Sitting his phone down on the dresser, Wade began to pace the room.  He knew something was off when he was talking to Justin, he just didn't know what. Unfortunetly, this was the last thing he would have thought.

When he left LA, the only one he was worried about was Marty, which he made sure he took care of before he left.  One phone call was all it took to have someone keep an eye on him.

The idea that leaving her alone with Justin could possibly lead to problems never crossed his mind.  Looking back though, he realized that it was a mistake and now he was faced with a situation he was totally unprepared for. 

Sitting down on the bed, Wade furiously clentched his fists.  He knew it was lucky for Justin that he wasn't back in LA right now, because if he was, his hands would certainly be wrapped around his throat. He couldn't believe the nerve Justin had telling him that she had probably left her phone in the car.  It was now obvious that she had been with him the whole time they were on the phone.

"That mother fucker.  Wait until I get back to LA."  Wade mumbled, as he grabbed his wallet and walked into the livingroom.  He was susposed to meet Chantal in ten minutes, but right now he was seriously contemplating packing up his things and heading back home. Video shoot or not, he wasn't about to let Justin think he was getting one over on him.  That wasn't his style.  If you crossed him, you were going to know it.

Walking down to Chantal's room, he tried to keep his cool. He didn't want to think that Justin had gotten somewhere with Michelle, but knowing all too well about Justin's reputation for being a player, it was definetly a possibility. 

Shaking out his hands, Wade attempted to relax the clentched fist that he had walked down the hall with.  He knew among other things that he needed to get a handle on his temper.  It was the one thing that even without the presence of alcohol remained out of control. It was also the one thing he knew would be the most difficult to keep in check.

Taking a deep breath, he slowly let it out and knocked on Chantal's door.  After a few seconds she opened the door.

"Hey, come on in.  I just have have to put my shoes on and grab my purse."

Shutting the door behind him, Wade made his way over to the sofa and sat down.

"So, did you get in touch with Michelle?"  Chantal asked, as she slipped on her shoes and gave her hair a quick shake.  When Wade didn't answer, she looked over her shoulder and saw him leaning back against the sofa staring at the ceiling.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"I want you to go back to LA.  Tonight."  Wade said, completely emotionless.

"What?  Go back to LA?  Why?"

Wade stood up and walked over to where his sister was standing.  At that very moment, he felt like he just wanted to explode.  However, he knew that if Chantal saw that he was starting to slip she would never leave him alone in NY.

"Well, I didn't get to talk to Michelle becuase she didn't answer her phone.  I did however talk to Justin and that's why you need to go back to LA."

"Because you talked to Justin?  Does Michelle need some help with the tour rehearsals or something?"  she asked, confused.  She just couldn't figure out why would Wade want her to go back to LA.  Especially after he was so glad to see her.  Noticing that he wasn't standing completely still, she lowered her gaze and noticed that he was tapping his fist off of the side of his leg.

"What the hell is going on?  Why do you want me to go back and I want the truth."

Wade again took a deep breath in hopes that he could contain the anger that was desperately searching for an escape.

"YOU need to go back and find out what the hell is going on between Justin and Michelle.  She didn't answer her phone because she was with him. Now I know your probably wondering why it's a big deal, but see the thing is that, he said he hadnt seen her since she left Millennium."

"Yeah and?"

"And he was fuckin lying!  She was right there with him!"

"OK, well maybe she just didn't feel like talking to you.  Excuse me for saying this, but it's not like thats a stretch.  Justin was probably doing what she asked him too.  Saying he hadn't seen her.  Is that the problem?  Him lying to you?"

"No, you know damn well what the problem is.  I swear to god, if you don't go back, I will. If I find out he fucked her, hell... if he even touched her....I'm going to literally kill the son of a bitch!"  Wade yelled.

"Whoa!  Hold up.  Why in the hell would she hook up with Justin?  Why would you even think she would? God Wade I can't believe you said that!"

Annoyed at the whole situation, Wade just shook his head and headed over to the refridgerator to grab a bottle of water.  He tried to keep his cool, he really did.  Why did she have to question his reasons for wanting her to return.  Why couldn't she just do as he asked.

"Just fuckin go back to LA! You came here because you wanted to help me, right?!  Well if you really wanna help...GO BACK!"  Wade yelled.

"DO NOT talk to me that way!  Who the hell do you think you are?"  Chantal yelled back.

"Whatever."  Wade growled.  Although he had hoped that she would be the one to go back, she wasn't his only option.  Grabbing his room key off of the table, Wade walked out of her room, slamming the door behind him.

After a few moments of standing there in complete shock, Chantal finally understood the extent of how bad Wade had become.  Granted she knew he had a temper growing up, but this went way beyond what she recalled. 

Taking a deep breath, she realized she now had a decision to make.  Logic told her that there was only one choice to make, but leaving Wade alone in NY in his current state of mind certainly had it's risks.  However, allowing him to return to LA carried far more.  Not only would she be allowing him to risk his career by leaving the video shoot, but she could potentially be putting Justin and Michelle in danger.  Something that she did not want to be responsible for.

With her decision made, Chantal grabbed her purse and headed down to Wade's room.  Just as she was about to knock, she heard the sound of shattering glass coming from inside.  Frantically she began banging on the door.

"Wade, open up!"

When he didn't answer she began to panic.

"Wade please open the door.  I'm going to go to LA.  Just open the door!"

After a few seconds, she heard him walking towards the door.  Once Wade unlocked it, Chantal quickly pushed the door open and walked inside to see what the hell he was doing. 

At first she didn't see anything, but when Wade passed by her on his way to the bedroom she noticed that his hand was wrapped in a towel.  A towel that was quickly becoming saturated with blood.

"What the hell did you do?!"  she asked horrified.

Not answering her, Wade continued into the bedroom and over to the closet.  Pulling out his suitcase, Wade tossed it on the bed and began to grab his clothes out of the dresser.  He didn't need her to go back to LA.  He was perfectly capable of handling the situation himself....and he would.

