****

“I wanna go to Central Park momma.” Zach stated indignantly to Jordan, throwing his toys around the lavish hotel suite they occupied. The toddler sat in the middle of the sitting room, a colorful assortment of playthings cluttering the floor around him. His mother, April, and Mo occupied the plush sofa and armchair, relaxing after their exhausting afternoon of NYC shopping. N Sync, along with Rachel, Jordan, Zach, April, and Mo had arrived in New York City just a day earlier, after a week and a half of rehearsals in Orlando. The VMA’s were only two days away and the five men were spending long hours at the venue practicing diligently to make sure they had the routine down.

“In a little bit baby, let me rest, okay?” she soothed, leaning over to grab a small blue football out of her child’s hand before he could toss it and break something. Managing to snatch it out of his grasp, despite Zach’s protests, Jordan sighed tiredly and lay her head on the back of the sofa as she spoke. “He’s been bugging me about going to the park since we got here yesterday, it’s driving me nuts. I could kill Chris for even putting the idea in his head.” she explained to the two other women.

Mo nodded sympathetically and shrugged. “Make Chris take him then…give the old man a work out. Besides, you look really tired from all that walking we did today. Are you feeling alright?”

Jordan groaned. “I’m so tired of everyone asking me that. If you really must know, I’m pregnant.”

The brown eyed woman paused for a moment, pursing her lips together in thought. Finally, after what seemed like minutes, she spoke. “Justin doesn’t know does he?”

“What makes you think that?” Jordan inquired, shooting April a pointed glare.

“I didn’t say a word, don’t you look at me woman.” the fair haired beauty stated, shaking her head.

“I knew it!” Mo punched the pillow triumphantly. “Damn, I should work for the psychic friends network…move over Madame Cleo.”

“More like psycho friends network…” Jordan muttered under her breath, then laughed as Mo stuck her tongue out defiantly. “Okay, you’re right. Justin doesn’t know yet.”

“Another accident?” Mo inquired cryptically.

“Yeah.”

“Oyesh, don’t you people know what birth control is? It’s called do a little planning here people, it can be done, and with very little effort!” the dark haired woman instructed.

Jordan glared at her friend, “Don’t even start with me Mo. Don’t you think it’s a little too late for that now anyways?”

Mo just smiled sweetly at Jordan, then turned to the little boy who was clamoring up onto his mother’s lap. “Hey Zach baby, be nice to mommy, she’s got a new baby in her tummy.” Pointing to Jordan’s stomach, her eyes flashed mischievously, knowing full well that Zach had been repeating anything and everything lately. ‘Won’t hurt to give the news a little push via Zach, maybe that will force Jordan to tell Justin before she actually HAS this kid’ she thought to herself as the small child started shouting “Momma’s havin’ a baby! In her tummy!” and laughing wildly.

“Zach, I think it’s almost nap time for you.” Jordan stated authoritatively.

“No!” he shouted, sticking out his tongue and sliding down off of his mother’s lap and back into his sea of toys. He quickly quieted down as April reached over and grabbed the remote control, turning on the Disney channel. The tiny brunette climbed up into one of the cushy armchairs, holding his blanket tightly and becoming enchanted by Winnie the Pooh and friends, leaving the three women to converse.

Mo, dropping the subject of Jordan’s pregnancy for the time being, turned to April and spoke with a curious tone. “So, Miss April, anything new with you?”

“Nope.” April stated, yawning.

“Oh you people are so boring. Ya know, I’ve been trying to get JC to ask you to the VMA’s. Loser still doesn’t have a damn date, and I’ve been harping on him to take you since we arrived in Orlando a week and a half ago. Funny thing is, every time I mention it, he gets this weird look on his face and just kinda drifts off into lala-land.” Mo rambled, stopping to look over at April, who was getting a similar look on her face, as though she were remembering something from the past. “See! You’re doing it too!”

April snapped out of her thoughts, “Doing what? I’m just sitting here.”

