Chapter Thirty-Nine

(The next day.)

The soft glow of early morning sunlight beat against the thick curtains that protected the still deeply sleeping occupants inside the small hotel room. The only sounds that could be heard were that of birds as they awoke to begin the day, the dull roar of morning rush hour traffic, and the deep but steady breathing of two people who were still unconscious and unaware of the world around them.

Soft light hinted to the position of both dreamers but it wasn't strong enough to interrupt their slumber. The day had begun several hours before but the natural wakeup call of sunlight and time was ignored by the two who were completely content and blissful right where they were.

The alarm clock that had been beside the bed was now lying in a heap across the room where it was no longer sounding. The phone had been taken off the hook shortly after a necessary alert had been made, and still there was no movement from either Justin or Lauren other than to snuggle deeper under the covers or to sigh restfully.

It was quiet, it was peaceful, it was heaven for the two who had had very little sleep the night before, but it was also about to end.

A loud banging sounded at the door followed by Mike's yell. "Justin? Open the door, Justin. JUSTIN?"

It was quiet again for a few moments and neither bed showed any signs of acknowledgement or movement.

The beating started again and it was much louder this time. "JUSTIN, get your ass out here NOW! Do you realize what time it is? I swear that I need one of those baby monitors or one of those damn collars to put around his neck. He's probably not even in there. JUSTIN!"

It took the door rattling and thunderous banging on the door to finally break through Lauren's coma-like state. Her eyes squeezed even tighter together and she snuggled underneath the covers to ward off the chill of the room. "Five more minutes."

Mike's voice was muffled by the thick wooden door. "What kind of hotel doesn't have security pass keys? Oh I KNOW he's not still in bed! Come on sleeping beauty, it's time to wake up and face the first day of hell. Who cares about rehearsals…" His voice lowered to a mumble. "He's about to get his own hell right here when I get my hands on him. JUSTIN! You're LATE!"

Lauren reached over to check the alarm clock but all her hand found was the empty smooth surface of the table. "What the…"

With great confusion numbing her brain, she sat up in bed and rubbed the sleep from her eyes as her ears finally tuned in and grasped onto the sound of Mike's beating at the door. It was rare for Justin to be late, but it wasn't rare at all for him not to want to wake up. After last night, after staying up late watching a movie on TV and talking for most of the night about absolutely nothing, they were both going to be walking zombies and it was going to be a long day. At least she didn't have to dance and rehearse all day like he did, but that was beside the point.

She didn't have a watch on so she had no idea what time it was but from the way that Mike was yelling, Justin was about to get into some serious trouble. With squinted eyes, she looked over at his bed and saw the faint shape of his shoulder, his lean hip, and on down the length of his long legs. He was laying on his side with his back facing her and from the slow rise and fall of his chest she could see that he was still very much asleep.

"Uh Justin? You might want to wake up before Mike goes super cop on us. What time is it anyway?"

He didn't move nor did his breathing pattern change even a little.

Lauren pushed the covers back, stood up and stretched with a deep yawn, and walked over to hop onto the bed beside him. She yawned again and shook his shoulder but there were still no signs of consciousness. "Justin, what time is it? Where is the clock anyway? WHY am I asking so many questions this early in the morning?"

She looked over at the window and could see that the sun was shining pretty bright against the curtain and that worried her because she knew that he was supposed to be up and out of there at a pretty early hour.

After shaking his shoulder, she leaned over to see that his eyes were still closed. "Let me see your watch. Oh would you wake up? I know you don't sleep THIS hard."

Both of his hands were underneath his cheek and Lauren shook him a few more times before reaching over to try to see if she could see his watch. It was a precarious position at best so when he suddenly rolled over on his stomach, Lauren rolled with him and landed face down, stretched across his waist.

"This is NOT funny. Do you hear Mike beating at the door? WAKE…UP!"

He groaned and rolled again after she straightened herself. He moved so quickly and so unexpectedly that Lauren was wide eyed and afraid to move when they came to a stop and she was tucked tightly against his chest with his arms around her and his lips rested against the top of her head.

Mike's knocking was more frantic and she stared into the darkened column of his throat for a few seconds before pushing against him. He did nothing more than rock back a little bit before finally rolling with her again and ending up with Lauren on her back and his head on her chest.

