Lance had been walking through the Orlando club, scanning the large crowd for Justin and the other guys. He hadn't been paying attention to where he was going, when someone bumped into him. He looked down to see Valerie.

"Lance?" she said in shocked, surprised to see him there standing before her, then she spotted someone else behind him. "NIKKI? What are you guys doing here?"

"What not happy to see us?" Nikki asked sarcastically as she hugged her best friend.

"No, it's just Lance told me he wouldn't be able to visit, and now you're both here. Unexpected."

"Actually, I had a change in plans. You see..." Lance began to explain when Justin walked up to them.

"Lance, man, you made it," Justin greeted him.

"Yeah, your Mom gave me a ride here since I've never been here before."

Valerie was confused by then, asking Lance, "You know Justin?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Val. Justin's in the group I'm joining, *NSYNC. that's why I'm here, and I brought Nikki with me 'cos I knew we'd get over to Libby's to see you while we were down here. I didn't know you knew Justin either, though."

"Yeah, Justin's one of Libby's friends from MMC," she said, then turned to Justin, "Uh, J, you already know Lance, but he's also my boyfriend. And this is my best friend, Nikki."

Justin looked over at Nikki and smiled at her. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Nikki," he said.

She smiled back at him. "Same here."

Valerie rolled her eyes. Could they be any more flirting? she thought.

Libby had been looking all over the club for Joey, and finally found him sitting at the bar with another woman. He was acting really flirty with her, causing Libby to get jealous. she walked over to where Joey sat, eyeing the woman suspiciously as she did.

"Hey, Joey Bear, I've been looking for you everywhere," she said to him.

He turned to look over at her. He hadn't known she was there. "Oh, Lib. This is Missy, she works with me at Universal," he said.

Libby nodded, saying hi to Missy, but still eyeing her as if she was trying to steal her boyfriend.

"Is this your girlfriend, Joe?" Missy asked with a thick Brooklyn accent.

"Yeah, my beautiful girlfriend Libby."

"It so nice to meet you then, Libby. Joey talks about you all the time at work."

Libby was taken aback, she hadn't known Joey talked about her at work. She felt kind of guilty for thinking Missy was trying to steal him from her, or that Joey was flirting with her. She smiled at Missy, saying, "Thanks, it's really nice to meet you, too."

Valerie sat at a table with Lance, catching up on the missed time they had spent apart since she had left Mississippi while everyone else was on the dance floor dancing. She felt guilty every time she kissed Lance because of Justin, and for the constant glances her and Justin had been sharing secretly when no one else was looking because of Lance. She was completely torn between the two at that moment. She longed to be with both, but she knew soon she'd have to make a decision between the two. Or come clean with Lance and hope for the best.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" Lance asked, noticing her vacantness for the past few minutes as she starred out at the dance floor. His eyes followed her gaze to where Justin and Nikki were dancing. All night he couldn't help shake the feeling that there was something secretly going on between the two. He had seen the looks they had been giving each other when they thought no one was watching, and the way Valerie's eyes would sparkle at the mention of Justin's name or when she talked to him, the same way they had used to when she would see Lance or speak to him. But he knew he should trust Valerie, her and Justin were probably just close friends and maybe he's just jumping to conclusions. I sure hope, he thought.

"Nothing, just tired," Valerie lied. she couldn't tell him what she was really bothering her. Truth was the more she watched Nikki and Justin together, the more jealous she became. They seemed to be always flirting, inseparable the whole night. No, you should be happy that she's here, not resentful because she's becoming close to Justin, she thought. But her thoughts weren't helping any, because she was so afraid of losing Justin to Nikki that nothing could help.

"Are you sure? 'Cos if there's anything bothering you, you know you could always talk to me about it."

She smiled sincerely at him. His comforting words were all she needed to put aside the fear in her heart, and leave her only thinking of him. "I know, Lance. Thank you."

