"HEY!! ANYONE GETTING IT?!" shouted Chris, eyes still glued to the television.

The phone continued ringing.

Chris mumbled a curse as he dragged himself up from the couch and stumbled towards the phone, which seemed miles and miles away. They're always here when you don't want them to be... but they're never here when you do, Chris thought to himself as he picked up the receiver.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeeellloo?" he said casually.

"Umm... Hello? Is there a Christopher Kirkpatrick there?" the voice asked nervously.

"Speaking," Chris responded automatically, secretly pleading that it wasn't a fan.

"Chris... it's me," the voice said.

Chris raised an eyebrow in confusion. Did he know this person? "Uhh... Hi... Me... Is that a nickname?"

The caller laughed at Chris's response. "You're still the Chris I know. I'm glad. Don't tell me that you don't remember me?" Chris could almost picture the caller pouting.

"Should I remember? Gimme a clue," Chris asked.

"You can figure this out yourself, Chrissy..."

Chrissy? There was only one person in the world that dared to call him by that name... "Katherine! I missed you! Why didn't you call?" Chris finally recognized the caller.

His long time friend laughed. "I was busy. You know, ever since Alexa was born, I never find the time for anything."

"Alexa..." Chris repeated softly. He recalled the day that he looked at his old yearbook, and read Katherine's last letter to him. They had dated through their high school years, Chris was forced to move away. They kept contact with each other, but Chris could feel that she slowly drifted away from him. Chris's heart split in two when he read Katherine's last letter- it told him that she got married, and she already had a baby girl.

"You know, Chris, I have a big favor to ask of you," Katherine asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"I'd do anything for you," Chris replied, knowing that this statement was the truth.

"My husband, David, is on a company trip to New York, and I'm in Orlando now to finish some business. I brought Alexa along because I thought that a sitter was unnecessary... but it seems as if my business associates don't appreciate children. I can't find a single available sitter, so can you please, please watch over Alexa? For one day?"

Chris took a few seconds to let the entire phrase sink in. "You... want ME... Chris Kirkpatrick... to baby sit. A baby. A baby girl," he hesitated. "...Do you realize who you're talking to?"

"Chris," Katherine started. "Please. I don't want Alexa all alone in our hotel, and I can't find a sitter. I'll drop her off at your house, and pick her up when I'm finished. All you have to do is watch over her, nothing big. Please, Chris. You're my last hope!" she stated desperately.

"Kat..." Chris started to protest.

"She's only three... she won't get into much trouble, I promise!"

Chris whined, but he knew that he was defeated. "Why do you have to be sooooo darn good at persuading people? You could be a very good car dealer, you know. When are you gonna come?" Chris asked.

"Open your door," she said.

Chris hesitated. He put down the phone, walked toward the front door, opened it, and surprisingly, Katherine stood in the front entrance holding a cell phone to her ear. Her long wavy hair was tied back into a tight, formal bun, and she showed off her shape in a fitted, knee length dress. And behind her, was a little girl, not more than three years old. She clung nervously on to her mother like Velcro. She shyly sneaked a peak at Chris, but retreated behind her mother and tightened her grip.

Katherine smiled and hung up her cell. "Surprise! Chris, you've changed so much!" she exclaimed as she walked forward to embrace her long time friend in a hug.

"So did you! How'd you know that I'd accept your offer? How'd you even know where I live?" he questioned her.

"I have connections," Katherine said smugly.

Chris smiled. He knelt down to the little girl, still clinging on to her mother. "You must be Alexa, right?"

The young toddler retreated a few steps back, and tightened her grip on her mother's skirt. Katherine took her daughter's hand. "Alexa, say hi to Mommy's friend, Chris. He's gonna take care of you while Mommy's on a business trip."

The toddler pouted. "I don't wanna go, mommy," Alexa whispered underneath her breath. "I wanna stay with you."

Katherine kneeled down to Alexa. "Mommy's very, very busy. She needs someone to look after you."

