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When Memories Fade
By:  Jaimie

 

Chapter One

Rayne Summers whizzed in and out of the early morning L.A. traffic trying to make it onto the set of her movie on time. The top to her rented BMW convertible was down, causing several stands of her long curly brown hair to fall from her large hair clip, and blow wildly around her. Her piercing blue eyes were shielded from the bright California sun, behind a pair of Calvin Klein lenses. She was truly a beautiful woman. Rayne was one of the top actresses around. Her popularity grew with amazing speed. Her first film debut skyrocketed her career, and good script choices kept her at the top of her game. Who would have thought a small town girl from Florida would make it to where she was today.


~*~*~*Flashback~*~*~*~

Three years ago, she was a struggling actress living paycheck to paycheck to make ends meet. Her agent sent her on yet another audition for a small production company just starting out. She really didn’t have much hope of gaining stardom from it, but at least it was a paycheck. The audition was for a film called ’On The Line’ and it was being produced by A Happy Place Productions. The moment she walked inside the room for her audition she was taken aback. She was face to face with Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of NSYNC. She had no idea they were the stars of the movie and that this production company was another one of Lance’s projects away from the group. The moment her eyes locked this his mesmerizing green eyes, she knew she had found something special. In their depths she saw something she had been searching for her entire life, but had yet to find. She knew he was the real thing, but she kept her cool and went through her audition flawlessly. Joey stood back and watched them as she and Lance did their screen test together. There was definitely chemistry between them. As far as Joey was concerned, they found their leading lady. They walked her to the door as she got ready to leave.

“Thank you for coming out and auditioning today Rayne. It was nice to meet you.” Lance smiled down at her, holding onto her hand for a little longer than he had to.

Rayne returned his smile, “Thank you for having me. Good luck with your movie.”

“Thanks again Rayne. We’ll be in touch.” Joey smiled as he shook her hand.

“Bye.” she waved as she walked out the door. The minute the door was closed behind her, they turned and looked at each other with a smile.

“She’s the one.” Joey grinned down at him.

Lance looked away with starry eyes, “Yeah, she’s beautiful. I felt a connection with her immediately. I’ve got to see her again.” he sighed as he sat down in one of the chairs nearby.

Joey stared at him for a moment with a confused expression on his face, “I….I meant she’s the one for the part. What did you mean?”

Lance looked up at him, his cheeks flushed slightly, “Ummm, that’s what I meant too.”

“Come on Lance. We’ve been friends for a long time. Talk to me.”

Lance sighed heavily, “Well, the moment our eyes met, I just felt this instant connection to her. It was as if it was fate. Kind of like how the characters in our movie felt the first time they saw each other. He knows the girl he meets on the train his the one for him, just like somehow I know Rayne is the one for me. I have to see her again.”

“How do you know she’s not married or seeing someone already?”

“Well, I don’t. I’ll have a couple months on the set to see where this goes. If what I feel is for real, then even if she is with someone that won’t matter.”

“Then I take it this means she’s going to be the star of your movie?”

Lance smiled up at him, “You know it.”

A few months later, Rayne was on the set of ‘On The Line’, starring in her first major role. She couldn’t stop the butterflies in her stomach as she sat in the make-up chair to get ready for her first scene. The hair stylists had decided to straighten her normally curly hair and curl it at the ends. Lance walked in just as they were finishing ironing the curls out. The moment he saw her, a smile graced his face.

“Hi Rayne. How are you?”

“To tell you the truth I’m nervous as hell.” she tried to laugh.

“You’ll do great today. Try to get into character. The more you feel like you are Abby, the easier it will be for you to portray her. Is there any part of Abby’s character that you can relate to?”

“Yeah of course. Every girl wants to meet the man of her dreams, fall in love, and get married. Personality wise I’m kinda like her too.”

“Good. Draw on what’s already inside you and you’ll be fine.”

Rayne grinned over at him for a moment. He really was terrific, “Thanks Lance. I just don’t want to disappoint you.”

“I really don’t think that’s going to be a problem.” he returned her smile before sitting in the chair opposite her for them to start getting him ready as well. They talked and laughed as they finished their looks before they went on the set to start filming. Everything went very well during the filming. Just as Lance had predicted, he and Rayne hit it off. Before filming was over, they had begun seeing each other on a regular basis. For the first two years they were together it was pure magic. They had falling so deeply in love and it didn’t seem like anything could get between them….until Rayne’s name became bigger and bigger. Pretty soon her relationship with Lance was put on hold while her professional life continue to take flight. She had changed. Rayne was no longer the sweet, caring woman he had fallen in love with. More and more Lance knew he was living with someone he didn’t even know anymore.


~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne finally made it to the studios, swerving her shiny car into her own parking space. She grabbed her purse and headed towards her trailer. Just as she suspected, the director was there waiting for her.

“Where the hell have you been Rayne? You’re over a half hour late,” he yelled.

“Calm down. Traffic was terrible this morning. I’m here now,” she rolled her eyes, tossing her purse to the couch.

“You know I’m really sick of your attitude. I should have known better than to hire you for this film.”

Rayne stared at him with cold blue eyes, “Then why did you?”

“Because you’re America’s sweetheart. Everyone loves you and we know you draw in the crowds.”

“That’s right. I AM the star. I suggest you remember that,” she spat angrily as she stormed from her trailer and headed to wardrobe and make-up. She was almost finished filming the drama ‘Pearl Harbor’ opposite Josh Hartnett, one of America’s top young leading men. Once she was ready, she made her way to the set, running into Josh along the way.

“Well, good morning gorgeous. How are you today?” he grinned down at her.

“I’m fabulous. What about you?”

“I’m hanging in there. I’m still trying to get over the fact you refuse to go out with me,” he pouted.

Rayne laughed, “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times. I have a serious boyfriend.”

“Ahhhh yes. Lance.” Josh smiled as he quickly pulled her into his arms, dipping her as if they were dancing. He stared into her eyes intently, “You know where to find me if things don’t work out.” Rayne stared up at him with a blank expression on her face, then he slowly pulled her back into standing position. Once she was standing on her own he looked over her shoulder and saw Lance standing there glaring at him. “Speaking of your boyfriend….” his voice trailed off.

Chapter Two

 

Rayne quickly turned and gave Lance her dazzling smile. “Lance,” she exclaimed. She gave him a quick kiss and a hug. “This is an unexpected surprise.”

“Obviously.” he said, still not breaking a smile. Rayne knew he was angry about the little scene he had just witnessed with Josh. She sighed heavily. Why did she constantly have to reassure him that nothing was going on with her and Josh? She was really getting tired of his insecurity in their relationship.

“Come on Lance. I’m tired of having to defend myself to you. Nothing is going on between Josh and me. Now will you please let it go once and for all? Rayne said, her annoyance clear in her tone. Lance stared down into her blue eyes with his vivid green ones. He used to know those eyes so well. He could tell exactly what she was thinking and feeling. Rayne was obviously becoming a truly great actress. She had managed to learn how to shut off her emotions and be someone totally different than the person she truly was inside. Was she afraid if the people saw who she really was they wouldn’t love her anymore? He didn’t know what her reasons were. All Lance knew for sure was that she certainly wasn’t the woman he was in love with anymore. He was hoping by coming to see her that it would make him want to stay with her. This visit had the exact opposite effect on him. He knew what he was going to do. Tonight after the wrap party for the movie he was going to tell Rayne he was leaving for good this time. He couldn’t bear to see the woman he loved slip even further away from him anymore.

“So, what brings you here? Did you come here just to see little ‘ol me?” Rayne batted her lashes, trying to act coy. Lance couldn’t help but laugh at her.

“Of course I came to see you. We actually need to talk, but it can wait until after the party tonight.” he explained as he walked with her towards the set.

She turned to him with a smile, “Okay. I promise you have all of my attention after the party.” She leaned forward and kissed him with more passion than Lance had felt from her in months. His heart ached in his chest. Sometimes she seemed just like the old Rayne, but the majority of the time she wasn’t. When she pulled away she gave him another smile, “Are you going to stay and watch?”

“No I don’t think so. I’ll wait for you at the hotel.”

“Okay. Bye babe.” she called out as she walked away to shoot her scenes. Finishing up the movie took a little bit longer than they expected. By 8pm that night, Rayne was finally headed back to her trailer. She had just peeled off her wardrobe and slipped into her robe when there was a knock on her door. She didn’t even bother to see who it was; “Come in.” she called out. When she looked up at the door, she saw a smiling Josh standing there. Still covered in blood from the final scenes. “Josh….what are you doing here? You have to go and get ready for the party.”

“Yeah I know. I just, well I just wanted to come see you first.”

“Oh, what about?” she asked nonchalantly as she sat down and began brushing her long hair.

“I think you know what I wanted to see you about,” he whispered softly. Rayne’s blue eyes met his brown ones as she stared at him through the mirror, her brush stilling in her hands mid-stroke. She slowly turned and looked at him as she stood and walked closer to him, still not saying a word. “Come on Rayne. I know you are attracted to me. I can tell by the way you look at me. Don’t tell me you haven’t thought about me.”

Rayne continued to stare at him for a moment, her blue eyes turning to ice. “I think you should leave,” she whispered, her voice eerily calm.

“See, why do you keep avoiding me? Come on Rayne…” Josh began to pull her into his embrace, but Rayne quickly pushed him away her right hand slapping him hard across his handsome face.

“How dare you. You know, there are lots of guys out there who are attractive. That doesn’t mean I want to sleep with them. You really don’t know me at all. Lance is everything to me. No one knows me like he does. He knows my deeps fears, my hopes, and my dreams. He’s the one who holds me when I cry, who comforts me, who makes me feel safe. It’s his touch I crave, his kiss, with one look into his beautiful green eyes he can make my body sizzle, taking my breath away. I love him Josh. It may be hard for you to comprehend, but it’s true. Tell me just how are you going to compete with that?” Rayne finished, her chest heaving with anger.

Josh looked deep into her eyes and knew everything she said was true. As much as he wanted her, he knew he would never be able to win her affections. She was Lance’s period. He looked down at his feet, then met her gaze again. “I’m truly sorry Rayne. I promise I’ll leave you alone. I won’t bother you again.” He turned to leave, but Rayne grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Josh….can’t we at least be friends?”

He gave her his handsome smile, “Of course. Friends.” He leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “See you at the party.”

“See you,” she said as he shut the door behind him.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance had found his way back to the set, heading towards Rayne’s trailer. He had started to get worried when she didn’t show up at the hotel room. The guard at the gate had told him that filming had ran longer than they had planned, setting his mind at ease. He decided still to go see Rayne while he was there. After he went back to the hotel room earlier that morning, he had spent the entire afternoon thinking about their relationship and whether or not he really wanted to end it. After looking through various old photos he kept in his wallet, he had changed his mind once again. Maybe he really could help her find the person she used to be. He knew in his heart that she was still somewhere buried deep inside her, and in knowing that he just couldn’t give up on her without fighting for what they had. As he approached her trailer, he saw Josh walking towards it, still in wardrobe from the move. Josh looked around to see if anyone was watching before knocking on the door. Rayne never even came to the door; Josh just opened it and let himself in. Anger, hurt, betrayal coursed through his veins. How could she stand there, look him in the eyes and tell him there was nothing going on between her and Josh? It was plain to see this visit didn’t have anything to do with the movie. He quickly turned away and stormed off, refusing to even look back over his shoulder. There would be no more looking back. That was the last straw. Tonight he was going to end it once and for all.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The phone to her hotel room rang over five times without an answer. Rayne frowned in concern, knowing Lance should be there still waiting for her. She hung up and quickly dialed his cell phone number. Finally after three rings he answered. “Hello?” Rayne detected a hint of anger in his voice.

