she wouldn't like to be sitting on a mantel somewhere. That was when he'd come up with the idea of taking her to the beach - the very spot they often got together at - and release her ashes there.

Now that he was at their spot, he found it was harder than he thought it would be to work himself up to being able to let her go. As he sat there staring out into the ocean, he was assaulted with memory after memory of Beth. He supposed that was the downfall of coming to a place that was a frequent escape for them.

There were so many memories that ran through his mind, each one vying for his attention. He remembered them chasing each other through the water, her laughter echoing in his ears. He could practically see her sitting beside him as she had so many times before - sometimes with her knees to his chest, similar to how he was sitting now, and sometimes it was much more relaxed with her leaning backwards on her elbows. They'd talked about a lot of stuff here. So many life changing decisions had been made at this beach, and it made him wonder if she'd returned when she decided to get away from Gabe.

"Can I sit down?"

JC glanced over his shoulder to see Joey standing there. He was surprised the guys had left him alone this long. None of them had said anything to him when they arrived, like they knew he needed some time to himself so he could say goodbye. There was no way for him to know how long he'd been sitting there staring off into the ocean as his thoughts carried him away, but it was clear that the guys were getting worried and wanted to check on him.

"Sure," JC said finally, looking away from Joey and back out at the endless ocean in front of him. He was actually surprised Justin wasn't the one to come over given that he'd almost been glued to his side throughout this whole thing. Then again, Joey had been only other one who had even known Beth so maybe they had elected him for that reason.

Joey sat next to JC, sitting to the right of the urn so it was in between them. They sat in companionable silence, and JC was a little taken aback by it. He wondered if Joey was just trying to come up with what to say, or if he was sitting back and giving silent support, hoping JC would say something. Either way, he wasn't going to complain. It was better than being pressed to talk about how he was feeling or if he was okay.

They sat like that for several minutes before Joey finally broke. He glanced briefly at JC before turning his gaze back out to the ocean as he said, "So this is where you guys always ran off to."

JC looked at Joey. "I didn't know you had noticed us being gone that much."

Joey turned his head to give him a look of his own. One that clearly said "c'mon, JC". He then added to it by saying, "You blew off classes more senior year and they usually always coincided with the days that she wasn't there too. But I can't really blame you if this is where you coming all the time."

"It was Beth," JC replied. "She was the one who found it."

There was a long pause, and JC could feel Joey's gaze boring into him. But he refused to turn his head to look him in the eye. Finally, Joey said, "I'm sorry about what happened to her."

JC nodded. "Me too," he said quietly.

Not for the first time he thought about Alice and the fact that she would never really know her mother, and that Beth would never be around to see her grow up. Alice had meant the world to her, and now she had left it up to JC to pick up where she left off caring for her daughter. It was something he was terrified of screwing up, and rightfully so given it was such a huge responsibility. And he felt the pressure to give her a great life considering the hardships she'd already suffer. That was assuming he got custody of her, and he was more than a little afraid that somehow the judge would rule against him. Though, he tried not to think about it.

"I owe her so much," JC found himself saying. He looked down, squishing the cold sand between his toes as he tried to fight off the tears that had built up again.

Joey reached out and put a hand on his shoulder. "I understand what you mean. It seems like you only realize how much someone just being a friend to you has done for you when something happens."

JC shook his head. "That's not what I'm saying. I mean, that is true. But I wouldn't be at this point in my life if it wasn't for her." He could see the confusion on Joey's face and knew that he hadn't made it any clearer. So he tried again, putting it in a way he was sure would leave little room for misunderstanding. "She's the reason I joined the group. She was the one to convince me."

Finally Joey understood, and he frowned at JC. "I thought Justin was the one who talked you into it."

"He called me nonstop for two days, but it was Beth who really gave me the push to agree to give it a shot. I just let Justin think he'd worn me down."

A short, loud laugh escaped Joey's lips. "I bet he'd love to hear that." But as quick as it appeared, the amusement faded and Joey looked serious again. "So what did she say that Justin didn't?"

JC let out a heavy sigh as the memory was pushed to the forefront of his mind. He'd been lying on his back, staring up at the cloudless blue sky. Beth had been in a similar position next to him, though her gaze had been fixated on him. She'd started by repeating the things everyone else had said to him already. That he loved music and that this could be a good opportunity. It'd had about as much effect on him coming from her as it had from everyone else.

"And what happens when it fails? I don't want to be responsible for ruining other people's dreams," JC had told her.

This had especially agitated her as she'd jerked to a sitting position where she'd glared down at him. "You're not as talentless as you think you are. You have a gift for music, and I know you know it too. This is just your insecurities talking."

JC had sighed, never once turning his eyes away from the sky to look at her. "You don't understand. You weren't there in LA. You didn't hear the things they said..."

"JC." She had moved so her face was in his line of vision, that the only thing he could look at was her. "This is a turning point in your life. Whatever you decide, your life is going to change in a big way. So you have to be honest with yourself. If this truly isn't what you want, then that's fine. But if it is - and I suspect it is - and you're just too afraid...well I won't stand for that."

He could still see the determined lines across her forehead with her intense green eyes staring into his own blue, but behind the stubbornness there had been a softness to her. Looking back now he could see that she'd cared as deeply for him as he had for, but he'd been too blind to see it at the time. Or else he had seen it and had just ignored it because she'd had a boyfriend, seemingly happy with him.

JC blinked and the memory faded with the tear that slipped down his cheek. He quickly swiped at it, sniffling a little. Then he finally looked at Joey and, with his lips upturned slightly, he said, "She threatened to tie me up and drive me there herself."

Joey laughed, but JC could detect the slightest bit of surprise on his face. It'd probably never occurred to him that Beth could be so stubborn or funny; it certainly wasn't something she really displayed when they were in school. Most people at their high school had seen her as reserved, and she might've gotten the reputation of being a nerd if it wasn't for how beautiful she was. Hardly anyone had gotten to know the real her, and the thought was a crushing weight on his heart.

"I'm sorry I wasn't able to get to know her more," Joey said.

JC met his eyes. "Me too." He was pretty sure the guys would've liked Beth.

Sensing that it was time, JC grabbed the urn and got to his feet. He didn't want to say goodbye, but he supposed he'd put it off long enough. She was already gone anyway. The least he could do was put her soul to rest.

He took a deep breath before he took the lid off the urn, like ripping a Band-Aid off your skin. He hesitated for a second, but as he felt the wind begin to blow his air, he somehow found it in himself to turn the urn upside down and release Beth's ashes. They were caught in the wind and carried further down the beach, though they weren't visible to the naked eye.

He closed his eyes as the wind continued to gust past him, while silently saying goodbye to Beth. If he concentrated hard enough, he could almost believe she was there - like she was just out of eyeshot. He vowed that he would do whatever it took to take care of Alice and be there to give her whatever she needed. And then he sent a quick prayer heavenward, asking for the strength to help him through the next few days and that he could accomplish what he promised.

When JC opened his eyes, he realized two things. One, that Joey was standing next to him, and two, that he was crying. Joey pulled him into a hug and while it felt nice, it was also a little suffocating. He needed a minute to himself, to try to pull himself together. No doubt he would still grieve for Beth once they left here, but he wanted to leave the most heart-wrenching sobs behind so he could focus solely on doing whatever was necessary to adopt Alice.

"I'm going to go for a walk, okay?" JC said, pulling away and stepping out of Joey's arms. Joey looked a little concerned and looked like he was going to offer to come with, but JC quickly added, "Just for a few minutes. I'll be right back."

Joey stared at him for a moment before he finally nodded. "Okay."

JC walked off, moving at a leisurely pace. He'd started off just picking a direction and walking, but pretty quickly he realized that he was heading toward a more private part of the beach. Another spot that he and Beth would retreat to, especially when there were more people than they liked because the sand dunes were higher there than anywhere else. Only those within a couple of feet could actually see you, and they had certainly taken advantage of it.

He sighed heavily. He was beginning to rethink the idea of taking this walk because it was supposed to give him time to pull himself together, and all it was doing was assaulting him with even more thoughts of Beth which made him more upset. Though, he supposed he should have expected it considering he'd come to a place that they had frequented. It was nearly impossible to avoid thinking about her while he was here. And while he certainly didn't want to forget her, he needed to put her out of his mind - at least for now. Getting custody of Alice depended on him being focused and doing everything that was needed.

JC realized then he'd walked further than he'd initially intended, having been too caught up in thoughts to notice. He stopped and turned around so he could make his way back to the guys. There was no telling how long he'd been gone - it couldn't have been more than a few minutes, but he knew if he took too long then they would come looking for him. But that was when he realized the second pitfall of taking this walk alone.

"JC Chasez."

JC froze, his body tensing. He didn't recognize the male voice, but that didn't mean anything. They all were approached by fans almost anywhere they went, and they weren't all girls. But then they were chased by paparazzi almost as much as they were by fans, and honestly right then he'd much rather face a fan than the press.

As he turned to face the person, he discovered it was neither.

He came face to face with a guy, and JC wouldn't have been able to place him if it hadn't been for the two men that stepped up on either side of him. His eyes widened, unable to forget the faces of the men that killed Beth and ripped Alice away from him. And that meant the man standing in-between them had to be Gabe.

"What do you want?" JC asked, trying to sound rougher and more forceful than he felt. It was hard to go from crying and grieving over a close friend to strongly facing off against the very man that had put her death into motion.

Gabe looked at his two cronies, raising his eyebrows in apparent amusement. "Whoa, listen to those manners." He looked back at JC. "You always greet people so warmly?"

JC said nothing. He knew Gabe was trying to mess with him, and he wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of responding to him. They both knew that there would be nothing friendly between of them, and JC refused to play this game with him. But he didn't know what he wanted, why he had come here. The way JC's stomach churned told him that it whatever the reason, it wasn't good.

Gabe stepped forward, and JC forced himself not to move. He didn't want to show Gabe he was intimidated by him even though his heart was beginning to pound painfully against his chest. It was even harder not to act like he was affected by how close he was as Gabe slowly began to walk around him.

