Epilogue

(A few days later. Orlando, Florida. Jive Studios)

Lauren winced and made a whining sound as her hair was pulled back once again. "Miiiirrraaaannnndddaaaaa."

Miranda rolled her eyes and pulled tighter. "Would you stop whining and let me finish this? You were the one who came to me for help and I'm trying my best."

"I didn't know that you were going to strive to be Suzy on my head. Do you know what you're doing?"

"Besides listening to you bitch and moan? Not really."

Lauren raised her mirror and tried to get a good look at what progress she had made so far. "Not bad at all."

"Flattery will get you nowhere. Would you mind telling me why you want to look like Shirley Temple? These curls are a bit much." Her fingers wrapped another section of Lauren's hair around the hot curling iron.

"I can't tell you, but I will say that I'm going to succeed in my mission." She looked back down to the book in her hands and tried her best to concentrate on that instead of the pain.

"How is it so far? Passable? Extraordinary? Brilliant?"

Lauren chuckled and shook her head even though it caused her hair to be pulled tighter. "This biography is probably the best things I've ever seen written about the guys. You did a great job, Miranda. All of the stress, all of the tears, all of the hours, and it all finally came together to make this. The fans are going to build websites and worship the ground you walk on after they see these sections."

Miranda leaned over and turned the pages until she reached what she was looking for. "What do you think of that picture?"

She tilted it and looked from different angles. "Where did this picture of JC come from? I don't remember seeing it in the stack and…oh my. He certainly does have a look of…of…"

"Intense pleasure?"

"A look of intense pleasure on his face. Do I even WANT to know where this picture came from or who took it?"

Miranda put the curling iron down and picked up the book. Her eyes scanned over the image and a twinkle entered her eyes as she sighed. "Just give me ten minutes in a locked room, and the freedom to let my creative mind fly free with that guy. I tell you what, he can look at me like that ANY day."

Lauren coughed into her hand. "I would think you'd be used to that look by now…and then some. Then again, the angle that you usually view it at is probably more of an upwards one, or should I go kinky and hope that you've seen it from over your shoulder as well."

Miranda tapped Lauren's head with a brush and laughed when she began mumbling in pain. "Dirty mind you have there. Don't tarnish my clean and innocent view of our relationships…or my man. And stop turning your head."

"Sorry. This section on Justin is right on, and I think you did a really great job at making them all seem human." She held the book up and began reading. "Justin Timberlake may be the youngest of the group, but don't automatically assume that he is the baby. His heart is stronger and wiser than most well seasoned veterans, and throughout my experiences with him I was pleasantly surprised to find out how matured of an individual he really is. Miranda, did YOU really write that?"

Miranda nodded and fought to curl a stubborn strand of hair. "It was a weak moment. Keep reading."

"Justin may have had a golden spoon in his hand ever since birth, but there is a vulnerable streak inside of him that could make even the strongest woman see that this man is certainly no weak little baby. His presence is known in even the deepest and densest crowd, but it's not the extraordinary beauty of his face and body that draws the most attention from those crowds. No, it's the strength and the power that shines from within him. At only nineteen, his eyes show that of a much more experienced man, a man who knows exactly what he wants, a man who can love and be loved, and a man who is passionate about life in general." Lauren took a deep breath and sighed. "That's beautiful, Miranda."

"Keep…reading."

"Ok…Ok. Sheesh! There is a playful side to him that seems to know exactly when to emerge, a serious side that can make even the strongest individual stop and take notice, and a personal strength that is the source of raw envy. During interviews he speaks passionately about the people and the things that he loves or cherishes, and while I fully expected the arrogant or materialistic side of him to emerge and prove the assumptions I held…it was hard to find. Another weak moment, Miranda?"

She finished the curl and reached for more hair. "JC was looking over my shoulder at the time and I didn't want to be accused of being rude to the baby."

