&! seeking the truth

"Here goes nothing. No turning back now." Jody Miller stood on the large porch, feeling quite uncomfortable as she brought her hand up to ring the doorbell. She turned slightly, not fully sure she wanted to go through with it. She looked at her car, a mere twenty feet away. She could possibly make it to her car before they made it to the door. She would then be safe from this confrontation that, in her mind, seemed like the scariest thing she had ever experienced.

Turning sharply, Jody faced the door as it slowly creaked open. She looked down to see a little boy, no older than five. This could be my little brother, she thought. Somehow she seemed even more frightened than she had before, just by seeing this little boy. She hadn't thought that they might have other children. Her main focus, at the time, had been to meet her real parents. Here she stood, in Memphis, TN on the doorstep of possibly her parent's home, her home, and she was terrified.

Snapping out of her emotional state, Jody stopped staring at the little boy who had his eyebrow cocked in a funny fashion, obviously wondering who she was. "Um… hi there. Is there a Mr. Randall Timberlake living here by chance?"

The little boy immediately opened the door and turned to yell. "Dad! Someone's here to see you!" Jody jumped back a few inches, her nerves clearly on end at the moment. She then followed the little boy inside, looking all around her as if she was afraid of entering this seemingly safe home.

Jody's thoughts were far from the little boy who had left her side in search of his father, apparently. Her eyes were now glued to the wall of the hall as her eyes scanned over each picture slowly. In some pictures, there was only one boy with them. She was sure this must be their eldest son. She quietly walked down the hall in search of a more recent picture that would tell her how many children they now had. It was something that interested her. It had never once crossed her mind that they had more children after her. Now that she did think about it, she was confused. How could they keep their other children, but not her?

With the sound of feet coming down the stairs, Jody stood up straight, feeling the knots in her stomach grow tighter. She brushed her fingers through her hair once and straightened her clothes to make sure everything was in order. She looked up just in time to see Mr. Timberlake walk around the corner. She was frozen. Her hand that lay at her side quit fidgeting, her legs stopped their forward movement and her eyes gave her the deer-caught-in-headlights look. She tried, with much difficulty, to swallow the large lump that had grown in her throat. Speaking didn't seem like a possibility.

Every inch of Jody's body shook for a brief moment when he spoke. She held on tight to her purse as if it where her lifeline and brought a shaky hand up to push back a few loose strands. Then, with the same hand she reached her hand forward to the man who took it without question. She visibly shuddered the moment she felt his touch. She tried once more to swallow down the large lump in her throat and decided that it didn't matter how emotional she sounded; she had to say something. "I'm uh… Jody Miller." She watched his face, wondering if he'd recognize the name at all. With one last gulp of air, she spoke the final words. "I'm your daughter."

She watched his statement for a moment. It changed from utter confusion to what looked like recognition. That one look gave her hope; somewhere amidst all the turmoil that was flying through her brain, she gained hope. "I was adopted by John and Margaret Miller in October of 1981. I was a week old at the time. On my adoption papers, a Randall and Lynn Timberlake were written as my biological parents."

Studying his face for another moment, she was happy to see a small glimmer of a smile. "That's right Jody, I'm your father." Tears brimmed in Jody's eyes as she lunged forward into his arms. She hung on tight, not sure how much longer this fairy tale would last. She had waited so long to meet her real mother and father and now it was all coming true. She allowed the tears to fall freely as she let a laugh escape her lips. She couldn't be happier with the way things turned out. She was hugging her father, her REAL father.

"Dad, what's going on?" Both Jody and Mr. Timberlake turned to find a confused Justin staring at them. Jody blinked her eyes profusely, not sure if they were deceiving her. Each time she opened her eyes once more, she found the same conclusion; Justin Timberlake was standing in front of her, calling her father Dad.

Mr. Timberlake put a hand on Justin's shoulder in a comforting manner when he knew the shock of it would overpower him. "Son, I know I've got a lot of explaining to do and that will come with time, but this is your sister, Jody." Justin's eyes grew to the size of golf balls as he turned sharply to the girl who was still holding onto his father. His sister?

"Oh honey, you don't know how many times I've thought about you; wondered what you turned out like." Lynn Harless held Jody tightly, not wanting to let go. It had been so many years. Years that she had lost. She hadn't been able to watch her grow into the woman she had now become.

