Chris drove down the highway in disbelief. It was still a shock that she was relieved of her job that easily. Sure she knew she did good work, never missed a day in her life, never did anything wrong.

"I must be the most boring person on the face of the earth," she said to herself. "I'm going to have to incorporate some excitement into my life. Like I would have time to," Chris added, turning on her left turn signal. The speed limit on the highway was 65; the person in front of Chris was going 25. Obviously, it was time for her to pass.

As she did, Chris noticed that her Volvo was low on gas. Almost to the red. Putting on her right turn signal, she resumed her position in front, and began to look for the sign for Exit 22. A sign came up on the right: Exit 21, 10 miles.

"Hmm. Should I risk it?" Chris asked herself. If the next exit was ten miles away, then that meant hers was about another 45 minutes. There was no way she would make it without going empty. Sighing, Chris shook her head and began to look for the ramp.

Having been down and up this highway for what seemed like her entire life, Chris knew the entire area like she knew the Backstreet Boys' statistics. Chris smiled.

"Alexander James McLean. Born January 9, 1978, in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mother Denise, father Robert, divorced when he was four. Favorite color, yellow. Favorite food, McDonald's number six: double quarter pounder with cheese, large fry, large Coke or iced tea, no---Whoops! This is my exit!" she interrupted herself. Pulling off of the ramp, Chris made a right and drove into the Texaco station. She turned off the car, opened the door, locked and closed it, and went to the pump.

"This has got to be one of the dirtiest things to do on the face of the earth." Chris muttered as the hose brushed against her white dress, leaving behind a very noticeable streak of grease and dirt.
"You're telling me," replied a vaguely familiar voice. Chris looked around for the owner and smiled when she recognized Emily.
"Hi, Emily! Did it grease you, too?" she asked, motioning at the stain.

"Nah. Not this time. But I'll admit to being victimized before. On the day of an extremely important interview, too." Emily said, removing the pump from her car, replacing the cap and closing the little door. She checked the amount and pulled out her wallet from her back pocket. Chris looked at her in surprise.
"You carry your wallet like a guy!" Chris exclaimed.

"Yeah. It's kinda like a bad habit. I picked it up from being around Brian. It's so much easier than carrying a purse, especially in this weather."

Chris shook her head. "I must be really boring and old-fashioned then. I still carry a purse." She paused. "Actually, it's like a really big awkward bag that holds anything, everything, and then some."

Emily laughed. "Well, look at it this way. If it can hold everything, then you're always prepared."

"True, true."Suddenly the pump stopped. Chris's tank was full. She removed the pump and replaced the gas cap.
"Needed a filler, huh?" asked Emily.
Chris nodded. "Yeah, I do, uh, did a lot of driving"
"Why do you say 'did a lot'? Did you get fired or something?"

"No, not necessarily." Chris unlocked her door and pulled some money out of her purse. She began walking toward the building, Emily beside her. "I sorta quit. But not quit quit. My supervisor was really nice about it. Very nice lady."

Emily opened the glass door, causing the bell above to ring. Chris walked ahead, nodding her thanks. "No problem. Where'd you work?" Emily asked. Without waiting for an answer she handed some money to the freckle-faced teenager behind the counter. "Number seven, please."

"Five, please," Chris said to the other teen, also holding out a twenty. "At the hospital," she answered, turning toward the door. Emily followed.
"Cool," Emily replied.
"Yeah, it kinda was okay. I mostly worked with Kat so it didn't seem so long."
"I can see where it would."

Chris smiled. "You have no idea. Hey, it was nice running into you," she continued as they reached their respective cars.

"Yeah, you too,"said Emily. "If you need anything, give me a call."

"Will do. Catch ya later," Chris waved as she got into her car. Emily was really a nice person. Too bad she spent all her time with Brian. Chris chuckled. What does she see in him? He's so goofy.

She turned back onto the highway and resumed her trip home. Forty-five minutes to the second, she pulled into the driveway. It still shocked Chris even after a week, to find AJ's car parked in her driveway. And he couldn't even drive. Well, legally. So what was he doing driving around town? He could get pulled over, arrested, thrown in jail...

"Whoa! Stop it!"Chris told herself. "You're just really tired. That's why you're thinking irrationally. And fast. So go upstairs, wash your face, change, and go to bed. Even if it is only four o'clock in the afternoon and there's still a zillion things to do before tomorrow."

