"You want us to meet where?" Brian wrote something on a piece of paper. "Okay, Kendra, I'll see you then." He paused. "We'll see you then."

    "What was that about?" AJ looked at Brian.

    "Kendra says she has something to tell us and wants us to meet her at this little restaurant down the street from the jewelry store where she works."

    "Has she found them yet?" Kevin asked excitedly. "I'm sure with Nick's words last night she has extra motivation."

    "I'm sure she'd have said if she had." Brian looked at his watch and stood up. "We should go guys."

    The four men filed out of the room and down to their limo.

    "Why are there two other limos here?" Lance asked.

    "I don't know." JC answered. "She just told us to meet us here because she had something to tell us."

    The limo driver opened the door and the four men stepped out, the absence of the fifth member extremely conspicuous.

    "What the hell are they doing here?" Howie turned to Brian.

    Brian looked at the door of the café. The four guys of 'N SYNC were entering.

    "She's working for both of us, she probably didn't want to repeat herself." Brian tried to placate his friends.

    At that moment Joey saw the members of the Backstreet Boys.

    "JC, you never said that we'd have to be in the same place as them." His voice was full of spite.

    "I didn't know." JC sounded desperate. He looked at the Backstreet Boys and his eyes met Brian's. His lips curled slightly and he nodded.

    Brian returned the nod.

    "I'm not staying in the same room as them," Lance said. He began to walk back towards the door.

    JC finally lost it. The worry for his best friend finally broke through the calm collected exterior he'd been exuding.

    "Lance, shut up and get your ass over here and sit down."

    Lance looked at JC and saw an undescribeable look on his face.

    "Justin has been missing for almost 63 hours now and if sitting in a room with some people you don't like, notice I'm emphasizing the you, if that's going to help us find Justin then tough shit for you."

    The seven other people in the café were all shocked at JC's outburst.

    Suddenly there was clapping.

    Kendra stood in the door with 98* and Lisa. She had a huge smile on her face.

    "You know JC if you'd shown me as much love as you just showed Justin, we might still be together."

    The Backstreet Boys gaped at the comment.

    "You and JC?" Howie looked disgusted.

    "Oh shut up Howie." Kendra walked to the front of the room followed closely by 98* as if she were their security blanket.

    Kendra turned and addressed the room— the twelve pop-stars and Lisa.

    "Howie and Lance, you are the ones most against me being involved and you were almost the reason Nick and Justin weren't here today.

    Both Lance and Howie opened their mouths and seeing the other closed them.

    "Nick, Drew, Justin and Jeff have something to tell you. Listen up and listen good." Kendra walked back to where Lisa was. The two women sat down.

    Drew stood in front of everyone. His band-mates gave him the nod to start.

    "About four years ago, in 1997 Nick, Justin and I, your Nick and Justin, well, we all had a photoshoot together. I was friends with both of them at that point and during the photoshoot they sort of got to know each other. They're only one-year apart age wise and we all are in the same business, so they hit it off. Realized the other wasn't as bad as everyone said. They’ve been good friends ever since."

    "What does this have to do with anything?" Lance sounded aggravated.

    "About three months ago they got fed up. It was around the time Howie spray painted your limo and you and Joey retaliated with the like," Drew continued towards Lance.

    All three men looked ashamed.

    "They came up with a plan to pull you together, give you something of common interest."

    "Get to the point Drew," Jeff said.

    "They planned their own kidnapping."

    The members of 'N SYNC and Backstreet Boys stood up in unison showing their disbelief of this fact.

    "You mean it was all a hoax?" Kevin's voice broke through.

    "No." Drew's simple statement stopped the noise. "It was supposed to be. Me and the guys would take them, you guys would set aside your differences and then we'd 'find' them. We'd be hero's and everyone would be friends.  It was the perfect plan."

    "Except someone else kidnapped them first," Jeff broke in.

    There was silence in the room as the information was digested.

