Just after sunset in the city that never goes to bed, many would describe it as the best city in the world. It was June 19 and humid but the heat was bearable. Down the streets of Manhattan, there were tons of people; taxi’s in every direction. Down on Second Avenue was Southern Hospitality, a small restaurant where the sign is the first thing you notice.

On the inside right side of the restaurant was a little café, with pictures on the walls such as Elvis and Johnny Cash. In the back, a private room that could sit 40 or so people but usually only sat ten; reserved for the best.

At the table, Trace Ayala nursed a Heinkien beer as always and was a tad drunk. On his right was Eytan who had a somewhat childish face. And where Trace was, Justin Timberlake was. He sat with them holding his only girl Nicole. His Baby Girl. Her crutches laid under the table. Also joining the group were Nick and Rachael, Justin’s cousins; and another childhood friend Kyle.

Rachael, who was also Justin’s assistant, was watching the Green Bay Packers game quietly. They were all reminiscing about the good old days when they used to hear Al Green was at the general store and hop right on their bikes to meet him. But you could sense the tension between the friends. Kyle was jealous because Justin had the looks, the talent, the money, and the perfect girl. Kyle was stuck down in Tennessee the majority of his life, watching Justin's fame aired on TV.

The dark-haired 27 year-old grumbled again as the couple kissed. “How long’s this flavor lasting?”

Trace could see the anger in Justin’s glare at Kyle. Nicole noticed it too and leaned into whisper in her boyfriend’s ear. “Don’t worry, he’s always saying that. I love you, you know that, right?”

“I love you too, Baby Girl.” He kissed her again. “He can't ruin our night.”

Even though Nicole played it off, Justin knew the comments hurt. She had been bullied and ridiculed ever since high school and it lasted even now that she was 26 because of her disability. Or whatever people chose to use.

Justin and Nicole met a couple years before they started dating. They met in Southern Hospitality of all places.  When they first met, they knew that there was a connection between them but never pursued their feelings because they did not want it to ruin their friendship. One night they headed back to Justin’s apartment and looked out his window into the Hudson River, admiring the city’s buildings light up the night sky. They slowly moved closer and their hands touch. He turned her to him and gazed into each other’s eyes. Then he reached in for a kiss. That kiss was the best kiss they have ever had. They fell in love that night and have been together ever since.

Even after two year’s of dating Justin, she still didn’t like public attention. But, because of him, she was more confident in herself and was trying to overcome whatever was in the way. She would smile and talk more if there weren’t too many people and she was now on crutches full-time unless traveling with Justin.

After they remembered how the couple met, they thought everything was ok but the tension was still in the air. Eytan tried to start a conversation about the weather, politics, anything as a distraction.

Trace jumped to try too. "Hey, J, you would never guess who I ran into the other day. J, are you listening to me?” he asked. "My God, Justin, just leave it alone!” He slammed his beer in front of the man. “So, I was thinking for the next William Rast fashion show we could have you perform to attract more people, it would be a good move for us."

But it didn’t work. Justin and Kyle weren’t listening as they continued their silent fight. He sat across from him and blatantly kicked Nicole’s crutches into their legs. That was it and the group knew Justin wouldn't stand for any kind of insult or abuse towards his girlfriend.

The two men kicked back their chairs and stood, challenging each other with glares. "So, I heard you bought a new apartment. What, you WEREN'T pleased with the one you had?” Kyle taunted. “I'm just saying, you like roaming around town with the girls. Your just going to break your BABY Girls's heart." He put emphasis on ‘baby’ as to taunt Nicole’s innocent nature before turing to the woman. "Don't worry, Nicole. I know how to satisfy a woman."

This infuriated Justin and the anger was so palpable you could suffocate. Yes, Nicole was somewhat innocent in personality but that was because she grew up with affection and praise, it was what she thrived on. It made her feel she did something good in the world so of course Justin liked that side. He also loved how mature she was when facing adversity or a serious situation. He loved that she was innocent in the way she didn’t know the true dangers in the world, such as what was happening with the war, so it didn’t burden her thoughts or heart.

Now, some people would think not knowing that stuff would be bad but she just didn’t understand it so how could she really do anything? But she did know her brother fought for their country and was proud of him.