“Hey baby, where are you? I tried calling the hotel but there wasn’t an answer. You had me a little worried for a minute there.”

Lance’s jaw clinched as he fought to keep his emotions in tact. He knew this wasn’t the time to get into anything. “I just decided to go for a drive. How did today go?”

“Ugh! It was long. Thank goodness it’s over. I just want to go make an appearance at the wrap party, then just head back to the hotel room for a little ‘quality’ time with a certain someone. Hmmm, I wonder who that could be?” she teased.

“Oh I think I could take a wild guess.”

Rayne giggled like a little schoolgirl. “I’ve missed you Jimmy.” Lance’s heart ached when she called him Jimmy. It was her special name for him. No one but Rayne called him Jimmy. He fought the tears that threatened to fall.

“I miss you too Raynie.” he whispered hoarsely. It was true. He missed her so much it was almost unbearable.

“Well, the party is supposed to start in like an hour or so. Do you want to just meet me there?”

“Yeah. I’ll meet you there.”

“Okay, well let me go. I have to go wash all this stage make-up off my face only to have more war paint applied for the party.” Rayne laughed. “I’ll see you in about an hour.”

“Alright. See you then.”

“I lo….” she began, but she heard a click on the other end. She looked down at the phone in surprise. “Ummm, I love you.” She said to the tone. Rayne was really confused by Lance’s behavior. He never ended a call without telling her he loved her. It just wasn’t like him at all. She shrugged it off and went to start getting ready for the party.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The studio arranged for Rayne, Josh, and the other star of the movie Ben Affleck to arrive together for the party. As they climbed out of the limo, Josh offered Rayne his hand to help her out. She took it with a smile on her face as Ben soon followed them out the car. They posed together for photos as the paparazzi snapped photograph after photograph. Once they made it inside the party, they parted ways, mingling with the guest that had already arrived. Rayne immediately spotted her best friend and fellow actress McKenzie Michaels standing by the bar. She smiled as she approached.

“Hey Kenzie. How’ve you been?” she asked as she kissed her cheek.

“Hey girl. I’ve been okay. Still trying to decide on my next project. You know how hard it is to decide which part would be the best for you to do.”

“Yeah. I know what you mean.”

“I’ll probably do a romantic comedy this time. I’ve done several dramas in a row. I don’t want to be known just for my dramatic acting you know?”

“Yeah of course. You know Lance’s studio is looking to make another movie. Did you read the script to it yet? I believe it’s called ‘Girlfriend.’ It’s a script that he and Joey had been working on, kinda writing it around the story their song ‘Girlfriend’ on their album is about.”

“Actually yes. It sounds like it’s going to be a very sweet story. That’s one of the one’s I’m thinking of accepting. By the way, is Lance coming tonight?”

“He’s supposed to meet me here. Filming ran over today, so I just rode straight from the studios to the part with Josh and Ben.”

“Ahhh, Josh huh?” McKenzie grinned down at her.

“What? Oh come on McKenzie. Nothing is going on between me and Josh Hartnett.”

“Okay. I believe you. I just see the way he looks at you. I know he wants more than friendship.”

“I know he does too.” Rayne leaned in closer to her to whisper. “He came to my trailer today after filming. He said he knew I was attracted to him and he didn’t want me to use the excuse of having a boyfriend to deny wanting him. Can you believe that?”

“Really?” her eyes grew wide in surprise. “What did you say?”

“What do you think I said? I lit into him telling him he didn’t know me at all. Just because I think someone is attractive did not mean I wanted to sleep with them. Beside I love Lance more than anything in the world. No one can make me feel the way he does. All I have to do is look at him and I still get chills sometimes.”

McKenzie sighed, “That’s so sweet. I wish I had that.”

“You will find him one day Kenzie. I know you will.”

“Well, look who just walked in.” McKenzie nodded towards the door. Rayne looked and saw Lance walk in wearing his black Armani suit. Her breath caught in her throat as she watched him scan the room looking for her. Once their eyes met, a small smile played across his lips as Rayne managed to return his smile. He walked towards them, leaning in to give McKenzie a quick kiss before turning his attention to Rayne.

“You look beautiful Raynie,” he whispered as he pulled her in for a hug.

“Thank you. You’re the most handsome man here.”

“Stop you’re making me blush.” he joked, but a slight blush did creep up to his cheeks.

“I mean it Lance.” she looked up at him, a serious expression on her face.

“Thank you.” Rayne hugged him even tighter to her, something inside of her telling her something was wrong. She had absolutely no idea what, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to find out. After a few hours of mingling, Rayne was ready to head back to the hotel room to spend some alone time with Lance. They had so little time together lately. She found Lance laughing and talking with McKenzie and few of the other actors that were still at the party. “Hey.” she smiled, gently linking her arm with his. “Are you ready to head back to the hotel?” Rayne leaned up and softly kissed his ear, sending chills down his spine. Despite his desire for her, he knew once they got to the hotel there wouldn’t be any love making. He wasn’t in a hurry to get into that discussion yet.

“Actually, I’d like to stay a little longer. I haven’t seen McKenzie in a while. I’d like to catch up with her.”

Rayne tried hard to hide the hurt and disappointment in her features, “Oh, ummmm, okay. I’ll just get one of the limos to take me back to the hotel.”

“Okay.” he replied, not even looking at her, returning his attention to the conversation. McKenzie didn’t miss the hurt that flashed in her eyes just before she turned and walked away. She looked up at Lance and could tell something was going on inside his head. She wanted to know exactly what that was.

Rayne held onto her tears until she climbed into the back of the limo and it began to pull away from the party. She buried her face in her hands and let them flow freely down her face, not caring that they would ruin her make-up. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she didn’t know what was going on until it was too late, and suddenly everything went black…..

Chapter Three

 

McKenzie knew something was going on with Lance. She felt like she’d known him long enough to know when something was bothering him. She could also tell that Rayne was hurt when he refused to leave with her.

“Okay Lance. Spill it.”

“Spill what?”

“I know something’s going on with you. You’ve been acting strange all night and you refused to go back to the hotel with Rayne because you wanted to catch up with me? Come on Lance. I know you better than that. What’s going on?”

Lance sighed heavily, “I’m going to break up with Rayne.”

McKenzie felt as if the breath had been knocked out of her. “What? Why? I know you love her.”

“Yes I do, but she’s not the same person I fell in love with. She’s changed. Plus I saw Josh sneaking into her trailer earlier tonight.”

McKenzie’s anger began to surface, “I KNOW you aren’t going to stand there and try to tell me she’s having an affair.”

“Well what do you expect me to think? He’s always all over her and then I see him sneaking into her trailer.”

“You’re supposed to trust her. Just because he’s all over her doesn’t mean she likes it, and how do you know if she even knew he was coming to her trailer?”

“I…” he began to say, but he was interrupted when the director picked up the microphone and began to talk to the crowd.

“Everyone, can I have your attention. I’ve just received word that Rayne Summers was just in a car accident. Someone ran a stop light and hit the limo that was carrying her back to her hotel. There hasn’t been any word on her condition as of yet. In light of this event, I think it’s best that we all go home. I’ll try to keep you all updated on her condition. Thank you for coming out.”

Lance felt as though his heart had just been ripped from his chest. He could barely breath, and all he could think about was getting to Rayne. He looked over at McKenzie’s tear stained face, “I have to go to her.” She simply nodded and followed him out the room. They jumped into his car and sped off to the hospital.

“God, please let her be okay, please….”McKenzie prayed.

“She has to be,” his voice cracking, tears threatening to fall. “She has to be. Please….please God….” When they got to the hospital, the doctors were already working on Rayne. No one would tell them anything of her condition. Reporters were already making camp outside the hospital emergency room, waiting and hoping to get some news on her. Lance sat beside McKenzie in the uncomfortable orange plastic chairs of the emergency room, trying not to imagine the worst. A couple hours later, a doctor finally approached them.

“Mr. Bass?”

“Yes.” Lance answered anxiously, hoping the news would be good.

“I’m Dr. Marshall, I operated on Ms. Summers.”

Lance swallowed hard, “Operated?”

p>“Yes. She had some internal bleeding we had to stop. Luckily I didn’t see much damage, but it was touch and go for a while.”

“Is she going to be okay?” McKenzie asked.

“She’s still unconscious. It’s really a waiting game. Once she wakes up we’ll be better able to access her condition. She’s still not out of the woods yet.”

“Can we see her?” he asked.

“We’ll let you know when she can have visitors.”

“Thank you doctor.” Lance said before he collapsed into one of the chairs. He buried his face in his hands and sighed, “I should have been with her.”

McKenzie sat beside him and put a comforting arm around his shoulder, “Then both of you would be lying on one of those beds.”

“She was all alone Kenzie. What if she was scared?”

“You can’t think like that Lance or you’ll drive yourself insane.”

“I can’t help it. What if she doesn’t make it?”

“I don’t want to hear you talk like that,” McKenzie said harshly. “Besides, you were prepared to live your life without her anyway weren’t you?”

Lance simply stared at her for a moment, a blank expression on his face. McKenzie was right. He had been prepared to walk away from her, but the true reality of what life without her was just hitting him for the first time.

“Lance I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m just as scared as you are.”

“Don’t apologize. You were right. I just never really realized until now what life without her would really be like.”

“Can you promise me something?”

“What’s that?”

“When Rayne pulls through you won’t leave her right away. It might just be too much for her to take.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. I couldn’t leave her like this.”

“I didn’t think you would, but I still had to ask you know.”

“You’re just being a concerned friend. I can’t blame you for that.”

Two hours passed with still no word about Rayne’s condition. Lance was worried before, but by now he was becoming hysterical. He once again made his way to the nurse’s station but no one was there. He craned his head around the corner to make sure no one was near before taking the patient log book from the desk to search for Rayne’s name. Finally he found it at the very bottom of the sheet. Lance’s anger began to boil when he realized she had been put in a room over an hour ago, and no one came to tell them anything. He put the book back in place and found McKenzie.

“Did you find out anything?”

“She’s been in a room for over an hour already and they never told us.”

“You’re kidding?”

“No I’m not.”

“I hope you gave them a piece of your mind.”

“Actually I didn’t.”

“Lance…” she began to argue.

“There was no one at the nurse’s station.”

McKenzie frowned in confusion, “Then how do you know she’s in a room?”

“Because I looked at their patient log book.”

“Lance!” she exclaimed. A slow smile spread across her face. “I’m very proud of you.”

Lance laughed softly, “Well thanks. I’m going to go find her room. Are you coming?”

“Why don’t I stay here in case the doctor or nurse comes?”

“Okay. I’ll try to let you know something as soon as possible.”

“Okay. Give her a hug for me.”

“I will.” Lance said as he began to wander the halls. He finally found the ICU unit and managed to sneak inside without being seen. Once he found her room, he quietly entered. The room was very dark, and all he could hear was the sounds of the various machines surrounding her bed. The closer he got to her bed, he realized she was crying. Lance immediately went to her and sat down beside her. “Shhhh don’t cry baby. Everything’s going to be okay.”

