"Happy Birthday." he muttered sadly.

Justin sat up straight in bed. He felt his cheek and felt wetness. This wasn�t the first time he had woke up from that dream, crying. Justin opened his curtain and stepped out the bunk. He quickly moved out the way when Chris ran by him, followed by Joey. He shook his head and walked to the back. He saw JC watching old MMC videos.

"Hey JC." he said.

"Justin." JC acknowledged. Justin sat down on the couch and sighed.

"Have that dream again?" JC asked, while turning off the video. JC was the only one who knew about Mariah, since he was on the MMC with him. JC was the one who helped him out of his depression.

"Yeah."

"Do you know what today is?" JC asked.

"Uh, Thursday?"

"Right. Do you know what date?"

Justin though about it long and hard. When he figured it out, tears filled his eyes.

"Mariah�s birthday." he whispered.

"Whose birthday?" Chris asked, walking in. Justin wiped his eyes but they filled up again. Chris noticed this.

"Justin? Are you okay?"

"She left without saying good-bye. She left me without even telling me she was leaving." he yelled with tears flowing freely, "She left me." he whispered, falling to the floor, sobs wracking his body. Chris looked wide-eyed at Justin�s sudden outburst. Lance and Joey had come in, after hearing yelling. JC walked over to Justin.

"Justin? It�s gonna be fine."

"She left me." he barely whispered. Lance looked at Chris, Chris looked at Joey and Joey shrugged.

"I�ll tell you later." JC mouthed. They nodded. Joey and Chris left leaving Lance. Lance looked at Justin who was trying to compose himself. He sighed.

"Justin, JC. We�re at the hotel in Detroit."

"Okay." JC said.

"Happy birthday to youuuuuu!" Rob finished singing. Mariah smiled and blew out the candles, making a wish.

I wish I could see Justin.

"Okay, now present time!" Rob said, grabbing Mariah�s hand and dragging her outside to his car.

"I can have your car?" she asked, joking.

"My baby?! Nuh uh! It�s mine! Hop in."

Mariah got in and put on her seatbelt.

"Where are we going?"

Rob smiled at her, his eyes twinkling.

"You�ll see." Mariah smiled and she grabbed the silver locket she always wore and rubbed it between two fingers. About 10 minutes later, they stood outside a club.

" Why are we here, Rob?"

"You�re gonna sing here. Featuring me of course." Mariah smiled and hugged Rob tight. She kissed his cheek over and over.

"Thank you, thank YOU!" she squealed.

"No problem." Rob grinned. Mariah�s smile immediately disappeared. Rob noticed this.

"Mariah, what�s the matter?" he asked.

Mariah looked into Rob�s blue eyes which were looking at her concerned.

"Oh, nothing. I�m just tired I guess." she said, trying to convince him. He looked at her skeptically but nodded.

"Okay, I�ll take you home and you rest."

"�Kay." she replied, getting into the car. The truth was, she wasn�t sad she just wished Justin was able to hear her sing.

"Okay, we�re here. Get plenty of rest. I�ll be here at 5:30 to pick you up." he said, before kissing her on the cheek.

"Thanks again." she said, right before walking in the house.

Justin was sitting in his hotel room, gazing at a picture of himself and Mariah when they were at Disney World. They were standing right in front of the castle and Justin had Mariah on his back. They looked so happy together. A tear escaped his eye but he wiped it quickly away when someone knocked at his door. He put the picture in his bag and headed towards the door. He opened it and there stood his 4 best friends.

"Yes?" he asked.

"These guys would like to know why you had that fit today on the bus." JC said, pointing to the 3 guys behind him. Justin nodded and moved out the way so they could come in. They settled their selves around the room and Justin sat on his bed.

"I guess I should start at the beginning" he started, "Mariah was my best friend since I was 5 years old. We practically grew up together. We were joined at the hip my mom says. A week before her 10^th birthday, she started acting strange, her parents too. I thought nothing of it. She wasn�t her spunky self, instead she was sulking and not playing around like she used to. The day before her 10^th birthday, I gave her a silver locket. It had a picture of me and her in it. When I gave it to her, she cried. She hugged me so tight I couldn�t breathe. She said "Good-bye" in a way that sounded like she wasn�t gonna see me again." Justin took a deep breath, took a chance and looked at the guys. They were all sitting up and looking at him intently, waiting for him to continue. He sighed.

