Though the drive was just a few short hours, it seemed interminable to Chris. He had already eaten and taken over the driving so that JC could eat. Chris stared out as far as the headlights could illuminate and tried to keep his mind on his driving. 

The guys in the back had taken his quietness in stride, especially since they had been more interested in filling their bellies than trying to puzzle out his mood. Now, it was becoming obvious that something was up. Each of them tried to break into Chris' reserve with questions or jokes, just about anything that would get him talking, but no matter what they tried, he lapsed back into his own world. 

Lance, who had switched seats with Joey when Chris took over the wheel, was now sitting in the front passenger seat. He was uncomfortable with the way Chris had withdrawn from everyone in the minivan, but he understood it. Chris had already planned a way to see Kate, but now that plan had been pushed aside. For the guys, their careers came first, and this was just one of the times when it was a pain. "You okay, man," Lance asked quietly. The guys in the back were making enough noise to cover anything he or Chris might say, so there was no worry that the others might overhear them. 

Still staring out into the night, Chris seemed to not have heard Lance, but the reality was that he would rather not talk. He loved his job, but right now he wanted to have Kate in his arms, laying before a roaring fire. He wanted to talk to her, hear her voice, feel her body against his own. Knowing that Lance was more likely to pester him than to leave him alone, Chris sighed, then said, "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just thinkin'." 

For a while, neither man spoke. The night had closed around the minivan and the twin beams of light from the headlights. Outside, the world was blanketed by the star-spangled darkness. Very few vehicles were on the road, and those they saw were racing away to destinations unknown. Thickets of trees seemed to fly by on the side of the road as they traveled, their dark interiors barred from the sight of the occupants of the vehicle. 

"She'll still be there when we get back," Lance said, breaking into Chris' thoughts once again. 

Chris stiffened in his seat, gripping the steering wheel tighter for a moment. He knew Lance meant well, and he appreciated it, but right now it was a raw nerve for Chris, better left alone. He was dealing with his frustration, which was never an easy thing for him at the best of times. Blowing out the air he had instinctively trapped in his lungs in preparation for yelling, Chris relaxed a bit. "I know," he said, glancing at Lance. "It's just that I left without saying a word to her. I haven't talked to her since the night I spent there, and, by now, she's probably thinking I've just used her." Chris leaned his head back against the headrest as he blew out another breath, then sat up straight again. 

Knowing that confirming or denying Chris' assumptions about Kate would only cause his friend more pain, Lance tried another tact. "Why haven't you called her anyway?" he asked. "The way you've been talking about her and stuff, I would've thought you'd have been monopolizing the phone for hours." 

A blush accompanied by a sheepish grin, slid over Chris' face. "Well ... uh ... ya' see, it's like this," Chris said, while he squirmed in his seat. "I kind of ... uh ... forgot to ask for her number." 

Turning to look out the passenger side window, Lance brought his hand up to cover his mouth. Though he seemed to be in deep thought, he was actually doing his best to not laugh in Chris' face. Soon, his shoulders began to shake with his suppressed laughter, and Chris reached over to punch him in the shoulder. 

Having witnessed the delivery of the blow, Justin yelled up to the front. "What's goin' on up there? Y'all don't be wreckin' this van!" 

"If we didn't want the van wrecked, why did we let Chris drive?" Joey asked. "He's already left one dead on the side of the road this week!" Grabbing the paper towel from his lap, he wadded it up and threw it toward the front seats. 

"Shut up!" Chris said, as he retrieved the paper towel and threw it toward the back of the minivan. "Now do you know why I didn't say anything?" Chris asked Lance in a lowered voice. The question was quickly followed by another clout to the sore area on Lance's arm. "First, you laugh at me, then I have to play it off to the guys so they don't figure it out." Shaking his head, Chris turned his attention back to the road. 

"What ... figure out your a dip? They already knew that," Lance said. He quickly flattened himself against the passenger side door in case Chris wanted to try punching him again. Lance laughed quietly at the look of frustration that overtook Chris. "Man, don't let it get to you. From what you said about that kid that picked you up, you had your hands full making sure he didn't freak. It's no wonder you forgot to ask for her number." 

Chris nodded, but kept his own counsel on the theory. Silence descended over them once again, and it was several miles later before Lance had an interesting idea. The Grands ... I bet they have her number. Lance glanced at Chris, trying to guage his mood before breaking the companionable quiet that had fallen between them. Naw ... I'll give it a few more miles, he thought to himself when he saw the mutinous expression on Chris' face. 