He was half on top of her and half off, but it was a surprise to feel the weight of his relaxed body on top of her. He was a lot heavier than she ever thought he would be and while he was cutting off a lot of her oxygen supply…it also felt really good to have him laying on her this way. His arm was slung carelessly around her waist and she rolled her eyes when she heard his deep and even breathing.

"I'm not believing for a SECOND that you're still asleep. Let me up!"

The curls on top of his head tickled her nose and she reached up to push them aside but they only fell back against her again. After a few more tickles, she covered her mouth and sneezed loudly. Justin didn't flinch or even jump at the noise. His arm did tightened around her waist and she felt the weight of him relaxing against her again.

"I'm having problems breathing with my right lung. What have you been eating lately? Justin…Justin get off!"

She tried to push his shoulder where he would roll off of her, but every time she did that he only rolled back and ended up on top of her even MORE. This game wasn't fun or even funny anymore because she couldn't breathe, she was beginning to enjoy having him on top of her this way, and his hair was tickling her nose again. She made a silent vow not to cover her mouth if she sneezed again. If he wanted to be cute, that was fine, but how cute would it be to have her snot in his hair…even if the clean smell was driving her absolutely insane and her fingers itched to run through it.

Her arms fell lax on either side of her and she sighed quietly when she thought about how positive she was that he had been smiling on that last attempt to push him away. The soft sigh caused his head to come flying upwards like she had let off a siren in his ear and the top of his head caught her underneath the chin with a crack.

Lauren saw stars flying around her. More specifically she saw stars and curls swirling around in front of her eyes while Justin groaned against her and rubbed the top of his head. "Oh my God, I think you broke my chin. Tiny stars, tiny pop stars with thrusting hips are floating all around me. Get off me and you're SO awake."

He stretched against her and took a deep breath before speaking in a husky and sleep laced voice. "I am now. Thrusting hips, huh?"

"Yeah, that Nick Carter…ooh baby! By the way, you're late and Mike is wigging out at the door."

His head relaxed against her again and he made no attempt to move. "Mike always freaks out and I'm still always on time."

She turned to look at the door when she thought that it was about to bust off the hinges. "Freakish is not quite the word I would use right now. He's out for blood."

"Lauren, you know I don't mind you coming to my bed ANY TIME you want to, but why were you on top of me?"

She tried to scoot out of his arms but with the weight of his body still against her and his arms tightly holding her in place, that wasn't possible. "So you were awake, you rat BASTARD. I wasn't trying to molest you in your sleep, I was trying to check your watch. You know, the only thing in the room right now that can tell us the time since some MORON threw the alarm clock across the room. What time are you supposed to be over at rehearsals?"

Justin rolled off of her and lay on his back to quietly rub his eyes. "Not a morning person, Val? They start at eight."

After grabbing his arm and jerking it towards her to see his watch, she felt her heart pounding in her chest. "Well Einstein, it is now…eight thirty."

He sat up straight in the bed and looked at his watch like he couldn't believe that the time was true. "Holy…you've got to be…DAMMIT!"

Lauren watched as he sprung up off of the bed and turned around in circles trying to figure out what he should do. "The first thing I would do, is get dressed. With a quickness, Justin."

"Right…dressed…they're going to KILL ME! Where is my bag? Where are my clothes? Where are my shoes? WHERE, WHERE, WHERE?"

She jumped up and ran over to where his bag was laying. "You go take a quick shower and I'll grab your clothes. MOVE!"

"No time for a shower, but good lord would you look at my hair? I need…I need to shave and…and…"

Lauren leaned over and pushed his shoulder towards the bathroom. "Stop talking and GO!"

After he ran into the bathroom, Lauren quickly jogged to the door and opened it. Mike was breathing heavily and he looked about ready to kill someone. A certain someone who totally deserved it at this point. "Mike, I know you've been beating at the door and I've been trying to wake him up but you know how he gets when he's being stupid and…"

All the words came out in a rush and Mike slowly held up a hand to stop her. His voice was deathly calm, too calm. "I…want…his…scrawny…irritating…pigheaded…insensitive…hip lockin'…ASS…standing…here…in…five…minutes. If he's not here Lauren, and remember this well…he won't be able to stand period."

"Five minutes, got it." She slammed the door in his face and ran over to the bed when she heard Justin yell her name. After digging through his bag she came up with a pair of pants and a T-shirt that would be comfortable for him to dance in all day.