"On her birthday, I was wrapping a present for her. My mom came in and asked what I was doing. I told her and she said I already gave her a present, the locket, and that was good enough. I ignored her and asked if I could go and give Mariah her present. She smiled at me and told me "Yes". I ran over there. I noticed the door partially open so I walked in, noticing the house was practically empty. I called for her and her parents, no answer. I walked up stairs to her room and it was completely empty. I sat in the middle of her floor and cried." He paused to compose himself. He walked over to his bag and got the picture of him and Mariah in front of the castle. He sat back down and gazed at it, telling the rest of the story.

"I never forgot that day. In fact, almost every night, I have that dream, where I was wrapping the present and finding her house empty. I�d have to say she was my childhood love. The present was this picture. I went into a depression. I�d only talk when I had too and barely ate or drank. My mom, worried to death about me, signed me up for MMC. I did the audition, thinking of Mariah. She always said to follow my dreams and let nothing stand in the way. When I got the part, I ran to the phone, starting to call Mariah but I remembered she wasn�t there anymore. I moved down to Florida and did MMC. That�s where I met JC, as you all know. I told him about her and he helped me out of my depression. To this day, I haven�t seen her or heard from her since the day before her birthday." he finished, numb to the tears rolling down his face. He didn�t care if they saw him, his pride didn�t matter. Once he composed himself, he looked at the guys. They all had a sad look in their eyes, and concern etched on their faces.

"So today is Mariah�s birthday?" Chris asked. Justin nodded.

"Yep, she�s turning 20." Everyone was silent until Joey thought of something.

"I have an idea!" he said, catching everyone�s attention, "Let�s go to a club!" JC shook his head in disgrace.

"Is that all you think about?"

"I just thought that would get Justin�s mind off of things�." Joey said, thinking it was a good idea. Justin nodded, agreeing with Joey.

"Let�s go to a club. Dancing always gets my mind clear." he said, patting Joey on the back. JC sighed.

"If that�s what you want�"

"Yes it is, I�ll meet you guys in the hall in 20. Okay?"

"Okay." they all said. They left the room leaving Justin to his thoughts.

20 minutes later, Justin walked out his room, wearing black baggy pants, a white muscle shirt with an unbuttoned royal blue shirt.

"Justin is actually on time!" Chris exclaimed.

"Shut up and let�s go clubbing baby!" Justin said while walking to the elevator. The guys looked at each other, shrugged then followed him.

Mariah was in the dressing room, fixing her hair when Rob walked in.

"You know, I could have been naked." she said, turning to eye Rob. Rob grinned.

"That�s what I was hoping for." he said, moving his eyebrows up and down suggestively. Mariah smacked his arm and Rob laughed.

"I was joking!"

"You better have." she said, eyeing him. Rob looked at his watch and sat down on the couch.

"We have 15 minutes before show time. You ready?" he asked, watching Mariah pace back and forth nervously.

"As ready as I�ll ever be. Thank you for doing this for me. I have always wanted to sing in front of an audience" she paused gazing into Rob�s blue eyes, "Even if most of them are drunk." Rob laughed and stood up.

"No problem. I�d do anything for you, you know that." he said, pulling her into a hug. She closed her eyes and leaned her head against his shoulder.

"You helped me through everything, you were there for me. I don�t how I�m ever gonna repay you." she said, holding the tears from falling. Rob pulled back and touched her cheek.

"You don�t have to. As long as your alive and healthy, I�m happy." he replied, smiling tenderly. Mariah smiled and hugged him tight before letting go. She heard the D.J. announce that there was gonna be a live performance and she held her breath. Rob grabbed her hand and walked towards the stage.

"I�m ready, I�m ready." she repeated to herself. Her name was called and she walked out on stage, followed by Rob. She introduced herself and Rob and named the song she was going to sing and that she wrote it. She waited until the music started and started her choreography. When it was time for her to sing, she looked over at Rob who had just finished his part, and he smiled reassuringly. She belt out her part, hitting every note.

Justin and the guys walked in as soon as Mariah started her part. They walked up to the front and looked at her amazed at her singing abilities. Justin looked at her.

She looks familiar. He kept thinking. He finally saw the silver locket and it hit him hard.

It�s Mariah!! his brain screamed at him. He gazed at her, dancing around some guy, smiling and singing. He looked at JC who was staring at her intently, as were the other guys. When she finished, she bowed and blew a kiss out into the audience. When she was gone, Justin turned quickly to JC.

"JC!" he said excitedly.

"What?"

"Do you know who that was?!"

"No, but boy could she sing. It�s been awhile since I�ve heard a voice so angelic and innocent."