Chris almost glared out the front window of the van, though he wasn't mad at Lance, he was mad at himself. This was the first time that he had really thought about how he must have appeared to Kate when he left her house. I can't believe I said 'Thanks, Baby' ... what the hell was I thinking! I didn't even give her a real kiss, just a peck on the lips. Oh my God, she must hate me. There's no way she's gonna believe that it meant so much to me ... not when I treated her like that. I've got to call her. Chris glanced up toward the roof of the minivan, sending a silent prayer toward Heaven. Please, please, let her understand. Yeah, let her understand what I can't for the life of me understand myself.

The sound of a hand hitting the steering wheel, brought Lance's attention back to Chris. The deeply upset expression on Chris' face had eased to one of annoyance. Guess this is a good a time as any, Lance thought to himself with a shrug. "Hey Chris, have you considered asking the Grands for Kate's phone number? Seeing as they are so close to her, I'm sure they have it." Lance watched Chris' face change from annoyance to questioning to one of disbelief. 

"Well ... no, I hadn't thought about that," Chris said, shaking his head. He was castigating himself over a complete lack of foresight. Uh ... DUH! How could I have forgotten the Grands? You would have thought that Paw swinging that ax while we were talking would have made an impression on me, Chris thought. "You think the guys would mind if I pulled off at the next exit to call the Grands?" he asked, presenting Lance with a mischievous grin. 

"We're not too far from Memphis," Lance said. "Do you think you can stand another half-hour or so wait? If not, I could get out my cell." Laughing, Lance reached for his jacket to get his cell phone, but Chris stopped him. 

"I can wait," Chris said. "Besides, it'll give me a chance to think of how to ask the Grands for her number. You know Paw is gonna laugh at me." Even though he knew he was going to have to face Paw's humor, Chris was impatiently awaiting the chance to call him. Glancing down at the speedometer, he noticed that it had jumped by ten mph in his excitement, and he eased off the gas. This is not the time for a ticket, man. Chill!
 
 

Having reached the hotel, Chris hurried the guys into the lobby, anxious to get into the room and to a phone. At the front desk, he drummed his fingers on it as he waited for the others to sign in. Lance cast amused glances at Chris waiting for him to physically pull the pens from the other guys hands and sign for them. He would get behind the desk and take care of everything himself if he thought it would hurry them up, Lance thought to himself, as he hid his grin. 

Chris looked over at Lance catching sight of his grin just before it disappeared once again. Chris rolled his eyes and continued his drumming as his foot also began to tap. When it was finally his turn to sign in, Chris all but grabbed the sheet from the man's hand and scrawled his signature on the line. He grabbed his keycard and hurriedly thanked the clerk, before quickly crossing to the elevators. 

Though the up button was lit, Chris pushed it and kept pushing it until the doors finally opened. As soon as he was inside the elevator, Chris pushed the button for his floor, not waiting for the others to enter. The doors started to close on Justin and Josh, who had been talking, and they rushed to jump through the narrowed opening. 

"Man, Chris, you gotta use the bathroom or somethin'?" Justin asked. He turned toward Chris and shook his head as he leaned against the back wall of the elevator. 

"Yeah, what's up with you?" Joey asked. "If you'd beat on that desk any harder you would've been drillin' holes!" When Chris showed no signs of listening or caring about what was being said to him, Joey glanced around to the others. They all seemed as confused as he was, with the exception of Lance who calmly shook his head. Joey shrugged and nodded a silent 'okay', then turned back to face the front of the elevator. 

As the door opened on their floor, Chris shot from the elevator and raced down the hall. The others following slowly in his wake. "What's up with him?" Josh asked Lance. "He's been acting weird since we got the call about the interview." 

"Naw, he's been acting strange longer than that," Justin said. "And I don't mean normal strange." Justin laughed as the others nodded their agreement of his assessment of Chris' character. 

Everyone was smiling when they heard a sound of triumph ahead of them. They watched in amazement as Chris pushed his keycard into the lock and tried the door. When the knob refused his admission, Chris smacked the door with the palm of his hand and tried the keycard again. This time the door opened and Chris was quickly out of sight. The door closed with a decided thud which left the others baffled. 