But this wasn’t about politics, this was about someone personally insulting the intelligence and well-being of Justin’s girlfriend. She’d been hurt too much before and he vowed to protect her.

Just barely stopping the men from lunging at each other, Nick grabbed Kyle while Trace grabbed Justin. "Justin, come on man, just let it go!"

Justin replied, "I'm not going to touch him, so shut up, Trace! He needs to know when to keep his mouth shut.” Looking directly in Kyle's eyes he continued, "you don't know what she has been though, and it is so disturbing you don’t want to know. So shut up and leave her alone."

For the sake of the safety of Rachael and Nicole, he stormed towards the back door. Nicole, with the help of Rachael grabbed her crutches and followed Justin. She turned his face so they were looking at each other and could see the tears in his eyes.

He looked at her and said, "I can't stand it when people say stuff about you, I can only hold it in for so long. I can't stand it.” A tear fell from his eye, rolling down his cheek onto her hand.

Not being noticed, Kyle slipped into the dark as the group headed inside again. They gathered their stuff after paying, Justin’s head on Nicole’s shoulder as he led her from behind, kissing her neck quickly and saying, “I love you.”

Shocked by what just happened Trace, Eytan, and Nick went to where Justin and the two girls where. “Hey, J, are you alright? I’ve never seen you get so mad before. I don’t know what has been going on with him lately,” Nick said.

Justin and Nicole where distant from the rest of the group, holding each other and calming one another down. “I love you Nicole. Don’t listen to what the other people say. I love you.” Justin helped Nicole on her crutches and headed towards the rest of the group, going back inside and sitting down.

“Hey Natalie, can you get a round of shots," Trace asked.

Natalie was Eytan's girlfriend and the manager of Southern Hospitality. She was close to Justin and his friends and family. Natalie and Nicole have been best friends for years and had always been there for her.

Realizing whom it was, everybody told Natalie to join the group and stop working her butt off all the time. "Yeah, okay. Thanks, sounds good." Natalie made her way over to Eytan after giving everyone a quick hug and kiss.

The group remained silent, still in shock over what happened. Natalie looked at Nicole and realized what happened, after remembering she saw Kyle storm out of the restaurant. "So, it’s Kyle again? Hug. He is never going to learn, is he? Nic, are you okay?"

Nicole replied in a sadden voice, "yeah, of course I am. Just look at him,” she indicated her boyfriend. “How can I get sad?"

Trying to brighten Justin's spirits, she answered, "Yeah. Tell me about it. You’re lucky to have a guy like him watching over you."

Justin laughed, and piped in, "you don't have to tell me."

"Ohh, looks who is conceited now?” Natalie replied and the group laughed.

"You know what we haven’t done in awhile? Go to the club and party! We should," Nick put in. Trace and Eytan agreed. “How about you, Jus?”

The young man looked at his girlfriend. “I don't know, guys.”

“No, Country Boy, you should. It’ll take your mind off things,” she told him.”

“Yeeeah, ok, I’ll go,” he said reluctantly.

“How about you, girls?” Trace asked.

"Party, since when I've I said no to that?" Rachael cheered.

“How about you baby?” Eytan asked Natalie.

"No, I'm tired. I'll come next time. I am going to bring Nicole home for Justin."

"No, babe you have to come! We never see you anymore," Eytan whined.

"Alright I’ll come after I take Nicole home, because I at least want to change out of these dreadful clothes. Then I'll swing by for a little while."

"Now that sounds better," Eytan grinned, running his fingers threw her hair.

“Go easy on her, boy,” Trace chimed drunkenly.

“Well the escalade is outside if you guys what to get going,” Justin told the group. The group gathered their things and headed out the front entrance. After saying goodbye to everyone, Nick, Trace, Eytan, and Rachael hopped into the escalade; avoiding the flashing lights from the paparazzi.

Helping Nicole get into the car, Justin said, “Baby Girl, I’ll see you later. Don’t wait up, you need your sleep.”

“Okay, Justin, I love you”

“I love you, too.”

He shut the door and Natalie drove off. A few minutes later, the black escalade took off with everyone, heading towards the NYC hotspot Suede, which was owned by Eytan and a pal of his.
---
When Natalie arrived at the house she knew something did not feel right, but carried on. She helped Nicole out of the car and into the apartment.