Jody pulled out of the thousandth hug they had shared since she flew in that morning. "I don't know? Ever since mom and dad… I mean John and Margaret…" Jody looked down at her hands, feeling foolish about making such an innocent mistake.

"Honey, you don't have to call them John and Margaret just because of us." Lynn patted her knee, hoping to get her out of the emotional state she was in. "We understand that they are your real mother and father. They raised you to be the person you are."

Looking up at Lynn, the woman who gave birth to her, Jody felt a sense of home. She looked over to her right and saw Randy, her father. She had so many questions for them both that she didn't know where to begin. "So what happened between you two? I still don't understand everything. Why did you have to give me up? Why were you able to keep your other children and not me?" Jody turned back and forth between the two, wondering who would speak first. She saw the look that Lynn sent Randy's direction and knew that Lynn wanted to be the one who told her everything.

"Well, when you were born we just couldn't afford to have a baby. We were barely scraping by, by ourselves. Both of us were working and going to school." Lynn glanced over at Randy once and then towards Justin who was standing at the door listening, before turning her attention back to Jody. "We both hated that we weren't ready to be parents yet. We loved you more than anything; I hope you understand that. We knew that the only way we could give you a good life was by giving you up to someone who would have the money and means to take care of you."

Lynn looked up when Justin walked into the room and sat down in a chair in front of them. He looked out of his element, confused about everything that was happening. It wasn't that he was angry with Jody or even his parents, he was angry that he was never trusted enough to be told about it. "Once I got pregnant with Justin, we were more financially stable and I had done everything, since your birth, to prepare myself for motherhood so I wouldn't have to give up another child."

Jody looked at Justin and couldn't help but let her mind wander down the path of his fame. She was now related to someone famous. Her eyes slid over toward the wall behind him, not wanting to appear as though she were staring. A smile was dying to be set free when she thought about the fact that THE Justin Timberlake was her brother. Suddenly, she closed her eyes and turned to Lynn quickly. Her brother was someone that she had found quite attractive. A sickening feeling swept over her as she remembered the times that her and her college friends had eaten popcorn and watched him on TV, giggling over perverted thoughts of him and his fellow band-mates. And now he was her brother.

"So what happened between you two? I mean… what caused the divorce?" Jody tried not to look over at Justin. The thought that she had had such thoughts about her own flesh and blood was too much.

Randy was the first to speak. He looked to Lynn before turning his attention to Jody. "I guess these things sometimes happen, but we never thought it would happen to us. As the years went by, we began to argue. We had fights over some of the worst things. Eventually it got to the point where we knew that we were better off without each other."

After being silent about everything since the moment his father told him about Jody, he found his voice. "I was five years old at the time. They shared joint custody." He declared each sentence firmly, demanding to get his point across. "For years I blamed myself. I had nightmares that woke me each night." Justin looked between Lynn and Randy, sporting a solemn look upon his face. Then he turned to Jody, anger shining through his features. "So I guess I had a worse childhood then you. Didn't think that was possible, did you? You just assumed that since you didn't grow up with your real mommy and daddy that you had it worse, right?"

Confusion lit Jody's face as she stared blankly into Justin's fierce eyes. She wasn't sure what he was so angry about. He couldn't possibly think that she was ruining his life by turning up now, could he? What would make him so hostile toward her? He didn't even know her and he just found out that she was his sister, couldn't he at least show a little hospitality? No matter what conclusion Jody rounded up in her head, nothing fit. Something was wrong with him. She just didn't know what it was.

Finding that it was probably time she talk to her son privately, Lynn smiled sweetly toward Jody before turning her attention to Justin. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Justin swiftly got up, keeping his eyes on the imposter. He walked out in the hall and waited for his mother to come. Sitting as still as possible so that she could try and hear what was being said in the hall, Jody smiled at Randy, willing him to be quiet also. Thankfully he was for the moment.

"What was that all about Justin?" Lynn tried desperately to keep her voice down and be somewhat understanding toward him. "I know that you're taking this rough but that's no reason to be so antagonistic with her. She's your sister. Can't you treat her with some decency?"

Uncrossing his arms from over his chest, Justin looked at his mother in a severe and unbelieving manner. "My sister? Treat MY sister with some kind of decency? You must be mistaken about two things here mother. I don't have any decency left in me after what you and dad just pulled here. And she IS NOT MY SISTER!" Justin took a few steps back to keep some space between him and his mother. "There's no way I'm going to believe this. She CANNOT be my sister. I don't care how truthful that crap in there seemed to her, I'm not believing a word of it." Without another word, he stomped off. A few seconds later they all flinched when they heard the front door slam shut.

