*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to), they belong to their respective owners (as soon as I find out who they are, I'll let you know). I do, however, own all fictional characters and the event surrounding them. Plagiarism is against the law. Do it and suffer the consequences. Thank you.

"Well, this is just wonderful. Exactly what we need to make this evening perfect." Justin grumbled softly in the darkness, sighing heavily. He wondered how his friends and group-mates were fairing in finding a way out of the unmoving elevator for them. They had been trapped in the elevator for over an hour and there had only been discouraging words delivered to him through his cellular phone.

"Things could be worse." Dru shrugged, trying to keep herself calm, though claustrophobia would become an issue if the lights didn't return soon. She didn't fear many things, but she did fear being trapped in a small, confined area with no light whatsoever.

"Please. Enlighten me. How could it be worse?" Justin snorted softly, a note of reluctant amusement entering his voice.

"Well, I could be a stark raving mad fan and try to rip all your clothes off." she shrugged, sighing softly. Justin groaned a laugh, shoulders shaking with mirth as he tossed a baleful glare in the direction of her voice.

"Yeah, I have to agree. That would make the evening even more enchanting than it already is." he rolled his eyes, snickering softly at the mental images fluttering through his mind.

"Or, you could be trapped in this elevator with someone who thinks of soap and water as foreign objects, unbeknownst to you, and the ripe odor could knock you from your senses." Dru giggled softly, attempting to keep her mind from the lingering images of her past.

"Oh, Lord. Stop right there. I'm not intensely happy it's you I happen to be trapped with." Justin held up a hand, grimacing at the thought of being trapped in the small elevator with someone who didn't bathe regularly.

"I was just trying to prove to you things could be worse. A lot worse." Dru mumbled, resting her head back against the wall of the elevator.

"Please, Chris. Get us the hell out of here." Justin mumbled under his breath. Dru sighed softly, closing her eyes as she tried to remain patient for her rescue, then winced, blushing slightly when her stomach protested loudly at not being fed. Vaguely, she was thankful the elevator was dark so he couldn't see her blush. She jerked, startled, when his cellular phone began ringing. Without thinking, he reached for it, answering on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Well, again, we have good news and we have bad news."

"Just tell me, Chris. I'm tired of being in a small, dark room that can't go anywhere."

"We found someone who can help."

"Wonderful. More than wonderful. Fantastic."

"The only problem is, it'll take him about an hour to get here."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, but it's better than a two week sojourn in a stuck elevator though, isn't it?"

"Yeah. How long will it take this guy to get the elevator moving?"

"Depends on what's wrong with it. Anywhere from five minutes to five hours. As soon as the guy gets here and he assesses the situation, we'll give you a call with a rough time frame. All right?"

"I don't really have a choice." Justin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

"Awe, buck up kid. Things could be a lot worse."

"So I've been told. Just try to get me out of her before the next millennia, okay?" Justin grumbled softly.

"I'll do my best." Chris chirped cheerfully then hung up the phone. Justin sighed, shoving his cell phone into the inside pocket of the light weight jacket he wore. He closed his eyes, wishing her were anywhere but the elevator, wishing he were sitting in the hotel restaurant talking with Dru, where he could see her eyes and smile.

"So?" her voice intruded into his thoughts, bringing him back to the reality of the situation.

"So?" Justin repeated the question, slightly confused.

"Must be an echo in here." Dru snorted loudly, shaking her head. "What did your darling friend tell you on the phone?"

"Oh. That. He said they found a technician but it would take an hour or so for him to get here. Then any time after that, we're free to carry on with our lives." Justin shrugged, flushing slightly at her teasing tone.

"So, tell me about yourself Justin." she commanded instead of asked, needing the conversation to lessen the boredom, trying to staunch the claustrophobia from setting in.

"What would you like to know?" he countered softly through a yawn, hoping the lights would at least be returned before too long.

"Anything. Just start talking. Claustrophobia isn't a feeling I cherish greatly." she muttered, passing a hand over her face, raking a hand through her still damp hair.

"Well, I'm eighteen. I live for singing and my family. I have little brother and I adore him. Um, I like playing basketball. Other than that, I don't know what else you want to know." Justin stuttered slightly at being put on the spot, then mentally berated himself. You've had to go more in-depth in interviews with Rosie. Why are you acting as if you've never answered a question before in your life.

"That was informative. Thanks." Dru commented dryly, resting her head back against the wall.

"What else is there to say?" he inquired almost defensively.

"Gee, I don't know. Tell me about yourself instead of the things you like. Tell me why you like to sing." she suggested, tossing a hand into the air.

"Singing is like breathing to me. I can't live without it. It's something that's such a deep part of me, I can't see myself not doing it in some way. It's almost spiritual. Everything in my mind calms to the point of peacefulness when I'm on stage. I'm the happiest I've ever been when I'm singing." his voice took on a wistful note.

"Sounds wonderful. I was like that with painting. Every free moment I got, I used to go up to the attic of my parents' house and paint. It's all that really mattered to me. My dad, he was a painter, too. Taught me everything I know. He used to paint these beautiful landscapes, generally ocean scenes. He never could part with those paintings." Dru mumbled, her voice so soft he barely heard her at all.

"Painting must take a lot of energy out of you." Justin commented, intrigued by her passionate tone.

"About as much as singing does. It's so intense, so emotional that you just have to stand back in awe when one's finally finished." she smiled, closing her eyes. If she thought back far enough, she could see her favorite painting of her father's hanging in her old bedroom, brightening the whole room with love and serenity.

"What happened to all your father's paintings?" he inquired softly.

"They were sold off in auction." her voice became bitter.

"Why?"