"That was Mariah." Justin said. JC looked at Justin wide-eyed.

"Are�are you sure?" he asked, thinking that Justin wanted that to be Mariah or that his brain was playing games on him.

"I�m positive. My mom had that locket specially made. No-one else could have that same necklace. It was M.J. I swear!"

"Okay Justin, Okay. What are you going to do?"

"I�m gonna�gonna�.go backstage and see her!" Justin said, and before JC could stop him, he turned and ran backstage. His heart was beating fast and his palms were sweating when he reached the dressing room. He knocked on the door and that guy who was up on the stage with her, answered the door.

"Yeah?" he asked, skeptically.

"Can�Can I see Mariah?" Justin asked, nervously. Seeing that Rob was taller than him, and very much more muscular. Rob looked doubtful but moved aside and let him in. Justin sighed as he sat on the couch.

"I haven�t seen you before. Are you and Mariah close friends or something?" Rob asked.

"We used to be." was all he said. Rob went over to a door and knocked.

"M, someone�s here to see you." he said. A muffled "Okay" was heard before the door opened and Mariah walked out. Justin stood up and looked at her, gazing at her features. Same brown eyes, light brown hair and bright smile.

"Hello." she said as she stuck her hand out for him to take. Justin broke out his trance and took her hand and shook it.

"Hi, I�m, uh�Justin." he replied. He mentally smacked himself for sounding like a 13-year old.

"Nice to meet you Justin." she paused as she looked over his features, "You look familiar, have I seen you before?" she asked innocently. Justin looked at her. She doesn�t recognize me, he thought. He nodded his head.

"Yes you have seen me before M.J." he said, hoping she would catch on. She looked at him long and hard. Realization shined in her eyes and she took a step backwards.

"J.T.??!!" she asked. Justin smiled, hearing her nickname for him said for the first time in a long time. He nodded and Mariah gasped.

"Oh my god, Justin!" she squealed and ran into his arms. He hugged her tight, cherishing that moment when she was in his arms. She backed out and looked at Justin, touching his cheek. Rob looked at the scene in front of him and decided to give the two privacy. He walked out unnoticed. Justin looked into her warm brown eyes and sighed. I need to know, he thought. Justin backed up and sat on the couch. He patted the seat beside him and Mariah sat beside him.

"Mariah, why did you leave?" he asked, sadness evident in his voice. Mariah looked at his eyes and looked back down to the ground.

"I had to."

"But why? Why didn�t you tell me you were leaving?" he asked, his voice getting loud.

"I didn�t tell you because I didn�t want you to worry."

"Well, you made me worry even more when you just left and didn�t say a word." Mariah sighed and decided to tell the whole story.

"You know that week before my birthday when I was sulking and acting weird?" she asked. Justin nodded.

"That Sunday, I went to the doctor and he told me that I had�cancer. He gave my parents a name of a facility here and told them that it was imperative that I go there. So that week, I spent packing and crying. I didn�t want to tell you because I know you would worry and get all sad. The day before my birthday was the day I was supposed to move. As soon as I moved here, I met Rob. He helped me through everything. If it wasn�t for him, I probably wouldn�t be here. Two years ago, I went into remission and have been fine since." she said, finishing the story. Justin sat there, flabbergasted.

"So you mean, that you could have died?" he asked. Mariah nodded, not meeting his eyes. Tears formed in his eyes as he reached over to Mariah and gave her the biggest hug he ever gave anyone. He laid his head on her shoulder and cried. Mariah rubbed his back and hummed. After about 10 minutes, Justin removed his head from Mariah�s shoulder and looked into her eyes. Justin stood up and reached for her hand. Mariah looked at him questioningly when he pulled out the door and towards the dance room. Justin and Mariah weaved through the crowd until Justin found his friends. He walked over towards them with Mariah behind him.

"Guys," he said to get their attention, "Guys, this is Mariah." he said, pulling Mariah from behind him. She gave a shy wave. The guys all looked at Justin then at Mariah. JC was the first to walk up towards her. He grabbed her hand and kissed it.

"I�m JC." he said, than he leaned in and whispered, "Happy Birthday" to her. She blushed and thanked him. Joey was next, then Chris and Lance. Once introductions were made, Mariah remembered Rob.

"Oh my god!" she said all of a sudden. Justin turned towards her.

"Are you okay?" he asked concernedly.

"I�m fine, I just remembered something. I�ll be right back." she said, before walking quickly away.

"So it really was Mariah. Did you know she could sing?" JC asked. Justin shook his head.

