'She won't even look at me. Candace, please just look at me,' Justin silently prays as he watches her on the other side of the stage while Joey did his little speech part during the concert. 'Justin, get focused. Enough on her. You have to concentrate or you're liable to hurt yourself all over the place. Come on, worry about her later.'

After traveling on the bus with the group and being iced out there by her, Justin is feeling pretty bad. He feels guilty for sleeping with Emily, he is angry because she is the one who had him go after Emily in the first place, and he is frustrated because he sees the complete end of them already and paths back to happiness seem to be burned and nonexistent.

All throughout the concert thus far, she has seemed different to him. When they work together, the feel of it just isn't the same. He couldn't pinpoint what the problem is but she seems fine in every other aspect. Her dancing is without a flaw and she seems fine working with the other guys. 'Of course she would be dummy. They didn't sleep around on her.' Justin shakes his head to clear the muddled thoughts and takes a deep breath before running onto stage to do their last song, "Bye, Bye, Bye."

The music starts and Justin feels as if his body and voice go into autopilot. Everything is flowing for him until Candace comes to him for their little dance part here. However, he catches her leaving the stage yet sees her coming towards him a second later. Confused, Justin keeps looking into her eyes during their dance and realizes what was wrong this whole time. 'Candace and Cammy are switching off during the dances!' Justin concludes as he sees his Candace appear back on-stage to continue the part with JC. 'I wonder if he knows. God, is everything this bad?'

The song ends, the dancers take their bows and run off the stage as the guys wrap things up and take their bows. As soon as Justin gets off, he finds the real Candace and corners her, causing a panicked and angry mixed look to enter her eyes.

"What do you want Justin?" she asks, trying to get away.

"What were you trying to pull out there tonight?" Justin angrily asks.

"Isn't it obvious? I didn't want to be with you, off-stage or on-stage. Cammy knew the moves so we just switched off. We did it discreetly enough where no one would know the difference."

"True but people on-stage who work with you can pick up the difference. You can't honestly say that you actually expected me not to know the difference between you and your sister."

"Well you obviously couldn't tell the difference between me and Emily so who knows who else you can think is me."

"Candace, that isn't fair."

"Well life isn't fair Justin."

"No crap Candace. I thought you were a different person than you are, I guess. I wonder how I never saw these conniving ways before."

"Because you never gave me a reason to be this way. Now, I see some of the guys coming over here. If you want to avoid a scene, I suggest you let me go now," Candace says, seeing Chris and Lance coming their way.

"Fine, be my guest."

"Why thank you Justin. I think I will leave but I will never be your guest," Candace says before walking away as fast as she could from him and the pain building up in her heart.

After the concert is complete, the guys get into a van that takes them to the hotel they are staying at. Justin has to get away from their accusing looks so he goes off to the extensive pool area to be alone instead of back in the suite. 'How could you have said those things to her, the love of your life? Is it even possible that you spoke all those words? Candace has brought so much light into your life Justin, you can't just let her get away,' Justin thinks to himself. 'I have so many cherished memories with her. That whole day we spent alone together when the rest of the guys left us, watching so many sunsets and sunrises together, and seeing her just smile out of pure happiness every day. Even when she was down, Candace would always be there for me and anyone else when she was needed. I still remember that day she went crazy over that cute Doberman Chihuahua in the pet store only a few weeks before. I wish I could share so many more with her...'

"Justin!" he hears a female voice calls out when he is at the top of a concrete bridge that goes over the pool. He turns around hoping to find Candace but finds that he has mistaken Emily for Candace yet again.

"What is it Emily? I thought I told you I never wanted to see you again."

"So? I know you were just kidding Justin. You couldn't risk having such a special thing be shared with a girl that could easily turn around and tell the press a sob story how she was thrown out right after."

"So this is how you want to end it, huh? Trying blackmail on me?"

"Of course not sweetheart. Why would I do that?"

"Because that's your type of thing to do."

"I'm offended you think that Justin! I would never do anything to hurt you now that we are together."

"We aren't together Emily! How many times do I have to say it? You ruined any amount of happiness I still had with Candace and broke TJ's heart with your evil plan. You may be happy now but I surely am not. Why don't you just go find another unlucky victim?"

"Fine, have it your way," Emily says, starting to walk down the bridge. Justin then turns around and looks down at the stars reflected in the pool's surface. He feels an arm reach around and start choking him. He hears a voice hiss, "If I can't have you, no one will," before seeing the water of the pool rush closer to his face and then blacking out.

Candace hears a commotion going on out in the pool area but refuses to get up from her bed to see what type of happy party could be making that much noise outside. She flips over and buries her head under a pillow to shut out the world but is rudely awakened by her door slamming open and feeling someone start shaking her.

"Candace, come quickly! You have to wake up!" Cammy insists, trying her hardest to wake up her twin.

"What is it Cammy? Can't you just leave me alone?"

"I don't think you will feel the same way once you wake up and realize that this has to do with Justin."

"What? What in the world are you talking about Cammy?"