"Riiiiiight." She continued reading when Miranda wouldn't say any more. "Justin may appear to have it all, but there is still a side of him that craves for everything that he hasn't yet accomplished. While so much has already been achieved, while so many dreams have already realized, it's the remaining dreams and the glow of those unobtained goals that shine in his eyes that are the true testimony of how much passion Justin has inside of him for life in general. He hasn't given up on the fact that he can be so much more than he already is, and that right there makes Justin more than just some pop prince. He's a dreamer and he's a perfect example of a person who knows how far he's come…and how far he still has yet to go."

Miranda shrugged and released the clasp on the curling iron. "Too sappy?"

"It's beautiful. I just can't believe that you wrote something like this about Justin of all people. If you're this poetic towards him, I can only imagine what you wrote about JC."

"There's an unedited version of JC's section around here somewhere, but I'll never give up the location of it."

Lauren looked through the mirror to see Miranda's evil grin. "I don't even want to know."

"Yes you do, but unfortunately…so do I."

Miranda's last statement and the dreamy twinge to her voice confused her, but she ignored it to scan over the rest of the page. "Oh cool. You talked about his brothers and about his father. They really don't get noticed that much. Hmmm…MMC stuff, some stuff about him writing songs, movie stuff, and…oh he's going to kill you. He's going to kill ME."

Miranda hummed and ignored her comment.

"MIRANDA!"

"What?"

"Please…oh please tell me that I'm reading this wrong. You…you put that he…you put that he has a fascination with Minnie Mouse? Has he SEEN this yet?"

Miranda grinned again and could feel horns growing on top of her head. "Last minute edit and I'm not sure if he has read the biography yet. I'm telling you, it's my mission to desensitize that boy to Minnie Mouse, and that's the main reason why you're taking this step today."

"Desensitize? More like send him into orbit!"

"He's going to be getting Minnie Mouse stuff from fans from now until he's sixty years old. If that doesn't get him over his…ahem…little hang-up, then I don't know what will."

Lauren chewed on a fingernail and could feel sweat forming on her brow. "He's going to kill us. He's going to filet us and burn us at the stake like the two witches we are. You won't be safe after this, Miranda. Do you know what kinds of things he's going to do to get back at you for this? Manipulative and downright EVIL need to be in this biography because you are going to get one HELL of a look at that side of him. Hot springs, Jacuzzis, whipped cream, and any other sexcapade example he can come up with. If JC has run his mouth to Justin at all…it will be told."

Miranda chuckled arrogantly and continued with her project. "I don't think I have to worry about JC running his mouth about any sexcapades, as you so delicately put it. Nope…no worries at all."

"You don't think he would tell Justin? Do you live in a fantasy land? Oh wait, you're a fiction writer so…"

She waited until Lauren turned around before smiling. "He won't tell Justin, because there's nothing TO tell."

Lauren stood up and held her hands in front of her. "Ok that's it! You have been hinting and hinting and hinting, so spill it. Are you…are you trying to say that you and JC…that you two…?"

"That we what, Lauren? That we have never been intimate together? Is that what you were going to ask?"

It wasn't possible and it almost wouldn't come out past her lips. "You and JC haven't…but…you mean that…Justin and I we…before you and…NO WAY!"

"I never knew you had such a speech problem, Lauren."

Lauren ran around the chair and stopped Miranda at her desk. "You're pulling my leg."

She looked down at the hand on her arm. "You're pulling my arm."

"But…but you and JC…both of you talk like…you two are always…oh UH UH!"

Miranda pulled free and leaned her hands on her desk to look at Lauren. "Like I've told you before, the people who talk about sex all of the time are generally the ones not getting any."

"But I've never heard you two talk about it. I mean, you are both very flirty with each other and…and…"

"And we have just never corrected the assumptions and comments that you all make about us. Besides, who are we to spoil all of your fun?"

Lauren sat down in the chair and pouted. "You're not being funny. I'm your best friend and you should have TOLD me. I told you about me and Justin."