"What are you doing?  Didn't you hear me say I was going to go back to LA?"

Again Wade ignored his sister.  He didn't want to talk about it anymore.  As far as he was concerned, HE was going to be the one to go back to LA.  That way he would be certain of what was or wasn't going on.  Then if it turned out that Justin had been hooking up with her, he'd be there to handle it.

"Wade!"

"Jesus christ!  What?!"  Wade yelled, turning around to face her.

At that point Chantal wasn't sure what to say.  The fire she saw in his eyes completely freaked her out. She had never seen him like that before and now she understood all too well the fear Michelle must have felt when she was with him.  Then she realized what she had came to his room for.

"I....I...said I would go back to LA.  I'll go back and check on Michelle."

"Just go back to your fuckin room.  I don't need you to go back to LA anymore.  I'll take care of this myself....believe me."  he said, walking into the bathroom to grab another towel.

Shaking her head, Chantal followed after him and saw that the bathroom mirror had been shattered.  Obviously that was what she heard when she was in the hall....and clearly the reason for Wade's bloody hand.

Unwrapping his hand, Wade dropped the now soaked towel on the floor and grabbed another one.

"Wade, just talk to me.  Please.  I'm really worried about you.  This isn't like you ."

"There's nothing left to say.  I'm going back home.  End of story."  Wade said, brushing past her and heading back into the bedroom.

"You can't just leave the video shoot.  People are counting on you to be there, not to mention the money riding on this project."  she said.  She knew Wade had excellent work ethics and it was the one thing if any, that would keep him in NY.

"Well what the hell I am I susposed to do?!  Sit back and let that fuckin prick move it on Michelle while I'm hear in NY?  It's not going to happen.....it's not!"

"I still don't understand why you think something is going on between them.  Just because they were together and he didn't tell you, does not mean there is something underhanded going on.  Why don't you just call him back?"

Wade out right laughed.  He knew there wasn't any way in hell that Justin would answer the phone, so calling him back wasn't even an option. 

"Do you want me to call him?  He might answer the phone for me.  I mean he doesn't know I'm........"  she said, but was interupted by the phone.  Sighing heavily, she sat down on the bed and watched as he walked out of the room.  She really hoped that she could convince him to let her go back instead of him.  The last thing anyone needed was a fired up Wade heading back to LA. 

Just as she was about to lean back on the bed, she heard Wade yelling in the kitchen.  Confused, she quickly jumped off the bed and headed out the door.

"What the hell do you mean Justin carried her into Millennium?!"  Wade asked, frantically.

"What's going on?"  Chantal asked, as she tapped Wade on his shoulder.

Waving her away, Wade walked into the livingroom and sat down on the sofa.

"What the hell happened.  I mean is she alright?................Well dude go find out!  Jesus!..............What do you mean she's unconscious?!..................Jesus christ Brian, go find out!  Don't fuckin call me and say that shit and not know exactly what's going on!  What the fuck is your problem!"

Hearing what Wade was saying, Chantal walked over to him and again tapped his shoulder.  "What's going on?  Is Michelle alright?"

"Brian, can you hold on a second?..........Yeah, do that then call me right back........alright man, thanks."

"What's going on?"  Chantal asked, as Wade began to pace the room. 

"That was Brian.  Justin just brought Michelle into Millennium unconscious."

"Oh my god!  What happened?"  Chantal asked, as she walked over to Wade and tried to calm him.

"I don't fuckin know.  All Brian said was that Justin carried her in.  Apparently she was unconscious and she looked really pale.  He said they were taking her into the lounge or something.  See, he's a fuckin ass!  Why the hell would he do that?!  Why not take her to the damn hospital!"

"Calm down.  I'm sure if Justin thought it was anything serious he would take her.  Don't jump to any conclusions, just wait until Brian calls back with more information."

Plopping down on the sofa, Wade rested his head on his hands.

"If anything happens to her........."  Wade started, but Chantal stopped him.

"Don't.  Don't do this.  Your going to make it worse, just relax.  I'm sure she's fine"  she said, rubbing his back.

"I'm going to go crazy waiting.  I should just call down there."  Wade said, reaching for the phone.

"No, leave that line open.  I'll call down there on my cell."  Chantal said, getting up to grab her purse.

As she was about to walk back into the livingroom, the hotel phone began to ring.  Frantically Wade leaned over and snatched the phone.

"Hello?...........Hey, what's going on?  Is she ok?.................Thank god.  Well, what happened?.................Where is she now?.................Who's all in there with you guys?"  Immeadiately Wade started shaking his head.  Why didn't it surprise him that Marty was involved in all this.

"Do me a favor, if you get the chance to talk to her alone, see if you can get her to call me.  She won't answer my calls, but I need to know for myself that she's ok..........thanks man.........Alright, call me later."

Hanging up the phone, Wade looked over at Chantal.  "She's ok.  Brian she said she passed out in the parking lot of MC.  After they got her inside, it only took a few minutes to bring her to.  He said, it might have been the heat or something."

"Well that's good.  See, I told you not to jump the gun."

"Yeah.  Look, I'm sorry for snapping on you earlier.  I know your only trying to help, but I have this feeling that something is up with Justin."

"I already said I'll go back, but if I do, you have to promise me that you won't touch a drop of liquor or do anything stupid.  The whole reason I came out here was to help you get it together."

"I know, but honestly, I need to know what's going on back in LA more than I need a chaperone."

"Fine, I'll go back tonight, but you need to understand that if she IS getting involved with Justin, there's nothing you can do about it.  Threatening or attacking Justin won't get you anywhere but in trouble."

"I can't just sit by and let it happen.  I love her, I told you that."

"I'm just saying that if your right and she is getting involved with him.....it's because it's what she wants. And if you love her as much as you say you do....then you need to let her go on with her life and be happy.  Doesn't she deserve that Wade?"

"Look, I really don't want to talk about this anymore alright.  I think I've had all I can take for one day."