"See what I mean?" Josh asked. "If he's not a bundle of energy ... he's listlessly moping around." As Lance moved to pass him, Josh grabbed his arm. The other guys came to surround Lance, who looked around at the others while plastering an innocent expression on his face. "You know somethin', don't ya?" Josh asked Lance, when he stood face to face with him. 

Lance met the eyes of the others, then sighed. "Guys, just give him some room ... and while you're at it, I could use some, too." Lance started to laugh, then thought better of it as he took in the worried eyes staring back at his own. "Chris has some stuff on his mind. No, he's not in trouble, and, no, he doesn't need our help," he said, as he gripped Justin's shoulder. He knew they would all worry, but he knew Chris would be upset if he gave away the secret. Besides, Lance wanted Chris to have time to understand his feelings and decide what he wanted from his relationship with Kate. 

"You're sure he's okay?" Joey asked. 

The touching concern in Joey's face was almost enough to make Lance break his word to Chris, but not quite. Lance smiled and looked around at the faces of three of his best friends, "I'm sure. Y'all know him ... when he's ready, he'll tell you. Okay?" The others reluctantly nodded and Lance reached out to take each into a hug. "Y'all know me, too. Do you seriously think I'd let Chris get in trouble?" 

As soon as the words were beyond his lips, Lance knew he was in trouble. Slow grins flowed over his friends' faces as one scene after another danced in the mens' minds. Each mini-movie starring Chris and Lance narrowly escaping one escapade after another. The guys all started talking at the same time. After several "Remember when's", Lance held his hands up, surrendering to the memories and his friends' laughing comments. "Okay ... okay. Yeah, it's not the first time, but those weren't my fault!" Lance said. 

"Does that mean that this time it is your fault?" Justin asked, immediately leaving the humor behind. 

"No! There nothing wrong this time, I promise," Lance said. "I know it's hard to believe, but Chris isn't in trouble this time." 

"Okay, Lance," Josh said. "We'll leave it in your hands ... but if you need us...." Josh left the statement hanging. All the men knew that no matter what was happening, they would all come together as one to fight whatever battle presented itself. 

After hugging each other, they went to their separate rooms to prepare for bed. They knew they would need their sleep in order to be in top form for the interview in the morning. 
 
 

While the men were talking in the hall, Chris was busy on the phone. As soon as he closed the door to his room, he went directly to the desk and picked up the phone, taking no notice of the rooms amenities. In his distraction, he never stopped to consider the time, and that the Grands might already be in bed. His mind was centered on finding Kate, and right now Paw was the only means he had. 

After several rings, Paw's voice came over the connection. "Hello?" he said shortly. 

"Hey, Paw ... it's Chris," Chris said. His watch caught the light of a nearby lamp, bringing his attention to the illuminated numbers. Chris' face scrunched up as he realized that it was after 11pm. "I'm sorry to be calling so late, but it's really important." 

A sharp intake of breath came over the phone, and Paw said, "Boy, are y'all okay? Has something happened to the minivan? Y'all haven't gone and wrecked it, have ya?" In the background, Chris could hear Granny's worried questions and Paw asking her to wait while he asked Chris. 

"No, Paw ... nothing like that," Chris said, quickly. "I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Please, tell Granny that we're okay and that I didn't mean to worry either of you." Though Chris was determined to find Kate and talk to her, he hated having caused worry for the Grands. "I'm sorry .. I didn't stop to think about the time, or that I might freak you out." 

Paw took a calming breath and turned rolling eyes toward his wife. Putting his hand over the mouthpiece of the phone, he told Granny, "They're fine. Chris has some maggot in his brain. Let me find out what the young pup wants." After uncovering the phone, Paw went back to Chris. "Okay, boy, what's got you up in the bows?" 

"Uh ... well," Chris said, trying to find a way to ask and not seem as foolish as he felt. "Ya' see ... uh ... when we were driving to Memphis, I was ... well ... thinkin' about Kate." 

On the other end of the line, Paw smiled broadly and winked at Granny. "It's about Kate?" she whispered to him. 

Paw nodded and Granny laughed quietly. "Told ya that girl has him by the short hairs," Paw whispered back, then listened closely to Chris. 

"Well, the reason I called was that I was ... uh ..." Chris hesitated, then in a rush continued, "hoping that you might have Kate's phone number?" The words seemed to have a life of their own. Somewhere deep inside, he knew that Paw was one of his best chances of finding Kate again, and seeing as he had only a vague idea of where Kate's cabin was, he was almost completely dependent upon Paw's humor. 