She giggled and cleared her throat to hide it. "You SO didn't. Although, just now you did. Heh heh."

"How is this possible? How on EARTH is it possible that you and JC…that you two…that you've never…I'm blown away."

"Lauren, just because two people are very sensual with one another doesn't mean that they've 'done the act', so to speak."

"But…"

Miranda grinned that grin again and turned to look at her computer screen. "But there are other things that are far better than sex. Oh yes there are."

"Please don't go there. NO…WAY you're telling me the truth."

"Believe what you want to. Anyway, you should get out of here before Justin sees you. I have everything in place for you and so it should run smoothly. They're still down in the recording studio recording that Christmas song JC wrote. Have you heard it?"

Lauren was still too much in shock to respond right away. "What? Oh…oh yeah I have. Beautiful song and JC should be proud. Miranda, are you sure that you and…"

"Lauren, I don't think that would be something I would forget or miss along the way. Pull your jaw up off the floor and deal with it." She giggled and turned her computer off. "By the way, have you met the new public relations lady they hired to take Satan's place? She's really nice."

"I haven't had the pleasure. It's a she?"

"Looks like a she to me. I'd guess she's in her late thirties, married, and I'm not sure if she has children or not." There was a worried look in Lauren's eyes that concerned her. "Don't even think what you're thinking."

"What am I thinking? Am I thinking that I hate PR people? Am I thinking that I no longer trust powerful people? Am I thinking that anyone who has control over Justin's image and therefore controls the time he can spend with me or talk about me, is possibly out to do bad? It's going to take a lot to trust her."

Miranda wrote a few notes and put them down before leaning back in her chair to study her carefully. "This woman isn't going to be another Tom. She just moved here from California, she didn't know much about NSYNC which is one of the main reasons why she was hired, and there's no way she could get this far with some kind of sick obsession with Justin. Unless, she's obsessed with YOU."

"NOT funny, Miranda. Not even in the tiniest way is that funny. I just don't want either one of us to have to go through something like that again."

There was the sound of heavy footsteps down the hall followed by a yell that they both immediately recognized. "MIRANDA!"

Lauren jumped out of her chair and frantically looked for a place to go. "I thought you said he was in the recording studio! HIDE ME!"

"I told you that coming here to the studio was a bad idea. Justin is going to walk in here and this plan is going to end before you ever get it started. Go…go run through that door. HURRY!"

"Where does it go?"

"It goes into the back hallway, but make sure that you don't run into Justin along the way. I'll give him the note when he gets in here and calms down, and the guys knew to begin the moment Justin left the studio. Now GO!"

The door closed behind Lauren a split second before the other door opened and Justin stood there with angry eyes that locked on Miranda. She gave him a nervous laugh and pushed her hair back. "Well HEY, Justin. What brings you here?"

The glare disappeared and a sticky sweet smile replaced it. "Oh my dear sweet, Miranda. You are looking like a fresh little peach blossom today."

"Uh…thanks."

"The hair, the beautiful skin, the sweetness, the smile that lights up the entire room. You're breathtaking."

And he was full of shit, she thought. "Something you needed to talk with me about?"

He slowly strolled across the office and leaned over her desk. "You're just a delectable little slice of crumb cake with cherries on top, but I…I know you for the belly dragging DOG you really are."

She leaned back in her chair and gave him a lazy look. "Go ahead, Justin. Run that million dollar mouth of yours and insert your foot. I'm running low on fruit cups."

He picked up the book on her desk and waved it in front of her. "Awesome job on the biography."

"Not mean enough for fruit cups."

His long fingers turned the pages until he found what he was looking for, and then he slammed it down on her desk. "I have a Minnie Mouse fetish? I have a FETISH? Do you have ANY idea what this is going to do to me?"

Miranda covered her mouth with a hand and mumbled. "I know what she did to you the last time."

His head tilted and his eyes blazed. "You're not being cute."