"OK, well do you want to grab something to eat?"

"No, I think I'm just going to go lay down.  I really don't feel like going out anymore."  Wade said, getting up and walking into the kitchen.

"Do you want me to bring you something back then?" 

"No, I'll be fine.  Not much of an appetite right now." 

"Ok, well I'll stop by when I get back to see if you've heard anything from Michelle.  Take it easy ok?"  Chantal said, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door.

"I will." 

"It's going to get better.  It just takes time."  she said, walking out the door.

After she left, Wade cleaned up his hand and headed into the bedroom. Grabbing his suitcase, he moved it over to the chair and laid down.  Everything was such a mess and knowing that none of this would have happened it he hadn't made the decisions he had, he vowed to give his all to turning himself around.  Clearly, he was the only one who could fix thing between them and if he messed up, someone would surely take his place in her life.

Chapter 67

(meanwhile back at Millennium)

"Look guys, I said I was fine.  I just wanna go home, what's the big deal?"  Michelle said as several Millennium staff members stood around her sitting on the sofa.

"We just want to make sure your alright before we let you drive home.  You know you gave us one hell of a scare, and I mean ALL of us."  Brian said, taking a seat down on the other side of her opposite Justin.

"I know and I appreciate you guys for being concerned but seriously....I'm fine."

Noticing the look of concern that plagued Justin's face as he looked over at her, Marty knew that he needed to have a talk with Justin.  He wasn't sure exactly what caused Michelle to collapse and since Justin had been with her, he would be the best place to start.  Not to mention that he had a few questions as to why he didn't want Wade knowing they were together.

Walking over to where Justin was sitting, Marty bent down.  "Hey man, can I talk to you for a few minutes out in the hall?"

"Can it wait?"

"This will only take a few minutes."

Noticing Justin's reluctance to leave Michelle, Brian said that he would stay with her until they returned.  That would also give him the perfect opportunity to see if she would talk to Wade.

Once Justin and Marty walked out of the lounge, Brian turned to face Michelle.

"Can you do me a favor?"

"Me?"  Michelle asked, somewhat confused.

"Yeah.  Look, I don't know what's going on between you and Wade and something tells me that it's for the best, but....." he started to say, but immeadiately Michelle became uncomfortable and attempted to get up.  She didn't like where this was heading at all.

"No wait....look, Im just asking that you call the guy.  He knows what happened and he is really worried.  I told him you were fine but I think he needs to hear it from you.  Don't you think he atleasts deserves that?"

"What?!  How does he know Brian?  What did you do, call him?"  Michelle asked horrified, and yet again she tried to get up but was stopped. "You don't even know what your getting into or what's going on, so why don't you do me a favor and keep out of this!"

After finally standing up, she tried to walk towards the door of the lounge, but Brian quickly caught her by her arm and pulled her back towards him.  "Look, don't act like that!  You wanna run around and hook up with Marty behind his back, then that's your problem.  However, I think it's only common courtesy that you tell the fuckin guy your alright!"

"Get the fuck off me!"  she yelled, trying to pull her arm out of his grip.  "You have no idea what the hell your talking about, but obviously this isn't the first time you have talked to Wade about me.  How nice to know!"  she said, rather annoyed. "Bet you think you just know it all, right?" 

As she was waiting for him to dish out a smart ass comment, he reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.  Flipping it open, he dialed a number and glanced out the small window of the lounge door.  He wanted to make sure that Marty and Justin didn't see him holding her by her arm. 

After a few rings, he finally got an answer.

"Hello?"

"Hey man, it's Brian.  What are you doing?"

"Laying here.  I'm trying to clear my mind, but it's not working."  Wade sighed.

"Well I think I have something that will put your mind at ease right here."  Brian said, holding the phone out to her.

"I'm not talking to him Brian, let me go!" 

Tightening his grip he shoved the phone at her.  "Get on this fuckin phone right now.  It isn't going to kill you to tell him your alright"  he mouthed through gritted teeth.

Against her better judgement, she took the phone from Brian and in return, he released his grip on her arm.  Standing there with his arms folder over his chest, she knew that the best thing for her to do at this point was to just take Brian's phone and tell Wade she was fine.

"Hello?"

"Hey, what happened?  Are you alright?  Brian said you passed out in the parking lot of Millennium."

"Yeah.  I'm fine though.  I just wanted to let you know that I'm ok, so here's Brian."  she said and was about to hand the phone back to him when she heard Wade.

"Michelle, please don't.  Can't you just talk to me for minute?"  he asked softly. 

"Wade, I already told you that I'm not ready to do this.  Why don't  you understand that?"  she said, as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Well I wasn't ready for you to just completely walk out of my life in the middle of the night either, but you did that.  Why don't you understand that things shouldn't have ended like that and I want to talk to you?"

Instantly Michelle shut her eyes and tried desperately to supress the guilt that was now flooding her mind for leaving the way she did.  Especially since she had told him that she would wait until he got back from NY to discuss any possble future between them or lack thereof.

"Look, all I'm asking is that you give me a few minutes."

"Fine.....I'll talk to you, but I just can't do it right now.  Please, can you just give me a day or two.  I don't think my body is physcially or emotionally capable of taking any more."

"Are you sure your alright?"

"No, not really.  Look, I have to go.  I'll talk to you soon."  she said, handing Brian back his phone and running out of the lounge crying.

Standing out in the hall talking, Marty and Justin quickly turned around when they heard the sound of the lounge door being flung open and Michelle crying.  Without even looking there way, Michelle ran past them and out the door to her car.

"Michelle, what's wrong?"  Marty yelled after her, as Justin turned around to see Brian standing in the doorway on his phone.

"You go after her, I'll  find out what the hell happened."  Justin said to Marty.

Running out the door, Marty stopped in the parking lot when he saw her pull out on the road.  She was gone.

Cussing, he walked back inside.  He knew he was going to have to go find her but first he needed to find out why she took of like that.  When he got back to the lounge, Marty walked inside and saw Brian flip his phone shut.