    "We want to help you in anyway we can," Drew finished.

    "You were going to help us by kidnapping our members?" Joey was outraged.

    Brian quietly got up and walked to where JC was sitting. He bent down and said so only JC could hear him, "We need to talk."

    Justin felt himself waking up and desperately wished he wouldn't. Every bone in his body ached, his stomach was rumbling and his throat was parched. Finally he couldn't delay the inevitable any more. His eyes blinked open.

    "Now look who's finally awake."

    Justin resisted the urge to growl at Nick.

    "Sorry," Nick's voice had a slight amount of laughter in it. "I couldn't resist after waking up that way yesterday." Nick suddenly looked confused. "It was yesterday wasn't it?"

    "I guess." Justin answered. "I can't really see that much light in here." Justin moved his wrists slightly where they were tied behind his chair. "Do you think we could get out of here?"

    Nick tested his own ropes. They were tight. "I can hardly move my wrists much less untie myself."

    "My ropes are feeling looser today," Justin said happily.

    "Can you slip your wrists out?" Nick asked hope evident in his voice.

    "No, but I could probably move my hands enough to untie your wrists."

    Nick and Justin were close to each other in the dark room but they were facing each other.

    "Well, let's get turning," Nick said.

    As they scooted Justin started humming a familiar tune. Nick caught the tune and then started singing quietly under his breath.

    "Tell me where did you go?" Nick started before Justin joined in and they continued singing together.

    "That's funny," Nick said as they trailed off. " That song was running through my head when you stared humming it."

    "That is weird," Justin agreed. "It was Boyzone wasn't it?"

    "Yeah." Nick nodded. "Whatever happened to them?"

    "They signed on to Transcon with us," Justin answered.

    "You know it's almost like I can still hear it playing. If I listen really hard." Nick laughed slightly and began to move his chair again.

    "Nick! Stop!" Justin said loudly. He listened intently.

    "What are you doing J?"

    "Shhh."

    Nick sat quietly.

    "You can still hear it." Justin had a smile that would have split his face in half.

    "So we get to listen to music. We need to get untied and get out of here."

    "Nick I know where we are!"

    Nick stopped his chair just as he was about to scoot.

    "What?" He sounded shocked. "Where are we?"

    "We're at our old home. Transcon. A place so under everyone's noses they wouldn't think to look here."

    Nick stared at Justin.

    "So," JC said as the two men walked down the street. "What do we need to talk about?"

    Brian looked at him. "You, me, all of us."

    "What about us?"

    "We need to put an end to this crap." Brian's voice was harsh. "We've been in this business eight years. From the very beginning we've all played off each other. We've all bought into it"

    "You're right, we have." JC looked at the sidewalk. "Even when we were both at Transcon they never tried to make us both be friends."

    "We need to set aside our differences." Brian said. "At least until we find Nick and Justin."

    "You're right." JC stopped walking and looked at Brian. "If Drew was telling the truth though we need to permanently set aside our differences. Nick and Justin were going to kidnap themselves for us. Now that they've actually been abducted, the least we can do is respect their wishes."

    "Well, I agree with that," Brian said solemnly. "And you agree with that. The trick is going to be getting the rest of the guys to agree to that."

    "They'll have to," JC said. "If they won't listen to reason I'll have to use the only leverage I have."

    "What's that?"

    "I'll leave 'N SYNC."

    "You'd do that for us?" Brian looked shocked.

    JC laughed slightly. "As much as I'm starting to like you Brian, you aren't that good a friend yet. I'm doing it for Justin. He told us that the music should come first. He's right. I'm willing to quit to end the rivalry which has made us lose sight of why we do this."

    Brian looked grim. "I guess I've got my leverage too."

    JC laughed for real. "I hope we know what we're doing. If we don't, 98-degrees may be the only original boy-band left."

    "That is if they're still alive after the rest of the guys are done with them." Brian joined JC in laughing as they started walking back. Even with all the stress it felt good.