She looked up at him, confusion in her features as she took his hand in hers, “Help me please.”

“I’m here. Just tell me what you need.” he whispered as he stroked her hair.

Tears began to fall even harder down her battered face, “Please…please tell me who I am….”

Chapter Four

 

The realization of what Rayne asked hit him hard. It felt as though someone had knocked the breath out of him.

< you who remember don’t>

Rayne’s tears were continuously falling, “No. Please help me.”

Just the desperation in her voice caused his heart to ache. “Let me go find the doctor okay?”

She desperately clutched his arm, “Please don’t leave me. I’m afraid to be alone.”

“Rayne sweetie, I promise I’ll be right back.”

“Rayne? Is that my name?”

“Yes. Your name is Rayne Summers. My name is Lance.”

“I can’t remember.” she whispered softly. “Please come back soon Lance. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I will.” he smiled softly, kissing her hand before quietly shutting the door behind him. He collapsed against the wall trying to come to terms with what had just happened in that room. The Rayne he knew and loved was not the scared, confused woman lying on that hospital bed. He had to find a doctor to find out what was going on. He walked u to the nurses station, determination set in his features. “I need to speak to a doctor regarding Rayne Summers.”

“Sir if you’ll have a seat in the waiting room the doctor should be with you shortly.”

“Look, I’m not in the mood for this. We’ve been waiting for hours now and not one word of information has been given. I finally find out on my own what room she’s in only then to find out she doesn’t remember who SHE is much less me. I want to talk to a doctor NOW!” Lance’s voice got higher and higher as he went on. The nurse was absolutely flabbergasted.

“Yes well….I’ll page Dr. Gamble right away sir.”

“Thank you,” he stormed off to the waiting room and found McKenzie there reading a tabloid magazine.

“Hey, did you know I was dating Ewan McGregor? According to this I’m carrying his love child and he’s leaving his wife for me.” McKenzie laughed, then looked up to see the terrified expression on Lance’s face. “Oh my God…what’s wrong?”

“She….she’s lost her memory.” he whispered. McKenzie’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped in horror, fighting her tears. “She’s so scared Kenzie. I just don’t know what to do.” They collapsed into each others arms and let their tears fall. Moments later a doctor appeared behind them. She offered them a sympathetic smile.

“Hello. I’m Dr. Gamble. I’m the attending physician tonight. Are you here for Ms. Summers?”

“Yes we are. Please tell me what’s happening to her doctor.” Lance pleaded.

She sighed before she began, “Well Mr. Bass, she suffered a hard blow to the head in the crash.”

“Is that what caused her the memory loss?” McKenzie asked.

“Unfortunately yes. This isn’t uncommon with head trauma.”

“How long will it be before she regains her memory?” he asked.

“I can’t answer that question. Believe me I wish I could. She could regain it in a few days, weeks, months, even years. She may never regain full memory. That’s highly unlikely, but not impossible.”

“What can we do? Is there anything we can do to help her?” Lance asked.

“Talk to her, show her pictures and things from her life to try to jog her memory.”

“What about the fact that she’s a famous actress? Should we get into that?” McKenzie asked.

“Normally I would say not at first, but when you take her home there’s going to be a lot of cameras going off and reporters shoving microphones at her. In this case I’d say tell her.”

“When can I see her again? I promised I’d be back. She was afraid to be alone.”

“Visiting hours are actually over, but I’ll tell the nurse to let you in. We’ll even get you a cot if you want to stay the night.”

“Thank you doctor. Do you know when we’ll be bale to take her home?”

“In a few days. I want to monitor her here for a while to make sure she’s okay.”

“Thank you again Dr. Gamble.” McKenzie smiled as she shook her hand. Lance stood there for a moment letting what the doctor said sink in. “Should I just wait here and let you go back to her?”

“Come with me. I don’t know if I can do this alone.”

“Okay.” McKenzie smiled, taking ahold of Lance’s hand as they walked back to her room. When they got there, a nurse was just leaving the room.

“I just gave her a shot to relax her. She’ll be out in a few minutes.” she smiled as she left the room. When they walked further into the room, Rayne offered Lance a small smile.

"You came back.”

“I promised you didn’t I?” he smiled down at her, taking her hand in his as he sat down on the bed beside her.

Rayne looked over Lance’s shoulder at McKenzie, “Who’s she?”

“That is McKenzie. She’s your best friend.”

“Hey sweetie.” she smiled down at her, softly stroking her hair.

“I’m sorry….I just don’t remember.”

“That’s okay honey. We’re going to help you remember. You’ll see.” McKenzie said, trying to sound encouraging.

“Lance…how do you know me?” Rayne asked.

“We’ve been together for over three years now.”

“Oh..” she blushed slightly. She yawned softly, the drugs were beginning to effect her, “I’m tired.”

“You sleep. We’ll be here when you wake up. I promised I wouldn’t leave you remember.” Lance smiled, kissing her forehead softly as Rayne’s eyes began to close. Half an hour later, an orderlie brought in a cot for Lance to sleep on for the night.

“I’m going to head out. Will you be okay?” McKenzie asked.

“Yeah, I’ll just go to sleep. Will you be back tomorrow?”

“Of course I will. Do you want me to stop by Rayne’s to get a change of clothes for you?”

“Actually, all my things are at the Palace Hotel.”

“A hotel?” McKenzie began to ask, but she stopped herself when she remembered he had been planning on leaving her. “Do you want me to go there for you?”

“That would be great. Here’s the key.” Lance hugged McKenzie before she headed out. “Thank you for everything McKenzie.”

“You’re welcome Lance. You’re both my best friends in the world. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you guys. I’ll be back in the morning okay.”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, oh and I won’t say anything to the press.”

“Thanks.” he smiled at her as she closed the door behind her.

The cot the hospital provided for Lance wasn’t very comfortable, but he knew he wouldn’t be sleeping much anyway that night. He spent most of the night watching Rayne as she slept, afraid that if he fell asleep she would be gone when he woke up. A couple of hours after McKenzie left. Lance finally fell into a fitful sleep. When he woke the next morning, he groaned slightly at his stiff muscles from his fitful sleep the night before. He sat up, yawning his eyes slowly adjusting to the early morning sun that filtered in the room. He looked over at Rayne and saw her staring over at him. He smiled over at her and she gave him a small smile in return.

“Good morning.” he said.

“Mornin’ You couldn’t have slept well on that thing last night.”

He shrugged his shoulders, “Well, I’ll be okay. I’m just a little stiff.”

“And all wrinkled. You’re wearing a tux. Were you at a party?”

Lance looked down at his tux then back up at Rayne, wondering how he should tell her about her life. “We were actually at a party.”

She frowned, “We were? We were there together?”

“Yes we were.”

“If we were there together why was I the only one in the crash?”

“Because you left the party before me. I was still there when I found out about the accident.”

“Oh.” she pondered for a moment. “What was the party for?”

“It was a wrap party for the movie you had just finished filming.” He eyed her closely as she tried to let what he just told her sink in.

“Movie? Are you trying to tell me I’m an actress?”

“Yes you are. You’re Rayne Summers the superstar. You’re one of the top actresses in the business right now.”

Rayne was silent for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter, “Yeah right. Who am I really?”

Lance didn’t know how to make her believe what he was telling her. Suddenly an idea popped into his head. He walked over to her bed and reached for the remote, quickly flipping the channels until he found MTV. “I’ll let you see for yourself. It’s almost 8am. They usually do a quick news brief at 10 before the hour. They should have something about you on there.” They both watched the videos in silence until MTV news finally popped onto the TV screen.

‘Good morning, I’m Soujin with your MTV news brief. Actress Rayne Summers was reportedly injured in a car accident late last night. There haven’t been any reports on her condition. Representatives of Ms. Summers have yet to release a statement. She had just finished filming her move ‘Pearl Harbor’ earlier yesterday. On her way home from the wrap party, a car ran a red light, slamming into the limousine that was carrying her back to her hotel. Long time boyfriend Lance Bass of NSYNC was not in the car, but it has been said that he’s been at the hospital with her all night. That’s the news for now. Stay tuned for another update at 10 to the hour right here on MTV.’

Once she finished her report, Lance turned the TV off and looked over at her. “Do you believe me now?” he asked quietly.

Rayne’s expression was one of pure shock. She couldn’t help but be a little overwhelmed by it all. “I…I guess so.”

Lance gently took her hand, “I know it’s a lot for you to take in, but I’m here for you and I’m not leaving your side okay.”

Rayne gave him a small, grateful smile. “Thank you Lance. I know this must be hard for you.”

“Don’t worry about me. I just want to do whatever I can to help you get your memory back.”

“I can’t begin to describe what it’s like for me. It’s like I’m walking in a fog. Shadows dancing in the distance, but they never come close enough for me to truly see them.” She blushed slightly when she looked up and saw Lance staring down at her, his expression blank. “I’m sorry. That sounds stupid doesn’t it?”

“Not at all. I just wish there was something I could do to help you more.”

“You are helping me. Just keep doing what you’re doing, and I think you’ll help me more than I know.”

“I think I can do that.” he smiled, gently taking her hand, bringing it up to his lips placing a soft kiss across her fingers. Rayne felt something inside her stir and tingle at his sweet gesture. Somehow she knew that they really did have something special. She just hoped she could remember who she was so she could get back to her life.

 

Chapter Five

 

McKenzie arrived about half an hour later with a change of clothes for Lance. While he was changing, Rayne grilled McKenzie.

< happy I and Lance was>

McKenzie paused for a moment, not really sure how to answer her question. Should she be brutally honest with her or should she stretch the truth. “I’ve never seen two people more in love than you and Lance. I’ve often said I’d love to have the kind of relationship that you and Lance have. The way you two love each other is amazing.”

Rayne smiled softly, but it soon faded. “I don’t know. I just get this feeling that there’s something else I’m missing. I mean there’s a LOT of things missing in my head, but….” She laughed nervously, “I guess the amnesia is really getting to me.”

“Honey, you’ll get your memory back. Lance and I will do everything in our power to help you.”

“I really appreciate everything. I don’t know what I would do if it hadn’t been for you and Lance.”

“We’ll always be there for you.”

“What about my family? Do they know about the accident?”

McKenzie’s face fell, “I don’t know how to tell you this, but you don’t have any family. Your parents died when you were 17 and you don’t have any siblings.” McKenzie’s heart broke when tears began to fall down Rayne’s cheeks. “Sweetie, please don’t cry. I know this is so hard for you.”

“Why can’t I remember? Everything is such a blur. I hate this feeling.” she sniffled. Lance emerged from the bathroom in a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt. He immediately went to her side when he realized she was crying.

“Rayne, what’s wrong?”

“She asked me about her family.” McKenzie answered softly. Lance sighed heavily, pulling Rayne tight against his chest.

“Shhh, it’s okay. McKenzie and I won’t leave your side I promise you.” Rayne clung desperately to him as her tears continued to fall.

“I just want my life back. I want to remember who I am, why you love me, why I loved you, what brought us together, and I just can’t.”

“You will. You just have to give it some time sweetie.” McKenzie stroked her hair. Dr. Gamble came in to examine her at that moment. McKenzie decided to go get something to drink from the cafeteria while the doctor examined her. At Rayne’s request, Lance was allowed to stay by her side.