"Nope but guys, I know why she left without telling me." he said. All the guys leaned in and listened closely to what Justin said, resembling what Mariah said. When he was finished, the guys all sat back shocked. They were speechless.

"Justin, what are you going to do now? I mean, you found her, what�s next?" Lance asked.

"I dunno. What do you guys think?"

"I think�..you should take her on tour with us. Does she know who we are?" Joey suggested. Justin�s eyes lit up at the thought that she could come on tour with him.

"I don�t think so. At first, she didn�t recognize me, until I called her �M.J.�"

"By the way, what does �M.J� mean?" Lance asked.

"Mariah Johnson. It�s her first and last name. She calls me �J.T�."

"So that�s why when Chris called you that, you freaked."

Justin nodded. They all hushed when Mariah returned with Rob.

"Everyone, this is my savior, my bestest best friend, Rob Michaels. Rob, that is Justin, Lance, Chris, JC, and Joey." Mariah said. They all said their polite �hi s� and sat there, in an awkward silence. Then, one of *NSYNC�s songs, "This I Promise You" came over the speakers. Rob wanted to ask her to dance but decided against it because Justin had that �look� in his eyes. Just like he though, Justin asked Mariah to dance.

"Mariah?" Justin whispered. Mariah lifted her head off his shoulder and gazed into his crystal blue eyes.
"Mmm?"

"When did you know you could sing?" he asked.

"I guess, when I met Rob. He kept asking and asking and asking for me to sing. Finally, one day in the hospital I sang a song I remembered hearing. Something along the lines of, �And you coming back to me is against all odds and that what I�ve got to face� He started saying, �I knew it, I knew it.�"

"Wow. So Rob was a major part in your life."

"Is." she corrected him. She put her head back down on his shoulder and Justin held her a little tighter. He started humming and it matched his pitch from the song. Mariah lifted her head in surprise and looked at him. Justin sang the last part, his part. Mariah pulled back and stared.

"You�.you sing that?" she asked, confused yet amazed at the same time.

"Not just me, those other guys too. We�re *NSYNC." he said, waiting for her reaction. She surprised him but hugging him tight.

"I told you if you follow your dream, you can make it." she whispered in his ear. He grinned and continued dancing. When the song was over, they walked back to the table.

"I�m in the presence of a famous pop group. How lucky can I be?" Mariah said sarcastically, as she sat down between Chris and Joey.

"So, you know about us?" Lance asked. She nodded as she sipped her coke.

"Thanks to Justin."

"Mariah?" Joey asked sweetly. Mariah looked over and Joey.

"Yeah?"

"Will you be my Lois?" he asked, seriously. Chris spit out his drink, Lance chuckled, JC just sat there and Justin, well Justin laughed. It has been such a long time since he laughed genuinely. Mariah looked at everyone and then back at Joey.

"Uh, I�.I guess." she said. Joey hopped up and did a little dance.

"You are now labeled as �Lois�. I just hope you know what you�re doing." Chris said. When an upbeat song came on, Mariah�s eyes sparkled and Rob knew that look. He reached out his hand and she took it. They walked out onto the dance floor and did their dance to this song. Not only was Rob a singer, he was a choreographer as well.

"Justin, she�s got some moves." JC said. Justin absently nodded and kept his eyes on Mariah. When it got a little late, Mariah and Rob had to leave, before she left, Justin grabbed her and pulled her aside.

"I have a question to ask you before you leave."

"Okay."

"Will�.will you come on tour with me, with us." he asked.

Mariah looked at Justin wide-eyed. Justin gave her a piece of paper.

"That has my cell phone number on it. I need to know your answer before Saturday, okay?"

"Okay." Mariah stood on her tip-toes, gave Justin a kiss on the cheek and left.

"She�s gonna fit in here perfectly."

Chapter Three

Early the next morning, Mariah awoke much to debate. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at Justin, who was walking around the room, quietly.

"Justin, what are you doing up soooo early?" she asked, sleepiness lacing her tone. Justin stopped walking.

"I�m sorry, did I wake you up?" he asked, worried. He in fact didn�t wake her up.

"No, you didn�t. But you still didn�t answer my question. You don�t have to wake up until around 6:30, it�s�" she paused to look at the clock," just 4:30."

"I�I couldn�t sleep." he said truthfully. She looked at him confusedly.

"Why?" He hesitated and Mariah suddenly felt guilty.

"I�m sorry. You don�t have to tell me. I understand that you don�t feel comfortable telling me."

