My Earth Angel
By Tami
A Venus Fanfiction Crew Production
DO THE CREW!

~~~~~~~

Leslie sat in her seat on the airplane thinking about her boyfriend and their relationship. She wasn't sure what was going on with Justin and her lately. She was kind of scared and nervous about what this trip would bring. She was flying to Orlando to see him. She let her mind wander back to the previous week when they last talked on the phone.
"I can't believe you forgot! How could you do that?!" Justin yelled at her through the phone.

"I'm sorry Justin. I don't get all upset when you miss things of mine." Leslie, apologized.

"You weren't in your first tv movie Les! And, on top of that, you were with Josh. How is that supposed to make me feel?" He yelled at her. "Would you stop yelling at me. I know that I wasn't in a movie, but I saw the last half hour, and Jayla taped it for me. Relax, and not only that, why do I want to see you kissing another girl? I didn't do anything with Josh. You know he's my best friend, and he's going out with Tami. One of my best
friends. remember?" She tried to reason with him. She knew they were only fighting because they'd been apart from each other for awhile. When she mentioned that to him, the reason they were fighting, he just got even more upset.

"I told you to come and see me for mid winter break. remember? and why did you say no? oh yeah, you had competitions." He said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, and you wouldn't come and see me in them!" She yelled at him. He was being selfish and angry. They were both busy all the time, and
sometimes it was hard. "Look, i have to go JuJu. I'm running late for dance practice. I'm really sorry about forgetting the first hour of the movie. I'll see you soon though." Leslie rushed to get off the phone.

"Okay, bye. I love--" Justin was cut off by the dial tone. He didn't know what had happened to them lately. They were always arguing and fighting. He was getting jealous, because she was hanging out a lot with Josh and her other friends. She was upset, because he was preoccuppied with his music and the group. He knew they were fighting so much because they hadn't seen each other since December, and it was already March. Next week their new album would be coming out, and she was coming to stay with them, to support them. As Leslie got off the plane, she fought back the urge to run off the plane. Even though, she was nervous about her and Justin's relationship, she was still excited. She stepped out of the plane terminal with a huge smile on her face, waiting to run and jump in Justin's arms. She looked around excitedly, and spotted Chris. "Where's Justin, Chris?" She asked looking around for him. "Where is he?"

"He's uhh...he's not here Les." Chris looked around anxiously.

"Why? What do you mean?" She asked obviously upset.

"Well, aren't you going to give me a hug first?" Chris asked avoiding the conversation."Where are the other guys? You know I can't hug you first." They had a tradition, whenever she would get off the plane, she would run and jump in Justin's arms. They would kiss each other for a bit, and just hold each other. It was always their favorite time, when they first saw each other and held each other. Then she would move over to JC, and he would hug her, and pick her up and spin her around slowly. He would set her down and softly kiss her lips. She would walk over to Lance and he would hug her close, he always gave her the biggest bear hugs, and she would lean over and kiss him on his nose. Then she would walk over to Chris and lightly kiss him on the cheek, and then she would walk over to Joey, and he would kiss her forehead, and follow it up with a big joeybear hug. It was their ritual. She was super close with all the guys, especially JC though. She knew him since she was 8, and he introduced her to Justin. She knew JC the longest out off all the guys, 10 years. They would always be close.

"Justin couldn't come Les. He's a little sick. He was sick all last night, and he got out of bed this morning to come and get you, but he just couldn't. He doesn't feel good at all. The other guys are all in a meeting. I volunteered to come and get you, actually I didn't. We all fought over it, and we had to draw straws. And i won!! hehe!!" Chris finished laughing.

"Your such a goof. I'm sorry I was acting like that. I was just pshyched to see Justy, ya know." She finished. She reached up and pulled Chris down to her, and they stayed that way hugging for a while, before she pulled away and gently kissed him on the cheek.

"C'mon, little girl. Let's go see your lover boy." He said before taking her hand and leading her to the car.By the time they reached Justin's house, she saw all of the other guys' cars out in the front.

"Yes! They're all here." Leslie whooped before jumping out of the car, with Chris close behind. Leslie threw open the door and quickly ran down the hallway."Justin!" She shouted, he came running down the stairs two at a time.

"Leslie! I've missed you so much baby!" He said, before picking her up in the biggest hug, he's probably ever gave her. He spun around, before setting her back down on the ground. He continued to hug her. He breathed in deep, breathing in her smell. "I've missed you so much Lina Bean." he said softily.

"What's wrong Ju Ju bean?" She asked worriedly. "Please, don't ever leave me. I'm so scared." He said whispering in her ear with tears in his voice.

"Shh, it'll be fine." She whispered back to him. She felt a tear slide down his cheek and land on her shoulder. She didn't understand why he was so upset. It scared her, she didn't know what he was scared of, but she was sure it would come out later. She walked over to JC, and looked up at him. she wordlessly threw her arms around his waist and held on tight. She missed him so much. She leaned her head against his chest and he leaned his head down on her shoulder. After a few seconds, he lifted her up in his arms and slowly spun her around. "I've missed you so much Joshy." She told him tearfully."I've missed you too, sunshine." He whispered in her ear. He didn't understand what was going on with her and Justin, but he knew it wasn't too good, and he knew Leslie was scared because he could feel her trembling a little bit. "It'll be okay, les. I promise you." He whispered, comforting her.