"My father, he didn't work. I mean, not really. He taught art at the local high school until the money for those kinds of programs disappeared. Then he just painted for a living. He sold what he wanted and kept food on the table, but he was by far a famous artist. Anyway, mom started getting sick. Cancer. The hospital ate up most of the money my father brought it. Day by day, he had to sell more of our belongings. I was too young to work, so instead I stayed home and took care of my younger brothers. Then one day, mom and dad never came back from a doctor's appointment. Later that night the police showed up and told me what had happened. Car accident. Both of them had died instantly. So, I sold what was left of the paintings and more valuable things to keep food on the table. Then the Department of Social Services found out about us and took us into custody, separated us. And the rest, as they say, is history." Dru mumbled, running her fingertips running across the carpeted floor of the elevator.

"Wow. I wish there was something I could do to help." Justin sighed, shaking his head in wonder. This small wisp of a girl had been through more tragedy than most grown men or women. Had lost everything in her life, including her family and her home. What amazed him was that she had grown stronger instead of letting all of this drag her down to oblivion, even through the loss of her brothers.

"There's nothing anyone can say or do to help. It's a part of life. You live, you learn, you move on." she shrugged a shoulder, her voice dropping to a pained whisper.

"Will you ever try to find your brothers again? I know you tried, but…," Justin's voice trailed off as he unconsciously reached for her hand. Their fingertips met, and a small shock went through him. She inhaled sharply, jerking her hand away from him.

"They've probably forgotten about me by now." she shook her head, the words tasting bitter in her mouth. The pair fell into a slightly tense silence, each unsure of what to say next.

"Will you let me help you?" the question popped from his mouth without his thinking about it.

"What do you mean, help me?" Dru raised an eyebrow, instantly becoming suspicious of his intentions.

"Exactly what I said. Will you let me help you get back on your feet? Help you out until you find a job, a place to stay, whatever it is you want." Justin continued, completely shocked at himself that he was offering such a thing. He barely knew her, yet he couldn't tolerate the idea of her returning to the streets in the morning with nowhere to go and nothing to her name.

"And what would you get in return?" she inquired pointedly, arching an eyebrow.

"I don't expect anything in return." he shook his head, sighing softly, head hanging forward.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe. I've had offers like that before, and I know exactly what they wanted in return, so you can just forget it, pretty boy. I don't do anything for anyone, no matter the amount of money being offered. I don't care how famous you are. It's not happening." her spine stiffened, dread making her muscles tense.

"Dru, don't get your panties in a bunch." Justin grumbled, holding up his hands.

"Don't even think for one second you have any affect whatsoever on the position of my 'panties'." she muttered through clenched teeth.

"Drusylla, I'm only trying to help you. I don't have an ulterior motive. As much as I don't understand it and hate to admit it, I just don't like the fact of you not having anywhere to go with no funds for anything let alone food and shelter." Justin sighed, rubbing a hand over his face.

"Don't call me that. And I don't take charity." she shot to her feet, wishing desperately she could leave the elevator and the young man making her offers that sound way too good to be true.

"Think of it as a loan. You can pay me back whenever you have the money." he suggested softly, hoping he could talk some sense into her before they were interrupted by the intrusion of his friends coming to his rescue.

"A loan? And what happens if I don't find a decent enough job to give you return payment on that loan?" she demanded, her heart lurching when the lights flickered slightly, coming back on after a moment. She took a quick step backward, eyes flaring wide when she noticed he was standing not more than six inches from her.

"Then it's no loss to me. I could care less if I got the money back. It's only money. But your safety and health can't be so easily replaced. I'm not asking for anything in return. If you want to pay me back, pay me back. Just, please, take the help I'm offering you." he pleaded, raising an eyebrow at her. She gazed at him for a long moment, confused of the reason why he was doing this. She sighed, shaking her head slowly.

"Why are you doing this?" Dru finally inquired, raising her eyes to meet his gaze. His clear blue gaze made it difficult for her to think, and that frightened her even more than his offer of help. She closed her eyes tightly. It wouldn't due to become attracted to someone she would more than likely never see again. Especially since he was famous and wanted around the world by young women.

"I'm honestly not sure. Everything is telling me not to do this, but somehow, I don't think a whole lot of people have given you many chances to better the things around you. And I know you barely know me, and I barely know you, but…," Justin shrugged, gesturing helplessly with a hand.

"Your conscience won't let you just walk away from me." she mumbled, gently worrying her lower lip between her teeth.

"Yeah. I guess you could say that." Justin nodded, folding his arms across his chest, leaning back against the wall. He wondered vaguely why he was pushing the subject. The others would be wary of his suggestion to her, and would question his sanity once they found out. He just couldn't let her walk away without being given the opportunity to better her life, even if she only took his help as a loan. She was stubborn, he knew just by looking at her.

"Do you always go around helping women in distress?" Dru leveled him with a sharp gaze, folding her own arms across her chest.

"I don't make a habit out of it, no." he shook his head, an amused smile twitching the corners up his lips as he peeked up at her through lowered eyelashes. She sighed heavily, debating his offer silently in her mind. If she denied his offer of help, she would return to her life on the streets come check out time of the hotel. Food would become a inconsistent opportunity, as would sleep and safety. She would constantly have to worry about being found and turned in to the proper authorities, and the possibility of going back into foster care would become greater with each passing day. She closed her eyes tightly against the quickly surging fear. Foster homes could go either way. They could be the epitome of a loving, caring household, or they could be the epitome of a waking nightmare. Abuse, physical and mental and emotional, was not an uncommon thing in the foster care circle, with the foster parents only caring about the money they received each month for the care of their foster child. She had the privilege of staying with such a family before she ran away and made her life on the streets. There wasn't much of a demand for teenage girls. She sighed softly.

If Dru took the help Justin offered, she would have the chance to call someplace home once again. She would have a chance to better her life, to find a job and create a loving environment for herself. The only thing missing would be her brothers. But given time, she might even be able to regain her relationships with them. No one would be able to tell her what to do and when to do it, and there would be no constant fear of being caught. Essentially, she would be safe; something she hadn't felt in a very long time.

