---Part Nine---

Justin stared after Abbey as she darted out through the banquet room. He knew he'd said the wrong thing, but he hadn't expected such a violent reaction from her. Don't kid yourself, Timberlake. You've seen her remote act, you knew she'd have a hard time with this. He'd hoped, though, that taking things a step further -- when both of them were sober and in control -- would be of the good, especially with her in the rare, unguarded mood she'd been in tonight.

Obviously, he'd made an error in judgment. But she'd seemed to enjoy it at first; at least, she hadn't pulled away, had even leaned into that short, sweet kiss. With a mental curse, he ran after her, through the banquet room and out into the hall. He had to settle this, make it right between them. He didn't want to hurt her, and if he'd inadvertantly done so somehow--

At the elevators, he caught up with her. She was jabbing the 'up' key, scrubbing at her eyes and reddened cheeks with her other hand; when she saw him, her eyes flared again.

"Abbey," he said, stopping a few feet away from her. "Abbey, listen to me, please."

"Don't touch me, Timberlake," she growled. "Don't talk to me, don't even look at me, or I swear to God, I'll..."

"You'll do what? Run away again?" He couldn't stop himself, so angry was he at her actions. "When are you going to stop?"

Her eyes narrowed again, sparking with fury. "You've got a hell of a lot of nerve telling me how I should be acting."

Justin bit back the first retort that sprang to mind. Arguing with her would do no good at all. "Then do what you want," he said. "But that's what I see you doing, and Abbey, I can't stand seeing it. I know you hate the idea of people caring about you, but I do, and I want to help."

He felt a surge of hope when she didn't spit an immediate comeback. Her eyes looked distinctly troubled, giving him the sense that she hadn't expected him to make such an offer. Taking the chance, he stepped forward, offering a gentle presence. "Come on. We can just go and talk. Don't you ever talk to anyone?"

Abbey's eyes flickered to the carpet, as if the woven pattern had suddenly become incredibly interesting. She shook her head in negative response to his question; Justin got the impression that she seemed very lonely all of a sudden, and ached with regret that he'd once thought her a cold bitch.

"Come on," he said again. The elevator dinged as it arrived, and he took her hand, feeling again that heat at the pressure of skin to skin, even though her fingers were cold. She didn't resist him now, though she wouldn't meet his eyes either.

On their floor, he led her to the room he and Lance were sharing. He knew that Lance would be gone with Carrie for a while, so they'd have privacy. To insure that, he hung the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on the doorknob, while Abbey went in to take a seat on the couch by the balcony. He paused to retrieve a bottle of water from the mini-fridge, asking if she wanted one; after she declined, he turned one of the chairs from the table around and sat on it backwards, folding his arms on the back.

"I have to tell you, this isn't something I usually do," Abbey said, and Justin heard the quaver in her voice.

"What's that?" he asked. "Hang out in mega-pop-stars' hotel rooms?"

She giggled a little, then wiped her nose with one finger. "No, break down in front of people. You should consider yourself lucky."

"Oh, I do," he said seriously. She glanced up, saw that his eyes were serious, and turned her gaze to the scenery beyond the glass balcony doors.

"I'm not used to this. Talking to people. The last time I sat down and had a serious heart-to-heart with someone, it got turned into gossip all over my freshman class in high school."

Justin winced. "Nice."

"Yeah." She shrugged. "So, well. What do you want to talk about?"

He saw the opportunity and grabbed it. "Why don't you want to get close to anyone? I mean, it seems like you don't have any friends, and it just seems horribly lonely."

Abbey winced, set her shoulders. "That's... probably," she sighed, "because it seems like everyone that I make friends with or care about ends up leaving, or I leave them. Like, you met my brother. He moved to Miami four years ago, just after I graduated from high school, which was also after my best friend moved to somewhere in Wisconsin." She put a finger to her lips; Justin noticed for the first time that her nails were bitten, ragged, the cuticles nibbled away to nothing. "And there was my friend Amber in seventh grade, who was killed in a car accident. Drunk driver. And, well."

She stopped there; Justin got the impression she'd been about to add another name to the list, but she just shook her head. "So I guess that's why I'm so protective of Cat. She's my one constant."

"What about your parents?" Justin asked.

"My dad's gone," she said flatly, with a hint of reluctantance. "I... they got divorced in '89. Cat was a year old. They were distant for so long before then, so I guess it didn't really come as a surprise. But I was dumb enough to think it was normal, you know? He didn't come around very much after the divorce, either. My last memory is of him teaching me to drive, which was when I was seventeen. I haven't seen him since the last lesson." Her voice was unemotional, detached, as if the events she was relating had happened to someone else.