“Don’t give me that shit. Is there something you’re not telling me?” Mo demanded.

The blonde woman attempted to look wide eyed and innocent, shrugging her shoulders in response to her friend’s questioning. “Um…no?”

“Excuse me but does this look like a face that will buy your little Miss Innocent act?” Mo inquired, gesturing towards her tan face which was now looking rather agitated.

April laughed aloud and shook her head no, giving Jordan a questioning look. As her friend just shrugged a response, the blonde woman turned back to Mo, whose dark eyes were piercing her own light ones. Sighing overdramatically, she spoke. “I might know why he gets all weird when you ask him about taking me to the awards…” she began, retelling the story of a night that replayed in her mind as clearly as if it had just happened.

****

April stood patiently behind JC as he pulled the keycard out of his pants pocket, and slid it into the lock, allowing their entry into the lavish suite. She smiled sweetly at him as he stepped aside, gesturing for her to go on in.

“Ladies first…” he stated politely, sweeping his arm out in a gentlemanly gesture.

“Thank you.” April returned, brushing past him into the softly lit room. She sucked in a quick breath as she surveyed her surroundings. “Wow. Nice room…how’d you manage to swing such a great view?” she asked, gesturing towards the brilliant New York skyline that seemed to float just outside the window.

“Ah, now that’s a secret…if I told you, I may have to kill you.” he grinned, his blue eyes sparkling as he shut the door quietly behind them. Taking off the suit coat he’d been sporting that evening, he lay it carefully across the back of a cushy armchair. “Peace and quiet at last. No more reporters shoving their recorders in my face, no more camera flashes…” he trailed off, closing his eyes dreamily.

April moved over towards the elegant French doors that led out onto the balcony, which looked out over the bustling Times Square area. Leaving JC inside the room to enjoy his moment of silence, she stepped out into the brisk night air, taking in the city lights and the roar coming from down below, the golden ball high in the sky awaiting it’s moment of glory. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, wanting to remember the moment forever. The sounds, the feel of the crisp air against her bare shoulders, and the feeling of magic that lingers in the air in the few moments before one year melts into the next. There was another feeling in the cool atmosphere though, and April frowned slightly as she tried to place a finger on what it was. Suddenly her eyes snapped open as she realized what it was. It was the feeling of being watched. She turned quickly, only to see JC standing a few feet behind her, two champagne glasses in hand and a sheepish grin gracing his chiseled features.

“Were you staring at me?” she asked, her tone flirtatious as he walked forward and handed her a champagne flute.

JC averted his gaze to the millions on the street below, “I was debating on whether I should disturb you or not, you looked so peaceful standing here.” he explained, shooting her a sideways glance as he finished.

“Well I’m glad you interrupted me, it’s almost midnight.” April stated, gesturing towards the crowd who had begun the countdown as the ball began it’s descent.

“3...2...1, Happy New Year!”

Raising his glass, JC turned to April. “Happy New Year.”

The blonde woman smiled, clinking her champagne flute against his in a toast of celebration before they both indulged in a sip. “Happy New Year to you too JC.” she returned, giving him a shy smile.

Turning her attention back to the overzealous crowd below, she giggled as the roar grew to deafening proportions. Noticing JC sneaking a glance at her out of the corner of her eye, April turned her attention to her companion. As she started to speak, he leaned over and placed his warm lips against hers, enveloping her in a gentle kiss.

As April pulled back from the kiss, JC did so as well, setting his glass on the ledge of the balcony before carefully taking hers and doing the same. It was then that she spoke softly over the din from the streets. “What was that for?”

JC pondered for a moment before replying. “Isn’t it customary to kiss someone at midnight on New Year’s?”

“I don’t know, you tell me…you’re the one with the song about it.” April teased.

The dark haired man laughed and ran his hand over his hair before they both turned back to the skyline in silence. A few moments passed before April turned back to her companion, preparing to ask him about his resolution, but she had barely opened her mouth when JC moved in, his lips meeting hers once more.

