Jc was also in a perturbed mood. Things hadn’t really been okay with Jenn since she had gotten back from Orlando. Jenn had spent the whole day basically in the studio and Jc had been in his office writing.

Jenn had given the news to Jc that Luis would be coming over to record at their house. Luis had been scheduled to record in Orlando with her in a few weeks, but Jive had found him an opening spot on a tour. Jenn had hesitated when asked if it would be okay but decided that maybe she could take the two weeks off and spend time with her husband.

Jc hadn’t been too thrilled about the idea but he hadn’t said much about the subject. He did volunteer to help her out in the studio during the sessions. That had made Jenn smile to herself.

So far that night they Jc had helped Jenn arrange a song called ‘Senorita’ that Pharrell had sent over for Justin. Jc and Justin had sat for a while and arranged the lyrics to fit the track.

“Is she asleep yet?” Justin asked drinking the rest of his soda.

“She won’t go to sleep with you singing, you know that.” Juliana responded with a bit of an attitude.

“I sing to her every night. What’s the difference?”

“There’s a difference.” Juliana said brushing Andie’s hair back with her fingers. “Think about who is going to have to deal with her when you aren’t around to sing to her.”

“Whatever, Juliana. I’ll make her a tape.” Justin said back. The difference between normal couples and Juls and Justin, besides that fact of WHO they were was that when they argued, a strangers wouldn’t even notice. They didn’t care who , of the crew, was in the room. They had their discussion out loud and didn’t care but they were strangely calm about it. “Maybe I’ll have a mannequin of myself also, keep you warm at night.”

“Kiss my ass, Justin.”

“Later.” Justin replied setting his empty plate on the coffee table. “I think we’ll have to continue tomorrow.”

“I’m not your producer, Justin she is.” Jc said gesturing to Jenn.

“I’ll come over tomorrow, Justin. Okay?”

“Yeah, that’s fine.” Justin gently lifted Andie from Juliana’s lap and headed for the stairs. “thanks for dinner. I’ll be in the car.” He said to Juliana.

“Come on, mom.” Andie said with a yawn.

“I’m coming sweetie. Let me help Aunt Jenn clean up, okay?”

“Thanks Juls.” Jenn said as she grabbed the plate from right under Jc’s nose. She kept walking past Juls and upstairs.

“I wasn’t done with that.”

“You are also not leaving a mess down there!!” she yelled behind her as she walked up the stairs.

“Give me it.” He said taking the plate from her hand when he got upstairs to the kitchen.

“You better clean your mess up, Joshua.”

“Why are you calling me that?” Jc said as he sat down to finish his dinner.

“Goodnight, guys. I’ll see you tomorrow, Jenn. Bye C.” Juls said making a mess out of his hair before she went out the back door.

“I hate you, Juls.” Jc said not bothering to fix his hair. “I thought we were spending the day together tomorrow.”

“I thought so too, but I have to work with Justin in the morning and Luis in the evening for four hours. And besides you’re still being a prick.”

“Why are you acting as if I’m the one on the cover of a magazine with another woman? I’m allowed to be a little upset here. Don’t you think?”

“ No, actually. I don’t think. Why are you making such a big deal about this? All of a sudden you are carrying the big green monster around.”

“I’m not jealous. Should I be?”

“No, because for the hundredth time. That picture is a fluke. Nothing happened with Luis, nothing ever will. I told you this yesterday and I find it really said that I have to reassure you of that in the first place.” She let out a grunt in frustration. “Now tell me what the hell is bothering you? Because that picture isn’t it.”

“Nothing, Jenn. Just forget it. I’m sorry, okay?” Jc came close to her and hugged her.

“What’s going on with you lately?”

“Nothing. Nothing. I’m fine.” Jc said into her hair. He was starting to piss himself off lately. His own demons were battling him. Lately he couldn’t handle being away from her. He started missing her the moment she would step outside of his vision. All he wanted was spent time with her. He felt that if he didn’t spend time with her he’d lose her. She’d go with someone else. She’ll leave him, like Bobbie did. He could definitely not go through that again. He loved Jenn way too much. He’d have to kill himself if he let himself lose her.

