"Shelby, sweetie, wake up." Justin whispered softly and nudged her.

"Huh?" Shelby mumbled in that state between awake and asleep.

"We're at the hotel." Justin answered.

"How long was I asleep?" Shelby asked slowly sitting up.

"You slept through the show and the half hour drive back to the hotel." Justin smiled.

"I'm still tired." Shelby cleared her throat trying to get her bearings about her.

"Well, we'll get you to bed, but first you have to talk to Susie. She's only going to be here tonight. She has to catch a flight out tomorrow morning." Justin said helping her stand up.

They grabbed their stuff and went inside the hotel and up to their room where Shelby readied for bed. She got into her pajamas and waited for a few minutes closing here eyes. It wasn't long before she awoke.

Shelby heard a knock on the door and nervously went down to anser it. She stood aside as a group of people streamed in. Susie led the way followed by JC, Joey, Chris, Lance and to her surprise Brad, Aimee, and the biggest surprise of all, Nancy.

The moment she saw Nancy, Shelby engulfed her in a huge hug. Tears streamed down her face as she hugged the 'sister' she hadn't seen or heard from in over a month and a half.

"What are you doing here?" She asked pulling away.

"Visiting." Nancy shrugged.

"How did you -- ?" Shelby turned to Susie.

"It was all him." Susie answered nodding in Brad's direction.

"Thank you Brad," Shelby moved to give him a hug. "You should have told me this earlier today."

"And ruin the surprise? No way." Brad smiled at her.

"It's really good to see you too Aimee." Shelby smiled at her friend.

"You're looking really good." Aimee said taking in Shelby's smiling face and the positive glow about her.

"Thank you," Shelby blushed.

"You've lost weight." Nancy observed.

Shelby shrugged and sat down on her bed against the headboard.

Everyone else took their queue from her and sat down. Susie took the chair at the table so she could have the hard surface to write on. Brad and Nancy sat on Shelby's sides and the others sat down wherever there was room.

"I have to say Shelby, I'm really impressed with the way you look. I don't mean your physical appearance, but your whole demeanor, your whole aura has changed. Last time I saw you, your eyes had a deep sadness, now i look at you, your eyes sparkle and that smile has been on your face since the moment we walked in here." Susie looked at Shelby amazed.

"I totally agree. She was a lost girl when she left North Dakota. The transformation is amazing." Brad said putting his arm around her.

"Basically what I'm going to do is ask you some questions and observe your behavior and interactions with everyone else." Susie explained writing on her notepad.

"Now I know what a lab rat feels like." Shelby chuckled.

"Nice sarcasm Shelby." Joey smirked at her.

"Thanks."

"Let's start with the past, what pushed you to want to kill yourself." Susie asked.

"Seriously? I thought we all knew that already." Shelby shook her head.

"I know all of these questions are going to be repeat information we know, but I have to ask them." Susie explained.

"All right." Shelby nodded.

"You tried to kill yourself?" Nancy asked.

"Yeah," Shelby looked at her sister and felt ashamed at what she'd done for the first time.

"People have made fun of me my entire life about my weight and stuff. I lived in a foster home that had about 10 kids and a foster mother who thought it was appropriate to make me do everything. She would call me so many cruel names and she'd slap me around like it was a game. That's when I first started cutting.

"I was sitting in my room after a fight with her one time and I saw a brand new pair of scissors sitting like a foot from where I was. I wasn't even thinking, the only thing that was on my mind was numbing the pain. I picked up the scissors and wondered what it would be like to just cut myself. Would it hurt, would it feel good, would it make the pain go away ? So I did it. I cut myself for the first time. That was my biggest mistake. All of the numbness and pressure I felt inside myself was gone. As I watched the blood appear where the line was on my arm, it was as if my pain was released through the blood.

"I kept cutting when I'd need to after I'd have a fight with Alice or after I'd have a bad day at work fighting with my buddy Brad here who didn't like me at all. School was hell, everyone was cruel to me. After I graduated I moved to Orlando thinking that it had to be better out in Florida. People wouldn't be so shallow out there. Well it turned out that Florida was no different.