"You have nothing to say to me, huh?" Gabe goaded. Then he stopped on JC's right side and whispered into his ear, "Not even about Beth?"

That was the breaking point, and JC found he couldn't stop himself from responding to Gabe's taunting. "You asshole," he growled, the grief he felt earlier rising up and causing him to lash out.

Gabe moved away so he was once again standing in front of JC. "She wasn't very smart, was she?" He shook his head. "For some reason she thought you could help, that you could keep my daughter away from me." He glanced at the two guys standing just slightly behind him. "But we know how that turned out, don't we?"

JC's hands clenched into fists at his sides as the words brought forth the memory of her being taken. "If you hurt her..." he began, but Gabe quickly cut him off.

"Are you threatening me?" he demanded, his hazel eyes narrowed dangerously. "I would think you'd know by now what a bad idea that is."

"I'm not afraid of you," JC said, meeting Gabe's gaze head on. The protectiveness he felt towards Alice overrode any of the fear he felt, allowing him to continue to on. "And I'm going to get her back."

"You think so?"

JC looked into Gabe's eyes, wondering just what Beth had ever seen in him. It was baffling that someone so kind and generous ended up with someone so cold and calculated. "I know so."

He then glanced over his shoulder briefly, kind of surprised the guys hadn't come looking for him. No doubt they would any second, and he knew he had to get back. The last thing he needed was for them to see Gabe and his cronies and have the situation escalate more. His lawyer would surely frown upon him talking to Gabe if he knew and tell him to wait until the court hearing to say his piece.

It was that thought that prompted JC to put an end to the conversation so he could return to the guys and go home. "I'll see you in court," JC told Gabe and turned to walk back up the beach to where the guys were waiting for him.

He hadn't taken more than two steps before he was tackled, his body slamming roughly into the sand. The impact knocked the wind out of him, leaving him gasping and trying to take a deep breath only to end up with a mouth full of sand. He spit the sand out as best he could, which was actually quite difficult considering he was lying face down in it. But after a moment, he was roughly flipped over.

At once, his body greedily took big gulps of air, relieved that he was no longer suffocating in the sand. But he realized quickly that his troubles weren't over yet. His arms were pinned by the larger of the two men while the other was holding down his legs. Gabe stood over him, glaring down at him.

"I don't appreciate what you're doing," he said, only his eyes and his thin lips giving away the anger that lurked behind the closed expression. Then Gabe lifted his right foot before stepping on JC's shoulder - his injured shoulder.

JC gasped in pain, tears springing to his eyes. His shoulder had definitely healed a lot the last few days, but it was still very tender as there were still a few stitches in place holding the wound together. He coughed, his body struggling to breathe through the pain and still choking a bit on the sand that was in his mouth. It demanded so much of his attention that he hardly noticed that Gabe crouched down, centering his weight so even more of it was put on the wound while also allowing him to get closer to JC's face.

"You've stuck your nose where it doesn't belong," Gabe said, his voice low and menacing. "What I do with my daughter is my business."

JC gritted his teeth, trying to push the pain away. "You're hurting her," he forced out.

Gabe snorted. "It's not as dramatic as Beth made it out to be." He looked down at JC. "You probably go to the gym, right? It's the same thing. You experience a little pain, but you get something out of it."

"Something you're forcing on her," JC fired back, his senses becoming sharper as the pain in his shoulder lessened to a dull throb.

Gabe pressed more weight onto his shoulder, causing JC to clench his jaw as the pain spiked again. "No one asked for your opinion," he growled as he moved his foot back and forth, grinding his boot into JC's shoulder.

JC yelled in pain, feeling the skin tear and the wound rip open. He didn't have to see his shirt to know that it was soaking up blood underneath Gabe's shoe; he could feel it bubbling to the surface and moving down his arm and chest. For a moment everything went white before numerous dark spots danced in front of his eyes.

He felt the weight on his shoulder shift again, causing him to cry out. He closed his eyes since they were useless right then, unable to see anything beyond the dark spots and white light that dance in front of his vision. And he nearly jumped when Gabe's voice whispered in his ear.

"Call off the court date. You do and I'll leave you alone. If you don't...well, you've seen what I can do, and that's just the tip of the iceberg. And I can promise you won't like what I do to you." There was a brief pause before Gabe said, "This is your only warning."

And that was it. All of the weight was lifted off his shoulder, and his arms and legs were released. The relief was almost immediate, but by no means was he in a state to move. Not yet.

JC laid there, panting from the residual pain as he waited for his vision to clear so he could get up and finally make his way back to the guys.

*************

Chris stood, rocking on his heels. It'd been at least fifteen minutes since JC had walked off by himself, and they were anxiously awaiting his return. He hadn't agreed with Joey's decision to let JC go off on his own, and it was taking everything within him to keep himself from going after him. He wasn't as convinced as Joey that JC needed to be alone right then.

"No, Chris."

Chris looked over at Justin. "What?"

"I know what you're thinking, and it's not happening," Justin said. "He'll be back in a minute."

Chris sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You said that five minutes ago," he mumbled.

"You can't rush him," Joey said. "He's going through a lot right now."

Chris gave him a look, one that said he wasn't stupid or blind. It wasn't hard to see that he was trying to deal with everything that had been thrown his way the last week, but it was also more than the average person had to deal with. Was it really so bad that he wanted to do what he could to help JC through it and lessen some of the stress and guilt he was no doubt feeling?

"That is exactly why I'm worried," Chris replied.

Lance let out a sigh, brushing the sand off his jeans as he got to his feet. "We all are," he said. "But Joey's right. We have to give him some space. None of this has been easy on him."

Chris wanted to argue that it likely wasn't going to get any easier and that they had to make sure he wasn't going to send himself into a tailspin as he tried to deal with it all. But before he could say any of this, his attention was diverted by movement up the beach. Someone was walking towards them, and it only took a second to recognize JC's lanky form.

"Oh no," Justin whispered.

Chris was going to ask him what he was reacting to, but then he saw the same thing Justin did. JC wasn't so much walking towards them as he was stumbling, struggling not to lose his footing as the sand shifted beneath his feet. Even though he was too far to see JC's face, he knew something was wrong. Something that was reinforced a second later as JC collapsed to his knees.

"JC!" Joey yelled, only a couple steps behind Justin who was already running to JC. Chris and Lance weren't far behind either.

As they reached JC, Chris stood back a bit so as not to crowd him since Joey and Justin were on either side of him. He was now curled on his side with his right hand pressed against his arm. It was only when Justin gently reached out and rolled him onto his back that Chris was able to see that JC was grasping his shoulder. And then that was when he caught sight of the red staining the t-shirt beneath his fingers.

"Oh God," Justin said, his anxious and worried expression making him look so much younger. "JC, what happened?"

JC moaned as Joey pried his hand away from his shoulder. It seemed to be pouring blood in a steady stream, and Chris could see the sand that was mixed with it around the wound. Even without a closer look, he knew it was in the gunshot wound too. The sight of JC's shoulder bleeding anew made him angry, though not nearly as much as JC's attempt at trying to answer Justin's question.

"Gabe," he started, sounding more breathless than Chris would've liked. And it just made him sound weaker, one that brought out the big brother protective trait in Chris.

"Where?" he asked, his eyes roaming the nearby area even though he had no idea who he was looking for. "Where the hell is he?"

JC's breath hitched as he inhaled, causing him to cough. "He left."

"My ass," Chris muttered, his eyes still searching for the man that had done this to JC. He wasn't convinced he had left, and if he was still around, there was nothing Chris wanted more than to track him down and pummel him for what he did.

"C'mon, Jace," Joey said, gently wrapping an arm around JC's shoulders and slowly helping him to a more upright position. "We got to get you to the hospital."

JC grimaced, like even that small action had caused him more pain. "No," he objected. Chris could tell he was trying to sound firm, but how shaky and pale he looked made that impossible to accomplish.

"JC, you've got to go to the hospital. You need to get that shoulder cleaned out and fixed up again," Justin said.

"I know," JC replied. He released a short, heavy breath like he was trying desperately to keep his breathing under control and from panting in pain. "But not here. Orlando."

Justin glared at him. "That's stupid. You really think we're going to drive an hour to Orlando when you're obviously in pain?"

JC seemed to clutch his shoulder tighter. Whether it was because he felt another spike of pain or if he was just trying to hold it together, Chris wasn't sure. Though, he would bet on it being the latter. It was definitely frustrating when he did that, and he didn't blame Justin for getting aggravated. Though, Joey handled JC's stubbornness with more tact.

"JC, you know we can't wait. You don't want infection to set in."

"It won't," JC said automatically. "Not in an hour." He looked up at them. "Just take me to Orlando Regional."

Chris fixed his gaze on JC. "What does it matter where you get checked out?" he asked. He had honestly expected JC to object to going to the hospital at all. Even when he knew it was needed, his phobia of needles kept him from going off to the doctor. So the fact that he wasn't putting up a fight about that was just bizarre.

"Nobody here knows what's been going on," JC said, his words staggered with heavy breaths. "I want to make sure it's reported."

They all glanced at each other, surprised at JC's reason but also understanding why he'd said it. Having evidence that he'd been attacked by Gabe would surely help his case and make it that much easier to sway the judge to giving him custody of Alice. It also proved even more just how serious he was about doing what was right to help the little girl.

And Chris knew by the silence that followed what JC said, that the guys were as at a loss for how to respond as he was. Finally Lance said, "I'll call Phil and see what he thinks would be best, okay?"

JC nodded weakly, slumping forward slightly. Lance pulled out his cell phone and walked closer to the parking lot, likely trying to get away from the crashing waves so he could hear better. Chris watched him go, his eyes scanning for anyone suspicious that might be hanging nearby. But the beach seemed deserted at the moment.

Satisfied that Lance could call the lawyer without any issue, he turned his attention back to JC. Joey looked like he was he was trying to figure out what he could do to help, and Justin was kneeling next to JC, squinting his eyes slightly. Chris realized then just how bright the sun was and how much it must be hurting Justin's eyes, especially since they were likely still sensitive from the couple of days he'd spent blind. He glanced back at the car, knowing that there were likely a couple of pair in there, but the last thing he wanted was to leave JC right then. So instead, he drew himself up to his full height and moved so he was standing directly in front of Justin, blocking the sun from shining in his eyes.

