"That was the first classic I ever read. It gave me hope, and it gave me dreams."

"What 'meaning' does it have? What is that novel all about?"

"It is the tale of a girl who went through many hardships during her young life. Life was not exactly kind to her. After obtaining a job as a governess, she left the orphanage where she was forced to live. Jane comes to dwell at a place called Thornfield. Her employer is Mr. Rochester. He has had a bitter life himself, and he finds himself drawn to her even though she is younger than him. She is also not the type of woman that he is normally drawn to, " her tone became a bit more solemn. Justin folded his arms and swallowed hard.

"What is his typical kind of woman?"

"For the most part, he has been around women of money and power. People associate him with beautiful, superficial women that only care about social gatherings and self-interest."

"What keeps him from loving Jane?"

"He has a mad wife locked up, but that is not the only reason although it is of course the most obvious one. Jane makes him think and feel. She challenges his ideals. She makes a side of him resurface. It frightens him the way she has this indescribable power over him. Jane is an enigma, a mystery that he wants to keep undeciphered, but at the same time he wants to unravel it," her aquamarine eyes found his and scorched his soul. Those words were not just summarizing an ancient novel, they were autobiographical. Fortunately, she ended the uncomfortable exchange.

"Anyway, that is one of my most favorite books. It just touches me so very deeply."

"Well, I guess I better be on my way. I want to bring those songs down to my producers to look at. Hopefully, we can put some music to them soon," he picked up his notebook, and they both headed for Pascal's front door.

"I am glad that I could be of some help. You are so talented. Anything your mind's eye comes up with deserves to come alive, mon ami."

"Thanks. I can always depend on you for support." Without thinking, Justin leaned over to her and placed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Friends support each other. Fellow 'artists' support each other," she smiled.

"Yeah, they do," he headed for his car, but turned around to give her another smile. As he was driving down the road and waiting at a red light, his mind drifted. Her words pierced his soul. She was the enigma. She was the Jane Eyre she had spoken of so passionately. Now all he had to decide was what he really wanted in his life. What did he need most in his life?

The next few weeks passed slowly for Justin. Today had been an exceptionally grueling day. He and Jessica had gone shopping for her spring wardrobe. Until he went to the mall with her, he thought he was an extremely hefty spender. Jessica defied the imagination with the amount of money she carelessly spent for her new look for spring. They were back at her house now after what seemed like an eternity of roaming the malls for the perfect finds. Justin slumped into an animal print futon that only Jessica could love. She was clearly not in want of spare energy. She was enthusiastically throwing her new clothes into various areas of her massive closet while chattering incessantly about meaningless topics. As she ventured into her closet for a moment, Justin rolled his eyes. Lately, being with Jessica had become a thorn in his side. It seemed that almost everything that he usually enjoyed was making him feel that way.

"Justin, are you sure that that beige slip dress looked all right on me? I think it made me look a bit bloated. What did you honestly think?" she whined.

"Jessica, everything you picked out looks fabulous on you. You know that. Anything you wear looks terrific on you because you are flawless in your features,"

"Maybe, but still...."she shrugged disappointedly. She had hoped that he would bestow more compliments on her than that just that. Was that too much to ask?

Justin never could understand why she was so self-conscious about herself. God had blessed her with the perfect body. She was a successful model, and every man she met couldn't help but look twice in her direction. Why did she play these silly games with him? "Pascal wouldn't do something like that," he lamented inside his head. "Did I just say that?" It seemed that everything Jessica did he found a fault with; he couldn't help but compare her with Pascal. That was a problem.

Everything that filled his days suddenly lost its meaning and magic. He was seeing everyone from his "new" life in a different light, and it wasn't a positive one. His manager and producer seemed heartless and cold. They didn't care about him; how frequently the money rolled in was what they were concerned about. All of his "new" friends seemed shallow and superficial, including Jessica. His way of life disturbed him. He had wanted to escape the way of life that he had had with Pascal. He had cursed her coming back. Justin did not want her world to become his again. Why?... Jessica interrupted his thoughts.

"Hey, babe, 'everybody's favorite authoress', Pascal, broke up with Plater the other day," she laughed cruelly without a care in the world. Justin shot a confused look her way.

"They broke up? Why? I thought they were crazy about each other," he felt relieved for some reason.

"Yeah, I think he was ready to settle down or something. Pascal just did not want to. I don't know why she even agreed to be in a relationship with him in the first place."

"Jessica, they were happy together. He was good to her, and she was good for him."

"Come on, Justin, he was too old for her. Besides, why would he want to date her anyway?" she laughed haughtily.

"What do you mean by that?" Justin felt his temperature rising a bit.

"Justin, I know you dated her for a while but honestly. She is so droll. They probably spent all their time together reading and discussing stuff like politics. Who wants a girl like that?"

Justin got up at of his chair with his hands on his hips. "This may come as a shock to you, but some guys want more than just a pretty face. Some guys get tired of watching their girlfriend reapply her make-up every five minutes. Some guys would rather talk about things besides who was the best and worst dressed at the last party. Some guys want a respectable, fascinating woman like Pascal, "Justin said calmly but adamantly.

"What are you getting at?" Jessica's arms were folded, and her lips were pursed together.