"What the hell happened man?  Why did she take off like that?"  Justin asked.

"I don't know.  She just gave me the phone back and took off."

"Gave you what phone back?"  Marty asked completely confused.

"My phone.  She was talking to Wade."

"She was what?!  Why?!  Wait, why was she on your phone?"

"Because I called him.  He knew that she collapsed and he wanted to know for himself that she was alright.  What's the problem?"  Brian asked, praying that Marty would give him the opportunity to call him out.

"Yeah, he wanted to know if she was alright my ass.  Why don't you just stay out of this Brian.  If she wants to talk to him she will."

"Maybe you should stay out of it!"  Brian yelled back.  "She's fuckin dating Wade, yet you always seem to be hovering over her.  Why is that?  Are you getting a little from her on the side?"

Furious, Marty got up in Brian's face.  "First off, where the hell do you get off accusing me of anything, let alone that!.  Second, not that it is any of your business but the relationship she had with Wade is over."

Hearing Marty's comment, Justin stook there in complete shock.  Could Wade have already found out about the two of them?  Was that the reason she was crying?  Did he confront her?

"Well even if they did break up. that doesn't mean they have to stay that way.  Maybe if you would quit trying to get in her pants they could work things out between them."

Although Marty wanted to just step up and punch Brian right in the face for making such accusations, he knew he wasn't going to sink to that level.

"You know what...you can think what you want.  I really don't give a shit, but don't think for a second that I'm going to let you help him get back together with her.

Laughing, Brian brushed past Marty and headed out of the lounge.

"Man what the hell is going on?  Justin asked, still standing there in shock as he tried to process everything he just witnessed.  "Wade and Michelle broke up?  When?"

"Yeah they broke up, but I can't get into that right now.  Michelle took off before I got a chance to talk to her and right now I really need to find her."

"I'm coming with you."  Justin said, walking after Marty who had already started to head towards the front door.  Even though he obviously didn't know as much as Marty about what was going on, he was still worried about her and he wanted some answers.

"I think it would be in her best intrest if I just went alone.  I mean, I know your concerned J but you need to just trust me on this one.  I'll call you as soon as I find her though." 

With that said, Marty headed out the door into the parking lot.  He knew that Michelle was in an unstable state to begin with and judging by her reaction from talking to Wade, she certainly wasn't feeling any better about the break up. 

After watching Marty pull out of the parking lot, Justin walked over to his truck and got inside. Everything that had happened within the last hour alone had him more confused that ever. If Michelle and Wade were no longer a couple, should he try to make his move or would the conflict of intrest between business and pleasure be too great a risk.  That was something he was going to have to decide.

Chapter 68

In tears, Michelle sped away from Millennium.  Everything was becoming overwhelming and the harsh reality that her life would never be the same was slowly sinking in.  Never again would she be without the feeling of heartbreak and loss.  Always present in her mind would be the memories of falling asleep crying and knowing that the reason for her suffering was that a man she loved, didn't love her.  A man who took her virginity as well as her soul and left her with nothing to show but a few scars.

She needed time to think, time to figure out what the future held for her and whether or not hat future included a residencey in Los Angeles.  For now, she just needed to escape.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Justin got back to his house, he went inside and plopped down on the sofa. 

His mind was flooded with feelings he wasn't ready to deal with.  Feelings he hadn't felt in awhile and it scared him.  It seemed like just yesterday that him and Britney were a couple.  They were so happy, so in love, but then unexpectedly things came to an end and he thought he would never be able to feel that way about someone else ever again.

Although he knew there wasn't any future between them, he wasn't quite ready to move on either.  He was simply content to surround himself with family and friends and submerge himself in the work of venturing out as a solo artist. 

Up until now, that was all he thought he needed.   He was comfortable with his life.  He managed to forgive Britney and maintain somewhat of  friendship between them and even decided to be the bigger man and put Wade's betrayal of their friendship in the past.  Eventually leading to him offering Wade the choreography gig for his upcoming tour, which he surprisingly accepted. 

Everything, once again, was back on track in Justin's life and although he started dating again, he wasn't in search of that special someone to share his life with.  Yet somehow fate had a mind of it's own and in fact brought someone into his life.  Someone who he connected with.  Someone who seemed to touch the very place in his heart that he had locked away and for the first time Justin realized that he needed that in his life. 

As Justin sat on the sofa deep in thought as to why things were happening the way they were, his cell phone started to ring.  Hoping it was Marty, he quickly pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Hey dude, where you at?"  Trace asked.

"Back home.  Why, what's up?"

"We need to talk."

"About?"  Justin asked, as he got off of the sofa and headed into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water.

"Look, I know you don't want to hear anything I have to say concerning Michelle, but I just can't sit by and watch this disaster in the making.  I've seen too many changes in you to know that this isn't a game anymore." 

"Tell me about it."  Justin said, slightly laughing.  He knew Trace was right.  He had changed, his feelings about the whole situation had changed.  Now with the information getting out that she was single....there was a very stong possibility that everything could change.

"What's that suspossed to mean?  Never mind.  I'm not sure I wanna know yet.  You can just tell me when I get there."

"When you get here?"  Justin asked, sitting back down on the sofa.

"Yeah, I'm on my way over there right now.  I should be there in fifteen minutes."

"Alright man, well then I guess I'll see you when you get here."

Trace grew silent for a second.  Normally when he mentioned Michelle, Justin would be less than receptive to anything he had to say.  It even got to the point where he didn't want him mentioning her.  Now this?

"What?  No protesting, no.......'I know what I'm doing' or 'Trace stay out of it'?" 

"No, I'm actually glad your coming over.  I wanted to talk anyway."

"Oh man, It's worse than I thought isn't it?"

"I'll see you when you get here man."  Justin said, ending the call and tossing the phone down on the sofa next to him. 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Justin leaned back against the sofa.  He knew Trace always had his best interests at heart and if truth be told, he was glad that he was on his way over. 