Justin looked up at him, his forehead no longer creased from his squinting. He didn't say anything, but he did nod his thanks. Chris gave him a look that said he should've told them his eyes were hurting instead of straining them. It was easy to forget what he'd gone through given everything that had happened with JC since then, but Chris silently vowed he would be more watchful from then on. At least until they knew enough time had passed that Justin wouldn't suddenly go blind again.

"JC, let me see it," Joey said, his voice and JC's moan of pain bringing both of their attentions back to what was going on in that moment.

Joey had his hand outstretched, and JC was laying on his left side, likely having leaned so far to get away from his reach that he fell over. His right hand was still clamped tightly to his injured shoulder, and his face seemed to be fixed in a permanent grimace.

"Leave him alone," Chris told Joey. He was afraid of making things worse by one of them trying to check out his wound as it seemed like it would allow for even more of an opportunity for sand to get deeper into it. Besides, they would be getting him to the hospital soon anyway. And it wasn't like they had anything with them that they could use to help him now.

Lance returned then and said, "Phil says we should take him to whatever hospital is closest. He's going to make a call to the local police to get them to come to the hospital to get the details of what happened."

"And this will go on record back in Orlando for court?" Justin asked.

Lance nodded. "Phil is going to coordinate everything between the two police departments to make sure everything is shared with Strickland so it can be put on record for court."

Chris looked down at JC, who was squinting up at Lance. "And you're okay with that? You're going to tell the police everything?"

"Yeah," JC said, groaning as Justin helped Joey get him to an upright position and then to his feet. He seemed shaky, but he remained standing with Joey taking on most of his weight. Even in spite of that, JC met Chris's gaze head on. "I'll do whatever if it helps Alice."

Chris hadn't doubted it, but it was quite a jump from the reaction he had the last time he'd been injured and had to talk to the cops. Though, he'd managed to get him to come around and realize getting the police involved was truly the way to get Alice back. The real difference was that the first time there had been this fear of Gabe and what he would do, but now it seemed like JC didn't have that fear. Or if he did, he'd realized that it wasn't something that would stop Gabe from coming after him and that reporting what'd happened was the right thing to do - and could very well be the only way to stop him. Regardless, Chris was proud of him.

It was just ironic that this strong moment for JC came at a time when he looked so weak.

"You ready, C?" Joey asked.

JC gave a slight nod, and they all began their slow trek towards the car. Chris sighed quietly. He was getting pretty sick of hospitals, and he was sure it was even worse for JC. Hopefully they could get in and out and be on their way quickly.

When JC woke up, he found that his face was wet from the tears that he'd shed in his sleep. He'd been in the middle of a terrible nightmare about the judgment in court, and things hadn't gone his way at all. Gabe was allowed to retain custody of Alice, and he'd given JC a smug, gloating look as he dragged Alice out of the courtroom. All the while she cried out for JC. It was an outcome he was terrified would come true, and one that could be just hours away.

He glanced at the alarm clock on his nightstand and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. The court hearing wasn't until nine so he still had a few hours to sleep, but he knew he couldn't. At least not right then, not when the nightmare was still so fresh in his mind.

JC slowly sat up before carefully getting out of bed, doing his best not to shift or shake the mattress much since Justin was asleep on the other side. When they'd returned from the hospital and talking to Phil, who they'd met up with once they'd gotten back to Orlando, the guys had insisted on not leaving him alone. They were all a bit nervous about Gabe's threat, and they'd even called their bodyguards over again to help keep an eye out for anything suspicious in case he was stupid enough to try something else. Though, Phil had assured them that Gabe had done himself no favors by attacking JC, and that the police report would definitely help his case.

But even in spite of that, the guys were worried and wanted to keep an eye on him. Justin had volunteered, and the guys hadn't objected which JC suspected was because they recognized that he needed to take care of himself and rest too. And he wasn't going to disagree. Even if there wasn't a concern about Justin potentially overworking his eyes and going blind again, he wouldn't want any of them overtaxing themselves just because they were worried about him.

Justin, for his part, seemed to be in a deep sleep as he didn't even move as JC left the bed. Releasing a quiet sigh of relief, he quietly crossed the room and opened the door that led out to the small balcony that was situated outside his bedroom. There wasn't much of a view - he could see into the neighbor's yard a little and some nearby trees, but it often allowed him some quiet solitude. Something he needed right then as he tried to pull himself together, knowing he needed to be prepared for anything to happen because there was no telling what would happen when he walked into that courtroom later.

No matter what happened one thing JC knew for sure was that things would be different. Either he'd become the guardian of a five year old girl, or he would begin what would surely be a long process of appealing the court's ruling should they decide Gabe would retain custody of Alice. He was in too far and cared too much about Alice to just walk away should the ruling not go his way. He was determined to do whatever it took to ensure her safety, and he was positive getting her away from her father was part of it.

JC was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he nearly jumped out of his skin when something touched his shoulder. He turned quickly and immediately relaxed when he saw Justin standing behind him with a blanket held open, and JC realized that must've been what had brushed his shoulders. Feeling much more at ease knowing there was no threat, he turned back to looking off the balcony.

He looked out into the darkness trying to find that peace he normally felt and latch onto it. As each second passed he seemed to grow more and more anxious, and it made him feel sick as his stomach seemed to churn almost as fast as his thoughts. He felt Justin place the blanket around his shoulders, and he grabbed onto it, thankful for something to cling to. And he was happy for the warmth it provided as it was pretty cold out there, especially with him just being in a thin t-shirt.

"You okay?" Justin asked, standing next to him.

JC wasn't entirely sure what to say. He didn't exactly feel okay, but he didn't want to make Justin worry even more than he already was either. So he settled for changing the subject. "I'm sorry I woke you."

"Then maybe you shouldn't leave the door open in the middle of winter," Justin said, a light teasing tone to his voice. But after a moment he grew serious. "Talk to me, C. What's going on in that head of yours?"

JC shook his head, trying to shake loose all the thoughts running through his head. They were dizzying with how many and how fast they came and went. And with each thought, all of the fears he'd been doing his best to bury came closer and closer to the surface. It was almost suffocating, and his chest seized a bit in panic.

"What the hell am I doing?" he asked quietly. He was more talking to himself, but Justin heard him.

"What?"

JC turned to look at him. "What the hell am I doing?" he repeated. "I shouldn't be trying to adopt a five year old girl. I know nothing about raising a kid."

"I don't know. You looked after us for the last few years," Justin said, laughing lightly at his joke.

JC sighed and turned away from him, moving closer to the edge of the balcony. "I'm serious," he said. His hands gripped the thin wrought iron railing, doing his best to fight the anxiety he was feeling. "She needs to get away from Gabe. No doubt about that. But who says I'm the right person to look after her?"

"JC..."

"Everything the social worker said was true," JC said, ignoring Justin. "I'm not at a place in my life to give Alice the stability she needs. I'm sure there's someone that could take care of her better than I ever could."

Justin reached out and grabbed onto his arm, forcing him to turn and look at him. "Hey, you know that's not true. No one can love her the way you obviously do."

"But that's not enough. I have no idea what I'm doing."

Justin grabbed ahold of JC's other arm as he moved his head so he was looking him in the eye. The expression on his face was concerned. "No one knows what they're doing at first. All parents figure it out as they go."

"I just don't want to do the wrong thing and screw her up," JC said, giving him with a look that pleaded for him to understand where he was coming from.

"All kids are at least a little screwed up by their parents," Justin replied, smiling a little. JC just stared at him, not appreciating his attempt at humor even knowing he was trying to get him to lighten up. Justin's face fell and he sighed. "C'mon, C. You know you can do this. You just gotta stop doubting yourself."

JC just shrugged a little, shaking Justin's grip off his shoulders and stepping away again. "It's what I do."

"No," Justin said, and JC glanced back at him to see he was shaking his head. "You don't. Not with things you're a natural at. And taking care of people is one of those things. Alice is no exception to that."

JC frowned to himself, knowing that it was different. Yes he was the one often took care of the guys, like he'd taken care of his siblings while growing up. But taking care of a five year old was a lot different than making sure his friends in their twenties didn't get into too much trouble and taking care of them when they were hung-over. He was about to say as much, but Justin spoke before he could.

"And even if you don't believe that, we'll be here the entire time. Anything you need, you know we'll help you," Justin said. "That is something you know you can believe in."

JC looked for any sign that Justin was just saying what he thought he needed to hear, but he couldn't find anything. Justin seemed to truly believe he was the best person to take care of Alice, and JC was sure deep down he knew that was true as well. It was just hard not to let all of the doubts rise to the surface and overshadow that.

He was still terrified though. He was afraid of what would happen inside that courtroom later and facing Gabe after his threat. Not that he thought Gabe was stupid enough to try something in front of a judge, but he worried that he might find a way to get to him in some underhanded way. Or perhaps take some of his frustration out on Alice. JC knew he shouldn't think that way, but he couldn't seem to stop himself from worrying about it.

"C'mon, let's get you back inside," Justin said, wrapping an arm around JC's shoulders an steering him back towards the bedroom. "You can catch a few more hours of sleep before we leave."

"I'm not going back to sleep," JC protested as they stepped into his bedroom. Justin closed the door behind them.

"JC," Justin started, and JC braced himself for the impending argument. But it never came. Instead, Justin sighed and said, "How about some tea then?"

JC knew Justin was using it as a ploy to get him to relax and hopefully feel sleepy enough to go back to bed. It was annoying knowing he was trying to manipulate him, but JC had to admit it was better than being forced to lay down. And just because Justin was hoping that it would result in him getting what he wanted, that didn't mean it was going to happen. JC certainly had no plans on climbing back into bed for a couple short hours before they had to leave. Though, he actually thought the tea sounded good right then. Maybe it would help calm his nerves and quell the nausea he'd felt the second he woke up.

