*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Ashley, Mike, Devon, Carli and Rachel. Plagiarism is still against the law, so please don't do it. Thanks.

Ashley strolled through the hospital, her white smock flapped with each step she took. A stethoscope hung limply around her neck. Her shift had ended hours ago, but there had been a serious automobile accident, so she had stayed. It was a classic case of hit and run. A sixteen year old kid was taking his new motorcycle out for a test drive and someone had hit him head on at least fifty miles per hour from what the boy's father had stated to the police. The kid has suffered so many different ailments that she was afraid he wouldn't recover. This was one of the reasons that made her wonder why she wanted to become a doctor. Then she would realize how many lives she helped save on a daily basis and somehow things managed to even themselves out. She knew that she would be calling the hospital periodically throughout the night to see how the kid was doing. Sometimes she thought she became too attached to her patients, too involved, but she couldn't help it. She hadn't gotten to the point where she could separate her feelings from her work yet.

She sighed as she dropped off the chart she had been carrying at the nurse's station then headed out to the parking lot where she left her car. She was dead tired after having gone to classes for six hours than working at the hospital for an additional twelve hours. There were days when she thought this whole working through college thing was going to kill her. She climbed into her car and drove silently to the dorm she and Mike lived in. Once in the room, Ashley realized that Mike was still working. They both put in long days, some more than the other, but it all evened out pretty well in the end. Ashley walked over to the answering machine and noticed a couple of messages waiting for someone to check. She dropped her bag on the floor then pressed the playback button.

Beep-- Hi Ash, it's mom, call me when you get in. I have some news about your brother that I think you might enjoy. Love you darling.

Beep-- Mike, what's going on? Where are you? Anyway, it's Joe. You told us you were gonna be here hours ago. So, again, where are you? Call me.

Beep-- Hi Ash, it's me. I won't be back to the dorm until late tonight. I have some major paper writing I have to do and work before that. The computer lab attendant said he'll keep the lab open until I get there. So, I'll talk to you later.

Beep-- Ash, this is Mrs. Green, your student supervisor on campus. I'd like to set up an appointment with you soon. Call me at your earliest convenience at 555-1212. Thank you.

Beep-- Hello? Okay, no one's home. That's cool. Look, Mike, we need to talk about something Joe said to me. He's been bothering all of us all night about wanting to talk to you. So, call either him or me, doesn't matter at this point. Just call one of us. It's JC. Talk to you later.

Ashley shook her head with a rueful smile. Maybe she would try her hand at matchmaking between the two of them. Or not. Mike would be back, hopefully, before dawn so she could get some sleep. Ashley flopped down on her bed and took of her shoes before taking out one of her text books to study. After making sure the door was locked, she sprawled out on her bed and started the process of memorizing information. Halfway into her study session, the phone rang. She groaned loudly, debating on whether she should let the machine get it or not. She reached over and picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Ashley?"

"Yeah."

"It's Joe, what's going on?"

"Not a whole lot. Just studying."

"Bummer. Sometimes I'm glad I'm not in college at the moment."

"Sometimes I'm glad I'm not either."

"Uh...."

"I was being sarcastic Joe. What's up?"

"Not a whole lot. Mike was just supposed to go clubbing with us tonight and she hasn't shown up yet."

"Oh, well, she had a paper to write. She said she was going to head over to the computer lab after work. After that, I have no idea what's she's planning on doing."

"Thanks. You wouldn't want to join us, would you?"

"I have a lot of work I need to do."

"Oh come on, people like you work too hard without anything to do to relax. Just come and stay for a little while. If you're not having fun, we'll get you home safe and sound so you can finish studying."

"I don't know, Joe."

"I'm stubborn, did I mention that before?"

"No, but I'm sure I would have figured it out."

"I'm not going to take no for an answer."

"I'm sorry, but you'll just have to this time. I have a lot of studying I have to do before I write a paper on what I've studied. Which kind of means I have to get the studying done first."

"Okay, I'll take a no this time. Next time I won't let you off this easy."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"I hope you do. Anyway, I'll talk to you later. Don't study too hard. Wouldn't want that brain of yours to run away from home because you overworked it."

"I won't. Have fun and I'll let Mike know that you called."

"Okay thanks. Bye."