Shaking her head to rid herself of the thought, Chris gathered her things, locked the car, and went up the steps to the front door. Kevin was sitting in the living room looking like he was ready to fall asleep, and AJ was playing her Sega with Nick. It wasn't necessarily noisy, but there was definitely a detectable array of bleeps and bloops and the occasional "Ha! Gotcha!" followed by "You suck!" It sounded like two little kids, with Kevin assuming the role of the sleepy father figure.
"Hey ya'll," Chris said as she passed to the base of the stairs.
"Hey!' Kevin answered, raising his hand in a sleepy wave.
"Hey!" chorused Nick and AJ distractedly. Chris shook her head and started up the stairs.

"Wait a minute," Kevin said, getting up from the couch. He followed Chris up the stairs. "What are you doing home? Are you okay?" She had already closed the door to her room, so he lightly tapped on the door.
"Who is it?" Chris called from the other side.
"It's me, Chris."
"No," Chris said, her voice closer to the door. " You can't be Chris because I'm Chris."

Kevin sighed and raised his hand to knock again. Before he could, Chris opened the door. She was dressed in her red flannel shorts and a white T-shirt that said "Don't Go There" in red letters.

"Shouldn't you be at work?" Kevin asked, coming into the room.

"Mae let me go." Chris replied, brushing her hair and pulling it into a ponytail.

"What do you me 'let me go'? Did she fire you?"

"Now, Kevin," Chris said, putting down her brush and turning around to face him. "Do you honestly think that I would be able to stay calm and composed like this if I had been fired? Besides, Mae wouldn't have done that. I told her that I'm going to be touring with you guys and that I wouldn't be able to work anymore and I had to give her my two weeks' notice. Then she said that I didn't need a two weeks' notice and she let me go."

Kevin looked at her. "So now you're unemployed and are doomed to spend the rest of your life with the five of us goofballs."

Chris smiled. "Yep. And you are all stuck with me. Now, if you don't mind, I know it's early but I am totally exhausted for some reason and I want to take a nap."

"Oh, well start preparing because this is what you're in for," Kevin said, moving toward the door. "If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."

"Okay. And I'll be up here if you need me." Chris watched as Kevin left, closing the door behind him. She lay down on top of her bed and closed her eyes. As she did, a thought ran through her head and she got up.

"Shoot," she muttered, going to the bathroom. Opening the medicine cabinet, Chris looked at the three rows of bottles filled with perscription medicine. Selecting three of the bottles, she twisted off the caps one at a time, and tapped two pills from each bottle in her hand. Swallowing them with a Dixie-cup of water, Chris made a face, then recapped the bottles and put them back in the cabinet. She went back into her bedroom and lay down on the bed again.\

"When is it finally going to be over?" she asked herself as she drifted off.

"I thought you said she was going to work," AJ commented when Kevin came back into the living room.
"She was. She quit."
"Why'd she quit?" asked Nick, not looking up form the television. He was playing against the computer because AJ had beaten him.
"She didn't say," Kevin lied. It wasn't any of their business. Not yet anyway. "I guess she wanted to have the summer off to spend time with us."
"Aww. That's nice," AJ said, rolling his eyes.
"What?" Kevin asked.
"Well, I don't understand why she would want to spend time with people she already knew when she could get to know someone new."

Nick paused his game. "Like you, maybe?"

"Shut up, Nick," AJ growled, throwing a pillow at Nick, hitting him squarely in the back of the head.

"Hey!" Nick cried, turning around and throwing it back. Unfortunately, his aim was off and the pillow hit Kevin in the face, sending him to the floor in surprise.

THUMP!!

AJ looked over the back of the couch, and Nick jumped up beside him to look, too. They both burst out laughing. Kevin was sitting on the floor, his arms behind him and his legs straight out in front.

"You look like a dog!" Nick cried, holding his stomach as he laughed.

"You do! You do!" laughed AJ in agreement. Indeed, Kevin looked like he was definitely caught by surprise. His eyes had a dazed look in them and his head was cocked to one side.

"Kev! Kev! You okay?" Nick asked when he was back under control. Kevin shook his head as if to clear it, then began to get up.

"I think we've had enough of that," he said."Nick, you always cause some sort of trouble whenever you're around."

"Yeah," said AJ, blocking his face with one hand. "But you sure as hell are a riot."

Nick grinned. "You know it." He looked at his watch. "Hey, thanks for the laugh Kev, and the competition Bone. But I gotta get home. Brian and Howie are picking me up for a guys' night out."

"Where, exactly," AJ began, "are you going to go? You're not old enough to do anything."

"Oh, bite my butt," Nick said, slapping his backside as he walked to the door.

"Remember rehearsal tomorrow," reminded Kevin, as the front door shut. A few moments later, they heard a car start and back out of the driveway. As Nick pulled away, he tooted his horn. AJ shook his head, smiling.