So he allowed Justin to lead him downstairs to the kitchen. He took a seat at the table, not even bothering to try to make the tea himself. He wouldn't be allowed to intrude on Justin's attempt to take care of him. Besides, with his arm freshly stitched, bandaged, and in a sling once more it would be difficult for him to do it himself. Not only that, but he was much too reluctant to unravel the blanket he'd cocooned himself in.

JC watched as Justin moved around his kitchen, first filling the kettle full of water and placing it on the stove as he lit the burner. Then, going into his cabinets seeming to know exactly where everything was even though JC couldn't remember the last time he'd even been in his place. But he moved as effortlessly through the space as if he was at his own house, and it was a reminder that it'd only been days ago when he hadn't had that natural ease to his movements. It'd also made him feel like a terrible friend for not having checked on him at all the last couple of days. He'd been so wrapped up in this whole situation with Beth and Alice that he hadn't been as diligent as he normally would have about making sure Justin wasn't suffering from any symptoms that had led to his blindness in the first place.

"Are you okay?" JC asked.

Justin glanced up from the tea bag he was opening and gave him a look that said he thought that was a ridiculous question. He retorted, "Are you okay?" He didn't give JC a chance to answer before he fired off another questions. "Is your arm hurting?"

"Justin..." JC started to protest.

"Answer my question first and then we can talk all about me," Justin replied. "Okay?"

JC wanted to point out that he'd been the one to ask a question first, but he sighed and nodded. He then thought about what Justin had asked. For a second he thought about lying, but he knew Justin would see right through that. He hadn't seemed to be able to hide things very well from any of the guys throughout this whole ordeal, and it didn't seem likely that it was going to start working now.

"It hurts," JC admitted. "But it's manageable."

Justin raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Liar," he said, though it wasn't said accusingly or with anger. It was more matter-of-face, like he knew JC was trying to downplay it. "You should take some of the pain meds with your tea."

JC shook his head. "I can't. They make me all sleepy and my head all fuzzy. I don't want to be out of it when I'm standing in front of the judge."

He also didn't want to be seen like that in front of Gabe. Even though he hadn't been able to hold his own very well against the man and his goons yesterday, he wanted to show that he wasn't as weak as he thought he was. That he had the guts to stand up to him and do what was right. And he couldn't do that if he was doped up on his pain medication.

Justin sighed, not looking happy but not seeming surprised by his answer either. "Will you take them when we get back then?"

"If I need them."

Justin stared at JC, his eyes narrowed slightly. The weight of it was beginning to make him uncomfortable, but just as Justin opened his mouth to say something the kettle began to whistle. He turned quickly and turn it off before it could wake everyone in the house. And even though JC sensed the subject was dropped, he knew that he would end up taking the medication when they returned from the courthouse whether he wanted to or not. Because he'd admitted his arm was already hurting, it wasn't going to get any better from now until then. JC had said it so he wouldn't necessarily be accused of lying when he refused to take them later, but it'd seemed Justin was well aware of his intentions and would do whatever was needed to get him to take them.

After Justin poured the hot water into the mug that he'd already had prepared with a tea bag of JC's favorite tea inside, he walked across the room and set it in front of him. JC grabbed the string attached to the tea bag and gently swirled it around in the hot water as he allowed it to steep.

He looked up at Justin and said, "Will you answer my question now?"

Justin sat down at the table across from him. "I'm fine."

"You haven't experienced anything weird with your eyes?" JC pressed.

"Nope," Justin said, shaking his head. "They actually barely hurt now, so it seems like whatever caused it in the first place is behind me."

JC couldn't help the bit of relief that washed over him. He hadn't thought it'd gotten worse, but he also couldn't rely on the guys to tell him if it had. They seemed determined not to overwhelm him with too much, believing he had enough on his plate with dealing with Beth's death and trying to gain custody of Alice. All that may be true, but that didn't mean he didn't deserve to know when something was going on with one of his friends. He was just glad his negligence in looking after Justin hadn't meant he'd missed signs that his vision was worsening again.

"I never did thank you for that."

JC blinked, looking at Justin in surprise as he lowered his mug and swallowed the mouthful of tea. "For what?"

"For helping me through it. Even though I was unfairly lashing out at you, you kept forcing me to see that I wasn't as helpless as I thought I was."

JC gave him a look, thinking how odd and completely unnecessary this was. They were friends and that was what friends do for each other. Besides, it wasn't like it'd been one sided the last week. Justin had been on his side, lending all kinds of support ever since this whole situation with Beth and Alice had started.

When JC pointed this out to Justin, he just shrugged and said, "Well yeah. I was such a prick. I felt like I had to make it up to you."

JC sighed. "I never held a grudge for what you said. I knew that I was wrong and that I'd stepped over a line. I'm looking forward to seeing who you collaborate with in the studio."

"It's funny you say that," Justin started, "because the person I want to collaborate with is you. And Chris. And Joey. And Lance." He leaned forward, looking him in the eye. "What you said about it just being the five of us. I want that."

"Justin..." JC didn't want him to feel like he'd guilted him into recording the album just the five of them.

But Justin seemed to know exactly what he was thinking. "You didn't force me into this. What you said makes a lot of sense, and I realized it's probably a good idea to really know ourselves and our style before we bring other people in to collaborate."

JC shook his head. "No, Justin."

"Why not? It's what I want to do, and I think it'd be fun." He looked at him. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, of course," JC replied automatically. He glanced down at his tea, unable to look Justin in the eye as he continued. "I just don't want you to let what I said out of insecurity affect your decision. You wanted to work with Wade so you should bring him in."

"Why don't we just start off with the five of us and see how it goes?" Justin suggested. "Then we can bring someone in later if we feel like it. Okay?"

JC raised his eyes to meet Justin's. He felt a small smile tug at his lips - probably the first one he'd had in days. "Okay."

*************

In and out.

That was the rhythm of JC's breathing, but it wasn't a combination of a nice, slow inhale and an equally slow exhale. Instead, it was fairly rapid, and Lance grew more concerned as each second passed that he was going to hyperventilate and pass out. Justin was sitting on the other side of JC, looking just as worried. He was rubbing JC's back, but it didn't seem to be helping.

Lance reached out and gently squeezed JC's thigh, not wanting to touch his arm since it was delicately wrapped and confined in the sling. As soon as he touched him, he could practically feel JC's body vibrating with nervous energy. It wasn't surprising given how scared he'd been of things not working out in his favor, but they had to at least try to calm him down. At this rate, there would be no way he'd make it through the hearing.

But what happened next assured that would be practically impossible.

"Did you boys tell anyone about this?" Lonnie asked from the passenger seat up front. Mike was driving.

Lance frowned, but it was Chris who answered from the row of seats in front of them. "No. Why?"

"Because there are a bunch of reporters out front."

Lance leaned forward so he could see out better. They were pulling up to the front of the courthouse and sure enough there was a large number of reporters waiting on the steps.

"Maybe they're not for us," Joey said hopefully.

That went out the window as the vehicle came to a stop and immediately the press turned as one towards it. Even from inside, Lance could hear the buzzing as the reporters already began speaking and firing off their questions. He couldn't make out the questions, but he was able to pick out JC's name being said.

"Oh God," JC groaned, his head falling forward so his forehead rested against the back of the bench seating in front of them. Lance glanced first at Justin then Chris and Joey, all of them sharing equal looks of concern.

JC's breathing was even more erratic than it was before, if that was possible. He seemed to be on his way to full fledge panic mode, and they knew they had to get him inside immediately so they could try to calm him down before he had to go in front of the judge. The hardest part would be getting through the mob of people that were waiting outside the car, all seeming to have at least an inkling of what was going on.

As if reading his mind, Mike spoke then saying, "Lonnie will lead you guys inside. I'm gonna call for backup so we'll at least be able to get you out of here easier. In the meantime, stick close to Lonnie and don't stop until you're inside. Okay?"

There were no objections and they waited as Lonnie got out of the car first. Because of his large size he was able to push some people back and clear some space for the rest of them to get out. Without even saying a word, they all seemed to know just what was the best way to do this.

Justin led the way out of the second backseat, and Lance gently nudged JC to go out next. JC blinked, looking kind of out of it, but he seemed to come to his senses pretty quickly and followed Justin. Lance crawled out next, which left Joey and Chris to bring up the rear. As they followed Lonnie towards the courthouse entrance, the four of them positioned themselves so they were surrounding JC and doing their best to protect him from the pushy press. Though, they couldn't do anything about the questions they fired off one after another.

"How do you know this girl?"

"What made you want to adopt her?"

"Why are you trying to take away the father's rights to see his daughter?"

"What happened to your arm?"

They came from all sides, and Lance could only imagine how overwhelmed JC must be feeling. He quickened his pace, and the guys did the same. All of them wanted to just get inside and have a moment to collect themselves before they had to step into that courtroom.

When they finally stepped through the front doors, they let out a sigh of relief. They had to quickly go through a metal detector before they were permitted to go beyond the lobby. Phil was waiting for them on the other side and pulled them into a small hallway with a bench to allow for some semblance of privacy. And finally JC seemed unable to hold in what he was feeling.

He seemed to stumble and almost fall onto the bench, practically gasping for air. It was like he was trying to hold back sobs, and it was a battle he wasn't have much success with. He moaned and said, "I think I'm gonna be sick."

Justin and Joey immediately stepped forward. Joey took a seat next to him and put a hand on his back, pushing down until his head was between his knees. "Just breathe. You're going to be fine."

JC shook his head, his breath hitching. Lance didn't have to see his face to know that he was crying, the stress and anxiety had brought him to his breaking point. Justin was crouched down in front of JC, speaking quietly and no doubt doing his best to be reassuring in an effort to calm him down.

"Do you know how the press found out about this?" Phil asked.

Lance shook his head. "We were just as surprised. We haven't said anything to anyone."

"An even better question is why the hell weren't we given a head's up?" Chris said, anger smoldering in his eyes. It just seemed to grow darker the more he watched Justin and Joey try to console JC.