She leaned her head back, and gave him a soft kiss on his lips. She walked over to Lance, and hugged and kissed him on his nose, and she softly giggled, when he tickled the back of her neck. She walked over to Joey and kissed his forehead, "Hey hey joeybear." That was his cue, to take her in his arms and give her a big hug.

Justin cleared his throat. "I'm sorry about breaking up the love fest and all fellas, but we have to go. Why don't ya'll wait in the cars for me."

"What? your leaving me? i just got here, and your leaving? where are you going?"Leslie asked, as the guys walked out of the house. "Leslie. Please understand. We have a big meeting with the record company about the tour, tv performances, and appereances, and the record coming out. I'm sorry." He said tiredly, running a hand over his face."Please don't go. We really need to talk about us Justin. Things are not
good, and your running from our problems." She pleaded with him. She hated doing that.

"I'm not running away leslie. I just can't talk right now. I have to go." He turned and started walking towards the door, but stopped when he reached it. "Leslie, please..." He took a step towards her, and that's all that she eeded. She flung herself in his arms. She started sobbing. She cried for all of the fights they had been in, in the past couple of months, for the times they couldn't see each other, and for all the previous tears she had shared with him. "Please don't baby. Your gonna make me stay. Your making this so hard for me to leave....okay, i'll stay." He finished, giving into her sobs. They were too much for him to take, and he could feel her body being racked with her sobs. It was killing him to see how much pain he was causing her.

"No. Go. I'm sorry, it's your job. You have to do, what you have to do. I'll be fine, Justy. I know you'd stay if you could." She pulled away from him. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. She could tell he wasn't going to leave. "Go." She pushed him towards the door. He gave her a soft kiss, before turning away.

He looked at her one last time, before he walked out the door. He was going to fix this relationship if it killed him.

"I just wish this day would be over." Justin complained, rubbing his eyes. "I just want to crawl into bed, and sleep for five years."

"I believe the crawling into bed part with Leslie, but the sleeping part I doubt." Chris said, joking.

"Shut up Chris. You know better than that." Justin replied, irratibly. The guys knew something was wrong with him, when he wouldn't continue the conversation with Chris. Usually, when one of the guys would tease him about Leslie, he would counterattack with something. They loved to tease Justin about his sex life, or lack there of. Justin was really stressed out about things lately. His relationship with Leslie, the album, and the stress from the past months with the lawsuits and everything. He went straight up to his room when he got home. He felt bad for not saying anything to Leslie, but he wasn't in the mood to continue the conversation of the status of their relationship.

"What's wrong with Justin? Why did he go straight upstairs? Chris! I told you to be nice to him." She yelled at Chris, joking around.

"Who knew he would get upset about the WB 40 in his hairbrush." Chris said nonchalantly, shrugging his shoulders.

Leslie just looked at him with an incredolous look on her face. "Please tell me your joking." When Chris looked at her innocently, she just shook her head and left the room. "Justin." She called knocking on his door. "Can I come in please?" When she didn't hear a response, she walked in the door. He was standing in front of his window looking out at the moon. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and rested her head on his back. "What's wrong sweetieheart?" She asked, when she felt him sigh. "I don't really want to talk about it. It's not you, and it has nothing to do with our relationship. I'm just tired." He said, turning to face her. She didn't believe him for a second. She could tell he was lying, by the look on his face, she decided to let it go though, she didn't want to fight anymore.

He walked over to the bed and crawled beneath the covers. "Okay, goodnight Justy." She said slyly, before walking to the door.

"Hey! Aren't you going to sleep here tonight? We always sleep together on our first night seeing each other." Justin asked worriedly.

"Relax, I was just opening the door." She said, laughing. It was a rule when they slept together, Justin's mom made them keep the door open. He held the covers up, while she slid in next to him. She slid over until she was right against his body. He wrapped his arms around her upper body and pulled her closer to him, as she wrapped her arms around his upper body also. Their legs entangled together as if they both fit into a mold. They fit perfect together. They were perfect together. Justin leaned down until his face was buried into her neck, she knew there was something wrong with Justin, he wasn't talking and he was being so clingy, it wasn't feeling right. He had never held on this tight to her in bed, it almost felt like he was hanging on to her, so she wouldn't leave.

"Justin, sweetie, what's the matter? Please, tell me." She asked him.

"I can't. Just, please hold me, all night long, just hold on to me, and don't let go. Please?" He pleaded with her desperatly, as his eyes filled with tears.

"Okay, okay. I just want to help you. And, I can't, if you won't tell me what is going on." She answered him, hoping he would open up to her. "I'll tell you, just not right now." He answered, hoping she would just drop it. She did. She wrapped herself into his arms even more, and buried her head against his neck, and only then, did he totally relax. "You know, I would sing to you, if I could." She said, trying to lighten the mood.

He laughed lightely, before replying. "I'll tell you what, you dance for me tomorow, and we'll call it a deal."

She laughed, and whispered in his ear. "I promise. I love you Ju. I always have, from the first day I saw you."

"I know. I love you too, lessie." He replied, before lightly kissing her neck.

THE NEXT MORNING......

Justin woke up to find that Leslie had already gotten up. He threw back the covers and went downstairs in search of her. "Hey, momma. Do you know where Les went?" He asked his mom.

She was standing in the kitchen getting a cup of coffee ready for Justin. "Yeah, she went for a run, and I think she came back really quick, but then she left saying she was going to the store." She answered before handing him the cup.

