As dawn showed the first signs of it's arrival, Michelle stretched her arms above her head.  Surprisingly, she had slept better than she thought she would.  When she had laid her head down on her pillow, the only thing that occupied her mind were the memories of the night she jumped out of his navigator.  The one night she knows will haunt her for the rest of her life. 

Pushing the covers to the bottom of the bed, she lowered her feet to the floor and stood up. 

"Man, remind me never to drink like that again." she said to herself, rubbing the sides of her temples. "I don't know how Wade does it." 

Heading into her bathroom, Michelle opened up her vanity and grabbed a bottle of aspirin from the shelf.  After opening it, she placed two pills in her hand and then filled the glass beside the sink with water. 

"Well...here's to hoping you work wonders." she said, and placed the pills in her mouth chasing them down with the water. 

Walking back in to her bedroom, she headed over to the dresser to grab something to wear.  She knew she didn't have alot to do today so her main goal was just to be comfortable.  Pulling one of her dresser drawers open, she looked through the stack and finally found a pair of her favorite jeans.  Pulling them out, she tossed them on the bed and attempted to shut the drawer with the other hand.  Unfortunetly, she pushed it harder than she thought and one of the framed photos she had arranged on the top of the dresser fell to the floor. 

"God damn it."  she said, crouching down. 

Picking it up, she attempted to place the photo back on top of the dresser but stopped.  Taking it back down, she held the frame in her hand stared at it. 

"How could you do this to me.  I loved you.  I loved you more than life itself." she said softly wiping away a tear that had fallen from her eyes to the silver frame.  "Why wasn't I good enough.  Why didn't you love me back. WHY?!" she yelled, tossing the frame across the room and shattering it off the wall beside the bed. 

"Why?"  she cried, slouching down against the dresser to the floor. 

Hearing the sound of breaking glass, Marty jumped from the couch and ran upstairs as fast as he could, stopping just outside her doorway when he saw her sitting on the floor crying. 

As he slowly made his way over to her, she looked up at him. 

"Why doesn't he love me Marty?  What did I do to make him treat me like this." 

"Nothing, don't say that.  You didn't do anything to deserve this.  This isn't your fault.  He has a problem and he needs help." 

"I just don't understand...we used to be so happy."  she said, breaking out in tears 

"Oh baby, don't cry.  It will be alright.  I promise.  It's just gonna take some time, but your strong.  You can make it through this." 

"I don't think I can." 

"You can and will. You have plenty of people here for support.  You just have to let us help you." 

Leaning her head against Marty's shoulder, she continued to cry, hoping that somewhere within she would find the strength to face the day.  Another day of hoping that she would somehow be able to erase the memories she still held tightly to of a man who had once loved her.  A man who despite his claims of love for her, destroyed her over and over again.  A man who, as much she hated to admit it, still held a small part of her heart. A part she knew he no longer deserved. 

She wanted to be able to take that part of her heart and give it to another.  Someone who would never hurt her or make her feel like she was worthless, but the hold he had on her was unlike anything she had ever felt before.  It was indescribable. 

"Come on.  Let's go downstairs.  I'll clean that up later."  Marty said, standing up and extending his hand to her. 

"You know...I think I'm just going to jump in the shower.  I'll be down in a little bit." she said, wiping her tears away. 

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." 

"Alright.  I'm gonna go run out and grab us some breakfast then.  I'll be back in like 20 minutes.  Are you going to be ok here by yourself?" 

"Yeah I'll be fine." 

"Ok, I'll be right back." 

Letting out a heavy sigh, Michelle watched as Marty walked out the door. He had been there for her since she arrived in Los Angeles and she knew that when he said he would be there to support through the hardest time in her life, he meant it.  Something she was thankful for.  She couldn't imagine trying to get through this without him. Getting up off the floor, she grabbed her clothes and headed into the bathroom. 

___________________________________________________________________

Even though the morning sunlight had just begun to reflect off the towering buildings of the city, Wade had already been awake for over an hour.  He knew that sleep was going to be the last thing on his mind last night, but he never imagined that the only thing he would be thinking about was where Michelle had been.  Granted Brian didn't help things much with the news he delivered, but hopefully he would have atleast a little more information for him before he boarded his plane back home. News that hopefully didn't involve her with Justin. 

Glancing over at his watch, he knew that he had a good three hours until he had to leave for the airport, so he decided to order some room service.  Not that he had much of an appetite, but after his little night out, he needed something in his system other than the poisons he consumed last night at the bar and at Cameran's house. 

"Time to get things back to the way they're susposed to be....to the way I want them."  Wade said, glancing down at a picture of Michelle he had in his wallet. "I tried to get my act together, but you know, I really don't see much point in it now.  I should have known that you were like all the rest.  Don't matter though, because I'm not letting you leave.  Not now, not ever." 

Hearing his cell phone start to ring, Wade sat his wallet back down on top of his suitcase and pulled the phone from his pocket.  After flipping it open, he placed it to his ear. 

"Hello?" 

"Hey man.  I didn't think you'd be up already.  I was just going to leave you a voice mail." 

"No, I'm up.  I didn't get much sleep last night, as you could probably imagine." 

"Yeah, I know.  Sorry, I had to be the bearer of bad news last night." Brian said, empathetically.  "Anyway, I drove by J's house last night like you asked.  Her car wasn't there, but I did see Marty pull up about ten minutes after I got there." 

"Ten minutes after you got there?  What the hell did you do?  Sit outside his house and run surveilance?" 

"No, it wasn't like that. Well, maybe it was." Brian, said laughing.  "Anyway, when I got there, the gate was open but Michelle's car wasn't there, like I said.  The only thing in the driveway was J's escalade.   I would have just left, but Justin always keeps that gate shut.  Either he was planning on heading somewhere or someone was on their way over. So, I decided to park across the street for a few minutes to see what was up.  Thinking maybe Michelle might have been on her way over there." 

"And?" 

"That's when I saw Marty pull up.  He was inside for about five minutes and then I saw her come running out of the house." 

"Who?  Michelle?" 

"Yeah.  She ran out Justin's and jumped in Marty's truck with both of them running after her. J went over and opened up her door and crouched down to talk to her.  Then Marty went around to the drivers side to get in and leave, but Justin stood up and started yelling shit at Marty.  I don't know what he was yelling about, but not long after, Marty got inside and they left.  J stood there for a few minutes and then went back inside.  You could tell that things were heated between the two, but I have no idea why." 

