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.