"The store!? Why did you let her go to the damn store?" Justin asked his mom, obviously pissed off.

"Justin, what the hell are you talking about? Why can't she go to the store? She went to get me some eggs, so I could make ya'll breakfast. The boys are on their way over. Well, Lance and Joey anyway, Chris and JC are still sleeping upstairs." She finished.

"Mom, let me explain something to you.." Justin started.

"Don't get smart Justin, or I won't listen." She snapped at him. "Alright, sorry. I didn't want Leslie to go to the store, because of the tabloids. Britney and I are on every cover slow dancing, the way I slow dance with Leslie, our heads are together, and she's laying her head on my shoulder, and my hands are around her protectively. And, what's worse, is the inside pages. It shows us kissing. Leslie will murder me." He explained, looking into his cup.

"Justin, what the hell is the matter with you? Oh God, what did you do?" His mom asked sadly sitting down next to him, holding his hand. The both sat quietly thinking of the bad times, that had happened before. There was a period of time, when Leslie and Justin had broken up. For a few months actually. They stayed friends, but she just needed to know, if she was in love with him, and if it was meant to be. During this time, Justin seeked comfort in Britney. She took advantage of him, and he fell for it. She tried to split up Leslie and Justin before, and she almost succeeded. Justin always felt that he needed to be there for her, and he was still trying to get over her, and to stay away. It was incredibely hard, and he didn't understand the pull she had over him. The pictures that were taken in the tabloids, were from her 18th birthday. Justin was with Leslie at the time, seeing as how it was only a few months ago. The kiss was a kiss that she gave him, and he pulled away before anything happened. The slow dance, she asked him, and he said yes. He got carried away in the moment. It wasn't a good excuse and he knew it, but a part of him still loved her. The door opened, and slammed shut, and Justin honestly thought he was going to have a heart attack.

"Woah. Easy there, son. It's Joey and Lance." His mother said, worried about her son. This was unlike him, to be this upset. At that moment, Chris and JC decided to trudge down the stairs.

Justin left to go upstairs and take a shower, and get ready. He was going to go and look for Leslie. He was going to fix this, and tell her everything, he was not going to let her go. He couldn't survive without her. He knew it, at that exact moment, he knew it. He was upset though, that it had taken so long. "Why does it take a bitch like Britney to make me realize it?" He muttered to himself. After she kissed him, he left the party, and her life. There was no way, that he would let her come in between Leslie and him. At the time, he doubted that he loved Leslie, but when he saw her for christmas, he knew he did.He didn't get a chance to leave to look for her though. "Bye Guys!" Justin yelled, before heading in the hallway.

"Justin! Come back here really quick!" His mom yelled for him.He sat down in the chair. "Mom, I'm going to go look for Leslie, I have to go." He explained as patiently as he could.

"Justin, you can't do that. Do you know how many stores are in a five minute radius of this house. There is no way you'll find her. And, not only that, you'll cause a scene in the middle of a store. You don't want that." JC reasoned with him. Lynn had filled the four guys in on everything. At that moment, the door opened, and slammed shut. It slammed shut hard. Every movement in the house stood still, and Justin had his eyes closed.

Leslie stormed in the room, and slammed three tabloids down on the table. "Tell me Justin! Tell me that these are lies, and they somehow edited and pasted yours and the bitches' pictures together. TELL ME!!" She finished in a scream. When she shouted that, the other guys jumped. When Justin didn't respond to what she said, she continued, "I wasted years and years on you and this pathetic relationship. Let me guess, the reason you were so clingy yesterday and last night, was because you knew these fucking magazines were coming out today! The reason you were so scared of losing me, the reason you couldn't tell me what was wrong, was because of these god damn magazines. RIGHT?" It was more of a statement than a question. "Did the rest of you guys know about this? The time they kissed, and slow danced?" When none of the guys answered her, she took that as a yes.

JC stood up, "Leslie, why don't you calm down first. You may say something you regret."

"Right JC! Like you even give a shit about me. I have known you for how long? Ten years?! And you couldn't even tell me about this, this whole mess. You are an asshole, and you probably shouldn't even talk to me right now. None of you should talk to me." She said, calmly, looking at them. This is what scared Justin the most. She was so calm, she had reached her breaking point, he knew it. He stood up to calm her anger down some."Leslie, please, just relax. Let's go up to my room, and we'll talk about this." He tried reaching for her hand. Lynn got up and left the room. She wasn't going to see the distruction of this relationship take place. "Don't touch me! Don't fucking touch me. I cannot believe you! All the
lies, all the kisses. I have wasted so many "I Love you's" and so many kisses on you, it's pathetic. To think that all these years, I thought you loved me. What a laugh." She finished, looking at him. Daring him to say something.

"Les, Please listen to me. I love you." Justin finished, reaching for her again. He wasn't doing a great job of explaining and he knew it.

"Fuck you Justin, and the ego your riding on. You can go and rot in the hell you were born from." She finished with so much hate in her.

He took a few steps back, it felt like somebody had punched him in the stomach. All the other guys gasped when she said that, and the blood drained from Lance's face. She started to walk away, and Justin reached for her again, and she turned around and reached up and slapped him across the face.
"Can I make it any clearer to you?" She asked. She had never seen the other 4 guys so shocked at her before. "I'll be leaving shortly. Probably tomorow. I still have to book a flight, and make sure someone is there to meet me at the airport." She said, while looking at the other four. She turned and walked upstairs.

