They got off the plane in Orlando, tired and beat. Marissa took a deep breath. "We are actually here," she said. "Let's go find suitcases and the shuttle to the hotel." They followed the crowd of people to the baggage claim, and leaned on each other, waiting for the belt to start up.
"How was your flight?" a soft, deep voice asked behind them and they spun, startled and off balance.
Behind them stood four guys in light jackets and baseball caps; one had sunglasses on, and they were all grinning wildly. "Lance, that's just not fair," Marissa protested tiredly. "That voice should not becoming out of that body."
"And certainly not at this time of night," Anika agreed. "Whose idea was this?" She ran her hand over her curly hair, trying to smooth it down.
"His," Lance said, hooking a thumb in Joey's direction.
"I should have guessed," Marissa smiled. "It's good to see you again, Joe."
"Hey. I wanted to surprise you."
"Oh, you did," she said, then a buzzer sounded through the room. "Ah, luggage," Marissa sighed, and she and Anika turned to the belt. Almost immediately, Marissa turned back, grabbing Anika's arm and pulling her around. "I'm not usually this rude, really. Anika, this is Joe, Lance, Justin, and JC." She pointed out each guy as she said his name. "Guys, this is Anika."
"Who interviews like no reporter I've ever met," JC said with a smile.
"She certainly did a good job on Chris at Thanksgiving. How's he doing?" Marissa asked.
"Couldn't make it. He's fine," Justin said. She looked at him narrowly, and he smiled. "Really."
"We didn't tell him you were coming," Joey said. Everyone stared at him. "What! Every time someone says her name, he looks like he ate something that disagreed with him."
"Words, probably," Marissa said, and touched his arm. "You're more perceptive than I give you credit for. It must be the hair that throws me off." She winked at him. "Oh, hey, my suitcase!" She dodged around him and went to pull it off the belt. Joey went to help her.
"How'd he do that?" Lance asked.
Justin shook his head. "D'you think he knows about what Chris said to her?"
JC shrugged. "Makes no difference."
"Hey, Lance," Justin said, turning to look at his friend. "What was it she didn't want you to say?"
"When?" Lance asked. Both Anika and JC noticed a faintly hunted look in his eyes, and JC laughed.
"When JC called her, after Chris... went ballistic on her."
"Yeah, what was that all about?" JC added.
Lance sighed with a grin. "That is between her and me."
"Anika! Is this yours?" Marissa called, and Anika left the interrogation to get her suitcase from Joey. JC followed and appropriated it. "Joe wants to take us to dinner," Marissa told her, and laughed. "Surprise! You want food or sleep first?"
"Food. Check in first, though."
"Your wish is our command," JC said, and they went to join Justin and Lance.
"Ah, I'm saved!" Lance said, and latched onto Marissa, taking her carry on.
"What are you bugging Lance about now?" Joey demanded as they started out of the airport.
Justin sighed. "As soon as he tells me, I'll tell you."
"That again?" Joey asked.
"Not again," Lance said, slapping Justin lightly on the back of the head. "Still."
"Still?" Marissa asked.
Lance grinned. "Remember when you accidentally sent that email and Chris and I calmed you down?" She nodded. "And how I said it was too bad you hadn't called us?" She chuckled and nodded again. "Well, when you calmed us down, and I blamed it on Justin...."
"Oh, right!" She laughed and turned to Justin. "You're persistent, boyo. But give up already."
"So I can bug you?" Justin asked.
"Only if you want a black eye." She said it with a perfectly straight face.
"Uh...." he said intelligently.
Anika shook her head, hiding a grin. "You wouldn't hit him. He's too young."
"He's bigger than me," Marissa retorted. "I would too. And break your glasses," she added in an aside to Justin. He gave her a stricken look, and she laughed. "You're cute when you're worried," she told him.
"I'm always cute!" he protested. JC laughed.
"Humble, too," Anika said.
"I don't wear glasses," he muttered.
"What are these?" Lance asked, tapping the shades Justin still wore as they stepped out into the cool night.
"Hey, whose side are you on?" Justin demanded.
"Her's, obviously," Joey grinned.
"Why?" It was almost a whine.
"She's cuter than you are."
"Uh... no," Marissa said, grinning. "Better curved, maybe. But not cuter."
"Well, I'd rather date you than him," JC said.
"That's a relief," Justin muttered.
"Not me," Anika said as Joey opened the back of an old Suburban. "I know her too well."
"This is not exactly what I expected you to be driving," Marissa said, wanting to change the subject. "Any of you."
Joey laughed. "It's a very old car my parents keep around for camping trips and getting ‘N Sync around incognito. People never give us a second glance in this thing." He began loading the bags in.
"It's true," JC said. "Including a couple of people who know me pretty well. They've looked right at me and not seen me."
"He got quite... indignant," Lance said. Joey, JC and Justin stared at him, and he took a step back nervously. "What?"
"That's it. You stay away from Chris," JC threatened.
"Indignant is a perfectly good word!" Marissa protested.
"It's not the word," Joey said as he helped her into the vehicle. He turned to help Anika in as well. "It's the guy using it."