"No no, it�s not that. I was just shocked that someone actually asked me why I couldn�t sleep. Usually, with the guys, they just tell me to keep it down and they go back to sleep. It�s a change that I�m not used to. I couldn�t sleep because well, I�m going to be blunt here, because I couldn�t stop thinking about you. About, how you could have died, and no one would have been able to notify me." Justin explained, trying to stay strong.

"Justin, stop thinking about the past. That�s behind me, it didn�t happen and I know this is my reward for struggling and fighting the cancer." she replied, getting out of bed to walk towards Justin. Justin looked at her questioningly.

"Your reward? What�s your reward?"

"You. You found me and brought me here, here on this tour, here to meet your friends and I�m so thankful for that." she replied confidently. Mariah smiled and giggled.

"What?" Justin asked, he himself starting to chuckle.

"We are getting deep and it�s just, Ohmigod, it�s 5:30. We�ve been talking for an hour." she said, yawning; feeling the tiredness of not sleeping like she usually does. Justin yawned too, but unlike Mariah, he couldn�t sleep all day. Just then, a knock erupted the silence. Justin got up and answered it. There was a little argument before Joey popped into the room.

"Hey Lois." he said, giving her and hug and kiss on the check. She giggled.

"Hi Joey. You�re awfully chipper this morning." Joey smiled.

"It�s because now I have a lovely lady by my side my dahling." he said in a really bad British. Justin shook his head and Mariah smiled.

"Quite the charmer." she replied. He was about to say something else but Chris walked in and interrupted him.

"Mariah, do you have any chocolate?" Chris asked, pleadingly.

"Yeah�.why?"

"Where?!" he basically screamed. Mariah looked at him with her eyebrow raised in question.

"Why do you want to know where my chocolate stash is?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I need sugar!!!!" Much to her Mariah�s surprise, Chris got on his hands and knees, crawled to her, and gave her the puppy dog eyes. She looked at him and sighed. She reached into her pocket and gave him a candy bar. Chris smiled and kissed her shoes over and over.

"Thank you, thank you, thank YOU!" he exclaimed. Mariah nodded and walked into the bathroom to get freshened up.

---

"Hey Justin�" JC called. Justin walked over.

"What?"

"I just wanted to tell you that Mariah is fitting in nicely. It�s like she has 5 different personalities. She�s just like each of us in a way." Justin smiled brightly.

"I know�Did you know that me and her stayed up for like an hour just talking. It feels like old times. I really missed her." Justin said, his eyes lighting up with each word he said. JC noticed this and smiled to himself.

He�s falling for her�

JC was just about to question Justin about his feelings but Chris came jumping in, literally.

"I really like Mariah. She�s nice and feisty. She gave me chocolate." he said, smiling. JC shook his head.

"She�s crazy also." he muttered. Justin wasn�t paying attention to them, his attention was focused on Mariah talking to Lance. She was moving her hands when she talked and her eyes twinkled. She looked at him and smiled. That one smile made his heart jump and his stomach do flip-flops.

What�s happening to me?, he questioned himself. JC looked over towards Justin and saw him staring at Mariah like he wanted to devour her. He elbowed Chris and nodded his head towards Justin. Chris�s eyes widened and he looked at JC. JC nodded, answering Chris�s unspoken question.

He fell hard�

---

Mariah�s cell phone went off in the middle of her and Lance�s conversation. She excused herself and answered it.

"Hello?" she asked, happily.

"Hey there stranger." a masculine voice replied. A smile graced her face at his voice.

"Hi Rob. How are you doing?" she asked.

"I�m doing just fine though I�m missing my very best friend." he said. Mariah�s smile brightened.

"I miss you too, Rob. How�s mum and dad?"

"They are great. They were confused when you weren�t there and the note was instead. They called me and I explained it to them and they understand."

Mariah let out her breath that she didn�t know she was holding.

"Guess what!" Rob exclaimed suddenly.

"What?" she asked.

"That night at the club, you know when you sang? There was a big music executive there and he said he loved you. He wants to meet with you and discuss a contract with his company!" Rob yelled excitedly. Mariah screamed and everyone looked at her. She ignored them.

"Really?! Ohmigod� when??" she asked, surprised and excited at the same.

"2 weeks from now."

"Ok, um�.. I�ll give you call the day before and tell you where I�m at. I will try to get a flight out."

"�Kay Angel face. I�ll talk to you later. Love ya bunches."

"Okay Rob. You too." *click*

Justin walked over to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Mariah nodded her head, smiling. She reached up and hugged him.