Lance sighed. "I'll call Johnny," he said, already pulling out his phone. He wasn't able to do more than press the speed dial for him before Chris yanked it out of his hand.

Lance gave him an annoyed look, but let him keep it. He understood that Chris was angry and wanted to take it out on someone, but Johnny didn't really deserve that. Still, it was better than the alternative.

"What the hell, Johnny?" were the first words out of Chris's mouth, and Lance then tuned him out as he turned his attention back to JC.

He was still crouched over, folded in on himself, but he was no longer leaning so far forward that his head was between his knees. Tears were streaming down his face, and he clutched his injured shoulder with a grimace. It made Lance wonder if it'd gotten jostled as they'd tried to push their way inside the courthouse through the crowd of reporters. If so, he had to be in much more pain, especially given he'd already been in and pain and had refused to take his pain killers before they left. But right now, that was really the least of their worries.

"I can't go in there," JC cried in-between sobs. "I can't listen to them let him keep her."

Justin frowned, still crouched in front of him. He put a hand on his knee. "C'mon, C. You don't know that's going to happen."

JC sniffed, his head bowed. He still refused to look any of them in the eye, even managing to dodge Justin's gaze despite his best efforts to get him to look at him. "The press-"

"Nothing's been decided yet, JC," Phil said, stepping in. Lance hoped he had better luck at getting through to him than they seemed to be having. "Once we give the judge all of the evidence we've collected, there's no way she'll let him have custody. The press being here won't make a difference."

Phil sounded confident, and Lance sensed he wasn't just saying what JC needed to hear - that he really did believe it. Still, Lance had to admit he wasn't convinced the presence of the numerous reporters outside wouldn't have at least some impact on the case. Though he certainly hoped it would be outweighed by all of the negative things Gabe had against him, like Phil suggested.

"But what if it does?" JC asked, his voice quiet and small. He finally glanced up, briefly looking at them before lowering his gaze to the floor once more.

"Then we'll appeal," Phil replied.

Joey wrapped an arm around JC, going lower than his shoulders so he wouldn't further aggravate the injury. "If you don't go in there, you're forfeiting any chance you have. And you can't give up like that. You know Alice deserves to be in a home where she's loved and not some psychic experiment."

JC nodded. He was no longer sobbing, but tears were still falling from his eyes. Though, they weren't coming in a steady stream like they'd been just minutes ago. "I know." He sighed heavily, looking like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. And he did - a little girl's world. He looked at them, and another tear fell as he said, "I just don't know if I'm strong enough."

Justin squeezed his knee to get his attention. "That's what we're here for." He locked eyes with him. "You're not in this alone."

JC nodded, and Lance watched as he swiped at his eyes, rubbing the wetness from the tears he'd shed onto the slacks he was wearing. He took a deep breath as he closed his eyes, then releasing it in a soft whoosh a few seconds later. When his eyes opened, he looked more composed. There was no doubt he was still afraid, but Lance knew he wasn't going to let it ruin everything. Not when he was so close. Every time it'd seemed like he'd finally reached his absolute limit and couldn't handle another single thing thrown at him, somehow he managed to push it aside and keep moving forward. It was admirable to witness, and Lance was proud of him.

When JC stood up, he swayed on his feet. Joey quickly reached out an arm to steady him, and Justin quickly straightened, like he preparing to catching him if needed. Lance took a couple steps forward himself even though he wasn't close enough to really be of much help. But JC managed to stay upright on his own and he stepped forward, forcing Justin to step back so he could move away from the bench.

"Are you up to this? Maybe we should see if we can reschedule," Chris said. Lance started at his voice, not having noticed he'd gotten off the phone with Johnny. His gaze was fixed on JC.

"It'd be a waste not to do it after all this," JC said. "I'll be okay."

Chris didn't look reassured, and Lance couldn't blame him. JC was a couple shades paler than he'd been, which just accentuated the dark circles under his eyes. But the look in his eyes was determined and he knew JC wasn't going to turn his back on it now. Chris must have recognized it too because he didn't say anything.

Phil took that as a sign that they were ready and began to lead them back out into the main hall, directing them to where the hearing would take place. As they walked, Chris silently handed Lance his cell phone.

"What'd Johnny say?" Lance asked, turning the phone off before putting it in his pocket. He didn't want to risk it going off while they were in court.

Chris sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets. "He had no idea anyone had found out about it. He's working with Melinda to see how it should be handled. He should be down here by the time we're done."

Lance just nodded, not surprised by that. Johnny wouldn't want them leaving and further encountering the press without some kind of guidance. He knew there would be a lot of questions from the media regardless of what was decided.

They came to a stop, and Lance realized two things. First, that they were outside of two large mahogany doors that must lead to the courtroom. Second, that there were two people already standing there, obviously waiting to be let in. Even though he'd never seen either person in his life, he had a suspicion it was Gabe and his lawyer.

"Is it always a media circus everywhere you go?" the younger man of the two asked, sneering at all of them though his eyes were fixed on JC. That was all Lance needed to know that was Gabe. But if he'd had any doubts, JC's sharp intake of breath and the way he unconsciously gripped his injured shoulder was all the confirmation that he needed.

Beside him, Chris clenched his fists, looking like he was ready to launch himself at the man and pummel him. Lance put a hand on his arm and shook his head. They couldn't afford for him to go after the man, no matter how much he may deserve it. It surely would only hurt JC's case and the last thing any of them wanted to do was cause any more problems for him. There was already enough to deal with without making things worse.

The door opened, and they were told that the judge was ready for them. Gabe and his lawyer stepped forward, and Phil let them get ahead as he paused to look at JC. "Just follow what I told you yesterday, and you'll be fine."

JC nodded, and Lance could see him trying to swallow back his nerves so he looked more confident. Everything that happened in the last week came down to this. Either JC would be walking out with Alice or he wouldn't, and regardless things were about to change in a big way. So he couldn't blame JC for being nervous. Lance just hoped this went quick so he wouldn't have to try to contain his emotions for too long. That and he wasn't entirely sure how long JC would last before he passed out given the strain his intense emotions had put on his already battered and exhausted body.

Phil led the way inside, and they all followed. JC took a seat next to him at the table, while the rest of them sat in the row immediately behind them. It felt weird being back in a courtroom again, and Lance just hoped they had a good outcome like the last time.

"Hunter versus Chasez your honor," the bailiff announced.

"Chasez," the judge repeated as she looked up from the papers she was reading in front of her. "You're the reason the courthouse has a flurry of activity outside?"

Lance saw JC tense, but Phil quickly jumped to his defense. He stood up, looking directly at the judge. "Your honor, that was not his doing. Someone leaked the situation in an attempt to try to discredit Mr. Chasez as an attention seeker instead of a concerned friend."

The other lawyer got to his feet as well. "But I think we can agree that the press is something that's common in Mr. Chasez's life and something the child would be exposed to should she end up in his custody."

The judge looked over at JC before turning her attention back to Gabe's lawyer. "From the looks of Mr. Chasez he's as about as happy they're here as I am." She fixed him with a stern look. "Move along."

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a nod. "It's really quite simple. My client feels Mr. Chasez has no case because he's not a relative and therefore has no legal right to make a claim for the child."

"Your honor, we have the mother's will along with a letter where she clearly states she would like Mr. Chasez to have custody upon her death. This allows him to legally petition for custody to be transferred over to him."

"May I see these documents?" the judge asked.

Phil grabbed the copies he made of Beth's will and the letter she'd written to JC, walking them over to the judge and handing them to her. Lance turned his attention on JC, who folded his hands in his lap, but he could tell from the stiff posture he was holding that he was trying to keep a tight rein on his nerves.

As Phil returned to his seat, the judge seemed to skim the papers he'd handed over. After a moment, she looked over at JC. "Mr. Chasez, I understand you also submitted a police report yesterday stating that Mr. Hunter attacked you. Is this correct?"

JC nervously glanced at Phil, who gave him a slight nod that it was okay to speak. He'd told JC yesterday that he should only speak when he was asked a direct question, but Lance didn't blame him for wanting to double check with the lawyer first. He could only imagine how terrified he was of making some mistake that could cost them.

JC cleared his throat and shakily got to his feet. "Yes, ma'am," he said. "He confronted me on a secluded part of the beach, and he got two men to hold me down while he hurt me."

"And you identified these two men as the same ones who shot you?"

JC nodded. "Yes. They shot me when they broke into my house to kidnap Alice." He paused, swiping at his eyes quickly. "They were also the ones who shot and killed Beth on Gabe's order."

"Objection!" Gabe's lawyer said, getting to his feet once more. "He has no way of knowing what my client may or may not have told someone to do."

The judge leveled him with a serious gaze. "But the mother of Mr. Hunter's child is dead, and that's fact. Then add in the attack yesterday and Mr. Chasez who was a witness for all events, and I'd say the evidence is pretty damning for your client. Your objection is overruled."

Phil gestured for JC to take his seat again, which he seemed to do gratefully. Chris leaned forward in his chair and rubbed his uninjured shoulder for a second, trying to both offer him some comfort and support. In the front of the room, the judge was flipping through more paperwork.

"I have the reports of both inspections social services did," the judge said. "However, on Mr. Chasez's it was noted there was no opportunity to view him interacting with the child. I would like to rectify that now by bringing her in so I can have something to compare to."

JC sat straighter, and Lance knew his heart was likely pounding with anticipation. He hadn't seen Alice at all since those men had taken her and with the exception of the social worker assuring him she was okay, he hadn't had any clue how she was doing. But Lance also knew that if by some chance JC didn't win this, the fact of seeing her would just be all the more heartbreaking for him.

"Mr. Chasez, please come and stand in front of my bench," the judge instructed.

JC swallowed nervously, but he quickly got to his feet and walked around the table so he was standing directly in front of where the judge sat. She then motioned for the police officer on the far side of the courtroom to open the small side door. He did as she asked, and it was only a second before Alice emerged.

