Chapter Thirty-Six

Lauren's head slowly raised from her knees and she gave him a look of pure disbelief. Surely he hadn't said what she though he just had. "Did you…did you just say that this will be ok because we have each other? Did I hear that right? Did YOU JUST SAY, that it's perfectly fine that you and I are in a LOCKED ROOM together because we have each other?"

The anger radiating out of her eyes towards him was enough to make him take a deep breath and his pulse to race in worry. "Um…what I meant was…well what I really meant to say is…uh…everything will be ok."

Her head tilted while her eyes narrowed even more on him. "You didn't say that."

"That's what I meant though because…"

"That's not what you said, Justin."

He smiled charmingly and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah I know but I was just trying to make you…"

"THAT'S NOT WHAT YOU SAID, JUSTIN!"

This time it was his eyes scanning the room for hidden windows or doors, but they were frantically searching for means of an escape from HER, instead of a way out to go home. "Don't get upset. All I was trying to do was make you feel better about this inconvenient situation and I thought maybe humor would work."

Her foot tapped loudly on the tiles underneath her and she chewed on her lip while she continued to glare at him. "Do I look relieved or even slightly amused?"

"Not at all. In fact, you're looking kind of…don't take this the wrong way, but you're looking kinda…scary."

"Don't you dare give me that look. No…would you…you better not. Oh stop it. Dammit Justin! It's not going to work!"

He pulled his lip back in and sighed in frustration as he hopped up on the counter next to the sink. "Tough crowd."

"BAD act!"

"Oh come on, Lauren. This isn't all that bad. I mean, it could be worse. We could actually be locked in a room with someone we hate."

If she had something to throw at him, she would have. "Not that bad? Did my shoe knock something loose in your head? Not…that…bad?"

His dad had always told him that women could be irrational when they were hurt or upset. He had never really seen that out of his mother all that much, and so his only real source of information on that topic would come from Lauren. Yeah she was dangerous when she was angry, downright frightening when she was in a mood, but this was new ground for him. Not only was he trying to push her past all that anger, resentment, and pain she felt inside, he was trying to get her to help him help her. It was frustrating as hell to try to crack a cement egg, and she was about as solid as a person could get. She wasn't going to budge at all here, and for the first time he got a good idea of what she had been up against for the past few weeks.

The only difference was that this time…humor was doing the job hurt had attempted before.

"Lauren, I know you're not exactly thrilled about being locked up here but I'm not either. I was just kidding when I said that we would have to be here all night. I'm sure that when security does their checks, sees that I'm missing, they'll send someone out looking for me."

She rolled her eyes and when she saw a doorstop beside her, she picked it up and looked at it carefully. "When do they do checks, Justin?"

He looked down at his watch and took a deep breath. She wasn't going to like this at all. "Um…well they think that I'm supposed to be here for a while so…uh…ten or eleven…tonight."

The doorstop was flung in his direction and he leaned to the side to dodge it. "Don't start throwing things at me again. We don't exactly have the resources to fix any cuts that you may inflict on my body."

"Who is thinking cuts? If I hurt you this time…bones will be broken. Did you catch the PLURAL use of that word, Justin?"

The anger was getting worse, but so was his determination. She wasn't going to use that defense mechanism on him this time, but he did seriously wonder if he was going to make it out of that room in one piece. "You're not a bad-ass."

"Wanting to tangle with me Fro-lake? Are you sure you can handle everything I could give you and still make it out alive without security being around? Let me remind you Justin, if nobody is around to hear us and open the door…nobody will be around to hear your screams either. You have no padding, no Mike, and no common sense if you keep pushing at me this way."

He pushed off of the counter and started inching towards her, tiny step by tiny step. "You're all bark and no bite. I know you won't hurt me."

"I think this year you need to ask Santa for some JUDGEMENT. It can be wrapped up in a big box, BIG BLOOD RED BOW, and with a whole lot of sugar and spice. Won't that be pretty, Justin?"