"Guess what." she whispered in his ear, "I might be signed to a record company." Justin pulled back and looked at her. She was beautiful. Her light brown hair was pulled back, brown eyes sparkling. He couldn�t control it. His head started to lower and in a matter of seconds, his lips captured hers. Mariah�s eyebrows raised in shock but went along with it. After about a minute, Justin pulled back and rubbed his hand over her cheek. He grinned and walked away.

What did I just do?

What did he just do?, they thought at the same time. Mariah touched her lips with her fingers and sighed.

I�m in deep�

---

"You kissed her?" JC asked, shocked. Justin nodded, smiling brightly. JC sat down on the couch in his room and rubbed the back of his neck.

"How did she react?" he finally asked.

"I really wouldn�t know. She responded but I didn�t stay for the reaction afterwards." Justin sat opposite of JC.

"I think I�m falling for her and I don�t know what to do." Justin whined.

"Well, firstly, you need to figure out your feelings, then tell her and let her decide what to do." JC advised. Justin got up, patted JC on the back and walked out. Justin sighed and walked to his room across the hall. He walked in to find Mariah asleep on her bed. Her hair was flared out around her and her features were softened. He smiled and walked over towards her. He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and followed it until he reached the end. He caressed her cheek and watched as she leaned into his palm. He removed his hand, got up and walked into the bathroom. He had made up his mind�he was too in too deep to get out of.

---

Chapter Four

“Hello Rob.” Mariah said into her cell phone.

“Hey Angel face. Why do you sound sad? What happened?” Rob asked concerned. Mariah sighed.

“I’m not sad. I’m confused, that’s all.”

“Confused?? About what?”

“Justin kissed me.” she whispered. Even though Mariah couldn’t see him, his eyes shot up in surprise.

“Justin….kissed you?!” he asked, flabbergasted.

“Yes he did. The confusing thing is, I actually liked it. It made me feel all tingly inside.” Mariah sighed into the phone. “I don’t know what to do.”

“First of, you need to figure out your feelings. Then tell him and see if he feels the same way.” Rob replied. Mariah smiled and giggled.

“I never would have thought it. Me, Mariah Johnson, falling for my best friend who just happens to be Justin Timberlake.” A knock was heard at her door so she quickly said good bye to Rob and hung up the phone. Justin walked in and sat on his bed.

“Mariah, we need to talk.” he said sternly but with nervousness laced in with it. Mariah nodded and sat opposite him.

“Yes we do. You first though.” Justin sighed and cracked his knuckles.

“When I kissed you, I…I um, felt something. I felt a spark or something. I thought about it and I came to a conclusion that I fell for you. I fell hard.” Justin swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Mariah smiled to herself. Justin looked over at her and was surprised at seeing a spark in her eyes.

“Justin, I did too, but that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.” Mariah leaned over and grabbed a piece of paper out of her back pocket. She handed it to Justin and smiled nervously. Justin opened the paper and read over the words. The meaning of them hit him hard and tears formed in his eyes. He looked at Mariah and before she could say anything, Justin kissed her. It didn’t start out as much, but as time moved on, the kiss became more passionate. Mariah pulled back and wiped away the tears that fell from his eyes with her thumbs.

“I take it you liked it?” she asked, giggling.

“No, I loved it! You have to perform this for the show next week.” Mariah shrugged.

“Okay, but under one condition.”

“What?”

“You and the rest of the guys sing it with me. It’s a duet, of some kind. I’ll sing the first verse, you the second and the guys will join in with us at the chorus.”

“That sounds great. So….what are we now? A couple?” Mariah smiled.

“I’d like to think that.” Mariah yawned and leaned against Justin who started to rub her hair and hum. After awhile, Mariah’s breathing deepened and Justin’s eyes fluttered closed.

---

Mariah woke up in the middle of the night, feeling light-headed. She tried to get up but a wave of nausea hit. She remembered what her doctor told her.

“Now Mariah, if you start to feel light-headed, nauseous…call me immediately. It might just be the flu but it could mean the cancer is coming back.” Mariah nodded her head.

“Okay doctor.”

Mariah reached over and called the doctor. He said to come to the hospital at once. Mariah agreed. Mariah carefully slipped out of Justin’s grasp and walked out. She hailed a cab and reached the hospital 5 minutes later.

“I’d like to see Dr. Komona please, tell him it’s Mariah.” she told the secretary at the front desk. The secretary looked at her then buzzed Dr. Komona.

