*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 Mike, Devon, Blake, Rachel, Carli, and Ashley. Plagiarism is against the law, please don't do it. Thank you.

Chris yawned tiredly as he gazed out the window at the passing landscape of a state he couldn't name to save his life. A cup of coffee, a pad of paper and his laptop computer sat on the table in front of him. He had been up most of the night writing a song that the group could possibly use for their next album, but it wasn't coming easily and had somehow turned into a soul searching experience. He shook his head with a muted sigh, glancing about the dining car. There were only two other people, a couple, in the car. He gazed at the pair wistfully, his mind traveling back to the days when it didn't matter if he dated or had a girlfriend. He missed being able to to go out with a woman whenever he wanted. He missed holding someone's hand, or cuddling through a movie. He just missed being in a relationship. You chose this life. You knew it was going to be a hard, somewhat lonely existance, his mind berated him, reminding him that he had jumped at the chance to be a full time performer. He sighed again, gazing into his coffee cup as if it held all the answers to his life's woes. Sometimes, just sometimes, he wished he hadn't been fortunate enough to get this gig, but it was a losing battle either way. He would be partially miserable with or without his career.

"You look like Busta just died. What's up, man?" JC's familiar voice brought him out of his silent musings.

"You ever wonder if this is all worth it?" Chris inquired as JC took a seat across the table from him.

"What do you mean?" JC raised an eyebrow, getting comfortable in his seat.

"The traveling all the time, the never being with the family, the loneliness." Chris sighed his answer with a shrug.

"Ah. I see what you're getting at now. Sure, we all have doubts about whether or not we made the right career choice. We all get lonely and tired of always being on the move, but we would all be miserable without it." JC nodded slowly, waving down the waitress. He ordered a cup of coffee while Chris pondered on what he had said.

"I guess I just miss the normal single life. I mean, by all rights and with the age I am, I should either be in a serious relationship or married by now." Chris shook his head with a rueful smile. "Besides, its been ten months since I've been out on a date."

"I hear you on that." JC laughed in agreement. "Its been a year for me. I think Justin and Joe are the only ones who go out on a consistant basis."

"It would figure. The baby and the flirt take all the girls from the comedian, the shy one and the serious one. I knew I should have opted for being the baby while I had the chance." Chris shook his head, lips twitching with a barely surpressed smile. "But noooo, I had to get all excited over being the funny guy. I thought women loved guys with a good sense of humor."

"Don't look at me, man." JC shook his head, holding his hands up as if to ward off a blow. "I got stuck with the serious persona. I wanted to be the flirt."

"It wouldn't look right, you being the flirt." Lance mumbled as he made his way towards the table. "You actually look more like a shy one. Now I, on the other hand, wanted to be the comedian."

JC and Chris both laughed softly as Lance plopped down next to Chris at the table. Lance gave them a beaming smile as he leaned back in the booth, arms folded across his chest. JC groaned loudly, rubbing his face tiredly.

"What time is it?" he inquired suddenly. Chris glanced down at his watch and groaned.

"Five fifty-three."

"A.M. or P.M.?" Lance's shoulders sank visibly.

"A.M." Chris muttered and sigh heavily, his eyes burning from lack of sleep.

"I vote we get some sanity and go back to bed." Lance suggested, his eyes dancing with mirth.

"Back?" Chris snorted loudly. "I haven't even gone there yet."

"Alright, I vote that we either go to or back to bed. Better?" Lance teasingly raised an eyebrow.

"Much." Chris nodded with a smile. "I'm with Albino Boy, how about you JC?"

"Nah, I think I'll stay here and flirt with the waitress for a while." JC laughed with a shake of his head.

"Guess I'd be intruding then. Morning boys." Mike commented with a roll of her eyes as she breezed by them to another table. The three watched her sit down and open her laptop computer, amused grins on their faces.

"See you later JC." Lance laughed before he and Chris headed back towards their sleeping compartments, Chris struggling with his belongings the whole way. JC smiled ruefully to himself as he watched Mike start to type away at something, her face scrunched in concentration. From what he knew of her, she was an interesting person to say the least. She had a quick wit and a fast smile. She was definietly a person he'd like to get to know better. As if sensing his appreciative perusal, she glanced up and smiled at him before continuing with her typing. He grabbed his coffee mug and walked over to her table.

"Excuse me miss, but I couldn't help but notice you noticing me noticing you." he smiled down at her when she looked up.

"Nice line. Use it often?" Mike lifted a delicate eyebrow.

"All the time." JC nodded with a soft laugh.

"And does it work?" she grinned impishly.

"Better than 'you come here often' and 'what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this'." he shrugged, lips twitching with amusement.

"Ooh." she made a face. "Those are bad. What's your success rate?"

"If you turn me down, zero. If you take pity on me and ask me to sit down, one." JC grinned.

"How could I make you a total loser? Have a seat." Mike laughed with a shake of her head.

"My wounded and battered pride thanks you." he held a hand over his heart as he took a seat across the table from her.