"Clothes…I need CLOTHES!"

She pushed open the door and froze in place when she saw him standing at the mirror, electric razor frantically sliding over his skin, and completely undressed except for the pair of dark blue boxer-briefs that were protecting his modesty to some degree. To Lauren, it made her mind fly with possibilities and her creative side start to fly with ideas.

"Uh…um…how's…how's this?"

He turned to look at her briefly before nodding his head. "It's fine. Find my Nike's with the blue trim and grab a pair of socks. I can't believe I'm this late. I'm BEYOND late, I'm not THERE!"

It took all the strength she had not to just stand there and stare at him like a fool. With every ounce of restraint she had, she turned away from him and ran back to his bag to grab the shoes and socks he had requested. He was already coming out of the bathroom when she turned around and he pulled on his shirt quickly as he sat down on the bed and reached for the socks she had thrown there.

"Do you have any idea what they're going to say? Do you have any idea what they're going to do to me for this? Johnny is going to give me one of those lectures and he's going to probably…"

She grabbed the foot that he had just covered with a sock and worked to put his shoe on. It wasn't an easy task because he was rambling and going on and on about being late, but finally she managed to get it over his heel and then tied it as he pulled on the other sock. "Justin, it's just the first day and everyone makes mistakes. Ok so you made several here but it's not like people are ever on time around here."

As she pushed on his other shoe, Justin looked up at the mirror and groaned. "My head looks like a mushroom on crack. What…what…"

She released his foot and stood up quickly. "It's called a bandana, Justin. Tie that other shoe and I'll grab one out of your bag."

His fingers were clumsy in his haste and she had never moved so fast before. After climbing back on the bed behind him, she pulled his hair back, ignored the baby-soft and enchanting texture of it, and tied it back around his head. It was a chore and a half considering the fact that he was moving back and forth trying to get his shoes tied up right, but finally everything was done and he stood up to take one last look in the mirror and search around for an extra shirt for later.

When everything was ready, he stopped in front of her. She straightened out his shirt, pulled up his pants, adjusted the bandana so it was straight, and put a Nutragrain bar between his teeth as he shrugged on his backpack. "I'll meet you over there in an hour."

He nodded quickly and grabbed the bar out of his mouth. "This will sound really, REALLY stupid, but oh well. Sometimes, when we work together like this, it feels kind of like…like a marriage. That's uh…that's a good thing. At least, it feels good."

Her hands froze on the straps of his backpack as she straightened them, and her eyes gradually raised to his. "A…a marriage?"

His head lowered where he could kiss her quickly on the lips, and he winked playfully before walking to the door. "They always do that in the commercials. See you in an hour. Time to go to work, honey."

She was so stunned by the comment, the kiss, and the devilish gleam in his eyes that she didn't even notice that Mike literally dragged him out of the door when it opened and slung him over his shoulder, much to Justin's objection. "I'm warning you, Justin. Not one word and you better not even THINK of kicking me."

When the door clicked shut, Lauren's feet slid across the carpet as she slowly made her way to the mirror. She didn't have to look to know that there was a blush on her face and a glow there that she didn't understand or want to have yet. "What am I thinking? What am I DOING? What in the HELL am I doing?"

He shouldn't have the power to get under her skin this way or make her heart skip several beats just at the sight of his smile. Yeah he had kissed her, in the shower of all places, and they had been pretty civil to one another as they watched TV, but there was too much she still hung onto. There was still so much pain and heartache that was floating around inside of her to forgive him this easily.

Forgiveness had always been easy for her, especially with Justin, but this was way different than anything she had ever dealt with before. It was one thing to forgive him for hurting her, but for dealing blow after blow and tearing her down when she needed his strength the most…that was beyond her abilities to love him unconditionally.

It had felt good to be a team again, even if it was for only five minutes.

Just now, they had worked together and had basically read each other's minds without giving it any thought, and it felt so good to be back in that groove with him again. In its own way, it helped heal a part of her that had been sorely in need of some comfort. After everything that had gone down, she didn't know if they would ever be friends again. She didn't know if they would ever have moments like the ones they just had, to be able to joke about things and even flirt a little in the process, and do all of it with such ease that it wasn't even realized until after it had already happened.

