to save us all…

I wish I could remember that first day, first hour, first moment of your meeting me. If bright or dim the season, it might be. Summer or winter for aught I can say; So unrecorded did it slip away, So blind was I to see and to foresee, So dull to mark the budding of my tree That would not blossom yet for many a May. If only I could recollect it, such A day of days! I let it come and go As traceless as a thaw of bygone snow; It seemed to mean so little, meant so much; If only now I could recall that touch, First touch of hand in hand – Did one but know! *Christina Rossett*

I erased that day from my mind. Everything I vowed that ill-fated day, was erased and never to be remembered. I pushed back all the memories of that night into a place, buried so deep inside me, that I didn't even know it existed. Her face was all I could remember, all I cared to remember and nothing else. A face without a name and that imaged along with a boy I never knew, haunted my dreams for years.

I woke up in the hospital two days later. The doctors said I suffered a major head injury and could have partial amnesia since I couldn't tell them what had happened. They said that after a traumatic event like a fire, some people shield themselves from the pain by pushing those events down into a place they never want to enter. Maybe that's what happened to me, I don't know. All I do know is that after that day, I changed…for the worse.

(Two Years Later)

"JOEY!!!"

A loud 'thud' was heard down the hall and then the sound of two feet came running towards the front of the bus. The others sat around the small table patiently awaiting their exit off this compact machine. Suddenly a man with flaming red hair appeared before the others shouting for everyone to get out of his way. He ran passed them and straight for the door. He grabbed the arm of a very large man and was able to drag him out the door with him.

The crowd outside had been waiting for these guys for hours and with his sudden appearance, deafening screams could be heard all the way to Alaska. He pushed his way through the crowd with the help of the bodyguard at his side.

Once he was safely inside the five-star hotel, he slowed. "Hey, what the hell was that for?" Asked a very tired and overheated bodyguard.

The man beside him just busted out laughing. "Oh that, it was nothing." He waved his hand in front of his face to ward off the statement. "I was just in a hurry to get in here, that's all." He plastered a smile on his face, one that all his 'friends' had mastered over the years.

"Yeah right, then why was Chris yelling for you…and…"

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard the screams of fans outside get louder, indicating that someone had come through the door. The two slowly turned to see a very upset, blue-haired monster running straight towards them.

"Just give me one minutes alone with him, Dan, just one minute." His arms were flaring in all directions as the other bodyguard tried to hold him back.

"Chris, you said on Rosie that you were gonna dye your hair blue and we'd be 'fire and ice' wrestlers, remember?" Joey tried to say as he hid behind his own bodyguard.

The look in Chris' eyes looked like he wasn't amused. "I WAS KIDDING!" He yelled as the others entered the hotel.

"Man, chill out. I'm sure it'll wash out, right Joey?" JC said as he approached the two.

Joey's head peered out from behind the large man and he gave a guilty smile to his friends. "Well…"

"JOEY!" Chris started.

"I'm just kidding. It's only blue food coloring, it should wash out after a few washings." He walked around his guard and closer to Chris. "Come on, no harm done. I was just getting you back for putting 'Joey eats Busta's droppings for supper' on my back for the concert last night."

Chris started laughing when he heard this. "Yeah, that was really funny. You should have seen the looks those girls in the front row were giving you." He walked towards his friend and put his arm around him. The two began laughing for a minute then Chris spoke up. "But you know what the best part is?"

He asked his laughing friend, who said 'what'. Chris' face grew serious for the first time all summer. "The fact that I didn't do it." A fire grew in his eyes. "That's right, I didn't write that on your back, Justin did."

Just then, a loud scream was heard throughout the hotel lobby as Joey chased after Justin, with Chris right on their tails. The three were a sight to be seen. They seemed more like wild animals then superstars.

JC shook his head and followed the guards to the elevator. "Hey, Lance what's wrong?"

He noticed his friend lagging behind the others. "Oh nothing, I just had a bad dream, that's all." He said as a yawn stretched across his face.

JC's eyes grew tired as well. "I know what you mean, the past few nights I've been having terrible dreams, too. I just can't shake this feeling that something is about to happen."

Lance knew exactly what he meant. "Yeah, I've felt the same way. Something is defiantly happening soon, I just can't figure out what."

The two looked at each other for a minute before cracking up. "I bet I can guess what it is: those three kill each other and we have to start a duo." One of them said.

The two continued to laugh as they reached the elevator to ascend to their designated floor for some much-needed rest.

"No, I think it's something much bigger than that." The other one said, under his breath.

"Hey Belle are you coming?" A soft female voice was heard from the front door of the old country home, nestled in the quiet countryside.

A louder, more authoritative voice returned the answer. "YEAH, IN A MINUTE."

Not a moment later, down the stairs bounded a vibrant young woman, full of energy.

"You didn't have to yell, I can hear you just fine…maybe more since…"

"Yeah I know, I'm sorry." The woman approached her friend and brought her into a huge hug. "And your sense of feeling is better, too. Can you feel this?" She said as she pinched her friend's sides.

"YES! Stop…tickling…me…Belle, please." She was trying to break free from her friend's hold when another voice echoed through the house.

"Girls, now how many times have I told you to stop playing around. Belle…" The voice grew closer and the two girls turned to look at the middle-aged woman standing before them. "You know what happened last time you two played like that."

The two broke up immediately. They remembered all two well how one of them got hurt bad when they played around. "Yes mom, sorry about that, I just forgot." Belle apologized.

"That's okay, now listen…" She started as she took a hold of the other girl's hand. "Are you guys ready for a great vacation?"

A round of 'Yes' came from both their mouths and the three walked out into the sunshine to enter the car that awaited them to take them to the airport for the start of their trip together.

