"Suspicions In the Night"

After the concert, the boys of 'NSync wondered where Tammy and Isabella were. "They never even came back," Justin said. "That's so unlike her."

"How can you say that," Chris joked, "when she went AWOL on us just a week ago?"

"Not funny, Chris," JC said. He looked at the others. "Seriously guys, what do you think? Should we just go to the after party without them or should we wait?"

"I say we go," Joey said. "T knows our schedule, and she knows we'll be at the after party after the concert."

"But what about getting in?" Lance worried.

"Hell," Joey chuckled, "they got into the venue with no problem, who says they can't get into a club?"

"I guess you're right," Lance said, pulling on his jacket. "Let's go."

The guys partied for a few hours, but then went back to the hotel with some "friends" for some more partying. After some drinks at the club, and more at the hotel, their worries for Tammy were distant memories.

While the boys were in their rooms, they were too preoccupied to notice a bright flash of light under the crack of the door. "You gonna be alright, T?" Isabella asked concernedly. She continued, wiping some of the dust off of Tammy's face, "You suffered the most blows. I'm surprised you can even walk."

"I'll be alright," Tammy muttered tiredly. "I just wanna lay down." She looked at the door and realized something. "I don't a have a damn key," she growled.

"Don't worry," Isabella consoled, "I got ya." She pointed her index finger at the electronic lock and sent a small bolt of electricity into it. The little light flickered from red to green. "Go on in," Isabella said, cracking the door.

"Hold up," Tammy said, reaching inside and pulling the door stopper outward so it would stop the door from closing all the way. She turned to Isabella and said, "Are we any closer to finding the child?"

Isabella shook her head. "Nope. We got nothin'." She leaned over and kissed Tammy on the cheek as Tammy gave her a big hug. "Good fight, mi amiga," Isabella said.

"Good fight, my friend," Tammy echoed with a weary smile.

Isabella nodded. "Yo te amo, mi amiga," she said, starting to walk away. 

"I love you, too, my friend," Tammy said, watching her walk away. Isabella walked the length of the hall, and then disappeared in a flash of light. Tammy turned and walked into what should have been her and Justin's room. It was completely dark in there except for what light the moon's rays supplied. Tammy looked over at one bed and saw some brown curls underneath the comforter. To Tammy's surprise, the brown curls started to talk. No stupid, Tammy told herself, the curls aren't talking, Justin is. You need some sleep.

"Is that you, T?" Justin asked, sitting up. Tammy noticed a figure laying next to him in the bed that had blonde hair. Both of them appeared to have no clothes on.

Tammy chuckled, "Yeah, it's me, but I'll give ya some privacy."

Justin frowned. "Screw that. Where've you been? We were worried sick."

"Are you sure it wasn't just the alcohol making you sick?" Tammy asked, sniffing the air.

Justin scowled, but before he could reply, the blonde sat up too. "Who's that, Justin?" she asked tiredly, and with a hint of attitude.

Tammy rolled her eyes to the ceiling tiredly and said, "Don't mind me, I just live here. I'm outta here," she said, limping towards the door that connected to the living room. "I'll sleep on the couch. Go back to sleep, J." With that, she walked out.

Tammy entered the living room like a zombie and glanced around quickly. She saw Chris and Joey lounged around in various places and in various positions with girls of their own. Joey cracked open one of his eyes and peered at Tammy. "Don't mind me," Tammy droned, about to collapse from exhaustion, "I just live here." With that, she walked to the door that connected to the other room. She walked in and saw JC under the covers with a redhead. JC jumped up. "Tammy!" he said somewhat guiltily. "I didn't know you'd be back tonight."

Tammy shrugged and sighed sleepily, "Don't mind me, I just live here. I'm outta here." As she limped out, she muttered, "I don't even wanna know where Lance is."

As Tammy left out, the redhead woke up and caught a glimpse of her. "JC," she asked, "was that the girl you were telling me about earlier? Your best friend?"

JC nodded, "Yeah, that was her."

The redhead frowned. "Well, why is she leaving?"

JC smiled ruefully. "I don't think she was very comfortable with the scene in front of her."

The redhead got out of the bed and started to put her clothes on. When she was finished, she looked at JC. "I should go. I enjoyed the time I spent with you," she said with a blush and an awkward smile, "but she's like family to you, and you need to go get her." Dropping a kiss of his forehead, she smiled, "'Bye JC."

"Bye Ana," he waved, watching as she walked out. He then got up and put on his pants and a shirt. Pulling on his shoes, he ran out of the room, determined to find his friend. He realized that she probably had walked in on similar scenes with the other guys. He felt really bad about her feeling like she was being kicked out and was gonna make it up to her.

