*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever want to) they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Devon, Mike, Rachel, Ashley and Carli. Plagiarism is against the law. Don't do it. Thank you.

Devon slowly opened her eyes after the most wonderful dream and smiled dreamily. She glanced over at the clock and sighed. She reached over and picked up the phone, dialing her cousin's phone number in Orlando. It was only seven-thirty in the morning, so she knew Mike would be there. After five rings, the phone clicked in her ear and she heard a sleepy voice mumble incoherant things to her.

"Hello?"

"JC?"

"Yeah?"

"You're at Mike's place?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Cause she's my girlfriend. What would you like Devon?"

"To speak with your girlfriend."

"Hold on a second." JC mumbled tiredly before handing the phone over to her cousin.

"Devon, why are you calling me at this ungodly hour in the morning?"

"There's something I need to tell you, but first, JC stayed the whole night?"

"Yeah."

"When did this start?"

"Is it really something you need to know?"

"Yes and no."

"A while ago. Now what was it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Chris and I are getting married in five days and we want you and JC to be there. Actually, I want you to be my maid of honor."

"Five days? Are you nuts?"

"Absolutely out of my mind. Will you be here?"

"You know I will, but Dev, five days? Isn't that rushing it just a little bit?"

"No, we want to have the ceremony at this bed and breakfast."

"There is such a thing as going back to get married."

"I realize that. Chris and I just want to get it done now."

"Alright. When do you want me up there?"

"Tomorrow if its possible."

"Alright. We'll be there."

"Thanks, Mike."

"Yeah." Mike sighed before hanging up the phone. Devon flopped onto her back and laughed gaily up at the ceiling. She burrowed deeper under the covers and gave another blissful sigh. She yawned then forced herself out of bed. She needed to do a few hundred things before the wedding took place. Flowers needed to be ordered, she needed to find a simple dress and she needed to find the rings. Chris was going to be busy most of the day arranging everyone's travel plans, so the shopping was left up to her, not that she minded in the least. She climbed out of bed and quickly got dressed before she and Mrs. White headed out to take care of the shopping. They spent most of the morning at the dress boutique getting Devon fitted for a simple white dress. When they had finished at the boutique, the ladies went to the local cafe for some lunch. By the time they got back to the bed and breakfast late that afternoon, Chris was dozing on the couch in the downstairs livingroom. Devon smiled, walking over to him. She leaned over and pressed a kiss to the love of her life's forehead. His eyes opened and he smiled up at her.

"Did you find what you needed?" he inquired as he pulled himself up into a sitting position.

"Pretty much. Are everyone's travel plans set?" she nodded taking a seat next to him. He nodded, rubbing his face tiredly.

"Everyone will be showing up late tomorrow afternoon. Most everyone was in Orlando, so everyone will be on the same flight."

"That makes things a little easier." Devon grinned.

"Maybe." he laughed with a shrug. He gazed over at her, pushing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Her hand covered his for a moment before she climbed to her feet. He watched her swift movements with a look of appreciative love. He knew that he was doing the right thing for himself because he loved her. He just wondered if he was doing the right thing for Devon. She was a strong willed, independant woman and he didn't want that to change. He shook his head with a silent sigh. He also wondered what it would do to his career. Stop that. If the fans can't accept that I'm happy, then there's always the option of leaving the group, his mind scolded. But you don't want to leave the group. You're happy with your career. You'll just have to deal with everything as it comes like all other people.

Chris sat alone in the downstairs living room, gazing at the fire blazing in the fireplace and wondering what would happen over the next few years. He and Devon would be going on a short honeymoon to Spain, only spending five days there, before he rejoined the group and started up the tour again. He had wanted more time to spend with her, but they both needed to get back to their respective careers and find a house for the both of them to live in. Things would most definitely change once they found their own place. He shook his head with a small smile. He couldn't wait until they got to Spain. He knew she would love it there.

"You know, its not too late to call the whole thing off." Joe brought Chris away from his thoughts as he stepped into the room, the rest of the group following him in.

"Yeah, really. That old ball and chain is going to get mighty heavy rather quickly." Justin added with a smile for good measure.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm so glad that you're concerned for my mental wellbeing." Chris shook his head with an amused grin.

"What kind of friends would we be if we didn't warn you of the hazzards and dangers of married life?" Lance inquired with mock severity, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm happy." Chris stated suddenly. "I never thought I could be any happier than what I was, but I am."

"That's good to hear, man." JC smiled knowingly. "If you weren't happy, then something would really be wrong."

Chris nodded silently, a small smile playing on his lips. "Where are the ladies?"

"Up in Devon's room." JC grunted the answer.

"Uh oh, sounds like trouble in paradise." Chris laughed softly.

"Nothing a little ass kicking won't help." JC grinned with a laugh.

"The day you kick Mike's ass is the day that we all get sex changes." Justin snorted with a shake of his head.

"Did I say I would be doing the kicking?" JC raised an eyebrow, causing everyone to laugh.

"So, no bachelor party, ay?" Joe inquired suddenly.

"No. It's a little late for something like that, don't ya think?" Chris snorted with a shake of his head.