Alexa whined. "But Mommy, I'm a whole 3 years old! I can take care of myself!" she exclaimed as she proudly held up four fingers to prove her point.

"Alexa..." Katherine started. She took her daughter's hand and pushed down one of her fingers. "First of all, you were holding up four fingers. Second, I promise, I'll pick you up when I'm finished. Then, we can do whatever you want. But for now, please, please, listen to me. Be a good girl. Okay?"

"But Mommy-"

"Alexandra Maire Roberts. You WILL stay with Chris until I am back from work," Katherine commanded, slightly annoyed at her daughter.

Alexa pouted her lower lip in reply.

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Stay out of trouble." She turned to look at Chris. "Alexa's allergic to chocolate, so make sure that she doesn't eat any. She's deathly afraid of bugs, so try to keep her away from anything small and crawly. I don't want her eating anything sweet because it will ruin her appetite, so don't get her any candy, no matter how long she whines. Her bedtime is 7:00 pm, so if I'm not back by then, please tuck her in. She needs someone to read her a story before she goes to bed, so choose an appropriate book to read to her. I don't know where she picked up this talent, but she loves pick pocketing, so you'd better be careful where you keep your wallet," Katherine said all in one breath. "Other than that, feel free to do what you want. I'll be back soon!"

And with that, she walked off, leaving Chris and Alexa alone. Chris scratched his head, and looked back at Alexa. "Did you hear a word she said?" he asked her innocently. Alexa didn't reply, so Chris shrugged casually and went back into the house. Alexa followed.

"So, Alexa..." Chris started as Alexa sank down on the couch in front of the television. "What do you wanna do?"

Alexa sniffed. She pouted her lower lip, and her eyes began to water. Her cheeks became flushed, and almost immediately, she started to cry. Not just a little sniffle, but a giant, deafening bawl. "I WANT MY MOMMY!" she shouted between wails.

Lance came running down the stairs when he heard the screams. "CHRIS!! WHAT THE FU-" he started to curse, but he skidded to a stop when he spotted a little girl on the couch.

Chris made a face at Lance and pointed at him accusingly. "There's a kid in here! I don't want anymore potty mouth from you!" he scolded. Lance raised his hands in confusion. Alexa felt the presence of another unfamiliar stranger in the room, and started bawling harder.

"WHAT IS SHE DOING HERE? WHO IS SHE?" Lance shouted on top of his lungs, hoping to be heard over the cries.

Justin and Joey came running into the room, covering their ears in pain. "CHRIS!! THERE'D BETTA BE AN EXPLAINATION FOR DIS!" Justin shouted.

"MAKE IT STOP! MY EARS ARE GONNA EXPLODE!!" Joey complained.

Alexa, in reply to all the shouting going on, continued to wail uncontrollably. Lance rushed into the kitchen to get away from the unbearable noise, but it seemed just as audible in other rooms of the house.

"SOMEONE MAKE HER STOP!!" commanded Justin.

Lance emerged back from the kitchen with a lollypop in his hand. "Hey!" he shouted to Alexa, still screaming her head off. But as soon as she caught a glimpse of the sweet red candy in his hands, she paused her whining. Lance smiled sweetly and offered the lollypop to her. Alexa took it without hesitation, and happily silenced her cries. They all sighed in relief.

JC stumbled down the stairs just when Alexa stopped her wretched wailing. "What was that? I haven't heard cries like that since Justin's brush got tangled in his afro," he yawned as he rubbed his eyes warily.

"Very funny, you crackhead," Justin replied, frowning.

"And that was just yesterday, too," JC added, seeing how frustrated his friend was getting.

Justin decided to change the subject. He turned his attention back to Chris. "What is a little 2 year old girl doing in our house?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"I'm three years old, not twoooo!" Alexa exclaimed happily as she lifted four fingers to show everybody.

"Uhh... yeah. But Chris, how did this happen?"

Chris sighed. "My long time friend showed up out of nowhere, and she desperately needed someone to look after Alexa. She somehow persuaded me to baby sit the little brat, and here we are now."