She thought about those feelings, the kiss the night before, the light in his eyes that she had missed so much, that devilish grin of his, and of course…the sight of him standing there in his underwear trying to finish shaving. Looking so innocent and yet completely aware of what he was doing. He knew exactly what he had been doing.

With a groan of pleasure, she flopped back on the bed and hugged a pillow to her chest. "I'm starting to sound like a teeny. But DAMN he's just so…so…CUTE! Those eyes, that smile, that attitude, and that LOOK!"

Being in his arms had felt right and that was so unlike the feeling of insecurity and displacement she had felt in those same arms for the last few weeks. Maybe it was because she wanted to forgive him, maybe it was because he had become the guy she had always known, maybe it was because she was slowly but surely becoming the girl she once knew, or maybe…just maybe…her love for him was growing stronger even when she wasn't sure about it at all.

Trust was what they had always shared, and when it was shattered she didn't know if it could ever be rebuilt. At this point, she still didn't know if it could be strengthened and polished to resemble what they had before. At the same time her heart pleaded with her to see that their bond and their friendship could become even stronger because of past mistakes.

He hadn't trusted her, he hadn't believed in her when she had needed his faith the most, but she knew that every time his eyes fell on her…he remembered. He remembered and he faced those mistakes and sins over and over again. That right there was a worse punishment than anything she could ever think of. In fact, she didn't want to punish him. Punishing him would only drag out those bitter feelings of hurt and frustration, but she wanted him to understand that his actions had hurt her deeply. She wanted him to understand that taking her for granted and what they shared for granted…was the only true way for him to show how much he really DIDN'T care.

There was no way she could deny her attraction for him. The way her fingers yearned to touch him, the way her eyes felt restful when they caught sight of him, the way his smile caused her heart to skip a beat, the way the sound of his laughter could brighten her entire day, and the way he made her feel like every single bit of his attention, every pore in his body, and every fiber of his being was completely focused on her.

It was hard to explain, even to herself, but it wasn't a need thing or even a clinging thing. It was the small things like the way he leaned towards her when he felt unsure, the way he squeezed her hand when he knew she was feeling insecure, the arch of his eyebrows when he wanted her to smile, and the way the mere sound of his voice made her feel like she was finally at home. Those were the things that she had missed, those were the things that she needed more than anything, and those were the things that had made her fall in love with him to begin with.

The angry glares had been done, the hurtful words had been said, and there was no way to take them out of her memories. What there was, was a way to soften their impacts and to prove to each other that nothing like that could ever come between them again. At one point, she believed it was impossible to have him back, impossible to look at him and see the friend and uniquely special man that he had become. Oh but now, now she saw traces of the rainbows she once loved in his eyes, and he was directing them her way. He was looking at her with such uncertainty in his eyes that she couldn't help but want to reach out to him. He was looking at her, finally, like he couldn't get enough of the sight of her.

He had told Shai off and the disgust on his face and in his voice told the entire story. It said what no words could ever say. He had done his part, he had listened to his heart, and he had taken the first step on the road to recovery and rediscovery…

Now it was up to her and her heart.

Miranda plugged her ear against the music and stared down at the hundreds of pictures laid out on the table in front of her as she tried her best to ignore the person screaming on her cell phone. For the last forty-eight hours, the trend had been for every major magazine and newspaper to freak out over Justin's revelation about Lauren, and it had also been the trend for them to call her. It didn't matter that she had a job to do, or that she was busy looking through thousands of photographs for the biography. All that mattered to them was getting the scoop and it angered her to know that Tom had suddenly disappeared and had left her with all of this.

The guys were busy rehearsing on the stage in front of her and it wasn't easy to do her job, take these calls that should be going Tom's way, and also being a supporter. "Yes I understand that you have given the guys a lot of coverage and support in the Orlando Sentinel but…"

The man rambled on and on about priorities and she rolled her eyes at JC before turning her back and leaning on the table. "No, my supervisor is not around at the moment, thank GOD. He will give you the same answer I'm giving you only a little lower in IQ and higher in the bastard region. Uh huh…I know you normally deal with Tom who has all the answers but Jive doesn't pay me to be a know it all. They don't pay me to be an arrogant ass. Heck, they don't even pay me to stand here and explain things to you FIFTY TIMES before you get it!"

