Justin shook his head as he continued to pace the room. His hands were clenched into fists and he really just wanted to land a punch on both JC's and Bobbie's faces. He wanted to punch JC for falling for Bobbie's trap like he always did. He wanted to punch Bobbie for creating the trap and using JC's good-natured personality against him. It was a good plan, Justin had to admit. JC wouldn't be able to deny a baby if it were his and he wouldn't be able to stay out of the baby's life. He would've felt really guilty and Bobbie knew that.

He let out a scream of rage and punched the closest thing to him, which was a pillow. He, Lance, Chris, Joey, and Mack were currently sitting in the dressing room. Sound check was an hour ago and JC still hadn't shown up. He didn't call any of them to tell them that he was going to be late either. It was as if he didn't care about the band anymore, but Justin refused to believe that.

"Guys, we should just get started," Lance decided, looking at his watch again. "If we wait any longer then we'll end up having to push back our first show. I'm sure the crew, the fans, and Johnny wouldn't want to do that."

"Lance is right," Joey agreed, sighing. "I personally want to wait some more but Johnny will have our heads."

"I wish I had JC's neck in my hands right now," Justin mumbled.

"J, we get that you're worried but-" Chris started.

"I'm not worried, Chris," Justin interrupted. "I'm furious. Appalled. Shocked. Dismayed. And a little hurt," he listed.

"It's not like JC did this on purpose," Mack spoke up.

"You, of all people, I though would be on my side," Justin said, rounding on here.

"There are no sides," she said, getting to her feet. She waited until she was a few feet away from him before continuing. "And don't talk to me like that. I know you're upset with JC, we all are. This isn't like him, I get that. This isn't your fault so stop blaming yourself. JC's a grown man, he can make his own decisions and fight his own battles. We don't need you putting all of your focus on him. I understand that he's your best friend, but as his best friend you have to give him a little space and a little more time to figure out what he's going to do and how he's going to handle the situation!" She let out a slow, shaky breath and started speaking calmly. "JC wouldn't want you to be so worried about him. He'd want you all to focus, so please, do that for me? We'll shorten sound check to an hour, which should be enough time for JC to figure out what's going on. We can go talk to him afterwards."

"Why are you so calm about this?" Justin demanded.

She shrugged. "I'm not a pessimist, J. Everything will fall into place the way God wants it to happen. If she is pregnant and the kids is his, I'm not going to stand in his way of being a good father. The only thing I can do is be there for him no matter what the outcome is."

"Still, this feels fishy to me," Chris said as he got up. He rubbed his chin as he started to pace in the same fashion that Justin had earlier. "She has a reason to fake the pregnancy. Hell, she could easily convince JC that she's pregnant. The main question you have to ask is what does Bobbie want in the long run? Why is she willing to con JC into being with her?"

"For fame," Joey replied.

"For money," Lance guessed.

"Where are you going with this?" Mack asked.

Chris merely smiled. "Little girl, I'll tell you in a few minutes." He ignored the glare that she shot his way. "Right now we have to convince Johnny to let us go on without a sound check or a Meet and Greet and we'll have a double Meet and Greet tomorrow in return. Also, we need to order some food because we're going to be here for a while."

"Johnny won't go for that," Lance said, shaking his head. "Tour starts in two days. Two days, Chris. More the one, less than three."

"I can count!" Chris snapped.

"Oh so you do have a brain up there," Lance said in mock shock.

"Lansten, I have an idea and I know it will work. If you'd please trust me we'll be able to save our friend from the class of the Wicked Bitch of the West." They then turned to Lance who was biting his thumbnail, deep in thought. He looked up once it registered that they were looking at him. He noticed the hopeful look in their eyes and sighed. The responsibility of calling Johnny was on him, he could tell.

Lance sighed and stood. "I'll be back in a few minutes. Don't get started without me."

"You're not going to miss much," Chris said with a wave of his hand. Lance made a face before leaving the room. Chris sat on the floor and motioned for everyone else to sit around him. Once he was sitting down he grabbed a notepad and a pen from the table in front of the mirror. "Ok, let's start with what we know." He quickly wrote Bobbie's name on one half of the notepad. "Shout out everything you know about Bobbie."

"She's a bitch."

"She's a whore."

"She's a golddigger."

Chris doubled over in hysterics at what they shouted out. The fact that it was the truth was what made Chris laugh so hard. That and the fact that JC couldn't see it even if the evidence was right in front of his face. JC was clueless sometimes, he was known throughout the group as The Slow One, but they didn't think he was blind to Bobbie's ways. "Ok, ok, in all seriousness. What do we know about her?"

"She writes for J-14 and Twist Magainze," Justin replied. "Ummm, she's friends with Stacey Ferguson."

"She lives in California," Joey added. "Ummm, she comes to a lot of our concerts? I don't know. How is this going to help us form a plan?"