"Retract the claws for a minute and think about it. Actually, don't think about it because I don't really want any leakage in here."

Justin turned bright red and covered his fact with both hands. "I want…to die. And I WILL take you with me."

"The fans have no idea what that means, the guys have no idea what that means, and neither Lauren nor I are going to spill…the beans that is."

"Are you having fun with this?"

"LOADS. Anyway, I have a note here from Lauren."

He refused to take it and took a step back. "You mean the blabbermouth actually wrote me a note? The best friend, girlfriend, can't keep my mouth shut, one and only Lauren OWSLEY left me a note?"

"Uh…that's the one. You might want to read it. I know that you want to pull her head off for this whole Minnie thing, but it's good for you. It's giving you character, Justin. Something you're sorely lacking at the moment."

He snatched the note from her fingers and quietly read it. "For everything that you do, a little hunt is the order of the day for you. Pull off your headphones and stop using your voice, the crazy one will provide the next choice. Stop rolling your eyes…you're doing it I know it, nobody ever accused me of being a poet."

Miranda's eyes were wide when he looked up. "I love the girl to death, but she needs to stick with her camera. I'm actually embarrassed for the paper that those words are printed on."

Justin's eyebrows were lowered in confusing as he stared at the paper. "She's sending ME on a scavenger hunt? Why?"

"Oh just a little desensitizing. It will be good for you, Justin. Have fun."

He pointed a finger at her as he walked out of the room. "You and I have a showdown later on. Don't think that I'm going to forget about this."

She grinned and leaned her arms on the top of her desk. "You love me, and I think that you're going to be more than preoccupied later on. Lauren, you GO girl!"

Justin quickly made his way back towards the recording studio, but this time it was empty. "This is nuts. They were just here a second ago and I can't believe that JC let everyone go early. Lance? Chris? Where is everyone?"

After checking every recording booth and the control room, he saw that there weren't even any traces that anyone had ever been there. Since he hadn't stepped over into the Twilight Zone and that he hadn't been dreaming about the recording session they had had a few minutes ago, he continued his search.

Just as he was about to walk out of the door, a noise caught his attention. "Joey?"

Chris walked around the corner with a silver dish in his hand. He sucked his cheeks in and bowed in front of Justin before speaking in a low and arrogant voice. "You rang?"

"Where is everyone, and what in the hell is going on?"

"I do believe that the missus ordered a little something for you and I was to deliver it at this precise time. Do sit down."

Justin sighed and rested his hands on his hips. "You're not being funny, Chris. Just give me the note you have and I'll get out of here."

"Chris? I see no Chris here. Please call me Jeeves. Jeeves Shouldberecording."

Justin rolled his eyes. "The note please?"

"I have no note, but I do have a little dessert for you. If you would be so kind as to have a seat, I will serve you."

"Uh…that sounded really dirty." He finally sat down and rubbed his hands on his thighs as he waited for Chris to hand him the tray.

Chris made several dramatic and ballet-like moves before finally spinning around and placing the tray in Justin's lap. "Enjoy, my pet."

Justin's eyes closed when he saw that the top of the éclair was decorated with the face of Minnie Mouse on it. "I'm really not laughing right now."

"You're as red as a beet right now." He coughed and lowered his voice again to get back into character. "If you no longer need my services, I will make my departure. Make sure that you finish your dessert, but be careful of the chocolate. We wouldn't want any breakouts or…scratches to incur tonight. Goodnight."

Justin's eyes remained on the pastry and once Chris was gone he quickly scraped the icing off of the top, and took a bite out of it. "I feel like a moron. I'm sitting in an empty studio, eating an éclair, a MINNIE MOUSE ÉCLAIR, and I'm blushing like a thirteen year old. Get a grip, Justin. Get…a…grip."

A voice called out over the intercom and startled him. "Don't get too good of a grip, JuJu. This is a family show."

"JOEY!"

The speaker clicked again. "Your next surprise awaits."