"My first night in Florida somebody reminded me of my 'place in life' I guess you could say after they slammed the door in my face. It got worse after that, first time I had to go to the hospital was for a panic attack after a run in with this person. The second two times, well, those were when I lost control."

"So basically it was someones words that caused you to attempt suicide?" Susie asked.

"Yeah. The first time I cut myself up really bad was because of one persons words. The second time, the time I slit my wrists it was because of that person, but it was also everything on top of that. My past, my present, and what looked my bleak future. I had no one. The only thing that went through my mind at the time was death. There was no hope at all. I remember one thing going through my mind 'You're worthless Shelby'. Those were the last words I remember before I woke up in the hospital.

"What would you say to this person if you could see them face to face?" Susie questioned.

"Well, the truth is, I've talked to him many times. He knows that I've forgiven him and that I don't blame him for anything. If anything, he's made me a stonger person." Shelby answered looking directly into Justin's eyes.

Susie didn't miss the look between Justin and Shelby, and couldn't help but comment.

"Did we put you on tour with him?" Susie asked.

"Yes." Shelby nodded.

"Why didn't you say something in the beginning?" Susie wondered.

"Didn't want to cause a fuss." Shelby shrugged.

"That is unbelievable, why would you want help from the one person that caused you pain." Susie asked trying to understand where Shelby was coming from.

"We'd previously come to a mutual agreement to be civil to each other." Shelby answered.

"Justin, since I know it was obviously you. What happened? Why did you do or say the things you said. And why did you change?" Susie asked Justin.

"Well, I don't really know. I know its a really dumb thing to say, but its true. A few months before meeting Shelby I found out my girlfriend Britney was cheating on me and I broke up with her. My heart was crushed and I turned into this horrible person who was mean to everyone. Even the guys could see the change. Well the first time I met Shelby was at a barbeque. She came with Aimee who was already inside with Joey. I saw her standing there outside the door and told her, um," Justin wiped the tears from his eyes as he tried to get his composure before continuing on, "I told her that her kind wasn't allowed there and basically told her to leave.

"Everytime I saw her afterward I just took out all my anger towards Britney out on her. I couldn't stop myself. I saw her as someone who was weak, I could stomp all over her and the way she reacted was just fuel to my fire. I was so selfish that I didn't see how bad it really was hurting her. I couldn't see my own pain until after the first time that she cut herself really bad. I knew that it was my fault and I knew that it was Britney who made me like this. I vowed that night that I wasn't going to let myself hurt her again."

Justin grabbed a tissue from the box on the table and blew his nose before continuing with his story. "The next day I was nice and I treated her with respect, then we went to the music store. And there was this woman there who was making a fuss and I got irritated and well to make the story short, I lashed out at Shelby again and then that night she well, she tried to kill herself and I knew that ultimately it was my fault."

Justin's speech had Shelby to tears, but not only Shelby, but basically everyone else in the room. They could see the love Justin had for Shelby all over his face and that what had happened in the past broke his heart.

"I love you Justin, and what happened in the past, or why it happened doesn't change that." She said moving across the bed to hug him.

"Thank you Shelby, I love you too." Justin returned her hug.

"So you guys are in love?" Susie asked.

"Yeah." Shelby nodded not moving herself from Justin's arms.

"I can tell, thats probably one of the reasons you're glowing." Susie smiled. "And what do you guys think?" she turned to the other guys of Nsync.

"Shelby has come a long way since she first joined the dour. She went from shy, keeping to herself and not saying much to anyone, to where she is now. She's one of us. She interacts with our fans, she puts people in their place if they make fun of her. Hell, shes even went clubbing with us. She's done a complete 180 and we're really proud of her." Joey answered.

"Do you all of you feel that way?" Susie asked.

"Absolutely. It's been a joy to watch her blossom into the butterfly that she is today." JC smiled at Shelby.

"Shelby its really obvious that you are strong and fully capable of sticking up for yourself. I think you will have future struggles, but you're done with this program, you've passed with flying colors. I figured you would be, so I booked a flight for you back to Orlando tomorrow morning. We've arranged Nancy to go bak with you as her family lives in Florida." Susie said putting all her stuff away.