"Aren't I going to put a kink in your attempts to woo the waitress with your original and attention commanding pick up lines?" Mike inquired as she started typing again.

"I figured you were a better target for my bolstering attempts." he shrugged as he settled back, arms folded across his chest.

"Why's that?" she glanced up at him.

"I knew you'd take pity on my pour, abused soul." he told her, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling or laughing.

"You're losing me here, kid." Mike gave him a confused look.

"You've met my traveling companions, therefore, you'd feel more sympathy towards me." JC answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Oh, right." she laughed as she set aside her laptop to give him her undevided attention.

"Mind if I ask you a personal question?" he inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Sure. Why not?" she shrugged.

"What were you typing?"

"Oh," Mike laughed nervously. "Its a novela I have to write over the break for one of my classes. Can't be less than fifty pages. Right now I'm on page forty-one."

"You're a writer?" JC questioned, looking genuinely interested.

"I'd like to think I am." she shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Could I read it?" he inquired.

"Its not finished yet." she protested weakly but ended up pushing her laptop towards him because he looked so hopeful. He opened up the laptop and began reading as Mike watched nervously, her mind wandering. For the first time she noticed him. He was definitely a highly attractive man with dark hair and light eyes. He also seemed like a genuinely nice guy, which surprised her because he was a performer. Stop it, she mentally chided herself. Just because you had a bad experience with a performer doesn't mean all famous people are all the same. Mike shook her head with a silent sigh. Bad experience, her heart yelped. That performer broke your heart after giving him two years of your life, your love.

The waitress walked over to their table and set the breakfast mike had ordered earlier on the table. Mike dug right into the food, hoping the task would stop the painful flow of thoughts. Minutes after she pushed her plate away from her, JC closed up the laptop and sighed.

"I told you it wasn't finished." Mike mumbled the reminder with a shake of her head.

"That was -- astounding." he finally commented. "You most definitely have a talent with words, especially when you're describing emotions."

"Thanks." she blushed warmly from him compliments.

"Who broke your heart to make you write that?" JC inquired suddenly, startling her.

"What makes you think someone broke my heart?" she stammered.

"Its damn hard to write something like that without having experienced it first." he replied with a shrug.

"His name was Blas. He was a performer, a drummer in a rock band. He was a sweet guy from Texas when I first met him. He was like that when they started out. I couldn't believe how sweet he was. He always made sure that I never wanted for anything. I was with him for about a year before we moved into a house together in Nevada, which is where the band relocated so everyone would be within driving distance from each other. Around that time, we talked idly of marriage." Mike sighed, closing her eyes. " On our second anniversary, I had to work late and I received one hell of a gift from him that year when I got home. I caught him in bed with one of the many groupies that followed the band around. He swore up and down that he and the girl hadn't done anything, pleading with me to listen. I was way too angry. So, I told him to go to hell, packed up my things and left."

Wow. I'm sorry to hear that." JC sympathized.

"Don't be. It was a long time ago." she shook her head with a soft smile. "Besides, it wasn't your fault."

"It was a sympathy apology. Is he still famous?" he retorted, taking a sip from his coffee mug.

"Sort of, but not really. The group kind of dropped in popularity and then off the face of the earth. They put out a new album earlier this year, but it wasn't the same music they had started with. A lot of their hard core fans dropped them after the disappointment." she shrugged, forcing another smile. JC nodded, remaining silent for a moment. Mike galnced down at the table, running her fingertip around the rim of her juice glass.

"You've suddenly become quiet. Did I really shock you that badly?" Mike commented softly, not daring to meet his eyes.

"No, just thinking." he shrugged the answer. Mike nodded, opting to keep her mouth shut with the reasoning if her wanted to talk, he would do so without her prompting. He rested his hands on the table, loosely clasped around his coffee mug. Mike glanced down at the palm of her hand.

"Have you ever had your palm read?" she inquired suddenly.

"No. I always thought that mumbo jumbo wasn't really all that important." JC laughed softly with a shake of his head.

"Give me your hand." Mike smiled holding out her hand to him across the table. He placed his hand in hers, eyebrow raised in silent inquiry.

"My roommate throughout my first year in college was really into this kind of thing. She taught me a few tricks of the trade." she explained as she turned his hand palm up. He watched silently, a bemused smile on his face as she bent her head down to concentrate on the palm of his hand. She traced one of the lines she saw there with a fingertip, causing unexplainable chills to race up his spine.

"You'll be very successful in all your career decisions." she commented, her brow furrowed. She traced another line and he shivered subtly.

"You're going to have a long healthy life filled with more happiness than heartache." she glanced up at him with a smile.

"And what about the infamous love line?" JC inquired with a small smile. She glanced back down at his palm and traced another line.

"Your love line is fractured, so you've had your heart broken. The rest is smooth and continuous, telling me that you'll have a healthy love life." she answered with a soft laugh.

"Ah yes. But will she love me for me or because of what I do?" he sighed the question. The defeated expression on his face pulled at her heart strings, making all that much more endearing.