~~~~~~~

"Leslie, Can we come in please?" JC asked, knocking on the door, later that night. "Who's we?" Leslie asked, bitterly.

"Lance, Joey, Chris and me." JC answered her.

"Please let us in Lessie-Bear." Joey pleaded with her.They heard the door unlock, and they opened it and stepped in.

"What do you guys have to say to me?" She asked with her back turned away from them.

"We wanna tell you our side of the story. You have to believe us when we say that we didn't know about the kiss or the dance between Justin and Britney." Lance started.

"Justin told us just a few weeks ago. When, he found out about the tabloids. He promised us not to tell you, because he didn't want to upset you. He was going to try and figure something out, but he couldn't." Joey continued.

"We wanted to tell you, to warn you, but we didn't want to upset Justin, and we didn't want to come in the middle between ya'll. We are so unbeliebly, incredibly, sorry. You have to believe us." Chris finished, down on his knees.

"You are insane. Would it be alright, if I committed you to the ward? You would make a happy guest Chrissy. Yes, I believe you, and I do forgive you, sort of. I know you were just looking out for me, and you were looking out for my best interest. But, in the process you guys hurt me. You should've told me, but at the same time, I understand your loyalty to Justin. That would explain, why the phone conversations with you guys have been short." Leslie ended with a laugh. She walked over to the guys and hugged each one, and added in a kiss. "I'm not that mad at you guys. I was more confused and hurt. Can you guys leave JC and I alone?"

"Yeah, sure. See you tomorow morning." They replied, as they walked out the door.

"JC, I don't know what to do. I'm so scared. Why is this happening?" She asked him, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Leslie, I am so sorry. Please forgive me for everything. I feel so horrible, you are my best friend, my sister and I betrayed you. How can I fix
this between us?" JC asked tearfully.

"Josh, don't feel horrible. You didn't betray me, you were protecting me. I'm sorry for those things I said earlier, I didn't mean them, not for one second did I mean them. You can fix this between us by being my best friend, my brother, and by holding me right now." Leslie finished in a whisper. JC slid off the bed, and kneeled in front of her, as she wrapped her arms around him. "JC, do you remember back when Lance was talking to us after the unmentionable cheated on him?" She asked, referring to Lance's ex-girlfriend. He nodded his head. "He said that his heart felt like it was exploding. I couldn't imagine what it felt like. Now, I do. It hurts so much Josh, and I can't cry. I've been crying all day long, there are no more tears left to shed. God, it hurts so much. Does he love her JC? Does he?" Leslie said quietly, her chin quivering.