"I leave tomorrow?" Shelby asked surprised.

"Yes. You and Nancy will be coming back with me tomorrow."

Shelby wasn't sure what to think. She wanted to go back to her little apartment and actually live in Orlando. At the same time, she wanted to spend time with her boyfriend and love of her life.

"Okay." Shelby nodded not daring to look at anyone but Susie.

"Well thats all I have, so you are all free to go if you'd like. Our flight leaves at 6am so I'm going to bed. Congratulations again Shelby, you never cease to amaze me."

"Well its pretty late, I think I'm going to go to bed too." Joey said sensing Shelby and Justin needed time to be alone.

The other guys left with him while Brad and Nancy stayed back for a few minutes.

"Where are you staying?" Shelby asked them.

"I've got a room by myself and Nancy is with Susie tonight." Brad answered.

"Oh." Shelby nodded not knowing what else to say.

"We should go to bed too." Nancy said yawning.

"We'll see you tomorrow morning Shelby." Brad said giving her a hug. "Good night Justin." he nodded to Justin.

"Thanks man." Justin said standing up.

Justin escorted them to the door then shut it behind them after they'd left. As soon as they were gone, Shelby flopped back on the bed and sighed loudly.

Justin lay down on his back next to her and stared up at the ceiling. He knew she'd talk when she was good and ready.

"I'm ready to leave." Shelby said staring up at the ceiling.

"Really?" Justin asked surprised.

"Yeah. Don't get me wrong, I like being here, and I love being with you, but I need stability. I need to settle down and have a place I can call home and right now I don't. I have an apartment in Orlando, but I've only been there what like five nights? That's just sad. I need to make friends outside of the group. Do you know what I mean?" Shelby turned her head to look at him.

"Of course I know what you mean sweetie. I'm home like one month total out of the year where I can just sit and relax. It's your decision, but I'll support whatever you do." Justin answered as he took her hand in his and softly kissed the back of it.

Shelby felt butterflies in her stomach when his soft lips touched her skin. She smiled at him and realized again just how lucky she really was.

"I love you." she whispered not wanting to ruin the moment.

"I love you." Justin whispered returning her smile.

They lay there for a few minutes enjoying each others presence before Justin broke the silence.

"I'm going to miss you Shelby. You're the best thing thats ever happened to me." Justin told her softly.

"I'm going to miss you too Justin, so much." Shelby whispered. "When does the tour get over?"

"August first is our last show." Justin asnwered. "Why?" he asked after seeing her face fall.

"No reason." Shelby answered regretting for a moment that she'd said anything.

"Shelby, sweetie, what is it?" Justin pleaded.

"I was only wondering, because my birthday is on the eighteenth."

"I knew that sweetie, don't worry, I'm not going to miss your eighteenth birthday." Justins hand went to gently frame her face as he assured her.

Shelby's heart was overflowing with love for him and the butterflies were back.

"Kiss me Justin," she whispered fervently.

Justin didn't think twice, he was over her in an instant. His lips found hers as he obliged her request. Their kiss was heated as this was one of the last times they'd be together for a while.

Shelby felt fire all over her body, but especially where Justin was touching her. She leaned into his touch and she found her fingers in his hair bringing him closer. Her breath caught in her throat when Justin moved full on top of her. He lifted his head and Shelby could see a raw heated passion in his eyes.

"You're beautiful." Shelby said touching his face with gentle fingertips.

Justin pressed his lips to the fingers that were now exploring his mouth with wonder.

"We should get to sleep." Justin said in a husky voice, not bothering to move from her.

Shelby didn't want the moment to end as she was floating on cloud nine. She raised her head and softly kissed him.

Justin placed his hands behind her head and angled it to deepen their kiss. He couldn't believe Shelby was leaving tomorrow and he couldn't seem to get enough of her as she lay beneath him.