Jody's eyes were wide as they searched the floor for answers she couldn't see, and answers that her mind was dying to gain control over. He seemed unrelenting in his knowledge that she wasn't his sister. If he knew less than she did, how could he be this sure that she wasn't his sister? All she knew was what her adoption papers said and what Lynn and Randy had just told her. It all seemed to fit perfectly. She just wasn't sure why he didn't see it.

Nobody had seen Justin after he ran off that morning. It was obvious that he was upset but no one except Jody seemed worried about him. Lynn and Randy had done everything possible to make her feel comfortable with the situation. Lisa, Randy's wife, hadn't been seen much either. It was Jody's belief that she must have felt like she was imposing upon their reunion. As for Steven and Jonathon, they had been pretty great about it all. They liked the fact that they had a sister, even if she was just a stepsister. All they had ever been around were boys. They liked the female influence. They loved to interrupt Jody when she was talking with Lynn or Randy so that she could come see their room, a special project they had accomplished recently at school or just for the overall pleasure of having her undivided attention.

Now Jody was really becoming worried about Justin though. It was getting late and there was still no sign of him. The only thing that kept her from questioning Lynn or Randy was the fact that they didn't even mention his absence. They must have known that he needed time to cool off about it. They were great at keeping Jody more than occupied in conversation, which kept her mind off her worries of Justin.

"So what is it that you're majoring in?" Lynn stuck another celery stick in her mouth and chewed loudly. This brought a smile to Jody's face. This was her mother. She couldn't be more sweet or cute if she tried, Jody was sure.

Moving around on the more than comfortable bed, Jody cocked her head to the side. "I'm studying psychology at LSU, Louisiana State University. I've been there for four years now." Jody bit into another piece of a carrot, looking around the room, curious as to who used it.

Jody didn't answer for a moment as she chewed. "It's not that I didn't want to go out of state, it's just that I wanted to stay close to family. My family, the Millers, are all I've ever had. LSU is in Baton Rouge, which is only a couple hours away from New Orleans. Both of my grandparents live in New Orleans and so I was use to having family near me always. I applied to Yale, mainly as a test, to see if I had it in me to go there. I made up my mind long before I ever got the acceptance letter. Family is just something that is very important to me; always has been. I'm able to go home whenever I like to visit. It's nice."

Watching Jody stare off into space for the millionth time that night, Lynn could see exactly what she meant. Family was definitely something that was very important to her. When she had found out about the adoption, she didn't hesitate. She knew that she wanted to meet them. Lynn watched Jody yawn and patted her on the leg as she got up. "All right missy, I think it's time for bed. It's pretty late. We have the rest of our lives to catch up on time missed. You're going to stay a couple days, aren't you?"

Standing up to exit, Lynn smiled back. "I'll tell you what… I have a meeting in a few days in Orlando that I definitely can't get out of so I've got to fly back. Justin was planning on coming home in a few days anyhow, why don't you just fly back with us? I'd… WE'D love for you to come stay with us for a while longer." She smiled at Jody hopefully, letting her mind wander back to her slip. She could only hope that Justin would have a change of heart in the next few days.

"I'd really love that." Jody stood up to give her a hug goodnight. Their embrace seemed just as healing as all the other hugs they had shared that same day. Jody pulled away, lightly kissing Lynn on the cheek as she passed by. "Thank you for coming."

Feeling as though her water works were about to spill over again, she smiled graciously, grabbed the bowl of veggies they had been munching on and walked out the door, shutting it quietly. Jody sat down on her bed with a huff, falling into the cushiness of the mattress. Somehow, she didn't remember it being this soft the night before. Yesterday had been a whirlwind of emotions for her. Most of the day was spent in tears. Not so much in sobs, but a constant flow of happy tears that fell down her cheeks. She was happy to have finally been reunited with her family. She had dreamt about that day for some time and now it was all coming true. Nothing could ever compare to the feeling she felt of acceptance from them. The excitement she found in their voices when they heard that she had sought them out was unbelievable. It was a great day.

Jody lay in bed, not able to catch a wink of sleep. Her heart was too full to allow her mind to stop pondering each and every aspect of that day. She had to admit that she had been scared that they might turn her away, that they wouldn't want anything to do with her. But she now knew that it was never in them to shun their own daughter. They were absolutely ecstatic to have her there with them.

