(Based on the lyricz to "Always" by me)
"Guess what, you guys?" October yelled as she hung up the phone after talking to JC.
"What?" Erica yelled back to her from the living room.
"JC is going to be here in a few hours and is bringing some friends!" she replied with a smirk.
"Who! Who?" Lexie jumped up excitedly off of the couch.
"Lance and Chris!" October exclaimed, excited to see them.
"No Justin?" Erica asked, a little dissapointed.
"No. Since they are having a little vacation, he is staying with Britney." she explained.
"Figures!" Erica said, slumping in her chair.
"What about Joey?" Lexie questioned, sitting back down on the couch.
"Well, daddy is staying with his girlfriend and making sure she will be doing fine until the baby comes." October finished, sitting on the other chair.
"Thats sweet." Erica added.
"I can't wait to meet Chris! Lexie jumped in.
"At least someone is happy!" Erica exaggerated.
"Don't you like Lance?" October asked.
"He's alright. Not my first choice." she replied.
"I bet once you get to know him you will like him!" October assured her.
"Please, don't bet on it!" she exclaimed as she got up and went to the kitchen.
"They're here!" Lexie yelled, jumping up and down in front of the door. A large white limo parked in front of the house and the driver walked to the trunk of the car. Two bodyguards followed and walked to the back door.
"JC!" October yelled as she ran out the door and down the walkway. JC got out the limo first and met up with her, grabbing her with his arms and kissing her passionately.
"I told you I'd be back!" he said to her as they walked back up to the house.
"And I promised that I'd wait for you, and I did." she replied. Chris and Lance walked behind them slowly.
"This had better been worth the trip!" Lance whispered to Chris.
"Believe me, it was!" he replied, catching the sight of Lexie.
"Hey JC!" Lexie and Erica said excitedly as they hugged him.
"I brought some company for ya'll!" JC jokingly whispered to them as Chris and Lance entered the house.
"Nice crib!" Chris exclaimed as he looked around.
"Thanks...I guess!" October replied with a strange expression. Lexie elbowed her and gave her a mean look.
They walked into the living room and sat down in front of the big screen TV. JC and October sat on the loveseat, Lexie and Chris sat on the couch and Lance and Erica sat on the two seperate lounge chairs.
"So," JC broke the piercing silence. "What's new? Did I miss anything while I was gone?"
"No."
"Not really" Lexie and Erica replied then silence once again.
"Well, this is exciting!" Lance exaggerated, sitting back in the chair, his head making a loud thud as he dropped it down.
"Got anything to drink? I'm really thirsty!" Chris asked.
"Yeah, come with me!" Lexie jumped up off the couch and Chris followed.
"We'll be right back!" October said as she and JC got up and left the living room. Erica gave her a sly look as she walked away.
"You can talk to me. I don't bite." Lance said to Erica. They were now alone.
"I know. It's just that I don't really know what to say. I'm sorry if your stay so far isnt what you expected." she replied.
"It's ok. I'm sure everything will be fine. Don't worry, we'll have fun!" he added.
"That's good" she said, wondering what he ment.
"Erica! Come here!" Lexie called from the foyer.
"What?" she asked as she met up with her.
"He kissed me!" she exclaimed, grabbing Erica's arms.
"Ok, geez, calm down!" she said, pulling away.
"I can't believe he kissed me!" she exclaimed again.
"Well, he surely didn't waste any time, did he?" she asked inquizitively.
"It's like we just clicked as soon as we saw each other, like we were ment to be!" she said with dreamers eyes.
"Oh, great! Which horoscope did you read today?" Erica teased her.
"Come on, be happy for me!" Lexie persisted.
"Fine!" she said bluntly with her arms crossed.
"You're a scrooge!" she defended herself.
"Thank you!" she exaggerated.
"Why are you a scrooge?" October asked with a strange look on her face as she rejoined them.
"Well, Miss Cupid here thinks that she and Chris were ment to be cuz it was love at first sight!" she explained.
"Aww, that's cute!" October replied.
"Exactly!" Lexie said as Erica rolled her eyes and sighed.
"Are you girls comin' in here or what?" JC called from the living room where he and Chris joined Lance.
"Yes, baby, we're comin'!" October yelled back to him.
"You need a man!" Lexie said back to Erica one last time.
"And by the end of the night you are gonna have one!" October added as they all walked into the living room.