"Maybe, maybe not." Joe shrugged with an evil grin.

"What have you got planned?" Chris demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Nothing, but we have to go if we're going to make it on time." Joe laughed, climbing to his feet. Chris groaned loudly in protest at the thought of moving and leaving the bed and breakfast. Chris followed the guys out to the awaiting van, Joe taking the driver's seat. Soon they were at a small bar, toasting to the wedding the next morning and what life could bring the happy couple.

"I have to admit, Joe, that I'm impressed. I thought for sure you'd have a stripper." Chris grinned into his beer, all of them sitting at a round table near the back of the bar.

"Who says there isn't one on the way?" Joe raised a teasing eyebrow, causing everyone to groan with good nature into their drinks.

"Devon would not only hurt me, but she would hurt you." Chris yelped as he set his drink down on the table.

"It's tradition, is it not?" Joe tossed a hand into the air. "Every bachelor party has a stripper. It's an unwritten law or something."

"Gentlemen, pay attention to what Joe just said, because they'll be the last words he'll ever speak if a stripper shows up and Devon finds out about it." JC laughed with a shake of his head. The group of men talked about various things from the past while they drank until the bar tender yelled the traditional closing line.

"Last call for alcohol. You don't have to go home, but you can't stay here."

The group started laughing as they unsteadily climbed to their feet, Justin being the only totally sober one of the bunch. He was still too young to drink anything more than a few sodas and various virgin drinks. Justin grabbed the car keys off the table and walked out into the freezing night air to drive everyone back to the bed and breakfast. They all said their good nights and headed off to bed. Chris lay awake for a long while, thinking about how complete his life would be as soon as he said 'I do' and heard the same words come from Devon. She was too special to him to let her get away. Finally, he fell asleep, only to get up two hours later to get ready for the wedding. The rest of their close friends and family were showing up a couple of hours before the wedding, so there should be someone waiting for them to arrive. He and the rest of the guys had offered to do it so the ladies could get ready. They all knew that it would take hours for them to prepair for the wedding.

Devon gazed at her reflection in the mirror, barely breathing. The dress was absolutely beautiful and quite breath taking. Her hair was perfectly pulled into a french twist, loose tendrills escaping at her temples and her make-up was light and airy. Her mother's pearl earrings hung from her ears, a matching pearl choker wrapped snuggly around her neck. She was a beautiful vision, bringing tears to everyone's eyes. She turned to Mike with a shuddering breath.

"Well? What do you think?" Devon inquired nervously.

"I think you are the most beautiful bride I've ever seen." Mike answered truthfully with a smile.

"Yeah?" Devon raised her eyebrow.

"Yeah." Mike nodded with a soft laugh. Devon stepped away from the mirror so Mike could put on the finishing touches. The dress she wore was a deep emerald color, bringing out the color of her eyes. Mike slipped a necklace around her neck then turned to her older cousin with a smile. Suddenly Devon turned to Mike, panic written all over her face, her cobalt eyes filled with sudden apprehension. She glanced around the room nervously. Her breaths came in sharp gasps and her hands started to tremble. She took a couple of steps back, shaking her head slowly from side to side. The room felt as if it were closing in on her, ready to swallow her whole. Her heart raced, beating a wild tattoo in her chest.

"What's wrong, Dev?" Mike's voice seemed to come to her from miles away. A far off distance from her.

"I can't do this." Devon whispered in shock.

"Can't do what? Marry Chris?" Mike demanded softly, raising an eyebrow.

"What if he marries me and finds out that I'm not the right person for him? What if he's unhappy with me? What if I'm not a good wife to him?" Devon nearly shrieked before bolting to the bathroom and shutting herself up inside. Mike stood in Devon's room in complete and utter shock for a few minutes before she raced out into the hallway and nearly ran into JC. She ignored the fact that they had been fighting for the past few days and grabbed him by the laples of his dress jacket.

"We have a problem." she stated ominously.

"I believe we do. I'm sorry." JC nodded with a sigh. A smile softed Mike's features and for a moment she was sidetracked.

"No, I'm not talking about that problem." she laughed softly, caressing his cheek with her hand. "I mean, Devon's getting cold feet. She doesn't want to go through with the wedding."

"What?!"

"I know. That's what I said. We have to do something." Mike nodded, smothering a nervous laugh by biting the inside of her cheek.

"What can we do? If Devon doesn't want to go through with this, we can't very well force her to." JC shook his head in disbelief.

"Don't you think I know that?" Mike snapped pulling him into Devon's room. "She's not going through with this because she thinks Chris will either stop loving her, or decide he was wrong, or something to that affect."

"That's crazy. Chris loves her more than anything in the world." JC made a face.

"I know that. You know that. Chris knows that. But Devon doesn't know that." Mike tossed her hands into the air. Under any other circumstances, this would have been a hysterical situation.

"So, what do we do?" JC raised an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

"You have to go talk to her." Mike nodded toward the bathroom door.

"What? Me?" he snorted.

"Yes, you. You know Chris better than I do. Besides, do you really want to drag Chris down here saying Devon's having second thoughts?" she flopped down on the bed with a huff. Men could be so simple minded sometimes.