"I think that's a question only you can answer." she stated truthfully with a shrug. He fell silent for a moment before changing the subject abruptly.

"I'd like to read the finished product." he smiled, nodding toward the laptop.

"I wouldn't know where to send it." she shook her head. JC grabbed a napkin from the holder then searched around for a writing utensil. He came up empty handed. Mike smiled, tossing him the pen she had stuffed in his back pocket. He wrote something on the napkin then handed it to her.

"That's my home address, please don't give it out. Just address it to Joshua S. Chasez and it won't get mixed up with the fan mail." he told her, his hand brushing lightly against hers.

"I won't and I will." she promised him with a nod.

"Morning folks." Devon smiled at them as she stood next to their table.

"Morning." JC nodded as he climbed to his feet. "Talk to you later. Right now, my body craves more sleep."

"Alright, sweet dreams." Mike smiled up at him as Devon sat down, watching the exchange with an amused smile.

"Most definitely." he gave her a wink before heading in the direction of the sleeping car.

"Well," Devon turned to her younger cousin. "What was that all about?"

"What was what all about?" Mike inquired, raising an innocent eyebrow.

"That little sweet dreams wink thing." Devon shook her head with exasperation.

"What makes you think that was about anything?" Mike countered with a shrug.

"Because I know you, Michaela. Your curiosity has been piqued by that young man and don't you dare deny it. I can see it as plain as day in your eyes." her cousin laughed with a knowing smile.

"Damn. I can't impress Mulder like that. I won't be able to deny anything. Anyway, am I that transparent?" Mike shook her head with a resigned sigh.

"Yup, you are."

JC stumbled into the room he and Chris shared, bumping his head on the low ceiling. JC muttered a curse under his breath, causing Chris to giggle tiredly. JC tossed a glare in his friend's general direction as he tugged off his shirt.

"How'd flirting with the waitress go?" Chris inquired, rolling over to look at his younger friend.

"I didn't actually get to flirt with her." JC smiled as he sat down on his bunk.

"Oh yeah? What did happen then?" Chris raised an eyebrow.

"I talked with Mike instead." JC shrugged, sprawling out on the bed.

"Oh." Chris laughed.

"Oh what?" JC raised an eyebrow, eyes closed.

"Oh nothing." Chris snorted with a shake of his head.

"Yeah, right." JC countered with a tired yawn. Chris just laughed gleefully, refusing to comment as he rolled over to get some more sleep. JC sighed, gazing up at the ceiling with his arms folded behind his head. His mind wandered as his eyes drifted shut. He had no idea what had possessed him to give Mike his home address, but he couldn't say he really regretted it. Mail would be the worst way for to get ahold of him, but it would do just fine, for now anyway. He shook his head, a bemused smile on his face. JC wasn't quite sure what it was about Mike that drew him to her, but whatever it was, he was intregued. He groaned softly as he shifted into a more comfortable position. The last image that flickered into his mind's eye before sleep claimed him was Mike's smile.

Devon stepped out of her single room, hair still damp from the hot shower she had taken. Mike had told her that she was going to the dining car to work on her story for a while. Mike also mentioned that the guys from 'N Sync would be joining them again that evening for dinner. Devon smiled secretively to herself. Her cousin had taken an instant liking to one of the members, which was odd because Mike had a hard time trusting men let alone famous people. Devon had also taken a liking to one of the members, but wasn't quite sure how to persue it. She was sure that Chris was approached by many women wanting to go out with him. Wanting to do the same didn't really make her all that different from the others. She was so lost in thought that she wasn't paying attention to what she was doing as she turned the corner and ran right into someone. Chris immdiately grabbed her upper arms to keep her from falling backward. Devon glanced up into a pair of depthless brown eyes and found herself falling into them.

"You okay?" Chris inquired, releasing her arms.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks." she nodded with a grin.

"Good." Chris winked at her. "I'd hate to find out I marred you in a permanenet way."

"I'm tougher than I look. Don't you worry about me." she laughed softly with a shake of her head.

"That's good to know." Chris smiled. "Where are you headed?"

"The dining car. How about you?" she raised an eyebrow.

"The dining car." he nodded with a laugh.

"Well then, lets go." Devon nodded in the direction of the dining car. Chris followed her mutely, amusement etched on his face. When they reached the car, they notived Justin, Lance, Joe, JC, Blake and Mike all sitting at the largest table in the room, talking and laughing.

"So, for my revenge I got Joe to put the straight jacket back on. Then we sat him down in a chair, tying his legs to the chair. We then proceeded to eat lunch in front of him. Drove him nuts." JC laughed, glancing over at a blushing Joe.

"Hey guys." Chris sighed with a roll of his eyes as he plopped down on a chair.

"Dev! What took you so long?" Blake inquired with a laugh, glancing over at her younger cousin.

"Had a slight problem. Nothing major." Devon answered with a shrug.

"Anyone know when Star Wars: Phantom Menace comes out?" Blake inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"May nineteenth." JC and Mike answered.