"Bye." Ashley laughed softly as she hung up the phone. She could see why Mike liked them so much, but she still wasn't sure about hanging out with them alone. She still had many of her old fears about the male species, though she knew they would do nothing to harm her in any way, she was still weary about being alone with them. She sat up and gazed around the room. It would have been a lot of fun to go clubbing. Shut up! No, you haven't been out like that since.... She shook her head as she got back to her books. After a minute she groaned slamming the book closed. He won. She would go clubbing with them, she would just keep her distance.

Ashley followed the directions Joe had given her to the club they were going to that night and parked the car in the parking lot before walking inside. The club itself was small and had furniture spread throughout it dating back to the forties. Fringe covered lampshades were on all of the lamps on each of the tables and jazz filled the room. A live band was up on stage singing about having the blues with a saxophone emphasizing the dramatic points. She gazed around the room until she saw the table where everyone was sitting.

"Ashley! You made it!" Justin yelped as she walked over to them.

"Yeah, I almost got lost. I've never been here before." Ashley replied as she took a seat on an empty chair.

"You can blame that on JC. It was his turn to pick the place and we ended up here." Joe commented as he took a sip from the glass in front of him.

"Hey, you picked the last time we all went out." JC countered with a laugh, punching Joe's arm lightly. Everyone fell into silence as they listened to the woman singing on the stage. She had a beautiful voice that entranced everyone. Twenty minutes later, the band went on intermission and everyone in the small club headed for the bar and the restrooms.

"You look like you've had a long day." Justin commented as Joe, JC and Chris walked over to the bar to get a refill on their orders.

"You could say that. I've been going strong since about five-thirty this morning." Ashley shrugged as she glanced down at her watch. It was nearly midnight.

"I know how that feels. It's harsh." Justin sympathized as Joe and Chris returned to the table.

"So I found this note on my bed saying don't wait up for me." a female voice stated with amusement.

"Hi Mike." Ashley laughed as she turned to see her roommate standing behind her looking every bit as frazzled as she knew she looked.

"Out to have fun without me? I'm crushed." Mike sighed as she pulled up a chair to sit down. "So, who's gonna by this broke girl a drink?"

"Straight forward and to the point, that's what I like about her. I will. What would you like?" Chris laughed as he climbed to his feet.

"Surprise me, but something sweet." Mike answered as she rubbed the back of her neck with a hand. Chris nodded then walked toward the bar again.

"How was your shift at the hospital tonight?" Mike turned to her best friend with a tired smile.

"Long. I stayed a few hours longer than I should have, but you know me." Ashley shrugged as she leaned back in her chair.

"Mmm. Too true. You have your assignment done for Taylor's class?" Mike raised an eyebrow.

"The ten page paper? Not yet. I still haven't decided what I want to write about." Ashley shook her head.

"It's due in two days." Mike laughed with a shake of her head. Everyone's attention was grabbed by one of the MC's for the night.

"Ladies and gentleman, tonight is open mike night. So, if you'd like to wow us with your singing ability, come on up to the bar and give us your name and we'll put you on stage." he stated loudly with a smile as the band took the stage again to play some soft background music until the first amateur took the stage.

"I know," Ashley groaned, shaking her head. "But how can I pick a poem, dissect it, the regurgitate the thing in a ten page paper?"

"I know you hate it as much as I do, but we have to do it. It's just one of those things that goes along with attending college, especially English courses." Mike shrugged as Chris and JC walked back to he table, purely evil smiles on their faces.

"Here you go, Mike." Chris set down a glass in front of her with a smile. Mike smiled her thanks to her older friend then turned to see what was going on with the others.

"Ashley, Mike tells me you want to be a doctor." Joe stated suddenly, drawing Ashley out of her thoughts.

"Yeah. I have my entire life." Ashley shrugged with a nod.

"Any reason why?" Joe continued as he leaned closer to her so he could hear her answer over the noise of the room.

"Not really. I just enjoy helping people." Ashley laughed, picking at a loose strand of fabric on the tablecloth.

"You don't hear too much of that these days." Joe commented softly.

"I guess not." she replied with a sigh.

"Our first singer tonight will be, Michaela Costeo and Ashley King." the announcer stated from the stage causing both Mike and Ashley's faces to drain from all color.

"Chris, what did you do?" Mike hissed as she punched him in the arm.

"I didn't do a thing. It was all JC." Chris shook his head with a wince as he rubbed his arm. Mike tossed a glare at JC who just shrugged with a smile.

"Why did you do that?" Ashley cried as she sunk lower in her chair.