"What the fuck?!  I wanna know what the hell is going on!  You know what, if she thought it was bad before..."  he said slightly laughing.  "....she's going to be in for a shock. I'm tired of this shit!  I don't know who the hell she thinks she is!" 

"Settle down man.  You don't even know if anything happened.  You could be imagining the worst and it's probably nothing like you think it is." 

"Nothing like I think?! Oh it's exactly what I think!  Trust me!  This time I'll hit her so fuckin hard she won't want to get up.  If she does though, I'll make sure the next one puts her out!  She's not going to make a fool out me!" 

"WHAT?!  Wade....please tell me you don't you hit this girl." 

"Hell yeah I hit her!" Wade snapped back, almost proud of the statement he just made. 

"Are you fuckin kidding me?!"  Brian asked, completely in shock. 

"No I'm not kidding!  Don't go giving me some damn lecture either!  You handle things the way you want to handle them and I handle things the way I want to handle them.  And if that means smacking her around a little bit, then so be it." 

"Man...that shit isn't cool.  You just don't hit a woman.....ever.  I mean, come on Wade.  Don't do that shit." 

"Thanks for your two cents, but I don't recall asking for it." 

"I thought you liked this girl?" 

"Yeah, and?" 

"Then why in the hell would you want to hit her?" 

"Why? Why not.  I have to keep her in line somehow."  he said, with the tone in his voice cold as ice. 

Brian was left speechless.  He had no idea that things were this intense between Michelle and Wade when he agreed to help Wade out.  All Wade had told him was that Marty seemed to be interested in Michelle and it was causing some problems for them.  He was just trying to help Wade close the rift that Marty had wedged between him and Michelle.  Except now he was beginning to put two and two together and he didn't like what it added up to.   Way more was going on than Wade let on and at this point he knew he couldn't be involved anymore. 

"I'm sorry man, but I can't be a part of this.  I mean, I said I would try and help you mend things with Michelle, but that was before I knew you hit her.  I'm not going to get you information that would put her at risk.  Which is basically what you had me do last night.  Your just looking for a reason to justify hitting her, aren't you?  What the hell is so wrong in your life that you need to resort to violence? Seriously?" 

"Whatever Dr. Phil.  I'm not going to sit here and listen to your psycho-babble bullshit.  I have better things to do.  Thanks for the information though.  Her being at Justin's is definetly something that I need to "discuss" with her." 

"Wade, no wait a...." was the last thing Brian got out before Wade flipped his phone shut and tossed it down on the table. 

Chapter 82 

Once downstairs, Marty grabbed his shoes from besides the sofa and walked over to the chair.  After slipping them on, he grabbed his keys and headed to the front door.  Just as he was about to open it though, he heard someone knock.  After looking through the peep hole, he opened it up. 

"Uh...hey Marty. Is Michelle here?"  Chantal asked, slightly taken by surprise that he was there that early in the morning. 

"Yeah, she's in the shower though.  You wanna come in?" 

"Oh no, I don't want to interupt anything.  I just wanted to stop by and talk to her about something." 

"Interupt?"  he asked puzzled, then realized what she meant. "Oh god, no.  No, you didn't interupt anything.  Whatever your thinking, your wrong." 

"I wasn't thinking anything." 

"Yes you were, I can tell by the embarrassed look on your face."  he laughed.  "I'm just here looking out for her because she had a rough night last night." 

"What happened?" 

"It's a long story.  She's just going through a lot right now, and most of it no thanks to your asshole of a brother.  Because incase you didn't know, he's been treating her like shit!  No wait, he been beating the shit out of her!" 

"Yeah, unfortunelty I know all about it." 

"You know?  What the hell is his problem?!  Seriously?  Do you know all the shit he's done to her Chantal?  I mean...do you really know?" 

"I know it's bad Marty.  Trust me."  she said adjusting her purse as it hung over her shoulder. "He called me up after they had a fight one night..and well...as you can imagine...I was in shock when I got there." 

"Why?  Never mind, I can only imagine.  I don't wanna know anymore than I know already.  I can't stomach this shit." 

"That's why I'm here.  I'm worried about her and what Wade is capable of.  I don't even know him anymore Marty, and you know how close we are." 

"Don't worry about her.  When he gets back to LA, I'm going to beat the living shit out of him.  He won't want to go anywhere near her when I'm done with him.  Trust me." 

"Marty don't even say that.  You can't possible tell me that beating him up would solve anything.  Sure, it might make you feel better, but that's not the solution.  I mean I know he loves her, but he needs help.  Some serious help...before it's to late." 

"He loves her?!  What a joke!  He doesn't love her Chantal.  He loves the power he has over her.  You don't do that kind of shit to someone you're suposed to love.  I really don't think you have the slightest clue about how bad it is with him." 

"Yes, I do know how bad it is." she snapped back. 

"Do you know that at this very moment, handcuffs are hanging from the fuckin footboard of her bed? The fucker handcuffed her to the bed Chantal!  Oh, but I'm sure he only wanted to show her how much he "loved" her huh? You know, against her will of course." 

"Why are you getting all nasty with me!  I know the shit he's done Marty!  Christ, I saw her lying on his livingroom floor after he all but choked the life out of her!  I saw the marks he put on her and saw the fear in her eyes when he got near her!   I'll never forget it! I'm not here to defend him though! You're just not listening to me!" she said, fustrated. 

"What the hell are you trying to say then?  That you know it's wrong, but it's ok that he did those things because he loves her?  Wait, maybe that it's ok because it will all go away once he gets some help, right?  Well I don't give a shit about helping him.  I'm here to help her and if that means physcially stopping him from coming near her, then so be it." 

"Forget it!  You're being ridiculous. Just tell her to call me Marty."  she said, walking back down the hall. 

"Whatever."  Marty mumbled, as he stuffed his wallet in his back pocket and pulled her door shut. 

Hearing the sound of the door close, Michelle walked out of the bedroom and over to the top of the stairs. 

"Marty?  Are you still here?" 

When she didn't get an answer, she began to worry.  She knew she heard the door close. 

Quickly turning around, she ran back to her bedroom and locked the door.  The first thing that popped in her mind was that Wade had come back early from New York.  A thought that immeadiately sent chills through every part of her body. 

