“Hang on, let’s put everyone on speaker phone, see what all is out there,” Justin said. They put their phones on speakerphone.

“Can I start by saying there has been a flood of people sharing pictures of you two being really cute last night?  There is some happiness in this, hopefully the true fans will let the other die and circulate those pictures,” Danielle said. 

“The fact remains that Justin, and Deana, had their names released with the restraining order details spread all over the internet,” Johnny said. “How in the hell do we handle this?  Even I’m at a loss…”

“Is it time to go public? Get their minds on the positive, like Danielle said?” Deana asked.

“Justin, you were definitely tagged in the posts I’m seeing, you might be able to share one to your page and put something up,” Danielle said. “D, this means everyone at the shows for the rest of the tour will recognize you. They’ll recognize you walking down the street in NYC or LA, there’s no more anonymity if you do this.”

“There is another option, but neither of you will like it…” Johnny hesitated. 

“Anything to keep her safe…” Justin said. 

“Break up.”

“No.  No, I refuse on my end.  No. We’ve come too far for this to be the only other option that keeps her safe…” Justin panicked. “Pineapple.  Shit, Johnny, pineapple…”

“Wait, WHAT?!” Deana said loudly. She hushed her voice, speaking to Justin and not the others on the phone. “Isn’t that your safe word?”

“Deana, if I may,” Johnny said. “I know that’s what was put out there on Jimmy Fallon, but honestly it’s for when he’s starting to have a panic attack. The day he left you for the tour, once he knew you weren’t around, he called me. I helped talk him down before he got you to head to the airport.”

“Justin, I had no idea…” Deana said, her eyes widening, but soft. 

“I’m normally pretty good about hiding it…” he said, starting to shake, almost rocking back and forth on the bed. 

“Justin, it’s an option, but not the only one. I can’t make this choice for either of you. Either everything is out in the open, or it’s over…”

“By everything, you mean my name?  Pictures of us have leaked before…”

“This is a court document, people will put two and two together…” Johnny said. “Those are your options.”

“No, no, no…” Justin said over and over. “I… no… I… Deana, please, no…” He was almost in the fetal position on the bed, on the verge of tears. 

“Justin,” Deana said firmly. He slowly sat up, his eyes and attention focused solely on her. “I have no intention of ending our relationship. You’re right. After all we’ve been through, including the whole court ordeal to GET the restraining order, breaking up isn’t the answer. How would that even help?  If the court papers have already been released, our names are already out there and tied to it.”  Justin relaxed, his breathing becoming more regular. 

“Deana, hang on,” Danielle said. “One news site is reporting on the shit with Paul, seeing his previous domestic violence conviction and such. They’re basically saying what WE already know; you were a victim in some way, but there’s no clear connection to Justin, because none of them were there.”

“Well, I’m glad for that,” Johnny said, “but it still might be best to distance yourselves until this blows over.”

“Johnny, no. I love her. Even to avoid publicity, I am NOT losing her again. It almost broke me the first time.”

“I’m talking about just a few days, nothing long term unless this twists.”

“No,” Justin said firmly. “I have a show tonight, I plan on having her there, have her on my bus to the next stop… I need her, I love her. No…”

“I think this is something we don’t need to be here for. If you’re absolutely sure, then fine, make some kind of public announcement. Either way, we’re not commenting on the restraining order situation.  The rest, your privacy, is up to you,” Johnny said, hanging up. 

“D, I love you. Talk to you soon.”

Justin sat on the bed, looking down towards his feet. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“I mean, I don’t want to break up, but I don’t know that I’d be safe to be out on the floor with fans once we go public…”

“I don’t want to lie and say we’re not together if we really are. I did that with Britney and I hated it. I had nothing to be ashamed of, but it was better for us to sell albums if I was considered single. I’m almost 40, I’m not going to hide a relationship anymore.”

“So what do we do about my safety at shows? I know I’m in a suite tonight most likely, but I like being up close, part of the crowd.”

“We can try adding extra security, having you in one spot. Maybe guaranteeing you the bar stool spot you had for my birthday show?  That way you’re close to me but highly visible to security.”

“I guess. I just worry about before the show starts, when people would notice me more.”

“We’ll figure something out. I’m too old to hide my happiness, and I don’t want to break up for even just a few days.”