He pulled her into his arms so she could rest her head on his shoulder. "Anytime, baby. I love you, and I'd do anything for you."

"Val, why don't you come dance with me. You are being really boring right now," Nikki said, grabbing Valerie's arm and pulling her out of her seat.

"I don't feel like Dancing, Nikki," Valerie said, escaping from Nikki's grasp and sitting back down in between Libby and Lance. Lance and Libby had been talking about their jobs, leaving Valerie bored and with no one to talk to about something more interesting.

"I'm not buying it, you love to dance! For me, Val?" Nikki stuck out her bottom lip, giving Valerie her best puppy dog look.

"Lemme guess, you learned that trick from Justin?"

"Only from the best," Justin said, coming up behind Nikki.

"Well, this time it's not working," Valerie said.

"Fine, I give up on you then! You're too damn stubborn!" Nikki exclaimed.

Justin held out his hands to Valerie, giving her his puppy dog eyes, and asked, "Will you dance with me then, Val?"

"How can I resist those eyes?" she asked, putting her hands in his, letting him pull her onto her feet.

"You don't mind me borrowing your girlfriend, do you, Lansten?" Justin asked him.

Lance shook his head. "Just bring her back," he said.

"Thanks man." He lead Val onto the dance floor, placing his hands on her hips, pulling her body against his as she fit perfectly in his arms. She rested her head on his shoulder, her arms snaking around the back of his neck. "Are you mad at me?" he asked suddenly.

She looked up at him into his clear blue eyes. "No, why would I be?"

"I don't know. I think we need to talk, something seems to be really bothering you." He looked around to see if Lance or Nikki were watching, but they weren't, so he grabbed her hand muttering, "C'mon," and pulling her toward the exit. He took her toward Libby's car and they sat on the hood of the car, starring up at the stars above.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning to look at her profile.

She turned to face him also, and he could see the worry and fear in her eyes. "Justin, he's here. Actually here, and in your group! I'm so scared now, because I have no idea what to do. I want to be with you, I really do, but I love him so much. I just don't know what to do!" she said.

"That's not all that's bothering you is it?"

She shook her head. "The way you and Nikki have been constantly flirting all night is making me feel jealous, like I'm gonna lose you to her. I don't want to lose you at all, Justin. It's just confusing me and how you really perceive our relationship."

"How do you think I feel to see you and Lance together all the time, all over each other?"

"He's my boyfriend, Justin, and I love him. I can't help it."

"I don't get it, Val! You say you love me, but then you say you love him. And it makes real sense that you can have a boyfriend, but I can't even flirt with another girl?"

"That's not what I meant."

"Yes, it is. This just isn't fair for me. I don't want to sound completely selfish here, but you've gotta choose between me and him."

"Not fair for you? I can't just choose between the two of you! It's too hard of a decision to make just like that!"

"Then I'll do it for you. I need someone who can give me all of their heart to me, I don't have the strength to share you or your love with anyone else. I'm sorry, but this has to be the end if you can't do this for me. Give me a call when, if you are ever able to do so, though."

He started to get off the hood of the car, but she stopped him. "Justin, please don't leave me. damnit, I thought you loved me. How can you just walk out like this?"

"I do love you, even more than you'll ever know, but there are some things you just gotta let go," He leaned over, and kissed her for the last time. It was a soft and sensual kiss, one she would always remember him by.

"Good bye," he whispered softly as tears stung his eyes.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. She didn't want to let him go, she wanted to stay by his side forever, but he was already walking away form her, leaving her alone with the shattered pieces of her heart to mend on her own.

(1 week later, Libby's house)

Valerie walked into the living room of Libby's house to find Lance sitting all alone the couch watching TV. She walked over and sat down next to him, kissing his cheek after she did. He turned his head so he could kiss her full on the lips. Their kiss lingered for a few minutes longer, and grew more passionate with each second that passed by. When they finally parted from each other's lips they were both out of breath, and Lance took Val into his arms. She rested her head on his chest as he began to stroke her hair softly.