"Oh god, please don't do this to me.  Please."  she softly began saying over and over again. 

Just as she was about to reach the farthest point from the door, her phone began to ring.  Practically paralyzed by the fear that Wade was in the house, she continued to let the phone ring.  After the fourth ring though, the realization came over her that if indeed he was there, she was in trouble.  Quickly crawling over the bed, she grabbed the phone and hoped that whoever was calling hadn't hung up. 

"Hello?" 

"What's wrong?" 

"Marty?" she asked, the tone of fear still apparent in her voice. 

"Yeah,  what's going on?"  he asked, starting to sound more frantic than she did. 

"Where are you at?  I thought I heard you come back..I mean, I heard the door close but I called you name and you didn't answer.  Then I thought Wade....." 

"Whoa..slow down.  You heard the door shut?"  he asked. 

"Yeah" 

"Just like five minutes ago?" 

"Yeah." 

"That was me." 

"You just left?  I thought you were leaving when I got in the shower?" 

"I was, but Chantal stopped by as I was on my way out.  We talked for a few minutes and then I left.  She wants you to call her by the way." 

"Are you sure you that was you who shut the door?" 

"Yes, it was me.  I'm downstairs in my truck.  Do you want me to come back up?"  he asked, taking the keys out of the ignition. 

"No...if your sure it was you." 

"It was, but I'm gonna come up anyway.  Just to make sure everything is alright." 

"Thanks Marty."  she said, breathing a heavy sigh of relief as she hung the phone back up. 

Sitting there on the bed, Michelle glanced over at the fragments of glass as they covered the picture of her and Wade that she had thrown earlier. The had been so happy, but like the once beautiful frame, it was now shattered.  Broken beyond repair and leaving nothing but memories behind. 

Hearing the sound of the door shutting, Michelle got off the bed and walked over to the door.  Slightly hesitant, she grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it. 

"Michelle?" 

Hearing Marty's voice, she finished pulling it open and was relieved to see him standing before her.  Wrapping her arms around him, she held on for dear life. 

"I'm so glad it was only you.  I was so scared." 

"Don't be. He's not going to hurt you again. He can't.  I won't let him." 

Looking up at him, she saw a look in his eyes that reassured her that it was going to be alright.  A look that, for the first time, made her feel safe. 

"Well, since your out of the shower, you want to ride with me?" 

"Yes!" 

"Well then, let's go girl." 

"Just let me grab something to pull my hair back with."  she said, sprinting back into the bathroom. 

Slightly laughing, Marty watched as she came walking back out with her ponytail swaying effortlessly behind her. 

"Ok, now I'm ready." 

Taking a hold of her hand, Marty walked downstairs and out the door to his truck. 

_____________________________________________________________

Pulling his suitcases over to the door, Wade gave the room one last check to make sure he didn't leave anything behind.  He knew the taxi was going to be there any minute and the sooner he got to Los Angeles the better.  It was time to reclaim what he felt was his....Michelle. 

As he was stuffing his wallet in his back pocket, he heard a knock at the door.  After grabbing his cell phone from the table, he walked over and opened it up. 

"Are you ready to go Mr. Robson?" the bellman asked. 

"Yeah, I just have the two bags right there."  Wade said, pointing next to the door. 

"Very well.  I'll carry them down to the front desk for you.  The taxi you requested should be here any moment to take you to the airport."

"Thanks."  Wade said, handing the gentleman a tip. 

"No, thank you." 

As the bellman grabbed the bags, Wade picked up the folder from the table that contained some paperwork needed for the video shoot.  After tucking it under his arm, he grabbed his room key from the counter and pulled the door shut behind him. 

Once downstairs, Wade walked over to the front desk to check out. 

"How was everything Mr. Robson?"  the woman asked, taking the key from him and punching some information in to the computer. 

"Fine." 

"I see you originally placed the reservation on your credit card.  You were paid up until the end of the week.  Would you like me to refund the rest of the room rate back to this same card?" 

"Yeah, that's fine."  he said, scanning the lobby. 

"Do you have that card on you sir?" 

Not hearing the woman, Wade kept his focus on the lobby. 

"Sir?" 

"Oh, I'm sorry.  What did you say?"  he asked, turning his attention back to the clerk. 

"Your card.  Do you have that card so I can scan the credit back in?" 

"Yeah, I'm sorry."  he said, reaching in his back pocket and pulling out his wallet.  After pulling the card from it's slot, Wade placed it on the counter and resumed his scan of the lobby. 

After a few minutes, the woman sat his card back up on the counter along with his receipt. 

"Thank you Mr. Robson. It was a pleasure having you stay with us and we hope to see you again." 

"Thanks."  Wade said, taking the items from the counter.  Once he grabbed his bags, he headed over to the front door and finally saw who he was looking for. 

"Looking for me?" Cameran asked. 

"Do you have it or not?"  he asked rather annoyed. 

"Yeah I have it.  This isn't like the stuff you had before though.  You know that right?" 

"Just give me the shit Cameran." 

"My my my.  Aren't we a bit testy.  You sure you're not on anything right now?" 

"You really want to find out?"  he asked, giving her a look that clearly said not to fuck with him. 

"I get the picture.  Don't go getting all crazy on me.  Geez!"  she said, reaching in her purse. 

Dropping his one bag to his side, Wade reached into his wallet, pulled out a few bills and folded them in half.  After handing them to her, she took a hold of his hand and leaned in towards him. 

"You know where to find me if you need more."  she whispered in his ear. 

"Yeah.....I know."  he said, backing away from her 

"Don't be a stranger. I swear, next time you come to NY, things will be different. I won't make the same mistake."  she said, running back across the street to her apartment. 

Shaking his head with disbelief, Wade placed his hand in his pocket and deposited the small vial she had handed him only moments ago. He knew that he was probably going to get himself deeper in trouble than he already was, but at this point....he had nothing to lose. 

Spotting the taxi pulling up to the hotel, Wade grabbed his bag next to him and tossed it over his shoulder. 

"Are you the guy that called a taxi?" 

"Yeah, that would be me."  Wade said, watching the driver open the trunk. 

"Well..toss em in.  Time is money." 