“Well Ms. Summers, everything looks to be healing well. As long as you continue doing this well, you should be released in a few days. I’ll come back later tonight to check on you. If you need anything have the nurses page me.”

“Thank you Dr Gamble.” Rayne smiled as the doctor left her room.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Over the next few days, Lance barely left Rayne’s side. She still had yet to remember anything, but she was slowly beginning to come to terms with it. The day of her release finally came. Lance of course was there right on time to pick her up from the hospital. They were bombarded by reporters and cameras as he wheeled her out of the hospital. Security guards held them back, clearing the way for Lance to get Rayne safely to his car. Once they were on the road, heading away from the hospital, he looked over at her and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I just really wasn’t expecting that.”

“I should have warned you more about that.”

“You told me it could be crazy. I guess I just didn’t realize how crazy it would be.” She smiled bravely, “So are we going to my house?”

“Not right away. We’re going to go to McKenzie’s first. The press are swarming around your place too.”

“But, how am I going to remember anything if I’m around anything familiar?”

“Don’t worry. We took some of your things from your house and brought them to McKenzie’s.” They rode the rest of the way to McKenzie’s in silence. When they got there, McKenzie had some home movies set up for them to watch. Rayne’s eyes were glued to the television as she watched her pieces of her life on the screen. The first video they watched was some behind the scenes stuff Joey shot during the making of ‘On The Line’.

“This was the movie where we first met.” Lance explained as Rayne continued to watch the screen. Lance chased after her, finally catching her, only to tickle her mercilessly. “We had just started dating maybe a few weeks prior to this.” She laughed as she watched herself on screen. The couple looked so happy. When the video was over, Rayne looked at Lance with a sad smile.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I’m sorry for ruining what we had. I’m sorry I can’t be who I once was.”

“Rayne, I want you to stop punishing yourself for something you had absolutely no control over. This is not your fault and you will remember who you are. I know in my heart that you can do this.” He pulled her into his embrace. She snuggled deep into his chest, feeling so safe and secure there.

“I’m so tired.” she mumbled against his chest.

“Do you want to take a nap?”

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Come on sweetie, I’ll show you to the guest room.” McKenzie smiled as she led Rayne down the hall to her guest room. Once she was settled in, she made her way back to the living room where Lance was. He was sitting on the couch, watching the video again. She sat down beside him, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. “How are you holding up?”

“It’s so hard Kenzie. I hate seeing her so lost and I don’t know how to help her.”

“Just keep doing what you’ve been doing. Be here to support her, to encourage her, to tell her about your life. That’s all either of us can do.” Neither of them heard Rayne get up and walk into the kitchen. She stood at the doorway to the living room, listening to them talk about her for a moment.

“Do you think everything happens for a reason?”

“Why do you ask?”

“I mean I was ready to walk away….then this happened.”

“Maybe there is truth to that ‘everything happens for a reason’ stuff. Maybe in some strange way destiny was trying to tell you this really is where you need to be.” Rayne stood there confused. She wasn’t sure exactly what they were talking about, but something was telling her it wasn’t anything good. She looked down at the glass of water in her hand, then headed back to the guest bedroom to take her much needed nap.

Chapter Six

 

 

When Rayne woke, she headed back towards the living room. She noticed some suitcases by the foyer and frowned. Lance and McKenzie were in the kitchen making dinner.

“Hey,” Lance smiled when he saw her. He stood and kissed her cheek. “How was your nap?”

“Good.” she smiled. “Is someone going somewhere? I saw the suitcases.”

“You are.” Rayne frowned as she looked up at Lance. Did he really want to get rid of her?

“Me?”

“I’m taking you back to Orlando.”

“Orlando? But I thought you said I lived here.”

“You have a place in both cities, but you spend most of your time here in LA. I thought some time away from all the reporters and photographers would do you some good. Besides, Orlando is where we met.”

“You’re coming with me?”

“Of course I am. I promised you’d I’d stay by your side remember?” Lance smiled softly as he caressed her cheek. Rayne smiled, relieved.

“Okay. When are we leaving?”

“Tomorrow morning.”

McKenzie finally spoke, “Are you hungry sweetie?”

“Starving.”

“Good, ‘cause I made plenty of pasta.”

“Are you coming too McKenzie?”

“Maybe a little later on, but not at first. I think a little alone time would be good for you and Lance. Maybe it would help you reconnect to your past or something.” Rayne looked shyly up at Lance, not really sure what to say to McKenzie’s suggestion.

“I think she’s right.” he rubbed her back gently. “Let’s eat. We have a long flight tomorrow.”

The next morning, Lance and Rayne got ready to head to the airport. They wore dark glasses and baseball caps, and McKenzie snuck them out the back way so the reporters wouldn’t follow them. Half an hour later, they had arrived to the airport, boarded their private plane, and headed off to Florida. Neither one spoke until they were safely in the air.

“Do we always fly on private planes?”

“Sometimes. I thought considering the circumstances this would be the best way to go.”

“Do we own this plane?”

“My record company does.”

“Record company?”

“Yeah, I’m in a group called NSYNC.”

“But I thought you were an actor like me.”

“Well, first and foremost I’m a musician. The acting thing came along a few years later.” Rayne unbuckled herself and took a seat on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest. Lance followed her over, sitting close enough to her so he could pull her feet into his lap. He slowly began to rub her feet. Rayne closed her eyes and let herself relax. “What are you thinking about?” he asked as he continued to rub her feet.

“I’m just relishing the fact that we are far away from everything, miles high above everyone else……” her voice trailed off. Something was coming back to her, images began to cloud her mind, as she concentrated, trying to make them become clearer. Suddenly she could see….she could see everything as it really happened.


~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Come on,” Lance begged as he kissed up and down her neck. “Don’t you want to be a member of the mile high club?” he wagged his eyebrows suggestively causing her to giggle.

“You’re so bad.” she tried to ignore how good his lips felt on her body, but she was failing miserably. “Lance, we can’t. One of the crew might walk in any minute.”

“That’s part of the excitement of it. Come on baby, I need you.” he nibbled on her bottom lip, knowing how that drove her insane. She groaned softly as his hands began to caress her breasts through the thin flowered dress she wore. Rayne knew he won, he almost always did. He always knew what how to touch her and make her want for more. She turned to him, kissing his lips passionately as she lay down on the couch. Lance followed her, already positioned between her legs. His expert hands reached under her dress, tearing her panties away from her body causing her to giggle.

“I love you Lance,” she whispered breathlessly as he entered her.

“I love you Raynie, I love you,” he mumbled over and over as they made love.


~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Rayne? Rayne, are you okay?” she was brought from her memories when Lance touched her shoulder. She looked up at him with a jerk. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I think so…..” a slow smile spread across her face. “I think I just remembered something.”

“Really?” he asked, surprised.

“Yeah. It was a memory of you and me…on this same airplane. You uh…..” a blush crept into her cheeks and she turned her eyes away. “You made me a member of the mile high club.” Lance even blushed a little as he chuckled softly.

“At least it was a fun memory right?”

“So it really happened? It wasn’t just in my mind?”

“No, it happened.” he whispered softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. Suddenly the plane hit an air pocket. The turbulence sent Rayne flying into Lance’s lap. He caught her, holding onto her tightly.

“I’m sorry.” she said, so softly he could barely hear her.

“Shhh, don’t apologize.” Lance softly stroked her cheek, feeling himself getting lost in her eyes. As he looked down at her, he saw the woman he had fallen in love with. The woman he so desperately wanted back in his life. He couldn’t help himself. Lance slowly leaned down and brushed his lips across hers, lingering only for a moment before he pulled away. “I’m glad you remembered something Raynie.”

“Me too.” she smiled, enjoying the feeling of being in his arms. She felt so safe and warm, like it was home to her. “Thank you Lance.”

“For what?”

“For being here with me, for loving me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that. I just want you to remember who you really were. The person behind the movie star, the woman I love.” Rayne eyed him strangely for a moment feeling as though there was something he wasn’t telling her.

“Lance, is there something I should know? Something about the person I was?” Lance looked away for a moment, then met her gaze once more.

“All you need to know is that you were and ARE a terrific person. That’s all.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, still not quite believing him.

“Yeah I’m sure. Why don’t you try to take a nap? It’s a long ride.” Rayne simply nodded, laying her head in his lap. He softly stroked her hair as she fell asleep. Part of him selfishly wished she wouldn’t regain her full memory. In the state she’s in now, she might not be able to accept the person she had turned into over the years after her success. All he knew for sure was that he was falling in love with her all over again, and he was scared to death that something was going to happen to take it away from him.

Chapter Seven

 

A few hours later, they arrived in Orlando. Surprisingly enough, none of the press had gotten wind of where they were headed. When they got off the plane, they were taken directly from the private air strip to Rayne’s secluded house on the outskirts of Orlando. Rayne drank in the sites hungrily, hoping something would spark some kind of memory. When they turned down the long, winding drive, another memory flashed in her mind…


~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne stopped her car just as she turned into the long driveway and looked over at the man sitting beside her with a smile. Lance eyed her suspiciously, not quite sure what his girlfriend was up to.

“Close your eyes.” she softly commanded. His eyebrow quirked up in question causing Rayne to giggled. “Come on Lance, humor me.” He sighed heavily, but did as she asked. Once she was satisfied that he wasn’t peeking, she continued to make her way down the drive.

“What’s going on here Raynie? Why do I have to keep my eyes closed?”

“I wanted you to be the first person to see this.” was all she would say. A few minutes later, Rayne pulled her car to a stop. She could barely contain her excitement as she ran to the passenger door to pull Lance out. “Keep your eyes closed for me.” Lance laughed softly, but obliged her. Once she had him standing where she wanted him, she was ready for him to finally see it. “Open your eyes,” she whispered against his ear causing him to shiver slightly. When he finally opened his eyes, he was taken aback. He was standing in front of a large cream colored Spanish style house with a red tile roof. It was surrounded by dozens of trees and flower bushes, making it look like a house you’d find off the beaches of Mexico. Rayne waited impatiently for him to say something, but no words ever came. “Well???”

“It’s amazing,” he smiled down at her, happy to see his reaction made her happy. “Who’s place is this?”

“That’s the best part….it’s ours!” she squealed in excitement. He was speechless for a moment.

“Ours?”

“Yes! I mean I know you already have a house here in Orlando, but I wanted to have a special place that just the two of us know about that we could call our own. It will be our own little tropical paradise here in Florida,” her arms encircling his waist tighter and tighter with each word she spoke. She looked up at him, her blue eyes shining with all the love and life within her. At that moment, Lance knew she was the woman he’d spend the rest of his days loving.

“I love it,” he whispered against her lips.

“I’m so glad you love it,” she said as she nuzzled his chest. “Come on,” she began to pull him towards the house. “I want to show you everything inside. Besides,” she looked over his shoulder, giving him her best seductive glance, “There are lots of rooms that need christening.”

“Well, it’s a tough job, but I think I’m up for the challenge,” he grinned as he chased her inside the house……


~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne blinked quickly as the flashback ended in her mind. When she focused once more on the road in front of them, she realized they were headed for the very house she had just saw in her mind. A happy smile spread across her face and she turned to Lance.

“I bought this house for us. It was to be our…” she paused as she tried to remember exactly what she had said in the flashback. “…our own little tropical paradise here in Florida.” Lance seemed startled by her words, but a smile quickly spread across his handsome face.