Joey winced. "But dude!! We were supposed to go to Playland ride the roller coasters until someone pukes their guts out today! How the hell-"

"Watch the language!" Chris snapped. He looked back at Alexa to see if she heard.

"I mean... how the HECK are we gonna go to an amusement park while baby sitting a little girl?!" Joey corrected.

Chris sighed. "We have a change of plans, guys. You guys go on without me, and I'll stay here with Alexa," he decided sadly.

"NO! I wanna go too!" Alexa shouted. "I wanna go, Chris!"

Chris shook his head. "But Alexa, your mom didn't give us permission to. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you."

"But Mommy said that we can do what we want until I go to bed!" Alexa fought back. Tears began to weld up in her eyes again, and her lip began to tremor.

Chris saw how dangerously close she was to crying again. "Ok then, we'll go, since its okay with your mom," he quickly added.

Alexa rejoiced. "YAY!! I'm going to Playland, I'm going to Playland, do-dah-do-dah," she sang happily as she leaped off the couch and gave Chris a tight hug. Unfortunately, she only came up to Chris's waist, so she ended up hugging his knees. Alexa released Chris from her hug and joyfully bounced around the house a few times, celebrating. "I'm going to PLAAAAYYLAND, I'm going to PLAAAYYLAND," she sang again and again and again and again.

Chris looked confused... something was missing. "Hey guys," he asked as he checked his pockets. "Have you seen my wallet?"

"I'm going to PLAAAAYYLAND, I'm going to PLAAAYYLAND," Alexa continued to chant.

"Didn't you have it with you before?" Joey asked.

"If I did, would I be asking you if you knew where it was?" Chris replied. He looked up at Alexa, who was still dancing around, but waving a tiny black object in her hand. Chris rolled his eyes and snatched his wallet back from Alexa as she passed by.

"You little thief..." Chris said.

Justin bit his tongue to prevent himself from laughing. Lance sighed and shook his head. This was going to be a long day.

Alexa gazed in awe at all the lights and the people. Playland was a gigantic place compared to everywhere else she has been to. Shouts and screams of joy were heard everywhere, and the smell of popcorn and cotton candy tinted the air. Carnival ride music chimed in the background, and everybody who passed by seemed to tower over her tiny body. She tightened her grip on Chris's hand. "Whoooaaaa..." she exclaimed as she walked by a game booth. Colorful stuffed animals hung from the canopies of the booths.

"Chris!! Chris!! I want DAT one!" she tugged on Chris's shirt and pointed to an enormous pink elephant, dangling beside a basketball hoop.

Chris shook his head. "Alexa, these games are rigged. There's no possible way you can win," he whispered to her.

The booth owner heard Alexa's plead and smiled. This was his chance. "Hey, step right up and win this wonderful animal for your daughter!" he said. "All ya hafta do is shoot this basketball into the hoop three times!! That's it! It's THAT easy!"

MY daughter? Chris asked himself.

Justin's ears perked up. He backed up a few steps and smirked. "Did I just hear someone say 'basketball'?"

The booth keeper saw his chance. "That's right, all you have to do, sir, is make the basket three times in a row. That's it! It's easy, and only two dollars a try!"

Justin raised an eyebrow. "That's it, eh? No strings attached?" he asked, unaware of the pun.

"No strings attached," he replied surely.

Justin smiled and looked at Alexa. "Watch me win that elephant for ya," he grinned. Alexa jumped up and down in glee.

"Justin," Chris protested. "The games are fixed. You know that, Curly," he whispered.

"He challenged me. I never turn down a challenge. Besides, this is a perfect chance to show off to a pretty girl," Justin smiled sweetly as he looked at Alexa. She blushed.

"Dumb ass," Chris mumbled under his breath so Alexa wouldn't hear. "You're flirting with a three year old. Don't blame me if you lose your money."