"Oh Lord, another one." Lance groaned slapping his forehead.

"Another one, what?" Mike raised an eyebrow after taking a from the glass that was sitting on the table in front of her.

"Another Star Wars fanatic." Justin supplied the answer with a knowing smile.

"Ahhh," Mike nodded, turning toward JC. "So, young Jedi, just how well do you know Star Wars?"

"Well enough." JC shrugged with a laugh.

"Care to put a small wager on that?" Mike inquired, smiling sweetly at him.

"What kind of wager?" JC countered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"Loser has to take winner to the Phantom Menace on opening day. The first show." Mike shrugged nonchalantly.

"Okay. I can deal with that." JC nodded.

"Blake, care to do the honors?" Mike glanced over at her older sister.

"Alright." Blake nodded, glancing at each one of them. "I'll ask ten questions, five for each of you. The person who answers the most out of their five wins."

"Agreed." JC nodded in agreement.

"Good. JC, your first question is: what mistake did Chewbacca make when reattaching C-3PO's head?" Blake inquired, rubbing her hands together with delight.

"Child's play. He put it on backwards." JC answered immediately.

"Mike, what contrivance did the Imperials use to torture Chewbacca in Cloud City?"

Mike sighed, closing her eyes for a moment. "A siren wailing."

"JC, where did Chewbacca say he'd found C-3PO's body parts?"

"What's with all the Chewy questions?" Chris demanded suddenly, causing everyone to laugh.

"He's the only one I know the most about." Blake answered with a shrug.

"Junk pile." JC rolled his eyes at the easiness of the question.

"Okay Mike, your turn. Who, besides Luke, did Yoda say had 'much anger in him'?"

"Anakin Skywalker." Mike answered without thinking.

"JC, who was the only person, besides Luke, to ignite Luke's blue-bladed lightsaber?"

"Oh hell," JC groaned, eyes closed in concentration. "Um... Han Solo."

"Mike, who did Luke levitate through the Force on Dagobah?"

"That would be R2-D2." Mike answered with a laugh.

"JC, what was the first alien species seen in Star Wars: A New Hope?"

"Jawas." JC raised an eyebrow at his opponent.

"Mike, who said of the grounded Millennium Falcon, 'would it helped if I got out and pushed'?"

"The first smart ass in space. Princess Leia." Mike grinned.

"JC, who advised C-3PO, 'its not wise to upset a Wookie'?"

"None other than Han Solo." JC smirked.

"Mike, what was Han's response to Leia's comment, 'I'd just as soon kiss a Wookie'?"

"If memory serves me correctly, he retorted with 'I can arrange that'." Mike returned JC's smirk with one of her own.

"Well, we have a tie folks. Now what?" Blake inquired with a shake of her head.

"I have the tie breaking question!" Chris yelped loudly, startling everyone. "The first person to anwer this correctly, wins. Muppet Babies did their own rendition of Star Wars. Name two of their characters and what exploded from the Death Star?"

Both Mike and JC tossed a glare at the older man, clearly stumped while everyone else laughed at the obsurdity of the question. JC closed his eyes, trying to think of the answer while Mike drummed her fingers on the table. JC sighed heavily, clearly annoyed.

"Um...," Mike thought out loud. "Kermit Skyhopper, Chewbacca the Cookie."

"Very good. Now, what's the answer to the second half of the question?" Chris nodded approvingly. JC glanced over at Mike, his eyes showing the surpris he felt.

"I want to say it was a tomato and ketchup exploded out of the thing." Mike laughed, her face a mask of humor and concentration.

"She was right. She wins." Chris shrugged with a smile.

"How'd you know that?" JC demanded in shock.

"Bless little brothers and Saturday morning cartoons." was all Mike said. The talk drifted to numerous things such as thraveling the world and college life. Soon everyone was yawning, stretching and ready to head to their rooms. Mike stood up and grinned down at JC.

"Well, seeing that you live in Orlando and I live in Boston, why don't you just send me a ticket to the theaters in Boston?" she suggested with a raised eyebrow.

"No, no. That's okay. I'll think of something." JC shook his head.

"Whatever you say." Mike shrugged as her sister climbed to her feet.

"Its been real. Its been fun, but it hasn't been real fun." Blake waved with a smile as she sauntered to the door.

"Blake!" Mike scolded loudly, her voice filled with laughter.

"What?" Blake demanded, trying to hide a smile.

"Nothing. Go to your room." Mike shook her head, shooing her toward the door.

"You ladies have a good night." JC smiled up at them.

"You do the same." Devon returned the smile as she followed Mike and Blake to the door. Justin waited until the girls were out of earshot before he turned to JC and Chris.

"So, what was up with you two giving them the eyes all night?" Justin inquired with a knowing grin.

