Lance stared onto the bleak, empty highway mesmerized by the falling rain. A single tear rolled down his face as he remembered her. She was so radiant and so full of life. Everything he had ever wanted in a woman was embodied inside of her soul. She had been perfection in his eyes. And now she was gone. Stolen from him forever. The pain in his heart increased and he couldn’t take anymore. He had kept all of the grief inside for too long and he pulled over to the emergency lane of the highway, resting in his head in his hands and weeping softly.
“Why?” That one question was the only one that he could ask. Memories flooded his mind continuously as he cried. The day he met her, the day he realized he was in love, the day she had become his forever, and then the saddest day of his life...the day God took her away from him. He dried his eyes and took a few deep breaths before pulling back onto the highway and finishing the drive home. He sighed deeply as he pulled into the driveway of their house. He parked his 4-Runner in the garage and walked into the kitchen through the garage door. He threw his keys on the kitchen table and stood in the middle of the kitchen floor, with one hand on his hip and one hand running through his hair. What was he supposed to do now? Nothing seemed right. He was at a complete loss and wasn’t completely sure if he could pick up the pieces and move on. He slowly walked around the kitchen, softly touching everything, knowing that she had only been in there three days before. He felt tears coming back into his eyes and he walked into the living room sitting down on the couch. He looked over towards the curio cabinet and smiled as he saw one picture in particular. Her brown hair was falling down around her face and shoulders and her bright green eyes were glowing. He had one arm lightly wrapped around her back and was smiling into the camera for their first picture together...the day they met.

*Flashback--At First Sight*

“Come on, Rach! Out of the car, NOW!” Rachel vigorously shook her head ‘no’ and her best friend, Kerry, walked over to passenger door of her car and opened it, dragging her friend out.
“Kerry, please! I really, really, REALLY, don’t want to meet them at their hotel! They’ll think we are psychotic for following them! Please don’t make me do this!”
“Look, Rach. You have wanted to meet them for a long time. Now is not the time to be shy. Here is your chance. Right over there they are standing and giving their autographs to other fans. They aren’t just going to pick you out of the crowd and label you crazy. Now come on, let’s go!”
Kerry grabbed her friend’s hand and dragged her over to the crowd of fans that was surrounding her favorite group, *NSYNC. Kerry expertly weaved her way through the mass, pulling Rachel along. Rachel looked down at her feet, slightly embarrassed at Kerry’s rude mannerisms. The other fans were there first, but Kerry just trudged on through, getting as close as she could to meeting the group.
“Hi, I’m Kerry. This is my friend, Rachel. Can we have your autograph?” Kerry looked at Joey through adoring eyes and he smiled at her as he signed an autograph for each of the girls. “Oh, and can I have a picture with you?” He nodded his head ‘yes’ and posed for the picture while Rachel took it with her camera. They made their way to three of the other guys and looked around for the last. They were about to walk away when Rachel bumped into a shoulder.
“Oh, sorry!” She looked up and stared into a gorgeous pair of crystal-green eyes.
“Hi. No need to be sorry.” Lance smiled at her. Rachel returned his smile and he noticed how beautiful her smile was. He felt an instant attraction to her.
“Hey Lance! Can I have your autograph and a picture?” Kerry butted in and Rachel rolled her eyes. Lance just laughed and agreed. Rachel snapped the picture for them and was in the middle of closing the lens when Lance stopped her.
“No picture or autograph for you?”
“Oh..well I..umm....okay...sure.” She smiled at him and stepped up close to him. He gently placed his hand around her waist and got closer to her so he could fit in the picture and they both smiled as Kerry snapped the picture. Lance wrote his autograph on the back of Rachel’s ticket stub and handed it back to her.
“It was nice meeting you. Thanks for coming to the show.” He flashed her a grin and she was about to say something but a whole new group of fans crowded around him and he was lost to her. Kerry and Rachel made their way back to Kerry’s car and got inside.
“OH MY GOD WASN’T THAT THE BEST EXPERIENCE OF YOUR LIFE???” Kerry screamed as she started the car.
“Yeah, it was.” Rachel smiled at her and looked at the autographs the guys had signed for her in her notebook and then took a look at Lance’s handwriting on the back of the ticket.

Rachel gulped as she read the message and slid the ticket inside of the notebook. She smiled as Kerry drove off, secretly excited over what had just happened.

*End of Flashback--At First Sight*

Lance sighed to himself and laid back on the couch. It had been a tiring day for him and he wanted to sleep. He wasn’t ready to go into their bedroom just yet. He couldn’t bring himself to do something so major in such little time. He closed his eyes and prayed to God that wherever Rachel was, she knew just how much he loved her.