Suddenly, the elevator lurched, causing Justin to stumbled backward a few steps until his back hit the wall. Dru gasped loudly, pressing a hand to her heart, holding a hand out to press against the wall to steady herself.

"You all right?" she inquired a moment later when the elevator moved no more. Justin nodded, grimacing slightly, tossing a glare up at the ceiling, wondering what in the world was going on.

"Well, that was fun." he muttered, sarcasm threading his tone as he righted himself, sighing heavily. He reached for the cellular phone shoved into his pocket when it started ringing shrilly.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Curly. Just wanted to let you know the technician is here and he's working on the elevator as we speak."

"Gee, thanks for the warning." Justin muttered, rolling his eyes as he once again took a seat on the floor in case the elevator should lurch again. The last thing he needed was to be thrown against the wall and get hurt at this point.

"No problem. You handling things all right?"

"Sure, I love being trapped in a really small room when it's taken on the feel of a fun house ride."

"Oops, sorry, dude. I didn't think anything would happen so quickly."

"It's all right, Chris."

"Anyway, the technician is going to make the elevator come back up to our floor then shut it down for some serious working. So, you'll either have to forget what you wanted to do, or take the stairs."

"All right, thanks for the warning." Justin grinned, shaking his head with barely checked amusement.

"Anyway, that's all I really wanted to say."

"Sure, sure. Bye." Justin snorted, hanging up the phone with a tired sigh. He glanced over at Dru for a few silent moments. She sat on the floor across from him, her eyes closed, her breathing deep and steady. Briefly he wondered if she had fallen asleep, then shook his head, dismissing the idea. He doubted she would let down her guard enough to fall asleep in a stuck elevator with a stranger in the room. Her long mahogany hair was now slightly tousled, a lock falling across her eyes, curling around her cheekbone gently. Her lips were full, though her face bordered on gaunt. Light purple-blue shadows resided beneath her eyes, silently contributing the information that she hadn't slept peacefully in some time.

"Why are you looking at me that way?" Dru demanded suddenly without opening her eyes. Justin flushed, muttering a curse beneath his breath as he shook his head.

"Which way would that be?" he countered softly.

"I don't know which way. I can just feel your eyes on me and it's making me uncomfortable." she shrugged, finally opening her eyes to gaze at him. He paused for a moment, registering the unique color of her eyes, a grayish silver tint with tiny flecks of blue. He shook his head, raking a hand through his curls.

"Sorry." he mumbled, groaning when the elevator jerked once again, sending his heart into his skull and his stomach into his throat.

"Holy." Dru yelped, pressing her hands against the floor, her heart thundering in her chest. "I wish whomever was doing that would just stop already."

Justin murmured an agreement, rubbing the back of his neck with a hand, wincing when his muscles silently screamed at him, demanding a more comfortable position.

Dru closed her eyes once again, trying to still her runaway thoughts desperately. It was enough that she had registered the definite good looks of her elevator companion with her short, curly blond hair and bright, mischievous blue eyes, and a smile that could melt the coldest of hearts. She assumed he was around her age with the way he spoke and acted, though she couldn't be sure. She shook her head, groaning softly to herself. She barely knew the kid and here she was, having an internal debate about him and his intentions. Justin climbed to his feet and held out his hand to her. After a moment, she took his hand and let him help her to her feet. The elevator lunged suddenly, catching them both off guard. Dru cried out softly in shock, stumbling forward. If Justin hadn't thrown out his hands to wrap around her shoulders, she would have fallen right into him and most assuredly knocked him off balance as well.

"Thanks." she mumbled, a faint blush tinting her cheeks. She mentally chided herself for feeling like a schoolgirl with her first crush.

"No problem." Justin gave her a smile. "Have you thought anymore about the loan?"

The question caught her off guard, causing her to jerk herself from him, turning so her back faced him. She took a deep breath, trying to swallow her pride enough to get the words past the lump forming in her chest.

"I've thought about it." she nodded, folding her hands in front of her.

"And your decision would be?" he prompted softly, fingers tingling where he had accidentally brushed the skin of her neck.

"I will accept, only on two conditions." Dru finally sighed, turning to face him.

"All right. One?" he nodded, folding his arms across his chest, waiting expectantly.

"It will be a loan, nothing more, nothing less. A loan to be paid back in full with interest taken into consideration and with no arguments from you when that time has come." she made the stipulation, gazing at him warily.

"Agreed. And two?" he lifted an eyebrow with a slight nod of his head.

"I chose the city in which I'd like to start over in." she held her breath, waiting for his answer. He thought about it for a moment, biting his lip to keep from smiling. If those two stipulations were the only things keeping her from accepting his help, there would be no problems at all.

"All right. Those are acceptable terms." Justin finally nodded, holding out his hand to her. She stared at his hand for a moment before taking it in a firm handshake.

"Welcome to the better part of your life." he murmured, smiling down at her, then he glanced down at his watch. He sighed softly. The stores would all be closed for the evening, which would hamper getting her a decent wardrobe, clothes that would suit her personality and flatter her slim figure. He train of thought stumbled, then paused all together.

"What size are you?" he inquired suddenly, causing her to lift an eyebrow and make a face.

"What do you mean?"

"Size clothes and shoes. Nevermind. I'll just have Mike take you out shopping in the morning." Justin shook his head, formulating a plan in his mind. She would need to either finish high school or obtain a GED for the sake of education. Not many places would hire someone who didn't have a diploma of some sort.

"Um, Mike?" Dru inquired, her voice raising with concern.

"Yeah, a friend of mine's girlfriend. She's a sweetheart and would love to help out." Justin nodded.

"I said I'd take your help, but I never agreed to anyone else joining this charity gig you've got going on." Dru held up a hand, shaking her head slowly.

"Mike would only help you pick out clothes and all that other female stuff you'll need." he waved a hand in the air glancing up, startled, when the elevator doors whooshed open.