"Oh Sweetie, I'm so sorry. I don't know what to do to fix it. I want to fix it so bad. I'm not going to explain for Justin at all. He needs to do the talking, all I can do right now, is be here for you, okay?" JC said, tightening his arms around her even more. He felt so bad, and he wanted everything to go back to the way it was before. The whole world was sitting on his shoulders right now, when Leslie was hurt, so was he. "I'm leaving tomorow night. I can't stay here. My flight leaves at 10 p.m. Justin has some issues with us and it can't be fixed by tomorow. We need to spend time apart." Leslie sobbed, with unshed tears.

Leslie got up early the next morning, and left quietly. She was going to stay at Lance's house until about 5:00 in the afternoon, and then she was going to go back to Justin's. "Jayla, I need you to do me a favor, okay? I'm coming home tonight. My plane leaves at 10. I know it's late, but do you think you or Sarah can come and get me from the airport?" Leslie asked, talking to Jayla, one of her roommates on the phone.

"Yeah, you know that's no problem. What happened Sweets?" She asked worried.

"I'd rather not talk about it now, I'll tell you later, okay?" Leslie pleaded with her.

"Sure, it's no problem. We'll do anything for you, you know that!" She reassured Leslie. "Here, Lance is going crazy, he wants to talk to you. I love you, Love!" Leslie finished, handing the phone to Lance. Him and Jayla were good friends, and Leslie hoped there was a future between the two.

THAT NIGHT AT JUSTIN'S:

Lance and Leslie walked into the house, after Leslie waved hello to Chris and Joey, and dropped a kiss on JC's head, she headed up to her room to pack. She found Justin sitting on her bed. "What the hell are you doing in here?" She asked angerily.

"I came to talk. Just listen to me while you pack. That night with Britney was at her 18th birthday party. Everything, I'm going to tell you right now is the absolute truth and I'm not going to lie to you. I was the only one who went, the other guys stayed home. Britney and I were hanging out all night, and when her birthday slow dance came on, she asked me. I got caught up in the moment, and we danced...like you and I dance. Afterwards, I felt so horrible, I could barely look Britney in the eye. I left shortly after, and before i left, I gave her a hug, and she pulled me in for a kiss. Before, the kiss got too deep, I pulled away. I know what I did was wrong. I acted the way I did, because I wasn't sure how I felt about you. I was scared." Justin paused.

"I didn't know that I loved you for sure until you came here for Christmas. The truth about Britney is, I haven't spoken to her since that night. But, if she were to show up on my doorstep tomorow, I would be there for her. I don't know why. I hate her, but she has this hold over me, and half of me still wonders if I still love her or not." Justin said, sadly looking at the floor.

"You know what Justin! You are so fucking pathetic, it's not even funny. All those times, you said you loved me, they were lies. Everything, was lies. You have some serious issues, and until you can get them straightened out, we can't be togther. And, I'll be damned if I stay here and watch Britney walk back into your life, after she screwed us over." Leslie said calmly, while packing.

There was that calmness that scared Justin so much. "Why are you being so calm with this?" Justin asked incredously.

"What do you want me to do? Throw myself at you and kiss you and tell you I forgive you? I'm sorry, but I'm not her. I'm numb right now, I don't know what to feel other than anger towards you. I can't cry over you, because I am all cried out. That's all I did yesterday. I sobbed. And, I'm not going to act that way in front of you. I'm not going to show you, how my heart is breaking, or how my insides are shutting down. I'm not going to show you how much I'm in love with you, because you don't deserve it." She finished, looking at him. She finished packing in silence, as he watched crying. As she got up to leave the room, he followed her. She opened, the door, but he closed it.

"Please, what can I do?" He begged.

"Don't beg Justin, It's pathetic. Oops, I forgot who I was talking to." She said, as she left the room. He followed her, after a few moments to shove away the tears. As Leslie walked into the living room, the guys stood up. They all looked at her, silently pleading and begging with her to stay."Dear God, please let me get through this. Give me the strength to walk out of their lives, to say goodbye." She silently prayed to herself. She stepped forward to complete the hardest thing she has ever done before.

"Do you have to go Les?" Joey pleaded with her.