As they sat on the couch, Nicole looked around and saw flowers in a vase, set on a table in the small hallway.

“Nic, are you alright?” her friend asked.

The girl looked up. “What? Oh, yeah, Justin must’ve sent those one of the times he was out.”

“Yeah, that man’s always running around traveling. I don't know how you keep track of him.”

“Yeah, he just got home yesterday. He’s heading to LA in a week or two to lay down beats before heading somewhere else for the main part of recording.”

“He’s finally working on the album? Cool, good for him!” Natalie replied. “Can't wait to see what it’s comes out like.” She paused. “So, what happened tonight?”

"Kyle started in on Justin again. He won't leave him alone."

“Is he ok?”

“Eh, he will be eventually. You know how he is – just worries about everyone before himself.”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy. He loves you,” Natalie commented. “J has to slow down some time though.”

“I know, he’s going to wear himself out. But they’ve got his schedule so booked and you know he can't keep still for long,” Nicole said.

“Well, that’s the Justin we all fell for. How are you feeling about it?”

“I’m ok as long as he is.”

“Yeah, I give you a lot of credit, Nicole.”

“Thanks, Nat. I couldn’t have done anything without him.”

"You know, maybe we should just go out one day, just me and you, no boys, we'll have fun. We deserve it after all. Don't we?"

“Oh my, God! I’ve been dying for a Girl’s day. The guys have their game days, why can't we?” she answered.

“Yeah, tell me about it. What's wrong with these men?”

“Do you even have to ask? They’re men,” Nicole laughed.

“Ain’t that the truth! They keep us busy.”

“They sure do. I love Justin and our connection but sometimes I can't figure him out.”

"Yeah, I run into the same problem with Eytan, he drives me crazy. The sad part is that we never get to see each other because we are always working."

“Same with Justin. Half the time I can't travel with him, the other half he’s in the studio.”

"It’s hard. I'm waiting for the day, when its just me and him, and no cell phone ringing. Just me and him, you know?"

“I know, but they love it and it just wouldn't be right if they didn’t do what they love.”

"Yeah, I know it sounds selfish, but I have a dream, you know that one day we will be in a huge house with our kids running around, and no paparazzi 24/7. We will be in the city, and everyone will be happy and no more fighting between anyone."

“I want to move to Memphis and get a house. I know Justin would like that.”

“Hangon, the boyfriend’s calling me,” Natalie interrupted. “Hey Baby, I'm at Nicole's house, yup, I’m leaving now. Okay. I love you, Baby. Be there in a few minutes. Alright, bye.”

“They bugging you about the club?”

“Yeah, I should go before they have one of the guards drag me there.”

Nicole laughed, “ok, I’ll walk you out.”

"Thanks Nicole. I'll talk to you soon and we'll plan the day we want to go out. Alright. Give me a hug before I leave." The two friends hugged and Natalie left leaving Nicole alone at the house.

Nicole balanced on her crutches as she walked into the hall to look at the flowers. They were beautiful red roses, her favorite. There was a card attached to them. She thought it odd it was typed instead of written; Justin hardly ever typed. It read, ‘To my Baby Girl, the sweetest rose of  all.’

“Aww, Baby Boy, that’s so sweet!” she said aloud. She loved the little things he did for her. Even the random stuff he said was cute.

“Oh, thank you, doll,” a deep voice said behind her. Out of the shadows of the kitchen, Kyle appeared. He was wearing dark-washed jeans, a black t-shirt and black baseball cap.

“Kyle!” she gasped, nearly falling from her over-sensitive reflexes being startled. After the way he had argued with Justin tonight, much less acted the last few weeks, she thought she had a right to be nervous. “What are you doing here?”

“Well, I figured, since my buddy JT went out I’d check on you.” He took a step forward, slightly smirking as she stepped back. “I still can't believe he left his PRECIOUS girlfriend all alone at an hour like this.”

Nicole gulped, suddenly trying to remember her few years of martial arts and self-defense training. “He needed to cool off a bit, h-he’s allowed.”