"Because I know for a fact Mike has a beautiful voice, and she said as much for yours." JC smiled as he settled back into his chair. Mike sighed and stood up, silently pleading with Ashley to walk to the stage with her. The pair reluctantly climbed the stairs and turned to the band. They told them what song they were going to sing then turned to the microphones as they band started to play the music they had requested.

"I never knew how much I loved you." Mike sang softly into the mic. "Never knew how much I cared. Til you put your loving arms around me, I get a feeling that I can't bear you give me fever. When he touches, fever when he holds me tight. Fever. I'm on fire, fever all through the night."

"Romeo loved Juliet. Juliet, she was the sun. When she put her loving arms around him, he said Julie, you're my flame you give me fever." Ashley sang, continuing the song. "When you touch me, fever you're my flame in me. Fever, I'm on fire and I burn for you. Baby, just for you. Baby, I burn for you."

Everyone applauded loudly, giving them catcalls and pounding on the table in a drunken stupor. Ashley and Mike walked off the stage both blushing furiously. They walked back to the table and plopped down in their chairs.

"That was impressive." Joe smiled, glancing over at Ashley.

"Thanks." she mumbled. "I need another drink."

"Where'd you learn to sing like that?" Justin questioned as he took a sip from the soda sitting in front of him.

"High school choir." Ashley answered with a shrug as a waitress brought the drink that Ashley had wanted. She picked up the glass and downed it in one swift motion.

"You're really good." Justin laughed.

"Thanks, but if y'all ever do that to me again, you're getting up there to sing with me." Ashley snorted, glad she had calmed her racing heart down just a little bit.

"Deal." Joe nodded as he stood up. He turned to Ashley with an inviting smile. "Care to dance to the amateurs of the night?"

She looked up at him, momentarily stunned before nodding slowly. She climbed to her feet and took the hand Joe held out to her. He walked with her out onto the small dance floor and pulled her gently into his arms.

"I'm glad you decided to come." he told her as they swayed to the soulful crooning of what Ashley decided was a wombat.

"Me too. This is definitely a lot more entertaining and fun than a book filled with facts about dead people." Ashley nodded with a smile.

"I can imagine. You just moved to Florida not too long ago, right?" Joe mumbled gazing down at her.

"A couple of years ago." she nodded.

"What made you chose this place?"

"At the time? My boyfriend. Little did I know he was going to dump me for the first blond beach bunny he met." she snorted with a shake of her head.

"That's too bad." Joe sympathized.

"Not really. He was a jerk to begin with." she countered with a shrug.

"Then why come to Florida with him?" he raised an eyebrow.

"I thought I loved him. Besides, I wanted to get out of New York. The streets were making me too hard and I didn't like that." she answered honestly.

"I know what you mean. I grew up in Brooklyn." Joe agreed as the band started into another song with a different person trying to vocalize why he was singing the blues.

"Yeah, Justin mentioned something about that." she nodded with a smile. "Sometimes I go back just to get the food. Corner venders. Hot pretzels, slices, anything you could imagine."

"The guys love going to New York to eat the garbage." Joe laughed.

"Now there's a term I haven't heard in a while. I miss it sometimes. And sometimes I know that this is where I need to be." Ashley sighed as she pulled away from him. "I'm getting kind of tired, so if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to sit down."

"Not a problem." Joe replied as he took her hand to escort her back to the table.

"I'm beat." Mike groaned loudly as she glanced down at her watch. "And I have to be up in four hours. Where's the justice? At least when I was living in Boston, we had the off chance of having a snow day."

"Going back to grade school tactics?" JC snorted, glancing over at the young woman as Ashley and Joe joined them at the table. Lance, Justin and Chris were all dancing or talking to girls they were trying to pick up.

"Well, you figure....college is a lot like preschool." Mike shrugged flippantly. Ashley laughed shaking her head.

"She's right." she nodded.

"How's that?" Joe raised an eyebrow with befuddlement.

"Okay, the top ten reasons why college is exactly like preschool." Mike started with a smile. "Ten, you cry for your mother. Nine, you cross the street without looking. Eight, Snack time is a necessity. Seven, You bundle up for the outdoors without caring what you look like cause everyone else looks as stupid as you do. Six, You stay at home and play games with your friends. Five, you wear your backpack on both shoulders. Four, you wear big mittens. Three, playing in the snow is a legitimate activity. Two, you take naps. And one, you look forward to grilled cheese sandwiches."