Chris held up his hand and wrote down their suggestions. "Ok, why do you think Bobbie dated JC in the first place?"

"His looks," Justin replied.

"His singing voice," Joey spoke up.

"His voice?" Mack asked.

"His sweet demeanor?" Lance asked, coming back into the room and joining their circle. "Why're we complimenting JC again?"

"We're trying to deduce why Bobbie got together with JC," Justin replied. "Well, Stacey kinda forced them together when things between her and JC didn't take off. She told me. She got them together because she wanted to get JC off of her back and not get distracted when he was helping them produce some stuff."

"But Bobbie could've easily left JC, she stayed for a reason," Chris said as he tapped his chin. "Mack, you're a girl-"

"Thanks for noticing," she quipped.

"You get what I mean. Anyway, JC's totally your type, right? Why do you want to be with him?"

"Why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Well, all girls usually look for the same thing in a guy, right? I figured if we understood why you wanted to be with Jace we'd understand why Bobbie wanted to stay with him."

"Aside from JC, Bobbie and I like different type of men," Mack replied. "She just goes for people in the spotlight, I actually like to go deeper than in the person's wallet. The fact that JC has money is just a coincidence. I could do without it."

"What aren't we getting?" Chris mumbled to himself. "There has to be something missing."

"My Mom said that when she started dating she was looking for men she could see herself married to and starting a family with," Lance spoke up. Everyone fell silent as they looked at him. His eyes shifted as he pressed his lips together. Had he said the wrong thing? Were they going to make fun of him for mentioning something that his mom told him? Were they going to call him a Mama's Boy now? Justin would be a hypocrite if he did, he was the biggest Mama's boy in the world. If you called him that he would glare at you and threaten you and make you regret calling him that in the first place.

"He may be onto something," Joey said as he rubbed his chin. "That's what my Mom did. She says when she first met my dad that was it. She could easily see herself getting married and having kids with him."

"Wait, so you think Bobbie's with him just so she could marry him in the future?" Mack asked. "The only thing she'll get out of that is his name."

"No, I think it's more than that." Chris let out a sigh and rested his back against the couch behind him. "We're going to be here for a while."

~*~*~

Why am I here?

JC's been asking himself that question since he woke up that morning. After many hours of trying, and failing, to go to sleep he got on some clothes and left the hotel. He didn't know where he was going, he just followed where ever his feet took him.

He kept his head down to make sure no one on the street would recognize him. The last thing he wanted was to be stopped for an autograph or something, especially at this time of morning. It was rare for people to stay outside of their hotels through the night, no matter what kind of weather it was.

He had made his way to the park when he got the call from Bobbie asking him to join her at the doctor's office. A part of him told him ntot to go, that he was just digging himself a deeper grave. The other half of him told him that he at least owed it to her and to be there for her. He knew no one else would be there. Her family turned their backs on her when she decided to move to Los Angeles.

After a few more hours of walking he made sure to go back to the hotel and get a few things before, discreetly, leaving and going to his car. He was surprised their security team went along with his plea of keeping quiet of where he was going. He knew the guys wouldn't understand what he was doing. Hell, he didn't even understand what he was doing. All he knew was that he was right and his mother always told him to do the right thing. And this was the right thing, at least, that's what he kept telling himself.

That's why he was now sitting at the doctor's office with Bobbie by his side. She had her right leg crossed over her left. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she was biting her nail as she looked around the doctor's office waiting area. A bunch of little kids were playing with those little rollercoaster bead toy things. Some babies were being fed by their mothers and others were being rocked to sleep so their visit could go by smoothly and quickly.

JC looked at his watch again and sighed again. Bobbie briefly looked at him out of the corner of her eye. She slowly uncrossed her legs and arms. She squirmed in her chair a bit before turning to look at JC. She bit her lip and tucked her hair behind her ears, keeping her eyes on JC. He finally looked up from the book he was holding in his hands and looked over at her. Seeing the concerned look in her eyes instantly made him mark his page and close the book, giving her his full attention.

"I was thinking," Bobbie started. "I thought long and hard about this. If this baby isn't yours I'll leave you alone. I promise. I won't call you or e-mail you or talk to you ever again. I'll just disappear from your life and leave you to live it anyway you want. You can forget about me. I'll give you back everything you gave me." She let out a breath. "If the baby is yours I was hoping that you'd consider...moving in with me. I think it would be best for the baby to have his or her father around. My house has enough space for all of us. You can turn the basement into a studio if you want, too. That way we can be together, like a family should."

JC just stared at her dumbfounded. He was at a loss for words. She was switching between emotions like someone would change the channel on a TV. At first she was pissed off at him for being with Mack and not returning her calls. Now she wants him to move in with her?

"I would hardly call us a family if that were the case," JC mumbled.