"Okay, okay. I'll talk to her." JC held up his hands, as if warding off a blow. He sighed and headed for the bathroom door but stopped short and turned back to Mike. "You're stunning in that dress."

"Thank you." she gave him another soft smile before he turned to the bathroom door and knocked on it. He shook his head when no reply came.

"Devon?" he called out softly.

"What?" came Devon's tearful voice.

"Open up, we need to talk." he pleaded with her and glanced back at Mike for a moment. Mike nodded encouragingly.

"There's nothing to talk about. I won't let Chris make the worst mistake in his life by marrying me." Devon shot back through the door.

"Chirs doesn't think he's making a mistake." JC countered with a shake of his head. Mike silently climbed to her feet and left the room. JC leaned back against the bathroom room and sat down.

"People rarely know they're making mistakes until it's too late." Devon wailed.

"Devon, calm down and listen to me for a minute." he smiled ruefully to himself. Who knew that he would be talking a bride with cold feet out of a bathroom while the groom and the rest of the party was downstairs joking about the old ball and chain. "I've known Chris for a long time now. More years than I care to count and I have not once seen him as happy as when he's with you. He cares about you more than he'd like to admit. The rest of us see that. He's miserable when he's not with you. True, he also loves his career, but he also loves coming home to you. He loves knowing that you'll be there, waiting for him. Plain and simple, he loves you."

Devon responded to JC's comment with silence, not really knowing what to say to try and make him understand what was going on in her head. She was terrified that Chris would be making the biggest mistake of his life. That his career would suffer greatly because of the change of his marital status. And that was something she didn't want to be the cause of. She knew singing made him happy, and she didn't want him to lose that. She loved him enough to let him go.

"If you leave him now, it'll destroy him." JC tried again, resting his head back against the locked door as Chris strolled silently into the room.

"No it won't. He'll thank me for it." Devon shot back, almost angrily.

"It will." Chris stated softly, startling Devon into silence. Chris sighed and glanced over at his friend, who shrugged, silently telling him he had no idea what was going on. JC climbed ot his feet and left the room, leaving the couple to talk everything out.

"How could you possibly think I didn't want this, Dev?" Chris inquired, pressing his forehead against the bathroom door, eyes closed.

"Because. I just know. I don't want to stop you from doing what you want with your career. Being married would change things, change the way you look at things." Devon replied, her voice trembling.

"Listen to me, baby. This is no mistake. I've thought about this for months. Tossing the question around in my head. I even talked to my mom and grandma about it. They gave me really good advice. They told me that if I really loved you, then there should be no doubt in my mind on what to do. The next morning, I bought that ring for you. Because I love you and I want to make you my wife." Chris shook his head, voice still soft. Devon was silent for a moment before he heard the lock slip back. The door opened slowly and Devon gazed at him with wide, blue eyes.

"I'm not saying married life won't change me, because it will." he stated, taking her hand in his and pulling her gently from her hiding place in the bathroom. "But it'll be a change that's for the better. You complete me in ways I've never dreamed. You are my sanity when I need it the most. You know that. And I would be miserable without you."

"Yeah?" Devon whispered, lower lips qwivering slightly.

"Yeah." Chris nodded firmly with an inviting smile.

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" she raised an eyebrow.

"I've never been more sure about anything in my entire life." he pressed a kiss to her temple, bring a smile to her lips.

"Okay." she sighed, relieved.

"Shall we?" he offered her his arm.

"Yes." she nodded, placing her hand in the crock of his elbow. He smiled down at her before they left the sanctuary of her room to walk to the top of the stairs where JC, Joe, Justin, Lance, Mike, Rachel, Ashley and Carli were waiting for them.

"I'll see you downstairs." Chris pressed another kiss to Devon's cheek before he and JC, his best man, disappeared downstairs. Devon gave everyone a radiant smile as everyone took their places. Soon, the music started and the wedding was in full swing. Not a dry eye was in the house when the couple finally said 'I Do' much to everyone's happiness and joy. Finally, Chris was allowed to kiss the bride and he did so with such tenderness that it made Devon's heart flop slowly in her chest. When the minister left to do other things, the reception started in the large dinning room at the inn. Soft music played so couples could dance. Chris smiled, pulling Devon into his arms as the swayed gently to the music.

"Are you happy?" Chris inquired softly, his lips brushing lightly against her ear.

"Immensely." Devon nodded.

"Good." he commented as she rested her head on his chest.

"Are you happy?" she inquired with a ghost of a smile playing on her lips.

"I will be." Chris answered with a nod.

"Will be?" she raised an eyebrow, gazing up at him.

"Well, you see," he started to explain. "I overheard the guys talking about stuffing themselves in our suitcases so they could go with us on our honeymoon."

"I'd kill them." she shook her head.

"So, I'll be happy when we're safely on a plane, without those guys, to Ireland." Chris laughed softly.

"We're going to Ireland?" Devon laughed.

"Yeah, you said you always wanted to go." Chris shrugged.

"I'd go anywhere with you." she countered as she pulled him down for a kiss.

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