April accepted his advances willingly, allowing his soft lips to caress hers in the cool night air. Running her hands slowly up his chest, she could feel his muscles contracting slightly at her touch underneath the crisp white dress shirt. Continuing to deepen the kiss, JC pulled April in closer, pressing his body against hers as she fisted her hands in his crop of brown hair. She sighed as he ran his strong hand across her lower back, tightening his hold on her as they embraced. Suddenly breaking the spell that had come over them, April pushed back gently out of the kiss and looked into JC’s blazing sapphire eyes. “It‘s past midnight.” she said quietly.

JC smiled down at her and hung his head slightly, shrugging his reply. “In three other time zones it’s not.”

Laughing, April’s eyes danced. “So I should expect a kiss every hour on the hour until it’s midnight in every single time zone?” she quipped.

“Sure.” he replied. “That is…only if you don’t mind.”

“No…no, I don’t mind.” the blonde woman smirked flirtatiously. “But since we’ve got all this time in between…we might as well practice, don’t you think?”

“Practice huh? Hmm…I think that could be arranged.” he stated thoughtfully.

April closed her eyes as JC moved in towards her once more, this time crushing his mouth down hungrily upon her own. She felt JC’s strong grasp pulling her back into his body once more, his hands roaming across the bare skin that her backless dress provided him. Her own hands roved over his broad shoulders, up to the slight stubble on his chiseled face, and finally gripped in his hair as the kiss continued to build. After what seemed like an eternity, the pair released each other from the embrace and took a slight step back. Shivering slightly at the spark that had ignited between the two of them, April’s eyes met his in a dreamy gaze.

“You’re shivering…are you cold? I mean, it is New York…in January…and you‘re hardly wearing anything.” he asked, running his index finger lazily down her bare arm.

April glanced down at the slinky black cocktail dress she wore, and looked back up into JC’s brilliant eyes. “I don’t think it’s because of the cold…” she trailed off.

“Should we head inside?” JC questioned, gesturing towards the French doors that he had left open behind them.

“I thought you’d never ask.” she returned, smiling seductively as he intertwined his fingers with hers and led her back into the lavish suite.

****

“So that’s it?” Mo shrieked, perched on the edge of the couch. “What happened after that?”

Jordan paused momentarily in chasing Zachary, whom had gotten bored with Pooh and friends, and had resumed throwing his toys as he ran around the coffee table. Placing her hands on her hips, she rolled her eyes. “What do you think happened? They got busy!”

“Got busy!” Zach emphasized triumphantly, throwing a purple toy car and shrieking loudly.

Mo laughed before turning back to April with a stern look on her pretty face. “So you guys had sex? And then…what? Nothing? Just wham bam thank you ma’m?”

“Wham bam thank you ma’m!” the toddler shouted, clapping his hands and jumping up and down enthusiastically.

Jordan narrowed her eyes at Mo as she sat back down. “You know I’m going to have to kill you later for making my son a trash mouth.” she teased, glancing over as Zach chanted a medley of his new phrases.

“Wham bam, trash mouth, get busy, mommy has a baby in her tuuuuuummmy.” he giggled childishly.

Mo shook her head and resumed the conversation, waiting impatiently for April to answer her question. “Well?” she insisted.

“Well…ya know, like Jordan said, things progressed that night…” she started.

Jordan smirked. “They got busy.”

“Whatever. Anyhow, the next morning…we got up and ya know, said good bye and that was it.” April concluded with a shrug.

“Just good bye? No, ‘thanks for stopping, come again’? Not even a ‘Happy New Year’?” the raven haired woman demanded.

Jordan snorted. “Well I think they took care of the Happy New Year part, don’t you?”

“Oh nobody asked you.” Mo joked in reply, then turned back to the blonde. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

“Well it’s not like it’s a topic that just comes up over coffee, ya know? And it’s not like JC and I ever talked about it after it happened…” she trailed off as Mo jumped in.