After pausing for a moment, Paw decided to make this a little difficult for the young man. "Do you mean ya' called here nigh on midnight just to ask for a girl's phone number? Now, I'm sure you could've waited 'til mornin'. You get on to bed, young'un." Paw had to hold back a burst of laughter when Chris protested. 

"Come on, Paw. Please," Chris said quickly. "I know it's late, but ... uh ... aw, come on." Oh good Lord, I'm whining! Chris thought. Taking a deep breath, he tried again. "Paw, I think you know how I feel about Kate. I think you knew before I figured it out myself. I need to know if she feels the same way." Chris looked down at the desk and found himself idly writing Kate's name over and over again on the notepad before him. Smiling he shook his head at his foolishness. Oh great ... now I'm acting like a teenager with a crush. Well, if I keep this up, I might be an adult by the time I get to talk to Kate.

"Oh, alright," Paw grumbled, "I'll find the number. Though, why I'm botherin' I have no earthly idea. Hold the line." Paw gently lowered the receiver to the table, then went to get the address book. As he crossed the room, Granny rose from her seat and followed him. 

"What's he wantin'?" Granny asked quietly. She could feel Paw's amusement move through the room like a gentle breeze blowing across the waters of the lake. There was also an excitement in the motions of his hands as he searched for the address book. "Ya' plannin' on tellin' me sometime this century?" she asked again, when he seemed too distracted. 

Paw turned toward her, holding up the address book. "He's wantin' Katie's phone number. I'm thinkin' the pup's a'wantin' to go courtin'," he said, a smile transforming his face to one of a much younger man. Paw wasn't quite sure if it was the idea of Chris finding a good woman, Katie finding a good man, or having something to tease Chris about for the next few years that made him the happiest, but Paw was extremely happy at the thought of Chris calling Kate. 

Granny clasped her hands in front of her, doing her best to contain her own excitement. "Well, don't just stand there ... give it to him," she said, as she ushered him back to the phone. 

Chris sat at the desk doodling on the pad while he waited for Paw to return. Nervousness was gaining on him exponentially as he sat there. How would Kate react to him calling? Would she even want him to call? Would she hang the phone up as soon as she heard his voice? Maybe I shouldn't call at all, Chris thought to himself, as he heard the receiver being picked up. 

Paw grinned over at his wife before putting the phone up to his ear. "Well, I believe I have that number somewhere in here. Let's see...." he said, his words drifting off as he searched the book. "Ah, here it is. Now, ya' sure you want this?" 

Shaking his head and smiling, Chris said, "Yes, I want the number. Please, Paw, come on ... just give me the number. You can drag me over the coals and make my life miserable later, okay?" Chris laughed as he listened to Paw grumble on the other end of the line. 

"Boy, you're takin' all the fun outta this," Paw said. "Get your pen." After giving him the number, Paw wished him luck. "You're gonna need it," he said, before wishing him a good night and hanging up. 

Chuckling, Chris hung up the phone, then sat staring at the phone number he had written between the doodles. Taking a deep breath, he reached for the receiver and stopped. It was almost midnight. He wanted to call her immediately, but good manners dictated that he wait. Indecision held him motionless, until a knock broke into the silence. 

He walked over to the connecting door and opened it, knowing Lance was on the other side. "Hey," he said, then motioned for Lance to come in. "You settled in for the night?" Chris crossed back to the desk, while Lance took a seat on the bed. 

"Finally," Lance said, "after getting the third degree from the guys. They didn't even give me a chance to get to my room ... just stopped me in the middle of the hall." 

Chris raised an eyebrow and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "What were they so freaked about?" he asked. 

"Oh, it might have something to do with Justin and Josh almost being left in the lobby, or it might have something to do with the way you've been distracted," Lance said, counting the points on his fingers. "There's also been the way you've been moping around one minute and bouncing like a jumping bean the next." 

"But, I'm always weird," Chris said, laughing. 

"Yeah, Justin pointed that out," Lance said, joining in Chris' laughter. "Did you call Paw?" Lance asked, when their laughter had subsided. 