“Are you gong to be like this all the time now?” Justin asked Juliana as they drove home.

“Like what?” Juliana asked, but didn’t expect an answer and Justin knew better than to interrupt her. “Like a wife who doesn’t believe her husband doesn’t want her around? Like that?”

“What is wrong with you? Why do you think that way? First of all you know me better than anyone in the world. You know I love you and Andie more than my life. Why would you say something like that?” Justin was getting fed up with the way she was acting. “Second of all, I haven’t even recorded the album yet and you’re talking about a tour.”

“That’s because I know it’s coming, Justin Randall. You’re going to sell a million albums in a week, like you always did. Not long after that you are packing up your shit and leaving.”

“I would thank you for the vote of confidence you have for me and the album but I know that’s not the way you meant that. Its all about you being too attached all of a sudden.” Justin said parking the car behind a familiar Mustang. “What is she doing here?”

“Causing trouble with Trace, I’m sure. What do you mean I’m attached? You didn’t mind it six years ago.”

“Six years ago you didn’t want to drag my daughter across the country on a bus, either.”

“When did you start disliking buses?”

“That’s not what I said, Juliana. Drop it already, J. I’m done with it.”

“Yeah just like you’re done spending time with me and Andie.” Juliana said grabbing Andie from Justin’s arms and walking up the stairs leaving him in the foyer.

“I need a drink.” He said to himself as he headed for the living room bar. Outside he saw three shadows sitting on the deck area. He kept the lights off and sat on the couch to have his drink.

“What are you doing here, Brittney?” Trace asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

The petite beautiful brunette had sat down next to Kayla uninvited. She had been talking non-stop about nothing for about fifteen minutes. Kayla hadn’t said a word and she wasn’t planning on it. She just sat there watching Juan the entire time. She found it a bit amusing to watch him get more and more irritated by the minute. The woman kept talking about the ‘guys’ which Kayla assumed were Juan and Justin. She was clearly a bit tipsy to say the least. As far as Kayla could see the woman knew the ‘guys’ pretty well. She did wonder if maybe it was an ex of his or something.

“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, little brother?”

“I would but I don’t find it appropriate right now. Besides you stopped being my sister a long time ago.”

“Juan, I think I should go. I’ll take a cab. I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”

“No. please stay, Brittney is on her way out.”

“I am?” Brittney asked closing her eyes.

“I’ll call you tomorrow, it’s okay. Really.”

“I’m taking you home then, Kayla. Just wait her a minute, okay?” he said as he went into the house. She could hear him talking to whom she assumed was Justin in the living room. She looked at the woman on the patio furniture and wondered why Juan hadn’t mentioned having a sister. Although she had to remember that she didn’t really know much about him. All they talked about was her. Juan came back outside before she knew it. “Justin is home now. He’ll deal with her till I get back. You ready?”

“Yeah.” Kayla said grabbing her purse from the table she had set it on earlier. She looked at the woman once again and turned to Trace. “I really don’t mind taking a cab.”

“She can take care of herself I already told you I was taking you home, Kayla. Please don’t argue with me.”

“Okay.” Kayla said stepping in to the house. Justin was sitting on the couch looking a bit tensed up. “Good night.” She said

“Good night, Kayla. Sorry about Brittney. She’s a one of a kind asshole.” Justin said with a smile. He looked tired to Kayla.

“That’s alright. She didn’t bother me.”

“Don’t speak so soon, Kayla. You have a good night, I’ll see you soon I’m sure.” He said leaving the room toward the glass doors they had entered. “HEY THERE SIS!!!” she heard him yell outside.

“And she’s the asshole?” Kayla mumbled.

“She has to deal with the consequences of showing up uninvited.” Trace simply said grabbing her hand gently and guiding her through the dark house.

----------------------------------------------------------

Lance debated whether to call the office to check in or not. He knew that if he called, Bleechet wouldn’t tell him about anything that was going on. She hadn’t called him regarding, Luis and the plans Jive had set up for him. Jenn had called him that morning to let him know that she would be recording with him at her house. He felt a bit out of the loop but amazingly so, he also felt a bit relieved. With relief on his part, came anxiousness also. He couldn’t stop thinking about what was going on in the office when he wasn’t there. He kept thinking about how Laurie was doing. And worst of all he kept thinking about Noemi, which really irritated and intrigued him at the same time.