“I don’t either. This is the happiest either of us have ever been. I still don’t know why breaking up was the best option if it’s already out there.”

“I think he meant space from each other so there’s no bad press and to give you privacy until this blows over.”

“Then why suggest we break up, and not just say to lay low for a while?” Deana asked. 

“I don’t know. I just know the mere IDEA of not being with you, well, you saw…”

“You really had a panic attack the morning after we slept together, when you had to fly out for the tour?”

“I remember telling you there wouldn’t be any awkward sneaking out after our first time, and there I was, breaking that promise. You were so upset, I was worried I had ruined everything. I was a mess, even on the plane. I had crew and stuff on the plane, but I still felt like I had disappointed you.  I felt terrible.”

“How many have you had since we’ve been together?”

“Major ones?  This is number 3.  Not gonna lie, my birthday was almost number 4.”

“When was the other one?”

“When you told me about what happened with HIM.  Again, I was afraid of losing you, of being alone again…”

“You’re Justin Timberlake, a guy like you doesn’t stay single for long.”

“I was single from when Jess and I split to meeting you.  I’d gone on dates or had hookups, but no one I was serious about.  Any time the thought of losing you comes into my head, of losing that future I want with you, I, well…”  He was starting to shake.

Deana held him close.  “You’re never going to lose me.  I’m right here.  I saw this on Facebook yesterday, saved the picture in my phone to show you.  I’m glad I did, I don’t think I could find it again now.  You’re not my husband yet, but it still fits.”

She showed him a picture of a quote.  It read: Yes, I do depend on a man.  My husband and I are a team. He depends on me and I depend on him.  We support each other.  That’s how marriage is supposed to work.

“We love each other, need each other in ways we may never understand.  We are a great team, and I plan to keep things that way.  I have no plans of this ending any time soon.  Til the day my life is through, this I promise you,” she smiled.

Justin smiled, letting out a soft laugh.  “Cheesy, but I loved it.  I can’t imagine my life without you, and I never want to have to try.”

“Then you better hope you go first, someday.”

“Not for a long time, we’ve got a lot of living to do.”

“Deal, to the best of my ability.”  She kissed his head, which was resting against the hollow between her neck and shoulder.  “I love you.  There is nothing wrong with what leaked.  We did nothing wrong, we were seeking protection from someone who could clearly hurt me if he wanted to, and would find a way to make me the bad guy.  At least someone in the media is following the paper trail, bringing up his jail time for domestic violence.  I bet there’s a picture with his mugshot.  I’d never actually seen that.  The times I talked to him on the phone, went and visited him, I never…”

“Wait, back the truck up.  You still saw him, talked to him while he was in jail?”

“I had it in my head that I caused it all, that instead of waiting for him in his apartment, waiting where she could see us go up…  I was going to testify, at least at one point.  He needed to talk to me about things, and a part of me missed him, in spite of knowing what he had done.”

“Fuck, Deana, really?!”

“This was before I met you, so what does it matter?”

“You swear you never saw or talked to him once we met?”

“Not until he came looking for me once he got out.”

“No wonder he thought he still had you; seeing him, taking his phone calls…”

“Which weren’t cheap.  I had to prepay $20 a week to make sure we had enough phone time.  At least another $100 down the drain from phone calls alone, I have no idea how much he actually owes me, that I’ll never get back.”

“How long before we met did you drop contact with him?”

“About two months, once I knew I didn’t need to testify, after I’d decided I was too afraid to.  I still wonder if it would have helped him or not, but he was afraid of a jury trial going against him and getting a tougher sentence.  I still feel like that whole ordeal is all my fault.”

Justin sat up straight.  “He is gone, he can’t bother us anymore.  You had no idea what was going to happen, you couldn’t have prevented it.  If you had prevented it, I don’t know that we would have met.  So stop kicking yourself over this, over a guy that doesn’t deserve a single second of your thoughts.  It led you to me, and that is something to be very grateful for.  I hate him, but I love that in the aftermath, I was there to help you love and trust again.  We made beauty from pain.”

‘We did.  If that hadn’t happened, I’d have likely still been at karaoke, but I’d probably still be with him at that point.  You trying to step in, I’d have thanked you for the drink, but that would’ve been it.  Nothing more than that.”