She slowly reached out and grasped his hand. "That's why I was hoping...you'd marry me. Then the baby could have a proper father."

"Marry you!?" JC cried out. He couldn't help it, he started laughing. Here he was being asked to marry a girl that spend his money like a sick person used a tissue and she wants to be married. "Bobbie, you want me to marry you?" He chuckled. She nodded. "Are you serious?"

"Yes, I'm 100% serious," she replied, nodding. "I know I've been a bad girlfriend-"

JC laughed again. He didn't recognize the laugh that was coming out of his mouth. It was harsh, a little too harsh. It wasn't' like him at all. But what did Bobbie expect, for him to drop to his knees and shout to the heavens how much he loved her? That was out of the question. That ship had sailed. "A bad girlfriend?" He repeated, his voice rising a bit. "No, Bobbie, you haven't been a bad girlfriend, you've been a horrible girlfriend."

"Joshua, ssssh!" She hissed, looking around at the others that were looking in their direction.

"What? Afraid that these strangers will judge you for what you did?" JC demanded. "I don't really give a shit." He ignored the mother's that covered their kids' ears with their hands and glared at him. He was too mad to care. Too mad at her and too mad at himself for falling for her trap once more.

"Joshua, calm down."

"No, I won't calm down. Here I am trying to be a good friend and all you do is try and con me into marrying you!" JC's hands clenched into fists. "Bobbie, you've lied to me, cheated on me, stole my money, tricked me, lied to me, made me constantly hurt my friends and betray the girl that I love." He ignored her wince when he used the ‘l' word. "And now you're trying to con me into marrying you. Here I thought you couldn't sink any lower."

Bobbie grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and tugged him into his seat. She brought her hair up into a ponytail with her hands and let it fall over her shoulders. She took a deep breath, shaking her head a bit, before looking at him. "I thought-"

"You thought what? That I'd come crawling back to you like before? Well guess what? I'm not falling for anything anymore."

"You're here now aren't you?"

JC opened his mouth to argue but closed it after a few seconds, clenching his teeth at the smirk that slid onto her face. She was crazy; there was no other way to put it. She did everything she could to keep JC coming back, even he couldn't resist, especially if she was in trouble. That's just the way he was, and she knew it too. She exploited it.

"Ms. Thomas?"

Bobbie gathered her purse and slung it over her shoulder while standing. She looked back at JC and waited a bit for him to actually get out of his seat and follow him out of the waiting room. The doctor led them into a room and told them about the process of DNA testing and what they should do if JC were the father. Almost as soon as the doctor excused himself to get the results Bobbie left the room to go to the bathroom. JC was about ready to jump out of his chair and run when the doctor and Bobbie finally came back to the room.

"So? Am I the Dad or what?" JC demanded before the doctor could even open his mouth.

"Well, there's no way around it. JC, you're the father to this baby."

JC fainted.

Bobbie grinned.

~*~*~

"Did you hear what happened?"

"I know."

"He got her pregnant!"

"I know."

"I didn't think JC would be so careless."

"Don't talk about him like that. You know him better than that."

"Yeah, for all we know it could've been a mistake."

"It is a mistake."

"What do you think he's going to do?"

"It's JC, he wouldn't deny a baby that's his."

"But what about his singing career?"

"What about ‘N Sync?"

"What about his life?"

Justin slammed his plate down on the stage where everyone was gathered around to eat some lunch before they went back into rehearsals. It was the day before their big tour and everyone was excited. The excitement went away once the talk about JC amongst the crew spread to everyone who was working on the tour. JC stayed quiet, smiling at everyone he passed and making it seem like he was fine with everything when they really knew that he wasn't.

"Ok, this has got to stop," Justin muttered loud enough so everyone but JC could hear him. Not that he was paying attention anyway. JC was currently lying on his back, his eyes closed, his hands folded on his chest. Headphones covered his ears and, judging by the loud music that was coming out of it; he wouldn't be able to hear them. "We're shutting down Bobbie once and for all."

Mack glanced around. "Do we have time to get away?"

"Chris can cause a distraction," Lance replied.

"Who's going to go?" Joey asked.

"It'll be easier if Mack and I went," Justin replied. "We can get anything out of Bobbie. You guys will be there but you won't physically be there." He tilted his head towards his bag that was by his feet. "We just need a distraction long enough so Johnny won't notice that we're gone for long."

"Oh, I have about thirty ideas going through my mind all ready," Chris said with a grin. "Ok, let's synchronize our watches." The rest of them stared at Chris as if he had grown a second head. He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Don't you do your homework? I told you we should've watched more spy movies before we went to sleep last night."

"Get over your spy fantasy; it's never going to happen!" Justin exclaimed waving his hands in the air. He then quickly looked around. "Come on, we have some busting to do." He and Mack both looked around before grabbing their dropped bicycles and pedaled off as fast as they could. Once they reached the closest door that lead them outside they ditched the bikes, ran through the door, across the parking lot, and jumped into Justin's silver 1998 Chevrolet convertible. "Did you grab my bag?" he asked as he quickly buckled himself up and adjusted the rear-view mirror.

