[chapter five]

(Two days later, Lakeland Center)

Caitlin grabbed her backpack out of the backseat, then closed the door of her Blazer. She had just gotten off work from the library a while earlier, and had made plans to talk to Allison about web information on herself this afternoon. She had driven from Orlando to the Lakeland Center, where the masses were rehearsing for the Super Bowl halftime show. Navigating her way into the stadium, she saw several of Nsync's bodyguards standing nearby. "Hey Lonnie." She greeted the one closest to her. "Have you seen Allison around? She's supposed to be here somewhere..."

"Hi Caitlin. Yeah, she just ducked into the room at the end of the hall to take a phone call. And your man is still out on the field, working his butt off." Lonnie replied with a grin.

"Thanks, Lonnie. I'll catch up with him in a bit." Caitlin said, heading down the hall towards the room Lonnie had pointed out. Knocking softly, she stuck her head in the door and saw Allison, a cell phone in one hand and pen punctuating the air in the other.

"Well then I suggest you find the software to make it happen. It was specifically put into the contract that webcasts would be a part of this deal, and so far, you aren't holding up your end of the bargain. We have the hardware, so I hope you find the software before the 27th." Allison said. She waved as Caitlin walked in the room, and rolled her eyes dramatically while pointing at the phone in her hand. Caitlin smiled in response. "That would be fine. Call me with the specs when you have them." Clicking the phone off, Allison added. "Peabrain."

"Tough day at the office, dear?" Caitlin teased.

"I hate dealing with those guys. You'd think I was asking for the world, instead of some basic tech support. Anyhow, how are you?" Allison asked, sitting down on a nearby couch. "Ready to bare your soul for all those interested fans?"

"I suppose. It seems like the best option for keeping them at bay, right?" Caitlin asked, sinking down beside her. "I mean, if it were me, I'd like to know what kind of girl was dating my favorite boyband member."

"Agreed. Well, I'll fire some questions off to you, and before I post anything, I'll let you read it, ok?" Allison asked.

"Sounds like a plan." Caitlin replied.

"Do you mind if we head back to the field? I need to keep an eye on the tech guys, and try to figure out how to film this thing. They aren't rehearsing the singing part, so it's pretty quiet right now." Allison asked.

"Sure. Not a problem. I'm kind of curious what they decided to do. JC has mentioned a few things, but nothing too detailed. This way I get a sneak peek." Caitlin smiled.

The two girls stood and walked out to the field, where a huge set had been constructed. What appeared to be hundreds of people milled around, working on the set, fixing technical problems, and shouting instructions to each other. In the middle of the throng were the musical "guests"--Nsync, Aerosmith, Britney Spears, Nelly, and Mary J. Blige--of the performance, Wade Robson--the choreographer, and the MTV director of the show, among others. As Caitlin walked onto the field with Allison, a strange feeling overcame her. Even though JC and the other 4 guys were famous and recognizable throughout the world, until Caitlin saw the magnitude of the performance, it hadn't occurred to her how many people would be watching. In addition, it struck her the people up on the stage with JC--Aerosmith, an icon in their own right, for example. And though she had heard so much about Britney, they had never met. And Wade was quickly making a name for himself in the entertainment industry. Seeing everyone assembled gave Caitlin a weird feeling that she didn't belong, and yet...she did. JC had made it so, just by making her a part of his life, and by telling the world about it.

Allison spoke to a few people as they made their way to the seats around the field and sat down. Caitlin watched the activity on the stage as Allison pulled out a mini tape recorder. JC glanced over at her, then, recognizing her from afar, smiled broadly and waved. Caitlin grinned and waved back. Chris looked over to see who JC was waving to, then waved as well with a goofy grin. He continued to joke around, giving JC bunny ears and pulling funny faces until Wade snapped his fingers in Chris' face to get his attention, and Chris quickly turned away from Caitlin to stand at attention in front of Wade. Caitlin laughed to herself as Allison clicked on the recorder.

"Ok, let's start with some basics. And don't worry about how you phrase it; I'll make everything coherent when I write it up. Ok?" Allison asked.

"Sounds great." Caitlin replied, getting more comfortable in the seat.

"Name, age, occupation?" Allison asked in a professional voice, but with a grin.

"Caitlin Peck, 24, reference and instructional librarian in a public library."

"Very impressive." Allison teased. "How did you and JC meet?"

"He came into the library looking for some information, and I helped him. We hit it off and started getting to know each other." Caitlin replied. "Not the love story of the century, but a good old-fashioned chance meeting."