Justin slapped the money down on the table and grabbed the basketball from the owner. He dribbled it on the ground a few times, and with perfect form, tossed it into the air effortlessly. The ball soared through the air and landed right in the basket...

... but strangely bounced off the side rim. "What the fu-" Justin started to curse.

"Justin..." Chris warned. Alexa stared at Justin curiously.

"That was a perfect shot! It shoulda made it!" Justin complained.

The owner felt a bead of sweat down his neck. What if they find out? "Sorry, buddy. No basket, no prize. Feel free to try again, if you want," he tried to cover up.

Justin gave the booth keeper a suspicious look, and pointed a finger at him. "What did you do to the basket, you son of a-"

"Justin!" Chris shouted again. Justin shrugged in reply, and turned his attention back to the owner.

"Listen, you b... bum!" he growled in a low voice. "I know you're messin' with my head, so 'fess up."

The booth keeper shrugged innocently. "I just run the game. I'm not responsible for nothing."

Justin glared evilly at him. "You are so fu... fudging lucky that we are in public, otherwise I woulda beat the shi... feces out of you," Justin threatened, attempting to cover up his curses. And with those words, he turned around and stomped away angrily. Chris lowered his head in shame. Alexa raised her head and looked at Chris.

"Did he win?" she asked him.

Chris shook his head. "No... I'll buy you something else later. But now, lets go catch up with the others."

"I dare you," Joey said, narrowing his eyes.

"No way," JC replied, crossing his arms stubbornly.

"Chicken. Come on, I know you wanna," Joey smiled slyly.

"No I don't. I don't ever want to go on a ride like that. Ever," JC said as he pointed at the gigantic roller coaster. Even the name sent a chill down his spine: the Nightmare. The coaster car swerved past them at amazing speed, but all JC could see was the pale, frightened faces on the passengers. As the ride came to a stop, the survivors of the ride stumbled towards the exit, their faces a slight shade of greenish blue. A man held his stomach in agonizing pain as he attempted to stagger away. He managed to take a few meager steps, but he suddenly bent over and hurled out the remains of his lunch. JC stepped back in disgust.

"There is no way in hell am I going to go on that ride, and there's nothing you can do about it," he argued.

Joey frowned, and turned to Chris. "How about you, Kirkpatrick? You backing out too?"

"Sorry Superman," Chris told him. "Babysitting comes first."

Alexa smiled sweetly and said, "That's okay Chrissss... I can look after myself."

"No you can't," Chris replied.

Lance stepped in to help. "Chris, if you wanna go on the ride, then go. Justin, JC and I will look after Alexa for you," he volunteered.

"Really? You guys would do that for me?" Chris asked, surprised.

"Of course," JC said, thankful that he wasn't forced to go on the ride.

Chris grinned and headed towards the roller coaster, where Joey was already waiting in line.

"Five bucks say Joey pukes," Lance whispered to Justin when Joey wasn't looking.

"You're on," he replied, shaking Lance's hand in agreement.

Alexa, still a bit dazed by the size of the crowd in the amusement park, felt her tiny stomach growl. She hadn't eaten anything besides that lollypop Lance gave to her that morning. She grabbed JC's pant leg and started tugging at it. "Jayceeeeeeee, Jayceeeee, I want sumthing to eaaaaaaaat," she whined as she pointed at the concession stand nearby.

"You're hungry?" JC asked her.

"I want ice cream! ICE CREAM!" Alexa screamed happily as she bounced her way to the concession stand.

JC walked towards the stand where Alexa was already choosing the flavors for her ice cream. "I want... vanilla, no strawberry..." Alexa decided. "No... ummm.... Chocolate! I want chocolate ice cream please!"

The cashier handed a cone with one scoop of chocolate ice cream to the tiny girl, and she happily skipped towards where Justin and Lance were observing the roller coaster. JC smiled to the cashier gave her the money. She smiled back as she returned his change, but she kept her eyes locked on him. "Heeyy..." the cashier started. "Aren't you... that guy from Nsync?" she asked curiously.