After placing the bags in the trunk, Wade walked around to the other side and got in the backseat of the cab.  He knew it was only a matter of hours until he was able to see her again......to touch her......to feel himself deep inside her, whether she wanted it or not.  The best part of it all?  Justin was going to be responsible for handing her over to him without even knowing it. 

Chapter 83

After Marty dropped Michelle off at her apartment, she went inside and checked her answering maching.  Scanning through them, she heard the normal messages from family and friends and oddly enough, one from Brian. 

"Hey Michelle, it's Brian.  I hope you don't mind that I got your number from work, but this is important.  Look, I don't know exactly what's going on with you and Wade but......" 

That was the last thing she heard before erasing the message.  She couldn't believe he had the nerve to call her.  After the way he acted towards her, she never wanted to see or hear from him again.  Just talking to Wade made him the enemy as well. 

Sighing heavily, Michelle let the rest of the messages play through as she picked up a few things that she had left laying around.  Just as she was about to walk down the hall, a voice stopped her. 

"Michelle, it's Justin.  Umm...I just wanted to call and see if you were alright.  I know last night was a nightmare, but I can't stop wondering what I did to upset you.  I mean.... did I do something to make you think I would hurt you?  Did I do something to hurt you? I'm sorry, I'm just confused as hell to tell you the truth.  Anyway, I hope you'll call me back and let me know your ok.  I'm worried about you." 

Walking around the side of the coffee table, Michelle sat down on the sofa and felt her heart break.  She felt horrible that he had to see her like that.  He hadn't done anything wrong and she wish she could tell him the real reason she acted like she did, but that was a risk she couldn't take.  She couldn't put his tour at risk and that was exactly what she would be doing if she told him Wade's dirty little secret. 

Picking up the phone,  she began dialing Justin's number.  If nothing else, she atleast had to appologize to him for what she put him through.  He needed to know that it wasn't his fault and that he did nothing wrong. 

After several rings with no answer, she hung the phone back up and walked back into the kitchen. She would just have to try and call him back later. 

Just as she was about to sit down at the kitchen table to go through her mail, she heard a knock at the door.  Figuring it was Marty, she walked over and opened it up.  Surprisingly though, it wasn't him.  It was Justin. 

"Hey, I hope you don't mind me stopping by like this." he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. 

"No, it's fine."  she said, still slightly in shock. "Do you want to come in?" 

"Yeah thanks." 

Michelle stepped back and watched Justin walk into the livingroom. 

"Please, sit down."  she said, joining him at the sofa. 

"I called earlier and left a message, but I couldn't sit at home and wait any longer." he said, sitting down beside her. 

"Oh, I'm sorry.  I just got back in a little while ago.  I tried to call you but no one answered." 

"No, I didn't mean it like that.  I just meant that I needed to know you were ok.  You really had me worried last night.  I mean...really worried.  Are you alright?" 

"Yeah, I'm sorry you had to see that.  I guess I was just a little more shaken up by last night that I thought I was.  I want to thank you for showing up.  If you hadn't got there when you did......." she started to say, but lowered her head when she thought of what could have happened. 

Moving close to her, Justin reached out and took a hold of her hand. 

"There's nothing to thank me for.  We were all worried about you and when we found out you were down at that club, my heart just about stopped.  Why were you down there anyway?  Do you even know the kind of reputation that club has?" 

"No, I don't.  I just wanted to get away from everything and be where no one would bother me." 

"Well, if Trace hadn't overheard that guy talking about some "girl who works at Millennium" at that bar, we wouldn't have had the slightest idea where you were.  I just thank god things turned out the way they did. If something would have happened......I don't know what I would've done." 

Looking up him, Michelle saw a look in his eyes that she didn't expect to see.  A look that seemed to come from his heart when he uttered those words.  Could he possibly be feeling more for her than she realized? 

"Well, thank you for coming to find me....even though I didn't want found." 

"Your more than welcome.  Just promise me you won't ever go to some club like that again." 

"I promise."  she said, moving a piece of hair away from her face. 

Just looking at her like that made Justin want to reach out and pull her close to him.  He wanted to be that person in her life that she went to when she needed comfort.  The one who got to hold her tight at night and feel her warmth beside him in bed.  The one that got to....call her his. 

"So...ummm...do you have any plans for today?" 

"No, not really.  I mean I was planning on going over some of the choreography for the tour later, but other than that...I don't have any plans." 

"Good.  Do you feel like heading out for a while?" 

"With you?" 

Laughing out loud, Justin gave her a puzzled look. 

"Would that be such a bad thing?" 

"No."  she laughed back. "I didn't mean it like that." 

"Yeah.....right." 

"I'm serious.  That's not what I meant and you know it." 

"So then it's a yes?" 

"Yeah....I guess." 

"Man, you sure know how to make a guy feel good huh?  Wanna crush me some more or will that be enough for today?" 

"I'm sorry.   I just can't seem to do anything right anymore." 

"Girl, I'm playing!  You really need to lossen up.  Why are you so tense?  It's like your worried about every little thing you say and do.  Your way too serious." 

"I'm sorry." 

"Quit appologizing.  You didn't do anything." 

Feeling tears start to well up in her eyes, Michelle got up from the sofa and walked into the kitchen. She knew that yet again, her past was causing her problems.  Problems that he didn't need to deal with....again. 

As Justin watched her walk into the kitchen, he finally realized that something was going on with her.  She wasn't the same girl he met at Wade's house or the same girl he had out at the club dancing.  She was different and he could tell that something was breaking her down emotionally.  Something that, as much as he hated to think it, pointed to Wade. 

After waiting a few seconds to gather his thoughts on exactly what he was he was going to say, Justin got up and walked into the kitchen where she was standing.  Gently, he placed a hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face him. 

"Michelle....what's going on?  Please don't tell me 'nothing' either.  I know something is bothering you.  I can see it in your eyes.  I can feel the difference when your around me.  This isn't how you were when we first met. Talk to me.  What's wrong?" 

"Nothing. I'm fine."  she said softly, almost to the point where he could barely hear her. 

"No.  You know what, that's bullshit and you know it.  Look at me."  he said, grabbing a hold of her arms and forcing her to look at him.  "What is going on?  Why are you building up this wall and shutting me out?  Does this have anything to do with Wade?" 

Instantly her eyes grew wide and he knew without a doubt that he was right. 

"It does, I knew it.  He hurt you didn't he?  That's why you broke up." 