Her speech was laced with so much sarcasm and spite that he almost smiled, but that would probably send her over the edge and he had to remember what she had done to Shai that night outside of his house. Lauren was capable of causing him serious bodily injury, but he knew that her heart was holding her back. At least, he hoped that her heart was what was holding her back. If not…he was in deep here.

"I could bench press you, and you think you're going to actually draw blood?"

She pushed up from the floor and leaned against the door with a smirk. "Ask that cut on your head if I can draw blood or not. Back off, Justin!"

"Such anger and hatred, but then again I can't say that I blame you. I said and did some very nasty and hurtful things to you."

She slid towards the corner where the door and the wall met, and hugged herself tightly. "Leave me alone."

"Leave you alone? You've been pushing and pushing for me to see the truth, for me to understand what an ass I've been to you, and now you want me to leave you alone? You've fought for weeks now for me to listen and hear your side, but now you want me to walk away and leave you alone? Where's that fight? Where's that spunk?" He took a few steps closer.

"Where's that knife I saw in here a few seconds ago?"

A grin slid across his face and it just couldn't be helped because while she was still angry…she was also starting to show her own sense of humor. "I don't hate you, you don't hate me, and that's that. If you hated me, you wouldn't be in Lakeland to begin with."

"I'm in Lakeland because I thought Miranda wanted to see me. I haven't seen you in three days, Justin. THREE DAYS. Do you want to know why I haven't seen you in three days? Do you? Because I didn't WANT TO. I had every opportunity in the world to swing by and see you but I chose not to. That's right Playa-lake…a female actually didn't want to see your pathetic face, stare into those manipulating and cruel eyes, and she didn't want to have you throw everything back in her face again. Why are YOU here?"

As he crossed by the table, he picked up a slice of pineapple and leisurely bit into it as his eyes fastened on hers. His smile brightened when he saw that she was watching his lips and her already dreamy eyes widened when his tongue came out to lick the juice off of his lips. "I'm here because I was supposed to meet Miranda too."

Lauren swallowed hard when she noticed a trail of juice rolling along his chin. "Um…so you're…you're…you're saying that Miranda…she…would you use a napkin, you PIG!"

He put a hand to his chest innocently and gave her an apologetic look. "Oh I'm sorry. I didn't even realize that I was offending you."

She groaned and turned away when he lifted the bottom of his shirt and used it to wipe the remaining juice from his chin and neck. His entire stomach and chest were exposed and it was plain to see that he was finishing this process as slowly as humanly possible. "Miranda wouldn't pull something like this. She's manipulating in a strange and evil way, but I don't think she would lock us up in a room like this. She is a little cleverer and more devious. Besides, her energy right now is spent on JC."

When he saw that she had turned away, he pulled his shirt down against his chest. "Jealous much?"

"Of your speckled chest and wannabe six pack that should…"

He leaned in towards her and whispered. "I was referring to Miranda and JC's relationship."

"Of…of course you were. Why would I be jealous of their relationship?"

Justin stopped his forward motion and shrugged. "Oh I don't know. Maybe because they complete one another? Maybe because they're each other's best friend? Maybe because they are openly in love? Could it be because they are both able to love and trust in one another without any questions asked? They both have faults and strengths that the other person not only understands, but also cherishes. Let's not forget their amazing ability to forgive one another when times get tough. They're a team, plain and simple."

"I've been there, done that, and wrote the pamphlet for it. I guess you forgot one simple thing, Justin. They TRUST each other even when times get tough."

"Are you saying…"

She held her hands up and growled furiously. "What I'm saying is that this isn't Miranda's style. She's more the 'let's get them in an office and have them list out their problems with one another', or in a room with a chalkboard so we can organize our pet peeves and painful experiences. She is NOT, I repeat NOT, one to pull something this stupid."

"Then what ARE you saying?"