He slept for a couple of hours before hearing the front door to the house opening and a small pair of feet running in his direction.
“Daddy!!!!!” Her small, sweet voice called out to him and he felt his heart warm.
“Hey sweetheart,” he said, smiling and lifting himself off of the couch. She ran into his arms and picked her up, holding her tightly and kissing the top of her head. He looked at his mother standing in the doorway and gave her a small smile.
“Rebekah, honey....why don’t you go play with the new toys in your room that I bought for you yesterday?” His mother offered.
“Ok, gramma...” She kissed her father on the cheek and then ran off to her room to entertain herself. His mom walked over to him and sat down on the couch, holding his hand in hers.
“How are you holding up, honey?” Lance felt the tears welling up in his eyes and could only shake his head, telling his mother that he needed her at the moment more than he ever had in his life. She took her son in her arms and rocked him, stroking his hair and trying to soothe him.
“Mom, I miss her so much and it has only been three days...”
“I know, sweetie. I know...”
“I just don’t understand why she’s gone...” He continued to sob.
“Lance, honey. Look at me..” She lifted his head so she could look at him.
“You know that God has his reasons for everything that happens in life. We may not know them now, but we will know them sometime. God is taking care of her, wherever she is. And she is taking care of you and Rebekah.”
Lance let a small smile form at the corner of his mouth. His mother always had a way of comforting him when he needed it the most. He wiped his eyes and looked down at his left hand, fiddling with the golden wedding band sitting proudly on his ring finger. He looked up as he heard Rebekah running back into the room. She saw the look on her Dad’s face and went over to him, climbing into his lap.
“Why are you sad, Daddy?” She looked up at him through small eyes. Lance looked at his mother for support and she gently squeezed his hand. He didn’t know how to explain to his three year old daughter that her mother was gone. He drew in a deep breath and started to explain.
“Do you remember what you are taught in church? About Heaven and angels?” He waited as Rebekah slowly nodded her head in understanding.
“Well, do you know where your Mommy is now?” The blank look on her face told him that he needed to explain a bit more. “God loved Mommy a whole bunch and he decided that it was time for her to be with him again...so he took her with him to live with the angels and Jesus in Heaven. That’s why Daddy’s sad....I miss Mommy a whole lot.”
He swallowed hard to choke back the sobs he could feel trying to escape so Rebekah wouldn’t see him cry. It was hard enough for her to understand her mother’s death and he didn’t want her to watch him going through his grief.
“I miss Mommy, too, Daddy.” He smiled at her and kissed her forehead.
“We all do, sweetie.” He ran a hand through her blonde curls.
“Will I see her again?”
“Of course you will. Do you know how Mommy was a good person? Nice to everyone and how she liked to help everyone?” Rebekah nodded her head remembering how her mother acted. “Well, if you do like Mommy did, you will see her again...when it’s time for you to go to Heaven.”
“When will it be my turn?” She bit her lip innocently, trying to make sense of everything that was happening around her.
“I don’t know. No one knows except for God. But when it is your turn, the first person you are going to see is your Mommy...she’ll be waiting there for you, with a hug.”
“And with chocolate chip cookies?”
“A whole plate full of them.” Lance smiled at her question.
“Hey Beckah...what do you say we go and make some cookies? Does that sound good?” Diane looked at her granddaughter.
“YEAH!!” She hopped off of Lance’s lap and ran into the kitchen.
“Thanks, Mom.”
“You’re welcome, honey. I love you.” She bent and kissed his cheek and walked into the kitchen to help Rebekah make the cookies. Lance sat there for a few minutes collecting himself before joining his mom and daughter inside of the kitchen.

The sunlight brightly sneaked in through the cracked blinds as it awakened for the morning. Lance opened his eyes slowly and yawned, stretching his arms and sitting up slowly. He was still in the suit he had worn to her funeral the previous day, but his tie was removed and his collar was undone. He walked into the kitchen and began brewing a pot of coffee for himself and strolled to the slightly opened door of Rebekah’s room. He quietly opened it and walked inside, kneeling on the floor beside her bedside. He smiled as he watched his little angel peacefully sleeping in her brand new ‘big-girl bed.’ She had only had it for two weeks and she loved it dearly. She had the free spirit that her mother had. He could already tell she possessed a kind heart and a gentle nature like Rachel. Her looks had come mostly from her father as far as the blonde hair, green eyes, and pale complexion. Rachel and Lance had laughed at the fact that they didn’t know how she had gotten curly hair. It only made her more perfect to them. He softly kissed her cheek and got up to return to the kitchen. He grabbed the morning paper off of the front doorstep and poured a cup of coffee, sitting down at the oak table to read the paper. He sighed as he looked at the obituaries. There it was. He still couldn’t believe that she was really gone, but he had to. It was even finalized in print for him.