Turning over to her side, she opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the darkness. She looked around the room, enjoying the stillness. Then her attention was captured when she saw a shadow under the door. Very slowly the door began to crack open. Her heartbeat quickened as she watched the door inch open. Within seconds a head popped through the opening, obviously trying to be unnoticed as they thought she was sleeping.

Raising her head slightly, she tried to see through the shadows to see who it was. Then the door inched open farther. The ray of light that had once been only touching the comforter of the bed she was lying in, was now lingering across her face. She squinted against the new light and watched the invader step inside. Feeling her heartbeat in her ears, Jody switched on the tableside lamp before they could take another step. Justin immediately jumped backward, almost knocking down a shelf. He turned suddenly to catch it, seeming more frightened than she was.

Jody instantaneously sat up in bed, her eyes fixed on Justin. "I'm uh… I'm sorry…" Justin turned slightly, putting a hand over his eyes so he couldn't see her. Jody looked down and realized her indecent apparel. She quickly grabbed her matching robe and flung it on, wrapping it tightly around herself. It had to be the most embarrassing thing, allowing her own brother to see her in only a nightgown.

Justin stood of up slightly and sat the shelf down on her nightstand uneasily. "I wasn't sure if you were still awake or not. I wanted to come talk to you." He watched her for a brief moment, then shut the door and took a seat on the end of the bed. "I didn't wake you, did I?"

When she shook her head no she was sure he would continue, but he didn't. He looked to the floor, apparently trying to pull together his thoughts. "When did you get in? I never did hear you drive up." She looked over at the clock and turned back shocked. "Good heavens Justin, it's one in the morning. What you had to say couldn't wait till morning?"

Watching him, Jody was sure he was nervous. He looked up at her, his features previewing his tiredness. "I must have gotten in about twenty minutes ago. But does it really matter if it's that important or not? You were up anyway." He rubbed his hands together in his lap before lifting his leg up on the bed and turning toward her more fully. "So uh… where did you say you live?"

Lowering her head in question, Jody watched him, wondering if all he wanted was to catch up on what he had missed. "New Orleans… born and raised. All my family lives there." She shrugged her shoulder and rolled her eyes, realizing the mistake she had made for the hundredth time that day. "You know what I mean."

He shook his head up and down slowly as he looked down at his hands that were fumbling with a loose string from the comforter. "What I said earlier…" He looked up at her, recognizing for the first time that she had blue eyes. His eyes stayed glued to hers, almost as though a magnetic force was joining the two. "I really didn't mean it. I was cruel and I'm sorry. It's not every day that you get pushed, or should I say violently shoved, into a situation like this." It wasn't an easy feat, but he managed to pull his eyes away.

"You know what? Don't worry about it. I understand completely." She reached a hand forward and rubbed his knee, trying to be as gentle as possible. Justin didn't move for a few moments so she took that time to get out what she had wanted to say. "You know… I was really shocked when I saw you today." This gathered Justin's attention. His eyes met hers and he couldn't help but smile when she did. "I think my friends would kill me if they knew that you were my brother. I told them about how I was looking for my real parents and they had joked when they heard the last name was Timberlake. I don't think they ever imagined they were right."

A light of hope shined through when Justin began to laugh lightly. "Yeah, what are the odds?" He pulled the string that was connected to the comforter tight before letting go all together. He looked up, relaxing his arm on his leg. "So I guess I don't have to ask if you're a fan." He watched her and couldn't help the smile that tugged at his lips.

Seemingly enough, it was Jody's turn to feel a little awkward. She pulled at the ribbon on her robe while she smiled down at it. "Yeah, you can say I'm a fan. At the dorm, my friends and I always watch whatever shows you guys are going to be on. I mean… it's fun. There's about seven us, so we're all just gawking at you guys." Jody closed her eyes; she could see the entire scene right before her. When any of them would make a crude or perverted comment, they'd all shower the girl with popcorn. It was like a tradition with them; sit in front of the TV, drool over the guys of N'Sync and throw things at the one who voiced her fantasy.

This teasing thing was too much. "Oh come ON! JC and I could be destined for each other and you're not going to help us out? You're going to step in the way of destiny?" Jody laughed heartily, thinking it was a joint custom they were sharing, but Justin could only fix a smile on his face that was slowly fading away.

Justin watched her as the remainder of his smile dwindled away. He then looked back down at his hands. "So I guess you still believe all that they told you… about you being my sister?" He looked up when he finished, not sure what kind of reaction to expect from her.