"Did you recognize him right away?" Allison asked.

"Of course. I was actually a big fan of Nsync before I even met JC. In fact, I was at the Orlando concert a few weeks before I met him. So I knew who he was, but I didn't let on to that fact to him." Caitlin replied.

Allison grinned, then continued. "How long have you been together?"

"It feels like forever. Realistically, a month or two?" Caitlin replied nervously. "That doesn't sound like very long, does it?"

"Well, it must be serious then, if he's already telling the world, even though it's been a short time." Allison replied evenly.

"I suppose." Caitlin sighed. "Ok, next question?"

"Are you going on tour with the guys?" Allison asked.

Caitlin paused, and looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "Um...we've only talked about a little, and I don't know. I just don't know. JC really wants me to, but..."

Allison nodded. "No big. Plenty of time to decide that. Next question. What do you think of Nsync's fans?"

"The fans? The fans are fantastic! They are the ones who built these guys into what they are today...and they never forget it. They are constantly thinking of ways to get in touch with fans, to be closer to fans, to touch as many people as possible. I think the fans are great because they encompass so many different people, so many ages, and so many backgrounds. Heck, I'm a fan, so I know how it goes. The fans are great, and I can't wait to meet more of them!" Caitlin replied enthusiastically.

"Good answer." Allison said. "Any other interesting tidbits you want fans to know? Anything funky about you?"

"Funky...um. Not really. I listen to all kinds of different music, not just Nsync. I'm actually English by birth, but have lived in the US for a long time. I'm a Sagittarius. How's that?" Caitlin asked.

"Good stuff." Allison said with a smile as she clicked off the recorder. "I think that's enough for now, but I'll bug you if I need more. Ok?"

"Sounds good. Thanks, Al." Caitlin replied with a grin.

"Looks like things are breaking up for the night. Got plans tonight?" Allison asked as she saw the performers hop down from the set and head for the exits. JC motioned to Caitlin that he would be a minute, and she nodded as he walked over to talk to Wade.

"Not really. I have to work tomorrow, so I'm hoping for a dinner date and an early night. I'm so lame." Caitlin replied. "What about you?"

"I have to run around here for a while longer, but I'm sure I'll see you in the next few days. If not, Super Bowl Sunday I'll catch up with you so we can do some quick publicity. If that's ok?" Allison asked.

"Absolutely. Just give me a shout." Caitlin replied. "See you later."

"Bye!" Allison said as she ran towards a man carrying a camera. "Jeff, I need to talk to you..."

Caitlin laughed as she heard Allison bark out instructions to the hapless cameraman. She was grabbing her backpack when Chris sat down next to her. "Hey stranger. Haven't seen you much lately." Caitlin said with a smile.

"Hey yourself. What are you doing here? Watching the festivities?" Chris asked.

"Something like that. You know I can't go more than a few days without eyeing you fine boys in motion." Caitlin retorted. "How are you? Nervous about the performance?"

"Scared to death, I must say." Chris said in a conspiratorial whisper. "But don't tell."

"Cross my heart." Caitlin replied. "Well, I could never tell about the nervousness. You guys look great from what I can see."

"Thanks. I just can't concentrate. My stupid brain..." Chris muttered.

"What's going on, Chris? You ok?" Caitlin asked with concern in her voice.

"I know this is a weird thing to ask, but do you think...nah, never mind." Chris said.

"Oh no, you can't tease me like that. Spill. What's going on?" Caitlin asked.

"Well...you're a girl." Chris said, as if making a first time discovery.

"Last time I checked. Why?" Caitlin asked.

"I was wondering...if you don't mind...do you think we could go for coffee sometime?" Chris asked. Caitlin looked back at him without saying anything, sensing that he had more to say. "I just...I need to talk to a girl. This whole Dani thing..."

The penny dropped in Caitlin's mind, and she understood. Now that Danielle and Chris had broken up, he had no one to turn to for advice or sympathy except the guys, and admittedly, they weren't always the best option. Her heart went out to him and she nodded emphatically. "I'd like that, Chris. Anytime. Call, come by, whatever. Maybe you can be a sympathetic ear for me, too." Caitlin said.

"You need an ear?" Chris asked. "Metaphorically, of course. I mean, you have two real ears..."

"Yeah, I'm trying to work through some stuff, and I think you would be the perfect person to ask." Caitlin said.

"Me?" Chris squeaked. "Really?"

"Yes, you. You have expertise in this area that few others do. Maybe you can help me make a life decision or two. Now, just give me a call or stop by and we'll talk. Deal?" Caitlin asked.