She knew she was burning a few bridges, but this was the point that she had been working towards for such a long time, and with the writing over and the biography itself complete, she thought her stress level would slack off a tad. Not only did she have interviews and more features she had to write for the webpage and for periodicals, she was now doing Tom's job of covering Justin's ass.

What she really wanted to be doing was picking photographs for the individual pages, sitting back with a cool Pepsi, watching the rehearsals, and just spend time being at awe of what was going on in front of her. "I know Justin is being very confusing because his story changes every five minutes. He's friends, he's not friends, he's friends, he's not friends, and now he cares about her. Oh I know…I feel like I need a cast of characters around this hellhole. He's…yes I would love to strangle him myself, but alas his mother might have a problem with that."

Her arm flew out and she caught a hold of Lauren's arm as she tried to sneak past. Lauren groaned and rolled her eyes before sitting down in a chair beside her. "Miranda, you really need a vacation."

She pulled the phone away from her ear and whispered. "I need Hawaii, a hot spring, and…" Lauren's eyebrow raised and Miranda shook her head. "Nevermind. You're too young to understand."

"Why do I get the feeling that you were about to go hella kinky on me just then?"

"You know me too well. What? Yes sir I'm still here. Lauren?" She looked over at Lauren and gave her an evil grin. "Is Lauren around to make a statement for your paper?"

Lauren sat up and waved her hands frantically while she shook her head. "No…Miranda no. Have a heart and just say no."

"Do you mean, Lauren OWSLEY? O…W…S…L…E…Y? Yes that's the correct spelling of her last name. The girl Justin admits to feeling strongly for? The girl who is an even bigger pain in the butt than he is? Hmmm…I'm looking right now. Hmmm."

Lauren's eyes scanned the table and she picked up a picture of Tom and another picture that was just of Miranda. A sly grin crept across her face as she held them both up for Miranda to see, and then smashed them together suggestively as she imitated her voice. "Oh Tom…oh yes…who needs JC when I can have you under my desk, on top of my laptop, and I can use and abuse you in your cavern-o-love office in ways that even Shai the slut can't even imagine? JC? Why would I ever want a hunk like him when I can have…POWER and the juicy goodness only you can give."

Miranda's eyes widened. "This really scares me. You're molesting pictures."

Lauren's movements with the picture became even more suggestive and her evil grin grew wider. "Hurt me baby."

Miranda took a deep breath and had to turn away. "That is just obscene and wrong in SO many ways."

Lauren stuck her tongue out and Miranda rushed to focus back on the man yelling in her ear but her stomach continued to roll at what Lauren had just suggested. "Oh no sir, not you. How about I give Mr. Williams your number and tell him that you're looking for him? Sound good? Oh yes I know who you are. Bye-bye."

"Under a little bit of stress, Miranda?"

She pulled her phone away after clicking it off and gave Lauren a dirty look. "Oh no, I'm not stressed. Stress doesn't even BEGIN to explain what I am right now. I thought that once I finished writing the biography that it would all be downhill from there. Heck, I could relax some, enjoy being JC's girlfriend, enjoy the show a little bit, and basically look through pictures while going down memory lane in the process. Am I doing that? Am I doing that, Lauren?"

Lauren couldn't remember a time when Miranda was so flustered, and since she was normally a person who thrived on pressure, it was a scary thing to see her this worked up. "Anything I can do to help?"

"You can slap Justin upside the head and do it to yourself while you're at it. Make…a…statement. Better yet, talk to all the fans and make them not be so obsessive. My life would be so much better if Justin, YES JUSTIN I'M TALKING ABOUT YOU…" Justin paused on the stage and shrugged when everyone turned to look at him. "If Justin would figure out what is going on inside that Brillo Pad head of his and STOP being so damn…so damn…much like a MAN!"

Lauren had to turn away so Miranda wouldn't see her smile, and it was probably the smartest thing she had ever done because Miranda in a snit was quite a frightening sight. The woman, God love her, was about to tell someone off and she wasn't about to be her target of choice.

Miranda's cell phone rang again and she stomped her foot with a groan. "Let me guess, New York Times? I don't even KNOW Justin Timberlake." All that met her ears was the sound of someone giggling.

Lauren picked up a few pictures and looked them over as Miranda slammed her phone down on the table. "There are a lot of great pictures here. Do you want me to help you pick some out for the sections? I would be more than happy to do that."

