***
"I wish I could just stop time right here and now. I hate thinking about what good-byes will be like tomorrow. I get choked up just thinking about dealing with not only my emotions but everyone else's too." Leigh stated quietly, glancing at Lance out of the corner of her eye as they walked along the bridge to Tomorrowland.
Lance smiled warmly at Leigh as he lifted her hand, which he held in his own, up to his lips and kissed it gently. "I'm just kicking myself because I didn't get the ball rolling a long time ago...now I feel like I've missed out on what could have the best part of our relationship."
Raising an eyebrow skeptically, Leigh laughed. "And what part would that be?"
"Being with you 24/7..." he replied shyly. "Now things are just getting started and we're getting pulled apart because of our careers."
"Ironic isn't it?"
"What's that?" he inquired.
Leigh tucked her hair behind her ears as she stopped and turned toward Lance before stating earnestly, "The one thing that brought us together is very possibly going to be the thing that will tear us apart."
Lance gazed at her thoughtfully, before shaking his head, shoving it out of his thoughts. "No. We won't let it. So let's not talk about that okay?" Leigh nodded slightly as Lance began walking toward the entrance to Space Mountain, while the irony of the situation lingered in her mind.
***
"It's getting late you two. You need to get inside the suite...Justin don't forget that Johnny expects EVERYONE to be ready to go at 8 am sharp tomorrow for your flight." Dre said to Justin and Jordan, trying to be stern but his playful expression telling them otherwise. The two nodded and Justin waved their bodyguard away with his hand.
"Yeah yeah Dre, we're goin. I'll be up, don't worry. Besides, it's only 1 am, it's still early!"
Jordan smiled at their bodyguard as he shook his head and rolled his eyes, "Night Dre," she whispered as Justin took her hand and pulled her out of the hallway and into N Sync's suite before closing the door.
Suddenly standing in total darkness, Jordan giggled slightly. "I can't see a damn thing. Would you turn on a light you nut?" she asked playfully.
"And why would I want to do that?" he whispered in reply.
"Um..so I'd be able to see?"
"In a minute..." he said, his voice husky as he reached out into the darkness, wrapping his muscular arms around her waist. Pulling her into a tight embrace, Justin leaned his head against Jordan's. Closing his eyes, he sighed, and began doing what came easiest to him.
"I don't want to say good bye to you..." he said softly, his voice breaking with emotion.
Jordan started to speak, but he silenced her by gently placing his finger to her lips. "I'd looked for someone like you for such a long time...and I didn't think that I would ever find what I was searching for." He paused for a moment before continuing, "But I did. And even though the road hasn't always been an easy one, I thank God everyday for bringing me such a beautiful angel."
Jordan smiled through the tears that now flowed freely from her eyes as she listened to Justin speak so openly about how he was feeling.
"And now...now I'm trying so hard to figure out how to say good bye to the one person that makes me feel like I am truly living." he whispered, "I love you Jordan."
"I love you." she replied, her voice heavy with emotion as he brushed her hair back before leaning in and kissing her with a deep passion.
***
"Toss me the Cheetos would you Ash?" Rach asked, pointing to the orange bag sitting on the countertop in the kitchenette area of Eternity's suite.
"Sure...heads up ya'll." the tiny blonde said as she tossed the bag to Rachel, almost hitting Joey in the head.
"So where were we before Chester Cheetah over here got the urge?" Chris asked, rolling his eyes as Rachel grinned at him and stuck out her tongue, giving him a peek at the Cheetos she was eating.
"It was Mo's turn." Tressa said, gesturing toward the tall woman sprawled out on the floor.
"O-key. Let me think for a minute." the dark haired woman said, laying stretched out on her back. After a few moments of silence, she quickly turned over to lay on her stomach, propping her head up with her hands.
JC looked at her expectantly, "So? Whatcha got for me?"
Mo raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think I've got a question for you yet?"
"Well you turned over and looked at me like you were gonna say something..." he trailed off.
"I was rotating. Kind of like a rotisserie chicken. I can't lay in one spot too long you know, my internal organs will settle." Mo said seriously before busting out in laughter at the look on JC's face. "Okay I've got one for you. Favorite memory from this tour?"
JC pondered the question for a moment, "It'd have to be the day you strutted into our lives."
"Really?" Mo asked incredulously.
"Well, no, but it's a close second?" he said laughing. "My favorite memory was probably New Year's Eve in Hawaii."
The group nodded in approval before he chose a person to ask his question. "Joey." he finally said, "Dumbest thing you've ever done to get a girl's attention?"
"Recently?" he asked, looking puzzled as to why everyone began laughing. "Hmmm probably when I kissed you Rach." he said, gesturing toward her as she blushed. "And...the reason it was dumb was cuz you hit me!!"
Everyone laughed as Rachel flushed a brilliant red and Joey looked down and began playing with the plush carpeting as he asked his question. "Rachel, biggest regret this tour?"
Always the comedian, Rachel grinned, "Not hitting harder." Joey looked up as she winked at him, taking him by surprise and turning his own cheeks a bright red.
***
Jordan adjusted the silver watch resting on her wrist as she sat back on the plush couch, leaning against the armrest as she faced Justin. Her eyes sad, she pulled her sweatshirt tightly around her and stopped fiddling with her watch long enough to reach out for his hand. "I didn't want to ruin the moment earlier...but I do have a couple things to say before tomorrow." she began gently. Justin nodded his head slightly before reaching up and adjusting the bandana he had put around his bushy curls.
"You're the last person that I want to say good-bye to Justin, I hope you realize that. But I'm horrible at these mushy farewell moments. I mean, I wish I could word things as well as you did earlier. No one has ever made me feel as special as you did at that very moment," she professed earnestly. Shrugging, she continued, "Tomorrow is going to be really hard. The next few months are going to be really...strange without all of you right there with us. I know we aren't going to get to see each other as much as we'd both like, but there is such things as phones, and planes. We will get to see each other...it just won't be an everyday thing like it has been lately." she explained, the realist in her coming out.
Justin sat silent for a moment, taking in her words before rubbing his hands over his face in a gesture of pure tiredness. His eyes cast downward, he licked his lips before stating his thoughts out loud, "I understand that Jordan. It's just...I've left girls in the past and everything's come crashing down around me. I know in my heart that you're not like them...that you're different, but my head is screaming at me not to let you go."
Jordan gazed at him thoughtfully, but before she could speak, she was startled by the beep that signified someone was keying their entry into the large suite.