"You mean you haven't seen your dad in five years?" Justin exclaimed.

Abbey shook her head. "Nope. And you know, I used to worship him when I was little. I guess I still miss him."

"I know how you feel." He caught her surprised look, and couldn't help but smile wryly. "My parents are divorced too."

He couldn't keep the emotion out of his voice the way she had hers, and he knew it; but that was okay, he didn't mind. As he spoke, his eyes flickered to her, seeing the sudden sympathy in her eyes. "I guess it's been about five years, but I still get to see my dad; he lives in Tennessee, which was, um, where I grew up. They split up 'cause they were fighting all the time, so I guess it's better this way. But I still kind of wish things could be different, you know?" His gaze had turned to the balcony door; now, he looked at her again and saw her fervent nod.

"They both got married again," he went on, after taking a sip from his water. "And it's cool, I get along with my step-parents. I love my little brother, too. I don't care if he's only my half-brother." He took a deep breath, aware that he was saying more than he'd intended to; but she'd revealed so much of herself, it was only fair that he do the same. "So I guess it all works out, 'cause if they hadn't split up Jonathan wouldn't be around. But still, you know?"

"Yeah," Abbey said, her voice soft. "I do know."

Her eyes met his; for a moment, there was an exquisite stillness between them, the balance shifting, softening into something like a bond created by their shared losses. Justin felt himself swallow, the feelings overwhelming him without warning: appreciation that she understood what it was like, sympathy, the comfort of being able to connect with someone. To break the silence, he took another swig of his water and determinedly changed the subject.

"So, uh, tell me about Cat."

Abbey chuckled. "Well, you got to meet her, though she's quite a bit more voluble when she's not so nervous. I've never seen her mute before. She usually talks a mile a minute and then some."

The ice broken between them, the conversation flowed naturally, at a relaxed pace. When at last Abbey yawned and looked at her watch, she saw that it was almost 1:00 in the morning.

"Good God," she declared. "I should be asleep right now."

"It's not that late," he chuckled, but didn't protest when she stood up.

"Maybe for you, but I didn't get nearly enough sleep last night, and if you'll pardon me, I had a bad day."

Justin pulled his most innocent face, sticking out his lower lip in a pout. He felt rewarded by Abbey's giggle. "Okay, fine," he sighed, his disappointment only mostly faked, and got up to walk her to the door.

There, she paused, one hand on the latch. When she looked up at him, tucking a few locks of ash-blonde hair behind one ear in an unconscious flirting gesture, Justin thought at first that it made her look incredibly young. Then he realized that much of the tension with which she had always held herself was gone, fallen away over the course of their conversation, and she actually looked her age now -- maybe even a year or two younger.

"This was really nice," she told him. "I didn't even realize how much of a relief it would be to just let all that out, even if most of it was about nothing in particular."

He shrugged, smiling. "That's what having a normal conversation is about. We can do it again, anytime you want."

Abbey's eyes flickered downward for a moment, then back up to meet his. Justin knew he shouldn't have been surprised, but he was anyway when he saw the newly-awakened look of starving need in her gaze -- that desperate desire for simple human contact.

"I'd like that," she said. Reaching for his hand, she squeezed it in her own.

Justin gave into the urge to deepen that small contact with an impulsive hug, his arms going around her in a movement that felt totally natural. Abbey came into his hug willingly; he closed his eyes, letting out a small sigh at the feel of her body pressed to his, at the warmth and intimacy of the embrace. Dancing with her last night had been nothing like this: it was nowhere near this close, quiet moment, when he could bend his face to the top of her head and breathe in the floral scent of her hair, the barely musky perfume of her skin. He heard her make a small noise of contentment deep in her throat; that sound almost undid him right there.

Pulling back just a little, Justin kept one arm firmly around Abbey's waist. With his free hand he brushed some loose strands of hair away from her eyes, then inclined his head a little to kiss her forehead. Her momentarily puzzled look cleared, and she closed her eyes as his lips brushed her skin, a gentle caress; then she looked up at him again. He saw the indecision darkening her expression a moment before she leaned up on her toes, her hands sliding up to his chest -- and he experienced a moment of shock, leavened with happiness, when she kissed him on the lips.

He wasted no time in taking advantage of the moment. The fingers of one hand threaded into the hair at her nape, cradling her head in his palm; his other arm drew her even closer, aligning their bodies until there was nothing between them but a few thin layers of clothes. Abbey made a soft, sweet noise in the back of her throat as her arms went around his neck, her hands clasping there; her lips were hot and smooth, willing, urging a deeper response from him. Tenderly, he nibbled on her lower lip, his tongue darting at her inner depths, querying. Her tongue answered without hesitation. The kiss flared, heat sparking into a purer flame.