"Jessica, I want to thank-you for putting up with me these past few months. There have been some good times," he was smiling faintly now, "but more than anything, I want to thank-you for an insightful day. I finally know what is missing in my life and why it has been missing?" he kissed her unemotionally on the cheek and darted out the door.

"So, this is it?" she yelled desperately after him.

"You got it!" he called back almost out the door. He got into his car, and headed for the lake. He needed to think things over.

Justin pulled into his favorite spot by the lake. He and Pascal had come here often to talk or to have a few moments of peace together. When Pascal had left for college, it had been rough on both of him. He knew that. He had felt that the best way to heal himself was to escape any remnants of Pascal. Anything they had done together, he forgot about them. Everything she said, he forgot those words. Her way of life that he had entered into was completely erased. Therefore, a new way of life had begun. A life of neverending parties and girls filled his days. When Pascal came back, it disrupted it all. He had tried so hard to deteriorate those memories, and she had almost ruined the plan. Why hadn't he just tried to rekindle their romance?

He knew the answer to that one, now. He was afraid of being hurt. He was afraid of hurting Pascal. He knew they had both changed. Complications were not his thing. Now he knew that life with Pascal was not filled with complications. He knew that it was the life he wanted. He needed her. Hopefully, she needed him. It was now or never.

Pascal rubbed her temples soothingly. The herbal tea was wearing off, and weariness was setting in drastically. She had been working for hours. What time was it? She whirled around in her chair facing the wall clock. It was a little after midnight. She was determined to finish this chapter if it killed her. Nothing was going to interrupt her. As she continued frantically to put the right words together, she heard the faint knocking of someone at her door. She ignored whoever it was.

Justin stood outside Pascal's spanish-styled home. He could see her up in her office working. He stopped to stare at her. Her hands flew deftly across her laptop's keyboard. Her brow was knit in intense concentration. Pascal's hair was up in her infamous loose bun. He knew she was busy, but he had to talk to her. He took out his cell phone and dialed her number. He saw shake her head and return to the real world as she picked up the phone.

"Hello, this is Pascal," her soft accent answered.

"Pascal, this is Justin."

"Well, hello, how did you know that I was up," he could see her smiling.

"Because I am standing outside of your house," he laughed as he saw her looking perplexed and walking to the window. She looked down at him shaking her head and laughing.

"I will be down there in two seconds. You do know that I should be very annoyed with you for interrupting my creative process," she teased.

"Forgive me!" he pleaded. Pascal opened the door and let him in. "Justin, to what do I owe the pleasure of this occasion?" he followed her into her cozy, spacious living room.

"I am sorry about you and Plater," he began. "Thanks, mon ami, but I am just fine," she smiled assuring him.

"What happened? Or do you even want to talk about it?" "It is not painful to talk about. Plater is a great deal older than I am. He is ready for a wife and a family."

"And you're not?" his eyes searched her face. "Not with him," she cast her eyes down. "I cared about him, but I did not love him."

"I broke up with Jessica tonight." Pascal looked surprised and then her expression changed to a concerned one. "How do you feel about that?"

"It was bound to happen,"

"Why is that?"

"She was not what I needed. We did not connect. The relationship had no point. It was a dead end trap."

"So that is why you are here; you needed someone to talk to about that?" Pascal leaned closer to him. Her scent was intoxicating. Justin knew she was wearing her Alfred Sung perfume.

"No, that's not why I am here," he paused. Pascal raised her eyes and bit her lip waiting. He took her hands in his. They were warm and inviting. Even the silver rings she wore seemed to melt into the palms of his hands. "Pascal, just listen to me and bare with me. I haven't rehearsed this, so I have no idea of what is coming out of my mouth." She smiled encouragingly. "I know that what you and I had was long time ago. I know we have both changed. I feel for the better. I know we were just teenagers then. More than anything, I know that I still need you. I have tried so hard not to let this surface. I tried to forget you, but how can I forget someone like you? You make me want to be the same guy that I was back then. I loved you then, and I love you now. What do you say?" he said pulling her to him. She smiled with her eyes full of emotion and love. He didn't need her to say anything. He knew the answer. He stroked her cheek and grazed his lips with hers. "You know, you never told me how Jane Eyre ended. What happened between Jane and Mr. Rochester?"

"He proposed, and she accepted. They lived happily ever after" Pascal said grinning rapturously while Justin pulled her even closer to him.

"Well, it was only a matter of time before they got back together," Chris explained to the former members of 'N Sync and their wives.

"I think they make the most adorable couple," his wife Jaycie exclaimed. Chris groaned playfully while Jaycie hit him in his side.

"The wedding was just beautiful, don't you think? She made the most charming bride I have ever seen in my life," Lorelle rejoiced.

"I have to agree. I must admit, I have never seen Justin so happy and content in all his life. The same goes for her, too," Emily lamented.

"When they get back from their honeymoon, they said they were going to build a house out in the rural area of Orlando," Kayla said.

"They said they were going to name it, but I have already fogotton the name they chose. I do remember asking them why they were naming the house that, and they only looked at each other grinning saying something about a novel. I suppose it just has some special meaning between the two of them that we will never know the secret behind," J.C. added.

"I think the name started with a 'T'," Joey recalled.

"I remember the name of it now," Lance said, "They are going to name it 'Thornfield'."