"Do I even want to know?" He took another bite and his teeth hit against something solid inside of the crust.

Pulling out the little plastic tube, he opened it up and unfolded the paper inside. "Don't give Chris a hard time, I know he's making your face as sour as a lime. This is supposed to be fun you know, so don't make too big of a deal out of this show. You're embarrassed and upset over some things I've said, things I swore I wouldn't tell until I'm dead. However, what's done is done and we must deal, move on to the hormonal one and don't act like such a heel."

He licked the chocolate off of his fingers and grabbed his bag as he walked from the room. As much as he tried to hide it, a smile came to his lips and the excitement of this situation took hold of his heart. He knew that Lauren had gone to a lot of trouble to do this for him, and he was going push his embarrassment aside to enjoy it.

That was the theory at least.

All of the hallways were empty and he wandered around aimlessly until he heard the sound of someone humming in a bathroom. "Are you in there, Joey?"

The door swung open and Justin was pulled inside before he could stop it. Joey circled around him as Justin straightened his clothes. "As much as a certain someone would love this chocolate all over you, it needs to go. Did you get any of it in your mouth?"

Justin wiped at his mouth repeatedly. "What do you have for me?"

Joey's chin raised and he tapped his arm with a snooty movement. "All in good time, sir. The first thing is to get you cleaned up. The showers are located to the left and here are the supplies you will need. A towel, washcloth…don't get any ideas, and a little scrubber for the harder to reach places. Enjoy."

He looked down at the supplies and groaned when everything; the towel, the soap, and the scrubber all had Minnie Mouse on them. "Just wait until I get my hands on her."

Joey grinned and patted his arm again. "You really DO have a thing for Minnie. Go get your hands on her and move it."

Justin could feel his face redden again and he dropped his bag to walk back towards the showers. "I'm not saying another word. Not one damn word. All you guys are doing is turning it around to mean something nasty and I'm…I can't…just shut up, Justin. Just shut…up."

He took a quick shower, quicker than he thought possible because his eyes were closed the entire time to avoid the Minnie Mouse imprinted on the washcloth, and a few minutes later he wrapped the towel around his waist to step out. The first thing he saw as he was pushing the water from his eyes was Lance. He was standing by the sink with a wide grin on his face.

"Let me guess, you have the next note?"

"That I do. Would you like me to read it to you? Cute towel."

His fingers self-consciously pulled the towel tighter around his waist, and he walked over to the sink. "Go for it. My fingers are wet."

"Oh I'm going to bite my tongue, be a good boy, and resist commenting on that one. Ahem…here goes. You're squeaky clean and imagining it makes me hot…uh, that's Lauren talking and not me. You realize that right?"

"I realize it, dumbass."

Lance cleared his throat and began again. "You're squeaky clean and imagining it makes me hot, get yourself ready to move to the next spot. Here are some tools you will need to complete the task, if there's anything missing don't hesitate to ask. I can see your red face from here, but don't worry…the end is near. This is really all being done for your benefit and care, take your time…enjoy…and do something with your hair."

Justin grabbed the small basket from Lance's fingers and he growled loudly when he saw that everything inside, everything from the razor to the brush to the shaving cream…had Minnie's face on it. "I can't use these."

"Sure you can. Just close your eyes and go with it."

After lathering up his face, Justin picked up the razor with shaking hands and began shaving. Lance's eyes were on him and he turned to glare at him. "Are you just going to stand there and watch?"

"I'm leaving. The next note will come from the ambitious one. Later, Justin."

As surprising as it was, he only nicked himself twice with the razor and he managed to do something presentable with his hair. It would dry pretty quickly and would be really curly for the most part, but there wasn't much he could do about that. When the aftershave was applied and he was ready to get dressed, he noticed that his clothes were nowhere to be found.

"Uh, LANCE! Bring my clothes back!"