"Uh, yeah. I think I do." Leslie replied, after turning around and glancing at Justin. "Let's get this thing over with. If I don't start saying goodbye now, I might not ever do it. And, it has to be done, so don't say anything Chris." She added quickly, as she knew Chris was going to make a smart comment.Leslie took one look at the guys' faces, and she knew that she couldn't handle it. She was going to break down, and she just hoped that the tears and sobs could wait until she got out of the house. Lynn was driving her to the airport, and Jayla and Sarah were going to pick her up. She didn't mind breaking down in front of Lynn, she was like Leslie's mother, she had been through many tear fests before. She walked up to Lance and held her arms out to him. He looked at her and sadly shook his head, as he stepped into her arms. "I can't believe your leaving me Lessie. What am I going to do without you?" He whispered tearfully.

"Shhh, I know sweetie. I'll keep in touch with you, I promise. I could never leave you, Lover Boy. I'll always be here with you. In here." Leslie pulled away, touching his chest where his heart was. She softly kissed his lips and his nose.

"Your turn, Red." She said to Joey as she moved on to him. He wrapped her in his arms and held tight. "Please, don't go Les. We need you here. The cd comes out tomorow, who are we going to hug and kiss when we find out how it went double platinum in two days? Please don't go." Joey finished with tears running down his face. Leslie couldn't help it after she felt Joey's tears run on to her neck. She let the tears loose. She pulled away, and wiped her and his tears away, as she kissed him on the lips and on the forehead. "My turn baby girl!" Chris said scooping her up in his arms. "I'm not going to cry though, because...I know we'll see each other still." He said hugging her.

She pulled away after a few minutes. "Thankyou Chrissy. You were always there for me. I love you so much." She finished with tears running down her face. Her crying was becoming more desperate now, with each hug as she got closer to saying goodbye to JC.

"I love you too, sweetie." Chris replied while squeezing his eyes shut, to try and hold back the tears. He had to turn away from her, because he couldn't hold back the tears. His shoulders started to shake with unshed sobs, as Lance talked to him comfortingly. She walked over to Chris and slipped around him, so she was face to face with him.

"Hey, hey. I didn't get that special kiss you always give me. If you promise to call me almost every day, I promise I will see you as much as possible, okay?" She whispered, trying to comfort him and herself. He leaned over and they kissed each other on the lips and the cheek. "I can't do this Joshy, I can't leave you." Leslie sobbed, falling against JC's chest.

He pulled her away, and leaned his forehead against hers and whispered so only she could hear him. "Listen to me Leslie, I love you, and I will always love you no matter what, you can do anything you want to. Because I will always be here for you. If you don't want to leave Justin's life, don't do it. If you feel you have to leave him, then leave him. But, you will never be leaving me, Joey, Chris, or Lance. Never." He finished placing his hands on either side of her face. "C'mere baby."

That was all she needed to fly into his arms. He picked her up in his arms and cradled her against his chest. They leaned their heads together, and they fit perfectly, almost as if they were sibblings. She sobbed even harder, as she realized how much she loved JC, and how much she was going to miss him. He knew why she was sobbing, and it broke his heart, he couldn't help the tears from falling too. "I love you Leslie." JC whispered against her hair.

"Oh God." She sobbed, "I love you too, Josh." She slid out of his arms, and leaned against his chest. "You have to go to the airport, sweetie. The flight will leave without you." She leaned away from his chest, as he leaned down and placed a brotherly kiss on her lips, and kissed each of her eyelids. It always tickled her when he did that, and he was hoping it would make her giggle. It didn't.

"Remember, we'll never leave you." He whispered, as he kissed her again.

"Bye guys. I love you." She softily, looking at each guy, trying desperately to imprint their images in her mind, and heart. She walked over to Justin, and gently kissed his lips. She wanted to keep kissing him, to tell him that she didn't want to leave, but she couldn't. She had more self respect, than that. She needed Justin to come to her, and tell her he loved her with all his heart, and that Britney could rot in hell. And, she didn't want him to do that, just because he saw she and the other guys were in pain. "I hope that the kiss I just gave you is forever imprinted in your mind and heart, and I hope you know that your lips will never touch mine again." She said, as she turned away from him. There was no
anger in her voice, no hurt, no love. It was just her voice. She showed no emotion towards him. She couldn't believe that she pulled that tone off, but she was proud of herself. She gave each of the guys one last hug, and walked out the door for the last time.

Justin couldn't hold in his tears anymore, and he hunched over, his body racked with sobs. Chris walked over to him, and Justin gripped Chris' shirt, as he pulled him into a hug. All the guys were crying, as they watched the girl that was closest to them, walk out of their lives. After the tears had subsided, Justin spook for the first time. His voice was rough, from emotion, and he knew that this wasn't going to be the last time he shed tears over Leslie. "Guys, I can't believe I just did that. I can't believe I ever did those things with Britney, and I can't believe I let myself hurt Leslie. I'm so sorry."