She smirked and her head slid slowly back and forth as she gave him a look of pity. "This moronic and downright STUPID idea has your name written all over it. The lights being on the stage, the food in here, the complete look of ease that you have right now, the forcefulness to get me in here, and just about everything about the whole damn thing is stupid enough to only involve one person as the mastermind…YOU."

"Miranda's ideas aren't always brilliant. She CAN screw up and she and JC…"

Lauren hugged her stomach as she giggled. "Go ahead and defend it if you must. It will still be a stupid idea."

"I'm not defending anything because this wasn't my idea! I'm trapped in here just like you are. Ever think that maybe this is one of Miranda's plans to get us back together?"

"I can give you two OBVIOUS reasons why this has nothing to do with Miranda."

He was fighting hard not to get mad, but one look at the deviousness in her eyes was enough to make his playful nature come out again and push any thoughts of anger aside. "Lay it on me."

Lauren was basically drooling at this opportunity. "I thought you'd never ask. Number one, Miranda would never lock us up in a room with no bathroom. How's THAT for brains, Einstein? I can see your mind racing from here and it's saying, 'what if they don't have to go to the bathroom' but once again…stupidity, Justin. Miranda, Miss Organizer USA, would have thought of that and she certainly would have thought about the possibility that while we might have to use the bathroom…girls also OTHER reasons to use it from time to time."

"Freshen your makeup?"

She rolled her eyes at his comment. "You're not innocent so I'll just say it. Girls have PERIODS, Justin."

He took several steps back and made several moves to cover his ears. The way he was gripping his head and pacing around made it look like he was in serious pain or just absolute discomfort. "Oh damn man! Why do girls always have to go for the period stuff? That's just…just…ugh."

She smiled even brighter when he visibly shuddered. "Learn to live with it Scetti-head. Anyway, I have another reason why Miranda's not behind this and it's this little handy dandy device right here."

Justin turned to see her waving her cell phone around. "Dammit."

"Awww…don't feel bad. You had me fooled for a few seconds. Now open the door and let me out of here."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that. There are a few things we need to discuss and this is the only place I could think of where we have complete privacy."

"Ever hear of going to someone's car? A ride out to the middle of nowhere maybe? You do realize that this is holding me hostage and…"

Her words ended when he started walking towards her again with a purposeful look on his face. "I'm not holding you hostage. I'm trying my best to get you to stop giving me that beaten and angry look, and actually LISTEN to what I have to say."

"It's not fun when someone won't listen to you, is it?"

She was right and that realization hit him hard at that moment because he saw what she had been up against for so long. "I hear what you're saying and if I could go back and change everything I would. I can't do that, Lauren. I can't turn back time and change the pain and suffering that I've brought into your life when all I ever wanted to do was care for you." He looked up to see that she showed no reaction. "It wasn't a stupid idea."

"No it wasn't…it was absolutely dim-witted. Forget about the bulb being missing from the attic, there wasn't even a light switch installed at the time."

His fingers dove into his hair and he looked up at the ceiling while his chest fought to gain control of his breathing. "Two wrongs don't make a right. You came this far, you fought until you made me see that I was being a pigheaded ass, and now you give up? You've succeeded in making me realize that I never want to lose you, that I never WANTED to lose you, that I never SHOULD have lost you, and you're going to push me away until we're back where we were a few weeks ago?"

"I don't want to talk to you about this."

"That's all you've been trying to do since…"

She huddled closer into the corner. "I don't want to talk to you about this."

"Lauren, I would love to say that Tom put us here, but it was my doing. I take the blame for everything because that's where the blame lies. If it weren't for my choice to give up on you when you DESERVED to be heard, then we wouldn't be here at all. Talk to me, Lauren."

Her head lowered and she held a hand out when he got too close. "I can't…I won't talk about this."

"It's my fault…not yours. It was never your fault. Tell me." He walked forward until his chest was flat against her palm.

Her hand shook against his warmth and finally she whispered. "I'm scared to talk to you, Justin."