He watched as her eyebrows twitched a few times in confusion, as her eyes studied him for sincerity. "What do you mean 'all that they told me'?" Without noticing her actions, she pulled the comforter aside and scratched her thigh, still keeping her eyes locked on his features.

Justin's eyes wandered from his hands to her thigh and then quickly up to her face. He was met with her forward gaze. "It's just that… I mean come on… you actually believe all this?" When her features continued to show her pure and utter confusion, he knew she did. "You mean to tell me that through that whole spill about how they weren't financially liable or even prepared for a baby yet, you didn't see how she was searching for the words? It sure did seem like she was making it up on the spot. I know my mother, she doesn't stutter that much."

Shaking his head, Justin tried to remain his cool. There was no reason to get angry with her. If it wasn't that simple for her to see what he saw, he'd just have to explain things the way he saw them. "It's not that I can't accept things this way… I mean… it just doesn't feel right. I think I would at least FEEL like you're my sister, we should have some kind of likeness, right?"

"LOOK!" Justin waved his hands in the air, trying to get his point across. "You just don't understand the way my parents are. They never work good together like they did today and besides… it's just… why can't you understand that this just isn't right? Can't you feel it? You're NOT my sister. I'm not suppose to… suppose to…" Frustrated with how things were coming out, Justin got up from the bed and walked across the room to the window. He stood there, looking out the second floor window, not sure whether he should even try again.

Jody stood up after a few minutes passed. She looked around the room, still frozen in the place she had just risen to. Pulling at her silky lavender nightgown, she prepared herself for another confrontation. She walked over to the same window, standing by his side to look out the window also. She continued to watch out the window, knowing that he had turned to look at her. Drawing together all the decency she could, she made a move to look at him. "I'm sorry that I'm not understanding what you're trying to say, but even you must see how ridiculous you're sounding." She stared at him closely, trying to see what his mood was now like. "Not ridiculous, I mean… it just doesn't make any sense."

Massaging the worry lines on his forehead, Justin mentally prepared himself for yet another attempt of making her understand. "I know that it doesn't make sense to you now. For me, I can't see why you don't see it my way. It just seems so beyond belief. I would only think that you would catch on to something like that. I mean… come on… think about it." He turned a few times, stopping himself several times before he said something. He let out an exasperated sigh and allowed his voice to rise in his frustration. "I just KNOW! I can't explain it. I just KNOW that you're not my sister."

"I… I JUST KNOW! OK?" Seeing her uncertainty still, he continued to ramble on, looking from her to the wall. "I just… I KNOW! What more can I say? I KNOW! I don't know how to make you see…" An idea hit him so suddenly that he lost his train of thought as to what he was going to say next. Without another moment's delay, he brought his hands up to hold her face as he touched his lips to hers.

For an instant she was shocked beyond amazement. Her eyes flew open in shock and she stood there, frozen. Within milliseconds her eyes slid closed and she found herself sinking lower and lower into his arms. Her hands seized his, where they were still keeping a gentle hold of her cheeks. Her eyes began to flutter when she felt his lips brush up against hers once more before pulling their warmth away from her touch. She looked up at Justin, no longer sure who it was he was to her or what they had been previously discussing.

With his hands remaining against her cheeks, his eyes searched her now glazed and dreamy eyes. "Now you tell me… would we be able to do that and enjoy it if we were brother and sister?"

Suddenly Jody pulled out of his reach, experiencing a shove back into reality. Her face lit up with scornfulness as she felt shock rapidly taking over her. She turned away from Justin, feeling an aching in her stomach. When she felt his hand lay upon her shoulder she waved him off. It was obvious that she was upset.

Justin turned back toward her when he reached the door handle. He watched her for a moment, seeing the palpable quivering of her body as she tried to hold back the tears. Her hands were at her face, covering what he was sure were tears. Silently retreating, he scolded himself for the incredulous action he had just committed. No matter how he looked at it, the question still remained. Was she his sister?

"Dear, what's wrong? You've been staring off into space all morning. Is there something bothering you?" Lynn put a hand on Jody's back in a comforting manner. Lynn always knew how to make someone feel comfortable around her. She had a knack for understanding someone's discomforts.

Jody took another sip of her orange juice and looked from the patio door to Lynn's cheery voice. "Oh no, I'm fine. I just didn't get much sleep is all. I think it's just the displacement issue." She smiled reassuringly, hoping that it would pass as a perfect answer.