Coincidentally, a group of teenage girls overheard the cashier mention the word 'Nsync' and turned their heads to see what was going on. They screamed in delight when they discovered that a member of their favorite group was only a foot away from them, and rushed over to crowd around the confused JC.

"OH MY GAWD!" one of the 8 year old fans shouted. "JC!! I LOVE YOU!!" she shrieked as she ran towards the crowd of girls.

JC desperately looked over the crowd of screaming fans to search for Alexa, but she was nowhere in sight. "Oh no..." he said quietly as his squealing fans crowded around him, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite pop star.

Alexa pranced around happily as she licked the ice cream JC had bought for her. Suddenly remembering that JC was supposed to look after her, she turned around to search for her guardian. He was nowhere to be found. She shrugged, and continued skipping towards the roller coaster where Justin and Lance were standing.

"Hey Alexa, where'd you get the ice cream?" Justin questioned as she approached him.

"Jayceeee bought it for me," she replied proudly.

"Where is he?" Lance asked her.

Alexa stared innocently at Lance with her big emerald eyes. "I dunno," she smiled sweetly.

"I'm sure that JC can find his way back. He's a big boy," Justin reassured Lance. Lance shrugged in reply.

"I guess you're right."

Alexa finished the last of her ice cream and licked her lips. She scanned her surroundings once more for a trace of JC, but he wasn't there. She looked up at her babysitters with her angel eyes. "Justin," she whispered.

"What?" he replied, as he focused his attention to a tall brunette walking by.

"I... hafta go," she said quietly.

"Go where?" Justin asked half-heartedly.

"I hafta goooooooooooo..." she whined, crossing her legs.

"Then go," he replied, still slightly confused.

"Noooo!! I hafta gooooooooooooooooooooooooooo..." she whined again, emphasizing the last part of the sentence.

"She has to go to the washroom, half-wit," Lance insulted Justin.

"I hafta go NOW!" Alexa shouted desperately as she tugged on Justin's khakis.

"Okay, let's go!" Justin said as he took her hand and headed off in a random direction, searching for the washroom.

"Hurry, hurry!" Alexa replied. Justin and Lance picked up their pace, searching for the closest washroom, but there wasn't one. Alexa ran as fast as her short legs could take her, trying to keep up with Justin and Lance.

"Slow dooown! I can't run that fast!" Alexa complained to Justin.

"Carry her, Justin," Lance commanded him.

"I'm not carrying her, what if she pisses on me?!" he argued back. "You carry her!"

"Hell no. I'm not crazy," Lance replied.

"And you think I am?" Justin asked, slightly insulted.

"I HAFTA GOOOOOOOOO!" Alexa interrupted. "NOOOWW!!"

Justin lifted Alexa by the arms and ran towards the washroom, which was right in front of them all along. Lance rolled his eyes in disbelief, and followed them. Justin stopped and put Alexa down in front of the Ladies washroom. "Go," he commanded as he pointed at the door.

Alexa looked up at Justin, and pouted. "Aren't you coming in with me??" she asked.

"No, this is the Ladies washroom. Go by yourself," he told her.

"Mommy usually comes in with me," Alexa said, tears beginning to form in her big eyes.

She can turn her tears on and off like a tap, Justin thought to himself. "Well, I'm not your mom, and I am as sure as hell that I'm not a woman, so I ain't going in there."

"Why don't you bring her into the Men's washroom?" Lance suggested, secretly rejoicing over the fact that Alexa wanted Justin to go with her.

"I don't wanna go in the Men's washroom... I'm a girl!!!" Alexa argued back.

"Why can't you just go in by yourself? You said that you were a big girl, right?" Justin tried to convince her.

"I'm only threeeee!" Alexa whined, tears flowing down her eyes. She started sniffling, and her lips started to tremble.

Justin turned to Lance. "Why don't you go with her?" he asked.

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't you?"

"Why don't... oh, shut up!" Justin said, annoyed.

"Go with her, before she starts crying again!" Lance shouted at him.

