*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 characters such as Rachel, Ashley, Devon, Mike and Carli. Plagiarism is against the law. Don't make me sic my attack dragon on you. Thanks.

Lance smiled as he gazed across Mike's room at Rachel, who was talking animatedly with Justin about the art of dramatic acting. JC and Joe were ransacking the drawers trying to find something to munch on because it would be hours before they would actually get to eat dinner. Chris was reading one of Mike's old Psychology text book because there was really nothing else for him to do at the moment. Mike was gone, she had left to go talk to the Residential Advisor about a problem she was having with her neighbors across the hall.

"Nothing. You think a girl would hide some chocolate is case of a PMS attack." Joe cried out, jumping to his feet, causing everyone to glance over at him with amusement.

"Alright. Why does every male assume that chocolate makes PMS any better?" Rachel demanded, hands resting lightly on her hips as she turned to Joe.

"I don't know." Joe stuttered, face turning a light shade of red.

"Men also have no idea what PMS really is, so Joe, shaddup." Rachel continued to huff, chest sticking out indignantly. Joe hung his head while the others laughed softly at their amusement of their situation.

"Sorry." he mumbled contritely, taking a seat on the empty bed.

"Its okay." Rachel favored him with a brilliant smile before turning back to Justin to continue the conversation they had started. Lance shook his head in wonder. He had cared for women before, just not as much as he cared for Rachel. She was something special, a personality he had never experienced before. That's part of what drew him to her. She was a classic woman who could yell one minute and charm the pants off someone the next. Her eyes showed every emotion she felt and he had drown in them more times than he could count. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. The door opened and Mike stormed into the room, slamming the door behind her. She made a face and opened the door, only to slam it again. She nodded in satisfaction then proceeded to walk into the room and flop down on her bed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Feel better?" JC raised an eyebrow at her, an amused smile on his face.

"No." Mike shook her head.

"She's having a fit cause she isn't getting her way." Lance grinned impishly at Mike, who in turn threw a pillow at his head.

"So, fellow door slammer, what happened?" Rachel raised an eyebrow at her, sitting contritely on the edge of her bed.

"The RA is being a dink, as usual. What's the plan for today?" Mike answered with a shrug.

"Well, I think Lance has planned something for me and him to do. Other than that, I have no idea." Rachel smiled, glancing over at Lance.

"Speaking of that," Lance climbed to his feet. "We should get going or we'll be late."

Rachel nodded as she stood up and grabbed her jacket. She said goodbye to everyone and the two left. Lance took ahold of Rachel's hand as they walked out to his car. He opened the passenger door for her and she climbed in. Once they were on the road, Rachel turned to him with a grin.

"Where is it that we're going?" she inquired softly.

"Nowhere special. Just a place that I like to head to when I have some free time." Lance shrugged with a smile, glancing over at her.

"Okay." Rachel stifled a tired yawn. She hdan't gotten much sleep over the past few days, and though she was heading back home the next morning, she didn't want to spend what time she had left with Lance sleeping. They drove in silence for a while before Lance pulled into the parking lot of a huge house.

"Where are we?" Rachel made a face as they climbed out of the car.

"This is my manager's house. There's a lake out back where we go jet skiing sometimes." Lance answered, draping his arm along her shoulders. They walked to the back of the house and down to the dock that had been built a year or two earlier. Rachel sat down at the end of the dock, dangling her feet into the cool water. Lance sat down next to her, following suit.

"You look like you have something on your mind." Lance commented offhandedly.

"I do. Today's my last day here and I don't really want to leave." Rachel shrugged, not daring to meet his eyes.

"Then don't leave." he suggested softly, threading their fingers together.

"I have to." she smiled sadly. "I have to go back to school."

"You could always enroll in a school out here." he stated matter-of-factly.

"I know, but I'm not sure about that. I mean, I would be doing that to be closer to you. And with you touring all the time, that will be vertually an impossibility. Plus, I don't even know what's going on with us." Rachel shook her head with a sad smile.