Feeling as if he had ripped her heart out to dissect what it was that had her so heartbroken, Michelle began to fall apart in his arms.  She didn't want him to know. She didn't want her relationship with Wade to cause problems for Justin or his tour.  Her mistake and bad judgement didn't involve him, yet if he found out the truth, she knew that he would step in as Marty had unfortunetly done. 

"He cheated on you, didn't he?  That's why your putting this wall up.  Right?"  he asked, looking down at her. 

Looking up at him, Michelle realized that he wasn't aware of what was really going on and internally sighed a breath of relief.  She would be able to save Justin from knowing the truth.  She just had to convince him that he was right. 

"Is that why you broke up?  Because he cheated on you." 

Her stomach was tied in knots at the thought of Justin getting mixed up in her mess, so she said what she thought was the best for both of them. 

"Yeah, he did." 

"Awww girl, come here.  Don't let his stupidity bring you down. Your a beautiful girl and if he couldn't see that, then that's his loss.  Trust me.  Any guy would be honored to have you by his side."  he said, wiping the tears from her eyes.  "Including myself." 

"I'm sorry, I just don't want to talk about him right now.  Is that alright?" 

"What did I tell you about appologizing?"  he said, tilting her chin up towards him. 

"I know.  I'm sor..." 

Knowing what was about to come out of her mouth, Justin pulled her against him and kissed her.  Although he simply meant to do it as a means to keep her from appologizing YET AGAIN, he found himself enjoying it way too much to stop.  After wrapping an arm around her waist to keep her close to him, he brought his hand up and cradled the side of her face, continuing to enjoy what was happening. 

Finally parting, he leaned back and looked deep into her eyes. He wanted her to know how he felt.  How he had felt for some time about her. 

"You know, normally I would apologize for doing something like that on a whim, but you know what...I'm not sorry." 

"Neither am I." 

Caressing her cheek with the back of his fingers, he saw a glimpse of the girl he first met.  The one who had such a zest and playful outlook on life. The one who wouldn't be upset if he.....

"Justin!  Put me down!" she yelled, as Justin grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. 

"See, I knew deep down inside you could still laugh.  Now we just need to have more of it." 

"Fine.  I get it.  Now put me down you fool."  she laughed, through the few tears that still remained. 

"Ok, but when I do you have to go get ready so we can get the hell out of here for awhile.  Agreed?" 

"Agreed." 

Lowering her back down to the floor, Justin took a great amount of pleasure from the smile that now graced her face.  She looked like an angel when she smiled like that. 

"Now go.  You have fifteen minutes or I'm taking you the way you are."  he said, taking her t-shirt and pulling her back to him. 

"Well then you better let me go.  I can't do anything like this." 

"You could."  he said, offering her a wicked smile. 

"Could....but won't"  she said playfully pulling away from him. 

"Fine, go get ready.  I'll be waiting for you, but only for........thirteen minutes."  he said jokingly, glancing down at his watch. 

Rolling her eyes, Michelle began laughing as she headed upstairs to get ready. 

Chapter 84

Once Michelle was ready, she came back downstairs and looked at him with the smile still firmly planted on her face.  The smile that warmed him from inside and he happily smiled back. 

"So, did I make it in time?"  she joked, taking a hold of his hand to look at his watch. 

"Yeah you did, but I would have waited longer for you."  he smiled, turning his wrist over to take her hand in his. 

Looking at him, Michelle felt a small flutter in her heart.  He had been so kind to her, so accepting of her faults and she knew at that very moment that he was someone she wanted to be around. 

"Well, let's go girl.  I don't want that smile to fade away.  It was hard enough getting it there." 

Grabbing her purse from the table, she once again joined Justin and hand in hand they walked out of her apartment and down to his escalade.  After opening her door, Justin walked around and got inside. 

"So, any restrictions on what I can do with you?"  he asked, starting his truck up. 

"Excuse me?!"  she asked, slightly laughing. 

"That's not what I meant." 

"Uh huh.  Sure." 

Looking over at her, Justin saw the little smirk on her face and knew that she was joking. 

"Well, since you didn't answer me I'm taking that as a 'no restriction' outing.  Hope your happy."  he said and she playfully smacked him in his arm. 

Laughing, Justin pulled out on to the road and hoped that in a few hours he would have a smile permanently placed on her face. 

"So where are we going?  I don't like surprises." 

"You don't?  What a shame.  Surprises are a strong suit of mine." 

"You mean along with making people smile, right?" 

Looking over at her, Justin felt his heart melt.  There before his eyes was the beautiful creature he first laid eyes on at Wade's house.  The sparkling eyes that could light up a room, the smile that could stop traffic and most importantly the sheer presence of her that made him feel alive. 

"What are you looking at?"  she asked, tilting her head to the side. 

"You." 

"What about me?" 

"Just you."  he said, become serious. 

Smiling, Michelle glanced out the window, but turned back towards him when she felt him take her hand in his. 

He wasn't sure if she would pull away or feel uncomfortable, but he was pleasantly surprised when she gently squeezed his hand back. 

Finally after some casual conversation, Justin turned down the street that led to his house. 

"We're going to your place?" 

"Yep.  You any good at basketball?" 

"I used to play in high school.  I wouldn't say I'm great at it, but I'm not bad." 

"Great.  Should be an interesting game then."  he said, pulling in to his driveway and putting it in park. 

"So....you feel the need for redemption huh?  Didn't I beat you bad enough in the pillow fight?  Do you really want a piece of me again Timberlake?" 

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do.  You think you can handle the heat?" 

"Psh!  Bring it on!"  she laughed getting out of his truck and shutting the door. 

Walking around to join him, Michelle watched as Justin walked around the back of his house and over to the basketball court at the edge of his property. 

"Man, this is gonna be fun!"  he laughed and began jumping up and down. 

Breaking out in laughter, Michelle watched as Justin grabbed a ball from the small shed and headed on to the court.  After shooting a few perfect baskets, she watched him point directly at her with a sinister look. 

"Let's go Gianetti!  Time's a wasting." 

Rolling her eyes, Michelle walked on to the court and kicked off her heels. 

"You know, if you had plans on playing basketball, the least you could have done was tell me so I could have worn appropriate clothing." 

"Don't whine.  You're going to ruin that smile I have going." 