“Yes. You had another memory?”

“Yes. I remembered the day I brought you here for the first time. I had you close your eyes until we were standing in front of the house.” As the car circled in front of the house, Rayne gasped. It was more beautiful than in the flashback she had just had. “Oh, my….” was all she could say.

“I’m so happy you’re starting to remember. Before long, you’ll remember everything about your life and our life together. You’ll even remember all my habits you hated,” he chuckled as they got out of the car. Rayne couldn’t help the laugh that bubbled up inside her.

“It’s hard to imagine you had any habits I hated. At the moment you’re perfect.”

“Oh no! Please don’t think that. You’ll be sadly disappointed in the end.”

“I find that hard to believe,” she said as they made their way inside the house.

“I called the landlord and had her come and open up the house for us. It looks like she even got us some groceries,” Lance said as he looked in the refrigerator. “Do you want something to eat or something to drink?”

“Water with lemon,” the words tumbled from her lips before she even thought about the answer. Her hand flew to her lips and she stared up at Lance in shock. “Is that right?”

“It’s your favorite drink,” he smiled as he pulled out a bottle of water and one of the lemons. Rayne smiled brightly, thrilled that she was remembering more and more, and happy that Lance was there to share it with her. “Voila, your water with lemon my lady.” Rayne took the glass and rank from it until there was nothing left but the lemon wedge. He watched her with an amused expression on his face, “Were you thirsty?”

She blushed, “I guess so.”

“Do you want some more?”

“Maybe after we’ve unpacked. Where is the bedroom?” Lance grabbed her bag and led her to the large master suite. Rayne was again awed by it’s beauty. A large, cherry four poster bed sat in the middle of the room with matching nightstands on each side. A matching entertainment center stood directly against the wall in front of the bed. There was a large walk in closet as well as a big private bathroom. “Wow, this is so lovely.”

He nodded, “Well, I’ll leave you to do your unpacking. I’ll go to the spare room to get settled.”

“Spare room?”

“Well, I figured you might not be comfortable sharing a room with me.”,/p>

“I…I’d like it if you’d stay. I mean, it might help me regain more of my memory if we continue to do things we used to do. Even just sleeping together.” she looked down as a blush crept into her cheeks. He smiled, bringing his hand up to gently caress her cheek.

“I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” She smiled, relieved. Lance went and got his bag and they began to unpack. Half an hour later, they decided to put on their suits and lay out by the pool. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. Rayne watched him as he lay his towel out across the lounge chair, the muscles in his back moving in the most sexy way. She felt herself begin to grow warmer by the minute, but it wasn’t from the Florida sun. She quickly adverted her eyes, not wanting him to see her watching him the way she was. She busied herself rubbing sunscreen over every part of her she could reach, they lay back and closed her eye behind her Calvin Klein shades. Rayne began to doze off as the warmth of the sun relaxed her body. As her body relaxed, her mind drifted off into the deep recesses of her mind. The part of her mind that was just beginning to help her see parts of her past that had been forgotten.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Lance, could you rub some lotion on my back. I don’t want to burn.” She murmured into the towel as she lay down on her stomach. A slow grin spread across his face, one that she couldn’t see. He grabbed the bottle of sunscreen, untied the strings on the top of her bikini, poured the cool liquid onto her back, smiling at the sound of her soft gasp. His hands began to move slowly over her back, gently massaging the lotion into her soft skin. Rayne moaned at the feel of his magical hands on her back. He was finished with the task she had asked him to perform, but he had other things in mind. His hands roamed down from her back to her firm backside and down her shapely legs. Rayne smiled to herself against the towel. She knew exactly what he was doing, and she wasn’t going to stop him. His hands made their way back up her body, still massaging as he went. Lance rubbed her shoulders, her biceps, then let his hands travel down her sides as he felt the sides of her breasts. He heard Rayne sigh in contentment, which only encouraged his exploration. She gasped when his hands found their way underneath her to cup her breasts. Her nipples instinctively hardening as he continued his assault on her senses. Once he knew he had her exactly where he wanted her, he pulled away from her.

“All done.” Rayne’s eyes snapped open and she looked up at him in disbelief. He began to back away from her, but her hand quickly darted out grabbing a hold of the top of his swimming trunks.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back over to my chair.”

“Oh no you don’t. You’re going to finish what you started.”

“What did I do? I just put lotion on you like you asked me to do.” he looked down at her innocently.

“Oh really?” she said as she stood up from the chair, not bothering to retie her top, leaving her clad only in her bikini bottoms. She looked absolutely beautiful with her blue eyes full of desire, her breasts heaving as she breathed. He fought to keep from pulling her down back onto the chair and taking her, but he managed to keep his own desires under control. She stalked towards him with her hands on her hips. “How is it that you think you can do what you just did to me and not follow through with it?” He began backing away from her as she moved forward. Before he knew it, he was falling backwards into the pool. When he came up sputtering, he saw her standing on the edge laughing at him. “That’s EXACTLY what you deserved buddy!”

“Oh yeah?” he asked as he grabbed her hand and pulled her into the pool with him. She let out a low shriek before she hit the water. When she come back up, they began to wrestle in the water, laughing and having fun with each other. Lance finally backed her up against the side of the pool and held her hands down by her sides so she couldn’t move. “Do you give?”

“Never,” she whispered her bare chest pressed hard against his. He leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away from his lips. When he looked into her eyes, he saw mischief deep within their depths. He went for the kiss again, and she again dodged his lips. This time he didn’t retreat, he immediately went in for the kiss again, this time capturing her lips. That’s all it took for her to completely yield to his advances. She opened her mouth instinctively, darting her tongue out to play with his in their playful game of cat and mouse. The playfulness was forgotten moments later, as their kisses became more and more intense. Her fingers ran through his hair, holding him in place, not wanting his lips to leave hers. His hands reached between their bodies and untied her bottoms. Neither one seemed to notice them when they floated up to the top of the water beside them, followed by his own trunks. He entered her quickly, his thrusts quick and urgent. Both needed each other too badly to want to prolong their release. Lance, feeling his coming fast, reached down between their wet bodies and found her most sensitive spot. It only took the slightest pressure on that tender bundle of nerves to cause her to cry out his name as her release came. That was all it took for him to follow her over the edge to ecstasy. He slowly pulled out of her warm body, but still held her close, feeling her heartbeat beginning to slow down in the aftermath of their love making. He placed slow kisses along her shoulder and up her neck.

“I love you so much,” he whispered against her ear, and he felt her arms pull him closer.

“I love you more,” she smiled against his hair. They continued to hold each other for a long time afterwards.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne jerked suddenly, her breathing slightly labored simply from the memories of that moment she shared with Lance in that very pool. She looked over at Lance and he didn’t seem to notice that she just woke up from another memory. Her body seemed on fire still from the memories of Lance making love to her. She watched his chest gently rise and fall as he breathed. It was amazing to her how something so simple, normal, and everyday could be so damn sexy. It made her want him even more. But what could she do? She’d lost her memory. She wasn’t even sure of who she was. How could she possibly want to be with this man so intimately? She knew the answer to that question. She might not remember who she was, but from just the few memories she had of her and Lance she knew they shared a special and powerful love for one another. That was the one thing she was certain of. She cleared her throat and threw her legs over the side of the chair. Lance looked over at her, his sunglasses pulled down over the tip of his nose so he could get a better look at her.

“Is everything okay?”

“Um, yeah. It’s time to turn over. I thought you might want me to rub some sunscreen on your back for you.” she finished quickly while she still had the nerve.

“That’d be great,” he smiled as he sat up on the chair, turning his back to her. She poured some lotion in her hands and began to rub the smooth lotion all over his back. Rayne raked her nails down his back before smoothing her hands back over him. Lance stiffened a little. How could she have known that’s the way she always put lotion on him? He looked over his shoulder and watched her face as she continued to rub his back. Her eyes were blocked from his view behind her dark lenses, but a faint smile played on her lips.

“I had another memory,” she said softly.

“You did? What was it this time?”

A blush crept into her cheeks, but that didn’t stop her “We were out here by the pool. I asked you to put lotion on my back. You did, but you didn’t stop there. Once you got me all riled up, you stopped. Do you remember it?”

He smiled softly, “Well, I’ve done that many times over the years. It’s hard to pinpoint any one time specific.” Rayne laughed, but continued her description of the memory she had.

“I got up and started towards you. You backed away and fell into the pool. When you came back up and saw me laughing at you, you pulled me into the pool too. We played around a bit in the pool until you finally pinned me against the side of the pool. We started to kiss….and things progressed from there.” As she recalled her memory to him, all of the feelings she felt for him seemed to completely take over her. Her hands went from rubbing his back to snaking around his body to explore his chest. “Do you remember now?"

“Yes,” he managed to say, his voice tight as he fought to keep his own emotions in check. All the memories she had been having of them had been of the good times. The times when Rayne was the woman he fell deeply in love with. He wanted her back so desperately. Lance reached up and pulled her shades off her lovely face, laying them beside his that he already discarded. Inside their blue depths, he saw the woman he loved trying desperately to regain control. It was almost too much for him to bare. Rayne could see Lance fighting his own emotions, unsure of what he should do. She realized as she looked at him just how much he had loved her.

“You really loved me didn’t you?”

He nodded slowly, “I love you still.” She reached up and caressed his cheek, her eyes brimming with tears.

“I want you to make love to me Lance.” He was silent for a moment.

“I’m not sure that’s such a good idea Rayne. You don’t even remember who you are.”

“That’s why I want you to make love to me. I want to feel your love washing over me, so I can get back to be that person you love so much. That’s what I want most Lance. I want to be the woman you love.” He knew she meant every word she said, which was making it so hard for him to resist.

“I just…I just don’t want to do anything that might hurt you.”

“You won’t hurt me Lance. I want you to love me….please just love me,” she begged as she found all her courage to kiss him. He didn’t respond at first, his mind and his heart telling him to do two different things. The moment her tongue darted across his lips he was lost. He moaned in defeat as he pulled her down into his lap, immediately deepening the kiss. Her hands began to make their way down his chest. Before they could begin to undo the button of his shorts, he stopped her, pulling away from her suddenly as he tried to control his breathing. “What? Why did you stop?”

“I don’t want to make love to you in this chair.” He stood and held out his hand for her. She immediately placed her small hand in his and he pulled her to her feet. “I want to make love to you in our bed. We spent many nights loving all night long on that bed.” She nodded as Lance easily picked her up and carried her inside to their bedroom. He lay her back against the soft cream comforter of the bed, her long beautiful hair falling from the clip that had once held it in place, fanning out to frame her face. “You’re so beautiful Raynie,” he whispered as he climbed onto the bed beside her pulling her into his arms once more. “Are you sure this is what you really want?” he gently caressed her cheek. “We can stop now.”

Rayne wrapped her arms around his waist, her lips just inches from his “Don’t stop.” She crushed her lips to his, giving him no more opportunities to object. Her nails running down his back as her tongue played with his. He was losing himself in her again, and there was nothing he wanted more than to make love to her, to show her without words just how much he cherished her. He kissed her from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, not leaving one inch of her body untouched. She lay beneath him, her eyes closed as she just let herself feel everything Lance was doing to her. Every time she tried to touch him, or kiss him he would pull away.

“Tonight is all about you Raynie. Just let me love you,” he would whisper against her skin causing her to shiver. He worshiped every inch of her, until she was writhing beneath him, unable to take his sweet torture any longer.