"Your apologizing to the wrong people, Justin. We aren't going to hold this over you, I don't know if I'm speaking for all of us in this room, but I swear to you, i will never forgive you for hurting her in the ways you just did. As I stand here in front of you, I will never forgive you." JC told him bitterly, as he left the room.

Justin faced the wall, leaning against it, covering his head. It was almost, if he was trying to cover himself from the pain. "God Dammit!" He yelled in anger, as he walked out of the house, slamming his fist into the wall on the way out.Joey, Chris and Lance could do nothing, but look on, as they saw their closest friends fall apart.

Just as Leslie knew, she sobbed all the way to the airport, and just like she knew, Lynn held her hand the entire way. "Sweetieheart, you did the right thing. You took control of the decision, and you didn't let Justin off the hook. That's what he needed. You were so strong, and me and the boys are so proud of you. You know, we'll always be here for you. We'll never leave you." Lynn told her.

Leslie stopped crying by the time they got to the airport, she knew though, that she wouldn't stop once she got home. "Lynn, thankyou so much. You have no clue how much you and the boys mean to me. You're like my mom. I know I'll still see you. I can still come and stay with you when Justin isn't there, right?"

"Yes, of course! Your still coming in a couple of months right?" Lynn asked, and Leslie shook her head yes. "Well, honey. Your planes leaving. You be strong, only when you have to be. It's okay to be weak and to be hurt. You'll come out of this strong, and happier." Lynn told her as she hugged her and all will be known in time

kissed her on the cheek.

Leslie walked on the plane and turned back once to wave goodbye to Lynn. She was walking away from the life and people she loved. She wasn't sure what would happen between her and everyone else, and she was terrified. But, she knew she would get through it. She had made it that far, she could keep going.

"Iris!!!!" Jayla screamed as she saw Leslie step off the plane.

Leslie walked off the plane with tears streaming down her face, and walked straight into Jayla's open arms. Tami and Sarah were standing by, and walked over to her and surrounded her in a hug. "Shh. It'll be okay, Les. We're here for you." They tried calming her down.

"Let's go home goddesses. I wanna tell you what happened." Leslie told them, once she stopped crying.

"I can't believe Justin did that!" Jayla yelled. "I'm soo mad at him! How could he hurt you that way! What an ass hole! Wait until I talk to Lance."

"Well, it's done and over with now. I wanna hear what's going on with all of ya'll." Leslie said switching the subject.

"Well, not too much. Except, Diana has got a new love interest." Sarah said wiggling her eyebrows at Jayla.

"Ooh! Do tell!" Leslie said eagerly. She was already starting to feel better. Her best friends could always bring her up no matter what. They were her life support, they were always there. "Yeah, his name is Matt. We've been on a few dates already, and I really like him. But, then there's Lance. I don't know. I guess, I'll just let things play themselves out." Jayla explained.

"Why do you think Justin did all this to you, Lessie-bear?" Tami questioned, returning back to the subject.

"I have no clue. I think he's scared. And, that's what pisses me off the most. I love him so much. And, it's not just the big things he does, sure, he is cute. But, there's so much more. I love the way when he thinks really hard, he picks at his fingers. How he walks, how he pulls up his pants. I love when we're driving and a song comes on, he can't dance to it. It kills him, so he starts moving his legs back and forth. I love how smooth his skin is. I love laying in his arms and I rub the back of his hands and his arms. I love how soft his hair is in the back. I love wrapping my arms around him from behind, and leaning my head against his shoulder. I can hear him breathe. I love the way he smells. It's a Justin smell. Like his soap, and laundry detergent mixed in with his natural smell. I love the little caring things he did for me. Everytime, I was upset, he would always say, 'Don't worry Lina Bean. We'll get through this.' I love how safe and comfortable I feel with him. I love how stong his hands are. I love the way he concentrates when he watches a basketball game. Or when, we were younger and he would do his homework. He would always look so adorable. I love wearing his clothes. It's like he surrounds me. Everytime, I see him, I just wanna cuddle up to him. I love everything about him. And, I can't do anything about it." Leslie finished with a sigh.

A MONTH LATER

Leslie had went back to dancing a couple of days after she got home. She was training hard for another competition. This time though, if you won, you got to go on tour with a famous group or musical act. She was trying very hard to get over Justin, but it wasn't working too well. She was trying to concentrate on her friends, family, and dancing. It seemed to be working well, until the night came. Nights were horrible. She would have dreams of when they used to be together. They were always so happy, and she would wake up happy. Then, she'd realize they weren't real anymore, and the tears would pour from her eyes. *N Sync's cd had ended up going double platinum on the second day it was out. She had managed to stay in touch with the guys, but it was hard. She hadn't talked to Justin except only when it was nessacary. The hardest times, were when he would answer the other guys' cell phones. They were always strained conversations, and they could always hear the pain in each other's voices.She was at the studio dancing with dance class, when the secretary of rhe studio ran in.