    "Is it safe to leave them there?" Lisa asked as she and Kendra exited the café.

    "Quite frankly I don't care if they all tear each other apart. I only care about Nick and Brian and JC. The rest of them can go screw themselves as far as I'm concerned."

    "From the little time I spent with 'N SYNC I loved them all dearly, but they' are all being pains in the ass now," Lisa agreed.

    Kendra paused. "You're a reporter right?"

    Lisa nodded.

    "You covered the two disappearances right? How does that work?"

    "No one knows that I know Justin. I'm the only crime writer that was on that night. It seemed logical that I'd cover Nick too."

    "You have connections to the police force then?"

    Lisa nodded her head again.

    "Can you answer a question for me then?"

    "As your employer I sure can try."

    "The day JC and Brian asked me, was it just yesterday?" Kendra paused. "Well before I agreed an announcement came over the radio that the police had firmly connected the two crimes. This was before the tape. What was the connecting clue?"

    Lisa looked at the ground. "There was none."

    Kendra's mouth dropped.

    "In truth the police have nothing. Less than nothing. All the evidence disappeared— an inside job. A lot of asses were saved when that tape came out."

    "So at this moment I have more information than the police?"

    Lisa nodded. "Yes."

    Kendra smiled widely. "Good."

    Brian and JC approached Kendra and Lisa as they stood near the café.

    Kendra smiled when she saw them laughing.

    "What are you laughing at?" she smiled.

    "Oh we were just saying how Drew and the boys were going to be the only original boy-band left" Brian cracked up.

    "If the rest of the guys haven't killed them first," JC finished laughing.

    They were silent for a moment. It was the calm before the storm.

    "Aaah! It's Brian and JC!" The preadolescent voices were surprisingly loud and shrill. There was a silent moment and then the sound of stampeding feet.

    "Shit!" Brian exclaimed before running for the café. "Guys!" he shouted stopping the onslaught of 98-degrees. "Get to the limo's now!"

    The guys heard the running feet and yells coming their way. Soundlessly they ran out of the building. Kendra and Lisa just giggled as the guys passed them.

    JC turned to face Kendra as he passed. "Call me later okay?"

    Kendra smiled and nodded. "Will do. Now go!"

    Drew, Nick and Justin flew through the door pursued by the Backstreet Boys but Jeff stopped in front of Kendra.

    "That could have gone better," he joked lightly.

    Kendra smiled at him.

    Jeff continued. "I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with me tonight? Maybe I could help you with your ideas about who did this?"

    Lisa looked at Kendra who smiled and nodded.

    "I'd love to Jeff."

    "Good." Jeff smiled. "I'll call you when we're at the studio."

    "I'm looking forward to it."

    Lisa waited until Jeff was in the limo before turning on Kendra.

    "You're going on a date with Jeff, miss 'We've got to find Nick so I can get back together with him?'"

    "I'm going out to dinner with him." Kendra explained. "There's something I don't like about him, well, not him in particular, but them as in 98-degrees."

    "And you're going to find out what it is?"

    "Exactly," Kendra nodded seriously.

    Jeff threw himself into the limo, attempting to escape the swarming girls. He pulled himself into a leather-covered seat and sighed deeply.

    "That could have gone better," Justin sighed, looking at Jeff looking out the window.

    "Well what were we supposed to do?" Drew asked. "We had to divert suspicion away from us."

    "Don't you think we just brought more suspicion down on us though?" Jeff argued turning away from the window. "We just said we were going to kidnap them."

    "Kendra seems pretty smart," Nick spoke up, breaking his brooding silence.

    "Yeah, she'll figure it all out," Jeff said confidently.

    Drew turned towards his brother and said quietly, "That's what I'm afraid of."

    "So where did you disappear to?" Kevin looked at his cousin with a frown on his face. "Don't you care that 98-degrees was going to abduct your best friend?"