“Please Lance. I need you please,” she cried her cheeks flushed as she looked up at him, her eyes full of desire…..and could he possibly see love in their depths? ‘No,’ he told himself. ‘She’s just caught up in the heat of the moment.’ He positioned himself at her entrance and entered her slowly. Once she had adjusted to his size, she began to move beneath him, urging him to work his magic. He kept his pace painfully slow, wanting her to feel every ounce of love radiating from him. They loved for what seemed like hours before they both fell over the edge, completely spent from their intense love-making. He pulled her back up against his chest as sleep began to take over.

“I love you Raynie.”

She lay there for a while afterwards, remembering the feel of him loving her. Her mind was clouded with doubt when it came to who she was, but somehow in the middle of all that fog that surrounded her memory she knew a lot of the person she was was because he loved her so much. As the blanket of sleep finally began to close over her, there was only one thing on her mind. She was falling in love with Lance all over again……and it felt good.

Chapter Eight

 

Rayne tossed and turned all night long, her sleep filled with vision after vision of what her life used to be. Unlike her previous ones, these showed a side of her that she didn’t like at all.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“…..absolutely not,” she said into her cell phone as they walked into their getaway house. Lance followed behind her carrying their bags, his disappointment evident in his eyes. She hadn’t gotten off that dreaded phone with her agent since they landed at the airport over forty five minutes ago. “I told you I was not going to do that damn movie. The director and I don’t get along at all. I refuse to work with him.” There was a pause, her agent was obviously arguing with her, “I don’t care Frank.” As they continued to argue, Lance took their things to their room and began to unpack. When he was finished, he emerged from their room in his swimming trunks to find her still arguing on her phone. She didn’t even acknowledge him as he walked past her towards the pool. An hour later, Lance walked back in the house. She wasn’t on her phone any longer, but she had four scripts spread out in front of her, still not even noticing he was in the room.

“I thought this was supposed to be our vacation.” he said, trying to control his frustration.

Rayne still didn’t even glance his way, “Sorry, but I have to decide which one of these I’m going to do next.”

“Do you want my opinion? You used to care about what I thought.”

Rayne sighed, finally looking up at him from her spot on the floor. “Lance, are you trying to start a fight with me?”

“No, but at least if you would argue with me you’d notice I’m actually here with you. I have a career of my own too you know. I’m supposed to be recording the new album with the guys, but I rearranged my recording schedule so I could spend a few days alone with you. I know you’re a big movie star, but in case you’ve forgotten I’m a big music star. It’s not like you’re the only one with a career, but unlike you I care enough about our relationship to take time out of my schedule to be with you.” he was yelling by the time he finished. Rayne stared up at him, her expression completely blank. Suddenly she burst out laughing. Lance stared down at her confused.

“You know I almost believed you were actually angry at me,” she stood up and kissed the tip of his nose. “I’m going to take a bath and reread some of these scripts.” Just like that, the conversation was over and she disappeared into the bedroom. Lance collapsed into the sofa, his face in his hands. For the last year he watched the woman he loved more than anything slowly change into a person he could barely stand to look at. What had happened to the woman he loved?


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne woke with a start. As her memories began to slowly return, she would watch scenes replay in her mind as if she were watching a movie. It was strange seeing herself like that, but it was really helping her see things from a totally new perspective. She couldn’t believe how horrible she was to him. All he wanted was for her to spend a little time with him and she completely blew him off. He even told her how he felt and she acted as if he was merely joking around. Rayne was surprised he didn’t give up on her and leave her after that. She looked down at his sleeping form laying beside her and her heart ached. He loved her enough to stay with her even through all the horrible things she’d said to him or put him through. Rayne lay back down beside him, cuddling as close as she could to his body without waking him, her arms circling his waist. As she continued to watch him as he slept, her eyes filled with tears.

“I love you,” she whispered, gently brushing her lips across his. She knew what she was feeling was right and true, and she hoped the rest of her journey of self discovery wouldn’t bring about anymore upsetting realizations about herself and who she once was.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Lance woke the next morning, Rayne was no where to be found. He climbed out of bed, pulled on his shorts, and walked around the house looking for her.

“Rayne?” he called out. “Raynie, are you here?” Still no response. He checked by the pool, still no sign of her. He was beginning to get worried when he saw her walking back to the house from the long driveway. She had picked some wildflowers and wove them through her curly brown locks, making her look even more like an angel in the early morning sun. He walked out to the front porch to greet her with a big smile on his handsome face. “Good morning sunshine.” Her face lit up at the sight of him, making his heart swell.

“Good morning,” she stood on her tiptoes to place a soft kiss on his lips. His arms snaked around her waist, pulling her tight against him. He slowly pulled away, but kept his arms around her.

“I was worried when I woke up and you weren’t there. I was afraid I scared you off after yesterday.”

“Yesterday was perfect Lance. When I woke up this morning, I just had this strange urge to go for a walk and watch the sun rise.” He smiled down at her.

“You always loved to watch the sunrise in the mornings. Sometimes you would drag me out of bed to join you on your morning walks, but most of the time you liked your alone time in the morning. You’d say…..”

“It’s the only time I can have complete peace and quiet in my crazy world.” she looked up at him with wide eyes. “That’s right isn’t it?”

“Yes it is. You’re getting your memory back more and more every day. Aren’t you happy?”

Her smile faltered somewhat, “Yes of course. I want to remember who I was. I’m just not sure that’s who I want to be anymore.”

He looked down at her confused, “What do you mean?”

“Well,” she began, not really sure how to start the conversation. “Last night I had another dream. It was of us here again, but this time it wasn’t a good dream. I remembered I was on the phone with Frank all the time completely ignoring you. Even when you tried to talk to me about how you felt about the change in me I blew you off like you were joking,” she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. “I didn’t like who I was at that moment. How could I have been so cold and unfeeling towards you? I just don’t understand it.” Lance pulled her in for a warm hug, wanting so desperately to ease the pain inside her. He could tell by looking in her eyes, that it truly hurt her deep inside to see herself acting that way. That wasn’t the real Rayne at all. Lance didn’t know quite what to say to her. He remembered that day like it was yesterday, but it really happened over eight months ago.

“It’s going to be okay Raynie. Everything’s going to be okay,” was all he could bring himself to say. She pulled back so she could look into his eyes.

“You meant what you said that day didn’t you?”

“Rayne, I…..” she cut him off.

“I need to know Lance. Please tell me the truth.” He looked away for a moment, then met her gaze once more.

“Yes, I meant it. It was killing me having to watch you turning into someone completely different from the woman I love.” She nodded slowly, tears falling down her cheeks.

“Why have you stayed with me all this time if that’s the way I treated you?”

“I love you,”’ was all he’d say. He wanted desperately to change the subject, wanting to get as far away from it as possible. Talking about it only hurt both of them more. “Hey, What do you say you and I take a ride over to Disney? We used to love doing that.” A smile tugged at her lips.

“Really? Are you sure it would be safe? Would we get recognized?”

“We’d wear shades and ball caps. I can’t guarantee we won’t get recognized, but we used to get away with it all the time. What do you say?” She broke into a grin.

“I say let’s do it. It sounds like fun. For some reason I feel like I haven’t had any fun in a very long time.” Lance didn’t comment. He pulled her inside the house where they quickly changed. Rayne put all of her hair up in a braided ponytail, pulling a dark blue Nike baseball hat on over it that matched her outfit while Lance wore the exact hat only in white. Once they had their sunglasses on, they just looked like regular tourist. Someone would have to look very hard in order to notice them. They hopped from park to park, enjoying all the rides each one had to offer. They gorged themselves on cotton candy and treats and bought souvenirs galore. From T-shirts with Rayne’s favorite Snow White Dwarf Dopey, to a large stuffed Mickey Mouse, they got everything. From everything they bought, you’d think they had never been there before. Rayne giggled as she looked at the Mickey Mouse he had bought her, “Does he look like your old Mick Mouse?” Lance stopped walking and looked down at her with a smile.

“You remembered something again.” Rayne smiled up at him, proud of herself.

“I did didn’t I?” Lance leaned over and kissed her softly, then turned her attention to one of the rides. “Look it’s Splash Mountain. We have to go on this one.”

“What about all of our things?”

“We’ll leave them with the attendant. They’ll be fine.” They quickly got in line and before they knew it they were riding Splash Mountain. Water splashed them from both sides, causing them to laugh hysterically through the entire ride. When they finally got to the drop at the end, they raised their hands and screamed the entire way down. When the ride was over, they collected their things and headed over to the photo booth to see their pictures. Rayne and Lance were rolling when they saw it. Both of them had their hands up in the air, their eyes wide, their mouths open, they knew they had to get that picture. Ten minutes later, they had their Splash Mountain picture and began to walk around to other parts of the park. The moment Rayne saw one of those souvenir photo booths, she knew they had to do it.

“Come on Lance. Let’s get our picture taken,” she pulled him towards the booth.

“But we already have a picture of us,” he argued. Rayne rolled her eyes.

“Not a good one. I want a good one. Please. Pretty please Jimmy,” she looked up at him, not realizing she had just called him by the nickname she had given him early on in their relationship. She seemed oblivious to the fact that she always used to use that nickname to get her way when she wanted something. He sat their things down on the floor of the booth, then inserted the money. He sat down and pulled her down on his lap, adjusting the height of the stool so they wouldn’t get their heads cut off in the picture. For the first one, they simply smiled at the camera with their arms wrapped around each other, for the next one, they took off their hats and gave each other a kiss, for the next one Lance stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes causing Rayne to laugh, and for the final one they just smiled happily at the camera once more. After their pictures were taken, they put their hats back on and waited for them to print. When they came out, Rayne quickly snatched them up. “Awe! I love these. They are so good.”

“Let me see,” he said as he looked over her shoulder. He laughed softly at the sight of them. “They are cute. We should frame them at the house.”

“I want to keep these with me at all times,” she looked up at him, her eyes shining.

“Don’t I get any of them?”

“We can get copies made.”

“Okay, I’ll agree to that.” They started to walk hand in hand again. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

“Want to go on the Riverboat Dinner Cruise?” He smiled as her eyes lit up.

“Yes!” Half an hour later, they were eating a wonderful dinner as they rode down the river. It was truly beautiful. They left around midnight after the electrical parade. On the way home, Rayne fell asleep, resting her head against Lance’s shoulder. He kissed the top of her head as he drove them back to the house. Rayne woke up when they got there, and helped him carry their things inside. They left their souvenirs on the floor, changed clothes, and climbed into bed. Both were completely exhausted from their long day. “Thank you for today,” she said as she yawned big. He smiled down at her.

“You’re quite welcome. Goodnight Raynie.”

“Night Jimmy,” she whispered as sleep quickly took over. He leaned over and kissed her forehead before pulling her close to him, letting sleep claim him as well.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next few days passed rather quickly. They occupied their time by laying out by the pool or watching movies. Sometimes they would watch one of her films, trying to help her regain more of her memory. Little by little, her memory was coming back. As McKenzie promised, she showed up all smiles.

“What are you so happy about?” Lance asked with a chuckle.

“I just signed on for my next movie.”

“What is it?” Rayne asked, leaning back against Lance on the couch.

“It’s a romantic comedy. I’ll be starring opposite Josh Hartnett….” her voice trailed off when she saw the look on Lance’s face. His eyes had turned cold with the mere mention of his name. Rayne felt his body tense and looked up at him.