There was no answer so he yelled again, but still there was nothing but silence. Knotting the towel tighter around his hips, he opened the door and peered into the hallway. Nobody was in sight and he stepped out with a prayer that some lowly intern wouldn't come out of the nearby offices.

He was halfway down the hallway when Miranda came around the corner and smirked at his state of undress. "Well…well…well. Let me guess, photo shoot today?"

"You know exactly what is going on here and you're not really earning any brownie points with me right now, Miranda. Where are my clothes?"

Her eyes stayed on the towel for a moment before she smiled up at him. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but the Minnie towel is definitely a fashion statement. Were you looking for anyone in particular?"

"I'm looking for the ambitious one. Have you seen JC around or…oh wait. I think I've found the one I'm looking for. Give me the note and give me my clothes."

She inhaled deeply and sighed. "I'm loving the aftershave. The ambitious one would be me, and I have another note for you. Here you go."

He took it from her and took several steps back when she walked towards him. "I'm putting distance between you and me just in case."

She giggled and kept walking right by him. "You couldn't even begin to have what it takes to satisfy me. Although, I do think it's a shame that you have that mean face on during this fun thing. Lighten up, Justin."

He rolled his eyes at her but couldn't help but smile as he opened the next letter. "I'm sure Miranda has sized you up and given you a few words, don't worry sweetie…your modesty will soon be protected from those nerds. Her better half is now waiting for you, go find him and get something on your body that's new."

There was nowhere to put the note, so he carried it with him as he searched for JC. "And she made fun of me for the poems I gave her on Valentine's day. I love her more than life itself, but she's butchering the English language here."

It took a good fifteen minutes before he finally opened the door to the wardrobe room and found JC lounging on one of the couches. He was casually reading a newspaper and pulled it down when the door opened. "Hello, Justin. Lose something?"

"I'm about to lose my temper if you don't give me my clothes."

JC stood up and flipped through a rack before pulling out a black suit that was still in the plastic wrapping it came in. "Everything you'll need is inside."

Justin grabbed it and ran around behind the closest curtain to get dressed. "JC, you need to talk to your woman about what she decides to print about us. You also need to love her with everything you have inside of you because when I get my hands on her…and I WILL get my hands on her, she's not going to be of much use to you anymore."

JC yawned dramatically and loudly. "Concentrate on getting dressed before you actually manage to scare someone. I'm not talking about your words either."

He put on everything in the bag and walked around the curtain as he shrugged the jacket on. "Nothing with Minnie Mouse on it? I'm shocked."

"Don't get too confident yet. Here are the cufflinks."

Justin's eyes closed for a moment before he reached for them. "I should have known. Minnie FREAKING Mouse cufflinks. Why am I being put through this hell?"

"Because Lauren loves you very much and is tired of the competition."

"Competition? It's a cartoon character and…"

JC held up a hand and interrupted. "I don't even want to know. There's a note in your pocket."

Indeed there was, and Justin smiled the entire time he read it. "You're probably not going to like this part, but believe me when I say that this is just the start. You and I have a planned meeting, but first the eyes must be covered…no cheating." He looked up and saw that JC was dangling a scarf between his fingers. "You've got to be kidding me."

"I'm not kidding about anything." He walked over and reached up to pull the material across Justin's eyes. It was fully expected that Justin would pull away, but he stood there and allowed it to be tied tightly over his eyes.

"JC, what do I do now?"

"Now you walk with me into the hallway. Good Lord, Justin. Stop grimacing like I'm leading you to the electric chair. I KNOW you're enjoying this."

Justin chuckled and slowly shuffled behind JC. "Me? Oh I'm having the time of my life. This ranks right up there with my very first root canal."

"You're not fooling us. Oh there you are."

"There who is?"

Mike took Justin's hand and pulled him along. "Anyone wanna tell me how I got this part of the job?"

"You're just lucky?"

"I'm just a glutton for punishment. I swear I need to learn how to say 'no' from time to time. She had that hopeful look in her eyes, the pleading one, and I couldn't say 'no' to her. Then again, she also had a bat in her hand and I'm not even going to stand up to that one. Let's go, Stevie Wonder."