    "I care more that Nick and Justin were going to abduct themselves." Brian's voice was harsh.

    "Yeah Rok. Where'd you go?" Howie stared hard at Brian.

    "I went for a walk with JC." Brian returned Howie's gaze.

    "You were out in public talking to JC." Howie's mouth dropped to his chest. "Brian, what were you thinking?"

    "I was thinking," Brian sounded annoyed, "that JC is a very cool guy who I've wasted eight years hating for no good reason."

    "No good reason?" It as Howie's turn to sound annoyed. "No good reason? They're 'N SYNC Brian. 'N- fucking- SYNC."

    "So?" Brian laughed lightly. "You all are too off in your own fucking little dream world to care that my best friend, our brother is off being kidnapped while we argue with the only people who can possibly help us find him? Do you really care more about this fucking stupid rivalry than our brother who me might never see again? I can't believe you are all so fucking selfish. Don't you wonder why Kendra had Drew and the guys tell you about what happened on their end?"

    The car was silent.

    "Don't you wonder?" Brian continued. "It certainly makes them look bad and we know they're innocent. Kendra had them tell us so that we'd pull together. We had to know that Justin and Nick cared enough to pull us together. You guys just don't get it. You don't have a fucking clue."

    "They're our rivals Brian," Kevin said trying to sound soothing. "You can't expect us to drop eight years of hate in one day."

    "You'd better," Brian answered harshly.

    "Why?" AJ asked entering the conversation for the first time.

    "There's no band now with out Nick, but when we find him there still won't be a band because I will quit unless you guys put aside your differences now, tonight. I will leave the band, for Nick and yes, for 'N SYNC."

    Howie and Kevin stared at each other, shocked by Brian's statement. AJ smiled, mentally applauding his friend.

    "You'll what?" Joey sat down hard on the couch in JC's living room.

    "I'll leave 'N SYNC." JC walked over to the bar and poured himself a straight shot of tequila. He downed it as if it were water.

    "You can't leave 'N SYNC." Lance protested in a voice that was shrill for him. "We'll be nothing without you. And you're my best friend."

    "I thought you were all my best friends but with the stunts you been pulling over the last few days I'm not so sure anymore. And yes, it'll be a different 'N SYNC without the 'C' seeing as that would make it 'N SYN, but somehow at this point that seems strangely appropriate. And if we don't get Justin back, it'll just be 'SYN.' Why does that sound even more appropriate?"

    "JC, you've got to understand something," Chris began.

    "I'm tired of understanding." JC poured him self another shot, the spicy alcohol burning through his blood stream.

    "We love Justin a lot JC. Just as much as you do. Maybe we haven't known him as long as you have, but we love him just as much. It's hard for us to put aside the crap that we've been fed about how bad the Backstreet boys are. We're trying though. We really are." Chris looked at the other two guys willing them to not say anything that could make JC choose to leave the band that night in his drunken state.

    "Then you'd better sure as hell try harder." JC looked at the three remaining members of the band. "I'm going out for a walk. I'll see you guys later."

    "But how can we tell them where we are?" Nick was still looking at Justin in shock.

    "I don't know, but we have to." Justin was working his hands nervously behind his back, chafing his wrists. "We'll have to be subtle. Mention the old days. You say Kendra's smart and I know that she is. She'll figure it out. If we talk about the old days enough they're sure to think of Transcon."

    "But what if they think we're just being sentimental? That's what we did last time. What if they think we're just trying to tell them to drop the crap?" Nick looked like he wanted to hold his head in worry.

    "If they do that then this whole thing won't have been in vain. No matter what happens to us." Justin scooted his chair closer to where Nick was sitting. He touched his knee to Nick's in comfort.

    "I want to go home Justin. This isn't fun anymore." Nick let the tears start to slide down his cheeks.