Nodding, Chris turned to the desk and picked up the pad of paper. "Yeah, and I got Kate's number. I just don't know what to do with it now," he said, a sadly, bewildered look on his face. Turning back to Lance, Chris asked, "What if she doesn't want to hear my voice again? What if she hangs up as soon as she hears it?" 

The sudden change in Chris' mood had Lance clearing all vestiges of humor from his face. "What are you talking about? Of course she wants to talk to you again," Lance said. His automatic defense of his friend brought a small smile to Chris' face. 

"You don't understand, though," Chris said. "You have no idea what I've done." Once again, the memories of how he had acted before he had left haunted Chris; the way he had casually kissed her swiftly, without a word of how much their night had meant to him. He had pictured her in his mind time and again, but just tonight thought about getting her phone number. 

Lance stood and came up behind Chris, touching his shoulder, "Chris, I seriously doubt you've done anything so bad that she would want you out of her life." So this is what's been eating at him, Lance thought. No wonder he was so touchy during the drive. Lance gripped Chris' shoulder for a moment before going around to the side of the desk so he could see his face. "Tell me what you did that makes you think she's gonna be pissed," Lance said. 

Knowing that looking into Lance's compassionate eyes while he explained what he had done would never work, Chris turned away and got up to start pacing around the room. As he passed the first of the two beds in the room, he stopped and stood still. His staring eyes saw not the decor, but the past. He saw Kate as she had stood at the end of the hallway, watching him as he closed her front door. He finally saw the expression she had tried to hide. In that frozen memory, he saw the pain in her eyes as she accepted his leaving, and the brave front she had shown believing he had taken her for the night, and only that night. 

His head dropped and a long sigh came from deep within him. Without turning, Chris said, "The last words I said to her were ... 'Thanks, Baby'. I didn't say anything about the night before ... never told her how much it meant to me ... how much she means to me." 

Pain seemed to radiate from Chris in all directions, and Lance was not immune to its touch. "Maybe it's not as bad as it seems right now? Man, I'm sure she understood how you felt when you kissed her good-bye. You probably knocked her socks off with that one...." Chris had turned toward him as he spoke, and the eyes that greeted Lance's were filled with shame. 

"The best she got from me was a peck on the lips ... then I was gone and haven't talked to her since. Do you really think she's going to believe I ever meant to talk to her again?" Chris asked. The feelings that had brought him to his feet deserted him, and he collapsed onto the bed, throwing his arm over his eyes. 

As he listened to Chris, Lance slowly sank down onto the chair Chris had vacated earlier. Lance was quickly getting a clearer picture of why Chris was so upset. Oh Lord, Chris, I know you were distracted by that kid, but you definitely could have handled that better. "How do you feel about her?" Lance asked quietly. 

Chris sighed again, then let his arm slip above his head. His deep, brown eyes stared at the ceiling above him. Just as quietly as the question was asked, he answered, "I don't know. I think about her all the time ... I look around and everything reminds me of her." Sitting up suddenly, Chris locked eyes with Lance. "I can't believe this ... I can't accept it! I don't really know her. There's no way I can be...." 

Chris' eyes pleaded with Lance's, begging for an answer, a denial of what he was feeling. "Years ago, would you have believed we'd be where we are today? Would you believe that we'd be famous?" Lance asked. Chris shook his head, but remained silent. "I can't give you an answer that I don't have, but I can tell you that anything is possible," Lance said. 

"This is not what I need right now," Chris said in exasperation, running his fingers through his short-cropped hair. Pointing an accusing finger at Lance, he continued, "And you aren't being very helpful, either." Unable to keep the smile from his face, Chris grinned. "What have I gotten myself into?" 

Lance relaxed against the back of the chair, glad that Chris was starting to relax. "Have you considered that it might not be you or Kate? That destiny might be playing a hand in your meeting?" Lance raised his eyebrows and made an eerie sound while holding his hands up and wiggling his fingers. 

Laughing, Chris leaned back, grabbed a pillow and threw it at Lance. "Yeah, like you have room to talk. I seem to remember...." 

"Okay ... okay, I give up," Lance said. "So, what are you plannin' to do? You gonna call her?" 

A wistful smile crossed Chris' face, "Yeah, like I could stop myself. I'll call her tomorrow though, it's too late tonight." Rising from the bed, Chris retrieved the pillow from the floor where it had landed. After pitching it back onto the bed, he turned toward Lance and shook his head. "I don't know what that woman's done to me ... but I think I like it."

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