Justin continued to shuffle his feet as Mike led him through hallways and onto the elevator, but he was moving so slow when they got off that Mike picked him up and hauled him over his shoulder. "My momma walks faster than you, but she's old."

"Your momma also doesn't have a blindfold covering her eyes. While we're on the topic of your momma, she can just talk to a wall and leave me alone."

"Do you want me to accidentally drop you on purpose?"

Justin had no idea where they were and it seemed like they had been going for ages before he was put down on leather seats and he heard the car door close behind him. "Am I allowed to take this thing off of my eyes now?"

"Not yet, Justin."

He flinched and scooted back away from the voice when he recognized Suzy. "This is supposed to be fun, right?"

"It will be, but only after I get control of the mess on your head. And while I'm at it, I just want you to remember that I REALLY don't appreciate being called in to work on you during my vacation. Not…at…all."

His shoulders slumped and he waited for the pain to begin. "It's not my fault, but you're not buying that, right? Suzy? It's Lauren's fault!"

"Not even a little bit. Sit still and try not to scream."

The trip only took about twenty minutes, but for Justin it felt like hours. Suzy pulled and tugged on his hair until he was on the verge of crying, but thinking about Lauren and what she was up to helped him get through most of it. This little scenario was more than just a little intriguing, and Minnie Mouse aside…he was having a great time.

"I think that I'm done."

"Thank God. Am I bald yet?"

The car stopped and she laughed. "You're looking better than ever if I do say so myself. Watch your step as you get out of the car."

His head hit against the top of the car on his way out and he gripped it between his hands before realizing that Suzy was close enough to attack his head again if he messed up his hair. His fingers pulled at the blindfold until it was removed, and he was surprised to see that he was at his own house. "What the…ok just forget the shock and get the hell away from Suzy, Justin."

The car pulled away as he walked to the front door and he wasn't surprised at all that the front door was unlocked. Inside the foyer there were candles everywhere and a note taped up to the mirror. Rose petals were all over the mahogany table and he smiled at the sight before pulling the note away and reading it.

"Welcome home and damn you look good, there's a surprise upstairs waiting for you…follow the petals if you would." He folded the note and placed it on the table with an evil grin. "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!"

He literally ran up the long staircase as fast as he could and paused at the top to see that there were petals that trailed all the way to his closed bedroom door. The closer he got to the door, the clearer it became that there was a huge poster hanging there. It was a drawing of Mickey Mouse hugging Minnie, and he touched it lightly with his fingertips when he saw that Mickey had a tux on that closely resembled the one he was wearing.

"Ooooh, VAAAAAL?"

Her voice answered softly through the door. "Open the door, Justin."

The door swung open and he barely had time to take a deep breath before laughter so deep and so sudden overtook him. He was laughing so hard that tears came to his eyes and every time he looked at her, he had to laugh some more. "You SO didn't do this."

Lauren was sitting in the middle of his bed, her hair was pulled back into a huge red and white polka dotted bow, it was curled around her sweetly, and she was decked out in a bright red dress that perfectly matched the bow. White gloves covered her hands and on top of her head was a set of mouse ears that she adjusted with a flip of her fingers. What really made him laugh was not only the fact that she looked like a real life Minnie Mouse, but the fact that there were Minnie Mouse stuffed animals covering the entire bed and surrounding her.

He stepped into the room and clicked his tongue a few times as he slowly walked towards her. "You've really outdone yourself this time."

She blinked a few times and smiled sweetly. "I really only have one question for you."

He stopped at the end of the bed and chewed on his bottom lip as he smiled. "And what's that?"

Her eyes scanned the stuffed animals around her before she looked up at him again. "Which one of us do you choose?"

Gone was the embarrassment because all he could concentrate on was how adorable she looked with her cocky attitude and the sarcastic twinkle in her eyes. "Hmm…that could be a tough decision."