Justin couldn't get enough of the taste of her. He felt drunk on her, on the delicious feel of her lips and her hair in his hands, her body pressing to his. His heart pounded in his ears, counterpoint to the shallow breaths they took when one kiss ended, before the next began; distractedly, he thought that it had to be the most intense kiss he'd ever had, completely erasing the memory of last night's fumbled dancing from his mind.

Abbey finally ended it, her breath shuddering as she put her hands on Justin's chest. "I should -- I should go," she said, her voice huskier, betraying a definite quiver.

Recognizing that she was starting to get scared, Justin nodded. He felt torn; he wanted her to stay, but he knew that he'd already pushed her far enough tonight, and that had been one incredible kiss. With a gentle squeeze, he released her, running his hand over her mussed hair one last time. "I'll see you tomorrow," he murmured, hearing his own voice shake. God, she really gets to me.

She nodded, pulled the door open, and slipped through it. Her eyes, as she glanced back at him one last time, were so dark as to almost seem black, hazy and full of wanton desire. That glance rocked him back on his heels; as he reluctantly shut the door behind her, he knew he wouldn't be getting much sleep tonight.

---

Oh my God, oh my God... Abbey paced down the hall to her hotel room in a state of shock, her mind still frozen, refusing to process what had just happened. Part of her had been wondering what that drunken kiss last night had been like; now, she knew exactly how it had felt and then some.

Her feet caught on an innocent piece of carpet, and she stumbled, catching herself again almost immediately. Her mind rushed with confused emotions, all pushing her in different directions; she was frightened of how he'd made her feel, but at the same time she'd loved it, wanted more of the kissing and the feel of his arms around her. She wanted to take a long, cold shower; she wanted to hide; she wanted to go back to his room and finish what they'd started. The memory of his mouth on hers blossomed again in her mind, and she felt a warm bubble of astonishing pleasure swell inside her just remembering it.

She knew that she couldn't go back. Lance would probably return soon, so there wouldn't be any privacy. Was this what being in love was like? Was this how it felt, this crush of emotion, this intense need to be with that person? And how in the world could it have possibly sprung up so fast?

In the end, she changed and crawled into bed, huddling under the covers with her thoughts. Her heart seemed to pound faster every time she thought about Justin: the feel of his lips, the way his hands felt on her back and in her hair, and most especially the look in his eyes when they'd pulled back between kisses. Oh, that look made her shiver all over; his gaze had been dark, dark blue, his eyes narrowed, sheened with emotion both unfamiliar and instantly recognizable: pure physical need. And it was all for her.

I'm acting like a teenager! Abbey scolded herself, but she couldn't keep from giggling into her pillow anyway. As strange as these feelings were to her, she liked them. Liked them a lot.

---

When Lance returned to his hotel room, he was surprised to hear the shower running. Didn't he take a shower this morning? With an internal shrug, he tossed his wallet to the desk and started getting ready for bed. It had been difficult to leave Carrie at the door of the room she was sharing with Karyn and Lindsey; after months of not seeing her, he wanted to spend every second with her, awake and asleep. But he'd made a promise to himself that he'd respect her, wait for her to be ready in everything they did. She had hinted at a surprise that would be coming in the next couple of months; he contented himself with that, and the fact that he'd get to see her for a couple of hours in the morning before they all left.

He'd changed into a pair of boxers and a muscle shirt, his usual sleep clothes, by the time Justin emerged from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist and another over his head; he was rubbing at his mop of wet hair with the second one. "Hey," he said, rummaging in his suitcase for his sleep-sweats.

"Hey," Lance said. Already under the covers, he was looking over some paperwork that had been faxed over earlier in the day. "You and Abbey get things worked out?" he asked.

"Yep." Justin grabbed the sweats and returned to the bathroom to shuck the towel. His voice had a suspiciously pleased tone to it; Lance smiled to himself as he caught that note; something told him he'd have to keep an eye on that pair tomorrow.

---

The next morning, Abbey slept in well past her usual wakeup time. When she finally did climb out of unconsciousness, she found herself blinking at the whirlwind that was Michaela frantically rushing around the room, picking up her things.

Seeing the clock drove the last remnants of sleep from her mind; it was eleven o'clock, and they were supposed to be leaving in half an hour. With a gasp, she jumped out of bed and grabbed at some clothes, cursing.

"I can't believe I overslept," she wailed as she got dressed.

"I tried to wake you up," Michaela called apologetically from the bathroom. "Grabbed some bagels and cream cheese from the breakfast bar, they're on the fridge."