Other than his mother, Trace was the one person that Justin could talk openly with and trust whole heartedly.  Knowing that he couldn't tell Lynn everything that was going on or had gone on between him and Michelle, Justin knew that Trace was going to be the only one, if any, that could help him figure things out.

Pushing himself up off the sofa, Justin grabbed his cell and headed upstairs.  He knew there was going to be a lot of feelings that he would need to sort through before he could even give any serious thought to pursing a relationship with her.  Knowing that, he knew exactly where to start.

Reaching his bedroom, Justin walked inside and sat down on the edge of his bed.  Letting out a heavy sigh, Justin pulled open the drawer to his nightstand and took out the last picture taken of him and Britney when they were a couple. Was he really ready to move on without her.  Could he completely open up his heart and soul to Michelle knowing that the risk for heartache would be there.  He wasn't exactly sure of either answer at this point, but he knew it wouldn't be hard to figure out the first one.  All he would need to do was call Britney later and ask her to meet him somewhere to talk.  If there was anything still there beyond friendship, he would surely feel it.

The second question was a bit more difficult to answer.  He really didn't expect to feel anything for Michelle when he decided to go ahead with his plan.  It was simply susposed to be a quick hook up so that Wade would get a taste of his own medicine.  How things got so off course, he'll never know.  However, the fact remained the same.  Things had changed and he was now left with a dilema on his hands. 

Countless roadblocks were already in place and he knew that more than likely, others had yet to be discovered.  The obvious one, first and foremost, was her relationship with Wade. 

Even though Justin had just found out that their relationship had ended, he wasn't sure that the break-up was permanent.  Certainly the facts surrounding the break-up had yet to be revealed...atleast to him anyway...and he had never known Wade to just walk away from something he wanted.  Britney was a perfect example of just how persistant he could be.  So if Wade still wanted her, it was going to be an uphill battle to say the least.

Then there was the fact that he still wasn't clear on Michelle's relationship with Marty.  Of course he had his suspiscions. Obviously Brian also had a few of his own if he went so far as to tell Marty to stop trying to get in Michelle's pants earlier at MC, but something told him now that he was wrong.  Whatever was going on between Marty and Michelle wasn't sexually based.  He just wish he knew exactly what it was. 

Of course there was also the fact that Justin tried to avoid mixing business and pleasure, but if everything else fell into place, that wouldn't be so much of a concern.  They would figure it out together.  Together.....it sounded nice. 

Then before Justin had a chance to imagine what that would be like, he realized that Marty never called him back.  He said he would call him the second he found Michelle, but almost two hours had passed and still no word. 

Worried, Justin grabbed his phone and dialed Marty's number.  After a few rings with no answer, it kicked into voice mail. 

"Must be doing someting important, leave me a message and i'll get back to you."

"Hey man it's Justin.  Haven't heard from you yet and I was starting to worry.  Call me when you get this so I know Michelle's alright."

Hanging up the phone, Justin headed back downstairs to wait for Trace.    Tossing the phone down on the counter, Justin grabbed another bottle of water and twisted off the cap.  Just as he was about to take a sip, his phone started to ring.  Quickly he sat it down beside the sink and rushed over to the counter.  Picking it up, he pressed the button and placed it to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Hey J, I got your message.  I just wanted to let you know that I didnt' forget about you.......I just haven't found her yet."

"Are you serious?"  Justin asked, half worried, half in shock.

  Where did you look?"

"Well I drove over to her apartment to check there first.  She wasn't there so I decided to drive around for a little bit.  I really didn't think she would head over to Wade's place, but I checked there anyway.  Still nothing."

"Did you swing back by MC?"

"No, but I called over there.  No one has seen or heard from her since she left there earlier.  I tried to call her cell a few times but she didn't answer."

"Do you have any idea where else she would go?  I mean does she know anyone else in LA?"

"No, none that I know of or recall off hand."  Marty said, the panic becoming apparent in his voice.

"Look, I know your worried, I am too man, but maybe she just wants to be alone for awhile.  I'm sure she's alright.  She'll show up.  Just give her some time, you'll see."

Knowing that Justin couldn't fully understand why he was so worried, Marty agreed with Justin that the best thing to do now was just wait it out.  Even though he knew deep down, he couldn't do that.  The second he got off the phone with him, he was going back to look for her and wasn't going to stop until he found her.

"Well I just wanted to touch base with you.  If you happen to hear from her or see her, let me know."

"No problem.  You do the same man.  I'm sure she's fine."

"I hope so.  Catch you later."

"Alright Marty, take it easy man."  Justin said flipping his phone shut and walking over to the window to see who had pulled in the driveway.  As he figured, it was Trace.

Sitting his phone down on the table, he walked over to the front door and pulled it open.

"Ok, now I know it's worse than I thought."  Trace said, brushing past Justin and heading into the livingroom.

"And why is that?"  Justin asked, half laughing.

"You mean besides the look on your face?"

Now full on laughing, Justin shut the door and headed over to the mirror that hung on the wall.

"What look?  I don't see any look."

"Yeah well it's there J, trust me."

"If you say so." Justin replied, joining Trace who had already grabbed a seat in the livingroom.

"So, do you wanna start or should I?"  Trace chuckled, kicking up his feet to rest them on the coffee table.

"By all means, enlighten me oh great one."  Justin said, jokingly bowing before collapsing onto the sofa opposite him.

"See, I knew it.  Your trying to make a joke of this.  You have been doing this since we were kids dude.  Don't you think I know you by now?"

"What do you want me to say."

"How about..."Dude, I'm falling for Michelle and I'm in a world of shit.'...that would be a good start."

Making a face, Justin stood backup and walked into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry man, I knew something was up with you and although I knew you were starting to feel something for her, I didn't realize it was this serious."

"Well trust me, this wasn't on my agenda either."