"You did look funny sitting like that."
Kevin made a face. "You're an instigator."
"That I am."AJ agreed. "What time is it anyway?"
"A quarter after five. I'm hungry. Want me to get you anything?"
"Are you cooking?"
"Not tonight," Kevin said. "Tonight I'm heating leftovers. Want any?"
AJ made a face. "No, thank you. I think I'll head out and grab a number six."
"Well have fun," Kevin said, going to the kitchen.
"I'll be back soon. I'm grabbing take-out." AJ said, getting his keys from the table by the door. Going out into the driveway, he saw that Chris's Volvo was blocking his Explorer.

"Oh, man," he groaned. The Volvo was definitely not his style; he'd much rather take his own car. But he was hungry, and AJ had to decide fast, even though there was only one solution: Take the dumpy car.

AJ quietly reopened the front door and made the key switch. Then he went down to the Volvo, unlocked and opened the door, then sat down behind the wheel, closing the door. As he started it, the tape player turned on and one of Chris's tapes began to play. AJ sat mesmerized for a few seconds as the beauty of her voice combined with the vanilla scent. It was like she was sitting there beside him.

"I only wish," he said softly. He pulled out of the driveway and headed toward McDonald's, thoughts of Chris in his head the whole way.

Chris rolled over in her sleep, moving her hands as if to keep someone away. Then she jerked her head to the side, her lips forming "No" and "Why?".\

There was a man in the distance, coming closer to her. She was unable to see his face, because of the cloak and hood he had on. In his left hand was a walking stick of sorts, and an old-looking piece of paper in his right. He held if out to Chris and, with shaking hands, she read it and began to cry.

"Why? Why me?" she sobbed.

"It is almost time,"the man said in a deep, melodious voice which sounded like her cousin's.

"Please, no. Not so soon. Give me time to explain and set things right," Chris begged, falling to her knees. The man placed his hand on her head and a wave of peace flowed through her.

"You have time, but use it wisely, for it is limited." the man said softly, but firmly. "Right your wrongs, and follow your heart. But believe in me and I will help you."

Chris opened her mouth to ask a question, but the man disappeared, leaving her in total darkness. As she lowered her head in despair, she noticed that the piece of paper was glowing and there was something added to it: June 23, 2002.

"NO!" Chris cried, sitting straight up in bed, her heart pounding and her face sticky with tears. She looked at the clock. It was 1:15 Monday morning. Chris flopped back against her pillow.

"Ew!" she said, sitting back up, reaching behind her and throwing her pillow on the floor. It was wet from her eyes and disgusting to sleep on. Even if she wanted to, Chris could not go back to sleep. Her mind was racing because of the dream and her thoughts of the houseguest. No, there was no way she'd be able to go back to sleep.

Climbing out of bed, Chris reached for her flannel robe and put it on. She reached a hand up to touch her hair, to make sure it wasn't badly slept in, and opened her door. The hallway was dark, and Chris rested her hand on the wall as she moved to the stairs and down to the living room.

Slipping through the darkness, quiet as a thief, Chris felt her way to the couch and reached over to turn on the lamp. The harsh light slowly softened as her eyes adjusted, and she smiled. Looking around the living room, with its various shades of green, she could see the romantic and gentleness that the light cast upon it. Chris moved her hand around between the cushions and found a remote control. She aimed it toward the television and turned on some mellow love songs on Digital Music Express.

"Ahh," she sighed, leaning back and closing her eyes. "I love doing this, but it's better in the bathtub."

"So why don't you go there?" a low, husky voice inquired, startling Chris. She jumped up off the couch, her heart beating rapidly. AJ was standing in the doorway in a pair of gray sweatpants and a white tank top, his arms crossed. Chris's heartbeat slowed from the scare, but was still pumping away because of the picture before her. She put on a slow, seductive smile.

"Are you gonna join me?" she asked in her own low voice. AJ shook his head, smiling slightly.

"No. I just thought it might help you relax and then you would go to sleep so that I could go to sleep." Chris blushed, pushing her other personality to the back of her mind.

"Am I keeping you up?"

"Actually, I'm glad that you are up. I was thirsty and didn't want to bump into anything or fall down the stairs. Why are you up again anyway?" AJ asked, turning toward the kitchen. Chris followed him and hopped up on the counter, crossing her legs.

"What do you mean 'up again'? I am not a deep sleeper, a light sleeper, or any kind of sleeper for that matter. I tried my hardest not to wake anyone. Man...I'm so sorry."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. I was getting up anyway, remember? You want something? Maybe to help you sleep?" AJ said, his head in the refrigerator. He pulled out a pitcher of iced tea and set it on the counter beside Chris. She reached up for a glass on the shelf above her head, picked up the pitcher, and filled it. AJ noticed that she seemed to be straining with the weight of the pitcher; her hand was shaking. So was the pitcher.