"Got it," Mack replied, lightly kicking it with her feet and buckling up herself. She lowered the sunglasses that were on her head as Justin peeled out of the parking lot. "Ok, we have about...twenty minutes to get a confession out of her once we get there so we have to make this quick."

"Don't worry, we'll do most of the talking and get what we want and then we'll go just like that." Justin snapped for emphasis. He slowly shook his head. "Jace really got himself into some shit this time and once again we have to clean it up for him because he's too much of a ‘gentleman'." Despite the disapproving tone in his voice he had a smile on his face.

They finally pulled up at a hotel that was on the outskirts of the city. Justin checked his watch again before grabbing his bag and getting out of the car. Justin and Mack calmly walked through the automatic doors of the hotel. Mack pulled out a piece of paper in her pocket that had the number of a room written on it. Justin glanced at it before running across the lobby and dove into an elevator before the doors closed. "Are you trying to kill yourself before we get this over with?" Mack demanded, jabbing the 7 with her elbow.

"Sorry, I guess I'm kind of excited," Justin replied. "That and I was hoping no one would see me. The last thing we need is to be stopped by a swarm of fans. I don't have time to sign autographs."

Mack stared at him for a bit. "Do you listen to yourself talk? I don't think it's possible to be that conceited."

Justin merely shrugged, shoved his hands into his pockets and whistled as the elevator slowly rose up the floors. How he managed to stay calm beneath the pressure surprised Mack. Either they were going to get Bobbie off of their backs or they were going to lose a member of ‘N Sync depending on which way this conversation went. "You ready?" Justin stood and stretched his arms over his head.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The ding signaled that they had reached their floor. With every step they took Justin's heart beat against his chest harder. He cleared his throat and checked the paper again to make sure they had gotten the right room. He cleared his throat again, lifted his hand, and knocked on the door. He waited a few seconds as he listened. Silence was on the other side of the door. He lifted his hand and knocked again.

"I'm coming! I'm coming!" He heard on the other side.

He felt Mack gently poke him in the back and he nodded slightly. Justin's eyes locked with Bobbie's for a split second as soon as she opened the door. She tried to shove it closed but Justin swiftly shoved his foot in the doorway. "Back up, Thomas. I'm not afraid to take down this door and take you down with it."

"Whatever happened to the sweet Justin Timberlake that the world knows?"

"His best friend has been screwed over and he's taking things into his own hands! Move!" Justin glared at Bobbie through the crack in the door. She held his gaze for a few seconds before letting go of the door and backing up as fast as possible. Justin and Mack moved into the room, closing the door after them. "Wade? What're you doing here?" Justin demanded, noticing the spiky haired blond in the corner of the room. "Oh, so you're in on her stupid plan."

"What plan?" Wade questioned. "I just came here to talk to her." He nodded at Mack.

"How'd you know she'd be here?" Justin asked, subtly moving to stand in front of her. He hated the way Wade was looking at her.

"Because she hates Bobbie and I figured it'd only be a matter of time until she'd come over here to talk to Bobbie about the whole pregnancy thing," Wade replied. "You two are very predictable, you know. I'm surprised your friends don't know you're here."

"They will in a second. Johnny will know too and you'll get suspension if anything for missing out on practices without telling him why," Justin replied, keeping his thumb on a button on his phone.

"Johnny knows where I am," Wade replied with a small smile. "If you really want to know I didn't think I was giving Mack the time she deserves to work with you guys and give her input on your tour. I asked Johnny for a few days off so she could get more work done. I was doing this for her, really."

"Bullshit!" Mack spoke up, stepping out from behind Wade. "If you're being so damn honest with Johnny why don't you tell him what you did to me? You fucking coward!"

"Even though what I did is no one's business I do plan on telling him, I'm just trying to find a way to do that where it doesn't hurt your image nor mine," he replied. "I'm being honest," he added when Justin and Mack scoffed in unison. "I wasn't myself. I would never hurt you, your friendship means too much to me."

"Where have I heard that before," she muttered bitterly.

"What do you mean you weren't yourself?" Justin demanded.

"Well, that's where she comes in," Wade replied, tilting his head. Justin looked in the spot where Bobbie was sitting before but she was gone. "Wha-?"

Mack whipped her head around and her eyes rested on Bobbie who was carefully making her way to the door. Bobbie lifted her head and froze for a split second once she was spotted. In an instant Mack tossed Justin's bag onto the ground, turned, and ran full tilt at her. Bobbie turned and managed to run a few steps before she was tackled to the ground. Justin and Wade stood by and watched as the two girls rolled around on the floor, screaming and trying to claw at each other's faces.