"Justin, I have no idea what you're talking about." JC shook his head with a grin of his own. Just then the breaks slammed on and a loud screeching noise filled the air. Everyone pitched backward, hitting furniture that was bolted in place in the dining car. Glass shattered and spilled everywhere. Metal scraped against metal, sending sparks everywhere and causing small fires. Suddenly the train stopped, tossing everyone forward. Mike landed with a bone jarring thud against the bar in the dining car. She had just opened the door to the next car when the train shuddered and started to stop. She cried out in pain, all the breath knocked from her lungs. She silently told herself to remain calm and try to relax when her chest began to burn with lack of oxygen. Everything was deathly silent as the train shuddered one last time and came to a complete stop. The train had imploded in the dining car, part of it so twisted that it would be impossible to navigate through.

"Is everyone okay?" JC called out through his coughing fit.

"I'm good." Chris declared loudly.

"Same here." Justin yelped with a wince.

"I'm alive." Lance groaned loudly.

"I think my leg is broken." Joe complained with a groan.

"Stay where you are, Joe." JC coughed, stumbling to his feet.

"Devon?" Chris called out, trying his best to see through all the smoke.

"Lord, it hurts to breathe." Devon gasped, hauling herself into a sitting position.

"I'll second that." Blake countered through clentched teeth.

"That's a good sign." Chris retorted as he followed the sound of their voices.

"Pray tell, how's that?" Devon demanded incrediously.

"It shows that you're still alive." Chris answered simply.

"Mike?" Devon yelped as she climbed to her feet. Mike opened her mouth to say something to reassure her cousin, but no sound came out. She forced a deep breath into her airstarved lungs and promptly had a coughing fit. Devon knelt down beside her younger cousin with a sigh of relief.

"You okay little girl?" she inquired softly. Mike nodded with a gasp as Devon helped her sit up.

"I think I have some broken ribs." Mike commented as she watched Justin carefully walk his was through the debris. She noticed right away that he was limping and there was a nasty looking bleeding cut above his left eye. The dining car had been turned on it's side, two cars surrounding it and another resting on top of it. Mike gritted her teeth against the pain and hauled herself to her feet.

"Justin, come here." she beckoned to him. He nodded with a wince. Once he reached the two women, Mike had him sit down. She rumaged around and founf a couple of cloth napkins and a bottle of water.

"You hurt anywhere else?" Mike inquired as she carefully cleaned the cut on his forehead.

"I'm pretty sure my ankle is sprained, but it's nothing major." Justin answered with a sigh. Lance had made his way over to the small group and sat down heavily next to Justin. He held his right arm, trying to stop the bleeding from a cut that ran the entire length of his arm. He grimaced and rested his head back against the counter.

"You three stay here. I'm going to go help whomever needs help. Mike, you want to be the designated nurse?" Devon inquired as she glanced around the destroyed car.

"Yeah, that's fine." Mike nodded distractedly, her mind becoming a bit fuzzy from her run in with the train's bar.

"Alright. I'll be back." Devon sighed.

"Okay Arnold." Mike grinned impishly.

"Still a smart ass." Devon mumbled as she walked toward Chris, who was making his way to where they had gathered. His head was bowed so he could keep a look out for debris that would trip him up.

"You hurt?" Devon asked him. He looked up at her and she noticed that he had small cuts all over his face and arms.

"Mike's over there with Lance and Justin. She'll help you get cleaned up." she told him softly. He nodded, wincing with the movement as he made his way over to her cousin. Mike took his arm and helped him sit down.

"How are you feeling?" Mike inquired as she tended to Lance's arm, wrapping it as tightly as she could with his t-shirt.

"Shaken up, but otherwise fine." Chris answered with a ruefull smile. "I knew traveling by train was a bad idea."

"Well, if you hadn't been on this train, you never would have met us." Mike shrugged as she finished up with Lance.

"This is true. And life wouldn't be worth living without the three of you." he nodded in agreement.

"Oh, shut up." Mike muttered as she dampened another napkin with water and set to work on Chris's face. "Smart ass."

"I know. I'm the comerdian. I'm supossed to be that way." Chris shrugged with a grin.

"Sure, sure." she rolled her eyes with a soft laugh.

"Are you mocking me?" Chris raised an eyebrow at her.

"I would never do such a thing." she scolded, playfully wagging a finger in his face.

"Sure, sure." Chris snickered, folding his arms across his chest. Mike tossed her hands into the air as Justin and Lance tried to hide the amused smiles behind their hands.

"Alright Joe, on the count of three Blake and I are gonna help you up. Okay?" JC inquired. Joe nodded with a wince as his lef throbbed uncontrolably.

"One," JC sighed as he and Blake held out their hands to him.

"Two, three." JC and Blake stumbled backwards with the weight of Joe. JC draped on of Joe's arms along his shoulders, Blake doing the same as they walked over to the bar where everyone had gathered.

"When you get over there, make sure to elevate his leg. There should be some ice floating around there, too." Devon stated breathlessly, startling all three of them.

"You hurt?" JC inquired, glancing over at her.

"Just a few bumps and bruises. Nothing that serious." Devon shrugged. "I'm looking for more people."