Her eyes lit up as soon as she saw JC, and Lance couldn't help the small smile that tugged at his lips. The relief on JC's face as soon as he spotted her was clear, and a quick glance at the others showed they were just as relieved. Even though none of them had none her long, they all hated the idea that she was being hurt by her father.

Alice seemed to notice then that her father was there as well as she eyed him cautiously out of the corner of her eyes. She slowly walked past the table where he was sitting with the lawyer, but as soon as she made it past him, her speed kicked up a notch.

She ran towards JC, and he crouched down, opening his right arm wide for her. "JC!" she cried happily as she flung herself into his arms. He stumbled a little bit against her weight, and Lance was afraid he was going to fall over. But he managed to steady himself and wrapped his right arm tightly around her.

"I'm so happy you're here. I was so scared," she said quietly, but in the still courtroom it wasn't hard for any of them to hear.

JC ran his hand over her hair. "Shh, it's okay. There's nothing to be scared of."

She pulled back enough to look him in the eye. "I was scared for you."

Lance exchange a look with Joey who was sitting next to him, and he could tell he was thinking the same thing he was. Could it be that Alice had some kind of awareness of what JC had been going through thanks to the psychic ability Gabe had forced on her? They weren't sure, but it certainly seemed like a possibility.

"Oh, honey. You don't have to worry about me. I'm fine," JC assured her, pulling her in for another hug. It was one she happily returned.

The judge cleared her throat, and Lance could tell it was with great reluctance that JC pulled away. Then a voice spoke from the far side of the room. "C'mon, Alice. Let's go back to coloring while the adults continue with the boring stuff."

That was when Lance noticed that the social worker that had visited JC's house was standing in the doorway Alice had come through just a minute earlier. She seemed hesitant to leave JC, but he gave her a smile and told her it was fine. Even with that, she seemed about as happy to leave as JC was. But she quickly crossed the room and just like that, she disappeared through the door. JC also returned to his seat, looking a little less stressed but obviously still worried about the outcome.

The judge went back to rifling through some papers, and that was the only sound in the courtroom for a minute. Then finally, she looked up and said, "Based on the evidence I was presented with, I have decided to grant sole legal custody to Mr. Chasez."

Lance's eyes immediately went to JC and he almost had to laugh at the way JC's jaw dropped for a moment before a smile broke out on his face. It had to be the first one in days. But the good news didn't stop there.

The judged turned her attention to Gabe. "And I'm demanding a restraining order be put on Mr. Hunter to protect the child as well as Mr. Chasez." She locked eyes with Gabe. "If you come within a hundred feet of either of them, you will be arrested and I will see you back in this courtroom."

She then swung the gavel down, calling this session of court adjourned. The bailiff called for them to all rise as the judge stepped off the bench and out of the room, but they all would've been on their feet regardless. They were congratulating JC and thanking Phil, a victorious feeling shared among them.

Then there was a shout on the other side of the room, and Lance looked up just in time to see Gabe knock the officer that had been stationed next to the door on the side of the room and take his gun. At once he felt panic blossom across his chest, knowing exactly who he intended to use that gun on. But before he could even shout out a warning, before any of them could even move, two shots were heard.

Lance was pulled to the ground by Joey, and he saw that Joey had tightly fisted the back of Justin's suit jacket and had pulled him down as well. He quickly sought out Chris and JC and found they were both on the floor next to the table with Chris lying on top of JC. They were both still, and Lance searched frantically for any sign of injury, while bracing himself in case the shooting wasn't over yet. Though, he didn't hear any more bullets.

"It's okay, guys," Phil said, shakily getting up himself from where he'd ducked down on the other side of the table.

Joey released his hold on Justin and Lance, allowing both of them to get to their feet on their own. As they did, Lance felt a bit of horror but also a bit of relief at seeing Gabe's body lying lifeless on the floor with a large, expanding red spot on his chest. The glassy eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling, not blinking, told Lance that he was dead. It looked like the bailiff in the back of the room had been the one to take the shot.

Lance turned to look back at JC and Chris and saw that Joey was helping Chris to stand, while Justin was talking to JC. He moved closer to see for himself that JC was truly okay, and he found that he couldn't see anything wrong with him besides the shoulder wound. If anything, he just looked a little dazed.

"Can you get up?" Justin was asking him.

"Maybe he should stay there until we can get someone to check him out," Joey said.

JC shook his head marginally, wincing like that small act caused him pain. "I'm okay," he said. "Just help me up."

Justin watched him with concerned eyes, but he grabbed onto JC's offered hand and helped pull him to his feet. JC groaned, stumbling slightly once he was upright. No doubt he had some new bruises and likely had bumped his head as he'd been knocked down, but he truly seemed no worse for the wear. And he certainly wasn't letting it slow him down.

He moved like a man on a mission, quickly crossing the room to the side door. The four of them followed, all of them feeling kind of jumpy about letting him go off on his own even though the threat was gone. JC opened the door and quickly moved into the room, meeting Alice halfway who was already running for him. As he gathered her in his arms, he let out a shaky breath and Lance could tell without having to see his face that he was holding back tears.

There was a lot of things that needed addressed and taken care of, but it all could wait. At least for a little while. For now, they were content to let them have their moment newly connected as father and daughter.

JC hissed as he shifted, the pain in shoulder pulling him out of sleep quicker. He did a full body stretch - or as much as he could considering his left shoulder was still wrapped and confined to a sling. It became more frustrating with each day that passed, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to put up with it.

It'd already slowed him down enough. As soon as they'd returned from the courthouse, the guys had forced him to take his pain meds and get in bed. He'd done his best to object, but they had been stubborn. Alice had ended up falling asleep next to him as she'd refused to leave his side and no cajoling from the guys about games and ice cream changed that. He had no idea what'd happened when she was with Gabe, and he doubted he wanted to know. What was obvious was that she'd needed to feel safe and secure, and quite honestly he welcomed her sticking by his side. He hadn't wanted to be parted from her so soon, even if his exhausted body had been begging for some relief. And she'd ended up sleeping almost as long as he had, clearly having needed the rest just as much.

He opened his eyes and turned his head to the left, checking for Alice even though he'd sensed she wasn't asleep next to him. It'd been three days since the court hearing and she'd slept with him each and every night. But yesterday JC had kicked the guys out and put her to bed in her room. Part of him was surprised because he hadn't really thought she would stay there and would climb into bed with him in the middle of the night. Unless maybe she hadn't because she couldn't.

The thought caused panic to bloom across his chest as his fear clenched his heart tightly. It propelled him to get up and quickly cross the hall to the first door on the right where her room was. The door was half closed and for a second as he slowly pushed it open, he had the thought that Gabe's two dumbass friends had broken in and taken her away again. But it immediately vanished as his gaze landed on the bed in the corner of the room where Alice was fast asleep, the butterfly comforter down around her waist.

He sighed in relief, practically sagging against the doorjamb. Adrenaline spurred on by his temporary fear was still running through his body, but it was fading quickly as he reminded himself that the two men Gabe had used to do his dirty work had been arrested. They had confessed to what they'd done - killing Beth and kidnapping Alice - as they'd thought they would get off easy since they'd done both things under Gabe's direction. But with Gabe dead, that left the two of them to take the fall and with their confession they'd earned themselves both a life sentence in prison. There was no danger anymore, any reason to fear that Alice would be taken away from him. She was legally his daughter now.

His daughter. That was a strange thing to say. It was crazy to think that in just mere hours he'd gone from being just a single man who'd been mourning the loss of a dear friend to a single father of her child. He was sure his parents had always wanted grandchildren, but he felt confident in saying they had never imagined it happening like this.

His mother had called the day he'd returned from the courthouse, but he'd been asleep and Justin and Chris had taken it upon themselves to pick up the phone and explain what they could. JC appreciated them trying to help and take some of the stress away from him, but he'd known he owed it to his parents to explain the whole situation to them. So once he'd woken up and had gotten Alice fed, he'd allowed the guys to watch her while he excused himself to his study where his parents had put him on speakerphone and he'd explained everything.

It'd been one of the hardest conversations he'd ever had with his parents, and it was one he'd rather have had face to face. That hadn't been possible though and he'd had to make do with just listening to them. And though he couldn't see them, he'd easily been able to picture their reactions. They'd both been shocked, which was natural. What JC hadn't expected though was hearing the hurt in his mom's voice. She'd been upset that he hadn't bothered to tell them any of this before, especially given that he'd been in danger and shot. That had been totally understandable, but what he hadn't anticipated was that she would be hurt by him not asking her advice on gaining custody of Alice and the impending parenthood that would follow.

He'd felt guilty for not involving them at all and keeping them out of the loop when it was such a life changing decision. It wasn't something he could take back, but he'd tried to make up for it by asking for her opinion on the kinds of things he should stock the house with to make Alice feel comfortable. His mom had been more than happy to comply, and the guys had helped him to execute every idea she'd given him.

They'd helped him grocery shop for all of the foods that Alice would and should eat. It was a big help, but what they'd done to turn the guest bedroom into a room that was strictly hers was huge. In just two days, they'd painted the room a soft purple upon Alice's request and swapped out the adult furniture for something that was more suitable for a child's room. They hadn't allowed him to do much as they hadn't wanted him to risk hurting his shoulder further, but he had talked them into letting him paint the trim and baseboards. He'd been more than grateful for their help, but he'd known it'd be next to impossible to create a new semblance of normal for Alice with them around all the time.

As a result, the house was silent. He didn't know how long it would stay that way though, so he decided to head downstairs and get some time to himself before Alice woke up. It would be important to take advantage of those moments the more he got into a routine with Alice as she would take up a lot of his time. And if there was one thing he'd learned through everything that'd happened it was that it was just as important to take care of himself.

JC walked into the kitchen and paused for a moment, trying to decide what he wanted. He wasn't hungry just then and knew he'd probably eat breakfast with Alice whenever she woke up, so he decided just to make some tea. Maybe he'd take it out onto his patio and enjoy a little bit of quiet time outside before he had to run around after a five year old.

He crossed the room to his stove, picking up the tea kettle before going over to the sink. Once there, he stopped, realizing he'd been in this exact position before. This time the guys weren't there to interfere and he was going to prove that he could do it without their help. So he reached out his arm, only he knew there was no easy way to do this.

