Within two days, the news of Justin being "poisoned" had spread across the globe faster than a wildfire could destroy a forest. Whether or not they had the facts straight, it seemed like EVERYONE knew about it. And the weird part about this whole mess was that it seemed to fuel not only Justin's, but *NSYNC's popularity.

The Louisiana Hospital had released him that morning and the plane was just about to land in Orlando. Justin felt so relieved ... the pain had gone down immensely, the tubes had been taken off his nose and although his mouth was still somewhat irritated and he still couldn't talk, he felt physically stronger than he had the day before. But maybe that wasn't the reason he felt stronger ... maybe it was something else....

He tiredly glanced at the young woman sitting next to him sleeping and smiled. Yeah, it was definitely something else. Her head was leaned against the window, her shiny brown hair falling across her face, a blanket twisted around her body. Her cheeks were a bit flushed, her lips slightly parted. Justin sighed and pushed the fallen strands out of her face. He stared at her lips for the longest time, his heart aching to feel them against his own. Looking at her and knowing that he couldn't kiss her like he wanted to because his mouth was still healing pained him, so he glanced away and rested his head against the back of the seat, wishing the plane would land already.

Ten minutes later, the wheels hit the runway and it was finally time to go home. Justin gently shook Olivia until her eyelids popped open. "No, Mom, don't make me go back to school!", she practically screamed and then glanced around quickly to figure out where she was. Justin chuckled silently and touched her cheek motioning with his hands that it was time to get off the plane. She looked at Justin as reality set into place again and she unbuckled her seat belt. "Right. How are you feeling?"

He shook his hand from side to side, motioning that he was feeling "so-so". She nodded and grabbed her bag from the storage cabinet above them. "God it sucks not being able to hear your voice."

Justin grinned and tugged on the zipper at his backpack, pulled out his CD player and put the headphones over her ears, pressing play. He watched her expression change instantly from confusion to comfort when she realized what he was doing. He smiled and mouthed along with the melody he could hear coming from the small speakers that rested on her ears.

"Can this be true? Tell me can this be real? How can I put into words what I feel? My life was complete, I thought I was whole. Why do I feel like I'm losing control? I never thought that love could feel like this, and you changed my world with just one kiss. How can it be, that right here with me, there's an angel ... it's a miracle..."

The very first instant that Justin's smooth vocals flowed through the headphones, Olivia's whole entire body was filled with this incredible warmth and she closed her eyes to savor the power his voice had over her. She could feel her smile expanding, spreading through her cheeks and reaching her newly opened crystal blue eyes. That voice, those words, this man ... she was hanging onto a piece of heaven; something that she wasn't about to let go of for a long, long time.

"Are you two coming or what?", a voice echoed down the terminal bringing both of them out of their daze. Justin's eyebrows lowered in frustration and he glanced down at whoever had interrupted them. Jason stood at the end of the hallway, with his hands on his hips.

Olivia smiled and placed his CD player back in his backpack, rolling her eyes at him. "You're a wise-ass, Justin. I meant I wanted to hear your voice personally, not on a CD player." She laughed at his attempt to be funny, admitting to herself that it had cheered her up.

He shrugged innocently and grabbed her hand, tightening his fingers around hers. They walked in step together to where Jason was standing.

"I swear, I don't know what I'm going to do with the two of you. Maybe I should just lock you up in some room for a few days...", Jason trailed off when he saw the evil looks that they were giving each other. "On second thought, I don't know what would happen if I did that and I'm not too sure I WANT to know." He chuckled and began walking to where they heard the screaming that they had all become deaf to months ago in the near distance. Jason tightened his grip on Justin's arm and warned them, "OK guys, walk straight past the crowd. They're going to want autographs, pictures, and they're going to ask a lot of questions, but just keep walking. We need to get you home right away. Got it?"

They both nodded and quickened their pace to reach the exit faster. Soon, blinding lights hit them like a ton of bricks and Justin gripped Olivia's hand even harder as they made their way through his screaming fans. He plastered that 'heartthrob' smile on his face and waved to some of the girls, praying that none would attack him and that he could make it out of the airport safely.