Out of everything she could have possibly said, that crushed his heart the quickest. "Why are you scared?"

She saw the helpless and saddened look on his face and had to turn away again. "Don't give me that look and then act like you care. Don't act like nothing has happened between us when really you KNOW things are never going to be like they were. Don't STAND THERE and try to make me feel better or give me hope, because that look is all I've prayed about for the last few weeks. That…look."

"Things are going to be better than they were."

She pushed against his chest until he moved out of the way and she could walk to the other side of the room. Her fingers quickly dialed Jayce's cell phone number but she only made it through half of the digits before Justin snatched it out of her hand. "Give that back!"

He pulled the battery pack off the back and slipped it into his pocket. "We WILL talk about this."

Pushing a few chairs out of the way, she ran over to the door, beat on it, screamed as loud as she could, yanked on the doorknob with every bit of strength she had, and then beat on it some more until finally giving up and leaning her cheek against it. "No! You act caring, innocent, interested in my feelings, when really all you're going to do is tear me down again. I've seen that look before and it was nothing but a lie. You used that look and pulled me in to trust you, but I'm not going to do that again. I won't be that stupid again!"

He put her phone aside and walked up behind her to see up close just how much his actions had changed such a beautiful and wonderful person. She was clawing, scratching, and beating against a door because she was too afraid to talk to him. She was terrified that he was going to destroy what bit of sanity she had left, and HE had pushed her to this point. He had taken a person who always fought for him and against him to stand up for what was right, what she believed in, and now she couldn't bear to fight anymore. To her now…fighting equaled pain. Fighting equaled hurtful words, crushed pride, and stolen dreams.

He didn't know how she would react or if she would even expect it at all, but his arms cautiously slid around her waist. He didn't pull her towards him or even tighten them around her at first, but he slipped them around her to see if she needed some sense of strength. When she didn't push him away, he tightened his arms until her back was against his chest, his arms were hugging her in comfort, and he slowly lowered his head until his chin could rest on her shoulder. Still she didn't pull away, but she was about as tense and stiff as a metal rod.

"I'm sorry."

Her fingertips petted the door as she continued to stare at it. "The guard will be coming in here to turn off the lights. Someone will come in here and turn off all those lights. I don't want to be here. I don't want to be here, Justin. Please don't make me stay here with you. I want to go home. I want to leave. Please Justin let me leave."

Hearing her beg and plead with him made his arms tighten around her and he closed his eyes tightly in pain. "I want to make this up to you somehow. I want to help you trust me again. I NEED to make this up and clear things up between us because we…we…we just have to."

It started off as a giggle, but in a few seconds her giggling turned into a full-fledged laugh. "You NEED to, huh? Once again let's cater to the NEEDS of Justin Timberlake. Heaven forbid that his life should be disorganized or a little upset. Heaven forbid that he should not get what he wants and that I shouldn't provide it for him. However, who are you going to blame THIS TIME, Justin? When it doesn't work out, when things can't be fixed, who are you going to attack? Are you going to lash out at yourself? No…that would take you actually seeing that you're partly to blame. Oh I GET IT! I'll be your punching bag because hell…I always forgive you and cover your back when you need me to." She turned so quickly in his arms that he jerked in astonishment when he was suddenly eye to eye with her. "Not this time, Justin. I'll be dammed if I'm going to stand here while you lash me with that blind, hateful, egotistical tongue of yours. Go find another prostitute to take it because unfortunately…I don't c harge enough per hour to sell my sanity or my SOUL!"

His eyes searched her face and what he saw there made him want to crawl down onto his knees and beg her to stop looking at him that way. He felt such a sense of guilt and such a strong sense of disgust in himself that he couldn't even bring himself to swallow. The feelings and the pressure that had built inside of him were literally choking the breath out of him. "Say it all. This is your chance, Lauren."