    "I know Nicky, but we're going to be okay. We're going to get out of here. We're going to see the girls we love and we're going see those eight other guys we call big brothers. We're going to tell them where we are and they're going to come find us." Justin rubbed his knee up and down trying to comfort Nick in every way he could.

    "When did you become the mature one out of our groups?" Nick asked Justin, a slight smile playing on his lips.

    "When I grew up and no one noticed," Justin stated simply. "We've got to plan out what we're going to say Nick. We've got to be prepared. It's got to be perfect."

    Nick nodded and the two men began thinking.

    Kendra opened her door as the knock resounded around her empty apartment.

    "Hey Jeff."

    Jeff stood against the door frame, smiling at the girl who had so recently invaded his life. "Hey there beautiful."

    "Nuh-uh. No flirting Jeff." Kendra smiled despite herself. "You know I'm trying to get my boyfriend back."

    "And that would be the only reason I don't want to get those two bozos back."

    "Remember Jeff, you're here to help me think of ways to get them back."

    "I take it you don't want to go out to dinner then?" Jeff followed Kendra into the apartment as she stepped back from the door.

    "I think we need to stay here by the TV incase they have another video."

    "That's probably wise." Jeff sat down on the couch in front of the TV. "Should we just order pizza?"

    "Sure." Kendra sat next to Jeff and turned on the local news station.

    Brian walked into his apartment, happy to be alone. Happy to be away from the people that he thought were his best friends. He slowly let a tear roll down his face as he contemplated the day and it’s happenings. He plopped down on his couch too tired to move. Too tired to do anything but flip on the TV. Brian clicked the little button and the screen slowly came to life. The television was set to a 24-hour news station.

    "And now for local news, there has still been no word in the disappearance of famed pop-stars Nick Carter and Justin Timberlake. The disappearances of Carter and Timberlake, members of known rivals the Backstreet Boys and 'N SYNC respectively, have been firmly connected police sources say. Stay tuned to MUSN for your current, up to date information on the crimes that rocked the music world."

    Brian lay back on the couch and closed his eyes falling into a troubled sleep.

    "Why haven't they sent in a new video?" Kendra looked at the TV with disappointment keen on her face.

    "Maybe they have and they just haven't sent it in," Jeff looked at Kendra with worry. "You really love Nick don't you."

    "Yes, no." Kendra was close to tears again. "I did, I do, but it's so hard. He dumped me for no good reason, everyone says that we still love each other but I don't know. Maybe it wasn't meant to be."

    "But you want him back?" Jeff leaned closer to Kendra putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

    "I was so sure yesterday. I can't tell whether I want him back because I love him, or whether I want him back because I want to yell, scream, punch him for breaking up with me."

    "You'll figure it out." Jeff took his hand off of her shoulder. "First we need to get him back for you. You know, I don't think that the rest of the band would appreciate you finding him and then beating the crap out of him though."

    Kendra smiled slightly. "No, they probably wouldn't." Kendra turned her head slightly and glanced at the TV that had been ignored for the moment. "Jeff, look at this."

    Jeff turned his head toward the TV.

    The chairs went thump on the ground. Nick and Justin shook their heads as the blindfolds and gags were removed.
 
    They stared wild-eyed at each other, almost not daring to make a sound. The four men in black had gotten rougher and Nick and Justin were scared shitless.

    "Let them know that you're okay," the message was repeated.

    As if on cue Nick's swollen eye began to throb. He swallowed hard, his Adams-apple bobbing. He didn't want to think what would happen if the men dressed in black realized what they were doing. He bit his lip lightly trying to assuage his nervousness in any way he knew how.

The man in black who had done all the talking stepped in front of the camera, in front of Nick and Justin.

"We've still got them. We haven't hurt them, yet. If you know what's good for them you'll get that girl off the case. She's snooping in way over her head. This is not the case to play Nancy Drew on girlie. I know you're watching so take this as your warning."

Nick felt his heart leap. Kendra was looking for them. Maybe she still did love him.