"Wow, if this situation were any different this would be such a turn on," Wade commented. He paused for a second. "Who'm I kidding? This is a turn on anyway."

Justin ignored Wade as he moved his bag out of the way of the fighting and put it on the table by the single bed in the room. He waited patiently for the fighting to stop as he looked at his watch. The guys would understand if he was a little late, he was on a mission to save a friend after all. "You bitch! Get off me!" Justin looked up and laughed. Mack was sitting on Bobbie's back and had a firm grip on Bobbie's hair with one hand and her leg with another.

"Are you going to cooperate?" Mack demanded, tugging on Bobbie's hair and her leg.

"Ow! Yes! Just get off!" Bobbie shouted. Mack looked up at Justin who nodded and she got off of Bobbie, backed up towards the door, and stood there with her arms crossed over her chest.

"How does Bobbie come into play with this, Wade?" Justin asked him.

"Let's just say...I have a bad habit," Wade replied.

"What kind of habit?"

"A drinking habit," Bobbie replied with an eye roll.

"I still don't get how you tie into this," Justin muttered. "Nothing's piecing together right."

"That's because we're missing part of the story," Mack replied, nodding over at Wade. "We need to get his side first. How he and Bobbie met and how he got this job and stuff."

"I'm willing to talk," Wade added.

"Yeah, but she's not so we're going to need some reinforcements," Justin replied, nodding in Bobbie's direction. Alost as soon as the sentence left his mouth there was a knock on the door. Mack opened the door and Lance, Joey, and Chris walked in.

"What're they doing here?" Bobbie spat.

"I speed-dialed Joey," Justin replied, pulling his phone out of his pocket. "Wade I kinda figured would be easy to get some stuff out of. I knew we'd have a hard time with you which is why I brought them here."

"I'm surprised you didn't being JC along," Bobbie said with an eye roll. Justin flinched at the way she said his name. It didn't sound right coming out of her mouth.

"He doesn't need to be here," Justin replied. He turned to his friends and lowered his voice. "Lance, Mack, and I will take Wade in the other room. You two stay here and get whatever you can out of Bobbie. If you don't get anything by the time we're done with him let us take a shot at it, ok?"

"Got it," Chris replied. He looked over at Bobbie, grinned, and cracked his knuckles. "It'll be fun annoying her."

Justin grinned and motioned for Wade to go into the other room. He willingly got up and went into the room, followed closely by Lance, Justin, and Mack. Lance closed the door behind them and leaned against it.

"Let's start with how you got the job with us in the first place, the VMAs," Justin prompted.

"That was easy. I was working for Brit anyway and when she said she wanted to perform with you guys I jumped at the chance to choreograph your routine. I've seen some of your shows, you guys are amazing." Wade paused to pull at a thread on his shirt. "JC was dating Bobbie about the same time, right?" He didn't wait for them to answer. "Yeah, I think that was it. I was talking to her once while you guys were at rehearsal, the day before. I was looking for someone else to choreograph. Not that Britney wasn't amazing, I just wanted something different. She said since she was dating JC she'd be able to hear if anyone needed a choreographer since you guys know a lot of people."

"So Bobbie's the reason you got called to choreograph our tour?" Lance asked. Wade nodded. "We were right about that, J."

Justin nodded and urged Wade to continue.

"Anyway, I was back at home in LA when I got a call from Bobbie saying that she made a suggestion to wade about me being your tour choreographer. Then Johnny called me saying I got the job if I wanted it. I had a lot of good ideas anyway so I said sure. When I came out I got your number, Justin, from Johnny and told you to meet there. Once Bobbie heard I was in town she asked me to do something for her."

"Flirt with me," Mack spoke up.

"Right." Wade nodded and gave her an apologetic look. "She told me she'd get me as much beer as I wanted. I was in that revellious phase. I was close to being an adult but I couldn't drink yet when I really wanted to. She was able to get the drink for me if I helped her get JC to herself. Being stupid, I said sure. I got a little tipsy and then I started talking to her and JC at the nightclub. Bobbie said it would make JC jealous but I didn't think it would make him jealous enough to drive him into getting drunk. That's how you hurt your arm, right?"

"Right. He dislocated it," Mack replied. "It was an accident," she quickly added.

"Right, ‘cause you don't want to believe he'd hurt you on purpose," Wade agreed. "Anyway, after that Bobbie kept in constant contact with me, providing me beer if I did what she asked. The time I went to New York was to make sure we had a space rented out for rehearsal. That was before I knew it was an acoustic set. Bobbie sent over a few beers undetected, which I was amazed by. Anyway, I got drunk and got lonely and ended up sleeping with her. All the while she was telling me a plan she had to mess up JC's and Mack's friendship and have him to herself."

"Which is why you..." Mack's voice trailed off.

"Did what I did to you, yes," Wade replied.