"That's a roundabout way of asking." Lance teased, bringing her hand to his lips. "We are doing good. Better than most. Ultimately, the choice should be yours on whether or not you want to make a move out here. I can tell you that I'd love having you around, even though I'll be gone a lot. Mike and JC make it work, I'm sure we could too."

"I don't doubt that. I'm just worried is all. I mean, all the people I know in Orlando are directly linked to you. That's not a bad thing, but, where do I get my own friends?" she glanced over at him for the first time since this conversation had started.

"Classes. Work. Wherever." he answered helpfully.

"I just don't know." she sighed, resting her chin on her knees.

"Stop thinking so much." he chided playfully. "This was meant to be a fun thing, not something that would make you upset. Just take one day as it comes."

"I do, but I find myself wanting more than one day at a time." she muttered with a shake of her head as she climbed to her feet.

"What do you mean? You want some sort of a committment?" Lance raised an eyebrow, grabbing her arm to keep her from walking away from him.

"I don't know. Maybe." she groaned, rubbing her face with her free hand. "I don't know what it is that I want."

"Rach, listen to me for a minute." he pulled her over to him gently. "I would love it if you moved to Orlando. I would get to spend more time with you, something that I've come to cherish. But I won't tell you to make the move if you don't really want to. I'm just laying out options for you."

"I know that." she sighed, becoming defensive. "I just don't know what we are. Or even if we're serious or not. I mean, its only been a short time and though my personality defies it, I'm not prone to rash decisions."

"You want an actual definition of what we are, exactly." Lance mumbled, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

"Something like that." Rachel agreed, turning her back on him. As long as she didn't look at him, her mind would remain sane, calm and rational.

"Well, I think we are," he stated softly, wrapping his arms around her from behind. "One of the most interesting couples to ever grace this earth. And I do think of us as that. A couple. A male and a female in a relationship hoping that this is true love. At least, I hope it is because you're all that I've ever looked for in a woman and then some. So, there's your definition, drama queen. You, to me, is what acting is to you."

Rachel smiled, unshed tears burning in her eyes. "I'm glad I'm not the only one. I just didn't know for sure. You never clued me in."

"I'm sorry." he pressed a kiss to her temple. "I'm falling in love with you, Rach. And this is the craziest feeling I've ever had."

"Same here." she whispered, placing her hands on top of his and leaning back into his arms. Lance smiled, lightly resting his chin atop her head. The silence remained comfortable for a few minutes before a loud yelp startled them. Joe came careening around the corner at top speed and almost ran them over.

"Oh." Joe blinked, stopping abruptly. "I didn't think you two would be here."

"Obviously." Lance replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Joseph! I'm gonna kill you!" Ashley yelled as she followed Joe around the corner, even faster than Joe had taken the hairpin turn. She tried to stop in time, but ended up running right into Joe's stationary back.

"Umph." Ashley groaned, stumbling backwards. "Why are you stopped?"

"We've interrupted a moment between Lance and Rachel. Show some remorse." Joe scolded her with a smile.

"Oops. Sorry." Ashley smiled, blushing slightly. "We didn't mean to intrude."

"Its quite alright." Rachel told them with a smile, cuddling closer to Lance. Joe and Ashley gave them a mock salute before taking of towards the water again. Lance laughed softly to himself with a shake of his head.

"Well, we can either leave or watch them have a good time." he stated, his voice filled with amusement.

"Lets get out of here." Rachel's nose wrinkled slightly when she made a face. Lance nodded his approval as they strolled back to his car. The two drove around in silence for a while before they ended up at the beach. They climbed out of the car and took of their shoes to walk barefoot in the sand. The sun cast a red-orange glow in the sky, telling them that the sun was setting for the night. Lance draped an arm along her shoulders, bringing her closer.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave." he mumbled softly, next to her ear. She shivered slightly with a smile.

"None of that." she shook her head, turning to face him. "No goodbyes. They suck. We'll keep in touch, after all, we are dating."