"WAIT!" Yelled one of them. "We forgot Betsy." She opened the door and yelled. A moment later, a blonde creature came running towards the car. "Come here girl." She jumped inside. "Good girl. Did you think we forgot about my best friend in the world?" She said as she brushed her hands over the head of the Labrador retriever in the back seat.

"Just keep that thing away from me." Grunted Belle from the front seat.

A round of laughter was heard coming through the windows of the car as it sped down the road towards their first stop.

"Home sweet home. I am so glad to be home." The young man said as he entered his newly designed house. "I never thought I'd miss something so much." He threw his bags on the over-priced couch and fell on top of them.

"Chris, man, come on just because we're home doesn't mean we are on vacation. We still have a lot of recording to do in the next few weeks."

A groan was heard beneath the piles of bags. "Give a rest, JC. For once can't you relax and just enjoy the few free moments we have to ourselves?"

"I'll enjoy them when we're done recording for our new album." He stated as he grabbed his bags and headed up the stairs to one of the guestrooms of the house.

"Hey, while you're finding that rest, could you look for a place to live? I thought when I had my own home I would be rid of you but I can't seem to shake you off."

JC poked his head back around the corner of the living room. "You know you love me. Besides, who would be here to keep you in line, young Christopher?" He had to duck so the pillow that was sailing towards his head wouldn't hit him. "See, you do love me."

Chris heard his laughter echoing throughout the walls of his home. "It's about time he laughed. I don't know what his problem's been lately. Maybe being home will help." He said under his breath.

Across town, the same groan could be heard from another member of the group. "Damn Lance, when are you going home?" A red-haired demon asked his friend.

"Joey, if you didn't want me staying with you for the next few weeks you should have said something. I can always crash at Justin's if it's a problem?" Lance sat his bags down in the guestroom and then returned to the kitchen where Joey was fixing himself a sandwich.

"Lance, I don't mind you staying with me, its just that you have been acting all…I don't know…prissy and uptight for the last few days and I don't want that to rub off on me. I'm home and ready to PARTY!" Joey announced as he spun around in his T-shirt and socks, a-la Tom Cruise in Risky Business.

Lance just rolled his eyes. "Sorry man, I've just had a lot on my mind lately. We all have. Don't you remember the other day when Justin got all moody on us and had a hissy fit because we woke him up from a nightmare he was having?"

Joey nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, I remember. Sorry Lance, I know everybody's been walking on eggshells lately trying not to upset each other, even me. I don't know what's going on but I have this feeling in my gut that something big is about to happen."

In the last few days, all the guys had in some way or another, felt that the world was getting ready to change, that something was coming, or happening, or maybe was already here, but none of them could put their fingers on it.

"Joey, look…" He started as he dove into the refrigerator to get a Dr. Pepper to drink. "We all just need a break that's all. I think this time we have here in Florida will be good for us."

Joey agreed and the two sat down at the kitchen table to discuss the next few days' business.

"JUSTIN!"

The curly-haired star turned around to find a madwoman running towards him. "Oh God." He said to himself. "Not her, not now."

He plastered a fake smile on his well-chiseled face and walked towards the woman with his arms open wide. "Aunt Clara, how are you?"

"Well, the bunions on my feet are killing me and by the way I felt this morning, I'd say that I'll probably be visiting the can about a dozen more times before supper. Now come here." Two huge arms encircled his body and brought him into a hug. "My dear boy, you look wonderful. Tell me all about your travels."

Justin sighed. He loved his aunt more than anything but on his first day home from a two and a half-month tour, he didn't want to spend it with her. "Well, there's not much to tell, we…" He began the abridged version of his story with her.

When he was done, he noticed Aunt Clara sound asleep on the couch beside him. His mother came into the room to relieve him. "Honey, I'm sorry I wasn't here when you got home to warn you about Clara. She just showed up unannounced. You know how she is sometimes?"

Lynn came up to her son and gave him a kiss on his head then shoed him off to his room so he could rest. A long night's sleep would do him some good. He had confided in her the bad dreams he was having and she knew he needed to be home and rest. She was worried about him but passed it off as being homesick and decided she wouldn't let anything disturb him until tomorrow morning.

"Chris, out of everyone, how are you the most rested?" The eldest member was asked.

"Well, my boys, you see I know what to count to get me to sleep and it ain't sheep." He gave them a mischievous look and the others busted out laughing.

"I don't even want to know." Lance started.

"Hey guys…*yawn*…we need to get started so we can finish up by lunch. Me and Lance are going to the beach today. Anyone else want to come?" Joey asked his tired friends.

Two 'yays' and one 'nay' was heard and then they decided to discuss their plans as they walked to the recording booth which would capture their voices in song for all to hear.

Several hours later, the group of four was heading towards the closest beach, only 45 minutes away. They had a friend of theirs that owned a beach house they would visit on occasion so not to attract the attention that always seemed to follow them.

"Awwwww yeah, we're here. Peace and relaxation for the next 8 hours. What do y'all want to do first?" Justin asked his friends as they entered the house.

"Sleep."

"Look for chicks."

"Get some sun. Have you seen how white I am? I practically glow in the dark."

"Okay, so we split up." Justin said after the others weighed in their opinions.

"Nah, we can all go outside and get some sun. Joey can look for 'chicks' as he says. Lance, you can get a much-needed tan. Justin can do whatever it is he does. And I'll catch some zzzzzzz's by the beach. Okay?" JC asked.

He got all 'yays' from the crowd and they embarked upon a day of rest in the gorgeous Florida sun. Little did they know that a storm was brewing, one that would change one of their lives forever.

Part three
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