"Hold on!" A sweet, cheerful voice he recognized as Mandi's called out. "I'm coming!"
Justin almost turned and ran, but before he could the door swung open and Mandi appeared, her hair thrown up in a high ponytail, wisps falling out in the back where it was to short to stay up.
Justin opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
"I thought I told you never to speak to me again," Mandi said, looking at the ground.
Justin, figuring he didn't have much of a chance as it was, decided to just say what was on his mind. "You don't really want that, do you?" Justin asked, reaching his hand out and lifting her face by her chin so she was looking into his eyes.
"I don't know," Mandi looked over her shoulder.
Justin took a deep breath. "I thought about everything you said to me, and you were right. I was arrogant. I was selfish. I was egotistical. I was a jerk. And you still put up with me for so long. I've changed, Dee, I'm not like I used to be."
"It's too late," Mandi sighed, hearing her old nick-name brought back so many happy memories. Like teasing Justin about how they wouldn't need flashlights if the power went out because his hair glowed in the dark, and how if she was with him she'd be safe and able to see. Like all those times he'd poke his head out of the shower for a quick kiss while she did her make-up at the vanity, blaming the fogged-up mirrors on him taking too long in the shower. Like...
"Mandi, I have only two questions," Justin said. "The first is will you let me earn your love?"
Mandi looked down. "I'll have to think about it."
"The second is, uh...What did you mean by my family coming before work?"
Mandi sighed and turned around, walking away.
Justin followed her up the stairs and into a little baby blue nursery. He stared into a little crib, which held a little boy of about one.
"Is he...?" Justin asked, amazed.
Mandi nodded.
Justin desperately wondered what his name was. Was it Robert? He'd always liked that name.
"His name is Dylan," Mandi continued, quietly. "Dylan Robert Timberlake."
"He's really mine?" Justin asked, shock turning the blood in his veins nearly to ice.
"You're the only one who could be his father, Jujy," Mandi's eyes widened as she used her old nickname for him.
Justin crept over to the crib, bent down, and softly touched the baby's blonde, curly hair. The baby yawned and opened his eyes, staring up into Justin's. It was almost as if Justin were looking into a mirror image of his own eyes. There was no denying this kid was Justin's, that was for sure.
The baby stood shakily on his feet, grasping the edge of the crib. Mandi was frozen. Dylan slowly let go of the crib wall with one hand, then the other, both hands reaching up towards his father. Mandi gasped.
As Justin reached down to lift the boy into his arms, Mandi recovered from her little shock. "He can't stand on his own."
"He jus' did, Mandi," Justin smiled as he settled the child in his arms, against his chest. Dylan cuddled down against his father and began sucking his thumb.
"I know," Mandi's eyes filled with tears, and she fought to keep them back.
"You gonna be ok?" Justin asked, genuinely concerned.
"Fine," She shrugged. "It's hard being a single mother with an abu-" She stopped talking and looked down, aware she was absently rubbing her stomach.
"Lemme see your stomach," Justin said quietly.
"What?" Mandi laughed.
Justin set Dylan in the crib and turned to face Mandi. "You heard me."
Mandi hated it when he talked quietly, but firmly, because he could get his way when he did that.
"Justin, why would you..." She trailed off and just stood there, trembling, as Justin made his way to her.
He lifted her shirt a bit and revealed her belly button and the tip of a bruise. He stopped and looked into Mandi's eyes.
"Justin..." She tried to push his arms away, but he managed to get both her wrists in one hand and held her arms while he lifted her shirt up a little higher to reveal bruises from fingerprints and bruises from what looked like hits.
Mandi stopped struggling and relaxed. Justin left go carefully and knelt down in front of her, gingerly touching the bruises with his fingertips. He carefully bent forward and kissed each bruise gently. He pulled back, looked up into Mandi's eyes again, and whispered, "There. All better."
"I wish," Mandi murmured.
Suddenly the front door downstairs flew open. "Mandi!" A gruff, slurry voice called. "I know who's kid that little brat is! I know who it is! It's that stupid little boyband kid, isn't it?" Justin could hear him stomping up the stairs, and then a brunette head appeared through the banisters.
"Jonathan, please," Mandi said, stepping away from Justin, her shirt dropping back into place before this Jonathan guy could see her.
"Please?" Jonathan pulled his hand back and was about to hit Mandi when Justin grabbed his wrist.
"Out." Justin said simply.
"You're that-" Jonathan turned.
"I'm Dylan's father, and I'm telling you to get out of this house. And you will." Justin said calmly. "Now out."
Jonathan left, threatening Mandi the whole way down the stairs and out the door.
"Justin, he'll come back when you leave. Justin, don't leave me, I'm scared." Mandi looked terrified as Justin wrapped his arms around her.
"Pack your bags, you're coming with me," Justin grinned as the idea entered his head. "And I'll pack up Dylan's stuff."
"Justin..." Mandi sighed. "I can't leave, what if Jonathan comes after me?"
"Have you heard the word 'security' lately, hon?" Justin asked. "Besides, he doesn't own you, you can come if you want to!" Suddenly a thought occured to him. "Do you?"
Mandi nodded, then giggled. "Ohmigod, Justin, I can't believe I'm doing this!" She squealed as she slid out of his arms and pulled luggage down from the top of the storage closet. She handed one to Justin and took one for herself.
"Dylan first," Justin said, entering Dylan's room and kissing the little boy on the nose. He didn't know how, but he already loved the boy more than life itself.
"I see how you are," She said playfully.
"Well, I'd do both of you at once if I could," Justin said. "But I can't. So I'm going youngest to oldest!"
"You always liked that order! You're usually youngest! No fair!" Mandi grinned.
Within an hour and a half they were all packed up and ready to go meet the rest of *N Sync at the venue in New York City, about an hour away. Justin had already snuck off once and called to see if it was ok to bring her on tour.
"Thank you, Justin," Mandi smiled as she fell asleep in the front of Justin's Jeep Grand Cherokee.
When Justin pulled onto the street leading to the venue, he pulled over, waking Mandi. "Where are we? Why'd we stop?" Mandi murmured.
"About a mile from the venue, and we stopped so I could put on a hat and sunglasses." Justin replied, tugging on a blue Nike hat and putting on his sunglasses.
"Justin?" Mandi's voice asked as they pulled to a stop at the back entrance.
"Yeah?"
"I shouldn't have come," Mandi's voice was shaking. "Take me back."