Sitting back in her chair, Lynn glanced over at Randy who sat silently reading his paper. She then turned back to watch Jody sink right back into her pool of thoughts. She knew something had to be bothering her. She just sat there looking out the window at the yard, not once had she tried to make conversation since she had come downstairs. Watching her now, she wished she could help in some way to ease her mind. Maybe everything was catching up to her. It wasn't easy to be thrown into another family, having to cope with every detail they gave you.

Finally coming out of her clouded thoughts, Jody put her cup back on the table before throwing a smile in Lynn's direction. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back." Jody smiled at both Lynn and Randy before making her way toward the stairs. She walked briskly down the hall until a door swung open and Steven walked out into the hall. "Hi buddy… breakfast is ready if you're hungry." Jody somehow didn't feel as though she had the time to be led off on another adventure with a little five-year-old. She had something on her mind she needed to solve and didn't feel like she could delay it any longer.

Moving along, Jody made her way up another staircase that led to a loft that she had been told was Justin's room. She quietly made her way up the steps, trying her best to keep them from creaking. As she neared the top she saw the bed on the other side of the room and noticed the ruffled covers and hairy legs sprawled out. She inched toward the bed slowly. As the curly fro came into view, she stopped her forward movement. She stood there, studying him for a moment as he slept.

A smile grew on her lips as her eyes scanned down his body. He was lying on his stomach with one arm under his pillow and the other lying directly next to his face on the pillow. The covers were at his waist, revealing everything above that. Her eyes quickly moved over the muscles of his back and made her way down to his legs. Both legs had been pulled out from under the covers and laid on either side of the bed, spread wide. Ending her inspection, she looked to his face. His eyes remained closed in sleep. Through the stillness of the room she could hear each breath he took in through his nose. He seemed peaceful and all she could think about was how lucky he was to actually be getting some sleep.

Feeling that it was now or never, she lightly touched his arm, hoping it wouldn't take much to wake him. After a few seconds she nudged him harder; still no stirring. "Justin!" His nose barely flinched as the rest of him stayed perfectly still, deep in sleep. "Justin… wake up." This time she ventured up to his shoulder where she shoved him a little harder, willing him to open his eyes. After several more attempts she knelt down next to the tall bed and shook him. "JUSTIN! It's time to get up." This time it was effective. Very slowly his eyes began to flutter until he finally let out a large sigh and opened them completely. He looked straight at Jody, blinking several times, allowing seconds to pass.

It was shocking to see that he wasn't surprised to have her sitting by his bedside. Then suddenly he jumped back. He rolled over and looked up at her, thoroughly taken back by her presence. "What… what are you doing in here?" Jody was motionless after she stood. Her eyes were locked on the region he had just revealed. Looking down, Justin pulled the sheet up above his boxers to cover his stomach and chest. Before turning back to her, he looked around the room and at the clock that sat on the headboard. "Jody… it's 10:30, what are you doing in here?" He glanced down for a minute before looking back at her with the same confusion she had had the night before. "Actually, forget the time… why is it that you're even in my bedroom?"

Snapping out of her previous daze, she sat down on the edge of his bed and with a somber look planted on her face, tried to keep herself calm. "When exactly were you born?"

Jody closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "Just… don't worry about why I'm asking… just when were you born?" She opened her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't continue to question her.

A sense of complete confusion swept over Jody, making her feel quite light-headed. She didn't pay attention to Justin as he continued to stare her down. She looked down at her hands and then brought a shaky hand up to place a few stray strands behind her ear. Justin saw her uneasiness and immediately grabbed her hand. He held it up in the air while she watched him, not making any sign of disapproval as to what he was doing. He watched her hand and saw the tiny quivers of her muscles.

She weakly tried to clear her throat as she watched Justin sit up fully, forgetting all about modesty. He held her hand, waiting for her response. "You were right." That's all that was said for a moment as she tried to swallow once more. "You were right… there's no way that your parents can be my real parents."

Footsteps pounding into the dining room stole both Lynn and Randy's attention. They looked up to see both Justin and Jody standing there, obviously itching to discuss something. Lynn looked over at Randy who sat his paper aside and looked at Lynn with the same hesitation that she felt. "Well good morning. You hungry Justin?" Randy looked down at the bacon and eggs that sat on the table and then looked back up at Justin with a smile.