JC looked in the bar of the hotel and didn't see her. He also checked the lounge area, but there was no Tammy to be found. Finally, he ran down to the lobby of the swank hotel and looked around. He glimpsed her curled up in a chair in the far corner, asleep. He walked up to her and smiled. She looked so cute when she was sleeping. He gently scooped her up and carried her to the elevators. After he got back to his room, he opened the door and set her on the extra twin bed in his room. As he was setting her down, Tammy happened to shift positions, and JC noticed a huge bruise on her right arm, extending from her shoulder to her elbow. It was so dark and swollen that it totally blotted out the tattoo of the black snake she had wrapped around her upper arm.

"What the hell?" JC muttered, touching the bruise softly. Tammy winced slightly, but didn't wake up. JC frowned and wondered what could have happened to her where she got such a tremendous bruise on her body. He also wondered if there were any other bruises on her body. Suddenly, he remembered that when Tammy left, she limped out. "But on what leg?" he wondered. He leaned over Tammy's sleeping form and put his hand on the buckle of her jeans. Suddenly he stopped, feeling slightly guilty. He had never touched Tammy like that before, and wondered what her reaction would be if she woke up. "She'd definitely beat the shit outta me," he murmured. Still, he decided that he had to see if there were anymore bruises on her. He gently unzipped her jeans and pulled the zippers to the side, trying to get a glimpse of her right hip. "If anybody walks in," he mused, "I'm gonna look like a major perv." As he looked at her hip, JC gasped softly. There was a huge purple welt on her entire hip. It even extended down her leg somewhat and around her back.

"Oh my God," he whispered in shock. The bruises not only looked painful, but they throbbed with every beat of Tammy's heart. JC looked at Tammy's face. "What happened to you, T?" he asked, his eyes growing moist. On a whim, he gently lifted up her shirt and saw a long gash extending from the top of her pelvis to just under her bra. "Holy shit," he said, his eyes widening. "We gotta get you some help." Just then, Tammy opened her eyes.

"JC?" she murmured sleepily. "Is that you? Where am I?"

JC sighed. "You're in my room, T."

"I thought I left?" Tammy started to drift back off to sleep.

"You did," JC answered, "but I carried you back up. Listen T," he continued, shaking her gently to keep her awake, "I gotta know what happened to you. Where'd all these bruises come from?"

"Shilen," Tammy replied, half asleep.

 "Huh?" JC asked, confused.

Tammy's brain suddenly screamed at her, "Wake up! You're about to tell JC everything, dumbass! Wake up and get control of the situation!" She opened her eyes and tried to backpedal. "I said," she started in a louder voice, "that we were chillin'."

JC frowned, "How in the hell do you get bruises from chillin' with your friends?"

"We got into a fight," Tammy said, truthfully.

"Oh yeah?" JC murmured. "Did y'all win?"

Tammy smiled softly. "Yup," she said, trying to drift back to sleep.

JC asked with concern, "Do you want me to take you to the hospital? You have a lotta bruises."

Tammy was falling back into the blissful world of slumber, but before she was totally gone, she said, "You know what I really want, JC?"

"Yeah?" JC asked, "What is it? I'll do anything for you. Just name it."

"I want you to sing to me. And even if you think I'm asleep, don't stop. I'll know if you do."

JC nodded and pulled a chair next to Tammy's bed. "Here goes," he muttered to himself. He opened his mouth and started to sing the opening verse to "God Must Have Spent". He looked at Tammy and saw a smile spread across her face and heard a soft sigh escape her lips. When he finished, he immediately launched into "Sailing". He reached over and pulled Tammy's shoes off her feet and tucked her under the covers. After he finished "Sailing", he started to sing a verse that meant a lot to him.

"You'll never know, what you've done for me," he sang. "What your faith in me has done for my soul. You'll never the know the gift you've given me. I'll carry it with me, yeah... 'Cause through the days ahead, I think of days before. You make me hope for something better, and made me reach for something more..."

"Your love is the music of my heart, T," he whispered in her ear, dropping a kiss on her cheek. "I never knew the true meaning of those words 'til I met you."

The next morning, Joey woke up with the vague memory of seeing Tammy somewhere. "Oh," he moaned, "my poor head."

"Hangovers are a bitch, huh Joe?" Chris asked with a smirk from the couch.

Joey glared at Chris, asking, "How come you never get hangovers? You drink too."

"'Cause I practice something called 'drinking in moderation'," he answered. He got up and walked over to JC's room. "I'm hungry and it's JC's turn to supply us with breakfast." He opened the door and saw JC sleeping in a chair next to a bed with a figure lying in it. "Hey JC!" Chris yelled, snapping JC out of his slumber, "get us some food! We're starving over here!"

JC yawned and stretched, all of his muscles stiff and aching. "Just order room service," he muttered sleepily, "and I'll pay for it."

Chris looked at the bed, the figure laying on it still unidentifiable. "Um, JC," Chris smiled, "is there a reason that your guest is on the bed and you're sleeping on a very uncomfortable chair. Was it that bad?"