"Curly!" a young man with wild dreadlocks yelped loudly, throwing his arms around Justin in a tight hug. "We missed you!"

"Chris, you're choking me. I can't breathe." Justin grimaced through a laugh, giving his friend a playful shove. Chris stumbled backward, huffing with indigence, arms folding across his chest.

"Who's your friend?" Chris lifted an eyebrow, glancing over at Dru with sudden interest.

"Chris, this is Dru. Dru, this is a friend of mine, Chris." Justin introduced the two as the trio wandered down the hall.

"This Mike person's boyfriend?" Dru inquired, trying to link all the people together so she wouldn't make a fool of herself.

"If Mike ever went out with that idiot, I think I'd have to hurt her." a dry tenor snickered softly from behind them. Dru stiffened, swinging around to face the newest person joining them.

"I'm JC, and Mike's my girlfriend." the dark haired young man smiled with a nod at her.

"Dru." she murmured, suddenly becoming self-conscious as she folded her arms across her chest protectively.

"And the two people peeking around the corner at us is Lance and Joe." JC snickered, pointing out a spiky blond head and a bright reddish-orange head. She nodded, blinking, obviously becoming more nervous by the second.

"Hey, guys, back off. You're starting to scare her. She's not used to being in such close proximity of wild animals." a female voice called out teasingly, causing everyone to groan and reply in kind. Dru's eyes lifted, meeting a petite auburn haired girl standing in the doorway to one of the hotel rooms, arms folded across her chest and a smile on her face.

"Wild animals? I'll have you know we were trained by the best." JC exclaimed loudly, propping his hands on his hips. Mike simply rolled her eyes, laughing softly.

"Yeah, the Circus." Mike snickered.

"This is Mike." Justin introduced the two women.

"Nice to meet you. And don't mind these guys. They don't quite know how to act in the presence of a beautiful woman quite yet. You'd think they'd learn, but..," Mike's voice trailed off with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Woman, hush." JC warned ominously, eyes twinkling with laughter.

"Or what?" Mike lifted an eyebrow at him. JC just shook his head with a soft laugh, throwing a glance up to the heavens.

"Some help would be nice, y'know." he told the ceiling humorously. Dru watched the exchange with mild amusement, not really knowing what to make of the couple. She shook her head slowly, mildly astonished by the friendly banter everyone was passing along, becoming slightly envious of the people around her. She would give anything to have friend such as these, people she could tease and laugh with, without having to worry about hurting anyone's feelings.

"Mike, will you take Dru shopping tomorrow? The airline lost all her luggage and she'd probably like your help in navigating the city." Justin broached the question delicately, not touching on the whole truth in fear of upsetting Dru. He didn't know how much she wanted them to know about her and her life, so he decided he'd let her be the one to tell the new group of people surrounding her if she chose to.

"Lord, kid. You know I hate shopping." Mike made a face, groaning loudly.

"What else do you have to do tomorrow? We're all going to be busy with interviews and stuff." Justin shrugged, giving her a playful smile.

"Oh, right. And I don't have my own life or anything." Mike muttered, wagging a finger at him. "But, you do have a point. I don't mind helping Dru find what she needs."

"Thanks, Mike." Justin smiled, pressing a quick kiss to her cheek.

"All right, everyone to their rooms. We have an early morning tomorrow." JC called over the din of laughter and voices in the hallway, causing everyone to heave long-suffering sighs.

"Early compared to what?" Joe grumbled loudly, tossing JC a halfhearted glare.

"Early compared to this morning. We have to be up by seven." JC grinned at everyone as more groans filled the air.

"Oh, what I wouldn't give to sleep until seven-thirty!" Chris cried, holding his hands up in the air. Lance rolled his eyes, giving the older man a shove, promptly making him stumble down the hall toward their rooms.

"Dru, tomorrow morning, I'll meet you downstairs about nine, all right?" Mike called after Dru, bringing the younger woman up short as she quietly made her way to the room she held a key for.

"Better make that ten." JC shook his head, sliding a sideways glance at his girlfriend.

"Nine-fifteen." Mike shook her head, rolling her eyes.

"Nine-forty-five." JC countered, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"Nine-twenty." Mike stilled the twitching of her lips.

"Nine-forty." JC turned to her, folding his arms across his chest.

"Nine-twenty-five." Mike shook her head, sighing softly.

"Nine-thirty-five." JC laughed softly, glancing over at an open mouthed Dru.

"Oh, for cryin' out loud. Nine-thirty." Mike tossed her hands into the air, voice filled with amused laughter.

"Done." JC nodded, smiling triumphantly as he turned to face Dru. "Nine-thirty."

"Um, okay." Dru shrugged, shaking her head in amusement.

"Goodnight, Dru." Mike called after her when she turned to head toward her room.

"'Night." she muttered back, slightly reeling in shock over everything she had just witnessed in the hallway in the time span of ten minutes. The group of people she had just met were a strange lot, though they were friendly enough and had treated her with kindness. She felt mildly out of place and more than a little envious of their obvious friendship, hoping one day, she too, could have friends like that. She slipped her key into the hotel room door, and pushed her way inside, the thought of food far from her mind. She flopped down on the bed with a muffled sigh, reeling from her encounter. A bittersweet smile twisted her lips. Once upon a time, she had people who cared for her the way they cared for each other. Once upon a time, they had been taken from her without a word. She shook her head, curling onto her side, hugging a pillow to her chest for a small comfort. She had been on her own for so long, she wasn't quite sure how to act around people anymore. She didn't know how to act around people who claimed they were famous. She snorted softly, shaking her head at herself. For all she knew, he was giving her a small white lie. It wasn't as if she could call him on it either, because she had no clue. Her eyes fluttered shut, her mind reviewing her life in seconds.

