"Together Again"

"Hey Isabella," Joey asked, as Isabella scratched her shoulder, "what happened to your arm? It looks painful."

Isabella looked at the large purple bruise on her arm, compliments of Uriel. "Um…" she stammered, "I was wrestling with Yasmine and she slammed me."

"Yeah," Yasmine grinned cockily, going along with the lie, "I don’t play. Do I, Belle?"

"Of course not," Isabella replied sarcastically, glaring at Yasmine.

"Watch those looks, Izzy," Yasmine smirked. "I don't wanna have to put the smack down on your ass again."

"Cut it out, Yaz," Tammy chuckled. Isabella looked like she was ready to pound Yasmine into shrimp fried rice, and Yasmine was enjoying every second of it.

"Man," JC said, shaking his head, "Tammy always said that when the five of y'all get together y'all are wild, but I didn't know y'all were this crazy. It's like a female version of us."

"That's a scary thought," Michelle cracked from her position on the floor. Serena, who was behind her on the couch playing with her hair, pretended to start gagging at the thought of being anything like 'NSync.

Tammy had to admit that JC had a point. When one got all five of the girls together and there wasn't a battle to be fought, that just meant that there was fun to be had. 'And we do know how to have fun', Tammy grinned, watching as Isabella and Yasmine got into a paper fight with Chris and Justin. "Hey watch it!" she snapped good naturedly as a piece of paper hit her. "One more and someone's flyin' off this bus," she warned.

The five girls were on 'NSync's bus travelling to New York. They figured that since they had to meet up in New York anyway and were too tired to hyper jump there, why not just hitch a ride with the guys? Unfortunately, if five guys on a bus was chaos, five guys plus five girls on a bus equaled pure madness. No one could sit still for more than a minute, not even Lance, who was recovering nicely from his cold.

"Wanna play 'Frog'?" Yasmine asked Isabella excitedly.

"No way," Isabella snorted. "You always cry in the middle anyway."

"No I don't!" Yasmine frowned indignantly.

"What's 'Frog'?" Justin asked Tammy, a confused look on his face.

Tammy rolled her eyes to the ceiling, displaying her distaste for such a childish game. "'Frog' is a game where you keep punching each other in the arm, making a lump come up, until one person surrenders. It's stupid."

"'Cause you know I always beat," Yasmine snorted.

"Sounds like a challenge to me," Michelle couldn't help but instigate with a grin.

Tammy glared at Yasmine. "Let's go," she growled.

Tammy sat on the couch next to Yasmine as Lance took Tammy's no longer occupied seat at the table in dining area of the bus.

"Pick an arm," Tammy told Yasmine.

"My left," Yasmine said confidently.

"In that case," Tammy shrugged, "you can punch my right arm. Ready? You go first."

Everyone on the bus flinched visibly as Yasmine punched Tammy's right arm with a loud pop. Tammy just yawned and balled up her fist, planting a hard punch on Yasmine's arm.

"Shit!" Yasmine flinched.

"Ready to quit already?" Tammy snickered.

Yasmine glared at Tammy, a frown etched on her face. "Not a chance," she replied, landing another punch on Tammy's arm.

JC grimaced at Tammy's arm, which was already starting to turn a weird shade of brown. "You guys should stop," he advised. "Girls aren't supposed to play games like that." He was awarded with both Tammy and Yasmine flicking him off. In the middle of their game, Tammy and Yasmine engaged in some friendly conversation, much to the displeasure of the others on the bus. They just couldn't understand how someone could talk so casually while either being hit or hitting someone with so much force.

"Didja catch the college basketball game last night?" Tammy asked Yasmine, hitting her in the exact same spot as before.

"Nope," Yasmine replied, returning the favor. "Who played?"

Punch. "Penn State and UNC," Tammy replied.

Punch. "Oh yeah?" Yasmine asked. "Who won?"

Punch. "You know Penn State spanked UNC," Tammy replied with a laugh.

Punch! "Yeah, Penn State is unstoppable this year," Yasmine commented.

"But of course." Punch!

"But I thought UNC would have had a chance." Punch!

Punch! "Nah, UNC is full-a punk asses, anyway. Penn State sent those baby blue bitches back to North Cackilacky where they belong."

Punch! "I hear ya," Yasmine laughed.

Justin was dying to get into the discussion about his favorite sport and team, but everytime he looked at Tammy and Yasmine, his eyes strayed to their arms, which were starting to swell. 'Eww…' he thought, making a disgusted face.

Punch. "So how's the movie coming?"

"Fine… punch! …I've had a lot of distractions."

Punch. "Do you think you'll make the deadline?"

"Do I ever?" Punch!

"Okay, that's it!" JC exclaimed, jumping to his feet. "Game's over!" he said, his eyes daring the two to protest. "This is just plain sick and gross."