They were learning morea bout each other with their kiss. When Shelby thought she had his pattern figured out, Justin would pull away and kiss her softly several times, plucking at her mouth then he'd deepen it again. Shelby just couldn't get enough of him and found her hands beneath his shirt at his waist.

Alarm bells went off in Justins head as he felt Shelbys touch burning into his skin. He pulled away and looked into her eyes.

"We need to stop now sweetie." Justin said trying to catch his breath.

Shelby's eyes went wide when she realized the meaning and depth of those words.

"Come on baby, lets get you packed. You'll want to do that tonight as we'll have to be up by four so we can be there at the airport early. It's already eleven thirty." Justin stood up then helped Shelby stand up before giving her a brief hug.

"Thanks." Shelby smiled weakly.

They packed everything she had in the room save for what she'd wear tomorrow then went to the bus and gathered all her stuff and set it all in one pile in their room ready to be grabbed early the next morning.

They went to bed about an hour later, but neither of the two wanted to go to sleep, for when they woke up, they'd have to part ways for what seemed to them, a long time.

The young couple did end up falling asleep shortly after laying down. They fell asleep in each others arms as it should be and woke up at a dreaded four am. It seemed like such a chore to get Shelby's things loaded into the van along with the nine people. It was decided that security would ride in a seperate van as there was no more room for them.

Shelby found herself at her gate and waiting to leave Justin. She didn't realize it was going to be this hard, she kept telling herself to breath deeply and she did so, but she didn't have any time to think as Justin swept her in his arms.

"What are you --"

"Shh, don't talk. I want to dance with you." Justin said as he silenced her with his fingers.

"Theres no music." Shelby told him not giving a damn if there was or not.

Just then a song sounded over a small stereo. It was music to the song that meant so much to both of them. What touched Shelby's heart and soul was the ones who sang it. It was a beautiful song in 5 part harmony.

Would you dance,
if I asked you to dance?
Would you run,
and never look back?
Would you cry,
if you saw me crying?
And would you save my soul, tonight?

Would you tremble,
if I touched your lips?
Would you laugh?
Oh please tell me this.
Now would you die,
for the one you love?
Hold me in your arms, tonight.

Justin sang the verses to the song to Shelby as he danced with her, meaning every word. The guys picked up the chorus with Justin and they serenaded the couple as they danced like no one was watching.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Would you swear,
that you'll always be mine?
Or would you lie?
would you run and hide?
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
I don't care...
You're here, tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Shelby was in tears by this point as she clung to Justin, not wanting anyone to see her tears, even though she knew it was natural to cry over leaving her love.

Oh, I just wanna to hold you.
I just wanna to hold you.
Oh yeah.
Am I in too deep?
Have I lost my mind?
Well I don't care...
You're here, tonight.

I can be your hero, baby.
I can kiss away the pain.
I will stand by you forever.
You can take my breath away.

Shelby's tears were breaking Justins heart as he could do nothing to calm her. She was really torn up over leaving him, but how could he blame her, he had tears running down his face too.

I can be your hero.
I can kiss away the pain.
And I will stand by you, forever.
You can take my breath away.
You can take my breath away.

I can be your hero.

The last line was whispered to Shelby from Justin as they heard the announcement for boarding.

"I love you baby, I'm going to miss you so much. But I promise we'll talk every day." Justin said clutching Shelby close to him tightly.

"I love you too. I miss you already." Shelby said tears streaming down her face.

"Share the love," Joey said trying to lighten the mood.

"I'm going to miss you too Joey." Shelby said as she hugged the man she'd come to consider a great friend.

"Me too sweetie. You amaze me." Joey smiled hugging her tightly.

"Brad, thanks for everything. I can't believe I'm saying goodbye to you again." Shelby said standing in front of her old boss.

"You'll do fine sweetie. Maybe I'll come visit you in Orlando on vacation." Brad smiled wiping her tears away.

She may be with Justin, but Brad loved her as a little sister and as a best friend, it was his duty to make sure she was doing good.

Shelby said goodbye to the rest of the guys then gave Justin one last kiss before boarding the plane and leaving Justin and the tour behind.

(Song Credit Hero by Enrique Iglesias)