Dru covered a yawn, sleep dancing toward her on silent feet as she hugged the pillow tighter to her chest. She shivered slightly, reaching for the comforter on the bed, pulling it over her body as her mind slowly drifted, landing on a certain individual with curly bright blond hair and laughing blue eyes. She groaned, snuggling deeper into the comforting warmth of the comforter, forcing her mind from the young man she met that evening whilst being trapped in an elevator. She snickered softly to herself, deliberately blanking her mind. Sleep finally claimed her.

Dru sighed, yawning blissfully as she stretched luxuriously in the huge bed she slept in, a large comforter pulled around her body. In the past two months, she had relocated to Orlando, taken and passed the GED test, and found a job working as a nanny for one of the wealthiest families in the city, which also provided her with a home to live in. The family had given her the run of the small guest house, providing her with furniture and everything else she'd need to live in the small, one story cottage type building. In return, she spent her days with the two younger children, Mark and Natalie, and as well as three nights a week with the children. The family paid her well because the children had grown to love her and she did a wonderful job in caring for them. The only set back was the eldest daughter, Abigail, who was Dru's age. Abby had made it a point to make the nanny's life harder, taking every opportunity to be spiteful toward her. Dru did her best to keep herself from getting upset at the spoiled brat, and succeeded most of the time. But there were times when all Dru wanted to do was slap some sense into the girl.

On her nights off from watching the children, Dru spent her evenings trying to track down her brothers by sending various letters to numerous people in the Department of Social Services, hoping one of them would reply with a return letter, informing her of where they may be located. Any little piece of information would be more than welcome. But she hadn't heard anything as of yet, and it had been a month since she started writing the letters.

Dru sighed once again, tossing the covers from her sleep warmed body as she slowly sat up, glancing over at the clock on her bedside table. She didn't have to be up at the main house for another two hours, giving her plenty of time to read the morning paper and have a lazy breakfast. She shrugged into her robe, padding barefoot to the front door of the guest house to pick up the morning paper, then turned and headed to the small kitchen where she poured herself a cup of coffee from the coffee maker and sat down at the table with a grateful smile. Her mornings would be a lot more difficult if the coffee maker didn't have a timer. The machine started itself every morning, and as long as she didn't forget to put fresh grounds into the filter every day, she had the perfect cup of coffee waiting for her when she finally roused herself from bed. She hummed softly to herself as she opened the paper, gazing first at the headlines before she committed herself to reading any of the stories. The Boys Are Back In Town - 'N Sync's Charity Game. The headline caught her eye, causing her heart to pause then resume at double pace. It had been a nearly two months since she had seen any of them. Justin had called a few times to ask how she was doing, but she never had the courage to return any of his calls. He had done so much for her and she felt mildly guilty because of it. You knew you were going to see him again. Eventually, her mind reprimanded as she dropped the newspaper onto the table. She sighed closing her eyes. She just wished it hadn't come so soon. Two months wasn't enough time to recuperate from the last time. She placed the coffee mug onto the table, quickly climbing to her feet. What she needed was a shower and a lot of activity to take her mind from the upcoming confrontation she knew would happen.

Dru made her way up to the house, smiling as she gazed at the flowers lining the path. The land the house was built on was absolutely beautiful, something professional photographers would love to photograph for one of the many coffee table picture books. She shook her head in amusement. Who would have thought, three months earlier she had been a street rat, not knowing when or where her next meal would be.

"Sylla!" four year old Natalie yelped as soon as she stepped through the front door, the little girls arms held wide as she ran as fast as her tiny legs could carry her.

"Well good morning to you, too, Natty." Dru gave the little girl a smile, scooping her up into her arms for a quick hug. "Where's your brother?"

"Playin' Tendo." Natalie jerked a thumb in the direction of the recreation room set up for the children. Dru placed Natalie on her feet, the little girl instantly grabbing onto her hand as the pair made their way down the hallway to the recreation room.

"Hey, Mark! Don't you want some breakfast?" Dru called over the music from the video game he was playing. He paused the game, glancing up at her with a smile.

"Can we go to McDonalds?" he inquired hopefully.

"I don't think so. Not today. I can make pancakes though, if you'd like." Dru suggested, wiggling her eyebrows at the seven year old boy. He scrunched his face, tilting his head to the side as he pondered the suggestion.

"Can we have chocolate chip pancakes?" Mark shut down the game, turning to her with a hopeful smile.

"I don't think so. How about blueberry?" Dru shook her head, watching as Natalie teetered toward her older brother, holding her arms out wide.

"Make it strawberry and we have a deal." Mark picked his sister up, nearly tumbling over with the added weight.

"Strawberry it is." Dru nodded, ushering the two kids out into the hallway and down to the kitchen. Mark and Natalie sat at the kitchen table, waiting patiently while Dru pulled out all the ingredients she needed, before calling the kids over to help her make the batter.

"Now, do you want the strawberries in the pancakes, or on top of them?" Dru lifted an eyebrow at Mark.

"Both." he stated firmly with a nod.

"Okay." Dru rolled her eyes with a small laugh. Soon breakfast was finished and the three were sitting at the kitchen table eating and giggling over the monster noises Mark was making as he devoured his pancakes. Dru glanced up when seventeen year old Abigail wandered into the kitchen in her robe.

"There's some pancakes left in the oven for you." Dru called out to her. Abigail sighed, glancing over at her.

"Like I would eat pancakes. You think I have this body because I eat anything I want to?" Abigail snorted, pulling open the refrigerator. Moments later, Abigail sat at the kitchen table with a small bowl of cottage cheese and a slice of pineapple.

"Can we go to the beach today?" Mark inquired, pushing his now empty plate away from him.

"We'll see." Dru gave him a smile, taking her plate to the sink to rinse off.

"Come on, please?" Mark pleaded, thrusting his lower lip out in a pout.

"Will you shut up." Abigail snapped testily.