"Your two missing pop stars are going to say a few words now." The black man finished harshly. He stepped out of the way of the camera revealing Nick and Justin for the first time.

"Hey everyone," Justin started, trying to smile, "please know that you are all in our hearts. We love you all. That includes all our families, Lisa, Kendra and all the guys. Please guys remember the early days when we loved everybody, when we didn't know what hate was. Remember the excitement of getting signed. Remember the love we had for the music and the early days recording."
    
"Yeah," Nick said squinting through his swollen eye. "Remember when we recorded our first singles? Remember the joy we felt? I love all of you. Kendra don't worry about me. You need to be happy. Live your life. Don't worry about me. Mom, dad, and my brothers and sisters. I love you all."

The black masked men looked at each other each reading worry in the others eyes. They knew that Nick and Justin had been telling the world something they just couldn't figure out what. The same man in black stepped in front of the camera. "Until tomorrow."

The camera died abruptly.

 As the newscaster came back on the small TV screen, JC realized that his scotch on the rocks was still in his hand. No one had noticed the singer in the smoky bar and they didn’t restrain their comments about the kidnapping.
     
The guys didn’t look so good. At least Nick didn’t. JC grimaced thinking about how he wouldn’t have cared if Nick got the shit beat out of him last week— he might have even found it a little funny. His stomach was in a knot over this though. He felt like he was going to throw up. The alcohol wasn’t helping either.
     
Nick and Justin kept harping on the early days. JC’s brain couldn’t quite process why they did that. He understood dissolving the barriers, but what about the early days was so important?

"Another scotch please." JC was almost surprised to hear his voice. Another drink was what he needed. It would help him deal with the whole situation. Not just the Nick and Justin situation either. Kendra was bringing back too many memories.

The bartender brought the drink. JC took a small sip. He’d had enough so that the taste didn’t bother him anymore.

Kendra was intoxicating. It was the way she moved, the way she talked, the way she never took any crap from anybody.

JC shot the rest of the scotch thinking of the night they’d broken up. The night he’d had to tell her he’d cheated on her. One night of passion with a girl who’s name he didn’t even remember.  Somehow JC thought Kendra would have taken it better if he had remembered the girls name. And the sex hadn’t even been that great. Kendra was supposed to call him tonight. Now he remembered. Maybe she’d talked to Brian. Brian. His new best friend. The only guy who seemed to know what he was going through. He’d call Brian.
 
JC almost fell off his stool, but managed to catch himself on the bar. He balanced himself.

Slowly, hugging the wall he made his way to the phone. He picked up the piece of cold black plastic. Phones were a funny shape he decided. He looked at the small silver squares with the black numbers. The small keys were moving. They refused to stay still for his questing finger. Somehow he managed to catch all the numbers he needed. The phone rang before a groggy voice picked it up.
                                                   
"Hello?"
                                              
"Brian!" JC slurred.
                                
"JC?" Brian sounded more awake. "Are you drunk?"

"The guys were annoying the hell out of me," JC managed to spit out. His mouth wasn't working quite right. "I decided I needed a break."
                     
"Are you okay?" Brian asked, concerned. "Do you want me to come get you?"
         
"No, no," JC shook his head as he spoke the words. "I was just calling to see if you'd heard from Kendra."
                                  
"No, I haven't." Brian said. "Why would I have?"
      
"With the new tape out I wanted to see if she'd had any ideas about this whole thing. They were trying to tell us something. I know they were. Don't you think so Brian?"
               
Brian sounded really excited. "There was a new tape? Were they okay? Did Nick look okay?"
            
"Yeah, they were fine, well Nick looked a little beat up, but they're still alive and relatively healthy."
    
"Thank god." Brian's voice sounded extremely relieved. "Thank fucking god. JC, where are you? I'll come pick you up."