Her eyes automatically gravitated to his lips and when she looked at them…all she could think of was Shai. She thought of the way his head tilted that night so the kiss could deepen between them and even though it was dark, she knew that he had responded with those lips. "I want to leave."

She pushed against him and his arms tightened around her back to hold her in place in front of him. When that pressure and contact was made, she pushed even more frantically and he used the weight of his body to crush her to the door and subside her struggles some. There were two different realities going on at that moment. Lauren was trying her best to get out of his arms and away from the of his body and his hands touching Shai and needing her in a way that she never thought he would, while Justin was trying to keep her from running away from him. He knew that if she escaped him now, that they would never have this opportunity again. They would never again come to this point and possibly get things out in the open. If he never knew or understood the depth to which he had hurt her…he could never fix it.

Lauren found that she couldn't kick him because his legs had pinned hers, but her arms were free so she started hitting his chest and against his shoulders in the hope that he would release his hold on her. Justin took a few seconds of the beating before grabbing both of her hands, yanking them high above her head, and pinning them against the door above her. They were both breathing heavily against each other and Lauren stood that for a few moments before opening her mouth and screaming as loud as her lungs and voice could handle.

It took every bit of strength he had to hold her there, but her scream did him in. He had no hands free to stop her, his words to calm her were deafened by the loudness and terrifying pitch of her scream, so he silenced her the only way he could at that moment.

His head dipped swiftly and he silenced her scream with his mouth.

Lauren continued to scream but it was muffled and softened by his lips on top of hers to the point where it sounded more like groans and whimpers rather than an actual scream. She bucked her hip against his and almost succeeded in pushing him away but he just pushed more of his weight forward until she was unable to move at all.

Justin felt the moment she gave up because her entire body went lax and her head fell forward as if she had passed out. His head came up and his lips pulled away from hers so he could look down at her. "I'm sorry but…"

Her breathing was deep and rapid while she trembled against him. "Let me go."

"Are you going to scream again?"

"I won't scream. Let me go."

When he was satisfied by her calm tone, he carefully released her and took several steps back away from her. He was about to say a few words of apology when she suddenly started wiping her mouth with both hands. All he could do was stand there and stare at her with rapidly falling spirit as she rubbed at her mouth with the back of her hands and with her fingertips to remove any trace of his kiss. It looked like she couldn't rub hard enough or quickly enough to 'get clean' or to wipe the remains of his touch from her body.

"Lauren?"

She paused with the back of one hand against her lips and looked at him. The hand slid across her lips one more time before running down her chin and coming to rest at her side.

"I didn't plan on kissing you but you screamed and I didn't know what else to do so…"

"Don't touch me again. Don't ever touch me again or kiss me with those lips…those lips that…just…THOSE lips."

He backed away from her with his hands held up in surrender and continued backing up until he could hop back up onto the counter again. "How did we get here?"

"What?"

This was probably one of the worst ways to get her to open up to him, to make her mad, but it was all he had left. If she was mad, she might destroy him with her words but at least he would understand the depth of her pain. If he knew where to begin then he would have some sense of a plan and some possible way of making everything up to her. It would take a while, forever in his mind, but time didn't matter. He was going to have her back in his life even if it meant chasing her in a wheelchair down the hallways of a retirement home when they were ninety years old. He wasn't going to cave in because that right there would show her that he didn't care enough to fight. Her words were going to hurt, but he knew he more than deserved it. He deserved a lot of things that he hadn't been getting.

"I said, how did we get here? What brought us to this point anyway? I mean, here we are locked up in a room together, we're ready to kill each other, and I'm kissing you when clearly you don't want to be kissed. Help me understand this because I'm lost here."

And there it was, he was completely blameless in anything, she thought. "Are you going to play dumb now?"

"I'm not playing dumb. I'm to blame and I know this, but what did I do?"