"Are you sure you don't mean…hard?"

His hands rested on top of the mattress and he slowly walked his hands down it until he could touch her ankles. "Cute frilly socks, Val."

"Hey, if you're going to do it…do it right."

"I think I'll choose this one." His hands tightened on her ankles and he gently pulled her down the length of the bed until she was seated in front of him. "Yes, this one will do quite nicely."

Lauren sat up on her knees and put her hands on his shoulders. "I'm the chosen one, huh?"

His eyes still twinkled with amusement, but they also darkened a tad with a glow of love as he studied her face. "The best of the bunch."

She inhaled deeply as he leaned forward and touched his lips to hers and her fingers slid up around his neck when the contact deepened. The contact was broken when she pulled back and licked her lips. "I thought you'd never get here."

"Really? Well I never thought I would see you in bloomers. Nice touch."

She slapped his hands away when he reached down to pull up her skirt a little. "No peeking. What took you so long? Making out with the new PR lady?"

His head fell back as he laughed. "Don't jinx us, Lauren. We will never be in that situation again and besides…she's too old for me anyway."

His lips ran up and down her neck, and she removed her gloves before tightening her arms around him. "That's…that's very positive thinking, Justin. I'm proud of you. Besides, it would be a real shame if you had to pretend to date…oh I don't know…Britney Spears or something like that."

His head came up and he chuckled against her lips. "Not gonna happen, Val. Now shut up and kiss me."

Her lips opened wider against his and she groaned into his mouth when his arms crushed her against his chest. There never would be and never could be a more complete feeling or a more heart tightening sensation than to feel his arms around her. His lips and the way they seemed to know exactly how much pressure to place against hers was enough to make her toes curl, but it was the sensation of knowing that his arms were made and created to hold only her that truly made her heart pound in her chest.

These were the arms that would hold her for eternity. An eternity that she had found and would cherish beyond anything else in her life.

He was breathing heavily when he finally released her lips. "There's something I want to tell you."

"I love you too."

His lips smiled against hers before he slightly shook his head. "That too, but there's something else. You certainly have improved."

"Uh…thanks I think."

His tongue lightly touched her bottom lip and it slid across the length of it before he spoke again. "Mmm…you're definitely a better kisser than…"

"Fair warning, now would not be a good time to compare me to someone else."

"I would never do that. I was just going to say that you're a much better kisser…than you were when you were fourteen."

She pushed back and gave him a wide-eyed look. "What?"

His grin was full of mischief this time. In fact, it radiated out of him. "Party…spin the bottle…kissing in the closet…you…me…purple sweater."

Lauren gasped and pushed his shoulder. "I KNEW IT! You knew all along that it was me in that closet! You little snake!"

He laughed at her mock anger and at the way her cheeks reddened. "You don't honestly think that I couldn't tell the difference between Rachel's lips and yours, do you? Not that I ever kissed Rachel, but I had been studying the shape and the texture of your lips ever since puberty, and there was no way you could have hidden that. Not even in a dark closet, Val."

The pad of her thumb trailed over his bottom lip as she stared at it. "All this time, I wondered if you knew. I didn't think you did, but I wondered."

"Want to hear another secret?"

"Do you even need to ask?"

His lips ran along her jaw until they reached her ear so he could whisper. "That night after the party, that night after I kissed you, the dreams I had blew Minnie right OUT of the water."

She hugged her arms around her and laughed as he giggled in her ear. Just when she thought he couldn't be more adorable or more precious, he surprised her once again. He was still chuckling when he sat up to look into her eyes again. "Any doubts in your mind?"

"None whatsoever."

His lips covered hers again and she had to resist the urge to lose herself completely in the embrace. Justin was confused by the hesitation he felt out of her, and he pulled his head back to question it. "Val?"

Her arms tightened around his neck, and she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the Minnie dolls with a grin. "Eat your hearts out girls."