"I told you," Tammy shrugged, rubbing her swollen black arm.

"Who won?" Yasmine asked, looking at her now purple (and very swollen) arm.

"Nobody," Chris grimaced. "Both of your arms look like they're infected now."

"Get used to stuff like this," Serena warned. "When the five of us get together, we act up. We're just so happy to see each other that we fly off the handle a bit."

"Music tames the most savage of beasts," Isabella remarked with a grin. "Let's play, 'Name That Tune'."

Everyone on the bus agreed, and Isabella, who normally played drums anyway, started to pound out a beat. "Oh, I know that one!" Chris exclaimed.

"What is it?" Joey asked.

Chris scratched his head. "I don't really know it," he said with a grin. "I was just seein' if somebody was gonna call my bluff."

"I know it, but I'm not gonna answer," Tammy grinned.

"That's not how you're supposed to play," JC complained.

"Hell, why not?" Tammy shrugged. "She played that beat just for me." She leaned over and whispered something in Justin's ear.

"Is it "One In A Million" by Aaliyah?" Justin asked.

"Yup," Isabella nodded.

"No fair," Lance frowned. "Tammy told him the answer!"

"The game is called 'Name That Tune', not 'Figure Out the Tune Your Damn Self'," Justin countered.

"I'm sure y'all can get this one," Isabella said, referring to the members of 'NSync. She started to pound out a beat that seemed familiar to the guys, yet they couldn't put their finger on what exactly it was.

"Oh my gosh!" Michelle looked at them, disbelief on her face. "You guys don't know this one?" She looked at Yasmine. "Do you know it, Yaz?"

"Yup," Yasmine replied with a smile, looking at Tammy. "Do you know it, T?"

Tammy smirked, "Hell yeah. You know it, Rena?" she asked Serena.

Serena nodded, smiling as Michelle said, "Man, this is one of our theme songs!" She started to sing, "How can I say that I love you when you're so far away…"

"It's the beat to 'Together Again'!" JC smiled as Michelle continued to sing. At the harmonizing part, Serena started to sing, "Oooh…" and Yasmine and Isabella joined in for an almost perfect harmony. "We need Tammy's voice to round it out," Yasmine said. She looked at Tammy, who was just looking at her friends, a content smile on her face. "Will you sing already?" Yasmine rolled her eyes with a smile. Tammy just shrugged and listened as Michelle launched into the second verse.

"What can I do… to make you see… that I'm here…" Michelle sang. At the harmonizing part again, the girls immediately launched into the "oohs" minus Tammy, and even though the harmony wasn’t perfectly rounded, the sound of their voices blending together completely blew the guys of 'NSync away, especially JC, who had the ear for music. JC always knew that Tammy and Isabella could sing; he often called them the "Soul Sistas" because when they sang, he felt the music deep down to his soul, but hearing the others harmonize so effortlessly surprised him. Finally, much to the their happiness, Tammy joined in.

Michelle sang Joey's, "What can I do…?" and Tammy echoed in her clear, strong alto voice JC's, "What can I do?"

"To make you see…"

"To make you see?"

"That I'm here…" Michelle put her hand on Serena's.

"I'm here…." Tammy looked at Justin and winked.

"Here for you…" Michelle grinned at Isabella.

"Right here for you…" Tammy nodded at Lance.

"I really hope…"

"I really hope…"

"That you come home…"

"That you come home…"

"So we can be…"

"So we can be…" Tammy looked at Michelle and the two sang in perfect harmony, "Together again."

All five came together and sang powerfully, "Together again!", and launched into the "oooh" harmony, which finally sounded perfect, since all five of them were "together again". At the end, the boys of 'NSync applauded loudly.

"You guys sound great together," Lance said.

"Not as good as y'all," Isabella shrugged.

"Never as good as us," Justin teased. Tammy picked up a pillow and threw it at his head. Justin laughed, happy that things seemed to be getting back to normal.

JC had cornered him the day before and demanded to know what the deal was about the whole docks incident, since Tammy had conveniently cut out. Justin made up some B.S. story about how he went for a walk to the docks and got caught in the rain. On an impulse, he lied, he had called Tammy, who took pity on him and came to get him. JC didn't buy the story completely, but seemed satisfied with it. He figured that he'd find out the truth sooner or later.

"Well," Isabella smirked, "since we sang for you, you guys have to sing for us."

"What song do ya wanna hear?" Chris asked with a grin. "Keep in mind that we're five white guys from Orlando, so please don't ask us to rap."

"You nut," Isabella laughed. "I wouldn't torture myself like that." Chris' mouth fell open in a gesture of false, over-exaggerated shock and offense. Isabella continued with a chuckle, "Here's the beat." She started to beat out a melody, and Lance immediately caught it, then Joey, then Justin.