"You shut up." Mark glowered at her, folding his arms across his chest. It was all Dru could do to keep the blistering words from leaving her mind. She quickly washed what few dishes were in the sink while Mark and Natalie sat in silence, both knowing their older sister was in one of her moods. Once Dru finished cleaning up the kitchen, she turned to her two young charges with a bright smile.

"Well, if you want to go to the beach, you two better put on your bathing suits and pack some towels." Dru told the children. The both bolted from the room, leaving Dru to laugh at their exuberance.

"Would you like to join us?" Dru lifted an eyebrow.

"I'll be at the beach, I'm just not going with you and the brats. I have better people to spend my time with." Abigail waved a hand in the air as she left the room, leaving her dishes on the table. Dru groaned, covering her face with a hand.

Justin yawned hugely, raking a hand through his curls as he wandered into the living room of his parents' house, glancing around in dismay. Everyone had left for their daily routines, leaving him home alone. He slapped his hands to his cheeks and screamed. A snicker caught his attention and he gave a sheepish smile to JC, who stood in the kitchen doorway.

"Don't worry. They haven't gone on vacation to Europe without you." JC stated dryly, trying to keep the amusement from his voice as he wandered back into the kitchen.

"Thanks for the update." Justin mumbled, joining his friend in the kitchen. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and sat down at the kitchen table.

"What are your plans for the day, Curly?" JC inquired before shoveling a spoonful of cereal into his mouth.

"Not sure. Not used to having nothing to do." Justin grimaced, shaking his head ruefully.

"I hear that." JC grinned, glancing up when the backdoor opened, Chris stepping into the kitchen dressed in bright green shorts and an orange tank top. Justin made a face, his jaw dropping open.

"I'm goin' to the beach! Whose with me?" he cried, throwing his arms out.

"I'm not going anywhere with you looking like that." JC shook his head, rolling his eyes.

"Same here. We do have an image to uphold." Justin snickered, setting his bowl in the dishwasher.

"Wuss." Chris admonished, pouting as he folded his arms across his chest.

"You change, and I'll go." Justin shrugged, grinning at his older friend.

"What's wrong with what I'm wearing?" Chris demanded innocently, looking down at himself. Justin just groaned, shaking his head. An hour and a half later, the three friends were wandering around the beach. Justin dropped his towel on the sand and dropped down onto it with a sigh.

"I'm not moving one more step." he shook his head, glancing around at the bikini clad women lounging on the beach.

"If I yell, 'oh my God, its Justin Timberlake' you will." Chris snorted, lounging back on his elbow.

"Don't even think about it." Justin glowered at his friend, a slight smirk flowing across his face.

"You forget, Curly. Chris doesn't think." JC rolled his eyes, glancing up when he saw a little girl no older than four years old standing in front of them, gazing at them with large, luminous eyes.

"Hey, sweetheart. You lost?" Justin inquired, giving her a gentle smile. She shook her head, returning a shy smile.

"You're Justin Timberlake." her soft voice could barely be heard over the laughing and talking people dotting the beach. Justin exchanged a nervous look with the others before nodding slowly.

"Yes, I am." Justin struggled to a sitting position.

"Natalie? Come out, come out wherever you are!" an older female voice called from a few feet away. Justin glanced over, eyes widening slightly as he quickly climbed to his feet.

"Are you Natalie?" Justin inquired softly, and she nodded, thrusting her thumb into her mouth shyly.

"What do you say we go over and tell your baby-sitter you're all right?" Justin held out his hand to her. After a moment, the little girl took his hand and started tugging him over to her nanny.

"Natalie, there you are! What have I told you about wandering off like that?" Dru knelt down in front of her youngest charge, completely ignoring the person with her in her haste to find out what had happened.

"Not s'posed to do it." Natalie sighed, head hanging slightly.

"You gave me a heart attack. I thought you had gotten lost." Dru gave her a gentle smile, tugging on her blond pig tails teasingly.

"Sorry." Natalie gave her a hesitant smile. Dru pulled her into a hug as she stood, propping the little girl on her hip.

"Hello, Dru." a painfully familiar voice slicing through her instant worry like a dash of cold water.

"Justin. Hi." Dru's smile wavered slightly, squinting her eyes to gaze up at him.

"How've you been?" Justin inquired, glancing down at her. She looked better from the last time he saw her. She had even gained some weight, making her look healthy instead of on the verge of starvation.

"Good, and yourself?" Dru nodded, her heart thundering painfully in her chest. She hadn't remembered him looking as handsome as he did now, standing in front of her.

"Good. We're on vacation for about a week before we go into the studio in New York to record some tracks for the new record." Justin nodded, folding his arms across his chest, wondering why he felt so awkward talking with her when months earlier, they had been sharing their pasts and presents with one another.

"I have to get back to the kids." Dru motioned to the blanket she had spread out about forty feet away from where they were standing.

"Right." Justin nodded, a small flash of disappointment washing through him at the thought of her leaving his company so quickly. "We should get together later."

"Um, I've been pretty busy lately, with the kids and all, but, I can see if I can free up some time." Dru nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before she turned to walk back to her blanket, Natalie in tow.

"Wait, Drusylla!" Justin called after her, bringing her up short. She turned back to face him, her eyebrow lifted in curiosity.

"We have a charity basketball game tomorrow night and I'd like for you to be there." Justin continued in a rush, suddenly feeling ridiculously like a kid asking out a crush for the first time. Stupid. You don't even like her, you just wanted to help her. One of your many causes. Then why have you wondered how she was doing since the two of you parted ways?

"I'd have to see if I have the kids tomorrow night, but, if I can, yeah." Dru nodded, unable to stop the small smile from curving her lips upward. Justin returned the smiled and nodded.

"See you then." he gave her a small wave before jogging back over to his friends. Dru shook her head, groaning silently to herself when she realized her eyes had dropped to his rear. A slow flush crawled up her cheeks, hoping no one had noticed the wayward movement of her eyes, or the object of which they had been glued to. He was definitely more handsome than she had remembered.

