(Based on the song "Last Flight Out" by Plus One)




October Skye looked up from the book she was reading and turned towards the window. The clouds looked almost magical as the plane floated above them. She was on her way home to New York City after spending two weeks with JC and the rest of the guys in Orlando before the tour started. It wasn't the first time she had to leave him but those were only days at a time. This time it was for three months. She wasn't sure what would happen by the time the tour was over, she only hoped she could hang on that long.
Before she knew it, the plane had neared the airport. She was highly anticipating seeing her roomates and best friends, Erica and Lexie, when she landed. She knew she wouldn't make it for the next three months without them. They all attended New York University and were currently attending their first year of their two year course.
"Opie!" Lexie called out to her, using the nickname she had developed out of her first name and her middle name, Pauline. Lexie waved her hands wildly about as her mid-length dark brown hair which she had tied in a ponytail swung every which way as she jumped in the air.
"Lex, calm down!" Erica yelled at her. Erica was quite different from Lexie. Lexie had the brown hair and brown eyes. Erica had long blonde hair and green eyes and was alot more patient. And of course, there was October, the star of the show, as the other two would always call her, walking down the stairs of the jet, as slim as a model and always wearing the greatest clothes, her short dirty-blonde hair glistening behind her and her blue eyes sparkling.
"Hi guys!" October called to them as they ran up to her and gave her a group hug.
"We are so glad you are back! It has been boring at the clubs without you!" Erica laughed.
"Well, I haven't been gone that long, have I?" October questioned and started to walk off the runway.
"Hey, you know you're the star! We don't even get seen when you're not around!" Lexie followed behind her.
"Come on now, let's not start that star stuff again! By the way, who's driving?" October asked, still leading them as they walked through the airport terminal.
"You know it's true, and I'm driving!" Erica answered her question as they hopped into her silver Honda Civic.
"I miss JC." October broke the silence in the car as they drove down the highway.
"It'll be okay, Opie!" Lexie said, leaning up to her from the back seat. "You'll see him soon like always!"
"Not for another three months." she replied while staring out the window.
"Woah, that's gonna be tough!" Erica consoled her.
"Yeah, tell me about it." she responded.
"You know what?" Erica jumped in again. "Were going to go out to that club in Manhattan, you know, the one we went to with JC when he came to visit?"
"The Blue Note?" October answered.
"Yeah, that one. JC sang that song, *Give In To Me*, that he wrote for you!" she added.

(authors note: *Give In To Me* is a real jazz song sung by JC featuring *NSYNC. This song is very rare to find but if you would like to hear it, you can download it on Napster if you can find it.)

"Yeah, I remember that." she laughed to herself. "That's the night that he first told me he loved me."
"Well, see, it would be great to go there tonight!" Lexie said excitedly.
"Why? So I can miss him more?" October exaggerated.
"Oh, come on! It would be good for us to kick back and just chill out for awhile." Lexie jumped in again.
"Ok, fine!" she agreed as her cell started to ring. "Hang on everyone, its JC."

"I can't believe you guys talked me into coming here. I am so not in the mood to party!" October yelled to them as they found a small table to sit at and ordered their drinks.
"I'm sorry that JC and the guys are on tour for another extra month but at least try to have some fun with us." Erica said, trying to calm her down.
"You know, I wasnt really in the mood to be here in the first place and now I just want to go home and crawl in a hole!" she yelled, sitting back with her arms crossed.
"It'll be okay. You will be busy with school and hangin out with us that the months will fly by!" Lexie comforted her.
"Yeah, I hope so." October sighed.
"C'mon, let's just drink one drink and we can get out of here!" Erica exclaimed as the drinks were brought to them.
"Ok! One drink!" October demanded.
The music started to play and the night rolled on.

(2 months later)

"Opie, please come out and eat supper with us!" Lexie yelled through her door.
"She has gotten worse since she came home!" Erica said to her as she walked up to the bedroom door.
"Yeah, now she only comes out to go to class. She doesn't even talk to us anymore." Lexie replied as October opened the door.
"I'm not hungry." she said, walking out the door and into the living room.
"You always say that! You have to eat something!" Lexie yelled at her.
"I cant. I'm too nervous." she said, sitting down on a chair.
"Nervous about what?" Erica questioned.
"About what I might have to do." she mumbled.
"What are you going to do?" Erica questioned again.
"I don't really want to talk about it right now!" she said, getting up and going to her room.
"Did you understand any of that?" Lexie asked.
"Nope." Erica replied as she walked to the kitchen.
"She is starting to scare me." Lexie said as she sat down at the table.
"Yeah, I know. She hasn't eaten in so long now and she looks like a truck ran her over to say the least. She is so depressed." Erica added.
"Maybe we should let JC know. He might be able to get off the tour early and come see her." Lexie suggested.
"Yeah, maybe, if it wasn't for that they are in Europe right now. She hardly talks to him and its making it worse!" Erica exclaimed.
"Well, I guess she is gonna have to talk to him and work things out with him." Lexie said, getting up from the table and putting her plate in the sink.
"I think she already is." Erica replied as they heard October yelling in her room.