Ashley laughed as she leaned back in her chair. JC and Joe shook their heads with amusement. Mike just shrugged and went back to her drink on the table.

"That was interesting. Anything else I should know about college before I actually get there?" JC inquired ruefully.

"You're backpack will give you Scoliosis." Mike stated after thinking for a moment.

"Okaaaaaaay." JC raised an eyebrow at Ashley who just shrugged her shoulders.

"Semester burnout." Ashley laughed. Mike's head snapped up, a smile on her face.

"I have semester burnout in a big way. So do you, dear, so what are you laughing at?" Mike snorted as she finished the last of her drink.

"Nah, I just think she's been drinking on an empty stomach." Joe shook his head, eyeing Mike with amusement.

"No, that would be me." Ashley countered with a shake of her head.

"You haven't eaten yet?" JC inquired with shock.

"We college students eat irregularly. It's called living on a tight budget, so we only eat once a day." Ashley laughed.

"That's not good." Joe shook his head, a perplexed look crossing his face.

"Signs that you're too drunk." Mike sighed soberly.

"You're not drunk." JC shook his head.

"Sometimes I wish I were, then my pesky little morals get in the way. Right Ash?" Mike glanced over at her roommate with a sad smile.

"You got that right. I don't know how many times I've wanted to see Mike just shy of three sheets to the wind." Ashley nodded in agreement, knowing that something was up with her friend. She couldn't tell what, she just knew something was bothering her.

"Okay, I give. What are the signs that you're too drunk?" Chris inquired as he pulled up a chair.

"Hi Chris." everyone chorused as he sat down on an empty chair.

"Hey, now what are the signs again?" Chris smiled as he rested back in his chair. "I want to know if I've ever been there."

"Okay, signs that you're took drunk. You lose arguments with inanimate objects." Mike laughed softly.

"Nope." Chris shook his head.

"You have to hold the lawn to keep from falling off the Earth." Mike continued.

"Nope." Chris shook his head again as Justin sat down in another empty chair.

"The back of your head keeps hitting the toilet seat."

"Nope." Chris laughed.

"What are you guys talking about?" Justin made a face as he grabbed a glass filled with soda.

"Signs that you're too drunk." Joe answered with a smile, his arms folded across his chest as Ashley rested her chin in the palm of her hand.

"The parking lot seemed to have moved while you were in the bar." Mike waved down the waitress to order another drink.

"I think I've been there." Chris nodded, his face an illusion of concentration. "Nope. I was wrong."

"You fall off the floor."

"Chris does that on a regular basis, no alcohol needed." JC laughed. Chris tossed the younger man a glare before turning back to Mike.

"You wake up in the bedroom, your underwear is in the bathroom and you fell asleep clothed."

"I know I've definitely never been there." Chris laughed.

"You know, alcohol should have warning labels on them." Ashley stated suddenly as she reached for Chris's bottle of light beer.

"Like what kind of warnings?" Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, I don't know. Something like, warning: consumption of alcohol may cause you to thay shings like thish." Ashley replied with a grin. Everyone gazed at her for a second, then burst out laughing. The hour and what little alcohol a few of them had consumed making them a bit slap happy.

"Or how about, warning: consumption of alcohol is the leading cause of inexplicable rug burns on the forehead." Mike countered with a giggle as she sipped a soda, her one drink limit already passed.

"That one's good. How about, warning: consumption of alcohol is a major factor in dancing like an ass." JC suggested as everyone decided to get involved with this conversation.

"Yup." Lance nodded as he sat down in the last empty chair. "But I wonder about different things."

"Pray tell, what?" Ashley inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Like, before they invented drawing boards, what did they go back to?" Lance replied with a shrug.

"You know," Chris thought for a moment. "The albino's right. What did they go back to?"

"Things that make you go hhhhhmmmmmmm." Ashley muttered with a shake of her head. She glanced down at her watch. Nearly two am. She was going to have a hard time getting up out of bed, that is, if she even made it to bed tonight.

"If the number two pencil is the most popular in the world, why is it still number two?" Lance inquired suddenly.

"It has to do with the led type." Ashley mumbled tiredly, stifling a yawn behind her hand.

"That makes sense." Joe nodded. "Why is there an expiration date on sour cream?"

"Wow." Chris snorted, a stunned look on his face. "Did you come up with that all on your own or did you get some help?" he teased giving Joe a shove.