"What'd he do?" Lance asked in alarm.

"It doesn't matter," Justin replied, holding up his hand. "You practically disappeared since then."

"As I said it was to give her space to do what she was hired for," Wade said as he nodded in Mack's direction. "Johnny knows why I left, to get a handle on my drinking. I've been taking AA classes." He sighed. "I mean no harm. Honestly, I just want to dance and to help you guys have the best tour you can have."

Justin held Wade's gaze and sighed. "I believe you," Justin muttered.

"May I ask why?" Lance questioned.

"Because he willingly told us all of this stuff. If he didn't want us to know he wouldn't provide all this information," Justin replied. "Now all we have to do is get the word out of the Queen Bitch herself." He looked at his watch again. "Does Jace know we're gone?"

"Uh-uh, we convinced him to get some rest. He'll be out for a few hours. Johnny knows what we're up to so we're fine," Lance replied.

"Ok, let's get this over with." Justin opened the door to their room they were in and burst out laughing. Joey had Bobbie pinned to the floor by holding her shoulders down while Chris dangled one of his socks over her face. "Chris, what're you doing?"

"Trying to get answers from her!" he replied.

"I said interrogate her not kill her! Get up." Chris and Joey did as they were told and moved to stand behind Justin. He smiled to himself feeling like the general of an army of avengers. Bobbie got up and eyed them all. "I'll make this very simple, spill your guts and I won't let Chris hold that sock in your face again."

"Is that supposed to be a threat?" Bobbie asked.

"No but I can easily dish one if you want it so bad," Mack spoke up.

"Down girl," Justin said in a joking tone.

"You might as well fess up," Wade added.

"Why? To give them another reason to hate me?"

"I don't hate you," Justin replied. "On the contrary. I don't hate people, I just don't like you. You tricked JC, you've hurt JC, you lied to him, and you hurt my girl in the process and I'm not going to fly with that. So talk! It's not like you have much to lose anyway, JC's not here and I'm not going to tell him anything. He has to hear what you're going to say from you, not me."

"Whatever." Bobbie rolled her eyes. "JC's mine, first and foremost," she declared, glaring at Mack. "My roommate set us up and we're perfect for each other."

"If you were so perfect you wouldn't have to keep lying to get your way," Joey spoke up.

"I was making sure things stayed my way. I knew since I first met you all that she would be a threat to our relationship," Bobbie said bitterly. "I could tell by the way he was looking at her that she meant something to him, even if she couldn't see it. It wasn't fair that he was pining after someone that didn't see how wonderful he was. I was there for him, he didn't need anyone else. If he couldn't see that I had to make sure that he understood it so I took some matters into my own hands."

"So Wade was part of your scheme?" Lance asked, moving over to the bed.

"Yeah. He probably told you but we met for your VMA rehearsal. I walked in on him while he was drunk once. He begged me not to tell anyone that he was drinking or he would lose his job. I decided to keep his secret and give him some beer if he helped me get JC away from her." She chuckled. "It turned out easier than I thought. All I had to do was sleep with JC a few times to get him to tell me anything I wanted to know. When I found out that Wade had a chance of being your tour choreographer I suggested that he look into what he's done so he would pick Wade. When he did I told him I'd get him free beer at a nightclub if he met up with you guys and flirted with her. I knew it would get on JC's nerves and I knew it would get him to drink more. I didn't know he was that violent when he got drunk, usually alcohol brought out his rough side for sex. I didn't think he'd cause physical harm, but that was a serendipitous side effect."

Chris grabbed Mack's arm to hold her back. He knew if he let her go she would lunge at the girl and knock her out in three seconds flat. Chris wanted to attack Bobbie himself but he knew they needed her info so he let her be for now.

"After that I just made sure to do everything I could to make sure things between them got even rockier, even if that meant I had to temporarily mess up my own relationship with JC, he always comes crawling back so I wasn't worried. When I went to New York, I did sleep with Wade but he was drunk and he didn't know what he was doing so it didn't even matter. I promised him her if he promised to get her out of my way. He asked her out and-"

"Don't!" Mack hissed through clenched teeth. Bobbie smiled, knowing that she struck a nerve. Lance, Chris, and Joey exchanged confused looks but everyone else ignored it.

"JC broke up with me after you idiots told him about me and Wade," Bobbie continued. "I'll admit I was hurt but then that hurt went away once I realized I was pregnant. That's when I knew that I had him and JC would always and will forever be mine. We're going to get married. He said himself that he can't let his baby grow up without a father, so that's it. Either you be nice to me or JC will quit ‘N Sync, it's your choice." She crossed her arms over her chest and smiled with confidence.

"What makes you so sure the baby is his?" Justin asked.

"DNA test," Bobbie replied. "We went yesterday, that's why he wasn't at practice. It was the same time he proposed to me, see?" She held out her hand and showed off the diamond ring that lay on her finger.