"Sylla, is he your boyfriend?" Natalie's voice broke through her thoughts, startling her.

"What? No, Natty, he's not my boyfriend." Dru shook her head, the innocent words of the youngster's question shocking her. She chuckled ruefully, heading back toward their blanket and Mark, who was trying to build the biggest sand castle on the beach.

Dru combed her fingers through her hair, glancing at her reflection in the mirror one last time. She had arrived at the charity basketball game ten minutes earlier and had briefly panicked when she saw Justin smiling and talking with various young women while signing autographs, and she had bolted to the ladies room to collect herself before facing him. She groaned softly, mentally scolding herself for feeling the way she did, like she was out of breath and butterflies had taken a permanent residence in her stomach since the day before. He only saw her as someone he had helped, nothing more and nothing less. She glanced up when the bathroom door swung open, three ladies walking in, all laughing and talking. Dru groaned silently when she noticed Abigail as one of the three girls. Calmly, she collected her book bag, something she almost always carried with her, and shouldered it before she made her way to the door.

"Why, Drusylla, what are you doing here?" Abigail inquired, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"Probably the same thing you're doing here. To see the game and catch up with someone." Dru shrugged her shoulders, sighing softly when Abigail blocked her immediate path to escape.

"Shouldn't you be watching the brats?" Abigail folded her arms across her chest, her friends snickering softly beside her.

"Your parents took them out for the evening." Dru answered stiffly, straightening her shoulders, turning a cool gaze to the small group of girls.

"Then, shouldn't you be back at the house cleaning or something?" Abigail laughed gaily.

"You have a maid for that, Abigail." Dru replied, folding her own arms across her chest.

"When we're out in public together, that's Miss Abigail to you." Abigail snapped, finally stepping aside to let her leave.

"Whatever you say, Miss Abigail." Dru muttered, leaving the small room as quickly as she could, trying to block the laughter following her out into the lobby. She rested back against the wall, sighing as her eyes closed. She grimaced when she heard the girls in the bathroom start talking again.

"So, Abby, who do you have your eye on tonight?" Snot Number One inquired loudly.

"Oh, I have my eye on Mr. Timberlake, himself." Abigail answered, a smirk residing in her voice. Dru shook her head, pushing herself from the wall. She strode through the throng of people, trying to make it to the gym where the game would be starting soon. Suddenly feeling someone's eyes on her, she glanced up, her gaze colliding with Justin's. He lifted an eyebrow at her, silently asking if she was going to come over and talk to him. She took a deep breath, mentally bolstering herself for the coming conversation.

"Hey, I'm glad you made it." Justin gave her a smile, handing a CD jacket to a young girl standing beside him.

"Enjoy the game." he told the fan before turning back to her, giving her his full attention.

"I kind of had to, there's a business matter we need to straighten out." Dru answered, trying to keep the tone of her voice casual.

"Really? What business is that?" Justin lifted his eyebrow, wrapping his fingers around her arm and pulling her over to a deserted corner so they could talk without interruption.

"The loan." Dru stated simply, shrugging a shoulder.

"You don't have to worry about that quite yet. Wait until you have some money saved." he shook his head, holding up a hand.

"I do have some money saved. The family I work for pay me well, and I live on their property so I don't have to worry about things such as rent, phone or cable." she mumbled, reaching into the pocket of her jeans and pulled out the check she had written out earlier. She handed the check over to him, sighing softly.

"That's only a third of what I owe you. The way I figured it out, I can give you that amount every month and we'll be set in two months." Dru rushed on before he could open his mouth and say anything.

"So, this was the reason why you showed up here tonight?" he inquired, his heart slowly sinking. He had wanted to see her, and had hoped she wouldn't bring up the loan he had supplied her with.

"Um, yeah. That and to watch the game." Dru nodded, becoming uncomfortable under his gaze. She almost felt as if he could see right through her, and it unnerved her.

"You think as soon as all the money is repaid, I'm just going to forget about you? Payment for services rendered, so to speak, and I won't be needed for anything else?" Justin mumbled, raking a hand through his curls in aggravation.

"Something like that." Dru nodded, glancing over her shoulder when she heard someone call his name.

"Can't say I'm not a little disappointed." he mumbled, shaking his head as he glanced around the room, waving at someone who had caught his attention momentarily.

"Why would you be disappointed?" she lifted her eyebrow.

"Justin, come on, we have to go." an unfamiliar voice called from the other side of the room. Justin nodded, holding up a finger.

"Well, enjoy the game, Drusylla." Justin mumbled, then quickly hurried away from her. She sighed softly, watching as he disappeared into his team's locker room.

Justin sighed, pulling out a pair of shorts and matching tank top that made up his uniform for the game and sat down on the bench behind him. The other teammates were laughing and talking about how badly they were going to beat the other team in the game. He smiled and nodded, but didn't say anything. He wasn't in the right frame of mind to talk trash about the other team. He couldn't seem to keep his mind from Drusylla. He shook his head, pulling on the uniform as he tried to blank his mind and concentrate on the game ahead of him.

"Hey Curly, what's going on?" JC inquired suddenly, startling the younger man.

"Nothing, Jace." Justin shook his head, forcing a smile for his friend's benefit. JC lifted an eyebrow.

"You're not very good at lying." JC pointed out, stilling the amused twitching of his lips.

"I'm not lying." Justin rolled his eyes, groaning softly.

"Uh-huh. Sure." JC scoffed, dropping down onto the bench beside him and folded his arms across his chest, waiting for his younger friend to start talking.

"There's really nothing wrong. I'm just thinking." Justin rolled his eyes, tossing his hands into the air.

"About?" JC prompted.

"Nothing important." Justin shrugged a shoulder, glancing over at his friend.

"Somehow, I don't believe you." JC mumbled, giving the youngster a wary look.

"Didn't say you had to believe me." Justin mumbled, sighing softly, wishing his friend would just drop the subject all together.