“Well you should!”

“What is she supposed to say Mo? Ya know Jayce…being back in New York reminds me of the time we did the horizontal mambo on New Year’s. You remember that? Ahh, good times.” Jordan stated dryly.

Mo opened her mouth to reply just as a familiar male voice cut through the room, causing all three women to drop the conversation and Zach to go running towards the door. Moments later, Justin strolled into the room, tickling the small boy he held in his strong arms. Glancing around at the three faces that looked up at him guiltily, he hesitated. “Uh…am I interrupting something?”

“No…why?” Mo asked, almost too quickly.

Justin shot her a strange look and then turned back to his son. “So what did you do today Zach? Daddy missed you!”

“Wham bam thank you ma’m!” Zach stated proudly, placing his hands on his chubby cheeks as he grinned at his father.

Justin’s mouth dropped open in shock before he burst out laughing, causing Zach to join in. “Wham bam thank you ma’m huh?”

Zach nodded jubilantly. “Yep. April and Jayce.”

The tall man arched a brow and turned his attention back to the women on the couch, who all acted as if they were suddenly very interested in the Disney channel. “April?” he inquired.

“Yeah?” she asked meekly, glancing up at her boss and friend.

“What’s this about you, JC, and ‘wham bam thank you ma’m’?” he asked curiously.

April’s face went flush. “Was that my cell phone?” she demanded, digging furtively through the bag next to her.

Justin smirked as April retrieved her phone. “I didn’t hear anything.”

“It’s on vibrate.” she explained, standing up and slinging her purse over her shoulder, her eyes intent on the cell she clutched in her hand. “I’ve gotta call them back right away…um, I’ll catch you guys later. Bye.” And with that, she made her way quickly over to the doorway and exited into the hall.

Justin followed her, sticking his head out into the well lit hallway, watching April as she walked back down towards her room. “Don’t think you’re getting away from me that easy woman. You can run but you can’t hide…I know where you live!” Laughing, he shut the door before turning back to his wife and Mo, who was also preparing to make a hasty exit.

Justin propped his arm against the doorframe, a bemused look gracing his handsome face as Mo gave Jordan a quick hug. “So is there anything YOU want to tell me about this April, JC business?” he asked the dark haired woman.

“Nope.” she said simply, ducking under his arm and starting down the hallway. Stopping short after a few steps, she turned back around. “Do you know where JC is?”

Looking intrigued, Justin shrugged. “I might, what’s it worth to you?” he taunted, rubbing his fingers and thumb together, indicating he’d be willing to tell for a price.

Mo rolled her eyes. “Like you really need more money mister. Try again.”

Justin considered that for a moment, then nodded slightly. “Okay…fine. I’ll tell you where JC’s at if you fill me in on this whole scandal that you three were obviously discussing before I walked in.”

“Forget it, I’ll just call him.” Mo huffed, turning on her heel quickly. “And it’s not a scandal anyways nosy. It‘s only a scandal if it hits the tabloids first…duh.”

Justin’s laugh carried down the hall. “I’m just teasin’ ya Mo…don’t get your panties in a twist. He’s still at the venue, working out a few kinks in the solo portion of his performance.”

Mo kept walking, waving over her shoulder in a gesture of thanks as Justin yelled out “You’re welcome!” down the hall after her.

****

Standing in the relatively empty Radio City Music Hall, Rachel wrinkled her nose as a make-up artist dusted her face lightly with powder. Behind her, solo artist Ryan Tedder was rehearsing his performance for the upcoming awards show while various other performers milled around the venue, patiently awaiting their turn to practice. As her stylist ran a comb gently through her long blonde locks, Rachel thanked the sound technician that handed her the microphone she would be using for the interview portion of her show.

“Rach, we need you in five.” her producer’s voice resonated through the large auditorium.