"DNA testing, eh?" Mack asked, part of her Canadian accent coming through. "By any chance do you have a copy of the results with you?"

Bobbie scoffed. "Of course. I knew you guys would try to disprove of my baby being his." She pulled an envelope out of her bag and handed it over to her, smirking all the while. Lance shifted on the bed and stretched, shifting Justin's bag slightly as Mack pulled the paper out of the envelope and read it over.

"Hmmm," Mack muttered as she looked the piece of paper over. When she lowered it and lifted her eyes to Bobbie she sighed. "There's no denying it," she muttered, waving the piece of paper a bit. A smile suddenly formed on her face. "There's no denying that this ‘DNA test' is a fake." Bobbie's smile dropped from her face.

"What!?" Bobbie shrieked. "How dare you call me a liar!"

"I don't have to, this paper does it for you," Mack replied, laughing. "I can spot a fake from miles away."

"How?" Wade asked.

"My Dad's a photographer," Mack explained. "He takes pictures of stuff, blows stuff up, and shrinks it too. He even makes copies of documents and stuff for people. I've been around the shop long enough to know a fake document when I see it and this DNA test is false."

"How do you know?" Chris asked.

"Like I said, I can spot fakes a mile away. That and doctors' use a specific paper with a water mark so it can't be copied as easily. This is on thicker paper and the water mark is nowhere to be seen. Also, the signature of the doctor is different than the doctor's actual signature."

"How...?" Bobbie was speechless.

"You went to an Orlando doctor, right?" Mack asked. She nodded. "Dr. Levitt?" Bobbie nodded again. "He's the best known doctor in the Orlando area and he's my doctor. I know his signature anywhere." She rolled up the paper. "You're not pregnant, if you haven't figured that out."

"Yes I am!" Bobbie stomped her foot.

"Really? You seemed a little too eager to attack me then. I could've easily killed your baby but you didn't seem to care at all. If you were really pregnant your motherly instincts would've kicked in and you wouldn't risk the baby's life." Mack chuckled. "Give it up, Bobbie. Stop the lies and leave us all alone." Bobbie stayed silent.

"Oh, and if you could do us one favor," Lance spoke up.

"What?" Bobbie snapped.

Lance unzipped Justin's bag fully and pulled out the video camera that had a red light on it. He lifted it to his eye and grinned. "Say hi to the camera." A look of horror came onto her features. "Oh, and thanks for the help Wade."

"No problem," Wade responded.

"Wade?" Bobbie questioned.

"He's been on our side from the start," Justin declared.

"You see, we had a feeling you've been cheating on JC in the beginning," Joey explained. "We knew you were contacting Wade the entire time so we got him to expose you if we kept up our promise to help him with his alcohol problem. We got him the best AA teacher we could find."

"We used your plan against you, Thomas," Chris said with a grin as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You're done. Leave JC alone and stay out of our lives or else we'll call the police and file a restraining order and I'm sure you don't want the police on your case."

"I can't believe you would do this!" Bobbie said as tears started to fall down her cheeks. "All I wanted was a husband and a family and respect."

"You don't deserve our respect! You don't deserve JC. You don't deserve anything!" Justin snapped. He nodded at Lance who turned off the camera. "Have a nice life." He looked at his watch again. "C'mon guys. We have a show to get ready for." Justin lead the group out of the hotel room.

"Hey, how'd you know that test was a fake?" Chris asked.

"I didn't," Mack admitted with a smile. "I just made her believe that I thought it was fake until she spilled it for me."

Everyone laughed as they walked to the elevator. "Now there's just one more thing we need to take care of," Justin announced with a smile.

~*~*~

"JC! Guess what! Guess what!" JC could hear Chris's muffled voice along with footsteps. Before he knew it he could feel weight on his chest. The sudden weight caused him to lose all of the air that was in his chest temporarily. The dull ache that was throbbing at the top of his head turned into a full blown headache. Having a twenty-nine-year-old jumping on him didn't help.

"Chris," JC groaned as he glared at him through heavy eyelids. "Why won't you let me sleep? We don't have to go anywhere for a few more hours, Johnny told me himself. Why are you jumping on me?"

"Because I have something important to tell you," Chris said as he dropped down so he was sitting down cross legged, his elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting in his palms.

"Ok, ok, fine," JC sighed as he sat up and ran a hand though his hair. He didn't have to look in a mirror to tell that my hair was sticking out more than usual. "What is it that you have to tell me?" He looked up when everyone else rushed into the room, panting heavily. "What, did Chris eat your candy again?"

"Not funny," Chris said with a pout. "Now, if you keep making jokes then I won't tell you the best news ever."

"Ok, I'm sorry," JC apologized as he rubbed my temples. He really wanted to get some Advil but he couldn't with Chris sitting on my legs. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"We exposed Bobbie like the goldigger she is!" he shouted as he punched his hands into the air in triumph.