"JUSTIN, I LOVE YOU!!"

"ARE YOU OKAY, JUSTIN?!"

"WHO'S THE CHICK!?"

He blocked out all the yelling and concentrated on getting outside to the van that was waiting for him. All he wanted right now was some sleep, some water, and his voice back...

And he wanted to tell Liv what he had been aching to tell her for the past few weeks - which was exactly just how much he loved her.

(next day)

"Yo, Davis!!", a gruff, masculine voice yelled out across the stuffy Sam Goody.

Brian looked up to see a very tan person with tousled hair and a chiseled face running towards him. He stopped sorting the CDs he was toying with and gave props to his friend. "Hey, man what's up?"

"Hey, I haven't seen you in a while. Where've ya been?"

"I was on vacation in Louisiana with my girlfriend for a while."

"Ohh man ... is she all into that boyband? Did you hear what happened to the lead singer?"

"Yeah, she met them down there, I guess they were on tour. No, what happened?"

His friend Zach laughed. "It's great. Someone like, poisoned him! He can't sing or even talk! Major props to whoever did that ... maybe it'll shut them all up and they can all go crawl back home when they realize their fifteen minutes of fame are up.", he looked curiously at Brian. "Hey, isn't that one chick you're friends with going out with that freak?"

Brian chuckled and returned putting the CDs in their proper racks. "Who? Olivia?"

Zach shrugged. "I guess. The hot one that you're friends with ... brown hair, blue eyes..."

"Yeah, Liv.", Brian looked up and noticed a few police officers walking into the store and his eyes widened. He quickly started walking towards the back room and Zach followed him. "Yeah, she's uh, she got together with him somehow a few ... um, a while ago..."

He shut the door behind them and grabbed his jacket. Zach eyed him questioningly. "Uh, man, what are you doing?"

Brian could hear the low mumble of his manager talking with the officers echoing throughout the small Sam Goody and his heart beat increased. "Shit... I gotta get out of here.", his eyes scanned the room for a way to escape but there was none. "Zach, go back out there and tell them I left for ... for lunch."

"It's five o'clock, Davis."

"Well, then ... um, tell them my ... my grandmother just died." His eyes remained wide and his breathing was getting faster. How the hell am I going to get out of this one? I know they're here for me ... this is not going as planned...

Zach blinked and spun on his heels. "Okaaay. I don't know what the hell is going on, but I got your back, man."

Brian sighed. "Thanks ... now, go! Get out of here..."

Zach closed the door behind him, and walked towards the front of the store where the manager was being questioned. He had absolutely no clue why Brian was acting so intimidated by the cops being there, because from what he knew of him, he was a pretty good guy. He didn't get into a lot of trouble. The manager grabbed his arm as he walked by and looked at him sternly. "Zach, have you seen Brian Davis? He's working these hours, I thought."

Zach glanced past his manager's stare to see a very cautious Brian slinking around behind the rack of CDs, quickening his pace when no one was watching him and slowing down when he heard any movement whatsoever. Zach's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he turned his attention back to his manager. "Uh... no, he uh, his grandmom died so um, he had to le... leave early." He looked back to where he last saw Brian and followed his footsteps to where he was now only inches away from the entrance to the store.

One of the police officers caught his gaze and turned to see an apprehensive young man trying to sneak out the door. He faintly recognized some of his features, from what he could see since the kid had a hat on, and quickly pulled out a photo of Brian. A lightbulb blinked over his head and he nudged the other officer, pointing out the shady character. "Is that your employee?", one of them asked the manager.

"Yeah... there he is.", he turned towards the door. "MR. DAVIS!"

Brian ignored the yell and quickened his pace. The police officers started to walk after him as his manager tried calling him again, unsuccessfully.

Brian was getting scared. He finally made it out of the store and started running to the exit of the mall where he worked. Occasionally, he would glance over his shoulder to make sure he still had a lead on the police, and he was pretty much in the clear until he unfortunately tripped on his untied shoelace, falling face first into the tiled floor.