She ran a hand over her mouth one more time for good measure before pushing her hair back and sighing. "What did you do? WHAT DID YOU DO? My GOD do you realize how hard it is to like you? Do you realize how much I'm fighting not to let myself hate you? Are you really THIS stupid?"

He shrugged and looked away. "I know I said some hurtful things but I really didn't think you wouldn't take them this hard. You should have known I wasn't being serious."

Wasn't being serious? How serious would it be if her fingers were around his throat and she was choking the poppin' love out of his arrogant ass, she thought. "You're going to sit there in front of me and act like you have no clue why I'm so upset? Are you really going to do this, Justin? I should have KNOWN that everything you said earlier were just more lies."

He had to basically push the words from his throat and even then they only came out in a whisper. "I thought lies were all your style."

And that was basically the last straw for Lauren just like he knew it would be. She quietly stared at him for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and forgetting about the consequences her words might bring. If she was going to blow it and lose him…it was going to be done on her own terms and he was NOT going to leave that room without feeling like the lowest life-form ever to have walked the earth. That's how he had made her feel and it was time to return the favor.

"Sit back sweet thing because I have a little story to tell you." She crossed her arms over her chest and poked her hip out in disgust.

"Let's imagine a little girl who grows up in a relatively normal family. Her parents love her more than anything, she has a wonderful family in every sense of the word, and we're basically talking the American dream right here. Mommy and daddy have a wonderful marriage, they have great friends, and they even have successful careers to the point where they can provide for this little girl in every way she so desires. Now this little girl is supposed to be all lace and frills, but instead she has a BRAIN and she would rather do things her own way."

She started pacing across the room in front of him. "Instead of going with the flow and being everything they want or expect her to be, she goes the independent and always difficult route. There isn't a lot that comes easy to her because of this decision and this way of life, but she's happy. I mean, she is genuinely happy because through all of this…she has herself and the knowledge that she's making the right choices for HERSELF."

"She has always prided herself in the fact that she could be whoever or whatever she wanted to be. She always prided herself in that she could stand up for herself, stand up for the people she loves, and stand up for what she believes in. No matter how hard the opponent or the opposition…she could beat it if she fought hard enough." She looked up at him and her eyes narrowed. "Enter one best friend."

"Oh yes, see God decided that this little girl didn't need to go through life fighting ALL of her battles alone so he carefully placed one little boy who was perfect in every way. He sings perfectly, he dances perfectly, he smiles perfectly, he laughs perfectly, and dammit he even brushes his teeth perfectly I bet. This guy is raised by firm yet gentle hands that help him grasp his dreams in both of his hands and cherish them. Those guiding hands help him nurture and feed those dreams because that's what this little boy was destined to be…a dreamer."

"This little girl watches this, becomes a part of those dreams, and even comes to love the dreams of that little boy almost as much as she loves her own. From such a young age, that little boy has been so persistent and so adamant about the passion he has for making his dreams come true that she can't help but admire and love him for it. After all, he was always there for her and always managed to pull her out of any bind that she might get herself into. He was always there to support and love her in times when she needed his strength the most."

Justin looked away and she shook her head at the movement. "Her whole life, that little boy was not only a part of her heart…he was a creator of dreams. He made her see that she could do anything as long as they were together. He made her see that it didn't matter what people did or said around them because they would always have the strength of each other pushing them through the tough times. They WOULD succeed."

"She watched this boy change into a man while she watched his dreams become a reality. She gave him a shoulder to cry on, an ear to hear his excitement or pain, and she loved him more and more every day because of that trust he bestowed on her. There was never a time when she wasn't proud of him. Even through his stupidity or mistakes…she knew that he was worthy of her love and her belief in the fact that he could make any situation better."

Justin cleared his throat and Lauren's head turned to the side to see if he was really listening to her. "There wasn't a day that went by that she didn't say a prayer of thanks for bringing that boy, that friend, that kindred soul into her life and blessing her with the comfort that she always had someone to turn to who would understand her. No matter what happened or how scared or lost she might feel, there was always someone there who knew more about her than she knew about herself. A guy who she believed…loved her unconditionally because he understood. He understood how much he meant to that girl."