"What?" JC muttered.

"It's true," Lance said as he walked into the room, carrying Joey's video camera into his hands. "We got it all on tape. Watch." He turned it on and held it in front of JC's face as the others crowded around him to see the video again. From time to they would comment on something and laugh at an expression on Bobbie's face. As JC watched a warm and fuzzy feeling started to wash over him.

"What's up, C? You look like you're going to cry or something," Joey commented, nudging his friend.

"It's just..." JC shook his head. "You guys are the best friends ever. I mean it. You guys went to great lengths to make sure I was happy and focused and..." He let his voice trail off. "Thank you, so much. I don't know what I'd do without you guys."

"Get a degree and be a vet?" Mack guessed. They turned to look at her and she shrugged. "He said that he'd be a vet if he wasn't in this band. Or he'd do something with animals at least."

"When'd he say that?" Justin questioned.

"A few years ago, back in Orlando. We were eating desert after Thanksgiving and we were discussing what we'd be doing if we weren't working with ‘N Sync."

"You remembered that?" JC asked touched and slightly shocked.

She nodded and lowered her head, suddenly embarrassed. "I remember a lot of things you say, no matter how stupid they sound sometimes. If it's important to you, it's important to me."

"Could you ask her out all ready? Your flirting is really starting to get on my nerves especially since you two haven't gotten anywhere," Joey said as he nudged JC who blushed but smiled.

"You might want to save that until after rehearsal," Mack replied. "You might change your mind with how hard I'm going to work you boys."

"Never," JC replied grinning.

She clapped her hands. "Up and at ‘em boys. Get to the stage."

They groaned but got to their feet anyway. Chris brought his leg back at an angle and kicked Mack causing them both to run out of the room yelling. Lance followed them and Joey followed him, carrying his video camera.

"What's this?" Justin picked up a notebook that was on the floor.

"Oh, I was just finishing some new lyrics," JC said with a shrug. "You can read it if you want."

"Cool." Justin turned his attention to the page.

See Right Through You

By: Joshua Chasez, May 2000

Tell me what kinda girl would wanna play me
Tear me down then try to break me
Baby how could you betray me
After all I've done for you
Took you there, bought you this, now it's not enough babe
You better get your story straight babe
Tell me why you wanna play
I've had enough

These games they've got to stop
(Oh)
About to get pissed off
(Ooh yea)
You had to keep leading me on
Baby you thought you had me fooled but I see right through you

Look into my eyes
Tell me what you see
You see a man who thought you loved me
You played me like a fool but I see right through you
I look into your eyes
(Oh)
I'll tell you what I see
I see a girl who ran game on me
You thought you had me fooled but I see right through you

Tell me girl what's his name
What'd he do to take you
Does he freak you the way that I do?
(I do)
'Cause you know that I know how to
(I know how to)
When he leaves you don't come crying back to me
'Cause I'll be moving on you see
And you'll be just a memory
I think I've had enough

These games they've got to stop
(Oh oh)
About to get pissed off
(Ooh yeah)
You had to keep leading me on
Baby you thought you had me fooled but I see right through you

Look into my eyes
(Oh)
Tell me what you see
(Tell me what you see)
You see a man who thought you loved me
You played me like a fool but I see right through you
I look into your eyes
(Into your eyes)
I'll tell you what I see
(I see)
I see a girl who ran game on me
You thought you had me fooled but I see right through you

You got me fooled
See right through you
(Oh, oh, oh, oh)
Ooh yeah
See-see-see right through you

Baby tell me does he do it, do it like I do?
(Oh)
Baby tell me will he love you, love you like I do?
And now you're crying 'cause you can't believe that we are through
I don't care 'cause I see right through you
Let me tell you that-a this is how it's gonna be
After all that we have been through, what you meant to me
(To me)
That you won't do this to me
'Cause now I see right through you

Look into my eyes
(Oh)
Tell me what you see
(Tell me what you see)
You see a man who thought you loved me
You played me like a fool but I see right through you
I look into your eyes
(Whoa whoa)
I'll tell you what I see
(Oh oh)
(Tell you what I see)
I see a girl who ran game on me
(Tell you what I see)
You thought you had me fooled but I see right through you
(See right through you)

Look into my eyes
(Oh)
(See right through you)
Tell me what you see
(Baby)
You see a man who thought you loved me
You played me like a fool but I see right through you
(Oh oh)
I look into your eyes
(Yeah)
I'll tell you what I see
(Tell you what I see)
I see a girl who ran game on me
You thought you had me fooled but I see right through you
(See right through you)
(See right through you)

"You ok, man?" Justin asked, looking up at JC as he closed his notebook.

JC nodded and smiled. "Yup. For the first time in a while I feel like things are going the right way."