"Can't you hear all that commotion outside your window, coming from the pool area?"

"Yes."

"Aren't you curious to see what is going on?"

"Some out of hand party no doubt."

"No, Justin was seen being strangled and then pushed into the pool by Emily by some of the bodyguards who were following him a distance a way. You have to get up!"

As she said those last few words, Candace had already jumped up and tossed on some jeans and a sweatshirt before running out the door and smack into JC who reaches out his hands to steady her.

"Are you ready to go to the hospital? We can catch up with him there," JC says, earning an agreeable nod from Candace.

JC, Cammy, and Candace jump into a van with Chris, Joey, and Lance already in it. It takes off and drops them all off at a hospital twenty miles away from the hotel. TJ jumps out of the van behind 'NSync's van and runs into the building. By the time Candace gets in there, TJ is already pulling on her, leading her to where he is told they could wait to hear about Justin's condition.

When Candace finally sits down between Lance and TJ, the whole impact of the situation hits her and she feels major sobbing developing deep in her throat before she lets it out. TJ wraps an arm around her and pulls her to him. "It's going to be okay Candace, you'll see. I'm so sorry sweetie, this is all my fault," TJ murmurs, stroking Candace's hair and back while holding her tight.

Candace sniffles but manages to ask, "What do you mean TJ?"

"If I hadn't brought Emily back into our lives, you and Justin would still be happy together and he wouldn't be in this critical condition. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you in the beginning and for causing so much pain in your life. I hope that you can forgive me." TJ feels Candace's arm go around him and hold him tight.

"All of this isn't your fault, don't do that to yourself. No matter what happens, don't blame yourself for anything, okay? I mean it."

"I'll try," TJ says, blinking back a few tears that have developed.

Four hours later, a woman in a white coat comes out of the double doors. "I'm assuming all of you young adults are here to find out about Mr. Timberlake?"

"Yes, we are," JC answers for the group.

"Well, he is one lucky person. He received some head trauma from that bump on the head he received from the bottom of the pool but is doing fine. It surprised me that he hadn't fractured his skull since that part of the pool was only 4.5 feet deep. We are going to keep him here for a few more days for observation but he is up and aware of his surroundings right now. He can start having visitors but only one at a time. Is there a Miss Candace here?"

Candace wipes away a few tears of happiness and stands up. "I'm Candace."

"Good. He has asked to see you. I can show you the way if you would like."

"I would, thank you doctor."

TJ and Beth each give her a hug before she follows the doctor down three hallways and into Justin's room.

"Like I said, he is up and aware but try not to overwhelm him," the doctor says before smiling and leaving the two alone.

"Candace," Justin says with a smile across his face.

"Justin," Candace returns before going to the bed and hugging him.

"Whoa, take it easy there sweetie. I've got wires and an IV on me so it does hurt when you do that. Although, I have to admit that being in your arms was worth it."

"What happened?"

"To tell you the truth, I just remember thinking about you and all of our happy times when Emily showed up, insisted that we were a couple, then tried killing me when I told her that my heart was and will always be yours. What happened after that?"

Candace is shocked by what he said but answers his question. "She was spotted by a few of the body guards and was caught by them. Right now, she is in jail and will be probably tried in court for attempted manslaughter or something like that. That is really all you remember?"

"Honestly, yes. After seeing water rush towards me, I blacked out. I kept having images of you and me scattered here and there but that was it. This probably isn't the best time but Candace, I have to ask you something."

"What Justin?"

"First, can you ever forgive me for everything that has happened? From sleeping with her to ever hurting you in any way that I have?"

"Justin, it may have seemed like you had totally lost me at some point there but you never really did. I always cared about you and will always care about you. You are honestly the love of my life and I don't think I could handle losing you at all. I miss you whenever we aren't together, even if we are arguing. I guess that's why it hurt so much when I thought you had replaced me with Emily of all people, even after I asked you to."

"There is absolutely no way any girl could ever erase your presence in my heart from my head. Now, secondly, is there a way for us to continue a relationship, maybe even start anew?"

Candace remains silent for a while and even walks to the window to look at the sun rising. Justin takes the silence as a negative thing and begins to say he understood when Candace says, "I don't want to start anew Justin. I just want to be with you and forget Emily ever existed in our lives. I can't promise that things will be perfect and happy right away, but I can promise that I will give it the best shot that I have, with every single beat in my heart."

"You mean that Candace?" Justin asks, astonished that she was actually his to call his girlfriend again.

"Yes, I do mean it Justin. How could I not when I love you this much?"

"Come here," Justin says, reaching out for Candace's hand, which she gives him. He pulls her down to him and says, "I love you too Candace," before giving her a kiss which causes fireworks to go off for both of them before he pulls away.

"So how would you describe your life so far?" Candace asks him as she sits down on the edge of his bed.

"Like one big roller-coaster that has its ups and downs with you there next to me, all the way, until that last, smooth ending, whenever that may be," Justin answers, squeezing her hand and returning her smile, glad to see his life back come back to normal, even though he is still in the hospital.

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