"Came up with it on my own, thank you very much." Joe replied with a smirk.

"Even though its called sour cream, its sill a dairy product." Mike answered logically.

"Would a fly without wing be called a walk?" Justin questioned causing everyone to groan loudly.

"That was lame, J." Joe shook his head.

"I have one," Mike laughed suddenly. "When it rains, why don't sheep shrink?"

"You know, that's so stupid its funny." Lance laughed softly.

"Can you be a closet claustrophobic?" Ashley raised an eyebrow.

"YES!" everyone chorused loudly. Things had started to quiet down in the club, people were leaving for the night and the band had packed up.

"Why is the word abbreviation so long?" Chris inquired taking a sip from his bottle.

"I have no idea." Justin shook his head.

"Why do they call it a tv set when you only get one?" JC questioned with a half smile.

"Regions unheard from! Welcome back Josh." Mike smiled as she reached for her jacket.

"Thank you." JC nodded tiredly.

"What was the best thing before sliced bread?" Ashley smiled as she climbed to her feet. "And on that note, I have to go. It was fun and all, but I have an early class tomorrow morning and I'll probably sleep through it as it is."

"I have to agree with Ash on this one guys." Mike slipped on her jacket as Joe climbed to his feet, a note of regret in his eyes.

"Call me as soon as you both get back to the dorm, okay?" he stated as he gave Mike a quick hug then turned to Ashley. She nodded slightly at him when he raised an eyebrow. He leaned over and gave her a quick hug and it was all she could do to keep from stiffening up at his touch.

"Well guys, its been real. Its been fun..." Mike started with a smile as she grabbed her car keys off the table.

"But it hasn't been real fun." JC finished for her as he climbed to his feet. Everyone exchanged hugs, Ashley hanging back from each of the ones she received. She had become uncomfortable all of the sudden and she couldn't explain to herself why. She had the uneasy feeling that someone was watching her, but there was no one but them and the bar tender left in the club. She shook her head as she and Mike walked out of the club to the parking lot.

"Hey," Mike grabbed her attention by speaking. "You okay?"

"Yeah, just a little nervous I guess." Ashley shrugged with a sigh.

"About what?" her friend pressed as she stopped in front of her car.

"I don't know. That's the thing. Old feelings popping up again." Ashley answered glancing at her own car with apprehension.

"You want to ride with me and I'll bring you back tomorrow to pick your car up?" Mike inquired with sympathy.

"Would you mind?" Ashley raised an eyebrow, feeling a little on the foolish side for being a tad on the frightened side.

"I wouldn't have asked if I minded." Mike smiled gently as she unlocked her car door then opened it.

"Thanks." Ashley smiled as she walked over to the passenger's side and climbed in. It had been a long day, maybe that was what cause her wayward thoughts and emotions. She had noticed over the time since she had been raped that night was the hardest to deal with. The darkness seemed to bring back all the memories she had tried so desperately to forget. Sometimes she swore she could still feel his touch. Most of the time she would wake up in a cold sweat from the nightmares the whole experience had caused. When will this end? When will I be a whole person again? When will I never feel the need to look over my shoulder as I'm walking? When will the night be a happy place for me again? When will I stop being so damn scared of my own shadow? When will I be strong enough to take back what was taken from me?

Joe Justin, Lance, JC and Chris all walked to JC's car parked on the far side of the parking lot. The three had made sure Mike and Ashley drove safely off before climbing into the car to head to their respective homes. JC started the car and waited a moment for it to warm up before pulling out onto the street. Joe sat in the passenger's seat next to him, lost in thought.

"What's going on in that little Joe brain of yours?" JC inquired as he stopped for a red light.

"What? Oh. Nothing." Joe shook his head as she settled back into his seat and looked out the window.

"Something tells me that's not entirely true." JC commented as the light turned green. He stepped on the gas pedal and headed for Lance's house which was the closest.

"I'm just thinking about Ashley, that's all." Joe replied with a sigh.

"What about Ashley?" JC raised as eyebrow as he glanced in the rearview mirror to see if he could change lanes.

"I'm not sure. Her eyes, they're... what's the word I'm looking for here?" Joe raked a frustrated hand through his hair as he wracked his brain for the right words.

"Tormented? Plagued? Frightened? Disturbed?" JC suggested helpfully as he turned right at the corner.