Sure he could turn the water on first and then stick the kettle underneath. The problem with that though was that the kettle would get wet and he'd have to try to dry it. Maybe it wasn't a big deal - it's not like water on the outside of the kettle would cause it to burn. What was really the problem was that it was just one of many things he couldn't do the way he usually did. It was keeping him from allowing things to get truly back to normal, and worst of all, it was serving as a constant reminder of everything that'd happened the last few days.

With a frustrated grunt, JC lifted the sling up and over his head before easing his arm out of it. He groaned slightly as the movement pulled on the sensitive muscles. Once the sling was completely removed, he set it on the island. He rolled his shoulder slowly, experimenting with his range of motion and trying to loosen his muscles. Pain spiked and ran down his arm, causing him to grit his teeth as he waited for it to pass.

When it did, he released a deep breath. He stepped forward to make his tea, picking up the kettle with his right hand and moving to the sink once again. He'd just turned the water on with his left hand and was started to fill the kettle when someone spoke behind him.

"What the hell are you doing?"

JC jumped, his hand jerking the kettle out of the stream of water. He shut the water off and turned around, glaring when he realized that not only was Chris standing in the middle of his kitchen but so were the rest of the guys.

"You can't leave me alone for even a day?" JC demanded.

"It's a good thing we didn't. You clearly think you can do whatever you want," Chris said, gesturing to JC's shoulder. The frown on his face conveyed his disapproval.

JC narrowed his eyes. "My shoulder is-"

"Healing," Justin interrupted. His tone was softer than Chris's, but it was clear that all of the guys agreed with his opinion that JC shouldn't have removed his sling.

"I can't keep it in the sling forever," JC argued. "And it's just slowing me down."

"But you know what the doctor said. You have to keep it still longer than you did the first time," Lance said. "If you don't, you can cause serious damage to your shoulder."

With the gunshot wound, he'd had to keep his arm in a sling to prevent pulling on his healing shoulder muscles for a couple days. That had been bad enough, but then Gabe had ripped the stitches and reopened the wound, which also tore at the muscles. It had made the wound much more severe than it'd been when it was just a gunshot wound, and the doctor had stressed that he allow it to heal by leaving it in the sling for a week. Then he would return to have the stitches removed and would begin daily exercises to strengthen the muscles again. If he didn't follow the doctor's orders, he ran the risk of it mending wrong and could end up with limited mobility in that arm. And while he was frustrated, he understood he couldn't allow that to happen.

JC sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping slightly. "I'm just tired of not being one hundred percent."

"We know," Joey said, offering a sympathetic look. While he spoke, Justin stepped up and grabbed the sling off the island, helping JC to put his arm back into it. Joey continued, "But you need to take care of yourself. It's not like you won't have help if you need it."

JC grimaced as Justin lifted the strap of the sling over his head, the movement pulling on his sore muscles. He wanted to object to what Joey said - he knew they would all jump to help him if he asked, but the point was that he didn't want help. It was hard to feel like a proper guardian for Alice if he had to rely on everyone to assist with the smallest, dumbest things. But before he could say all that, Alice scurried into the kitchen.

Even though he was annoyed with the guys, he couldn't help the smile that spread across his face at the sight of her. She was adorable, especially when she walked in rubbing at her eyes like she was currently. The last few days she'd been getting up later, no doubt working on getting caught up on sleep she'd missed out on at Gabe's. It was something JC hoped would continue because he didn't really want to go back to getting up at six on his days off.

"Hey, sweetie. You want some breakfast?" JC asked her.

She nodded, still looking sleepy. He was going to ask her if she wanted waffles. It was a breakfast he could handle without burning, especially since popping it into a toaster wasn't nearly as complicated as making pancakes.

Again, he wasn't even able to get a word out. This time because Justin asked Alice a question of his own. "You want to help JC make some tea first?"

At once she looked much more awake. "Yeah," she said, her eyes glowing with excitement.

"Justin..." JC started to object, only to cut himself off when he saw that Chris was carrying in the plastic step he'd bought for the downstairs bathroom so Alice could reach the sink. He wasn't sure when he'd left the room, but he didn't like where they were going with this. "Chris, you can't-"

But as usual, Chris ignored him as he put down the step in front of the kitchen sink where JC was still standing. He beckoned Alice over to him and she happily stepped up on the purple plastic, looking at them as she awaited her next instruction. Lance had grabbed the forgotten kettle and dried it before pressing it into JC's right hand.

"JC's going to hold the kettle under the faucet and you'll turn on the water, okay?" Lance told her.

JC wanted to stubbornly refuse to participate in what the guys were doing, but he knew that even if he tried he wouldn't get far. He was outnumbered, and what really kept him from fighting them on it was the look on Alice's face. She seemed so eager to help; he didn't want to be the one to take that away from her.

He positioned the kettle underneath the kettle and gave her the okay to turn on the water. They stood there for a few seconds until it was nearly full and he told her to go ahead and turn the water off. Thanking her, he turned towards the stove and placed the now full kettle on top of one of the burners, turning it on.

"Good job," Joey told Alice, holding up his hand for a high five and she obliged him. "You'll have to probably help him out with this small stuff. You think you're up for that?"

Alice nodded enthusiastically. "I can do it."

"Joey," JC started, but Justin interrupted.

"C'mon, Alice. Let's go find some cartoons while these guys make breakfast, okay?"

Alice agreed, letting Justin take her hand and lead her into the living room. JC waited until they had turned on the TV and were settled in front of it before he turned back on the guys, glaring at them.

"You can't put that on her. I'm the one that's supposed to be taking care of her. Not the other way around," he said.

Chris rolled his eyes. "Oh please. You know that's not what we're saying. It's not like we expect her to drive for you or something. But she's completely capable of helping with small stuff that you're too stubborn to ask for help with - like making tea."

"I don't care. I don't want her doing it. She should just enjoy being a kid."

"But she wants to help," Lance pointed out. "She loves you and she knows you're hurt. This would allow her to feel like she's helping you."

JC opened his mouth to object once again, but Joey cut in before he could. "We know you just want her to be a kid and play, but she hasn't been like that. She's gone through more than any kid should, and you know she acts older than she actually is."

"Joey's right. She's lost both parents in a pretty traumatic fashion, and she'd been put through God knows how many psychic experiments. I doubt she's had much time at all to just play without any worry or fear," Chris said.

That was part of the reason JC was fighting so hard. He wanted to her to be able to relax now and let him handle everything. She was much too young to be dealing with everything that had been thrust on her. He'd already decided he wasn't even going to say anything about the potential psychic ability that she may have. If it continued or she wanted to talk to him about it, he was more than willing to listen. But he wasn't going to bring it up; he wanted her to know she could just let it fall to the wayside...if it even existed.

He was about to argue all that when the phone rang. A groan left his lips before he could stop it, aggravated that he'd been continually interrupted already. It didn't bode well for the rest of the day. He didn't even really want to pick up the phone as the press had just finally quit calling the day before. They'd hounded him for days following the brief statement Johnny had given at the courthouse, but yesterday JC had left the house with Alice, purposely allowing an outing so the press could see her in the hopes that would appease them. It seemed to be working so far, but this could be another interview request. Still, he couldn't ignore it in case it was something important.

It turned out it was Johnny. JC forced himself to hold back a sigh, not really in the mood for this right now. All he wanted to do was have breakfast and hang out with Alice, which would be much easier for once now that the press were no longer camping outside his house. So he skipped right over the small talk and pleasantries.

"What's up, Johnny?" he asked.

"I have someone on the other line that you need to talk to." JC began to protest, not at all interested in talking to any more press. He'd already given a statement. But Johnny quickly cut in before he could get going, "JC, it's Beth's mother."

That made JC pause. He wasn't sure how to respond because he hadn't ever considered he would hear from any of Beth's parents. Beth had certainly never mentioned them, likely still hurt by how they'd treated her when she'd gotten pregnant in college. Now she was gone and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do.

"I don't want to talk to her," JC said.

Johnny sighed. "JC, please. You should at least hear what she has to say."

JC considered that for a moment before he relented. It did seem like he at least needed to hear what she wanted before he decided if he would continue Beth's silence and lack of contact with her parents. Johnny patched her through then, waiting until it was clear that she was on the line and JC could hear her before he hung up so as to give them privacy.

"JC. How are you, dear?" Beth's mother asked. At the sound of her voice, JC instantly called up a memory of her standing in her kitchen and asking him the very same thing one of those days when he'd gone home with Beth after school. It didn't sound like she had changed at all. He'd always gotten along with her, but given how she and her husband had treated Beth, JC felt obligated to not treat her as warmly as he might have otherwise.

"What do you want, Mrs. Carlson?"

She was silent for a second. "I guess I deserved that. Will and I didn't handle things well when Beth first got pregnant. We realized our mistake shortly after, but we had no way of contacting her. She completely cut us out of her life." There was a long beat of silence before she said, "And now she's gone."

JC frowned at her soft, broken tone. It sounded like she was trying to hold back tears, and he felt some of his own come to his eyes. They'd both lost someone they loved dearly, and it wasn't something they would get over for quite some time.

"We missed our chance to make things right with Beth - to be there for her. But it's not too late for her daughter. Alice?" she asked, sounding unsure if that was the name of Beth's daughter.

JC nodded even though he knew she couldn't see him. "Yeah."

"We want to meet her."

"I-" JC wasn't sure what to say. He could appreciate what she was saying and that they were trying to make amends for how they'd treated Beth. But he didn't know what she would've wanted. Would Beth would have wanted her parents to know her daughter? She'd certainly never taken the steps to make that a possibility before. Unless perhaps she was waiting to get away from Gabe before she reached out to them.

"JC, please. We need to see her. She's our granddaughter. She's already so big, and..." There was a deep breath, like she was trying to collect herself. "We don't want to miss out on anything else."

He felt the pressure to answer right then and to say yes. The way that she pleaded he would seem heartless if he outright refused her request. But at the same time, he wasn't comfortable to agree to take Alice to see them either. He at least needed to think about it.