"Don't tease me that way. What I would really like out of you is something I can tell the fans and the newspapers and magazines to shut them up. Tom, oh Lord don't get me started on him, has decided to vanish. While normally I would be throwing a party at this news, I am going to strangle every manipulative breath from his body. Oh wait a minute, that involves actually touching him and dirtying my hands isn't what I want to do. Cleanse my body, JC. Cleanse my body."

Her phone rang again and this time someone sang in a soft whisper. "Baby baby we can do all that we want. We're gettin' nasty nasty, we're gettin' freaky deaky uh uh."

She rolled her eyes and pulled the phone away. "Just what I need, obscene phone calls at a time like this. Can the day get ANY worse?"

Lauren cautiously put her arm around Miranda's slim shoulders and squeezed lightly. She was more than ready to slide away if the woman made any sudden "kill" movements. "Miranda, why don't you just turn off your phone and…"

It rang again and she closed her eyes for a second before answering it. "What now?"

"Baby baby we do more than just talk. Cuz I can hear ya hear ya, and I can see ya see ya. Uh uh."

She ran a hand through her hair and growled. "Let me just say that as much as I adore JC for writing that song, as much as I wonder what his inspiration was, STOP CALLING ME!"

Lauren jumped back and laughed when Miranda started pacing around the table. "I think my mom has a few open appointments next week if you'd like some professional help. Ok…maybe not."

"Those five guys…those FIVE GUYS are the reason why Valium was created. Oh yes, they are the reason."

When her cell phone rang again, Lauren looked over at the stage and giggled quietly when she saw Chris standing to the side of the stage with a cell phone up to his ear. "Oh she's going to blow. She's SO going to blow."

Miranda followed the direction of Lauren's eyes and saw Chris for the first time. "CHRIS! Three words for you, BIOGRAPHY and PICTURE SELECTION! Do I even NEED to remind you of what pictures your mom sent me? Oh look, here's one of you and you seem mighty happy in those pants. Wink, wink."

The phone line went dead and Lauren fought to catch her breath when Chris dove back onto the stage and tried his best to catch up to where they were in the song. "You're terrible."

"He started it." Her phone rang again and she screamed in response. "WHAT? Oh…no Tom I don't normally answer the phone that way."

She gave Chris another evil look and he smiled brightly before looking away. "Yes…yes I'm aware that journalists call all the time. Did I know it was you? No I didn't. Ok, fine I'll start this conversation over again." She lowered the phone to her leg for a second before raising it back up. "Hello? Oh hi, Tom. What in the HELL do you want? How's that? Did I earn brownie points for that one? Stress? Oh no stress here. I'm just trying to do my job AND YOURS and I have psychotic pop stars phone sexing me. Things are pretty typical around here for the most part."

Lauren blushed when Justin winked at her and gave a small wave, but her attention was brought back to Miranda when she heard her name. "Is Lauren around? Yes she's still here. Yes I'm positive. Why are you asking anyway? It's no big secret that she's here and…fine. YES I'll tell her."

"What did he want?"

"Should I quote? He wants your ass out of Lakeland right now. I really don't understand why women aren't just flocking to him. I really don't."

Now it was Lauren's turn to feel overwhelmed and confused. "Wait a minute, why does he want me to leave? Wasn't this his big plan and…?"

She shrugged and held a hand up when Chris yelled her name. "You're not trying to rationalize Tom's decisions are you? I've worked for the man for months and I don't think that even HE knows what he does. He wants you away from Justin until he can come up with something to tell the fans."

"Are you saying that TOM doesn't have a lie ready or a plan? Oh poor baby."

"As much as you love torturing Tom and as much as I would love to chain him to an ant pile with honey covering him…mmm honey…uh, when his life is hell on earth so is mine. Fans are going ape-shit wild because Justin had the nerve to go public with actually caring about someone and then there are the people who wonder why he didn't openly admit it months ago."

"We weren't anything more than friends a few months ago."

Miranda chuckled. "I know this, but they don't. If my fiction site is any indication of what is going on out there in N SYNC land…fans are running scared. I'm getting email after email from people who are scared and are wanting to know if I have heard anything or if I know anyone who knows. Thank GOD nobody knows that the fiction writer is really me. Can you just imagine what they would do and…"

Lauren pulled her down in a chair and sat down with her. "Stay focused, Miranda."