"Tormented sounds about right." Joe nodded.

"Okay, her eyes are so tormented and?" JC prompted, glancing over at his younger friend.

"Her eyes are so tormented that it's almost disheartening. I mean, she's a beautiful woman, but because of what happened, she doesn't think that anymore. She has spirit, but its tattered and frayed. She's haunted by a specific kind of ghost, and as much as I know I can't help her with that.... I... I find myself wanting to protect her. And I barely even know her." Joe tossed a hand into the air, knowing that he had lost a little of his mind tonight at the club.

"Sounds like you've been thinking about this a lot." JC commented as he pulled to a stop outside of Lance's house.

"G'night guys." Lance mumbled sleepily as he climbed out of the car and shut the door.

"I have been thinking about this a lot. That's the problem. I've been thinking about it too much." Joe sighed with a shake of his head.

"There are things, sometimes, that happen to people that we have no power to change. Especially if its in the past. Being raped is hard to get over. She has a lot of fear and a lot of doubts about men as a whole. The only thing you can do is be there for her. Make sure she knows that your presence isn't a threatening thing. Become her friend." JC shrugged with a sympathetic smile.

"And how do you know all this?" Joe raised an eyebrow.

"Are you kidding? I used to watch Donahue, man." JC laughed softly as he pulled back out onto the street.

"Oh right, talk shows." Joe snorted with a roll of his eyes. What happens when it turns out that I like her?"

JC remained silent for a moment as he thought of the right way to say what he thought. Words seem to be a lot of trouble for us tonight. "Well, take your time. Go slowly. Don't rush her in any way. Understand that there are going to be days when she won't want to be around you. If you so like her, and she might feel the same way about you, you have to teach her how to trust, to love all over again because she's been hurt in the worst possible way."

Joe nodded thoughtfully as JC pulled to a stop in front of his house. "Thanks, man." he sighed as he opened to door and climbed out. JC nodded with a smile before Joe shut the door and walked up to the front door. He let himself inside and walked through the dark to his room and flopped down on the bed. He had no idea what his racing mind was thinking, and part of him didn't really want to take the time to find out. Some things were just better left unsaid, or unthought in his case. He kicked off his shoes and flung an arm over his eyes. Hopefully sleep would come soon. Minutes later, just as he was dropping off to sleep, the phone rang. His eyes popped open and he reached for the phone with a tired yawn.

"Hello?"

"So, we're back at the dorm, all safe and sound-like."

"Thanks for calling to let me know. I worry about my friends too much sometimes."

"Nah, it just comes with the territory of being a good friend."

"Can I ask you a question, Mike?"

"Sure, but make it one that has an easy answer cause I'm brain dead and I'm only going to get three hours of sleep tonight."

"Okay. Um...what would Ashley do if I asked her out? Not right away...I mean...oh hell. I'd like to ask her out after a while. A long while. Does that sound weird?"

"Not really. Hold on, let me move this conversation into the bathroom-----okay. I'm not sure how Ash would react. She's been through a lot in the past couple of years. It could be a blessing for her, or it could be a curse for her. My suggestion is become her friend. Let her know that you can be trusted."

"JC said as much to me in the car."

"Wow, smart man. He's been watching too many talk shows."

"You got that right. So, is she okay? Her eyes looked haunted at the end of the night."

"Yeah, she's alright. Just memories. They sneak up on you sometimes."

"I can't imagine being in her place."

"Its hard. Really hard. But, in time she'll heal like the rest of the rape victims in the world have. She'll never totally feel safe again, but she'll get back to what she used to be. It'll just take some time. What you guys are doing for her will help out a lot."

"What are we doing for her?"

"Showing her that not all men have the inclination to rip someone's life apart. It's good for her to see that. She sees that I trust the five of you, that gives her reason to be not so leery around you guys. Tonight was the first time I've seen her laugh that much in years. So, you're doing a lot of good for her. Don't worry so much. You'll know when you've overstepped your boundaries."

"Okay, thanks Mike."

"No problem. Now, go get some sleep so I can do the same."

"Not a problem with that. Night."

"Night."

Joe leaned back on his bed, his arms folded under his head as he gazed up at the darkened ceiling. Be patient. Be understanding. Be careful. Be everything that you can be to help er get over this, because as surely as your falling asleep, she's terrified of you. Joe drifted off to sleep, his thoughts becoming fragments as the blessed darkness of deep sleep claimed him.

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