“Sure thing. Where’s Lance?” the slender woman asked, turning to look through the seating area. It was nearly impossible to see anyone in the sea of cue cards, but she spotted his crop of dishwater blonde spikes near the stage. Turning her mic on, she spoke, hoping he would hear her over the sound of Ryan’s music. “Lance.”

The man turned, nodding as he noticed they were about ready to start taping and began making his way over as Rachel continued. “Lance Bass. You’re at a twelve…I need you at about a six. Mmkay?

He laughed deeply, placing a gentle hand on his friend’s shoulder as he joined her. “You’re a nut.” he stated calmly, taking his own microphone from the technician.

Rachel just shrugged as the producer interrupted, informing her they were ready to begin. As they counted down the last few seconds, the blonde angled herself accordingly and pasted a smile on her bronzed features.

“3...2...1”

“Hey what’s up? This is the Hot Zone on MTV and I’m Rachel. We’re here at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, just hanging out as the talent we’ve got lined up for the awards perfect their moves. Anyways, I was wandering around today when I ran into not only a performer at this year’s VMA’s…but also a manager of one of the nominees for best male video…Lance Bass.” she stated as the camera panned out slightly to reveal Lance in the shot with Rachel.

Lance waved slightly and said a deep “hello” into the microphone, then paused, awaiting Rachel’s questioning.

“So, Lance…why don’t you tell us a little bit about what you’re doing at this year’s awards show?“ she inquired.

“Well, I’m joining my former group members onstage for a little medley performance this year. We thought it would be a good way to promote the reunion album we worked on this past summer, which came out last Tuesday actually.” he explained.

“I understand that the proceeds of the album you guys put out benefits one of your old charities…is that correct?” Rachel asked.

Lance nodded. “Yep, that’s right. Depending on how well it does, we plan on dividing the money from the album sales among several different charities that we used to work with.”

“And the performance…what can we expect from you guys? A lot of dancing? Or more ballads?”

“Well I don’t want to give away EVERYTHING, but I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you just a little bit. The whole performance is going to open with JC doing a couple small samplings off of his solo album, including the single that was nominated for best male video. After that, the rest of the guys and I will join him onstage to do a medley of several songs…a couple ballads but the rest up tempo. I think everyone will really enjoy it, I know we’ve had a lot of fun with it and have learned some new choreography so it’s gonna be a bit different than what everyone’s seen from us in the past.” Lance stated.

“Aight, well I’m sure it’ll be an unbelievable performance. But right now, we’re gonna take a look at one of FreeLance Entertainment’s artists as we check out Ryan Tedder’s new single “Belonging”.

“Okay Rach, we got it.” the producer stated as the interview portion ended with her introduction to the new video. “You’re done for the day…I think we’ve already got everything else we need.”

Nodding, Rachel turned off her microphone and handed it to a short dark haired man nearby. “Thanks Mitch.” she said politely as the man nodded, reaching out for Lance’s mic as well.

Grabbing her bag and sunglasses off a nearby chair, Rachel glanced at her watch, groaning when she noticed the time.

“Got a hot date?” a familiar voice questioned, causing Rachel to turn. Her cool blue eyes rested on a pair of warm brown ones as she slung her trendy bag over her shoulder and tilted her head slightly to the side.

“What are you still doing here Joey? It’s almost 9 o’clock…you’ve been here since 11 this morning.” she asked curiously.

He shrugged, “It was either hang out here or go home to a lonely apartment.”

Rachel casually brushed her hair over her shoulder as the pair began walking towards the front of the auditorium. She felt slightly guilty at Joey’s comment, knowing that they usually spent alternate nights at each other’s apartments, depending on her taping schedule. Lately however, they spent more nights apart than they did together, even before heading to Orlando ten days prior. “Well you could always go hang out at the hotel with Chris…or Justin?” she offered lamely.

Joey frowned, then perked up slightly as his eyes lit up and he darted into a nearby row full of seating cards.

Rachel stopped mid-stride, wondering what Joey could possibly be doing as she turned to see where he went. The Italian had plopped down in the seat marked with his moniker and a broad grin danced upon his face as he slid an arm seductively around a white card titled “Carrot Top”.