    
"I'm at Kells, but you don't need to come pick me up. I'm fine," JC said. He thought the words came out in the correct order, maybe.
                                        
"I'll be there soon JC. Don't leave."
                                      
"Okay Brian. Hey! I'll buy you a drink!'
                                              
"We'll see JC. Bye."
     
"Bye." JC hung up the phone and stumbled back to the bar. Suddenly he felt tired. Maybe he'd just take a little nap. He put his head on the bar and closed his eyes.

Brian hung up the phone. He felt torn between smiling and crying. They were still alive, but if their abductors were getting violent… Brian was relieved, but in away he was more worried.

He looked towards the TV and saw Nick's face. His eye was purple and half shut. Brian lunged for the TV remote and turned up the volume.
              
"…Remember when we recorded our first singles? Remember the joy we felt? I love you all…"

 Brian listened to the rest of the tape. JC was right. Nick was trying to tell them something and he assumed Justin had been the same way.
      
"The police have not announced any further leads as to the whereabouts of Justin Timberlake or Nick Carter. No members of either band have been available for comment…"

Brian clicked off the TV and picked up his car keys. He'd call Kendra after he got JC. Maybe she would have figured out something, anything, by then.

"What do you mean you have no new leads?" Lisa spit out as she leaned against the counter of the police department waiting area. "I need new information. The lives of these two men are at stake." The officer on duty raised an eyebrow.
     
"My readers need to know!" Lisa pounded her fist on the counter emphasizing her point. "How good is it going to look tomorrow if I write 'The Orlando Police department lost all their evidence and can't run an investigation worth shit."
      
"I'm sorry Ms. Coleman but our investigators are working as hard as possible to find both Mr. Timberlake and Mr. Carter."
    
"Your hardest evidently isn't good enough!" Lisa slammed her palms down on the counter and pushed herself off of it. She spun around on one heel and walked away from the desk. "Thank you very much." She didn't turn around and look at the officer.
 Lisa made her way to her car parked half a block away from the police station. She collapsed in the drivers seat and felt herself dissolve into tears.
               
"Justin," her voice pleaded, "where the hell are you? What the hell are you trying to tell us?"
     
She again fingered the ring on the chain around her neck, before wiping her eyes and digging in her purse for her cell phone. She pulled it out and dialed a now familiar number.
                                             
The phone rang twice.
                                        
"Hello?" Kendra sounded drained.
                                             
"Kendra? This is Lisa."
                               
"Hey." Kendra sounded slightly happier, but not much.
          
Lisa took a deep breath before asking the one question she desperately needed to know the answer to.
                                         
"Do you have anything new?"
      
"No." Kendra sighed heavily. "I've been watching the tape, over and over. I think they guys know where they are.
 
There was something about the way they phrased their speeches today. It sounded planned. Did you see it?"
                                 
"Yeah and I agree with you one hundred percent."
     
"I'm glad you do. I thought that maybe I'd just watched the tape too many times. I'm starting to read things into it that I know aren't there. Like Nick not loving me anymore."
    
"Nick loves you. He's trying to save you Ken. You know that. He heard the threat that the guys issued and I know you saw his eye. They're turning violent which is the reason that I'm getting more worried.
     
"Have you talked to the police recently?" Kendra said trying to change the subject, or that's the way it sounded to Lisa.
                     
"I'm sitting outside the station now." Lisa shivered looking at the dark streets.
                     
"Did they have anything new?" There was a flicker of hope in Kendra's voice.
          
"They've still got less than nothing, or they're being very closed lipped. I can't decide which," Lisa said.
                           
"Well, I'll let you know if I come up with anything," Kendra said.
                                      
"Okay, same here. Goodnight Kendra."
                                               
"Goodnight Lisa."

                            
Kendra hung up the phone and looked at Jeff watching her.
                                           
"Who was that?" he asked.
                                         
"Lisa," Kendra answered simply.
                                               
"Justin's fiancée?"
                                                    
"Yep."
      