She had something that pissed him off to no end but yet he found himself wanting to KNOW her. All about her. He hadn’t felt that way about the opposite sex in a really long time. Ever since he’d met Laurie.

Laurie. Another situation that he couldn’t quite let go of yet. He’d talked to her that morning but all she had wanted was for him to ship some things she had left in his closet. Things seemed to be going great for her and if he didn’t know better he’d say that she was seeing someone.

“I need to get out of here.” He said to no one in particular.

On his way to the door his cell phone began ringing. “Hello?

“How’s another day off working for you?”

“Not bad. I’m on my way over there now.” He got into his car. “Why, what’s up?”

“Nothing I was just checking.”

“Yeah right, Juls. What’s going on?”

“Well…..” she hesitated.

“You need Andie out of the house?”

“How would you know that?”

“Because that’s the only time you call me on my cell phone.”

“That’s not true.”

“Bull. I’ll be there in a bout twenty minutes.”

“You don’t live that far, Lance.”

“I have to stop at the bank, Juls.”

“For what?”

“For a bottle of ketchup, Juls. What do you think? Money.”

“What do you need money for?”

“If I’m taking your daughter out I will defenetly need money. Credit cards at McDonalds or Burger King don’t go very well.”

“She already ate.”

“That doesn’t mean that the moment we leave the house that she won’t suddenly be famished.”

“She only does that with you, you know.”

“That’s because I spoil her.”

“Alright then stop complaining. Hurry up please. I have a manicure and pedicure appointment in an hour.”

“Nothing like the last minute, Juls.”

“I love you too, Lance. Hurry please. I’m going to leave her here with Trace while you get here. I owe you.”

“Bye Juls.” He said to the dial tone as Juliana had already hung up.

He made it through the bank drive thru fairly quick and he was thankful. So many years had passed and so many things had changed yet so many things had stayed the same. He decide he would take Andie to Disney Land since he hadn’t been there in a really long time.

“Where are we going?” Andie asked for the fourth time in the fifteen minutes she had been in the car with him.

“It’s a surprise!!”

“I love supieces!!”

Lance made sure to wear a baseball cap because contrary to what people might think. Everyone in the group was still getting recognized and harassed by photographers. Many thought that Justin was the most sought after and that might be true but that didn’t mean the other four were left alone. The only reason Justin was photographed more often was because he had a supermodel attached to his side all the time. Two famous people together were worth more in the paparazzi market.

The rest of the group had normal wives and therefore had less pictures of them coming out of the grocery store or going through the drive-thru at McDonald’s. Jc, he was sure was having a hard time adjusting to the sudden public person Jenn had created for herself. So much for going for the normal women.

“We’re here.” Lance said to Andie as he pulled his new BMW into a parking space. The park didn’t seem to be extremely packed with people and for that he was grateful.

“Disneyland!!! Yay!!” Andie exclaimed.

Two hours were spent walking around the park back and forth from one ride to another. Lance realized how much older he was than Andie when he was exhausted trying to keep up with the five year old. After a long while Lance decided it was time to call it quits and go get something to eat. Andie claimed she wasn’t hungry all the way to the food court. Lance had sternly told her it was time to eat and she hadn’t said much after that. Lance kept glancing at her and could tell that she was tired herself. Lance knew he had to attempt to feed the child before they left because the park because hearing Justin or Juls’ mouth about mallnurishing their child was not his idea of a good time.

“What do you want to eat, Andie? There’s pizza, cheeseburgers, Chinese and ….” Lance had been pointing at the different stands and had spotted a very familiar brunette at one of the lines.

“How does a burrito sound, Andie?”

“I don’t like ritos.” Andie whined. A sign of tiredness. The child didn’t whine much because he mom used to tell her it gave her face wrinkles.

“They have tacos too, Andie. I know you love tacos.” Lance said emphasizing the love part.

“Okay.”