One of the officers scurried over to where he was struggling to get to his feet and grabbed him by the arm. Brian twisted and squirmed to get out of his grip but to no avail. The man had him pinned against him and was staring at him through the coldest eyes he had ever seen. "Are you Brian Davis?"

"No.", he spat out with a bitter tone of voice.

"Don't lie to me, kid. I highly suggest you don't lie to me, because I have so much dirt on you right now AND the power to send you to prison for easily eight to ten years. So we're going to try this again. Are you Brian Davis?"

Brian glared angrily into the cop's eyes and fought not to spit in his face. "No. Let me go."

The other policeman chuckled at Brian's courage and held up the picture next to his face. "Well, you sure as hell look identical to him." He took out his handcuffs and held them up to him at eye level. "Brian Davis?"

His eyes turned into tiny, black slits and he struggled against the grip the man had on him. A large group of people had somehow managed to gather around where the scene was unfolding in front of them, and murmurs arose as he once again denied who he was.

"We have the warrant for your arrest, Mr. Davis. You have the right to remain silent...", the officer began babbling and Brian tuned him out, wincing as he heard the 'click' of the handcuffs secure around his wrists. Greg and his stupid ideas to take Olivia out ... what the HELL did I get myself into? He jerked when the man tightened his grasp on his upper arm and started to drag him towards the door, throwing him into the police car that sat patiently by the curb.

A scowl remained on his face the whole ride to the police station.

(later that night)

Olivia pulled the comforter up to his broad shoulders and made sure the pillows were nice and fluffy. Little droplets of condensed water trickled down the outside of the huge glass that sat on a table next to the bed, and the vaporizer close by set off cool air to help him breathe easier.

She smiled and stood up straight. "There you go. Is there anything you want?"

Justin nodded.

"What do you want?"

He pointed at her.

"You want me?"

He nodded and continued with his hand motions. His fingers and his thumb moved together to form the sign that people usually used when someone talked too much. And then he pointed back at himself.

It took her a minute to understand what he was saying but she smiled when she figured it out. "You want me to talk to you?"

He grinned and nodded. He put his hand on his heart and patted it, signifying that he wanted her to talk to him from her heart, about what she was feeling and about what she was thinking.

"Okay. I think I can manage that somehow." Liv sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at him. His physical stature was improving quite a bit. He was propped up against his three pillows and his hands rested on his covered lap. Even though his lips were still a touch swollen, and his eyes were pretty bloodshot, she could still see the warm glow that remained in his soul.

She paused for a few minutes to think about what she had been wanting to tell him for the longest time, praying that she wouldn't make a fool out of herself and totally mess up. He watched her silently while she thought and he finally moved his hand over to rest on top of hers, squeezing her fingers between his.

She smiled and took a deep breath. "You know, when I first met you, at Sidney's accident... I really kept thinking to myself, 'Why do I keep running into this guy?' because I faintly recognized you from that coffeehouse. There was something different about you, though. That much I knew. Something that just stood out from the rest of you. I didn't see it until you comforted me at the hospital. I was alone, and you welcomed me into your arms, even though you didn't know me at all. Most people would have just let me cry on the floor, but you picked me up and held me.", she sighed and watched as his thumb rubbed over her skin soothingly. "That's something that I'll always remember and always carry with me through my life.

"Justin, you've changed my life in SO many ways ... so many that I don't even think I'd be able to COUNT them, and yet you don't seem to get too proud or egotistical about it. I don't even think you REALIZE how much you've had an effect on me. I ... I absolutely LOVE my life now all because of you. When I had no one to stand by me, you came along and took my hand. When I thought I was alone in life, you showed up and cleared away the rain clouds. You never pushed me away, you were always there to guide me down the right path, and I feel like I haven't been able to do anything that can even compare with what you've given me. So right now, you're in a time of ... of sickness, and I'm going to take care of you the best way I can, only because of one reason."