“He said to go right on in.”

“Okay, thanks.” Mariah walked into his office nervously.

“Hey doc.” she replied.

“Hi, Mariah. What do I owe this visit?” the doctor replied while taking off his glasses.

“I need for you to do an examination.” Dr. Komona sat up in his seat.

“O…kay. Right now?”

“Please doc. I’m having those symptoms you told me about and I’m scared.” Mariah looked at the doctor pleadingly.

“Okay Mariah. You know the deal.” he replied. Mariah smiled at him and did what she had to do.

Thirty minutes later, Dr. Komona walked into his office rubbing his eyes. Mariah looked at him nervously, but when he looked at her in the eyes, she knew the answer.

“It came back, didn’t it?” she replied, sadly. The doctor looked at her and nodded.

“Yes it has, but….”

“But what?!”

“It’s worse than it was before. Chemo won’t help it.” Mariah’s eyes teared up.

“What do you mean chemo won’t help? I’ve done it before, I can do it again! I won’t let this ruin me!” Mariah screamed, tears streaming down her face. Dr. Komona looked at her in sympathy. It was true. She had fought against it and won but this time, she won’t.

“I’m sorry Mariah. There is another thing.” Dr. Komona hesitated. Mariah looked up at him expectantly.

“I’d give you at least 2 months.” Mariah looked at him, she didn’t know what to say.

“You…..you mean…” she trailed off. He nodded and Mariah broke down. Her world crumpled.

“I…I have to call Rob…” she managed to get out. Dr. Komona handed her his phone and she dialed Rob’s number.

“Hello?” a groggy voice answered.

“Rob.” she whimpered. Rob shot up and was wide awake when he heard her cry.

“Angel face, what’s the matter?”

“It’s………it’s….the cancer, it’s come back.” Rob was silent. His worst fear had come true.

“Mariah, are you sure?!” he asked, hoping to God that it wasn’t true.

“I’m….positive. Doc said it is even worse than it was and…and..” Mariah was getting worked up again.

“Mariah, honey, calm down and breathe. And what?”

“I only have at least 2 months.” she whispered. Rob sat there, in his bed, stunned. His best friend had been given only 2 months to live. His eyes watered up but he wouldn’t dare let Mariah know he was that upset.

“Mariah, have you told Justin?”

“No I haven’t, I don’t plan on it either.”

“Mariah you have to tell him.”

“NO I don’t!!!” she yelled. The doctor looked over at her curiously but she shrugged it off.

“Rob, he will not find out from you, you hear me? I will tell him when I feel is the right time.” Rob sighed.

“Okay….”

“Look, I gotta go. I’ll talk to you later.” *click*

“Thanks doc. I’ll be going now.” Mariah walked out the hospital and walked back to the hotel. She hoped Justin wasn’t awake so she wouldn’t have to lie.

Why did you have to come back? Couldn’t you have waited a little bit longer. Justin had just found me and now I only have 2 months to have with him, she thought to herself. Before long, she reached the hotel. She sighed and walked in. She reached her room and smiled because Justin was still asleep. She got back into bed and wished that this was all a dream.

---

“Mariah, hon. It’s time to wake up.” Justin gently whispered. Mariah stirred and opened her brown eyes. She smiled but then remembered last night.

Oh god, it wasn’t a dream.

“Hi.” she said while stretching her arms above her head. Justin smiled tenderly.

“Hello.”

“Justin, why are we up this early??” she asked after looking at the clock.

“Because I have a surprise for you.”

“Oh really?”

“Yes really. I talked to Johnny about your idea and he loved it. He said we could do it next to the last show. What do ya think about that?” Mariah’s eyes widened.

“Really?!!! Ohmigod!!!” Mariah reached up and gave Justin a big hug.

“Yep, and the guys really liked the idea too. JC has been on my back about the song so would it be alright if I let him see it.”

“Of course.”

“Okay, that’s all I wanted. You can go back to your beauty sleep.” Justin leaned down and gave Mariah a peck on the lips and walked out the room with the song in his hand.

“I’m really gonna miss that.” she sighed and laid back down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was lost to the world.

---

Chapter Five

Mariah awoke to the sounds of someone humming. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She opened her eyes and saw Justin sitting in a chair looking over a piece of paper.

"Justin what are you doing?" she asked tiredly. Justin looked over at her and smiled softly.

"Going over your song. By the way, JC loved it." Mariah smiled and nodded.

"I’m glad he did." Justin got up and walked over to where she was.