Justin sighed in defeat. He knew what he had to do... he pushed open the door slightly. "Is anyone in there?" he shouted, just to make sure. No one replied. Justin turned back to Lance. "You keep a look out. Stop anyone from coming in, okay?"

"What do I say?" Lance asked.

"The toilet's out of order, the Loch Ness monster is inside, I don't care! Just make up something!" Justin replied, following Alexa into the washroom. Lance shrugged, and turned around to see if anyone was watching.

Justin thanked God that there wasn't anyone in the washroom at the moment. Alexa rushed to the nearest toilet and slammed the door shut. "Make it fast, okay? I don't want nobody coming in," Justin told her.

Alexa didn't give a reply. Justin sighed again and looked at his reflection in the mirror. "What did I do to deserve this?" he quietly asked himself. He heard a flush and turned around to see Alexa, finished and smiling. "Thank you for coming in with me, Justin," she said sweetly as she reached over the counter to wash her hands in the sink.

Just as he opened his mouth to reply, he heard the entrance to the washroom swing open. Justin turned around to see who it was, and standing in front of him was a middle-aged woman, eyes wide open. Her jaw dropped to the floor in disbelief.

"Wait... ma'am, let me explain..." Justin started, but was cut-off by the ear-piercing scream of the woman.

"GET OUT, YOU PERVERT!" she shouted as she took her handbag and began whacking Justin with it violently. Justin tried his best to shield himself from his attacker, but she remained persistent. He finally grabbed Alexa's hand, rushed out of the washroom, and ducked just in time to avoid the high-heel shoe that was flung toward him.

Alexa giggled happily. "That was fun, we should do that again!"

"NO," Justin replied strictly. He turned to Lance, who hadn't moved from where he was before. Lance shrugged innocently.

"I tried to stop her, but she just pushed me away," he told him.

Justin sighed. He glared at Lance evilly. "If one word of this comes out of you, I'll personally rip you limb to limb," he threatened.

Lance retreated a step back. "The secret's safe with me, Curly," he reassured him. "Come on, let's go find Joey and Chris. The ride must be finished by now."

"Okay, but-" Justin started, but he was interrupted by another scream. It wasn't the scream of a frightened woman though... this was much worse. It was a scream of a crazed fan. They could recognize one from anywhere.

"OH MY GOD! ITS NSYNC!!" the fan screamed as she and her friends rushed around them.

"Nonono, you must be mistaken. We're not Nsync," Justin tried to cover up. Today was not a good day for him to be noticed. Unfortunately, no one heard his plead over the shrieks of delight. More and more people crowded around Lance and Justin to catch a glimpse of the famous singers, shoving napkins and pieces of paper for them to sign. Lance searched the swarm of teenyboppers for Alexa, but she had disappeared.

"Justin! Alexa's gone!" he shouted to Justin, hoping he heard.

"What?! I can't hear you!" Justin shouted back.

Lance sighed. What was he going to do? He spotted Chris and Joey back from the ride, and decided to make a run for it. If he was ever going to find Alexa, he would have to escape his fans first, whether he wanted to or not.

"Justin! RUN!" Lance commanded as he took off towards Chris and Joey. Justin obeyed and ran after him.

Chris and Joey exchanged glances. Heading towards them was Lance and Justin, running for their lives. Chasing after them were literally hundreds of their adoring fans, charging at them like wild bulls on a rampage.

"Run!" Justin shouted as he passed by his friends. Chris and Joey didn't hesitate. Before long, it seemed as if the whole pre-pubescent population of the amusement park were chasing after them. It was quite a site to see; four terrified adults running away from hundreds of screaming girls.

Justin spotted their chance for escape. "Turn into the corner and jump!" he told his friends in between breaths.

"WHAT?! Are you kidding?" Joey asked, puzzled.

"Just do it!" Justin commanded. The four singers made a right turn and leapt off the road...

... and landed in the bottom of a lake. Chris looked up at the bridge they jumped off of, and watched the shrieking fans pass right by them unknowingly. Joey sighed in relief.