"I understand, but you have to know I need to do what's best for Alice. Can I get back to you?" he asked.

"Of course," she replied immediately, but he could tell she was disappointed that he hadn't agreed right away. "Please just get back to us."

JC promised he would and after they exchanged good-byes, he got off the phone. He held the cordless handset in his hand and leaned back against the counter. He'd nearly forgotten he wasn't alone in the kitchen when the kettle whistled loudly, jerking him out of his thoughts.

As Lance grabbed it, Joey looked at JC and asked, "That was Beth's mom?" JC nodded, and Joey continued. "And she wanted to do something with Alice?"

"She wanted to see her."

"And you said you had to think about that?" Chris asked, his tone clearly indicating that he didn't agree.

JC glared at him as he put down the handset. "Yeah. So? I'm looking out for her. I have to do what's in her best interest."

"And you think that means keeping her away from her grandparents?" Chris didn't even wait for JC to respond as he shook his head. "You can't do that. She has a right to get to know them."

"Well, Beth never made an attempt to contact them."

"Maybe because she couldn't," Lance said as he placed a mug with a tea bag steeping in hot water at a place at the table before turning back to make one for himself.

JC sat down in front of the cup of tea, picking up the string to the tea bag and began bobbing it up and down in the water as he waited for it to steep. As he did this, Joey sat down across from him and said, "Chris is right. You don't want to keep her away from them. They're family and she's already lost more than any kid should."

"I just want to do what's right - what Beth would do if she were here."

Chris stepped closer and gently squeezed his uninjured shoulder. "But she's not," he said gently. "You're her guardian now. You're the one that has to make the decisions. And years from now when Alice asks, can you really tell her that you knew about her grandparents and kept them from her?"

JC sighed heavily, dropping his eyes to look into his tea. He knew they were right; it would be wrong to keep Alice from them. She deserved to have a chance to know her grandparents. Of course, that was assuming Beth's parents didn't make Alice uncomfortable in any way or give him the idea that they wouldn't be a good influence on her. Though he had a feeling that wouldn't be the case, he knew he had to be cautious...just to be on the safe side. But that meant giving Beth's parents the opportunity to connect with Alice.

"I'll set something up," JC said at last. He looked up at them as he added, "But if anything happens that I don't like-"

"You'll have at least tried," Lance replied.

JC nodded, still feeling a bit reluctant but also resigning himself to what he had to do. It was the right thing, but that didn't meant it was going to be easy. He was anticipating Beth's parents would have a lot of questions for him about Beth - questions that even he didn't know the answer to. Regardless of how things went with Alice, it was going to be an emotional day.

"Dude, don't you have any eggs?" Joey asked, his voice keeping him grounded in the kitchen instead of tumbling through thoughts of grief.

JC blinked and turned to look at him. "Whatever's in my fridge is what I have."

Joey sighed and shook his head. "How are we supposed to have pancakes without eggs?"

"We'll make sausage instead," Chris said, pulling the frozen patties out of the freezer. He gave Joey a look. "They go better with pancakes anyway."

JC sat back watching as Joey and Chris moved through his kitchen, beginning to make breakfast and acting like nothing had happened. Lance had sat down in Joey's seat with his own cup of tea and unfolded the newspaper he must have swiped from his front porch. As much as he hadn't wanted the guys there, he had to admit that they made this whole situation feel more normal. He knew it would get easier and he would eventually be comfortable taking care of Alice on his own, but for now he was glad for the help.

Alice's childish laugh carried in from the bedroom, and JC couldn't stop the small smile from spreading across his face. He leaned back in his chair and saw that she and Justin were sitting on the couch, laughing at something on TV. It was such a sweet sound, and it made her look much more like her age. And he vowed then and there to do what he could to make it happen more.

*************

Chris stood back, allowing himself a moment to look out into JC's backyard take in the scene in front of him. Joey was at the grill, manning the hot dogs and hamburgers, and nearby Roy and Justin took turns putting numerous golf balls on a fake grass mat with a hole in a raised platform at the end. JC and Lance were sitting at the patio table talking, though it appeared JC's attention was only half on what Lance was saying because he kept glancing over at the other end of the table where Alice was coloring with Karen.

It was a picnic atmosphere, even though it was only sixty degrees outside. The whole thing felt strange and unnatural because back in Pittsburgh it was probably only thirty and snowing. He couldn't blame JC for wanting to do a cookout though because they'd all been cooped up inside for the last week with the rain being steady enough that it kept you from wanting to venture out for long. With the sun out the wind didn't seem as cold, but it was already beginning to set and it would get even colder.

Chris moved across the yard and plopped himself down in the chair across from Lance. They both glanced at him, but Lance continued with what he was saying. When he finished speaking, Chris quickly moved in to ask the question that had been on his mind all day, even though the conversation wasn't finished.

"How did it go with Beth's parents?" Chris asked.

"Hey!" Lance objected. "I asked him a question first."

"He doesn't need to answer yours. Mine on the other hand..."

JC sighed and shook his head. "You know, you're like the tenth person to ask me that today."

"Which means I'll probably get the extremely condensed version, but that's okay. I'll pick up whatever you leave out from everyone else," Chris said.

"There's nothing to tell," JC replied. "It went fine. They were nice enough. Alice was pretty shy, but she started to warm up to them towards the end."

Chris sat back in his chair, narrowing his eyes as he took in JC's appearance. Being up close made it easier for him to see the bags under his eyes, obviously tired but there was a haggardness to his appearance that indicated that wasn't all. It was similar to the look he had right after Beth died, only on a smaller scale. He was positive Beth's parents had asked him to tell them everything that'd happened and made him go into details about it - things that he'd been working hard to move on from. Even though it would continue to get easier, there would always be moments where the grief would resurface. It looked like it was still lingering from his meeting with Beth's parents, which had been just hours ago.

JC shrank back from his stare. "What?"

"You okay?" Chris asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," JC said, giving him a look that said he thought the question was ridiculous.

Chris glanced over at Lance to see if he believed JC, but Lance gave a subtle shake of his head as a signal not to push it. JC had been pretty forthcoming with them about the things he was feeling and thinking as he dealt with everything the best way he knew. So far he'd been handling things pretty well, and they had to trust that if there was anything he really needed to talk about that he'd reach out to one of them.

"Okay," Chris said, letting the subject drop.

A sigh left JC's lips and he slumped back in his chair, seeming happy that he wasn't going to be interrogated. He was relaxed and looked like he could easily fall asleep in just a few minutes. But that was before there was a cry of "Daddy!" and the sound of the chair scraping against the patio's concrete as Alice pushed away from the table.

Chris exchanged a surprised look with Lance across the table. He wasn't aware that Alice had taken to calling JC dad already. Though, one look at JC told him this was the first time she'd done it. He looked shell-shocked, like his heart had jumped into his throat at that single word. Chris knew it was likely because he'd figured she would always think of Gabe as her father, but what he failed to realize was that JC had already been more of a father to her than Gabe ever was.

JC had tears in his eyes, and he cleared his throat, trying to dislodge the emotions that had gotten stuck there as Alice came running up to him. He lifted his right arm, a clear signal for her to climb up into the chair with him. She did so easily but carefully before she proudly displayed the picture she'd colored with Karen.

"It's beautiful, Alice," JC praised, smiling down at her. "You want to put it on the fridge when we go inside?"

Alice nodded enthusiastically.

"Maybe you should take her inside now," Karen said from the other end of the table. "It's getting pretty cold now."

JC rolled his eyes. "She's wearing a coat, Mom."

Karen sighed a little, but she smiled at him. "Okay, honey. It was just a suggestion."

JC looked down at the little girl cuddled up to his side. "C'mon, let's go check on Joey and make sure he's not burning the food."

He wrapped his right arm around her tightly, while she put her arms around his neck and interlocked her fingers. As he got to his feet, he stumbled a bit at the extra weight and they all started to get up to offer assistance, but JC shook his head.

"I got her," he said. Chris had to admit he was managing pretty well for having to deal with his left arm being in a sling. Though he knew JC was counting down the days until he could finally remove it and move onto the next stage of recovery where he could begin exercising those muscles again. Something that would happen in the next day or two, and then he'd have plenty of time to allow his shoulder to fully heal before they got back into the studio and on tour.

They'd decided to finish their open projects before getting into the next album so they'd be more focused. Besides, it would allow all of them to adjust to having a five year old with them.

JC walked off with Alice, bouncing a little and causing her to giggle. Lance got up from the table, saying that he was going inside to get another drink. As he left, Chris looked over at Karen who was still watching JC with a small smile on her face.

"Damn kids. Always think they know best," Chris said, his tone mock serious.

Karen laughed lightly, turning her head away from her son only briefly to glance to him. "He'll learn," she said wisely.

Chris looked over at JC and knew that was true. He'd already come pretty far and it'd only been about a week. The house was completely childproof now, and he was quickly learning what Alice did and didn't like. For not knowing much about kids, JC was doing extraordinarily well. It was like he was meant to have children, and Chris knew that he would be an awesome dad.

He watched as JC let Alice down, and she ran off towards Justin and Roy to announce that Joey was nearly done cooking. Then she bounded back to JC, taking his hand when he turned away from Joey and headed back this way. As they walked, JC swung his arm wildly, making her laugh and him smile widely. It seemed like he was doing whatever he could to allow her that carefree life she deserved, and it was something they were all more than happy to help him with. She'd certainly dealt with more than enough.

When they were within a few feet, they didn't retake a seat at the table like Chris thought they would. Instead, they kept walking and JC said over his shoulder, "In case you didn't hear, food's about ready. C'mon inside so we can eat."

Karen raised a knowing eyebrow at Chris, and he laughed loudly. Things may not have turned out like JC wanted, but it had ended as happily as it could have given everything that'd happened. Adjustments would have to be made on all their parts and there was still a bit of healing that needed to be done - both physically and emotionally - but Chris wasn't worried. For the first time in a while, the future was bright and promising, and things could only get better from here.