He walked closer, backing her into the wall. Nicole cursed herself for being stuck in a corner. Where were the guards when she needed them? Oh, right, she insisted one not be outside the door. When Justin had gone away, she had one for going out in public but didn’t want one in their space, understandably. Although, she was pretty good at self-defense, having learned a form of cane defense years ago, she now realized why bodyguards were needed.

“Of course, it’s just – come on, Nic, you know you're better off with me.”

“Get out of here, Kyle!” she shouted, trying to sound strong. She knew how to hurt him but he was so much stronger than her.

He suddenly slammed his hand against the wall, close to her head, which caused her to flinch. The twisted smile never left his lips as he whispered, “where’s your sweet Justin Timberlake now?”

SUEDE   In the V.I.P. area of the club sat Justin. Rachael, Nick, Trace, who was joined by Joanna, Eytan, and Natalie were all dancing. Justin though didn’t feel like it without Nicole. He didn’t even want to drink and had barely touched his water. The group was having a blast, dancing to all the top music. Trace joked around saying, "Hey, Justin didn't you produce this? As a matter of fact, didn't you do all these songs?"

Justin did not make a remark to the comment. He sat in the velvet red couch, all alone with a wondering face. Natalie, who was sitting on Eytan's lap, asked Justin, "Are you okay, you don't seem your usual self." Eytan slowly kissed her neck.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just have a bad feeling. How was Nicole when you left? Was she okay? Did she say anything?"

"Yeah, she seemed fine to me. We talked a little and then you guys called me and I left. Everything was fine. Why?"

"No, you know how I get...I worry about her."

"J, call her on her cell phone and talk to her. It will make you feel better. Trust me.”

He got up and went into a small corner of the VIP section where it was quiet and called her. He got her voicemail, "Hey its Nicole, sorry I could not get to the phone. I’ll call you back as soon as possible.”

"Hey, it’s me. Give me a call back...I'm worried about you. Alright love you, bye,” he stated, desperate to hear her voice.

THE APARTMENT Grabbing Nicole’s wrists, Kyle made her drop the crutches from the pain he caused. He also had a good two inches on her, making her feel small. He shoved her roughly to the floor, her head colliding with the wood flooring. She tried to turn so the back of her head didn’t hit. If it did, she’d be in more trouble. She kicked her right leg, trying to connect with a part of him, and successfully hit him where it counted. He doubled over and groaned as she scooted back. She was almost to the door, all she had to do was open it, but he pulled her legs and dragged her.

He straddled her, pinning her body down as he started to punch her. She tried to cover her face but he only hit her that much harder in the stomach. She cried out in pain, voice rasping more with each blow. She got in a few punches herself to his jaw.

“You’ll pay for that! I don't know why Justin even wastes his time, you're nothing. He just takes pity on you,” Kyle screamed; now kicking her. “He’s just as much of a damn f******* b**** as you are.” He then stood up and surveyed the damage he inflicted. “There’s more where this came from.”

Nicole curled into herself as he kicked her one last time and slipped back out without being seen.

Nicole hearing her phone ringing made an attempt to answer it. But she could not make it into the hallway where it was. She was there all alone in pain, hoping that Justin would come home soon.
---
10 MINUTES LATER.      Justin opened the door to his apartment. After the call at club, he wanted to get home. Everyone understood and went their separate ways. The first thing he noticed was flowers he didn’t send smashed all over the floor. He immediately waved Big Dog in, who was still behind him. The big guard stepped in front of him, searching the place for intruders. They saw Nicole’s crutches on the floor, a slight hole in the wall, a small trail of blood next to the crutches.

“Nicole!” Justin screamed, starting to panic. “Nicole, where are you?!”

There, just behind the couch like she’d tried to hide, the young woman lay in a heap. It looked like she tried to get somewhere safe but couldn’t move far.

“Nicole?” he asked his voice small and cracking with emotion. “Baby Girl, can you hear me?”

He reached out to touch her shoulder and her head flew up; eyes wide and scared, definitely tear-stained. The movement caused her to cry out in pain and Justin felt his throat close.

“Get help!” he croaked to the man at his side. He looked back at his girlfriend, wondering who did that, wanting to throttle the person, and his world feeling like it just fell apart.
---
Justin cautiously laid a sobbing Nicole on their bed. She obviously didn’t want to be touched and was too scared to even take in that he wouldn't hurt her. Big Dog called several guards to discretely close off the building and call for a private doctor. Justin tried to stay calm but Nicole’s cries ripped through him and he didn’t want her to see him fall apart, he had to stay strong.