"I'm focused. I'm focused on killing a certain phenomenon if he doesn't get his STORY STRAIGHT!" All the guys looked over at Justin and then gave her a pathetic look. "Don't give me that innocent look. You guys just…just…ok just go where the sun doesn't shine. How's that?"

They all ooh-ed and ahh-ed at her comment and Joey smiled knowingly. "PMS. Pissed-off Miranda Syndrome."

Lauren grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. "Would you just take a few deep breaths and calm down? I know that you're on a sassy kick here lately and that you're under a lot of stress, but this isn't like you at all. Calm vibes Miranda."

She took several deep breaths and sighed. "I'm much better. Thank you, Lauren. It's just that the tour is beginning, I'm at the point in the biography that I've been looking forward to forever, and it scares me that Tom isn't around. I'm scared because I wonder what he's up to and I wonder what he's going to do to you and Justin next."

"Justin and I are going to be fine. We have a lot we need to deal with and get through, but we're going to do it together. What more can Tom possibly do? He has to be getting scared because he wants me away from Justin and he's running away from his responsibilities. HE'S the one running scared. Can't you just feel the tense vibes he's giving off here lately? It's slowly beginning to dawn on him that his plan to destroy us, to ruin our friendship, and to ruin each other…didn't work."

Miranda leaned back in her chair and chewed on her pen. "It didn't?"

She didn't know what Miranda was up to, but she looked really suspicious. "No…no it didn't work. I mean, yeah we have a lot to work out but at least we're speaking to each other now. Last night we watched a movie together, we talked like old times, and it felt so good just to lay there and listen to him TALK. Sappy I know but…I don't know."

"What about everything he said and did?"

"He's trying really hard to make up for it and part of me is still not letting him inside to help with the healing process, but the rest of me acknowledges the fact that I can't turn my back on him. I can't put him through that."

Miranda nodded slowly and pulled the pen away. "If you refuse to forgive him, you're really no better than he was. This all started because of insecurities and because two people took for granted the relationship that they cherished the most. Forgiveness was forgotten, ok it was thrown completely out the window, but you know how that feels. You know how it feels to claw and scrape to be heard and you also know that it was wrong of him to do. However, you can't lower yourself to that level, can you?"

"I should hate him, Miranda. I should have given up and told him to go screw himself, and then made a life for myself with no thoughts of him whatsoever. That's what I should have done, but I just can't." Her head lowered and she spoke softly but with certainty. "I might be considered a weak woman, I might even be considered a needy one, but he's a necessity in my life. He is my oxygen, Miranda."

"You're so young to be so certain, but I know without a doubt that you were both created for one another. It was a companionship, lots of laughs, lots of memories, lots of feelings, but the unique and strange thing about it is that the relationship you two share has matured and has grown just like your bodies have. Childhood is hard, puberty is a bitch, starting your life is a pressure that kills and maims many beautiful friendships, but you two overcame the odds. For nineteen years you both have overcome the odds to be together and to hold onto the new feelings or characteristics that you both love in each other the most. You'll overcome again, you'll overcome and nothing else will matter because the next change in your life and in your friendship…is love. Nobody, not time, not pressures, not fears, and not even Tom will be able to tear that apart."

"You think so?"

Miranda stood up again and stretched. "I know so. You're both two of the most pigheaded and stubborn people I've ever been around in my life. Concrete rafters have less determination to stay standing than you two have."

Lauren looked down at the table and picked up a picture of her and Justin. Lynn must have sent it to Miranda because it was a picture of her and Justin at a county fair when they were both nine years old. Justin had leaned down, scooped her up in his arms even though she had tried to push him away, and was kissing her cheek as she laughed at the camera.

She studied it even closer and smiled warmly when she looked at her own image and saw the happiness there. Her eyes were closed, her arms were around his neck even though she pretended to push him away, laughter softened her features, and she was so innocent and open to whatever he was willing to throw her way. They had always played off of one another without worry of offending the other and that was the ultimate freedom in any friendship…the freedom of being yourself with no judgements or fear.