"JC!" October yelled into the phone. "Would you please talk?"
"I don't know what to say." JC silently mumbled into the phone.
"I just dont think this is going to work. I've never been with you when you were gone this long, maybe two weeks at a time. I didn't think it was going to be so hard!" she sobbed.
"Opie, please! You don't know what you are saying right now. You are upset and just saying a bunch of stupid stuff you don't even mean!" he tried to convince her.
"No I'm not. I know exactly what I'm saying. JC, I just can't do this anymore. You are busy with the group. You will always be busy with the group and there is nothing I can do about that. I just can't deal with being alone and away from you all the time. When things have to be done when you are with the guys, you have to drop everything and do what you have to do because that's your job. And, for you to be with me and be what I need you to be would mean having to sacrifice your greatest passion. JC, I must go. Please don't make this harder for me. There would be nothing I would want more than to have you take the last flight out, but I could never take you away from what you love the most in the world and it could never be me. I'm sorry." she finished.
"It is you." he said quietly with a quiver in his voice as tears streamed down his face.
"What?" she asked quickly.
"I'll show you." he added with another short answer.
"JC, you're not making any sense. Please, I have to go." she got up off her bed to hang up the phone.
"Ok. See you soon. I love you, Opie. Don't forget that." he finished.
"See you soon?" she wondered to herself. "Goodbye JC. I love you, too." she said one last time and hung up the phone.

(A week later)

"Opie! You have mail!" Lexie yelled through her bedroom door.
"Ok! I'll be out!" she yelled back.
"Erica, it's a letter from JC!" Lexie whispered to her.
"Don't be nosy!" Erica said as she grabbed the letter and put it on the table.
"So, what junk mail did I get?" October asked as she entered the kitchen.
"You got a letter from JC!" Lexie said all excited. Her hair flopping around like the day at the airport.
"So, I did get junk mail." she exaggerated.
"Oh, come on! Just read it!" Erica told her as she grabbed a cup of cappuccino.
"Fine!" she replied and went back to her room and jumped on her bed. She opened it quickly and started reading.

(page 1)

Dear Opie,
I'm sorry things happened the way they did but I still love you and always will. I know you still love me too. Even though you broke up with me, you didn't break up with me because you wanted to. You only wanted to make sure both of us were happy. But I was happy, Opie! I DO love you more than anything in the world, even more than my music. My God, Opie, I can't believe I'm saying that but it's true. I would move Heaven and Earth to be with you. The guys don't know about it yet. Surprisingly, they haven't caught on yet even though I have been so depressed without you. If the last flight out is what it takes then I'm going to take it. You are thousands of miles away right now. I'm in a different continent. But, I'll drop everything here, in the middle of a tour, to be with you. I must go now, Opie. Enclosed is lyrics to a song that I have grown to like. Ironically, it is called *Last Flight Out*. I love you so much, Opie. So much that it hurts. I will see you soon.
Love Always and Forever,
JC


(page 2)

*Last Flight Out*

I'm so scared that you will see
All the weakness inside of me
I'm so scared of letting go
That the pain I've hid will show
I know you want to hear me speak
But I'm afraid that if I start to
I'll never stop

Chorus:
I want you to know
You belong in my life
I love the hope
I see in your eyes
For you I would fly
At least I would try
For you I'll take
The last flight out

I'm afraid that
You will leave
As my secrets
Have been revealed
In my dreams
You'll always stay
Every breathing moment from now
I know you want to hear me speak
But I'm afraid that if I start to
I'll never stop

Repeat chorus

I cannot hold back
The truth no more
I let you wait too long
Although it's hard and scares me so
A life without you scares me more

Repeat chorus


October read the letter five more times until she cried herself to sleep. He was the sweetest thing she ever had and she gave it up. Once again he wrote "see you soon" and she still didn't know why. She would soon find out.

(3 hours later)

"Lexie! Erica! Someone answer the door!" October yelled as the pounding on the door woke her up. She soon found out that she was the only one in the house.
"Hold on! I'm coming!" she yelled again as she opened her bedroom door. She looked on the coffee table and read a note from Lexie and Erica saying that they went out to run a few errands. The pounding came more frequent and she was hesitant to answer it. When she did, her jaw practically fell to the floor.
"Hi baby!" JC said sweetly. As usual he looked like his cute, adorable self, standing there with a single red rose in his hand.
"JC!" was all she could mutter as she opened the door for him to come in.
"Here this is for you." he said, handing her the rose.
"What are you doing here?" she questioned.
"Well, you told me to take the last flight out, so, here I am!" he exclaimed.
"I really didn't expect you to!" she responded.
"But, I wanted to." he replied, putting his hand on her shoulder.
"You shouldn't be here." she said, pulling away from him.
"Why not? I love you!" he defended himself.
"Because! This isn't right. This isn't possible, JC! How long does it take to have it sink in?" she exclaimed.
"It will never sink in because it will work! I know you love me. What we have doesn't just go away!" he replied.
"You don't have the time I need right now! I don't even know how you got here when you are in the middle of a tour!" she added.
"I have all the time in the world. Besides, no one even knows I am gone. Well, I'm sure they do now!" he tried to joke around.
"What? No one knows? How did you do that?" she asked.
"Believe me, it wasn't easy!" he replied.
"Doesn't matter. This fairy tale won't last long, JC! You will eventually have to go back to the group and I will not let myself be lonely again!" she exclaimed.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'm gonna stay here with you. I would rather quit the group than lose you!" he moved closer to her. "You're crazy, JC! I'm not worth it!" she said as he moved even closer.
"It will all be worth it. As long as you love me. No strings, no doubts, no questions. You are all I need." he looked at her deeply. The blue in their eyes combined to make the shade of the ocean seem only a soft hue.
"I can't believe you are giving up everything for me, Chasez. How did I get so lucky?" she said softly, as she put her arms around him. It was the first time she had touched him in almost three months. His warmth, his smell, was invigorating.
"I love you, Opie." he said as he held her. He closed his eyes and was so thankful for having her in his arms again.
"I love you too, JC. Thank you for opening my eyes. For making me see what I would have missed." she added, pulling away from him but keeping her arms around his neck.
He leaned over and kissed her passionately. He stopped and looked at her. Her blue eyes were sparkling. Everything would be okay.



#2 - Always Be My Home