"I have meaning to ask you something. I woke up last night and you weren’t here and you weren’t in the bathroom. Where were you?" Mariah shifted uneasily.

"I went to uh….go get something to drink." she lied. Justin nodded and patted her leg.

"Get up. You need to come with me so the guys, me and you can see if this will actually work." Justin said. Mariah nodded and got up to find some clothes. Justin watched her every move. He knew she was lying because he was awake for a good hour and she didn’t return. He wasn’t going to call her on it though. He watched as Mariah walked into the bathroom to go get changed. Justin sensed something big was going to happen, he just didn’t know if it was good or bad.

---

Justin and Mariah made their way into JC’s room, where they were going to practice her song.

"Hey Mariah." JC welcomed. Justin frowned.

"What, now ‘hi’ for me? I see how it is, Mariah is the new friend." Justin mocked hurt. Mariah smiled at him and JC rolled his eyes. Mariah walked in and sat beside Joey.

"Hey Lois, I was wondering if I could hear you sing a song for me." Joey asked timidly. Mariah looked at Joey with her eyes wide.

"You want me to sing for you?" she asked, shocked. Joey nodded.

"Um.. Okay. What song?"

"Amazing Grace."

"Okay…" she hummed for a few seconds and then belted out the song. Joey smiled and closed his eyes, for the reason he wanted her to sing that song was to go to sleep. Joey’s eyes started to droop by the second verse and Chris caught onto that. He grinned evilly at the other guys and he stood behind Joey. He motioned for Mariah to keep singing but to get off the couch. The other guys caught onto what he was doing and joined him behind the couch. Chris held 3 fingers up, than he put down one and so on. When the last finger was down, they flipped the couch and Joey flopped on the ground. Mariah stopped singing and laughed. She had forgotten she only had at least 2 months to live thanks to the 5 guys in front of her. She stopped laughing and just starred off into space. She was thinking about how and when she was going to tell Justin about that. Justin stopped laughing and looked over towards Mariah. She wasn’t laughing, in fact, she had no emotion at all on her face. He looked into her warm brown eyes and gasped at what he saw there. He saw fear. Fear and sadness. He walked over to her and held out his hand. Mariah looked at him in confusion but took his hand anyways. He walked over to the guys and sat down on the couch which was turned back over. He pulled Mariah into his lap and leaned his head on her shoulder.

"Ready when you are." he replied. Mariah smiled at all the guy’s curious glances and shrugged.

Since Mariah wrote the song and JC had come up with the melody, the guys thought that Mariah should sing it all the way through the first time just by herself and see how it fit in, then after that, Justin and the guys would come in.

JC walked over to the keyboard that he had borrowed and Mariah followed him. JC smiled softly at her and began the song. Mariah waited for her part and started to sing with all her heart. Of course it will sound better with the bass and everything else but right then, it sounded beautiful. When Mariah came to Justin’s part, she lowered her voice and sang that part perfectly. After the song was over, JC stood up and hugged her and all the other guys applauded.

"Are you sure you want us to sing with you?" Joey kidded.

Mariah nodded her head. "Of course, it will sound much better with ya’ll in it." she looked over towards Justin and winked. He smiled and winked back. They had plenty of time to fix the parts that needed to be fixed. Or so he thought…

---

Later that night

"So M.J. how are you liking the tour so far?" Justin asked, looking at her curiously. Mariah shrugged absentmindedly.

"It’s good. The guys are all really cool but I miss Rob and my family." Justin frowned at the mention of Rob. He really didn’t like the guy too much, partly because he sees the way Rob looks at her. He wanted to ask if they had a thing going on but was too shy to ask it. Mariah noticed the change of attitude when she brought up Rob.

"Juju? Why the long face?" she asked scooting over towards him. Justin looked at her and smiled fakely.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Justin moved towards her and kissed her softly.

"Nothing at all." he thought.

Mariah moved back from the kiss and licked her lips. She giggled, tasting the chocolate from his ice cream. He looked over towards her and lifted an eyebrow up in curiosity.

"What’s so funny?" Mariah shook her head.

"When I licked my lips, I tasted the chocolate you had from your ice cream." Justin chuckled.

"Oh, was it good?" he asked.

"Very." Mariah yawned and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the sleepiness, she failed. Justin noticed this.

"Sleepy?" Mariah nodded and got under the covers, holding them up for Justin. He got under and pulled Mariah too him. He kissed the top of head, inhaling her scent.

"G’night."

"Nighty night."

They laid like that the rest of the night, asleep in each other’s arms.

---

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