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.