As the three started to harmonize, Chris picked up the slack, and JC smiled, saying, "We haven’t sang this in forever!" He launched into the opening verse to "More Than A Feeling" as Tammy and the others rocked back and forth with smiles on their faces. Isabella grinned widely and continued to pound out the beat on the table.

Justin looked at Tammy and started to sing his verse to her, "When I'm tired, and I think I'm cold, I hide in my music and forget the day." He winked and continued, "And dream of a girl that I used to know. Closed my eyes and she slipped away."

Tammy grinned widely and chuckled softly, nodding her head to the melody. Yasmine's jaw dropped when Joey hit the high falsetto a capella, then she gasped happily, clapping softly.

When the guys finished, the girls jumped up onto the couches and started to cheer loudly. "Get it, boo!" they started to chant over and over. Isabella pounded out a new beat on the table and Tammy started to beatbox. Michelle jumped off the couch and started to do the Rumpshaker, a goofy grin on her face as the guys laughed.

"Y'all are nuts," Joey laughed when they were done.

"Coconuts," Tammy remarked, looking at her light, cocoa colored skin.

"Caramel covered nuts," Isabella smiled, holding up her slightly tan arm. "Puerto Rico!"

"Chocolate covered," Michelle grinned with a wink.

"Umm… " Yasmine pondered her skin. "Peanut," she finally decided.

"Hey guys?" Serena asked. "What are those white nuts called?"

"Pistachios?" Michelle volunteered.

"Nah," Serena shook her head. "I think those are red. Maybe I'm thinking of macadamias… Who knows?"

"Some pistachios are white," Lance said.

"Okay then," Serena nodded. "I'm a pistachio nut."

"We should get that tattooed on our bodies," Isabella chuckled as an afterthought.

"By yourself," Tammy snorted. She looked at the guys, a mischievous grin on her face. "Wanna play 'Truth or Dare'?"

"You can't play a good game of 'Truth or Dare' on a bus," Justin stated.

"Sure you can," Michelle said. "You just gotta be creative." She gestured to everyone. "C'mon, let's play."

Everyone moved to the couches and got comfortable. "What wants to go first?" JC asked.

"Hold on!" Yasmine exclaimed. "We never play without taping it. Got a camcorder?"

"Dammit," Isabella scowled. "Where's Steve when ya friggin' need him?"

"Did you just say you needed Steve?" Serena asked, gagging.

"Who's Steve?" Michelle asked.

"Yeah," Yasmine echoed.

"Oh," Tammy remembered. "You weren't with us when we met the infamous Steve Fatone."

"Lucky you," Isabella said, scowling at Joey, who held up his hands in defense and cried, "Hey! How was I supposed to know he'd mistake you for a groupie?"

"A groupie?" Yasmine asked in shock as the guys of 'NSync laughed.

"Uh-uh," Isabella shook her head. "That would have been a compliment. He mistook me for a hooker. Imagine that," she frowned. "I'm sitting there in some baggy ass jeans, a wifebeater, and some Tim's, and the little ass fucker tries to give me $50 for an hour of pleasure."

"What'd you do?" Michelle asked.

"I punched him dead in his eye and said, 'Who you callin' a trick'?" Isabella rapped Queen Latifah's "U.N.I.T.Y." with a grin. Tammy and Serena immediately jumped in and sang, "U.N.I.T.Y.!"

"Can we please get on with this game?" JC said. "You guys dwell on the past too much."

"Don't be a hater," Tammy rolled her eyes. "Just for JC's comment, I'll go first. JC, truth or dare?"

JC snorted. "I have nothing to hide. Truth."

"How old were you when you first had sex?" Tammy asked bluntly.

JC blushed up to his ears. "Umm… imgofif…," he mumbled.

"How old?" Tammy asked, grinning.

JC cleared his throat and spoke up. "I said, eighteen."

"But JC," Lance protested, "you told us you were fifteen." The girls immediately fell out laughing and Tammy yelled, "Busted!"

"What's a couple of months between friends?" JC shrugged.

"Couple of years is more like it," Justin muttered.

JC glared at Justin, finding his target. "Just for that, I'll call on you. Justin, truth or dare?"

"Dare," Justin snickered. "I'd love to see you find a dare for me on a moving bus."

"Okay," JC grinned evilly. "I dare you to sun the next car that rides past."

"Sun?" Justin repeated confusedly as the others whooped and laughed. "What's sunning?"

"Let me answer this," Tammy said sweetly. "J, sunning is the equivalent of flashing. It's the opposite of mooning, if ya know what I mean."

Justin shook his head, paling a bit. "No way, man. I'm not doin' it."

"You have to," JC smiled sweetly.

"What if I don't?" Justin challenged.

"You get the fist," Tammy said, holding up her fist.