“Come on sweetie.” Lance said as he approached the Mexican stand. He was two people behind the brunette by the time he got to the line. He was praying to God that the people in front of him would decide to go for something else to eat. God must have been looking out for him that day because the kid in front of them decide he wanted pizza instead. “Yes!!” he shocked himself when he said it out loud causing the family to turn and looked at him strangely. “Pizza sounds good.” He said with a smile.

“I want pizza too.” Andie said pulling Lance’s hand.

“Tacos, Any. They’re great!!” he said between clenched teeth.

“You’re talking funny, Uncle Lance.” Andie managed to say between a yawn.

“Are you ready to go home, Andie?” Lance asked with a sudden hint of guilt about the tried little girl.

“Yeah.” She said yawning again.

“Okay, sweetie. We’ll grab some Burger King on the way home okay?” he picked her up and when he turned to walk away the brunette was right in front of him with a tray of tacos and three drinks.

“Treacherous seeing you here.” She said before looking at Andie and smiling. “Hey cutie.” She said before turning and walking away without another word.
Lance watched her walk over to a table with the tacos. At the table he noticed a couple, a young lady with a magazine in her hand and two little kids about Andie’s age.

“Can we go now, uncle Lance? I want to see my daddy.”

“Yeah sweetie. We’re going home right now.” He said giving one last glance over to the table were the brunette ad gone. He did find it a bit unnerving to find her looking right back at him as well.

Weird.
------------------------------------------

Three hours later

Justin sat on the couch in his studio notebook and pen laying on his lap staring at Jenn. He found himself to be a bit perturbed with her at the moment. She had come in by herself, which instantly indicated to him that he was in for a long day at the studio. If Jenn had come by herself then that meant Jenn would be in a foul mood. Justin was around Jenn enough to come to the conclusion that she was a female version of Jc. He could tell as soon as she had walked in that she and Jc had been arguing. It wasn’t often that they would be fighting, it was usually himself and Juls having little bantering fits here and there.

When Jc and Jenn bantered, they fought. As far as Justin knew they fought about what note sounded better on a track. Everything as far as he knew, they argued about was about music. It was weird but he couldn’t really say Juls and himself were all that normal either.

All this things came to his mind because Jenn was making him think. Think about the past, something he didn’t like very much. The past that she wanted him to think about was specifically one Valentine’s Day from hell.

“Stop staring at me and write.” Jenn said turning to face him.

Background music played to try to inspire Justin for almost an hour and Justin hadn’t written a single word.

”I’m trying but I have so much shit in my head right now.”

“That’s funny because I remember saying for you to forget about NOW and think BEFORE.”

“Oh because it’s so easy for you to channel your past to write a ‘fuck you’ song.” He said sarcastically.

“It is actually, you ass.” Jenn said plopping down next to him on the couch with a laugh. She grabbed the notebook and pen from him and assumed position. Knees under her and hair up in a messy bun. “Why is it so hard for you to write about something that happened over six years ago?”

“Because it hurts to think about it.”

“Why? Justin you got the girl, remember? You’re taking what I asked too literally. I want this track to have an attitude vibe, not a HURTING vibe. I want you to write as if you never found out the truth. As if it had been true. I want you to write as if you’re still that angry drunk bastard Juls found at your house that night. That’s who I want you to channel in for this song. Please Justin. I need this and you need this.” Jenn begged.

“Blah blah blah, cry me a river why don’t you.”

“That’s it!!” Jenn said jumping up excitedly causing Justin to lean in further into the fluffy cushion of the sofa.

“Jesus, Jenn!! What the hell is wrong with you?”

“Cry Me a River.” Jenn said over and over out loud. “That’s the name of our song.”

“It is?”

“Okay. Okay. Okay.” Jenn paced back and forth. She grabbed the notebook from where it had landed from her excitement. “Describe what she means to you or is to you, using single words.”

“Who?”

“Juls, the neighbor, swimsuit model, a playboy bunny? I don’t care.”

“Are you telling me I could think about Tyra Banks, circa 2003 of course, and you won’t tell Juls?”

“Get a grip Justin you won’t be saying very nice things on this song. Juls’ won’t mind I’m sure. As a matter of fact I recommend you think about someone other than Juliana.”

“Umm okay. But I thought this was about Juls.”