"No thanks dad. We need to talk to you about something." Justin looked at Jody, giving her a reassuring look before turning back to his parents. Randy saw the seriousness of the way they were acting and quietly told Steven to go try and wake Jonathon. That was sure to keep him busy.

Lynn looked between the two and then down at what Justin was wearing. There he stood, wearing nothing more than his boxer shorts and a white t-shirt. "Good heavens Justin; go get some clothes on. Lord knows I'm use to you lounging around the house in only your boxers all morning, but Jody… well, I'm sure you're making her a little uncomfortable and…"

"Mom?" Justin sat down in the seat next to her, sounding like a boy who was whining about taking out the trash. He didn't care about being properly dressed for company now. Besides, Jody had seen much more than that upstairs.

Jody sat beside Justin and looked between Lynn and Randy. There didn't seem like any other way of coming out and saying it, other than just being blunt. "I know that you're not my real parents."

Lynn was the first to react. She laughed slightly as she spoke, trying to sound as believable as possible. "Oh honey, where did you get a silly idea like that? Really… my goodness." Lynn laughed even more as she looked toward Randy who wasn't amused at all.

"No, really… you don't have to lie. I know that you aren't. You can't be." Lynn looked at Randy with a worried statement, not sure what to say. Randy, however, didn't say a word. He sat back and sighed, knowing that he had nothing to say to fight against her accusation. "It's simple really. I never would have thought of it if it weren't for Justin when he… um…" Justin immediately looked down when Jody glanced over at him. It was noticeable that he was embarrassed about what had happened the night before. "Justin was born January 1981 and I was born October 1981… there's barely nine months between us." She looked back and forth between the two who had their heads down, apparently acknowledging that they were caught. "Now what I want to know is the truth and why it is you lied to me."

Randy sat back in his chair and watched as Lynn prepared herself for the truth. He knew it was hard for her, but it had to be said. "Your real mother was Diana Edwards… we all called her D." Lynn smiled at Jody and wiped away a tear that rolled down her cheek. "We were friends in college, roommates for a couple years. After college, we stayed good friends. Once I married Randy…" Lynn reached over and took his hand for comfort. "…Diana moved to Memphis with us because Randy and I wanted to be close to family, but Diana and I just couldn't live without each other. I guess Randy and I had been married a year before she started dating Ian, who she could just talk your ear off about. In her eyes, he was perfect."

Justin looked over at Jody and knew that she was taking it the best she could. She was being quiet through it all and that was hard enough. "Well, when I found out that I was pregnant with Justin, Diana also found out that she was pregnant. Your mother didn't think about it as a mistake at all. She felt like she was ready to be a mother." Lynn reached over the table and took Jody's hand, trying desperately to keep her attention so that she'd understand everything. "Your father honey, Ian didn't want anything to do with a baby so he left. You can't understand how much that hurt your mother. She cried for weeks. Here she was carrying his baby and he didn't want to be the father. All the time that she had thought that she was ready to be a mother, that was only with the help of a husband and father for you."

Turning away, Jody let her tears roll down her cheeks freely as she squinted them shut. "So you have to understand that your mother couldn't keep you. She wasn't ready to be a mother on her own. She knew that the right thing to do was to give you up… give you to a loving family where you would have both a mother and father."

Lynn watched Jody closely and jumped when she turned suddenly. "Where's my mother? Is she still living here in Memphis?" Jody stared at Lynn, trying her best to hold back her tears and quiet the sense of urgency she felt. Justin looked between his mother and Jody and knew that he in no way knew who this woman was. Diane Edwards had never been mentioned to him before.

"Oh honey… your mother loved you so much. She did." Jody's hope began to falter the longer Lynn took to explain what happened. "Your mother had a healthy pregnancy but… there were some complications during her labor." Lynn held on tight to Jody's hand. "Sweetie, she died giving birth to you." Jody's head fell when she heard Lynn's last words. Her body shook with the tears that she let overtake her. Lynn rubbed her hands to try and pacify her while Justin placed a hand on the back of her head, trying to soothe her with his touch, the only comfort that he could give at that moment.

Lynn looked at Randy before turning back to Jody. "We went forward with them, except we put ourselves down as your real parents. We figured if you ever DID find out, we didn't want you to have no one. We would be glad to be your parents when the time came."

Biting her bottom lip, Jody very slowly nodded her head up and down as she stared down at the floor. Her eyes looked around the room, not focusing on anything solely. She stood, feeling weak for some reason. "If you'll excuse me… I'd like to be alone."