"Whatever, let's go then."  she said, waking over to him in an attempt to take the ball from him. 

"Oh, not so fast."  he said, raising the ball above his head so that she wasn't able to reach it. 

"You must really be worried that you're going to lose huh?" 

"Ha ha ha ha ha...NOT!" 

Knowing that he was in to winning as much as he was teasing her, Michelle decided to get one up on him. 

"Whatever then.  Play by yourself."  she said and started to turn away. 

Caught by surprise, Justin lowered the ball. 

"I'm just playing." 

"No, I'm playing."  she said knocking the ball from his hand.  Dribbling down the court, Michelle looked over her shoulder at him before launching her own perfect shot through the hoop. 

"That was so wrong.  You know that right?" 

After grabbing the ball, Michelle turned around and looked at him. 

"Yeah, well you reap what you sow."  she said sticking her tongue out at him. 

"Oh I see how it is." 

"Now we're even."  she said, tucking the ball under one arm.  "Now, you want to get this game started or did I scare you off?" 

"It's so on!"  he laughed and tried to knock the ball away from her. 

"Not good enough, try again."  she said, tossing the ball back and forth between her hands. 

Squinting his eyes, he stared at her for a second and she began laughing.  She knew he was up to something, she just didn't know what.  Worried that she wasn't going to find out what until it was too late, Michelle tucked the ball back under her arm and took a small step backwards. 

"Where you going?"  he asked. 

"I don't know.  What are you planning?"  she asked, slightly laughing. 

"Me?  Nothing."  he said, looking up at the clouds. 

"What?  Are you worried about a little rain?" 

"No, I'm worried your gonna take off to the basket."  he said, taking a step towards her. 

"Good.  You have reason to be worried.  I think you're going down." 

"We'll see.  Show me what you got girl." 

Watching Justin bounce around the court only made her break down with laughter.  He was the most amusing person, whether he meant to be or not.  She just couldn't help herself.  He made her feel good inside. 

Seeing his opportunity, Justin ran forward and attempted to grab the ball from her. Unfortunetly, she realized it at the last second and side stepped him.  Now knowing his plan, Michelle began running to the opposite end of the court, laughing hysterically. 

"That's it.  I'm done with the game playing.  You're done!"  he yelled, pulling off his shirt and laughing himself. 

Stopping momentarily to tease him, Michelle dribbled the ball some more and tried to spin it on the end of her finger. 

"Come on big man.  Show me what you got.  This can't be your "A" game!"  she said, slightly flinching at the sound of thunder coming from above. 

"What?  Are YOU afraid of a little rain?"  he teased, finally getting to within a few feet of her. 

"No, but it does look like it's going to rain.  Maybe we should head back up." 

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this that easy.  Let's go." 

Placing the ball behind her back, Michelle laughed at Justin's attempt to play a serious game of one on one. 

"Give me the ball." 

"Come get it."  she laughed, placing her other hand on his chest to keep him at bay. 

"I will." 

"Then what's stopping you?" 

Smiling, Justin straightened up and looked at her.  After watching her try her hardest to be serious, Justin lunged forward and she quickly stepped backwards in an attempt to keep him from the ball.  After a few feet however, she found herself backed against the chain link fence that surrounded the court. 

"Uh oh.  Now where you going to go?"  he said, grabbing the fence beside her and taking the ball from behind her with the other. 

Normally being confined like that would have caused her to panic, but she just felt comfortable around him and knew that she had nothing to worry about.  Looking up at him, Michelle smiled. 

"I guess you win." 

"I guess so.  Did you think you would really stand a chance against me?"  he whispered, letting the ball fall to his feet as he leaned in towards her. 

"Yes I did.  Enjoy your little victory, because it will be short lived."  she said, placing her hands on his chest to try and push him backwards. 

"We'll see."  he said, firmly keeping his place in front of her. 

Now blushing at the feeling he was causing her to feel, Michelle tried to look away from him by glancing up at the darkening sky. 

"It's seriously going to rain, we better go inside." 

Ignoring her comment, Justin placed his hand behind her back and pulled her to him. 

"Thank you for allowing me to make you smile.  You just need to do it more often."  he said, bending down to place a small kiss on her forehead. 

Smiling, Michelle wrapped her arms around his waist and held him tightly to her.  It was as if he was the only thing that was keeping her alive and she didn't want to let go. Every emotion that she had lost with Wade came rushing to the surface when he was around and she didn't ever want to let those feelings go. 

Letting go of the fence, Justin embraced her and held her close to his heart. It was a place she had captured without even knowing it. 

Slowly the rain began falling and although neither wanted to let go, they knew from the looks of the sky that it wasn't going to be a quick passing shower.  They needed to get indoors. 

"Come on, I don't want you to melt."  he said, jokingly pulling her away from the fence with him.  "Let's get inside before we get soaked." 

Taking a hold of her hand, Justin ran back towards the house, stopping briefly to grab his shirt and her shoes from the court. 

Once he got back up to the house, Justin grabbed his keys from his pocket and unlocked the back door. 

"Of all the days it had to rain."  Justin laughed, running his hand through his damp hair. 

"Yeah I know.  I thought it never rained in southern California."  she teased, slightly breaking out in song. 

Shaking his head laughing, Justin walked down the hall to the linen closet to grab some towels.  Quickly wiping himself off, he draped the towel over his shoulder and walked over to hand her one. 

"Thanks." she said, taking the towel from him and wiping the water droplets off of her arms. 

"You want something to drink?" 

"Yeah, thanks." 

"I'll be right back."  Justin said, tossing his towel over the staircase on his way to the kitchen. 

Once Michelle finished drying off, she placed her towel on top of his and headed towards the livingroom. 

The rain was slowly picking up and the view from Justin's Hollywood hills home was growing darker every second. A sight normally not seen in Los Angeles, but familiar to her nonetheless. 

As she walked in to the livingroom, lightning lit up the sky and reflected off the glossy black surface of his piano as it sat in the corner of the room.  Almost as if it was calling to her, she slowly walked over and slid her hand across the smooth finish. 

"Do you play?"  Justin asked, walking up behind her. 

"No.  I always wanted to learn though.  I just never had the time." 

"Care for a lesson?"  he asked, sitting the drinks down on the mantle of the fireplace. 

"Now?"

"Yeah now.  Unless you have somewhere you need to be"  he said jokingly. 