"Things changed for that girl when the boy turned into a man. He turned into the most amazing, talented, passionate, and WONDERFUL man that she had ever seen in her life. He took up her thoughts, he created thoughts, he inspired her to live for her own dreams, and to become a better person when all she really wanted to do was give up at times." She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves.

"She couldn't…she couldn't believe what she started feeling for him because things like that didn't happen to best friends. Things that felt THAT GOOD didn't happen for her because it was unexpected and she was no princess in a fairy tale. This was the kind of stuff that only happened to gorgeous or beautiful woman who probably never appreciated the power that they held over men like that. It wasn't supposed to happen!"

His voice was weak and strained. "What happened?"

"She allowed herself to fall into the only one TRUE pit of stupidity. She fell in love with the guy. It didn't matter that she didn't deserve to love him or that he didn't look at her in any way other than that little girl that he had always picked up after she had fallen. She…loved…him. All of the words and all of the memories hit her and made her realize that he was all she had EVER wanted. She was scared and she was afraid of letting anyone know this, but there was a very nosey journalist hanging around who could read people like a book, which is very annoying, and she made the girl realize that it wasn't wrong to love him. It wasn't wrong to fall in love with the guy who made her FEEL like that fairy tale princess."

Justin coughed again and he sniffled before looking over at her again.

Lauren stared into his eyes and smiled slightly. "Oh she felt like the happiest person on earth. When he walked into a room, when his eyes lit up, when that smile that only he could give was in front of her…she loved him just a little bit more because that was the essence of who he was. In those twinkling eyes, she could still see the little boy that was so much a part of her life for so long that he was in fact…a part of her. She held onto the hope that they weren't just playing a game together. She talked herself into believing that the kisses and the touches meant just as much to him as they did to her because neither one of them took those things lightly. They were too blessed in their lives to ever have to search for meaningless emotions or embraces. She believed in what she knew of him."

"But the feelings didn't last long, and she should have expected it because that was usually how her luck ran. Lies were thrown around, deceptions were planned, and that little boy disappeared from his eyes. In his eyes was now a man that she had never seen before and a man that…that scared her. He shut her out because of those lies, and when she tried to fight to save that little boy that was now lost from his eyes…the man pushed her aside. He pushed her aside like he had never known her or even cared to have known her."

"This man didn't believe in her, didn't believe in the gifts that she had always given him unconditionally, and he didn't care that she wanted to fight to save not only her life…but the life of that innocent boy that she loved so much. He took every bit of hope that she had and he cheapened it by throwing accusations at her and by hitting her where he knew it would hurt. When she wasn't hurting bad enough, he took painful memories that she had entrusted him with and he used THOSE against her."

"He…he took kisses and touches that had given her hope, and he acted like they had only been his way of getting a little action or satisfaction from indulging in a guilty pleasure. She wanted to believe so badly that he wasn't just playing along with a game that they had been playing to fool someone, but that he had been honest when he had said that she meant more to him than anyone else in his life. She wanted to believe that the sparkles in his eyes when he looked at her were really FOR her and not just FOR SHOW."

When Justin looked away again, she walked forward until she was directly in front of him. "He made her feel foolish, he made her feel cheap, he even called her cheap, and for the first time…she was scared of him. For the first time…she regretted the memories she had with him because that only gave him more ammunition to hit her with." She didn't know if she could say it, but it had to be said. "For the first time Justin, she wished that she had never met him because only then would the pain go away."

He moved to look away again but she reached up and tightened her fingers around his chin to force him to look at her. "Her whole life she had been searching for her dreams and she had found it. HE was her dream and he was the reason why no fairy tale could hold her interest or even grab her attention because…she had lived it. She didn't need tales of love or tales of fairy godmothers who came down and changed ugly ducklings into beautiful swans so they could live happily ever after. Her fairy tale had begun the day she first laid eyes on that boy who would one day be everything she had ever wanted, and everything she didn't even realize she wanted."