"You are a saint," Abbey declared, biting into one of the cold bagels before pulling a t-shirt over her head. "Maybe even a goddess. How the hell did I oversleep?"

"Too much fighting with Justin last night?" Michaela suggested, reappearing with a full makeup case in her hands.

Abbey shook her head. "Didn't fight," she mumbled around her mouthful of bagel as she started packing her clothes and various sundry items into one of her bags.

"Oh? What did you do?" the stylist inquired, her eyebrows arched high with curiosity.

To her horror, Abbey discovered that she was blushing. She didn't even have to answer the question; Michaela whooped when she saw the crimson spreading across Abbey's face.

"You got busy with the J-man! How does it feel to know that you're about to be hated by millions and millions of teenage fans?"

"We didn't do anything," Abbey insisted. Zipping her first duffel bag up, she tossed it onto her bed, then ducked into the bathroom to gather up shower items.

"You did something," Michaela declared, eager. "How far'd he get? First base? Second?"

"We kissed, all right?" Abbey snapped before stalking past Michaela to dump her shampoo and conditioner into her second bag. "We made out. Necked. Then I got scared and left. And over-fucking-slept."

"Geez, excuse me," Michaela muttered. "And here I was beginning to think nothing could make you stop being an annoyingly perky morning person."

Abbey ignored Michaela after that, but now that her mind had been drawn back to the memory of last night's intimacies with Justin -- both spoken and physical -- she couldn't stop dwelling on it. She was determined to not let it affect her, though; I'm going to get on the bus, she thought, and just get my mind somewhere else until we hit Lexington. After that, she wasn't sure; she was making it up as she went along.

The battle plan lasted until she saw Justin in the lobby. Almost against her will, she felt herself break out in a smile at the sight of him, even with sleepy eyes and a bandanna hiding his hair. Her heart seemed to do a strange flip in her chest when he gave her an unguarded smile. To hide her sudden flush, she looked down at her feet, pushing both hands into her loose hair. So much for not thinking about him.

Nearby, she saw that Lance was hugging Carrie tightly, as if he never wanted to let her go; it made Abbey's heart squeeze a little to see their sadness, the all-too-real pain of their imminent and unwilling separation. Joey had his arms around Lindsey, a look of loss on his face; and Karyn and J.C. held each other in a similar close embrace, his arms locking her tightly to him, her face pressed to his shoulder.

"Kinda depressing, isn't it?" Justin's voice close to her ear made her jump; she gave him a little glare before tucking her hands into her pockets.

"Yeah, it is. I feel sorry for them." Abbey took a deep breath, feeling herself go hot and cold. "Listen, Justin, about last night..."

"What about it?" he asked. She saw the look of worry that crossed his face and gave an inward sigh. Her mind had been racing at the speed of light since her hasty awakening, and in the light of day she was beginning to regret how she'd let last night's make-out session take over her emotions.

"I'm not so sure we should... um--" She had to lower her voice before she continued. "You know, the kissing. I don't mind hanging out and talking to you, but I might get in trouble if anyone finds out what we did. I mean -- oh my God!"

"What?" Justin repeated, his eyes narrowing in confusion as Abbey's hands flew to her mouth.

"I didn't even get to tell you, it totally slipped my mind," she said, her eyes wide. "The night before last, when I kissed you at the club?" At his puzzled nod, she went on. "Someone there had a camera, she took pictures of us and they're on a web page. Kelly--" She stumbled on, watching the expression on his face darken. "Kelly called me and told me about it, and she told me that if something like that happens again, I'll be reassigned to another project."

Justin's eyes went dark and cold. "She does not have the right to tell you how to be acting, you're aware of that?"

Abbey shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself. "But if something else happens -- Justin, I can't take the chance. You make me do things, impulsive things. I don't know if I can trust myself."

"It's okay." Justin reached for her, pulling her into a protective hug. "First of all, I'm the one who says who I see and what I do. Second of all, what she doesn't know about won't hurt her, right?"

Abbey leaned against him and let her arms slip around his waist. The impulse to give into the security he offered was seductive, tempting, and unnerving all at once. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea," she said softly. "Though you've got a point."

"Come on, people, we're on a schedule!" They both looked over at the buses, seeing Toby herding various personnel on. With a sigh, Abbey pulled away from Justin.

"See you later," she said, grabbing her bags.

Justin watched her trudge to the buses. Almost unconsciously, he shook his head, resigning himself to the fact that she obviously still had a lot of trust issues. What's it going to take to get her past all this? Then he picked up his own duffel and headed towards the bus where the others were waiting.

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