"Okay. See you back there." JC sighed after giving her a long, hard look. Devon nodded, watching them walk away. JC grimaced under the added weight he had to shift around piles of metal and broken chairs. His shoulder throbbed painfully and he was beginning to lose the feeling in his fingertips.

"Mike, can you find some ice? Joe has a broken leg." JC inquired as he and Blake lowered Joe to the floor next to Chris.. Blake rumaged around and found something to prop Joe's leg up with while Mike busied herself with finding some ice. When she found a bag of ice, she brought it over to Joe and placed it on his leg.

"Anyone know what happened?" Joe inquired with a grimace as he shifted the bag of ice on his leg, trying to cut down the swelling as best he could.

"I have no idea." Blake shook her head.

"The train stopped really fast." Chris stated helpfully.

"Suddenly, even." Lance supplied with a smile.

"That was helpful. Everyone's a comedian." Joe grumbled, doing his best to supress a grin.

"Okay, now that we've established that the train suddenly stopped really fast," Mike sighed, tossing a glare in Chris and Lance's general direction. "What now?"

"We sit here and hope the rescue workers get here before we die of oxygen deprivation." Joe suggested with a shrug.

"Actually, we'd die from carbon minoxide before we'd die of oxygen deprivation." Mike commented absentmindedly. Everyone fell silent, not really knowing what to say. JC climbed to his feet and headed in the direction he last saw Devon. He saw her trying to help one of the waitresses to the bar area and immediately helped her. The two brought three more of the staff people over to the bar, Mike taking up the role of nurse again.

"I'm going to go look for something to eat." Mike stated after she had tended to everyone. She needed some time alone so she could think more than anything. Food was just the easiest excuse to grab some alone time.

"Did anyone fix Mike up?" JC inquired suddenly.

"She said she was fine. Wasn't hurt at all." Justin replied with a yawn. JC shook his head with a sigh.

"I'm gonna go help her." JC stated, climbing to his feet. He noticed Mike leaning against a jammed door, holding her side with a look of pain on her face.

"You okay?" he inquired softly.

"Yeah. Fine." Mike nodded, instantly straightening. She gasped softly with a wince.

"No, you're not." JC shook his head. "Your ribs hurt?"

"Josh, I'm fine. Don't worry about me." she shook her head. JC took her hand and placed his hand where she had been holding a few moments earlier. Her side was sticky.

"I hate to tell you this, oh stubborn one. You're bleeding." he told her, a worried line creasing his forehead. "Take off your shirt."

"What?" Mike demanded loudly.

"You heard me. Take off your shirt. I have to wrap your rib cage up. If I don't, one of your broken ribs could puncture your lung and you would die. Or, you can bleed to death if I don't. Take your pick." JC shrugged, waiting for her to decide with his arms folded across his chest. Mike glared at him, then finally lifted her shirt off gingerly, favoring her left side. He grabbed a tablecloth and began wrapping her rib cage as tightly as he could without hurting her. She winced with every movement she had to make. Finally, he helped her put her shirt back on.

"I look like a deformed..nevermind." Mike muttered in dismay.

"You okay now? That's not too tight?" he questioned as he leaned back against the door.

"No, it's fine. Perfect. Thank you." she gave him a shaky smile. He gazed at her silently, seeing through her brave front.

"You want to tell me about it?" he pressed on, stepping closer to her. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.

"Is there anything I can do?" JC continued, worry dotting his face and voice. Mike shrugged, glancing around the destroyed dining car.

"Hey, you're alright now." he told her, his fingers grazing her cheek softly.

"I know." she whispered with a nod.

"Then what's wrong?" he raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Just really scared." Mike finally admitted with a scornful laugh. "The funny thing is, I've never been scared of anything before."

"We're all scared. Its only natural in a situation like this." he reassured her with a smile.

"Yeah, I guess." she nodded with a tenative smile of her own.

"Come on, lets get back to the others." he nodded in the direction of the bar, holding his hand out to her. She took his hand with a sigh. The two of them slowly walked back to where everyone was resting.

"Well, if it isn't the walking wounded." Chris yawned tiredly.

"Must you always make a joke out of everything?" Devon demanded with a sigh. Chris fell silent, eyebrows raised. Mike draped her arm along her cousin's shoulders, trying to comfort her the best she could. Joe, Justin and Lance had all fallen into an exhausted sleep; Blake dozed lightly, her head resting on Justin's shoulder; Chris flipped listlessly through a magazine he had found; JC looked as if he were about to drop at any moment. Mike glanced down at her watch. It had been six hours since the train had crashed and she wondered where all the time had gone.

"Mike?" Devon inquired suddenly.

"Hmmmmm?" Mike glanced tiredly over at her.

"Were do you think the rescue workers are?" Devon sigh, glancing nervously around her.

"I don't know," Mike answered with a yawn. "But I'm sure they're on their way."

"I hope so. My claustrophobia is starting to act up." Devon laughed ruefully.

"You're telling me." Mike grinned, glancing down at the now sleeping JC. Devon covered a yawn with her hand.

"I'm scared." Devon whispered, tears filling her eyes.