Before the blonde could even open her mouth to ask, Joey spoke. “Actually, if you want to know the truth, I’m waiting here for Carrot Top to arrive. See, I specially asked for him to be seated next to me because he’s just so hot…” the dark haired man rambled. “But until he gets here, I’ll just have to settle for practicing on his seating card.” And with that, he picked up the white piece of tag board and kissed it lovingly.

Rachel raised a hand to her mouth as she tried to suppress a laugh, but the image of her boyfriend making out with a piece of paper marked “Carrot Top” was just too funny. Her giggles only egged Joey on, making it impossible for her to conceal her laughter. As she shook her head slightly, she suddenly realized that this was the first time in a long time that Joey had really made her smile. After all the disagreements and frustrations of late, this bout of silliness was a welcome change and reminded her of a time that suddenly seemed as if it were very long ago.

****

Rachel sat on a plush red sofa as she awaited her cue from the producer. Her nerves had wound her up tightly and she worried it would show on camera, but there was nothing anyone could say to take away the first show jitters she was experiencing. Taking a deep breath as the countdown began, the pretty blonde smiled brightly and prepared to make her MTV VJ debut.

“Hey, welcome to MTV’s Hot Zone. I’m your new host, Rachel Bishop…” she began, her voice slightly strained and her smile forced.

Staring into the camera, she barely noticed the studio audience, let alone the brown haired Italian in the second row. As the cameraman moved left in order to get a bit of a different angle, Rachel’s gaze stopped briefly on the crowd.

Wearing a baseball cap and a goofy grin, Joey sat amongst the trendy teenagers occupying the audience seats. He held a poster up that stated, in bright red letters “I Love Rachel!” and was amply decorated with sketched hearts and flowers. Suppressing a laugh, the blonde woman shook her head slightly as she gazed at her boyfriend. Joey, happy that she finally noticed him, quickly turned the sign over in order to reveal the other side to her before she directed her attention elsewhere.

Rachel was just getting ready to announce who the guest would be on the show that day when she noticed Joey flipping the sign over. Her eyes scanned it quickly, reading the words “Damn You’re Hot” emblazoned in brilliant blue lettering. Shaking her head again, the blue eyed woman suddenly burst out laughing, unable to help herself as she gazed at the lovable man in the audience. She wondered if he knew how much him being there meant to her, and how much his silly antics had helped to ease her nerves. She felt lucky to have such a caring man in her life, and promised herself after the taping, she’d tell him so.

****

“Here we go…“

The slender woman was brought back to the present as Joey’s voice cut through her memories.

“I think I could definitely get used to this chair right here.” he stated, throwing his arms over the seatbacks on either side of him. In the short time that Rachel had drifted off into her thoughts, he had picked up his own seating card and abandoned Carrot Top for a choice spot nearby. The brunette had removed someone else’s name and perched in the chair, surrounded by cards listing the names of several beautiful actresses and musicians. Stretching out comfortably, he smirked as he spoke again. “I need to get myself a hot entourage like this. Hey…who’s in charge of seating around here anyways?” he joked loudly.

Rachel scowled as her heart wrenched at Joey’s comments. She knew that he was probably just teasing, but with the way things had been between them lately it wasn’t amusing her in the least. She scolded herself internally as her paranoia gnawed away at her, willing herself to keep her cool. However, it had been an exhausting day for her and the growing anger fought desperately against her patience, which finally gave way. Narrowing her steely cobalt eyes at her boyfriend, she shook her head. “Yeah Joe, a ‘hot’ entourage is just what you need. That way, you’d never be stuck with one girl for oh…six years…and there’d always be plenty of variety. Ya know, that change of scenery you’re always on the look out for, right there at your disposal.” she snapped bitterly, then spun on her heel and stalked towards the exit, leaving Joey staring blankly after her.

Chapter 9