A tear ran down Justin's cheek and it stopped when it hit her thumb. Lauren stared at it while she continued. "Now she just feels stupid. Now she just feels like a childish idiot for having faith in someone or something that might possibly be perfect in her life. If he believed the lies of one manipulator, who says it won't happen again? Who says she'll ever forgive him for the way he cheapened everything she thought they stood for to begin with? Who says that she'll ever forget the angry tone and the angry eyes that had crushed her the night that he called her names that STILL echo inside of her head?"

She looked at the tears that now rolled freely down his cheeks and then her eyes moved to his lips. "And she wonders…she wonders if she'll ever be able to forget the dirtiness she felt when HER hero was being comforted in someone else's arms."

He watched her as she stared at his lips with a dull look in her eyes and that look forced him to speak. "That little boy never disappeared, Lauren. He went away for a little while, he hid because he was scared, but he never left you. He never left you and he never forgot how much you mean to him. The man that pushed him aside was angry and he was under the spell of forces that seemed to make sense at the time, but that little boy fought for you the whole time. He fought to see that you were all HE ever wanted too."

"He didn't fight hard enough."

He pushed her hands aside and cupped her cheeks with his own. "He's fighting NOW."

"She's not good enough to fight for. She's always been the one who fights but never the one anyone fights FOR. NEVER!"

"Look at me. Look right into my eyes and look at ME. I have so much to make up for but I'm trying. I'm trying so hard but I didn't know where to begin. I didn't know how to reach you or how to make this pain go away. I don't know how to tell you I'm sorry."

She stepped back away from his touch and her fingers came up to touch her mouth. "I'm tired of being told. The words mean nothing to me, Justin."

"Then I'll show you that I'm sorry. I'll SHOW YOU that I need you and that I can't go on with my life without you with me. You ARE my life, Lauren."

Even though she didn't understand why, she believed him. That didn't mean she had forgiven him, but her heart healed just a little bit more when she heard him say those words and saw the pain in his eyes. "I want to go home."

"You're in no condition to drive all the way back to Orlando tonight. Can I…"

Her head swung back and forth quickly as she backed up towards the door. "No…no I don't want to go anywhere with you right now."

He pushed off the counter and wiped the tears from his face. "If I call one of the guys to come pick you up, would you go with them? Miranda?"

"They would take me home?"

"We can get you a hotel room here for the night and you could leave tomorrow after you talk to Miranda. You really do have an interview with Miranda but it's not until tomorrow. There's no sense in you driving all the way home and then coming all the way back here tomorrow."

"I…I can drive myself."

He looked down at her trembling hands and shook his head. "No I won't let you do that. You might not want me anywhere near you, but I'm going to start proving things to you right now by not letting you get in that car and possibly kill yourself. You shouldn't be driving right now so either you get in my car, you let me drive your car, or we can have someone come and get you. Whichever way you choose…you're staying in Lakeland tonight."

It had been so long since she had heard his voice sound so firm and so full of concern that it actually made her feel warm all over. It made her feel stronger and it lifted her spirits whether he meant for it to or not. "I'll ride with one of the guys, but you have to let me out of this room. Let me out of this room, Justin."

He gave her back her phone and battery pack before handing her the key to the door and grabbing his own cell phone. He dialed Lance's number as he watched Lauren slowly walk out of the room. He followed behind her and leaned against the doorframe as she walked up to the stage and ran her hands over it in quiet wonderment.

After Lance agreed to come pick Lauren up, with no questions asked, Justin took one last look at Lauren before closing his tired and still watery eyes. He had a lot to make up for, he had even more to think about, and both of those things put together still wouldn't equal up to what he had already lost. This was going to be the biggest battle that he had forged in his entire life, but he knew without a doubt…she was worth it.