“If anyone asks us about this, we answer honestly.  You were a victim of gaslighting, being trained by a textbook narcissistic sociopath to think that everything was your fault.  Once you got out from under his spell, he still wanted control.  I’m thinking he wouldn’t have thought twice about raping you to get what he wanted that night.  The fact that you were drunk, you still resisted at first, he needed to say just the right thing to get you to agree.  It was technically consensual, but only because he made you feel like you needed him.  If you hadn't been so drunk, thinking a bit clearer, resisted more, there’s not a doubt in my mind that he would've taken what he wanted by force.”  Justin started to shake again.

“Pineapple?” Deana asked.

“No, just rage.  With how he reacted to that other woman, I hate to think of what he would have done to you.  You included me because I was taking you away from him, I doubt he would have let you go so easily if there hadn’t been the restraining order paperwork.  I don’t know if he would have messed with me, but he had a threatening tone the one time we interacted at the bar.  If he happened to follow you to our place, I could have been in danger.  I doubt it because I’m taller and stronger than him, but he’s a perfect example of not knowing what someone is really capable of.”

“I just hope no one asks about it.  I thought this was all past us.  Now it’s like it’s all opened up again, now everyone knows something happened that we felt this was necessary.  Can we try to not talk about it anymore?”

“Yeah.”  His phone started to buzz.  The guys were all checking in on him.  “FaceTime?” he asked her.  She nodded.  

“They’re just looking out for us, it’s being supportive, so I’m ok with that, as long as we don’t talk about it after this is over.”

Justin FaceTimed the guys, they all picked up.

“Hey man, you ok?” JC asked.  

“How are you even awake?” Justin asked.  “Lance, you too.  It’s like 6 AM…  Joey, you were hanging out with us yesterday morning and the night before that.  What the hell are YOU doing awake?!” Justin wondered.

“I reached out to them first, trying to figure out what to say, what to do,” Chris admitted.  “I called until they each woke up.  I figured we needed to talk, this is important.”

“What the fuck happened?” Joey asked.

“You guys know what happened.  While I was on tour, Deana went to karaoke, got drunk, and he took advantage of the situation and slept with her.  She knew she needed a restraining order to protect herself, and protect me in the process.  He definitely didn’t like me the one time I saw him at the bar.”

“You MET him?” JC gasped.

“Deana and Dani were out dancing, and we walked up to me, trying to intimidate me.  It was 80s night, but even with my ridiculous outfit, my size and build showed I wasn’t to be messed with.  I didn’t see him again after that, but I knew he was still sniffing around.  Once he knew I was out of town, he waited for the right moment.”

“I’m just curious how this even popped up…” Deana wondered.  The guys all shifted their eyes to her within Justin’s screen.

“You’d be surprised with what people have access to, and search for any dirt on any of us,” Chris said.  ‘For whatever reason, Justin seems to have a target on his back.  He still gets shit for Britney and the Super Bowl, they’ll find anything they can.  This time, it brought you with him.  I’m sorry for that, Deana…”

“J, I’m still in town. If you want me to come to the show, be there with Deana.  I promise, nothing dirty…”

“That would be helpful, actually.  That would protect her a little bit from everything for a night.  I know you want to be part of the crowd, but tonight, I think you need to step back a bit.”

Deana nodded.  “It’ll be nice to have someone I know with me.  Like my own personal bodyguard while Justin is performing.”

“I doubt I’ll need to do anything like that, but it doesn't mean I wouldn’t step in if need be.”

“We’re heading to LA next.  Lance, JC, if you guys wanna come, I can arrange a suite…”  

“We’ll talk about it.  Maybe turn it into a date night, me with Michael, JC with Jen…” Lance said.

JC nodded.  “Anything we can do to help support you guys.  This is shit neither of you deserve to deal with again.”

“I think this is a record for us, staying so serious with each other,” Chris said.

“It’s a serious situation,” Joey replied.  “I promise I can be more entertaining later, Deana.  It’s still early, I barely have coffee in me.”

‘Just knowing we have your support means the world to both of us.  Thank you,” Justin said softly.  “I think we’re gonna go, try and get back on track with our day.  Joe, we’ll see you later.  Love you guys.”

“Love you too, you’ll get through this, we’re here to help,” they all said before the call ended.

“I know I’m not in much of a mood to eat, but we still need something.  Let’s get room service brought in, have a quiet breakfast, just the two of us,” Justin said.

“That sounds wonderful,” Deana sighed.