"What kind of drink can help me sleep?" Chris asked, preparing to hop off the counter with the pitcher in her right hand and the glass in her left. "But not milk. I don't drink milk."

"Um, well, the only thing I know of is milk. Do you want some help with that?" he asked, holding out his hand. Chris chuckled.

"No. I do this all the time." She got off the counter, not spilling a drop. "Besides, did you think that I was going to be able to take your hand and hold both the glass and the pitcher?" Opening the fridge again, she put the pitcher on the top shelf. Then she closed the door, handed AJ his drink, and started to walk back to the living room, AJ right behind her. So close, in fact, Chris could smell his cologne and her knees began to shake. Good thing they were almost to the couch.

Chris plopped down on one end of the couch and yawned, quickly covering her mouth as if to not be impolite. AJ sat down at the other, took a sip of his tea, and put it on a coaster on the table with the lamp. He smiled at her.

"Looks like you're ready for bed." Chris shook her head.

"Nope. I always yawn, but I don't sleep. I don\9 know what it is." She paused. "I'm so exhausted, but there are a million things that need to be done, and I'm the one who has to do them."

"I've noticed that you're tired a lot. And you seem to be straining to put out your best. But you keep so damn busy, I thought that's what you did when you wanted someone to help you out."

"Ha! Hardly. No one has ever offered to help me before, and I wouldn't know how to act if someone did." Chris leaned her head back against the couch cushion and closed her eyes. She felt AJ get up and sit next to her.

"What would you say if someone offered?" AJ asked softly. Chris opened her eyes and turned to look at him. Her eyes seemed dull and faded, with the look of an older person who had too many troubles and too much sadness. But if he looked closely, he could see a sparkle, a tiny piece of excitement.

"I'd probably go get a hearing aid. And then I'd probably pass out from relief." Chris yawned, covering her mouth again.

"Do you want to go back to bed?" AJ asked, getting ready to get up. "I'll help you." Chris put her hand on his arm.

"No, not now. I don't want to go back to bed."

"Are you afraid of the dark?" he said teasingly.

"I'm afraid of dying." AJ drew back in surprise.

"Why? You're too young to be worried about that type of thing."

"I know." Chris looked toward the television and took a shaky breath. She closed her eyes and turned her head to the ceiling, squeezing her eyes shut tight. He wasn't going to see her cry. She wasn't a baby anymore. But the tears began to sneak out from the corners of her eyes, running down her cheeks, and still Chris kept her eyes tightly shut and her head turned up.

AJ didn't hesitate. He put his right arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his chest. He felt her resist, then relax, and he brought his left arm up and smoothed her hair back ever so tenderly. It was that action that finally made Chris open up and she began to sob quietly, almost silently.

AJ let her cry, feeling her body shake with sobs. He tried to soothe her, but she just cried harder. It was hard to understand why she was so upset. Was it because she quit her job? What about overworking herself, trying to do everything and putting other people first? There was a mystery about Chris, and it made him want her more.

After quite a while, her sobs became sniffles and hiccups, and then finally just shaking breaths. AJ looked down at her head, which she quickly lifted, almost hitting him in the chin. Chris looked at him with embarrassment written on her tear-stricken face.

"I'm so s-sorry," she whispered.

"Oh, Chris," AJ said gently. "It's fine, it's fine."

"No, it's not. I feel like such a fool."

"Chris..."

"Listen to me, blubbering like a fool in front of a person I don't even know..."

AJ shifted a bit and pushed Chris into a sitting positon, and held her face in his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Chris, listen to me," he said firmly. "It's okay to cry once in a while."

"But I em-embarrassed yo--"

"No, you didn't. I know how it is. Sometimes you just need to cry." AJ softened his tone. "Sometimes it helps." He released his hands from her face and took her hands in his. Chris looked down at her hands, but she didn't try to pull away. The sounds of Glory of Love by Peter Cetera played softly in the background. Chris looked back up at AJ, and smiled, though there were still tears in her eyes.

"Thank you." she whispered, closing her eyes and beginning to lean back against the couch, her hands still in his. AJ lay down on the couch and pulled her towards him, having her lay down beside on the inside so she wouldn't fall off. He reached under the couch and found the blanket, unfolding it and covering the two of them with it.

Chris was almost asleep, but still breathing unevenly. Her back was toward him, so he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close. Instead of relaxing against him like AJ hoped she would, she remained in position, her ear right below his mouth. He whispered softly.

"Chris, everything is going to be alright. I'm here for you, baby. And I'll always be there for you."

Her breathing smoothed out and Chris relaxed against him. AJ closed his eyes and began to drift off, wondering how she would react in the morning, or later on in the week. But it didn't matter, because she was here with him now. And that's all that matters.