"What's going on, J?" JC folded his arms across his chest, waiting stubbornly until his friend started talking.

"You're not going to give this up, are you?" Justin lifted his eyebrow, glancing over at JC, who shook his head slowly, gazing expectantly at him.

"All right, fine. I ran into Dru yesterday and invited her to the game tonight. The only reason why she came here was to give me a payment on the loan she took from me." Justin mumbled, sighing once again as he watched Joe and Chris try to snap each other with towels at the other end of the room.

"And what's wrong with that?" JC prodded, settling back against the lockers at his back.

"Nothing, I guess." Justin shrugged, cheeks flushing slightly.

"You were just hoping you two could become friends instead of business associates?" JC inquired, a small smile playing with the corners of his lips.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, I never would have given her the loan if I didn't want to get to know her better, and I'm not in the practice of buying my friends, but somehow I don't think she would have let me this close if I didn't offer her help of some kind. Funny thing is, I don't care about the money anymore. I just care how she's doing and what she's doing." Justin rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. JC nodded, giving his friend a knowing smile.

"You're twitterpated with her." JC mused aloud, amusement lacing his tone.

"No. I'm not twitterpated. Just… intrigued." Justin countered firmly, rolling his eyes heavenward.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Intrigued." JC amended, holding his hands up with a chuckle.

"Just forget it. I knew this was a mistake." Justin grumbled, climbing to his feet.

"Now, hold up a second. You want to get to know her? Why don't you ask her out for coffee? Friends do that. Go out for coffee, have deeply philosophical and intelligent conversations, laugh at each other's bad jokes." JC suggested, ticking off the numerous good qualities of sharing coffee with the opposite sex on his fingers.

"Don't you think coffee shops are a little overrated?" Justin snickered softly, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really. Where else can you go where it won't automatically be considered a date, or feel like a date. You go out to dinner, obviously you're going to want to pay and that's telling her its more than just two people hanging out together. The movies is classic first date, though I don't know why. Can't get much conversation in while cars are exploding and ships are sinking on a big screen in front of you with the volume at a decibel where deaf people can hear the dialogue perfectly. Coffee shops may be over played, but they're neutral territory." JC shrugged, draping a towel around his neck as he climbed to his feet.

"How'd you get so smart?" Justin's voice was filled with mock-wonder.

"Live and learn." JC laughed.

"Mike taught you well, eh?" Justin snickered.

"Everything I know." JC nodded, grimacing with a good-natured smile.

Dru smiled, gazing up at the stars as she made her way to her car parked three blocks away from the stadium the charity basketball game was held in. It was a perfect night to star gaze, and she had a feeling her bones there would be a few shooting stars before the twilight was over. She shook her head, reaching into her jeans pocket for her car keys as she hummed one of her favorite songs under her breath. Suddenly, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. Her back muscles tensed when she heard the scuffing of feet behind her, her hands clenching into fists, preparing to defend herself if the need to do so became necessary. She swung around, facing the person following her, fists raised and ready to strike.

"Easy, slugger. I come in peace." Justin held up his hands, his voice laced with amusement.

"Justin? Why are you following me?" Dru demanded incredulously, propping her hands on her hips as she tried to steady the wild staccato of her heart.

"You left before I had the chance to talk to you." he pointed out logically.

"Oh. I was under the impression you had nothing more to say to me." Dru's tone became guarded, causing him to sigh softly.

"Actually, there's a lot I want to say. A lot I want to hear. I followed you to see if you'd like to get some coffee. Maybe talk. Who knows, maybe we could even turn out to be friends." Justin shrugged a shoulder, feeling peculiarly out of place.

"You want to have a cup of coffee with me?" he winced at the surprise in her voice.

"Yeah, something two people do together when they'd like to find out more about one another. It's called starting a friendship." he mumbled, immediately wishing he hadn't followed JC's advice.

"I'm kind of out of practice when it comes to making friends." Dru sighed, rubbing her fingertips across her forehead.

"Well, you can polish your friendliness on me." Justin offered, giving her a slight smile.

"Yeah. All right." Dru nodded, forcing a calm smile she couldn't really feel. Justin returned the smile, following her silently to her car. Twenty minutes later, they were sitting in the coffee shop, talking about unimportant things and laughing over the antics that happened while he was on the road with the guys. The pair talked for nearly three hours before Dru begged off, saying she needed to get home so she could obtain some sleep before she took charge of Natalie and Mark once again.

"Can we get together again?" Justin questioned softly, walking her to her car.

"Um, I'm not sure when I'll have some time off again." Dru sighed, leaning back against the driver's side door.

"Is that your polite way of telling me we should remain strictly business?" he lifted an eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest.

"No, Justin. It's just strange being friends with you, especially since you I took out a loan from you. A very large amount of money, and that will always stand between us and make things uncomfortable on my end. So, it's not that I don't want to be friends with you, it's just strange." she raked a hand through long hair.

"Forget the money, Drusylla, it's not important. Money never mattered to me before, why should it start now?" Justin shook his head, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"I don't know, but money matters to me. Especially since I owe it; a lot of it." she gave a nervous laugh, reaching into her pocket for her car keys.

"Drusylla?" a painfully familiar voice inquired incredulously.

"Hello Abigail." Dru clenched her teeth, glancing over at the young woman approaching the couple.

"You know Abby?" Justin inquired, surprise threading his voice.

"Yeah, I work for her parents as a nanny. How do you know her?" Dru folded her arms across her chest.

"Actually, I have a date with her tomorrow night." he flushed slightly, feeling ludicrously guilty.

"I see." Dru mumbled sharply, turning suddenly to unlock the car door.

"What are you two doing here together?" Abigail inquired, coming up to stand next to Justin.

"Dru's a friend of mine. We ran into each other at the game and decided to get some coffee, catch up with one another." Justin shrugged his shoulders, giving both women a strained smile.

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