"From all of us," Yasmine added. "And you saw what happened when me and Tammy gave each other the fist." She showed him her still swollen and bruised arm.

"Okay," Justin sighed, putting his hand on the buckle of his belt. He got up on the couch and turned to the window as he unbuckled his belt. "Don't look!" he said to Yasmine and Isabella, covering his still buttoned crotch with his hands.

"Then how are we gonna know if you did it?" Isabella laughed. "Just do it, Fro."

Justin closed his eyes briefly. "Jesus," he whispered, pulling down his pants in the front and pressing his goods to the window. Just then, a car full of young, twenty-something girls passed him and ogled at him. "Oh my God!" Justin jumped off the couch, hurriedly pulling up his pants.

"What?" JC laughed. "What happened?"

"Somebody saw," Justin gasped.

"That's the whole point," Chris rolled his eyes.

"B…but," Justin stuttered, buckling his pants, "they were young. Like my age. And they were lookin' at my stuff!" The girls couldn't help but giggle at Justin's discomfort. Whenever he got nervous, angry, or indignant, his Tennessee accent resurfaced. This time was no exception, and his last sentenced sounded more like, "Lack mah age. And theh were lookin' at mah stuhff!"

"Shake it off, J," Tammy chuckled.

Justin looked at her. "Okay," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Tammy. Truth or dare?"

"Truth," Tammy smirked.

That threw Justin for a loop, because he was sure that she'd pick dare, but he recovered quickly. "If you could kiss anybody on this bus, who would it be?"

"Guy or girl?" Tammy asked.

"Both," Justin answered, as Joey and Chris cheered and gave each other high fives.

Tammy rolled her eyes. "I dunno," she shrugged. "I guess JC. He's got nice lips."

JC's jaw dropped, then a huge smile spread across his face. He jumped to his feet in over-exaggerated excitement and started to gloat, dancing around the bus and jumping up and down. "Yeah!" he high-fived himself. "I got nice lips! Yeah, boy!" He pointed his finger right between Joey's eyes and yelled, "Yeah, bitch!" He turned to Chris and pinched his nose, yelling, "What bitch?!" Everyone on the bus was laughing hysterically at this point, and JC sat down.

Tammy looked at Chris. "Truth or dare?" she chuckled.

"Dare," Chris said, puffing his chest out. "I'm a man."

"I dare you to…" Tammy trailed off then looked around the bus, not sure what she could make him do.

"Good luck finding a dare," Chris smirked confidently.

Tammy got up, picked up a cup from the counter, and walked into the bathroom, where the guys heard her turn on the sink faucet. Seconds later she walked back out with the cup full of water. "I dare you to drink this," she said, handing him the water.

"No problem," Chris shrugged taking the cup and drinking it's contents.

"There's toilet water in it," Tammy grinned.

Chris looked up, a mixture of shock and disbelief on his face. "Liar."

Tammy shook her head. "I went into the bathroom and stuck the cup in the toilet bowl. It only has a little water in it as you know. The cup got some toilet water in it, and I filled up the rest with tap water."

Chris immediately jumped up and ran to the bathroom to throw up. "Really Chris," Tammy said, standing in the doorway, "you're so over-dramatic. It's not like it was used toilet water."

"But it was still toilet water," Chris gagged. He didn't throw up, but he was determined to get Tammy back. Walking back to his seat on the couch, he said with a scowl, "Tammy. Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Tammy smiled sweetly.

Chris returned a smile just as sweet. "Since I drank toilet water, and haven't yet washed out my mouth, I dare you to let me kiss you for ten seconds." Everyone on the bus moaned and expressed their disgust.

Tammy grimaced, but had to oblige. "Okay," she said, gagging at the thought.

Chris laughed evilly and fastened his lips to Tammy's as everyone else screamed, "Eww!!! Yuck!!" Lance looked at his watch and timed them. "Okay," he laughed, "ten seconds is up!"

Tammy jumped up and ran to wash out her mouth. "Really Tammy," Chris mocked, "it's not like it was used toilet water."

"Good one, Chris," Joey clapped. "Remind me not to get on your bad side."

"I'll get you, Chris," Tammy scowled, "but not with 'Truth or Dare'. Just remember that the dare war is still on and I'm up one on you since I replaced your baby powder with itching powder." Tammy snickered, remembering how Chris kept nonchalantly scratching himself on TRL. "Jock itch," she chuckled.

"Whatever," Chris rolled his eyes.

Even though Chris was annoyed that Tammy got one up on him, he was still happy to see the old, spunky Tammy he knew and grew to love. There was a lighter attitude in the group ever since Justin and Tammy made up, and obviously having her friends with her made Tammy feel freer, and more inclined to loosen up. 'Yeah,' he mused, smiling at Tammy to let her know there were no hard feelings, and relieved when she smiled back, 'it's good to have us all together again.'