"Leave it to the Baby to find an escape..." Chris said while spitting out water he had swallowed.

"Hey, at least we got away from them," Justin defended himself.

"And made fools of ourselves," Lance added, swimming his way to the side of the lake. "Would it have hurt so much to just sign their autographs?"

"And let them trample us? No way. I'd rather be the superstar that ran away from his fans than the superstar that was turned into a human pancake by his fans," Justin snapped back.

Joey sighed again and watched a duck swim by him. The duck turned his way and seemed to smile as it looked at Joey. HOOONK HOOONK!! it mocked delightfully as it flapped its wings. Joey angrily tried to snatch the duck, but it flew away, but not without one more honk at him.

"See?! Even the ducks are laughing at us!" he complained to Justin.

"Shut up, just SHUT UP," Justin growled. "We need to get out of here, and find JC and Alexa," he told his friends while waddling out of the lake, drenched.

"YOU LOST ALEXA!??" Chris shouted at Justin.

"You don't see her with us now, right? OF COURSE I LOST HER!" he shot back at Chris.

"You said you would look after her!" Chris screamed at Justin angrily.

"No, Lance said WE would look after her, I'm NOT the only one to blame here!" Justin said, pointing an accusing finger at Lance.

"Hey, arguing won't get us anywhere," Lance tried to calm them down. "What we need to do is get out of this lake, find Alexa, and get the hell out of here before the tabloids come."

They all agreed with Lance and walked out of the lake, soaking wet and burning with anger. Chris absolutely refused to talk to Justin and Lance for losing Alexa, and Joey was just plain confused, like always. They walked around the walkways of the park, silent and dripping wet. Joey couldn't stand the silence between his friends, and knew that he had to do something. He opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a familiar voice.

"HEY GUYS!" the voice shouted in the background. They all looked up to find where the voice was coming from, and saw JC standing a few meters away from them.

"Where were you?" JC asked, approaching his friends. "And why are you guys all wet?"

"Long story," Chris replied sadly. "We have something to tell you..." he started.

JC raised his eyebrow in confusion. "Okay... tell me."

"Welostalexa. Weweremobbedbyfansandwelosther," Justin mumbled to JC all in one breath.

"What the heck are you talking about?" JC asked, puzzled.

"We lost Alexa while we were mobbed by fans," Lance translated for him, staring at the ground shamefully.

JC smiled. "Alexa's with me, what are you talking about?" he smirked at them. And with that phrase, Alexa peeked out from behind JC and smiled at them.

"Hiya!" she shouted gleefully, waving. "You guys look funny all wet," she teased between giggles.

Justin and Lance looked at each other, and then looked back at JC. "You mean... she was with YOU all along?"

JC nodded.

Chris could feel the rage rise within him. "I'll KILL YOU!" he shouted angrily as he rushed towards JC to try and strangle him. Joey grabbed Chris before he could get near JC, and pulled him back.

"I think its time we all go home," Joey told everyone while struggling to restrain Chris.

"Good idea," Justin sighed. At least the day could not get any worse than it already is.

"Hey, guys, where's my wallet?" JC asked, searching his pockets. Chris looked at Alexa suspiciously. She smiled at him sweetly. JC headed towards her and snatched his wallet back from Alexa's hands. She giggled uncontrollably.

"Jayceeee, you're so funny," she smiled again.

They finally arrived home exhausted from everything that happened. After he changed into dry clothing, Chris flopped onto the couch and turned on the television. He flipped through a few channels, and decided on watching Entertainment Tonight.

'... and tonight's top headlines,' the reporter said. 'Nsync is all washed up. The superstar singer Justin Timberlake was reported to be in the Ladies' washroom of Playland, and was kicked out by a frightened woman who was unaware of his identity.'

The scene changed to an interview with a middle-aged woman. 'I was so confused, at first I didn't know that he was famous or anything,' she told the reporter. 'I just started whacking him with my purse because I wanted him out of the bathroom. I was scared.'