Anika paused, half in the car, and turned to peer at Lance, who looked back at her in curiosity. "He looks like a perfectly good guy to me, certainly not something I'd throw away."
"I might," JC countered with a grin, and pushed a somewhat stunned Lance toward the door.
"Only because you're the wrong gender to really be able to enjoy... Oh, I'm too tired for this!" Anika said, and settled into the seat next to Marissa.
"What do you ladies have planned while you're here?" JC asked as they started out of the parking lot.
"Lots," Marissa grinned. "We sent Joe the itinerary, he'll fill you in. What have you guys been doing?"
They all shrugged. "Not much, we're on vacation, and we promised to hit anyone who booked us for anything," Joey said. "Although the vacation ends about two days before you two go home."
"Not to mention I just got paroled," Justin said, and smiled at the surprised looks from the girls. "We've been home two weeks, and my Mom just let me out of the house."
"Ouch," Marissa said. "Is that why you haven't emailed me at all?" He nodded.
"I'd kill someone," Anika added.
"Where are we going?" Joey asked, poised at the edge of the parking lot. Marissa gave him the name of the hotel, and the address, and he pulled out onto the road.
They found the hotel without trouble, to the vocal amazement of Joey's band mates, and went in. The women checked in, but when they got to their room, Anika took one look at the bed and turned a pleading look on Marissa.
"Hey, Joe, can we take a rain check? Those beds are calling to us pretty loudly," Marissa said.
"Of course," he said, and grinned. "Something we understand all too well. We'll be in touch."
"Thanks for picking us up," Anika said, sinking onto the bed. "And tell Chris hi."
Marissa giggled. "And report on his reaction," she added. Lance grinned.
"Definitely. Good night, ladies." The four left, closing the door behind them. All of them were relieved to hear the door lock.
"So, what do you think is wrong with Chris?" Joey asked as they headed down the hall to the elevator.
"Oh, that's easy," Justin said absently, touching the button to call it to their floor.
The other three exchanged glances. "Enlighten us," JC said.
"Now who's hanging around with Chris too much?" Lance muttered, shooting him a dark look. Joey grinned at him.
"When was the last time he acted like this?" Justin asked. The elevator chime emphasized his words.
"I don't know," JC said.
"Yes you do. You threatened to put him in the hospital."
"That thing with Tamara?" Lance asked. They stepped into the elevator as the door opened.
"This isn't that bad," Joey protested.
"No, but Marissa isn't touring with us, either," Justin pointed out. JC hit the button for the lobby.
"So you think he's attracted to her?" JC asked.
"Probably." Justin leaned against the wall. "He's fighting it pretty hard."
"How do you know?" Joey asked.
"He's reading his textbooks."
"But JC isn't freaking out over Anika," Lance protested, somewhat belatedly. JC flushed slightly.
"Not a fair comparison," he said quickly. "Tam did a real number on him. That's why he was so upset when Joey found out about Gina." A grimace crossed Joe's face and was gone.
Lance nodded. "So, what do we do?"
Justin grinned. "Call him up and tell him they say hi. She's never had us relay a message to him before." The elevator chimed again, then the doors opened. They stepped out and started across the lobby.
"What did he say to her?" Joey asked casually, watching the others. They all tensed and exchanged glances. He sighed. "Oh, come on, I'm not blind, or stupid!"
JC pushed open the front door of the hotel, then held out his hand. "I'm driving, then."
Joey barely hesitated before handing the keys over, and they got in the suburban. "So?" he asked.
Lance leaned back as JC started the engine. "He asked her why she was our friend, said he was sick of the fake friendship thing, and told her about Gina." He paused a minute, eyes searching the ceiling as he tried to remember. "He asked her how many people she'd told she knew us, and told her... well, demanded that she not tell anyone else. He asked her what she wanted..." He shook his head. "It made no sense from the next room. Then he said something about something not working because we'd all be hurt, and slammed the phone down."
"To be fair, though," JC added, "she said later that she'd hung up on him first."
"I figured he was talking to Kari or Nan," Justin said. "JC went to ask."
"I guess it doesn't sound that bad, just the words, but it was that tone, the one he uses when he's had it up to here and everyone leaves him alone," JC said.
"Oh, like he's looking at a human-sized bug?" Joey asked.
"That he desperately wants to smash," Justin added.
"Oh," Joey said flatly, and sat back, arms folded.
"Don't tell Marissa - or Chris - we told you," Lance said. "She made us promise."
"How is that supposed to work?" Joey asked.
Justin shrugged one shoulder, slowly. "It's not easy. But eventually you forgive him for doing once more what he always does - making a complete fool of himself - and everything's fine."
"Justin and Lance literally had him cornered and were screaming at him. Marissa made them stop," JC reported.
"Why?" Joey asked.
"She told me he didn't need to be attacked," JC said. "Which was pretty impressive, considering he'd just done that to her."
"She told us she didn't want to get in the way of our friendship," Lance said.
"She's right," Justin added. "The only one who's being hurt, really, is Chris." He shrugged. "But I'm sure he won't find it in his books."
"And where did you get so smart?" Lance asked.
Justin grinned. "Where else? Hanging with Chris."
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