"Erica, have you seen Lance?" October asked her as she entered the kitchen.
"No and not that I really care where he is" she replied. October and Lexie's attempt at hooking her up with Lance failed and she has since then denied and refused to have feelings for him, even if she did.
"I figured you'd say something like that!"
"What did you need him for?" Erica asked while peeling an orange.
"It was nothing important." she replied.
"Uh-huh" Erica looked up at her, not too convinced.
"Maybe he went out with Chris, Lex, and JC" she wondered.
"Why didnt you go?" Erica asked.
"Didn't feel like it" she said bluntly and to the point and then walked outside on the back porch just as the phone started to ring.
"Hello?" Erica asked.
"Erica?" a voice trembled in the phone.
"Lance?" she asked.
"You and Opie need to get to the hospital now!" he exclaimed.
"Oh my God! What's wrong?" she started to panic. October noticed and hurried in by her side.
"There was an accident. Me and Chris are fine except for a couple bumps and bruises but both Lexie and JC were unconscious when they brought us here!" he talked fast.
"Oh my God!" she repeated.
"What's going on?" October questioned.
"There was an accident and JC and Lexie are hurt!" she explained.
"What?!" she exclaimed in disbelief.
"What hospital are you at?" Erica asked quickly.
"New York University! Please hurry!" he added.
"We'll be there in ten!" she hung up and they raced off.
"Lance! Chris!" Erica and October yelled down the hall. They both looked at them and walked halfway to meet them.
"Opie, JC is fine. He is awake now. He has no serious injuries!" Lance informed her.
"Thank God!" she sighed a breath of relief. "I'm gonna go see him!" she finished, running off down the hall.
"What about Lex?" Erica questioned as she looked at Chris with tears in his eyes.
"Um...," he said hoarsly. "she's not doing so good." he looked down at the floor.
"Where is she?" Erica asked, as she started to cry. Lance stood by her side to comfort her.
"In surgery. She has alot of internal injuries. They aren't sure if she is going to make it." he started to cry too.
"I'm sorry." she said and then hugged him.
"You know, that day when we first met, it really was love at first sight, like we were ment to be with each other. We've only been together for the last 3 weeks and it feels like forever. It didn't take much for me to fall in love with her. She is such an amazing person. Do you believe in love, Erica?" he said intensely.
"Of course I do!" she said with a strange look upon her face.
"Well, then dont let it pass you by. It's a gift if you receive it. You don't want to lose it." he finished and walked back down the hall. They were finished with the surgery and were bringing Lexie back to ICU.
"What's going on?" October asked as she walked out of JC's room and was met up with Lance and Erica.
"Lexie was in surgery. They don't know if she is going to make it." she mumbled as tears started to form again. Lance stood behind her, his hands on her arms.
They all walked to her room and stood outside the window. There were so many machines hooked up to her that they stood in disbelief that this was their best friend, the person that was always energetic, happy and full of life. Now she lay motionless, helpless and pale.
"Mr. Kirkpatrick, she is awake and calling for you!" the doctor called to him after examining her. He quickly got up and ran to her room.
"Hey you!" he tried to be cheerful.
"Hi" she barely whispered, unable to speak. Her face was full of scrapes and cuts, making it swollen.
"You had me scared there for a minute!" he tried to joke with her, pushing her hair out of her face.
"Chris, did you talk to the doctor?" she asked, trying to stay awake.
"Yeah. He still couldnt tell me anything. Said it was too early to tell." he replied.
"I know." she interrupted.
"You know what?" he asked.
"I know that I need to tell you something if I don't make it out of here" she ran out of breath and started to cough.
"Baby, don't say that! You will make it out of here!" he started to get worried.
"Please, Chris, just listen to me. I need you to know that I love you. From that very first day that we met. It was ment to be. I knew it. Please tell me that you know." she said, closing her eyes.
"Yes, I know. And I love you, too! And when you get out of here we are gonna tell each other all the time!" he tried to comfort her.
"Hold me" she asked and he wrapped his arms around her the best he could. "Say it again" she said, taking a long deep breath.
"I love you"
The minutes seemed like weeks, the second hand like days as they sat in the waiting area. The door opened and they all jumped to their feet. Chris dragged his body sullenly towards them. Doctors rushed into the room as Chris looked at his friends with empty eyes. "She's gone" he announced and fell to his knees.