She stopped to look at him before determining that this was the right time to tell him exactly how much she cared for him ... how much she loved him. His face was still pale, the only color in it was the bright redness that flushed his cheeks and the tip of his nose, and his eyes ... even though they were massively bloodshot, she could STILL see that comfortable glint in them. He looked at her like she was the most amazing creature he had ever seen. A smile crept over her face and she reached her free hand out to touch his burning cheek. "That reason being --"

A very hoarse voice, that cracked when it spoke, interrupted her. "Olivia."

"Wait, Justin, let me finish...", she trailed off and her eyes shot up to his face. "Whoa, hold on a second, did you just TALK??"

Justin grinned, and that grin spread all the way up to his eyes.

"Oh my God, do you have your voice back?", she nearly screamed.

He touched his throat and opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He shrugged and fought to keep the smirk off of his face.

She crossed her eyebrows. "I'm hearing things now, aren't I? Wonderful."

Justin smiled and moved his hand in a circle, telling her to continue what she was saying.

"Right. As I was saying, I am going to make everything up to you from now on, starting today. I'm doing this be -- "

His voice cracked again and he whispered out her name. "Olivia."

Her eyes got huge and she stumbled on her words for a while before she could get an intelligible response out. "Okay, I KNOW I didn't just hallucinate that. Say something el ... se ", she trailed off when his blazing, hot hand reached towards her cheek, stroking it gently, running his fingers across her face, moving over her jawbone and then trailing over her lips. A smile spread over his face as he memorized her shocked expression.

She took a shaky breath and tried to strengthen her voice to make it sound like he wasn't getting under her skin as bad as he was. "J... Justin.... say someth..."

He interrupted her once more with three of the most powerful words in the English language.

"I love you."

Olivia sat there for a few seconds trying to decipher everything that was raging inside of her as his words registered in her heart. She didn't know whether to scream, yell, jump up and down in excitement, or slap him for tricking her and beating her to saying the words that she was just about to say.

Her heart pounded against her chest violently. She had dreamed of him saying those three small words and actually MEANING it, for the longest time, and now he finally had and she was sitting there like a stone in shock. She swallowed and took a deep breath. "I ... I .... your voice i-is back..."

'Your voice is back?' Jesus Olivia, could you think of anything worse to say than THAT? , she yelled at herself and fought to correct herself.

"I ... I mean, I didn't mean that...."

Justin tried not to laugh at her flabbergasted expression, but a grin leaked out anyway. He knew that she wasn't going to be able to spit those words out very easily, because of what had happened in her past. He pushed her hair behind her ears and gazed into her eyes.

"D...do you really m...mean that?"

He smiled and cleared his throat, using all the strength he had to force his hoarse voice out. "I really mean that. Every ounce of love in my heart, body, and soul told me that a while ago."

She held her breath to keep from crying and leaned into him, wrapping her arms around his body. He closed his eyes and held her close to him, breathing in her familiar scent. Her cheek was pressed up against the side of his head, her lips inches away from his ear. He heard every breath she took, and it wasn't long before he heard her faint whisper...

"I love you too." His arms instantly tightened around her waist and a relieved smile took over his features. He reached his hand up to pull her head off his face and around so that he could look at her. Her eyes were what astounded him the most ... they were full of life, full of love, and glowing with such a power that they could light up an entire city. When he had first met her, they had been a dark, depressed gray... so dark that he never thought he'd get to see her natural blue.

Olivia watched as his eyes roamed over her face, from her eyes to her lips, back to her eyes again and then finally settling back on her lips. She could feel his warm breath against her face as he got closer to her with every passing second. "Justin... "

His eyes raised to hers in question. She put a finger on his lips and sighed. "Y...your mouth..."

He kissed her fingertips and whispered against her hand, "My mouth is fine ..." His next scratchy words made her smile. "It's been too long, Liv."

"You're right." She rested her forehead against his and watched as his head tilted and his eyelashes fluttered closed. She smiled and closed her own eyes, waiting for the explosion that she always felt inside of her whenever their lips met.

Justin pulled her up into his lap and finally crushed her lips under his powerful kiss. A new feeling of warmth set off in his body... it wasn't something he had experienced before when he was with her... It took him a minute to realize what it was, and when he did, all he could do was grin against her lips and hold her closer to his body in protection.

It was a feeling of completion.