"I missed you so much, baby. I'm glad I got you all to myself tonight," he told her.

"Me too," Valerie said. "I can't wait to get back home to Clinton so we can make up for not seeing each other for a month and a half."

"Um, Val, I'm not coming back to Mississippi."

Valerie bolted up in a seating position facing him, and hoping that she had heard him wrong. "You're not coming home?"

"No, sweetie, I'm in the group, remember? I have to stay here in Orlando with the guys. I thought you knew that."

"It never occurred to me that you wouldn't be coming back with me. I mean, how are we going to be together if we're hundreds, if not thousands, of miles apart? We're not going to be just down the street from each other anymore, we'll be states away now."

"But this doesn't have to change anything between us unless you want it to. I trust you enough to have a long distance relationship, but if you don't trust me or you don't want to stay together, then I guess it would change a lot."

"No, I still want to be with you, and I trust you enough. It's just," she paused, taking a deep breath before she continued. She had decided it was time she finally told him about her and Justin. "Lance, I need to tell you something."

Lance was bewildered as to what she needed to tell him. Did she want to break up with him right now or had she really been keeping something from him?

Just as she was about to continue, JC interrupted her, yelling from the kitchen, "Lansten, I need you in here for a minute!"

"Hold that thought, OK baby?" Lance said, kissing her cheek briefly before getting up from his seat and walking into the kitchen to see what JC had wanted.

Valerie rolled her eyes in annoyance. Typical, she thought. The one time she had gathered up the courage to finally tell him everything and they get interrupted. Looking down at the coffee table in front of her, she spotted a picture of her and Justin together at the beach taken on the second day she had been in Orlando. She stood up, and picked up the picture to look at more closely.

She missed him so much still, even though she had Lance. The whole time her and Justin had been together, even though very short, he was all she could think about, and she had been so happy. Sure, she felt the same with Lance and loved him deeply, but it was a whole different feeling with Justin. Something new, and she had liked it.

Suddenly a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist, and she turned around to come face to face with the last person she expected.

"Justin?" she asked, unsure that he was really standing before her and his arms wrapped around her.

"Val, look, I made a mistake last week when I let you go. I'm sorry, and if I have to share you with Lance, or anyone else, I will, as long as I can be with you, I'll do anything that it takes," he told her.

"Justin, I'm sorry but you can't leave me like that and then expect me to coming running back to you arms wide open, like you want me to."

"I know, but I'm really sorry. I didn't know how hard it would be to live without you, and whenever I see you with Lance all I can think of is how I made one of the worst mistakes of my life by letting you go. I'll do anything for you to forgive me, anything at all. I love you, Val." Knowing how he always got his way from her by doing so, he gave her his saddest puppy dog eyes, and stuck out his bottom lip. Valerie wanted to give in so badly to him, but she knew she couldn't. This was unfair to him and Lance, and she couldn't do it again.

"Please don't do this to me, J. I have to tell Lance about what's happened between us anyway, and being with you again is just going to make things harder. I love you, too, but I just can't be with you."

She started to pull away from him, but he tightened the grip his arms had around her waist, and pulled her closer to him. He rested his forehead against hers, begging softly, "Val, please."

"Justin," she whined, "you're making this so hard for me."

"And I'm not going to give up until you say yes."

She shook her head. "No, I can't."

"Yes, you can. Please ... please, please, please!"

Valerie closed her eyes to keep the tears from forming. she knew she wouldn't be bale to last any longer, she wanted so deeply to say yes to him. "OK, yes," she whispered.

"What?" he asked, hoping she had really said what he had heard her say.

"I said yes, Justin. I love you, I could never say no to you."

He leaned down a little to meet her lips with his, kissing her passionately for what seemed the first time in forever. Their kiss lasted for a few minutes until a third voice appeared suddenly.

"Oh, my God, no."