"Deal. Thanks, Caitlin." Chris said, bouncing up from his seat. "I'll talk to ya soon." He said, looking considerably happier than he had a few minutes before.

"See ya, Chris." Caitlin replied. As Chris jogged back towards the set, he gave JC a quick high five as JC made his way over to where Caitlin was waiting.

"Hi baby." JC said softly as he took her hand and kissed the top of it. Caitlin smiled tenderly back at him as he lightly pressed his lips to hers. "Been waiting long?"

"Not at all. Just gave Allison some vital stats, said hey to Chris, and now here you are. How was rehearsal?" She asked.

"Brutal. I'm tired." JC said, pulling a sweatshirt on over his sweat-soaked wifebeater. "But I feel better about the performance."

"Good. How about a quick dinner before you fall asleep standing up?" Caitlin asked. "I can drive, if you want to leave your car here and have one of the guys pick you up in the morning."

"That sounds perfect. Let me ask J real quick, and then I'll be with you." JC said, scanning the crowd for Justin. Caitlin nodded, and JC shot off to grab Justin just as he was leaving. A few minutes later, he returned to Caitlin's side, and sliding an arm around her waist, began walking out of Lakeland to her waiting Blazer.

"So how was your day?" He asked conversationally as they buckled up and Caitlin left the immense parking lot.

"Good. I had an instruction class of about 30 people today, which is one of the bigger groups I've had to do, but it was a good challenge. I also got to help do some book selection for the browsing collection, which I always like to do." Caitlin said. "By the way, Alex says hey, and wants to know if you and Justin want to play basketball with him and Scout sometime."

"Sure. Just let me know when and where, and we'll wipe the floor with them." JC said braggingly. "Glad your class went well. You were so excited about being asked to teach."

"Yeah. It was good." Caitlin said, glowing. "Granted, it's no Super Bowl halftime performance or Grammy nomination, but it was a good day." She teased lightly.

JC looked across seat to Caitlin, where she was concentrating on the road. He sometimes felt bad that their lives were such polar opposites, and that their days rarely had much in common. But that's part of what he loved about spending time with Caitlin--she was normal, her days were normal, and he could be himself around her. Still, when she said things like that, he hoped she wasn't upset for the same reason...that their days were so different. "Why do you say that?"

"Um...because it's true?" Caitlin said with a small smile. "I'm not exactly changing the world with my influence or performing for millions of adoring fans. Like you can..."

"What's to say you didn't change the world of those 30 people today? 30 people who didn't even know how to turn on a computer probably know a hell of a lot more about the internet and using computers than they expected to. And you may not have millions of fans, but you have a small group of adoring fans who would do anything on earth for you...something a lot of our fans wouldn't." JC said seriously.

Caitlin sighed, then turned to smile at JC. "Thanks." She whispered. "I needed that." She paused for a moment. "Who's my group of adoring fans?"

"Me, the guys, your roommates, for starters." JC replied.

"Speaking of the guys, I forgot to tell you!" Caitlin exclaimed. "Chris and I were talking before."

"I know, I saw you. Was he harassing you?" JC teased.

"Actually, no. He asked if we could go grab a cup of coffee sometime. I think he needs some girly advice and girly sympathy about the whole Danielle break-up thing." Caitlin said.

"Really?" JC asked. "What did you say?"

"I told him I would rather die than spend 5 minutes talking about him." Caitlin deadpanned.

"Meanie." JC retorted.

"I said I would love that. I like Chris...I want to know him better. All of them." Caitlin said. "Anyhow, I was really flattered that he wanted to hang out with me. I mean, I know I've done stuff with you guys before, but not really one on one, or anything."

"I'd venture to say you and I have had some quality one on one time, wouldn't you agree?" JC said, raising his eyebrow provocatively.

Caitlin laughed out loud. "Ok, not what I meant." She smiled as JC looked crushed. "Do you know what I mean, though?"

"I do. I think that's great. The guys really like you, but I admit, it must be hard to get to know each other when we all hang out as a group all the time." JC said.

"Exactly. So, it looks like Chris and I are going to hang sometime soon." Caitlin said happily.

"That would be good...he's been really down since Dani left. Just not himself at all." JC said, worried about his friend.

"I'll fix it. If I can, I'll fix it." Caitlin said firmly as she steered the car onto the highway.

"I know you will." JC said quietly, watching her profile for a few moments longer before taking her hand, and allowing his eyelids to close. Moments later, he was sound asleep.

chapter six