"Nowhere I need to be, but I'd rather be a spectator than a participant." she smiled. 

"Oh you would huh?  Are you deserving of a free concert?  I mean the fans pay top dollar to see me put on a show.  Why shouldn't you be subject to the same?." 

"Fans?  Oh yes....the adoring masses of little girls with posters of you on their walls.  The ones who squeal with delight every time you take the stage.  Is that what I am?  A fan?"  she teased, quickly batting her eyelashes at him.  "Oh Justin, I would be ever so honored if you could play me something." 

Giving her a playfully evil look, he pulled out the bench from underneath the piano and sat down. 

"Man, I should have atleast grabbed a tip cup or something." 

"Just play me something, piano man."  she said, leaning against the edge of the piano next to him. 

"Any requests or do I atleast get the chance to pick something?" he said smiling at her.  She just seemed to bring out a side of him he coudln't get enough of.  She just made him feel complete. 

"I think I can allow you to pick something.  I've heard enough about you musician types to know you insist on doing your own thing anyway." 

After sticking his tongue out at her, his fingers began to dance magically across the black and white keys. She had fully expected him to show off and play some musical masterpiece, an uptempo work of art so to speak, but was pleasantly surprised when she heard the soft melody that began to fill the air. 

Looking up, Justin kept his gaze fixed on her as he began singing.  This performance was definetly meant for her and completely from his heart. 

Chapter 85

When clouds above you 
start to pull 
and all of your doubts 
rage like a storm 
and you don't know who you are anymore 
let me help you find 
what you've been searching for 

Somewhere... 
somewhere there's a field and a river 
Somewhere... 
you can let...your soul run free 
Someday... 
someday let me be the giver 
let me bring you peace 

Somewhere... 
Somewhere there's a break in the weather 
Somewhere.. 
where your heart and spirit go free 
Someday... 
someday it'll be for the better 
let this bring you peace 

Hearing him sing words that touched so close to her heart, she began getting choked up.  It was almost like he had stepped inside her soul and understood what she had been struggling with all this time.  Somehow he seemed to know about her hurt and heartbreak of being in a relationship that wasn't what she needed or wanted and he wanted to take her away from it all. 

Girl I know you 
think no one sees 
the weight on your shoulders 
but you can't fool me 
and arent you tired 
of standing so tall 
let me be the one 
to catch you when you fall 

Somewhere... 
somehwere there's a field and a river 
Somewhere... 
you can let...your soul run free 
Someday... 
someday let me be the giver 
let me bring you peace baby 

Somewhere... 
Somewhere there's a break in the weather 
Somewhere... 
where your heart and spirit go free 
Someday... 
someday it will be for the better 
let this bring you peace 

Turning away from Justin, Michelle began to stare out the rain streaked window.  She had been trying to hold back the feelings that were quickly building inside her, but she feared she wouldn't be able to much longer.  He had awakened so many emotions in her that brought her to the edge of breaking down.  Feelings that told her it was possible to love again. 

let me bring you joy (bring you joy)
Let me bring you peace (bring you peace) 
take these tears that you cry 
and trust them to me 
let me give you heart  (give you heart) 
let me give you hope (give you hope) 
Be the one constant love that you've never known

Somewhere... 
somehwere there's a field and a river 
Somewhere... 
you can let...your soul run free 
Someday... 
someday let me be the giver 
let me bring you peace baby 

Somewhere... 
Somewhere there's a break in the weather 
Somewhere... 
where your heart and spirit go free 
Someday... 
someday it will be for the better 
let this bring you peace 

Somewhere 
Somewhere 
Somewhere 
Someday 
Somewhere 
Someday 

Let me be the one 
Let me be the one 
to catch you when you fall 

Somewhere (somewhere) 
Somewhere (somewhere) 
Somewhere (somewhere) 
Somewhere (someday) 

Let me bring you peace 

Somewhere (somewhere) 
Somewhere (somewhere) 

Once he had finished the song, he reached forward and took a hold of Michelle's hand.  Emotionally a mess, she let a few tears fall from her eyes as Justin pulled her over to the space between him and the piano. 

"Why are you crying?" 

Unsure of what to say or how she felt at that exact moment, she just shrugged her shoulders and hung her head. 

Letting out a soft sigh, Justin stood up in front of her. He knew there was more going on with her than she was letting on, but she wouldn't open up.  All he wanted to do was let her know that he was there for her.  She just needed to trust him. 

 After brushing her hair away from her face, he gently wiped the tears from her cheek and took her hands in his. 

"Are you ok?" 

"Yeah, I'm sorry."  she whispered. 

"No. Don't be sorry."  he said, as he placed his finger under her chin.  He managed to bring her gaze to his and for the first time saw something different in her. Something that reached out and captured his heart in the most amazing way. Finally....he was breaking down the walls she had built around her. 

"The song was beautiful." 

"Not as beautiful as you."  he said, softly stroking her cheek. 

Feeling caught up in the moment, Justin leaned forward and captured her lips, pulling her as close to him as possible. Without giving it a second thought, Michelle began to kiss him back. 

After a few seconds of pure magic, he pulled back and looked at her.  He knew with every ounce of his being that he wanted this more than ever, but unless she wanted it as well, he had to stop himself. He didn't want to go down any of their previous paths.  If anything was going to happen, he had to be certain. 

With her breathing quickly becoming labored, she looked at him but didn't speak a word.  Instead she closed her eyes and pulled him back to her, passionately kissing him. 

Savoring every moment of a kiss that all but brought him to his knees, he struggled to break away once again. 

"Are you sure this is what you want?  I mean.....really sure that you want to do this?"  he asked, caressing the side of her face with his hand. 

"Yes.........this is what I want." she said, gently placing her hands on his chest and leaning in once again to kiss him. 

Feeling his heart race a mile a minute, Justin grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it up over her head, tossing it on the bench behind him.  He had wanted this for so long and now that it was finally going to happen, he wanted to savor every part of her. 

Entwining his fingers in the still damp strands of her hair, Justin tilted her head back and softly kissed a path down her neck and across her collar bone.  She tasted even better than he thought and he knew that tonight was going to be all that he dreamt of and more. 