Tammy rolled out of the bed and got to her feet, glaring at a shocked Chris. "Tactful much, Chris?" With that, she walked out of the door connected to the hallway.

Chris looked at JC and asked, "When the hell did she get back?"

JC yawned and got to his feet also. "Last night," he answered. "She got into a fight or something and has all these bruises on her body."

Chris' mouth dropped open. "You're kidding," he said. "Where?"

JC frowned. "All over her body. There's this huge welt on her hip, one on her entire upper arm, and a huge scar on her stomach."

Chris whistled, "And to think, she didn't even walk out of here with so much as a limp." 

JC looked up sharply. "You're the one who's kidding now, right? I mean, she could barely walk last night."

"I guess the sleep did her some good," Chris shrugged. "We'll ask her about it later."

The guys all got ready and when they were done, all convened in the dining area as usual. Surprisingly, Tammy was already there eating a bowl of Cap'n Crunch. "Mornin'," she mumbled, her mouth full of cereal.

"Morning," all the guys said. JC sat down next to Tammy and asked, "How are your bruises?" All the guys looked up and Justin frowned, "What bruises?"

All the guys looked at Justin, then at each other, and then at the floor. Justin asked again, "What bruises?" He was the only one who wasn't aware that Tammy had bruises. Because he and Tammy shared a room, they were around each other the most, and they spent that time getting ready. Chris told Joey about Tammy's bruises, who told Lance of course. Lance would have told Justin, but he didn't want to talk about it while Tammy was around. Justin looked at Tammy with concern in his blue eyes. "T?" he asked. "What happened?"

Tammy quickly debated how to go about the situation. She finally decided to use the fact that all the guys were drunk last night to her advantage and to play dumb. She shrugged, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

JC looked at Tammy in amazement and responded, "You know damn well what we're talking about! She them your arm, T!"

In response, Tammy lifted her sleeve and showed them her right arm... which contained no sign of a bruise. "A snake tattoo, as usual," she said. "Though," she continued as an afterthought, "many would consider that a bruise."

JC couldn't believe it. "B...but I saw them... last night!" he stuttered.

"You know, JC," Chris scowled, "it's not cool to lie about something serious like that. You had us worried to death."

JC sputtered, "But I wasn't lying! I saw them! I touched the bruises! Dammit, T, show them the scar on your stomach."

Tammy looked at JC as if he'd lost his mind, then stood up out of her chair and lifted up her shirt. All the guys saw was a smooth, light brown belly. The only things on her stomach were her belly button ring and a small scar that she had already told them about. "No scars here," she said airily, "except for the one's I've showed y'all."

JC jumped to his feet in a rage. "No! Hell no! I will not be played!" He glared at Tammy. "I saw your bruises last night. I asked you about them and you said you got them from 'chillin'', your word, not mine."

Tammy rolled her eyes in annoyance. "How in the hell can I get a bruise from chillin'?" she asked in disbelief.

"That's what I asked you last night!" JC exclaimed, smacking his forehead. He continued, "You said you got it 'cause you and your friends got into a fight."

Tammy cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You can't back that up, can you? And don't lie, 'cause I know you can't."

JC hesitated, then an idea came to him. "Hold it! I can prove that I'm not lying. Ana, the redhead saw you in the room, too. I can call her and she can verify it."

Tammy rolled her eyes again and sucked her teeth. "She probably can! All that part really did happen. I came in, saw you and your redhead, and went into the lobby to go to sleep. Next thing I know, I wake up the next morning on your bed."

JC sighed, then got riled up again. "But I sang to you last night, remember?" he cried.

Tammy finally pretended like she lost her cool. "Weren't you drunk last night, Joshua?" she asked, using his full name.

"Ooh, the full name," Justin warned, "watch where you tread, JC."

JC sighed again. "I just wanna know what happened last night," he said sadly.

Tammy patted him on the chest and smiled reassuringly. "You had a bit much to drink last night," she answered, "and imagined some things that didn't happen. Think about it," she continued, "you said I had some really bad bruises, right? Yet, they're nowhere to be found."

JC picked up on something Tammy said. "I never said you had really bad bruises," he said suspiciously. "Where'd that come from? I only said that to Chris, and I know he didn't tell you that."

"Shit," Tammy thought. She started to think fast and replied with an easy-going smile. "Well," she shrugged, "based on the big fuss you were making about it, I just assumed the bruises had to be really bad."

JC finally surrendered. "I guess you're right," he said with a small smile.

"Of course I am," Tammy said. "When am I ever not right?" The rest of the group laughed uneasily, trying to release the tension in the room. Chris then turned on the T.V. as usual, and everyone prepared for their day ahead. Still, JC didn't believe Tammy's story. He couldn't help but wonder how her bruises disappeared so quickly. "And I know," he thought, staring at Tammy, "that I wasn't drunk enough to imagine those bruises."