“Is something wrong Lance?” He slowly began to relax as he looked down at her.

“Everything’s fine,” he kissed her head, then turned his attention to McKenzie. “That’s great Kenzie. When does production start?”

“In a few weeks. It’s called ‘40 Days & 40 Nights’. I can’t wait.”

“It sounds wonderful,” Rayne smiled at her friend. “I bet you’re tired from your plane ride. Why don’t we all go lay out by the pool?”

“Oh, you read my mind babe,” McKenzie grinned. They all headed to their rooms to change into their swim suits. Rayne decided to take a dip in the pool while Lance and McKenzie lay out in the chairs. Rayne floated over to the side of the pool so she could talk to them. “So, it sounds like you two have been having a really good time over the last few days.”

“Oh, we have.” Rayne nodded enthusiastically. “We went to Disney and everything. You should see all the stuff we got. We even had our picture taken in one of those photo booth things. I’ll go get the pictures so you can see. I love them,” she quickly swam over to the steps and went inside the house, wrapping a towel around her waist. Once she disappeared inside, McKenzie took that opportunity to talk to Lance in private.

“So, how is she doing?”

“She’s remembering more and more every day.”

“Do you think she’s going to make a full recovery?”

“I think so. She’s a fighter Kenzie.”

“I know she is.” She paused for a moment, “Will you be leaving her when she regains her full memory?”

“Do we have to talk about this now?”

“I’m sorry Lance, but up until she got in the accident you were planning on leaving her. I can’t help but wonder if you still felt the same,” they continued to talk unaware that Rayne had come up behind them carrying their pictures in her hand. She felt as though someone had just ripped her heart in two. Lance was leaving her before the accident. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through her head. She gasped as she grabbed the sides of her head, turning to run back into the house. Rayne was so upset she wasn’t watching where she was going. Her feet slipped out from under her as she stepped into a puddle of water on the tile floor. Her head bounced off the floor with a loud ‘THUD!’ and everything went black.

Chapter Nine

 

Rayne saw her entire life replay in her mind. Everything from her childhood, to her high school years, her parents deaths, meeting Lance, her huge career, and every little detail in between. The images were no longer fuzzy and unclear, but bright and vivid as they were when they had actually happened to her. When her soul should be rejoicing, inside she felt as though she were dying. Lance, the man she loved more than anything, no longer wanted her in his life.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance and McKenzie turned around when they heard someone gasp. Lance’s eyes grew huge and his heart leaped into his throat as he watched her fall to the floor, banging her head on the hard tile. He ran over to her, kneeling beside her. He gently rubbed her cheeks trying to get her to wake up.

“Rayne? Raynie wake up. Come on baby,” he whispered over and over. It felt like hours drug by, but it was actually only five minutes. Her eyes began to flutter as she regained consciousness. She frowned as her hand went to her head. She felt the larger knot on the back of her head and winced at the pain. When she tried to sit up, Lance stopped her. “Don’t. You don’t want to get up too fast. Just lay here for a minute.”

“My head feels like it’s splitting in two.” McKenzie quickly fixed an ice pack and gently put it against her head, then headed back to the kitchen to grab a couple of her pain pills and a glass of water. Lance helped her sit up so she could take the pills, then lifted her into his arms. He carried her to the bedroom and gently sat her on the bed. He sat behind her, pulling her hair to the side get a good look at the knot on her head. Lance frowned when he saw the size of it, but it didn’t look like it needed stitches.

“Luckily it doesn’t look like you need any stitches. What happened Raynie?”

She sighed heavily, “I was on my way back into the house and I slipped on a puddle of water on the floor.” Rayne didn’t want to tell him that she had overheard the conversation between him and McKenzie. Her head hurt too bad to want to get into anything that heavy just yet. Lance gently kissed her head smoothing her hair behind her ear.

“Why don’t you lay down and rest? I’ll come check on you a little later.” She simply nodded, laying back on the bed. She curled into a ball and shut her eyes tight, wanting desperately to block out the pain in her head and that voice that kept telling her over and over that Lance didn’t want her anymore.

An hour later, Lance woke her asking her questions to make sure she didn’t have a concussion. This went on for the rest of the night. By the next morning, they were confident that she was okay. Rayne still had a slight headache, but she still got up and followed the voices she heard in the kitchen. McKenzie and Lance were laughing over a photo album they were looking at. Lance looked up from the table and gave her his most dazzling smile. It was a smile that always made her knees weak and her heart race. She gave him a weak smile as she approached, her heart aching. Rayne never thought he would leave her, but she had obviously been wrong. He was just staying with her out of obligation, not because he wanted to be there.

“Hey sweetie,” he gave her a quick kiss, pulling out the chair beside his for her to sit in. “How do you feel?”

“Okay. I still have a bit of a headache, but other than that I’m okay.”,/p>

“Maybe you should lay back down,” he suggested.

“I’m fine Lance. I just need to start moving around a bit. I think I’ll go for a walk.”

“I’ll go with you,” he started to stand, but she stopped him.

“Alone. I want to go alone.”

Lance frowned, looking somewhat hurt by her response. “Are you sure that’s a good idea after what happened yesterday?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a couple hours.” Rayne quickly turned and walked back to the bedroom to change, leaving Lance and McKenzie alone. He looked over at her with questioning eyes.

“I’m sure she’ll be fine Lance. She obviously wants some time alone so just give it to her.”

“Something’s wrong Kenzie. I can feel it.” She placed a comforting arm around his shoulders.

“I know. I feel it too. All we can do is wait and be here for her if she needs to talk.”

Rayne walked down to her favorite spot on the property. It was a small stream that ran from a nearby river. She would always go there whenever she needed to think or if she just wanted some peace. She sat down on a nearby rock, hugging her knees to her chest as she thought about everything that had happened in the last couple of weeks. How did everything in her life get so screwed up? Since she had gotten the chance to look at her life from another perspective, she could see where things began to go wrong in their relationship. She had begun to put her career before him and she had to admit she would have gotten tired of it too if she had been in his shoes. What could she do about it now? Would a simple apology rectify the situation or had to many things happened to salvage their relationship? Should she try to talk to him or should she just leave and give him what he obviously wanted before the accident? Now that she had her memory back, she could remember how cold and distant he was the night of the accident. Rayne knew Lance was too good of a person to leave her when she needed him so badly, but that’s not the kind of relationship she wanted. She wanted him to want her because he doesn’t want to live without her, not because he feels like he owes it to her to stay by her side. Rayne knew what she had to do. She was going to give him what he wanted, and break her own heart in the process.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Late that night after everyone was asleep, Rayne crawled out of Lance’s arms and quickly dressed in a pair of workout pants and a t-shirt. She went over to the closet and grabbed the bag she packed earlier that afternoon. She stopped by the bed and looked down at Lance’s sleeping form. Tears streaked down her cheeks as she leaned down to kiss his lips softly. He mumbled something in his sleep a slight smile on his lips. Rayne placed the envelope with the letter she wrote him on her pillow, knowing he wouldn’t miss it when he woke up in the morning. She took one last look around the room before walking out of the house and out of Lance’s life forever.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

When Lance awoke the next morning, he was immediately aware that Rayne was not in bed beside him. He sat up, his eyes scanning the room, but there was no sign of her. He looked down at the bed and saw an envelope laying on top of her pillow. Lance frowned for a moment, but quickly opened it to see what it said……


Lance~

By the time you read this letter I will be gone. I’m sorry to have to leave in the middle of the night like this, but it really was the only way I could stand to walk away from you. The day I hit my head after I fell in the kitchen, I regained full memory. I remember everything that happened between us and everything I said or did that hurt you. I don’t know how to begin to tell you how sorry I am for everything I put you through. I just want you to know that despite everything I never stopped loving you. You were my best friend, my lover, my rock, but I know you can’t forgive me for the things I said and did to you over the last year. That’s why I am leaving. I’m giving you what you deserve….a life without all of my drama. A life where you can find someone who loves you who won’t treat you the way I did. All I’ve ever wanted was for you to be happy. I hope you find someone who can give you that happiness that I haven’t been able to give you in such a long time. Thank you for staying with me after the accident. I really did need you then, but now that I have my memory back I know that I need to put your needs above my own for once. I want you to know that I will always love you. Please be happy Lance. That’s all I ask.

Always,
Raynie

Lance read the letter twice and he still couldn’t believe it. How could she not tell him she got her memory back? How could she leave like that without discussing this with him? Didn’t he deserve that after everything they had been through together? He quickly jumped out of bed and headed to McKenzie’s room. She was still sleeping, but he had to talk to her.

“McKenzie?” she groaned, turning over onto her stomach still not waking up. “Kenzie I need to talk to you.”

“What is it Lance?” she growled.

“Rayne’s gone.”

“She’s probably just gone for another walk. I’m sure she’s fine…..” he cut her off.

“No, she’s really gone. All of her clothes are gone and she left this letter.” McKenzie quickly sat up in bed, taking the letter from his hands. She quickly read it, then looked up at him with tears in her eyes.

“Why didn’t she tell us?” Lance began to pace the floor, his anger evident.

“Typical Rayne. She was only thinking of herself.”

“Lance Bass!” McKenzie scolded. “Did you not read any part of this letter? She wasn’t thinking of herself at all when she wrote this. It killed her to have to walk away from you.”

“How do you know what she feels? I mean I was with her for three years and I have no damn clue!”

“I talked to her the night of the accident. She told me about how Josh was always coming onto her. She said that night he even came to her trailer after the film wrapped, trying to get her to admit that she wanted him too. Do you know what she told him?” He just stood there waiting for her to continue, not trusting himself to speak. “She told him that she loved you more than anything in the world and there was no way she’d ever leave you for him. Her heart beats for you and no one else Lance.” Lance fought the confusing emotions that coursed through him. ‘Is that what really happened that night he saw Josh go into her trailer?’ he mentally asked himself.

“What am I going to do Kenzie?”

“What do you want?”

He sat down on the bed beside her, his face in his hands. He slowly lifted his tearful green eyes to meet hers, “I want her.” He whispered so softly she could barely hear him. “I love her so much. I don’t want to be without her.” McKenzie nodded, fighting the tears that threatened to fall from her own eyes. “Should I go to her or do I give her some time to settle back into her life in Los Angeles?”

“Her life is with you Lance. I think you know what you need to do.” Without another word, Lance called the airport to book the next flight to Los Angeles from Orlando. After a quick shower, he and McKenzie packed their bags and headed to the airport. All Lance could think about during the flight was getting back to Rayne and starting their over……together.

Chapter Ten

 

It was a long and lonely flight back to Los Angeles. When she made it back to her house, she immediately called her agent. He was obviously thrilled to hear she was back and doing well. After hanging up with her, he called her publicist to have a statement released on her condition. As soon as word was out, the reporters were once again parked at her gates hoping to get a photo or a statement directly from her. Rayne almost didn’t know what to do with herself. She wandered around her cold and empty house, feeling more lost and alone than she’d ever felt before. What would she do with her time off now that she no longer had Lance to share it with? A lone tears slipped down her face. The pain of being without him was almost unbearable. She wished he would walk through those doors, pull her into his arms, and tell her everything was going to be alright. That wasn’t going to happen. A few hours later, her agent called telling her he had rescheduled all of her press for ’Pearl Harbor’ the movie she just finished filming. Part of her didn’t want to do any of it, but the professional within took over. She knew it was part of the job and she owed it to her cast mates to fulfill her duties. Rayne quickly showered and changed before heading off to the studios where the first of her interviews for the movie were set up.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Lance and McKenzie headed straight to Rayne’s house as soon as their plane landed. He was disappointed to find her not home, but he knew she’d be back eventually. He decided to go back to McKenzie’s place and wait for her to come home.