Although the rain had picked up and was now pounding on the windows, the softs moans that were escaping her mouth did not go unnoticed.  Feeding off the raw passion that was so quickly consuming him, Justin grabbed her by her waist and sat her up on the edge of the piano.  Reaching behind him, he grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled it up over his head.  After discarding it on the floor, he slid his hands along her thighs and moved as close to her as he could get.  He couldn't believe that it was finally going to happen.  After all the close calls, all the nights he went to sleep wishing she was beside him.  Finally...the time had come. 

Even though Michelle smiled softly at him, he couldnt get past the fact that she looked so innocent, so insecure.  There was definetly a want in her eyes, but the ever popular traces of uncertainty seemed to be surfacing as well. 

"You still sure about this?" 

Biting her bottom lip, she nodded her head yes and slowly unhooked the front of her bra, exposing herself to him as she tossed it on the piano behind her. For a moment, he felt himself become short of breath.  She was beautiful.  Every inch of her, absolutley perfect. 

Feeling himself growing more excited by just looking at her, Justin took a hold of her hips and slid her to the very edge of the piano. As he did, a small gasp escaped her mouth and mixed with the soft melody of her feet hitting the piano keys.  A sound that was nothing short of erotic and he knew that he was only torturing himself by holding back. 

Leaning forward, Justin took a hold of her face and quickly captured her lips with his once again.  Finally giving in to the feelings she had supressed for him, Michelle wrapped her arms around his neck and began to passionately kiss him back.  Slowly, she was falling into his trance allowing every touch of his hand to cause her to tremble inside. 

Pulling back slightly, Justin slid a hand down her lower back and gently pressed her down on to the piano with his other hand.   Arching her back slightly as he pulled her towards him, Justin began to kiss along her stomach. 

Feeling herself get lost in the moment, Michelle let out a soft moan and the storm outside produced a flash of lightning that illuminated her body as she laid draped across the silken black finish of his piano. 

Unable to take it any longer, Justin reached down and unfastened his belt.  He couldnt stand to look at her like that any longer.  The things she was doing to him was just short of torture.  After unbuttoning his jeans, Justin discarded them with the rest of the clothing. Reaching up, he made quick work of her skirt as well and in a matter of seconds it joined Justin's jeans on the floor. 

As he was about to make his move towards her, he noticed her slightly shaking.  Quickly, he walked around to the side of the piano and scooped her up in his arms, removing her from the piano top. 

"What's wrong?"  he asked, afraid that once again she had changed her mind, yet hoping that he was wrong. 

"It's a little cold up there."  she said softly, trying to hide the embarrassment she was now feeling. 

"So I see."  he laughed, leaning forward to kiss her chattering lips. "I can fix that though.  Don't worry." he said and pushed the bench out of the way with his foot. 

"Where are we going?" 

"Somewhere I know you'll be warm." 

"Somewhere like?  Your bedroom?"  she asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

"Yeah, that was the plan.  Why?  You don't want to go upstairs?" 

"Can we just stay here?"  she asked, pointing to the large lambskin rug that was in front of the fireplace. 

Raising an eyebrow, Justin let out a little chuckle. 

"Right here huh?" 

After nodding her head 'yes', Michelle began to kiss him once again.  She had waited long enough to be with him and she didn't want to wait one moment longer.  She wanted him to make love to her....now. 

Lowering her feet to the floor, Justin watched the fire reflect in her eyes as he gently laid her down on the plush white surface. Not wasting any time, Justin positioned himself above her and began kissing along the side of her neck as she ran her hands down his back. 

"I don't know how much more of this I can take."  he sighed into her neck.  "I don't want to just rush through this, but I've wanted this for quite a while and to be honest...your making it really hard to restrain myself." 

"Then don't."  she said, breathily. 

Placing one last kiss along her neck, Justin leaned back and looked down at her.  He knew by the look on her face that she needed the release as much as he did and that was all the encouragement he needed. 

Sliding his hand down her thigh, he brought her knee up along side of him so that he could position himself between her legs.  Once there, Justin leaned forward and passionately kissed her.  Michelle continued to caress his back, but the moment she felt him press inside her, her nails dug into his back and she let out a soft cry. 

"Are you alright?"  Justin asked, slightly arching his back in response to the now stinging sensation her nails had caused. 

"Yeah, I'm sorry."  she said, slowly moving her hands from his back and looking towards the fireplace. 

"Don't.  Don't pull away from me now."  he moaned, his body aching to continue the task he had started. "Michelle, baby look at me." 

Hearing him call her that brought tears to her eyes.  All she ever wanted from Wade was to be loved and to be made to feel like she was special.  They were together for months and the only memories she could now recall of their relationship were moments of pain and heartbreak  There were times where she felt like she could disappear from the face of the earth and he wouldn't even care. 

Here with Justin however, it was all so different.  He made her feel like she was the only thing that mattered.  All he wanted was to make her feel the way she deserved. Placing her hands gently on to his lower back, Michelle turned back to face him. 

"I'm fine.  It's going to take a lot more than a few scratches to keep me from making love to you."  he said.  "Are you alright though?  Did I hurt you?" 

"No, I'm fine." 

"Are you sure?  If you want to stop, we can.  Oh shit.....you weren't a virgin were you?  I mean, you and Wade....." 

"Yeah, me and Wade were intimate." 

"I'm sorry.  I shouldn't have asked you that."  he said, slightly backing away from her. "Your relationship with Wade is none of my business." 

"It's alright." 

"No, it isn't."  He said, backing up so that he was now resting on his knees.  "I think maybe......maybe we should just call it a night." 

"What?  Why?"  she asked, quickly becoming upset that he was starting to stand up. 

"Because I just fucked up what would have been the best night of my life.  Bringing his name in to this was the last thing that I should have done.  I'm sorry.  I just don't want to make love to you with him on your mind." 

Completely heartbroken, Michelle grabbed her clothes and ran crying in to the bathroom. How did this happen. 

Watching her head upstairs, Justin's heart sank. 

"Way to go Timberlake! You finally get what you wanted and you fuck it up."  he said, grabbing his jeans off of the floor.  After sliding them on, he zipped up the zipper slightly and collapsed on to the bench behind him.  Justin could hear her crying upstairs and felt like the biggest ass.  He never meant for the evening to turn out like this.  He doesn't even know why he brought Wade up, but he had and there wasn't any way to go back and change it.  The moment he longed for was right in his hands.  Could he really just let it slip away?