“This isn’t about Juls, Justin. It’s about you and how YOU felt. It’s not that technical, Justin. Who gets on your last nerve?”

“You.”

“Besides me, dumb ass.”

“Brittney.”

“Spears?” Jenn questioned with a weird expression on her face.

“Ayala.”

“Ah, that makes more sense. Okay for the first couple words think Juls.”

“I though we were leaving her out of this.”

“Work with me, J.” Jenn said frustrated. “Describe what she is to you, what she means to you using single words.”

“Umm… sexy. Hot. Everything. Sun. Earth. Moon. Life. Heart.” Justin stopped and looked at her. “Is that good?”

“Hold on.” Jenn started to scribble on the notebook as Justin watched amazed at how fast she could write. She started reading what she had written out loud to him:

You were my sun
You were my earth
But you didn’t know
All the ways I loved you.

“Good.” He simply stated.

“How did you feel when you thought Juls had cheated on you?”

“Ahh man, Jenn. I thought we weren’t going to talk about that.” He complained.

“Juls works with this Justin. I promise if you do this song we will write a fucking panty dropper about Juls.”

“Panty dropper?”

“You know what I mean.”

“Alright alright.” Justin hesitated. “Betrayed. Alone. Unloved.”

“More than one word description, Justin.”

“I hate you.”

“No you don’t.” Jenn said smiling up at him.

“Let’s see.” Justin took his sweatshirt off and relaxed on the sofa. Closing his eyes.

“All I need is a couple of words from you and it will trigger me what to write.”

“Shut up so I can think about it. How about left out. How about that she had plans of her own about being with me?”

“Hold on.”

“You got something out of that? I was purposely being vague.”

“Shut up.”

“Whatever.”

“Listen.” Jenn said before she read the next few lines of the song.

So you took a chance
And made other plans
But I bet you didn’t think
That they would come crashing down

Justin just sat there listening to the track they would be using for this particular song singing the lyrics to himself. He got up and grabbed the notebook from Jenn and started matching the words and his voice to the music.

Jenn watched as suddenly Justin got the inspiration she had been looking for. She got up from where she had been sitting on the floor and took Justin’s abandoned place on the sofa. She smiled to herself because she knew they would have a great song. She could hear Justin stating to sing out loud.

You were my sun
You were my earth
But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no
So you took a chance
And made other plans
But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no

She concentrated on the beat of the track as Justin kept singing making up words as he went along.

You told me you loved me
Why did you leave me, all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me, on the phone
Girl I refuse, you must have me confused
With some other guy
Your bridges were burned, and now it's your turn
To cry, cry me a river
Cry me a river, girl
Cry me a river
Cry me a river, girl, yea yea

Justin paused and kept writing.

“You need help?” Jenn asked.

“I know that they say that some things are better left unsaid?” he asked.

“Good. Umm… All of the things people say to me keep messing with me?” she asked.

“I like that umm….how about ‘All of these things people told me, keep messing with my head’?”

“It’s missing something there.”

“Yeah I know. Give me a sec.” Justin said as he scribble something more down on the notebook and started to sing again.

You were my sun
You were my earth
But you didn't know all the ways I loved you, no
So you took a chance
And made other plans
But I bet you didn't think that they would come crashing down, no
You told me you loved me
Why did you leave me, all alone
Now you tell me you need me
When you call me, on the phone
Girl I refuse, you must have me confused
With some other guy
Your bridges were burned, and now it's your turn
To cry, cry me a river
Cry me a river, girl
Cry me a river
Cry me a river, girl, yea yea
I know that they say
That some things are better left unsaid
But it wasn't like you only talked to him and you know it
(Don't act like you don't know it)
And all of these things people told me
Keep messing with my head
(Messing with my head)
You should've picked honesty
Then you may not have blown it
(Yea..)

“How’s that?”

“Very good.”

“I have the chorus and the hook in my head but I need to sleep on it.” Justin said turning the music in the room off. “I’m hungry. Wanna go eat?”

“That’s it? I came here for nothing?” Jenn asked throwing her hands up in the air.

“It’s not nothing, Jenn. We got half that song in two hours.”

“We should have a whole song.”

“Says who?”

“Says me.”