"We all are, sweetie. But we'll be fine. I promise." Mike gave her a reassuring smile, much like JC had done for here earlier that night. "Why don't you try to get some sleep."

Devon nodded with a sigh, resting her head on Mike's shoulder, eyes closing. Mike looked down at JC and pushed a lock of hair off his forehead. She closed her eyes and soon feel asleep herself.

JC's eyes popped open because he thought he heard a sound. His shoulder throbbed with a pain worse than he could imagine. He sat up slowly, wincing in pain, and glanced over at the rest of the sleeping beauties in the room. Joe's leg had begun to swell drastically. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Chris open his eyes and sit up.

"God," Chris groaned loudly, holding his throbbing head in his hands. "I feel like I've been hit by a train."

"You have." JC snorted. "Sort of."

"Damn. I was kinda hoping it was all just a bad dream." Chris sighed, noticing for the first time that Devon's head had moved from Mike's shoulder to his lap.

"We wouldn't be so lucky." JC shook his head and winced at the jarring pain the motion caused.

"You know, this whole life threatening situation is intensifying my feelings of lonliness." Chris mumbled with a humorless laugh. JC didn't have a chance to answer because a loud noise filled the air, startling everyone. All eyes turned to the direction the noise came from. Sparks drifted from the ceiling, as if someone were trying to cut through the metal. Soon, a huge chunk of the ceiling fell harmlessly to the floor, five feet away. A person in a bright yellow fire suit dropped into the car and took a look around. He motioned to someone and another bright yellow fire suit dropped down. The pair walked over to the battered group that were huddled together.

"Whose seriously wounded?" one of them inquired, gazing at JC who now climbed to his feet. JC pointed to Joe silently, whose leg was an angry purple color. They loaded Joe onto a strecher and took him out of the train car. After that, everything happened in a blur. More bright yellow fire suits dropped down, each taking a person out to awaiting ambulances to be taken to the closest releif station. Two miles away the local high school's gymnasium had been turned into a makeshift hospital for everyone involved in the train wreck being that the hospital was almost thirty miles away.

Mike glanced around the gym, in total and utter shock at how many had been injured. The room was filled to overflowing. Doctors and nurses from the local hospital were examining people, other rescue workers bringing more people in and rushing around to assist the doctors with taking care of the wounded. She sat on a hard metal chair, waiting to be examined. A nurse walked over to her, asking her simple questions as she examined Mike for more serious injuries.

"You're very lucky." the nurse informed her as she taped up Mike's ribcage. "If this hadn't been wrapped when it did, you would have had a punctured lung to deal with."

"Yeah." Mike nodded, dazed. The nurse gave her a smile as she stood up.

"You're set. Don't do any heavy lifting, try not to do anything extremely active for the next couple of weeks. I want you to go see your normal doctor when you get home just to make sure everything is copasetic. Okay?" she inquired, gazing down at Mike.

"Thanks. I'll do that." Mike nodded again before the nurse walked away. Mike sat there for a moment, eyes closed, trying to collect herself. The nurse had wrapped her ribcage so tightly that she couldn't take a deep breath even if she really wanted to, which she didn't. Her left wrist and right knee had been wrapped with ace bandages earlier that night, but other than that, she felt fine. She could feel a large bruise forming under a cut on her cheek bone. She sighed, slowly climbing to her feet. She had to find her sister and cousin to see how they were doing. She surveyed the room and sighed when she didn't see a familiar face in the bunch.

"Excuse me," she called out to a rescue worker. "After the people have been treated, where are they put?"

"The people who can walk are outside, the others are taken by helicopter to the hosptial." he answered loudly.

"Thanks." Mike nodded. She made her way to the door, hoping that her family was outside and not at the hospital. The early morning air was crisp and she closed her eyes, relishing in the feel of being alive.

"Mike!" a familair voice yelped. "Over here!"

Mike opened her eyes and smiled at her older sister Blake, who was waving madly at her. The both dodged people and rescue workers until they were in each others arms, hugging like they hadn't seen each other in years.

"How're you feeling?" Blake inquired as she led her younger sister over to where Devon was sitting on the grass.

"Well, I'm in pain. I guess that's a good thing cause it reminds me that I'm alive. What about you?" Mike answered with a smile.

"About the same." Blake shrugged as she sat down next to Devon. "They took Joe to the hospital. Other than that, we don't know what happened to the others. But there is something that I need to tell you before everyone else decides to find us."

"What's up?" Mike inquired, turning to face her sister.

"I think Blas is here." Blake answered with a sigh.

"What?" Mike demanded in a whisper, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.

"I only saw him from a distance, but he showed up a half hour ago. He's looking for you." Blake explained softly, a look of concern written all over her face.

"Great." Mike sighed, eyes closing. "Thanks."

"I'm gonna go try to find something for us to naw on. I'll be back momentarily." Blake informed them before disappearing into the crowd of walking wounded. Mike gazed over at her cousin, an eyebrow raised.

"How are you?" she questioned.