Jody's wishes of being left alone were followed. They had brought food to her room and left it just outside the door when she didn't answer them. No one bothered her. They gave her the space she needed so that she could sort through things and gain a new perspective. It was now eleven A.M. and she still hadn't come downstairs. They were sure that it would take some time for those deep wounds to heal. They just weren't sure how long.

Sneaking away from his parent's who had busied themselves at the kitchen table once more, reading something that would pass away the time until Jody was able to talk to them. Justin crept up the stairs and now stood in front of the guest room, fist in the air, ready to knock on the door. Then he had the impulse that it was best not to knock. Very slowly he inched open the door like he had done the night he had peeked in on her. When the opening was large enough to stick his head through, he did so. He was met with a pair of eyes that seemed far from wet. Jody lay on her side on the bed facing him with an actual smile growing on her lips. "You might as well come in."

Justin walked in and shut the door as he had done two nights ago. He was sure not to once again disturb the shelf that was now hanging back on the wall. He cocked his head to the side and looked her over. "How are you doing?"

She shrugged as she scooted over slightly to make a space for him. "I'll live I suppose." She patted the place she had just moved from and waited for Justin to take his seat there.

Jody let another smile appear on her face as Justin's remark sunk in. "Guys really aren't good at this sensitive stuff, are they?" A smile was the only answer she received from Justin. "I'm fine. Really… I'm fine. It doesn't make sense to cry over it. It's not like I don't have anyone. I've got two parents who I absolutely love. I guess I was just curious because… well… they were my mother and father. But I'll be fine. I AM fine."

Justin looked down at her, not believing one word of it. When she finally looked up at him, he gave her a pathetic grin. It only took Jody a moment to jump into action. She quickly sat up and threw her arms around his neck. He held her tight as her entire body began to quake. He rested a hand lightly on the back of her head, making shushing noises to quiet her.

Minutes passed before Jody finally pulled out of the relieving feeling he was allowing her to gain from him. She sat up entirely, sitting Indian style on the bed in front of him while staring down at her hands, an awkward move they were both known for. While he studied her calm state, Justin somehow found it in him to take the lead of conversation and change the subject. "You know… I just wanted to apologize for the other night when I uh… when I was trying to prove to you that I was right… which I was." He closed his eyes and shook his head, feeling as though he had gotten off track. "But I didn't come up here to boast. I was only trying to apologize for how I went about proving it to you… I know it was wrong to uh…"

Justin was suddenly slung out of his current thoughts and thrown for a wild ride of emotions. Jody had leaned forward and pulled him into a kiss that was both meant to shut him up and prove a point, as he had done. She lightly swept her lips over his in a teasing manner that was meant to get his attention. She could only wish that he would react to it. And react he did. Within seconds he had both hands on her cheeks, deepening the pressure that she had kept at a minimum. Butterflies swarmed into her stomach when he caressed her lips with both his lips and tongue. Justin was in control.

After mere seconds had passed, Justin pulled Jody back into reality just as quickly as she had thrown him out of his. Detaching himself from her, Justin stood waiting for her to come around. When her eyes began to flutter open once more, Justin smiled at her with the smile that could break the hearts of thousands. "Uh… yeah." Justin's smile grew when that was all that it seemed she was going to say. "My point was uh…" She looked down to the floor, searching for the answer. She finally looked up at him and smiled, showing him that he had definitely sent her on the ride of her life. "Yeah… I was just making a point with that kiss, like you had done with yours."

Smiling evilly at her, Justin felt a twinge of playfulness eating at him. "A point? Is that right? And the point is?" He folded his arms over his chest and waited for her answer.

"I was just showing you that there was no need to apologize for what you did. I liked the kiss too." Jody looked at him playfully for a moment before allowing a simple laugh to escape her. "Aren't you going to say something? You know… guys are normally required to say something stupid after a kiss such as that."

Justin brought his arms down from his chest and thought about it. "Um…" He looked up at the ceiling, acting as though it took great thought to find something to say. When he found what he was looking for, he looked down at her. "You're still coming to Orlando with us in a few days, right?" Jody grinned; it wasn't exactly something she was expecting. "I can be very persuasive you know."

*****
Copyrighted 2002.
Do not steal or plagiarize any part or idea of the story.
If you do, I will report you to Zero Tolerance. You have been
warned.