Kendra turned away from Jeff and stared out the dark window. In the reflection in the window she could see Jeff coming up behind her. He stopped within touching distance.
                                     
"Kendra? Are you okay?" he asked softly.
                                     
"Yes, I'm fine." Kendra's voice was hard.
       
"No Kendra," Jeff continued. "You're not." He took her hand and led her to the leather couch. "Sit down Ken." Kendra sat. Like stone she stared at the carpet in front of her.
   
Jeff put his arm around her and pulled her head down to his chest. Kendra resisted, but finally let her head rest on hisstrong chest.
                                          
"Tell me what's wrong Ken."

"I don't know Jeff. I just feel so helpless." Kendra felt her voice catch on a sob that wanted desperately to come out.
 
"Nick is sitting out there counting on me to find him and I have no clue where to start. There are no clues Jeff. None. And Nick knows where he is. I know he was trying to tell me where. Justin too. And I can't figure out what they're saying."
                 
"Kendra, you're a person, not wonder-woman. You know just as much as anyone else."
                      
"But I should know more. It's my job. I was up all night thinking about this."
                                  
"You haven't slept since yesterday?" Jeff asked.
                                          
"I couldn't sleep last night."
     
"Kendra, darling, you're going to sleep now. I'll be here when you wake up and then we can look at the tapes again and something new will jump out at you. I'm sure of it. Come on, lie down." Jeff pushed her head into his lap and gently stoked her hair. Kendra made a feeble protest, but Jeff put a finger over her lips to silence her. "Sleep now, talk tomorrow. Goodnight Ken."
 
Kendra finally submitted and closed her eyes.

"Come on JC." Brian readjusted his arm that was around JC's back. He felt the taller man stumble forward and threw his own bodyweight back to offset the difference. JC leaned up against the wall.

"Where are we Brian," he slurred.
                       
"We're at my apartment," Brian said quietly, afraid to wake the neighbors.
     
"Wow," JC stumbled over the word. "Who would have thought I would be in the apartment of a Backstreet Boy?"
                    
"You need to go to sleep JC. You're going to have quite a hangover tomorrow."
                                  
"I never get hangovers." JC sounded obstinate.
    
"There's always a first time for everything," Brian laughed lightly to himself. "Come on bud, lets get you into bed. You can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll take the couch. I don't want you falling off of whatever you're sleeping on in the middle of the night."
         
"You know Brian, you are the best friend a guy could ever ask for," JC said as he pulled Brian into a hug.
                      
"You're a good friend too JC. I'm glad we finally put aside our differences."
                                                  
"So am I."
    
Brian guided the stumbling JC to his bedroom and managed to get him to lay down on the bed. He pulled JC's shoes off and maneuvered him under the covers. "Goodnight JC."

JC was already fast asleep.

"Thanks Brian." Chris turned off his cell phone.
                    
"What did Brian want?" Lance had slightly less disgust than normal in his voice.
                          
"JC is with him. He went to the bars and got very drunk evidently."
    
"Somehow I'm not surprised," Joey said. "I haven't seen him that upset since Kendra dumped him. Remember how hewas for that month afterwards?"
                    
"We'd better not have to repeat that," Chris said as he sat down on JC's couch.
        
"Well, are we all going to crash here incase there's news or are we going our separate ways?" Lance asked.
    
"Might as well crash here. JC won't mind I'm sure." Joey lay back on the recliner he'd been sitting in for the last hour.
                
"Yeah. Might as well." Chris lay down on the couch, curling up to avoid touching Lance.
                                      
"I'll take the other recliner," Lance said.
                           
"Good cause we're not moving," Joey said through closed eyes.
    
"Goodnight guys." Chris ran a hand through his dreads. "You know I have a feeling something big is going to happen tomorrow."
                 
"I can only hope it's something good," Lance said, closing his eyes. "Goodnight guys."
                                              
"Night," Joey said.

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