“Rachel Ann Bass. 25 years old.
Died March 17 at Vanderbilt
Hospital. Survived by husband, James
Lance Bass of Clinton, MS; daughter
Rebekah Ann Bass. Parents: Jeffery
Wilson of Nashville, TN, and Katherine
Teal of Toledo, OH. One brother: Kyle
Ross Wilson of Toledo, OH. Services
held at Martin’s Chapel Church in
Springfield, TN, yesterday afternoon
at 4 PM. Interment is at Martin’s Chapel
United Methodist Church. Family asks
that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent
to The Rachel Bass Memorial Scholarship Fund.”

Lance smiled at the picture of Rachel that was in the paper above her obituary. It was their engagement announcement picture. He still remembered every word of that first phone call six years ago that had sealed their fate.

*Flashback--First Impressions*

Rachel nervously fingered the ticket stub in her hands. What was she supposed to say when she called him? A simple hello? No, she didn’t want to seem boring. She prepped herself for a few minutes and then picked up the phone, quickly dialing the phone and anxiously waiting for him to pick up. One ring...two rings...three rings...four rings. She was about to hang up when she heard his deep voice answer the phone.
“Lance here.”
‘Hi. Umm...it’s Rachel...you met me a couple of days ago in Nashville.” Lance smiled on the other end of the phone, remembering who it was.
“Yes I remember you. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to call.”
“Oh...I have just been busy that’s all.”
“I know how that goes. What are you doing?”
“Nothing really. I guess I am sitting here talking to you.” Lance smiled again. He already really liked her. She was so sweet and shy and innocent. She didn’t put on any fake smiles or personas to try and impress him. She was being herself and it attracted him to her even more.
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Uh no. Not at all.” She swallowed hard, trying to cover her nervousness.
“Hey...we just arrived at the hotel we are staying at. Can you give me a number to call you back at?”
“Sure. Do you have a pen?”
“Yep.” Lance propped the phone between his chin and his shoulders so he could write the number down.
“It’s 555-1346.”
“5-5-5-1-3-4-6. Will you be there for the next couple of hours?”
“Um, yeah...I should be, if not just leave me a message and I can call you back if you want.”
“Alright...sounds good. I’ll talk to you soon.” Rachel hung up the phone and breathed heavily. She just had a small conversation with Lance Bass of *NSYNC and she wasn’t completely star struck. She had always imagined meeting them and fainting or doing something equally crazy, but she was surprised it didn’t happen that way. And Lance was so down-to-earth. He seemed like a sweet, Southern gentleman and she loved that. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard the phone ringing.
“Hello?”
“Rachel? Hi, it’s Lance.”
“Wow. That was quick.”
“Yeah...we didn’t have any hassles with getting the room, so I called you as soon as I got in. I wanted to talk to you some more before I got caught up with other business that might get thrown at me later in the day.”
“That’s understandable.”
The next couple of hours flew by as the two talked about everything they possibly could. Rachel told him about her family background and her hobbies and Lance did the same. They both shared a love for country music and the countryside itself, so their first impressions of one another were definitely good. They talked about *NSYNC and how Rachel had become a fan, about Rachel’s schooling, and even chatted a little bit about Lance’s new business, FreeLance Entertainment. Lance was completely enthralled with her. She had the sweetest voice and the calmest nature. She was completely honest, had great morals, and she wasn’t afraid to be herself. He knew right then that this conversation would definitely lead to more.

*End Flashback--First Impressions*

Lance got up and put the paper into one of the kitchen drawers and washed out the cup he had used. He leaned against the sink and peered out of the window, gazing at the flower garden Rachel had planted as soon as they had moved into their house. He watched the sun’s rays pouring over the various flower pedals belonging to different hybrids of tulips, roses, and carnations and admired the beauty.
“Daddy?” Rebekah’s little voice brought him out of his thoughts and he turned his head to look at her. She was standing in the hallway in her Lion King pajamas, a thumb in her mouth and a pink security blanket in the other.
“Good morning, Sunshine.” He walked over to her and picked her up, giving her a kiss. “How did you sleep?”
“Good.” She smiled at him and kissed his nose.
“What do you want for breakfast?” Rebekah put her finger to her mouth and thought for a few moments before answering enthusiastically.
“PANNACAKES!” Lance laughed at her obvious mispronunciation of the word and let her down.
“Ok...go into the TV room and watch your cartoons while I make you some of Daddy’s good ol’ pannacakes.” He smiled at her as she scattered away into the adjoining room, turning the TV on to watch “Bear in the Big Blue House.” He laughed as he heard her innocent giggle ringing through the house. He loved her more than anything in the world and knew that she was going to be his saving grace during the hard times ahead.