"I know, but hey, that wasn't a good agenda anyway.  See just think.  If you would have hit it the first day, you'd be kicking yourself in the ass right now."

"Yeah, I don't have to worry about that.  I just have a much bigger problem." 

"It's gonna be a long night isn't it?"  Trace asked, leaning against the counter.

Leaning his head back against the refridgerator, Justin let out a sigh.

"I take that as a yes.  Well, you know I got your back with whatever decision you make."

"Thanks man."  Justin said. 

"I know."  Trace said, jumping back so that he was sitting on the counter. "What would you do without me dude."

Slightly laughing, Justin kicked his foot as it hung over the edge of the counter.  Whether or not he conversation would have the outcome he was hoping for, he was certain that after his talk with Trace, he would know what to do. 

Chapter 69

After Chantal grabbed something to eat, she headed back to her room to pack her stuff back up.  She had only been in NY for a few hours and now Wade was making her head back to LA.  If they weren't so close, she would have told him he was damn crazy.  Eight hours up and now eight hours back.  It was a complete nightmare.  She still didn't understand why he thought something was going on between Michelle and Justin, but at this point she didn't dare bring it up or question it. 

Once her bags were packed, Chantal pulled them over to rest against the dresser by the hotel door.  She still had two hours until she had to leave for the airport and hoped that in that small amount of time she would get some indication that Wade would be alright alone in NY.  That after all was her main concern and the reason she flew out to NY in the first place.

Grabbing her room key, Chantal shoved it into her front pocket and headed down to Wade's room.  She hoped that he took the time alone to get his mind together.  She had never seen him that way and she would be lying if she didn't admit that he even scared her.  It just wasn't like him to be that angry. 

Once she got to his room, she stopped and let out a heavy sigh.  She was just about to knock on the door when Wade pulled it open.  Noticing that Wade appeared to be heading somewhere, she gave him a confused look.

"You going somewhere?"

"Uh...yeah actually I was.  I...I didn't think you would be back until later."  Wade said.

Crossing her arms in front of her, she stared him down and tried to figure out exactly what he was hiding.  She knew that Wade didn't have anything work related to do because he ended up going to NY ahead of schedule.  She did however know that whatever it was he planned on doing, she obviously interrupted.  The look on his face clearly said it all.

"So, where are you headed?" she said, interrogating him.

"I was just going to go take a walk."  Wade said, quickly pulling the door closed behind him and shoving his room key into his pocket. 

"Oh, mind if I join ya?" 

"Uh...don't you have to get ready to head back to LA.  I mean you still have to pack your bags back up, right?"  Wade nervously asked, looking down the hall towards the elevator.

"Are you trying to get rid of me? Where the hell are you really headed Wade?"

"Jesus!  So what, now I can't even take a walk without you thinking the worst?!  Do I have to call you and get clearance to leave my room when your back in LA too?"  he said, brushing past her and heading down the hall.

Shaking her head, she stood there and watched as he headed to the elevator and pressed the button.  She knew there wasn't a chance in hell that Wade was planning a stroll through NY and if he thought even for a second that she would buy it, he was sorely mistaken.  Unfortuently, now it was to the point where she just didn't care anymore.  She could try and reason with him....try to convince him that he needed help, but unless he was ready to admit it, it wasn't going to do anyone any good.  There wasn't much more she could do. He was simply going to have to handle this on his own.

Feeling defeated, Chantal headed back to her room.  At this point, all she wanted to do was get back to LA and forget that she even made the trip to NY. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once inside, Wade pressed the button and then leaned against the wall of the elevator, hoping that the ride down to the lobby would be a quick one.  Although he didn't really have plans on talking a walk like he told Chantal, he couldn't wait to do just that.

Feeling the elevator hit bottom, Wade straightened back up and waited for the doors to open.  Once they did, he walked out and headed directly for the door, ignoring the blond female that was calling his name from a chair in the lobby.

"Wade, Wade where you going?" 

Only quickly glancing behind him, he continued his path towards the front door.  He only had one thing on his mind.  Getting out of the hotel and away from Chantal.

"What the hell is your problem?!"  the female yelled out, as she got up from the chair and walked after him.

Stopping quickly in his tracks, Wade turned around to face her.

"What's the big rush?  Where are you headed and why didn't you answer me?" she asked, pushing the strap of her purse back up onto her shoulder.

"Look, I'll meet up with you later Cam.  I just need to get out of here for awhile."

"What do you mean get out of here for awhile.  You call me up after I havent talked to you in months and tell me your in town and that you want me to stop by the hotel.  Now your ignoring me and telling me you'll meet up with me later?  What the hell do I look like?  I'm not gonna sit around and wait for you!"

"Then don't.  I really don't give a shit right now."  Wade said, starting to turn around to head back towards the door. 

"Look, you wanna get out of here?  Fine.  Let's go back to my place then." she said, grabbing his arm and pulling him into her.  "It'll be like old times." 

After standing there watching her seductively lick her bottom lip, Wade knew exactly what it was she was offering him if he went back with her to her apartment.  He also knew that it was one of the last things he should be doing right now. However, after promising himself that he would try his hardest to stay away from liquor only one thing remained that would get his mind of the situation back home in LA. 

"Whatever. Then let's go.  I just need to get the fuck out of here for a few hours." he said, taking her hand and heading through the lobby and out the front door. 

Once he saw an opening in traffic, they ran across the street to her apartment a few buildings down. 

"Geez, this seems familiar."  she laughed as Wade stopped in front of her apartment building and waited for her to punch in the security code to open the lobby door.  Once the door buzzed, Wade pulled it open and she walked inside.

"The place has changed some since I was here last."  Wade said, looking around the lobby as she pressed the button on the elevator to head upstairs.

"Yeah.  It's been awhile since you've been here."  I think the last time you were actually in my apartment was when you and the guys were out doing the pop odyssey tour.  Man, that is a long time ago."  she chuckled.  So, how are the guys doing?"  she asked, as he walked towards to her.