"I know, but I kinda like the idea of being able to see you whenever I want." he grinned sheepishly.

"I do, too." she smiled softly up and him, yanking lightly on the collar of his shirt. She rested her forehead on his chest with a sigh as he wrapped his arms around her. He started humming softly in her ear as they started to sway to unheard music. Her arms snaked around his neck, a smile playing with her lips. Sometimes he could be the most romantic person she had ever met and at other times, he could be the most infuriating man she had ever met. Soon the sun disappeared totally, casting a chill into the air.

"I should get you back to the hotel." Lance stated suddenly. Rachel nodded with a sigh. When they reached the hotel where Rachel was staying, Lance walked her up to her room, hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Thank you for a wonderful vacation." Rachel turned to him, after opening her door.

"It was my pleasure." he leaned over and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "Good night."

"Night." she whispered and watched him walk back towards the elevators. Rachel walked into her room with a sigh, flopping onto the bed without bothering to turn the lamp on. She burried her head in a pillow, her mind wouldn't stop whirling with all the thoughts of what might happen and what could happen if she made Orlando her home. On the pro side, there was being closer to Lance and being near the beach. On the con side, there was leaving her friends and family. Which would be the best for her? She didn't know and thinking about it was giving her a headache. She cautiously climbed to her feet and flicked on the light to make sure she had everything packed and ready to go. She would be leaving early in the morning and would say her goodbyes to everyone at the airport. Once she had double checked the room, she climbed into bed and quickly fell asleep.

The airport was unusally empty as Rachel, Lance, Justin, Chris, Joe, JC and Mike made their way to the terminal Rachel's flight was leaving from. The early hour could have contributed to the emptiness, though there were many people rushing around to catch their flights on time.

"Rachel, I'm glad you came out to visit us." Mike smiled warmly at the younger woman, giving her a hug.

"Me too." Rachel returned the smile before turning and receiving another hug. Once everyone had gotten a hug, the others moved to a descreet distance while Lance and Rachel said their goodbyes.

"I don't want to leave." Rachel stated, barely above a whisper.

"I don't want you to leave either." Lance countered just as softly. She snaked her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, his heart beating painfully in his chest at the thought of letting her go. She sighed and reluctantly pulled away from him.

"I'll call you when I get back to the dorm." she gazed up at him.

"Alright." he nodded, cupping her face gently in his hands. His lips met hers in a soft kiss, turning her knees weak and making his heart race. Finally, the two pulled away.

"I'll see you soon." Rachel smiled sadly, turning away from him.

"I love you." Lance stated, almost urgently.

"I love you, too." she smiled before she walked over to the ticket agent and disappeared onto the plane. Lance watched until she was out of sight, then turned to his friends, shoulders sagging slightly.

"She'll be back." Mike predicted with a grin, JC's arm draped lightly across his shoulders.

"I don't think so, Mike. She has a life back there." Lance shook his head, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"She may have a life there, but she has a love here. Trust me on this one, Lance. She'll be back." Mike shook her head, knowing in her gut that she was right. Lance turned again to watch the plane taxi out on to the air strip. They all watched in silence as the plane took off into the sky. My little drama queen, you've changed my life more than you'll ever know.

"Well, I guess we should get back home. We have things we have to do today." Lance mumbled as he turned toward the exit of the airport. The others all stood rooted to their spots, eyes towards the ticket agent.

"Hold up a second, Lance." JC called after his friend.

"JC, I'm really not in the mood to dally here all day." Lance snapped testily as he turned to face his friends. JC pointed wordlessly to where everyone was staring. Lance rolled his eyes and glanced over. His heart jumped into his throat then stopped entirely. Rachel walked over to them, a look of dismay on her face.

"You!" she wagged a finger at Lance. "You put a spell on me that wouldn't let me get onto that plane! I hope you know what you're in for with me staying in Orlando."

"The time of my life." Lance laughed grabbing her in a hug.

© 1997 hells_fiction@hotmail.com

This page hosted by Get your own Free Home Page