"Leslie. There is a man on the phone for you, a Mr. JC Chasez. He says it's an emergency."

"Oh no! Thanks." She thanked the secretary and ran out of the room. It seemed like she was moving in slow motion, she couldn't get to the phone
fast enough. She knew something was seriously wrong. For two reasons, she had a bad feeling in her stomach and JC wouldn't call her at the dance studio. Why he didn't call her cell phone, she did not know. Finally, after hours it seemed, she reached the phone. \

"Josh. What happened, what's wrong?" She asked with worry in her voice."Leslie, you gotta get down here now. It's an emergency. I tried calling your cell, but I think it's turned off or the batteries out." JC told her, tears clogging his voice.

"Is it Justin?" Leslie asked afraid of the answer.

"Just come down here." He replied.

"No, dammit! Tell me now, JC! Is it Justin?" She demanded, already knowing the answer.

"Yes, it's Justin. He's in the hospital. It's bad, Les. They don't know if...Lance's exhaustion and sickness was bad. But, this is worse. You gotta come down here. He needs you...I need you...Please? I got a ticket already waiting for you at the counter of the airport."

"I can't be there JC. He doesn't need me. Remember, he did those things to me, he pushed me away....Is it that bad?" When, JC didn't respond, she knew it was. She was terrified, more terrified than she's ever been before. She thought for a minute, and she knew that her dance competition wasn't until the end of the month, and if she trained hard when she got back, she would do well. If she called Sarah, and had her pack her things for her, she could be in Seattle, the city where they were, in a few hours.

"Alright, alright. I'll be there in a few hours. Be strong Jace. I'll be there soon. I love you." Leslie finished hanging up the phone. "Sarah, I need you to pack my duffel bag with enough clothes to last me at least a week. Justin's in the hospital and I need to go to Seattle." She said, calling Sarah seconds after she talked to JC.

A FEW HOURS LATER

"What the hell am I doing?" Leslie asked herself in the car she rented. She was on her way to the hospital, and she couldn't believe she was here. She shouldn't be. She should though. Justin turned her away. He let go of her. "They should be calling Britney." She thought bitterly. She was so scared to see Justin, let alone, she was scared of what had happened. How he had gotten in the hospital, was surprising to her. He was always careful of not overworking himself. "Not unless, he had been throwing himself into his work to get over me. That's stupid. He never loved me in the first place." She didn't have time to go over the situation in her head, she had reached the hospital. "Oh please let me be stong again." She prayed before heading into the private entrance.

She asked at the front desk for the guys, and she was directed into a room, where they were waiting. They were surrounded by people on their tour, but she spotted them right away. She didn't like what she saw. They looked horrible. Lance was laying, spread out on chairs pulled together. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was pale. Joey was pacing the floor, and Chris was sitting on the floor, trying to not look at the scenes surrounding him.

JC had his back towards her, leaning against a wall. She walked over to Lance, and gently shook him awake. She walked over to JC, and gently touched his shoulder. He whipped around, and when he saw who it was, the floodgates opened, and tears poored out of his eyes. He sank to his knees, and wrapped his arms around her waist and laid his head on her stomach. She sank to her knees, and wrapped her arms around his neck.
"Oh god. Leslie, this is all my fault. I should've watched out for him. He shouldn't be here. I can't do anything to help him now." He cried into
her shoulder.

The rest of the guys had gathered around them and they enveloped both as they all shed tears. This was one of the things she loved the most. The group hugs, they were all each other had at the moment. "What happened?" Leslie questioned.

"This past month has been crazy. Justin got sick a couple of weeks ago, and he was stressed out. We told him to settle down, to stop pushing things. He wouldn't take any medicine, he wasn't eating right, he was worried about your relationship. He wanted to get over you so bad, that he was throwing himself into his work. He just wouldn't stop. We were on stage, and we went down for a move during Bye, Bye, Bye, and he could barely get up. I danced over to him, and told him to go take a break. But, he didn't listen. We got through the song, but as soon as we stepped off the stage, he collapsed. It was awful, he was shaking, and he was sweating, but he was so cold. He was breathing so hard. And, now we're here." Chris explained, chewing on his thumbnail, trying to stop the tears. "Can I see him?" She questioned. Joey shook his head yes, as she
detangled herself from JC's grasp, the others closed up the space she had left.She was not prepared for the site she saw, when she walked into Justin's hospital room. "Oh God." She whispered.

Parts 6-10