"They're good.  Everyone is just doing their own thing right now.  I'm actually doing Justin's choreography for his upcoming tour." 

"That's great. You guys worked so well together."  she stated, adjusting the neckline of her shirt so that it would convienently catch Wade's eye. "You know, if memory serves me right, we worked very well together too."  she said, walking behind him and letting her hand run over the tight muscles in his lower back. 

"Haven't changed much have ya Cam.  Still the same horny little thing.  Is that all you think about is sex?"  he asked, grabbing a hold of her hand and pulling her in front of him so that he could look at her.

"You say that like it's a bad thing." she said, moving her hands to Wade's belt and playfully giving it a tug as the elevator doors opened.

"Well I pride myself on being able to pick up on the bad girl vibe.  After all I sure had you pegged right didn't I?"

Before she could reply or let go of his belt to turn around, Wade put his hands on her waist and quickly walked her backwards into the elevator.

"So, you still a tease Camy?"  Wade asked, as he removed one hand from her waist so that he could press the button to her floor. 

"I've never been a tease Wade.  You of all people should know that." she whispered, tracing her fingers over the grooves in his stomach. 

"We'll see."  he snickered, sliding his hands down to her ass, griping tightly as he pressed against her. 

A few seconds later, the elevator doors opened and she stood there waiting for him to move, yet knowing he wouldn't do so until he was ready. 

"I see your still the same Wade.  Don't you ever get tired of having things your way all the time?" she asked, looking up at the fire that was radiating in his eyes.

"No."  he said matter of factly, backing up only slightly to allow her to slip from the small space he had confined her to only moments ago.

Keeping his gaze upon her, he watched as she slowly exited the elevator and proceeded down the hall to her apartment. Once they arrived at her door, she reached into her purse and pulled out her keys.  She knew what was bound to happen and the sooner they got inside the sooner the fun would begin.

Placing the key into the lock, she gave it a quick turn and heard the door unlock.  The second the door opened up, Wade quickly pressed himself into her from behind to scoot her inside. 

"You always were a bit impatient, weren't you?"  she laughed, quickly pulling her shirt over her head and tossing it on the floor.

"Yeah, and you always were a bit too talkative."  he said, pulling her forcefully into him as he kicked the door shut behind them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

Finally ready to leave for the airport, Chantal made a call to Michelle's apartment, but unfortunetly she wasn't there.  She knew that Wade was a lost cause right now,  but that didn't mean that she would ignore the obligation she felt to keep Michelle and Justin out of harms way.  Wade eventually would be back in LA and she wanted to make sure that, if nothing else, they would be aware of Wade's current state of mind.

Grabbing a piece of paper from the hotel desk, Chantal wrote a quick note to Wade.  She had a feeling he wasn't coming back before she left for the airport and, if truth be told, she thought that it was better that way.  It killed her to see Wade act this way.  It wasn't the baby brother she knew and loved.  This was someone totaly different.  He had become someone she didn't even want to know and that broke her heart.

After checking the room to make sure she wasn't leaving anything behind, Chantal grabbed her two bags and headed down to Wade's room.  Pulling the note from the side pocket of her suitcase, Chantal slipped it under the door and then headed down to the lobby. She knew that more than likely Wade was out getting himself into something he shouldn't be, but she couldn't babysit him anymore.  She gave him all the advice she could possibly give.  It was simply now all in his hands as to what he did with it.  Granted the whole situation was uncomfortable, but there wasn't anything she could do.  After making arrangements with the front desk, she walked out side to get some fresh air and hoped that wherever Wade was, that he was making the right choices.

Chapter 70

After watching Cameran wrap a sheet around her to head into the bathroom, Wade stood up and walked over to the chair where he had tossed his jeans earlier.  He knew that having sex with Cameran wasn't exactly the smartest thing he could have done, but it was too late to go back and change things now.  What was done...was done.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Wade slipped them on and headed over to the window that overlooked the busy NYC street outside the hotel.  Glancing momentarily at his watch, he knew that Chantal would be leaving soon to head back to LA......and Michelle.

"Hey, didn't you hear me calling you?" Cameran asked, as she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

Startled, Wade glanced behind him.

"No, I didn't.  What's up?"  he asked, pulling away from her and heading over to the chair to grab the rest of his things. 

"I asked if you wanted to go grab something to eat.  I don't know about you but I'm starved."

Ignoring her question, Wade slid his shirt on and started to button it up.  He knew that calling her was a mistake from the beginning but he went through with it anyway.  That was mistake one.  Mistake two was going back to her apartment knowing damn well what would happen if he did.  Mistake three would be continuing to spend time with her and he wasn't about to make that one.  He had to get out of there and back to the hotel to talk to Chantal before she left.

"What the hell is your problem?"  she asked walking over to the edge of the bed where Wade was sitting.

"Look, I'm sorry.  I never should have called you. This isn't fair to you and it isn't fair to Michelle."  he said grabbing his wallet off the nightstand.

"Michelle?!  Who the fuck is Michelle?!" Cameran asked, placing her hands on her hips.

"She's everything to me and right now, this is the last place I should be."

Standing up, Wade started to head towards to door to leave, but Cameran quickly blocked his way.

"Wait...you have a girlfriend and yet you call me up just so you can get laid?!  That's fuckin bullshit Wade!"

Knowing that she was right, he attempted to appologize.

"Look, I said I'm sorry Cam.  I just have a lot of things going on right now and I just can't keep doing this kind of shit to her.  I can't keep hurting her.  She deserves better."

Laughing, Cameran brushed past him and opened the door.

"Get out!  I can't believe you did this shit....again!" she yelled. "You make me sick!"

Sliding his wallet into his back pocket, Wade headed over to the door.  He never meant to hurt Cameran, but right now all he was concerned about was Michelle and her feelings.  Something he should have been doing from the beginning.

"Don't ever call me again!"  she said, slamming the door shut behind him.