Chris groaned. They'd be expecting a call from their manager really soon.

'Today, they were also seen emerging from the lake at Playland, soaking wet,' the reporter continued.

A picture of them walking out of the lake, drenched, was shown on the television screen. Chris got up and stepped in front of the TV to get a closer look. "WHAT THE..." he complained.

'We have tried to contact their manager, Johnny Wright, to discuss the reasons for their usual behavior, but he refused to comment on today's events.'

Chris screamed in terror. "How the HELL do they get these things so fast!?"

Alexa walked slowly towards Chris and tugged at his shirt. "Chris..." she whispered softly.

He had forgotten about her. Chris sighed again and kneeled down to face Alexa. "What is it?"

"I don't feel well..." Alexa replied, clenching her stomach. Chris's expression changed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worriedly.

Alexa's cheeks began to flush. "My tummy hurts and I don't feel good..." she whispered again.

Chris cursed under his breath. He lifted his hand to feel her forehead, and it was burning hot. She had a fever. "Oh no... what happened? What did you eat?" Chris asked her.

"Ice cream... that's it," Alexa told him.

He froze. "Uh oh... what flavor? Please don't tell me you ate chocolate ice cream. Please..."

Alexa hesitated. "... chocolate. Jayceeee bought it for me."

Chris groaned. JC didn't know that she was allergic to chocolate... What is Katherine going to say? Chris thought to himself.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked as he walked down the stairs.

"So many things..." Chris replied, shaking his head. "Justin was caught in the Ladies' washroom, turns out that the tabloids got a picture of us walking out of the lake, drenched, and Alexa is sick because she's allergic to chocolate. What ELSE COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG IN ONE DAY?!" he shouted angrily. He didn't know why he was shouting, it just felt right.

Alexa looked up to Chris and pouted, but it wasn't the same pout that triggered the annoying wails and cries. Her eyes were weld up with tears, but it wasn't because she wasn't getting her way. Chris felt his heart break into two as a tear fell down Alexa's cheek, and immediately regretted shouting.

"Come on, Alexa, its time to go to bed," Chris decided as he lift Alexa up and carried her upstairs. She rested her head peacefully on his shoulder as she dozed off to sleep.

"She's asleep?" Lance asked Chris as he flopped down on the couch, exhausted.

"Yeah... her fever's gone. Justin gave her some Tylenol or something," he replied, not taking his eyes off the television.

"You know," Joey told them. "Alexa's actually a really sweet kid. She looks like an angel when she's asleep. She's gonna be really beautiful when she grows up..."

JC laughed. "You make her sound like your own daughter or something."

Joey shrugged.

Just then, the doorbell rang. Chris stood up, and walked towards the door, already knowing who it was. He opened the door, and standing in front of him was Katherine.

"I trust Alexa didn't give you a hard time, Chrissy?" she asked him while smiling. Chris noticed that they both share the same sweet smile that could melt anyone's heart.

"Not at all," he replied. Justin went upstairs to retrieve Alexa, who was still half-asleep. She mindlessly held Justin's hand as she rubbed her eyes sleepily.

"Mommy, is it time to go already?" she asked, yawning.

"Yeah, it is, Alexa. Its time to go home," Katherine replied, taking Alexa by the hand and leading her out of the house. "Thank you so much, all of you. You're a lifesaver," she told them while waving goodbye.

Chris smiled at Katherine and returned her wave. He slowly closed the door and walked back to the couch and sat down. "I am NEVER going to have children as long as I live," he declared to his friends. "I'd rather upchuck something than baby-sit."

Justin laughed. "Speaking of upchuck... Lance, you owe me five bucks."

Lance stared at him, confused. "Why?"

"Cuz you bet that Joey will throw up after the ride. He didn't, right Joe?" Justin asked as he nudged Joey in the arm.

Lance sighed and reached for his pocket, but a look of confusion came upon his face. He looked around the room, puzzled.

"Has anyone seen my wallet?"