The doctor Johnny had hired years ago for Justin, Dr Warner, had come quickly. She was somewhat familiar with the couple’s relationship so she understood the young woman’s needs. “Shh, shh,” Justin tried to sooth Nicole as she sobbed.

When the doctor stepped in, Nicole tried to scramble up the bed. She shrank back against the headboard. “It’s just me, Dr Warner,” the aged woman said. She turned to Justin. “Do you know what happened?”

“N-no. I came home and she was - ” The young man gulped, still trying to digest all this. “She was like this when I found her.”

Nodding, Warner continued. “Nicole, I have to make sure nothing was broken. Will you let me check?”

The girl’s eyes darted to her boyfriend, as if just realizing he was home. She nearly sprung into his arms, crying harder with the pain. “I’m here, I’m not leaving you again,” he whispered. He gently settled her back, removing her hold on him but keeping one hand on her hair and the other on her hand.

The doctor moved fast and careful, checking her ribs, eyes, head and wrists. Each time Nicole whimpered or cried, Justin whispered softly to her. He reluctantly stepped out of the room to hear the diagnosis. “How is she?”

“Well, she’s got extensive bruising but I didn’t detect internal bleeding. She has a mild concussion and a sprained wrist you’ll have to keep wrapped. If the pain worsens or she starts vomiting, get her to the hospital. Nicole will be sore for awhile and will need a lot of reassuring and comfort. Her mind is more fragile than ours so just keep an eye out. All-in-all, she’s strong and will recover.”

Justin went back into the bedroom as Rachael and Johnny took care of the police, the press and cleaning up the place. Surprisingly, there wasn't a media uproar yet but he knew when the couple was in public, there would be. But everyone who knew them knew Justin would never hurt Nicole.
---
“Nicole, everyone’s gone, Sweetheart,” the young man called softly. She looked up at him, eyes still wide with fear and pain. “It’s ok, it’s just us. I’m sorry, Baby Girl. I wish I was here to stop all this from happening.” Seeing her eyes fill up as his did, he cleared his throat. She hadn’t said anything since he found her. “I ran you a warm bath. We can get you cleaned up, in comfy clothes and then we can go to bed.”

Nicole barely nodded so Justin slowly took her in his arms, noticing her flinch at the contact. “Shh,” he murmured. Taking her to the bathroom and setting her on her feet, he kept an arm around her waist to hold her up. He gently slipped her torn and slightly bloodied shirt off. She hissed in pain as her arm moved out of the sleeve and he apologized. “I’m sorry, am I hurting you?” When she shook her head, he proceeded. Sitting Nicole on the closed toilet, Justin carefully slipped her jeans off.

He took in the sight of her bruised legs and the already badly purpling marks on her ribcage. His breath hitched as his anger rose once again. This was his girlfriend, the woman he loved with all his heart. She had been through so much and didn’t deserve this. He knew this would knock down most of the confidence she had, not to mention her trust in people. She was very intelligent despite what most people thought at first knowledge of her disability. But, as he’d mentioned before, she had an innocent side when scared. She still sought comfort like a child would. This showed she felt safe and trusted him enough to protect her.

Snapping from his thoughts, he felt a soft trembling hand on his shoulder. He looked up, giving a small smile before continuing with his original task. Stripping his own clothes, he settled her in the tub before climbing behind her. Taking a soft wash cloth, he started to clean the offending marks carefully. She leaned back into the cradle of his arms, only flinching when a cut was accidently touched.

The warm water seemed to soothe Nicole and momentarily ease the worry in Justin’s body. He knew exactly who did this to them, knew it was Kyle as soon as he saw the finger marks on her arms. He quietly let Johnny and the police know before everyone left. They assured him security would be upped and Kyle would be taken care of.

Feeling the water cool, Justin got out and dried off before gently lifting Nicole. He changed her into an oversized plaid shirt, which happened to her favorite shirt of his and his black sweatpants. Laying her under the covers, he climbed in next to her, holding her closely but carefully as so not to hurt her.