Without looking back, Wade headed over to the elevator and pressed the down button.  He knew if he hurried he still might be able to catch Chantal before she left for the airport.  He had a lot of things he wanted to say to her, but none more important than 'I'm sorry'.

Once Wade got off the elevator, he walked outside and ran across the street to the hotel, hoping he wasn't too late.  He just couldn't bear the thought of Chantal going back to LA leaving things the way they did between them.  She was all he had left at this point and the one person who would stick beside him no matter what.

Seeing Wade coming, the doorman opened the door and Wade walked inside heading straight for the front desk.

"Excuse me, can you tell me if Chantal Robson has checked out of room 1125 yet?"  Wade asked, leaning slightly on the counter.

Typing the information into the computer, the front desk clerk waited for the screen to pop up.  Once it had, she glanced back at the clock behind her.

"Yes sir.  She checked out a few minutes ago."

Dropping his head forward to the counter, he began mumbling under his breath.

"Is there a problem sir?"  she asked.

Pushing himself away from the counter, he shook his head 'no' and headed upstairs to his room to shower away any reminder of Cameran and hope that in the process he would wash away some of the guilt he felt for doing what he did.

After Wade had showered, he headed back into the bedroom and saw that the message light was flashing on the hotel phone.  Sitting down on the bed, he dialed the number to the front desk, confused by who would be calling him on the hotel phone.  Everyone who needed to get in touch with him would use his cell. 

"Yes, this is Wade Robson in room 1137.  My message light was flashing."  Wade said, continuing to towel dry his hair.

"One second sir. I'll check." the gentleman said before placing him on hold.  After a few seconds, he came back on the line.

"Actually there is a package here for you." 

"A package?"  Wade asked confused.

"Yes, if you would like, I can have someone bring it upstairs to you."

"That would be great.  Thanks."  Wade said, hanging up the phone.  He wasn't sure what could possibly be in the package but the thought that it was most likely Chantal who had left something for him, made him feel slightly better about their situation and the way he left things with her. 

After a few minutes had passed, there was a knock at the door.  Unlocking it, Wade opened the door to find the bellboy standing outside holding a small box.

"Here is your package sir."  he said, handing the box over to Wade.

Opening his wallet, Wade pulled out a bill and handed it to the gentleman. Graciously accepting it, the bellboy walked back down the hall and Wade shut the door.

Giving the box a slight shake, Wade walked over  to window.  Once he unfastened the tape that held the box securely closed,  he opened it up.  There inside was a phone very similiar to the one he had purchased earlier with a small envelope. Confused he looked at the contents, grabbed the envelope and then sat the box containing the phone down on the bed.  Tapping the envelope in his palm of his hand,  he waked over to the chair at the other end of the room.  Once he sat down, he ripped open the envelope and pulled out a small folded piece of paper.  The second he opened it up his heart sank.
 

Michelle sounds very sweet.
Im sure you'll have a happy life together.
Then again maybe not.
No one likes to have a cheating asshole for a boyfriend!

Cam

Jumping out of the chair, Wade ran over to the bed and grabbed the phone out of the box.  Turing it on, he realized that in fact it WAS his phone.  With everything running though his mind after being with Cameran, he completely forgot that he left his phone sitting on her coffee table. 

Knowing most likely what he was about to find, he hesitated slightly before searching for the one thing he was almost certain he would find.  Once he pulled his menu screen up, he hit the button for call log and felt a knot growing in his stomach. Then there it was, only 15 minutes earlier a call to Michelle's apartment.  Shaking, Wade stood there torn between the feelings of rage he felt towards Cameran and the fear that her call may have cost him his last chance at getting back together with Michelle.

"I just don't know what I'm gonna do man.  So much shit is just up in the air."  Justin said, as he walked Trace to the front door.

"Well, just don't rush into things.  This is one of those things that is better left to play itself out."

"I know.  So what time you wanna meet up later?"

"You call it man. I don't know what you have going on.  I'm pretty much open the rest of the evening."  Trace said, grabbing his keys out of his pocket.

"Around 10?"  Justin said, glancing down at his watch.

"Sounds good man.  I'll see you there." Trace replied, then headed out the door.

Shutting the door behind him, Justin walked into the kitchen and grabbed the phone off the table.  After hopping up on the counter, Justin dialed the number to Marty's cell phone.  He still hadn't heard from him about Michelle and the longer it went, the more he started to worry. 

Finally, Marty answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey it's Justin.  Any luck finding Michelle?"

"No man.  None and I'm running out of places to look."

"Well, I don't know if you want to hear this or not, but it might be a good idea to give Wade a call.  I'm sure he would know some places she might go."

"Absolutley not!  There isn't a chance in hell I would call him!"  Marty said, practically yelling.

"It was just a suggestion dude, damn!  What the hell is the deal with you two.  Does it have something to do with why him and Michelle broke up?"

"They broke up because Wade's an ass!  He didn't deserve her and he better NEVER go near her again!"  he snapped back.

Knowing there was more to this story than he had knowledge of, he backed off.  He really didn't want to waste time interrogating Marty when he could be out looking for her.

"Are you sure you don't want me to help you look?"  Justin asked, jumping down from the counter.

"I'm sure.  I think I'm the only one she trusts right now anyway."

"You know I really wish you would fill me in.  I keep hearing these bits and pieces of shit and the more I hear, the more confused I get."

"Well I could say the same thing.  I mean what's the deal with you two?  I mean the more I started to think about it the more questions I had.  Like the night at your party.  One minute she was fine and the next she comes running in telling me she wants to go home."

"Fine.  Point taken.  Look, all we're doing is wasting time.  You have questions...I have questions. The important thing right now is that we find her.  Right?"

"Of course."

"Well then call me the second you find her."  Justin said.

"I will.  Don't worry man." 

Hanging up the phone, Justin headed upstairs to jump in the shower.  After all the chaos that unfolder earlier, he was looking forward to getting out of the house and just letting loose.  After all, going to a club with Trace was almost a guaranteed good time and for that he was thankful.