"Just ducky. Worried about Chris mostly." Devon answered with a shrug. Mike nodded silently as she climbed to her feet.

"I better go find Blas. See what he wants."

"Good luck." Devon snorted. She shook her head as she watched Mike walk away. Her cousin was most definitely crazy, but then again, the whole family was. She sighed gazing around at all the people, wondering if their families knew they were okay or not.

"A penny for your thoughts." a familar male voice stated. She looked and smiled at Chris.

"Nah, my thoughts aren't worth that much." she shook her head.

"You know, I was thinking." Chris started as he took a seat next to her.

"I try not to. Its a bad habbit to start." Devon countered sarcastically.

"Now, now. Be nice." Chris shook his head, repressing the urge to grin like a little kid.

Mike wandered around the grass, mind wandering to things she hadn't had the chance to think about since the train wreck. Her laptop was most likely destroyed, the short story for her class along with it. She groaned, rubbing her face with a hand when she thought of how long it took her to write that much. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. He was still as sexy as she remembered.

"Michaela," Blas sighed as he walked over to her. "Thank God you're alright."

"Is there something I can do for you, Blas?" Mike raised an eyebrow at him.

"I was worried about you and -," he started when she cut him off.

"You were worried about me. Funny. I don't ever remember you being worried when it really mattered." Mike shook her head, her eyes twin chips of green ice.

"Don't." Blas shook his head. "Please don't be that way."

"Which way is that, Blas?" she sighed, folding her arms across her chest.

"You know what way. I just wanted to talk. That's all." he told her, his eyes pleading with her.

"What could you possibly have to say to me that would make any difference at all?" she gave a short burst of scorn filled laughter.

"I don't know. I just wanted to have a civilized conversation with you. Explain some things and get them out in the open." Blas sighed, his own eyes turning icy with hurt.

"I don't want to hear what you have to say, Blas." Mike shook her head firmly. "I almost died last night. The only reason why you're here is because of that. You feel guilty over what you did to me and you didn't want me to die without telling you its okay. That I've gotten over you and moved on with my life. Forget it, Blas. Its not going to happen."

"You don't need to be nasty." he pointed out.

"Wait. Let me get this straight. You break my heart, practically destroying my life and you expect me to treat you with kiddy gloves?" Mike inquired, pinching the bridge of her noseto alieviate some of the pressure that was building in her head.

"Look, six months before we broke up, Mark told me to choose either you or music. He said our relationship was affecting my dedication and commitment to the band. I refused to choose, so he chose for me. He sent that woman to the house. I never did do anything with her." Blas tried again.

"After all this time, you expect me to believe that?" she raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yes. No. I don't know." he shook his head. Mike sighed, letting her eyes wander for a moment. She gave an honest smile when she saw JC walk outside ten feet away from her.

"Why don't you think on that and give Mark your answer." Mike patted Blas's cheek before she walked toward JC. His arm was in a sling and he looked pretty banged up. A smile split his face when he saw her.

"Well, well, well. Look what the cat dragged in." JC shook his head gingerly.

"Um, don't you mean out?" she grinned impishly at him, taking a look around.

"Okay, you're right. How are you?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I'm wonderful. I've got a whole new lease on life and I plan on living it to the absolute fullest." Mike tossed her arms out with a sardonic laugh.

"There you go." JC nodded. "I hear Joe went to the hospital."

"As far as I know he did." she nodded as they strolled to where she left Devon and Chris. Blas was nowhere in sight, for which she was thankful.

"So, you own Empire in Orlando?" Chris inquired, taking a sip from the cardboard up of coffee he held.

"For the past five years. Its an overwhelming job, but I love it." Devon shrugged with a smile.

"Every job is overwhelming, Grasshopper." Chris grinned at her.

"Some more than others." she nodded in agreement.

"Maybe, maybe not." he shrugged. "Let me ask you something."

"Go right ahead." she urged him.

"Would you consider going out with a relatively attractive twenty-seven year old guy with dreads, has a taste for spinning records, has a serious funny streak and sings in a popular boy band for a living?" Chris glanced over at her, his eyes showing no emotion because a cautious wall had been erected.

"Depends. What sign is this guy?" she grinned impishly.

"Neon." he shrugged indifferently.

"Well, that's the sincher then. I've found, in my broad travels, that I am extremely attracted to and compatable with male neons." Devon smiled encouragingly at him.

"What are you doing on Sunday night?" Chris inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"Sunday? I'm not aware of any pressing engagements at this time. Why do you ask?" she raised her own eyebrow.

"Well, if you'd like, I could cook dinner for you." he suggested, lips twitching with barely surpressed laughter.

"And what would be for dinner?" Devon inquired sounding highly amused with the whole conversation.

"Peanutbutter and fluff sandwiches with Kool-Aide." Chris answered with a firm nod.

"What flavor Kool-Aide?" she countered.

"Why, cherry you silly girl." he rebuked her with astonishment.

"I can hardly say no to that. Tell him that he's got a date." Devon smiled at him.

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