“Do you think she’s home yet?” Lance asked as soon as they sat their bags down in the foyer.

“Lance, we just left her house like ten minutes ago. I doubt she’s there yet,” McKenzie laughed softly. “I’m sure she’ll be home soon. She’s probably already doing interviews. You know how she likes to immerse herself in her work when she’s upset about something.” He nodded, knowing she was right. A few hours later, McKenzie tried calling her house. Lance wasn’t sure if she would be avoiding his calls or not. There was still no answer. He was beginning to get antsy. He picked up the phone and dialed up her agent’s phone number. After talking with him a few minutes, he learned that Rayne was at the studios doing some of the interviews that had been postponed since her accident. Now that he knew where she was and that she was okay, he was able to relax a little. Part of him still wanted to drive over to the studio to see her. McKenzie tried her best to keep his mind off things, but it was really useless. Until he talked to Rayne, he’d never truly relax.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

By the time Rayne got home it was after ten. She was so tired from her long day that all she wanted to do was sleep. Unfortunately for her she had to catch an early flight the next morning to fly to New York for the MTV Movie Awards. Her alarm clock went off at 5am. She rolled over with a groan, but she pulled herself out of bed. After a quick shower she grabbed her bag and was out the door on her way back to the airport.

When her plane landed, she was immediately taken to the W Hotel where she would be staying. She had plenty of time to take a nap before she had to start getting ready for the awards show.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, McKenzie called Rayne’s house and still got no answer. Lance again called her agent only to find out she had flown out to New York early that morning to go to the awards show. With everything that had been going on, both he and McKenzie completely forgot about that show. Once again they caught the next flight out of LAX to New York. Lance also found out what hotel she was staying in from her agent. When they finally got there, Lance suddenly wasn’t in a hurry to go see Rayne which puzzled McKenzie.

“After everything you’ve gone through to try to talk to her you’re not going to go straight up to her room?”

A slow smile spread across his face, “No. I have another idea.” Once they were settled in their rooms, Lance asked McKenzie to accompany him somewhere.

“Where are we going Lance?”

“I have to hear it from him,” was all he would say. They stopped in front of one of the other hotel rooms and Lance knocked on the door. McKenzie was totally confused until she saw who answered the door. They were at Josh Hartnett’s room.

“Ummm, hi. What can I do for you?” he asked apprehensively.

Lance didn’t crack a smile, “I need to talk to you. Can we come in?”

“We?” he looked around Lance and saw McKenzie. His eyes studied her appreciatively before he opened his door to let them in. “Sure. To what do I owe this honor?”

“I know you wanted Rayne during the making of your movie together.”

Josh looked surprised, but he didn’t deny it. “Okay.”

“What I want to know is what happened the last night of filming when I saw you go into her trailer.”

Josh sighed heavily, running his hands through his dark brown locks. He looked back and forth between Lance and McKenzie and he knew he had to tell them the truth no matter how embarrassing it was for him to admit. “I went to talk to her. I’m not going to stand here and deny that I didn’t want her. I wanted her from the first scene we shot together, but what I wanted didn’t matter. She didn’t want me, which she told me that night. She said she loved you and would never want anyone the way she wants you. You’re the one who has her heart and that will never change. I think that about covers every embarrassing detail of that night that I would like to forget.” McKenzie looked up at Lance with her knowing look. He gave her a relieved smiled, then turned to Josh.

“I don’t hold anything against you Josh. Rayne is an amazing woman. I know for a fact how easy it is to be attracted to her. I appreciate your honesty,” he extended his hand for him to shake. Josh looked at him apprehensively for a moment, but he finally accepted his hand. “Are you here for the awards?”

“Yeah. Actually Rayne and I are supposed to present the ‘Best Kiss’ award tonight.” He looked back over at McKenzie with a sly smile. “So, you’re my new costar?”

“Looks like it,” she smiled coyly.

“Maybe when we start filming you and I could study our lines together.”

“Maybe….if you’re lucky.” Lance could tell that his presence was no longer wanted or needed in that room. He said he goodbyes and went back to his room to get ready for the awards. He had to be ready early if he was going to have a chance to talk to Rayne before she left for the ceremony.


~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rayne had an hour before she was scheduled to leave for the awards show. Her hair and make-up crew just left her room. She was just starting to sit down to relax for a bit when there was a knock on her door.

“Raul did you forget something?” she asked when she opened her door expecting it to be her hair stylist. Instead when her door opened she was face to face with the man who still owned her heart. “Lance.…what are you doing here?” Her heart began to race wildly in her chest as she looked at him. He was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white button down shirt with several buttons undone that showed off his tanned, toned chest, and a matching black jacket. He looked incredibly handsome and he smelled wonderful.

Lance gave her a half smile, “Can I come in?” She didn’t say anything, simply stepped aside and let him in. They just stood there looking at each other for a while before either of them spoke.

“So, you never did tell me why you were here.”

“Why did you do it Raynie?”

“Do what?”

“Why did you leave me like that in Florida?”

“I explained in the letter……”

“You said that you wanted me to be happy. Don’t you understand that I’m not happy unless I’m with you?” Rayne fought the tears that threatened to fall.

“Don’t,” she choked out. “I don’t want you to be with me because you feel like you have to be. I know that’s why you stayed with me after the accident. I know you were going to leave me before I got hurt.” She couldn’t hold back the tears anymore. They began to flow freely down her face as she sat down on the couch. Lance felt as though someone punched him in the stomach. How could she have possibly known?

“How….” he let his question trail off.

“The day I fell in the kitchen I overheard you and McKenzie talking. I heard her say that you were going to leave me before the accident.” She wiped the tears from her cheeks, “After I fell and my memory came back I was faced with the reality of the person I had become. I was horrible to you and it was then that I knew I didn’t deserve to have you in my life anymore. I loved you, but you didn’t deserve to be treated the way I had treated you over the last year. That’s why I left. I thought I would give you what you wanted.” Lance sat down beside her on the couch, taking her face in his hands.

“Baby don’t you understand. I love you. You’re all I want. I will admit that I was going to break up with you, but that was after I saw Josh coming out of your trailer the day of the accident. I was so hurt and jealous that I wasn’t thinking straight. I know now that nothing happened between you two. I feel so foolish Raynie.” He paused, gently wiping the tears from her eyes. “The accident just helped me to realize that I couldn’t live without you in my life. You’re everything to me.”

“How could you possibly feel this way about me after everything I’ve put you through? I was horrible to you.”

“Well…..you were pretty tough to take sometimes, but you weren’t horrible.”

“Lance, now you’re just being nice. I was a nasty bitch,” she sighed.

A small smile played across his lips, “I won’t argue.” Rayne hit him playfully. “Through it all I never stopped loving you. I just wanted the Rayne I fell in love with to come back. You finally did.”

“I’m so sorry,” she hugged him tightly, afraid to let him go. “I’m so sorry for everything.”

“I’m sorry too. Let’s make a promise to each other that we will always talk about things and listen to whatever it is we have to say. No more goodbye letters.” Rayne gave him a small smile.

“I promise. I love you Lance.”

“I love you more Rayne Summers,” he pulled her in for a sweet kiss, knowing he’d never let her go again.

Epilogue

 

~*~*~*~*~One Year Later~*~*~*~*~

“PUSH!” Lance commanded as he sat behind Rayne, bracing her back.

“Damn you James Lance Bass!!! You’re never touching me again do you hear me,” she screamed at him. Sweat was pouring down her face after 17 hours of labor. She was not a happy camper, but to Lance she looked beautiful.

“I love you baby. Come on you can do this.”

“Come on Rayne,” Dr. Walker called out from the end of the bed. “One more push and you’ll get to hold your baby in your arms.” Rayne took a couple more deep breaths before she gave one more good push. Suddenly the room was filled with the screams of their baby. “Congratulations it’s a boy!” Rayne was in tears as she looked down at the face of her newborn son. Even covered head to toe in blood and amniotic fluid he was the most beautiful baby she’d ever seen. She looked up at Lance who was crying as well.

“We have a son,” she whispered. He looked down at his wife with a smile.

“He’s so perfect.” Rayne nodded. After what seemed like forever, the nurses finally lay him in her arms. “So, what is his name?”

“James Lance Bass, II?”

Lance shook his head, “Definitely not.” He thought about it for a moment, “How about James Alexander? We can call him Alex.” Rayne thought on it for a moment then smiled.

“Welcome to the world Alex.” Lance leaned down and placed a soft kiss on his son’s delicate head. “He’s so beautiful Lance. How did we create someone so perfect?”

“His beautiful mother?” Rayne rolled her eyes.

“Please Lance. I know I’m far from beautiful right now.”

“You’re gorgeous. Right now as you hold our son in your arms you’re practically glowing. I’ve never seen you this radiant except on our wedding day.”

Rayne’s eyes filled with tears, “I love you James Lance Bass. Thank you for helping me create such a beautiful child.” She looked down at their son with a smile, “He’s going to have your eyes.” Lance chuckled softly.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do.”

“If you say so.” They just sat there for what seemed like eternity as they watched their son begin to suckle her breast. “That’s my boy,” he grinned as Alex immediately latched onto Rayne’s breast, not needing to be coaxed at all. Rayne laughed softly as she stroked her son’s cheek.

“See he’s barely ten minutes old and he’s already taking after you.”

“You gotta start young.” After Alex ate a little, they took Rayne back to her room and let her get cleaned up and rest a bit before Alex’s next feeding. Once she was settled into her room, there was a knock on the door. McKenzie peaked around the corner with a smile.

“How’s the new parents?”

“Kenzie!” Rayne exclaimed, reaching her arms out for a hug. “I’m so glad you made it.”

“Are you kidding me? The minute Lance called us to tell us you had gone into labor, Josh and I caught the first flight home. There’s no way we could miss our godchild’s birth.”

“I appreciate you coming, but I feel bad that you cut your honeymoon short. Was Josh disappointed?”

“Of course I wasn’t,” he grinned as he came in carrying loads of flowers and stuffed animals. Once he sat everything down her gave Lance and Rayne a hug before wrapping his arm around McKenzie’s waist. “So, when do we get to meet the little guy?”

“How about now?” the nurse smiled as she wheeled Alex into the room. Josh and McKenzie gasped when they saw him for the first time. He was perfect.

“Can I hold him Raynie?” McKenzie asked timidly.

“Of course. He is your godson after all.” McKenzie cuddled the small baby to her chest in awe.

“He’s so tiny,” Josh whispered as Alex’s tiny hand tried to wrap around his finger.

“Oh Josh. I want one.”

“All in good time honey. We just got married,” he laughed softly.

“I know, but still….” she let her comment trail off. Rayne looked around the room, thanking God for all the blessings he had bestowed upon her. She found her soul mate and best friend and created a child with him, her two best friends were there to share their happiness, and she still had her movie career. Rayne was so happy she thought she might burst. Everything was exactly as it should be and it felt good.