“Oh please!!” Justin said turning everything off. “That song is getting me depressed, I can’t work on it any more tonight.”

“You’re such a girl, Timber-flake.”

“Ha!! You and your jokes. Crack me up I tell you.” Justin said giving her a bored look.

“I bet you I will come up with a chorus before you do.”

“I bet you won’t.” Justin said leaving her behind in the room as he headed upstairs.

“How much you want to bet?” Jenn asked going in to the kitchen following Justin.

“What are you betting on?” Lance asked from the kitchen table where he sat playing with Andie’s game boy.

“Damnit, Lance. You scared me.” Justin said looking at him. “Where’s Andie?”

“She’s upstairs sleeping, Timberlake. Relax I didn’t loose her.” Lance said turning the gameboy off. “Can I get in on the bet?”

“I don’t know. Justin is too scared to make a wager.”

“Five.” Justin said extending his hand out to Jenn.

“Dollars?” Jenn asked curiously. Justin looked at Lance as if to say ‘I already won this’.

“Thousand, Jenn.” Justin said looking at his extended hand and back at her.

“I’m out.” Lance said going back to his gameboy.

“That’s too much.” Jenn sated crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well it depends on what you are betting on.” Lance said from the table on the other side of the room.

“Jenn thinks she can come up with a chorus to this new song we are working on before I can come up with one.”

“Oh..” Lance said he smile and once again said. “I’m out.”

“What does that mean?” Jenn asked Lance. Justin still had his hand extended.

“I can’t really guess who would win. Justin sets his mind on something and he will do it. And I don’t know anyone who knows lyrics like you do. So it’s a toss.” He explained.

“Come on, Jenn. Five thousand.” Justin repeated.

“Alright. Five thousand.” Jenn said with an evil grin towards Justin. “You better tell Juls to write that check, Timber-broke.”

“What check?” Juls said walking into the room carrying four black Gucci bags in each hand.

“The one you’ll get back when you return all this shit, J. Jesus!! What did you NEED to have this time?”

“Put a sock in it, Justin. That’s the shit you ordered last week, cheap-o. I got a call while I was out to go pick it up.”

“Oh!!” Justin said grabbing the bags from her hand looking like a little kid. “I forgot about that.” He said before kissing her forehead and leaving the kitchen.

“What you got, Justin?” Lance asked following Justin out of the kitchen.

“Tell me again why all five of them aren’t gay?” Juls asked Jenn.

“Four of them are married.” Jenn simply stated.

“Oh that’s right.” Juls said with a smile. “you guys are done early.”

“We aren’t supposed to be. Your husband said he was hungry and called it quits. But by the looks of it, clothes from Gucci are a good hunger breaker.”

“He should be down shortly. Three of those bags are mine.”

“You’re bad.” Jenn said laughing which Juls noticed didn’t reach her eyes.

“What’s the matter with you?” Juls asked sitting on one of the counter stools.

“Why do you ask?”

“Cut the crap. What’s the matter?”

“What do you think?”

“Jc?”

“Sadly, yes. I don’t know what is wrong with him lately. He keeps making accusation and comments that are completely out of the blue. I also have to record with Justin and Luis that is also stressing me out. Then I have a bunch of hopeful at Jive. I’m going crazy. And the worst thing about it is that I can’t talk to the person I would love to talk about it with. My husband.”

“You said it yourself. You’re stressing. You always stress when you are on a constant schedule. It will pass, Jenn. It always does.”

“I hope so. Anyway I’m going home to see what my husband from hell wants to eat.” Jenn said heading for the door.

“See ya!!” Juls said walking into the foyer after Jenn. Lance walked quickly past Juls and Jenn and headed for the door without saying good-bye.

“Bye, Lance.” Both girl saying looking at the now closed door.

“Juliana Timberlake!!” Justin screamed loudly coming to the top of the staircase. “Five thousand dollars?!!”

“I don’t even want to know.” Jenn said closing the door behind her. She heard Justin repeat again from outside. “Five thousand dollars for a wallet?” she laughed as she got into her car. She heard Juliana yell back ‘It’s a purse’. She laughed to herself once again and caught up with Lance at the gate.