This love stuff was hard and it was weakening, but that little girl in the picture, who undoubtedly slapped him or threw him on the ground after his mom had turned her back, was still somewhere inside of her. That little girl had grown to love the man and she never would have let something like pain or fear hold her back from going after what she wanted the most. Just like that little boy never would have felt the blinding and driving fear he had, that had caused him to lash out and to hurt the one person he cared about the most. She knew the feelings were inside of him, she knew that he was scared of them and analyzing them, but for two people who acted on instinct and not thought…it was time for them to step up to the plate and see what they could contribute to this ballgame of life.

"Lauren, I think you're right about Tom. I think he sees that you two are no longer as easy to control as he had thought, and it scares him. He wanted to pull things apart, but I don't think he ever dreamed that it was fixable. Not only is it being fixed, it's being strengthened."

Lauren turned to look over her shoulder and smile. "You're right."

"Are you going back to Orlando?"

She put the picture down and nodded. "Yeah I am."

"Wait a minute. Wait one damn minute! He calls and tells you to leave the guys but he has no right to force you and I thought…"

"I'm going to leave Lakeland…" An evil grin spread across her face. "But I'll be back this afternoon. I don't have any clothes here because I wasn't planning on staying, so I'll pack up a few things and come back. I would be back even if I didn't have any reason to be here because Tom is NEVER going to tell me what to do. He's never going to push his way into my life and toy with it the way he did before. It's my turn, and I'm all about evening up the score a little here."

Miranda watched her walk towards the stage and she picked up the picture that Lauren had been looking at. "They are so unbelievably precious together…but he's still SUCH a prick. Lauren girl, you go catch that man of yours and hang on tight. Tight enough to the point of choking the life out of him."

Lauren stopped a few feet in front of the stage and slid her hands into her pockets as they finished the last verse of No Strings Attached. She knew Justin was watching her and she looked up at the stage and around at the back of it to avoid his eyes. It was exciting to some degree to know that he was so completely aware of her presence, but at the same time she refused to become a girl who played hard to get. That wouldn't accomplish anything here and she didn't have the strength to resist him for too long anyway.

Wade stepped closer to the stage and raised his voice angrily. "Justin, you're going to run into Chris if you don't watch what you're doing. That didn't look good. Not good at all. Back up the track and let's do it again from the beginning."

Lance groaned and mumbled quietly. "Hour and a half show and we can't even get through the first five minutes."

"What was that?"

Lauren stepped up and smiled. "Do you mind if I ask a quick question before they start up again?"

Wade actually had the gall to roll his eyes. "Why not? It's not like they're rehearsing anything important here."

Her head tilted and an eyebrow raised in surprise when his sarcasm hit her. "You might want to rehearse the 'I am not God just because I'm seventeen years old and I'm choreographing a tour that could help me in more ways than I'm helping them' speech. Or how about the one that I personally love, 'I need to get over myself and watch how I use my tongue because one psychotic teenage girl is about to bitchslap me when all she wanted to do was ask a simple question.' Which one is your favorite? I really like both of them, but option two is getting me a little excited here."

The crazed look in her eyes caused him to smile and step back. "The stage is yours, my pet."

She smiled brightly at him. "I know you're scared of me. Anyway, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm driving home in a few minutes and is there anything in Orlando that you want me to bring back for you?"

JC thought for a second before answering. "I don't really need anything. I think I brought everything I need."

"Chris?"

"I want chocolate."

She pulled out a notepad and wrote quickly. "Grocery list…no chocolate for Chris. Got it. Joey?"

"What about some strawberries? Are they in season?"

She shook her head and sighed. "I don't even want to know what you have planned because I know for a fact that you're allergic to the things. Lance?"

"Um…I can't think of anything right now."

Her pencil moved quickly to put a few items that she suddenly remembered. "Justin? Do you need me to bring anything back from Orlando for you?"

"Just…you."

Her head slowly raised from the paper in front of her and she could feel the blush burning her cheeks as the guys all laughed and Justin continued to grin at her. "Very cute."

"I'm being completely serious here, Val. Bring yourself back and I have everything I need."

She cleared her throat and tucked the pencil behind her ear. "I'll be back later this afternoon. Wade, don't hurt them too much while I'm gone."

He moved out of the way as she walked past and gave Justin a funny look. "You've got guts, man. Either that or a lot of stupidity."

Justin smiled even brighter and his eyes never left her retreating figure. "What I've got…is a lot of certainty when it comes to that woman right there. Oh yes I do."