lost2

The guys mobilized, and started searching for Joey’s mysterious lover. Two
more months passed by, and they all got discouraged as every lead they had
turned out to be a dead end. It was almost Christmas, and they still had
nothing to go on. Finally they convinced Joey to go Christmas shopping with
them for a day to distract him. They grabbed their bodyguards, and headed to
a local mall, usually a dangerous place for them. With the crowds of
last-minute holiday shoppers, it was so packed that they thought they could
get away with shopping for one day. Joey shopped, getting all his presents
for his family, but his heart wasn't into it. He was walking by a bookstore,
glancing idly in, when his heart leapt. "GUYS!" he choked out urgently.
They stopped and hurried back to him, looking where he was staring. Joey
pointed with a shaky hand. "My god, that’s her! That’s Shannon!" he
whispered, looking at the girl smiling behind the counter at a customer. The
guys looked at each other, and back at Joey. "Then I think you need to go
buy a book, Joe." Justin said, grabbing his bags. Joey hesitated, suddenly
scared, and JC pushed him through the door. Joey took a deep breath as the
guys spread out through the store, seeming to ignore him, but he knew they
were watching every move.

Joey decided to get the only thing he knew for sure Shannon was interested
in, so he grabbed a popular book on Wicca, and headed to the register with
it. Shannon finished ringing up the customer in front of him, and handed her
the bag, then turned to him with a smile. "Did you find everything you need
today? "she asked sweetly, then her eyes widened, and her face went white. "I
did now, Shannon." Joey said quietly. "Oh, goddess!" she whispered, then her
eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted. Her co-workers dropped
today? "she asked sweetly, then her eyes widened, and her face went white. "I
did now, Shannon." Joey said quietly. "Oh, goddess!" she whispered, then her
eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted. Her co-workers dropped
everything and ran to help her, and Joey raced around the counter as they
eased her onto the floor. His face went white as the guys joined him, and
they all stared. Shannon was pregnant, very much so, and Joey’s heart
melted. He knelt beside her and took her small hand in his. "Wake up,
sweetheart. Come on, I just found you again, don’t make me lose you again."
he said softly. Her co-workers stared at each other, then at the guys who
surrounded her. "Holy shit, it’s Nsync!" one of them said loudly. Joey
looked up. "Pardon me, but can someone get a cool cloth for her forehead,
and tell me where I can take her where she'll be more comfortable?" he said
pointedly. The clerks came out of their shock, and directed him to a back
room with a couch where associates took their breaks. Joey carried her out
and laid her down.

"I’ll get that cloth. Do you want a doctor, Joe?" Lance asked quietly. Joey
shook his head as Shannon moaned softly, stirring on the couch. "No, that’s
okay. She’s coming around." he said, stroking her hair back from her face.
A moment later, Shannon opened her eyes. "Joseph...what are you doing here?"
she whispered. He smiled down at her, still holding her hand. "Looking for
you, Shannon. I’ve been trying to find you for the last six months." he told
her. She looked around wildly, seemingly to find a way to escape, then she
saw the others. She seemed to shrink in on herself, and they took a step
back, giving her some room. "Shannon, it’s okay, these are my friends." Joey
said soothingly, helping her sit up. She sighed. "I know who they are,
Joseph, I just want to know why all of Nsync, and some guys who appear to be
bodyguards, are standing around staring at me." she said. Lonnie chuckled
softly. "It’s not too often we see a woman who can bring Joey to his knees,
Shannon. We just spent the last two months looking for you, but Joe's been
looking for six months. We're curious." he explained, his voice a soothing
rumble. Shannon smiled up at him. "Oh, okay. Thanks for explaining,
Lonnie." she said.

Joey wouldn’t let go of her hand. "Shannon, if you know who we are, who I
am, why didn’t you contact me? You had to know I'd want to see you again
after what we shared." he asked, his voice hurt. Shannon looked him in the
eyes. "I did try to contact you. Did you really think I wouldn't tell you
that you’re going to be a father? I called everyone I could think of. I
even called Johnny Wright on his private line and told him, and he threatened
to have me arrested if I spread lies like that, or called him again. I
figured that when you didn’t contact me, you wanted nothing to do with me or
the babies." she told him tiredly. Joey was in shock, and his pain showed in
his eyes. "I can’t believe you'd think that! I had no idea! God, Shannon,
I’ve been trying to find you since the moment you disappeared.
Wait...babies? My god, we're having more than one baby?" he asked in shock.