Next day, sometime around 2 in the afternoon: Orlando Airport

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"No, I'm not talking to you."

"Oh pulease. You are so, ugh."

"Ohh that's mature Alley Cat."

"Don't worry Justin, I'll take care of you."

"MOM!"

"Oh this is priceless."

"Shut up, Dre."

"Oh no, are you going to ignore me TOO!?"

The 5 of them were sitting in the gate of the airport waiting for Alexandria's parents to be able to board. Alex was trying to talk to Justin, but he was ignoring her because of the incidents that had happened last night, i.e. flipping him off, calling him a loser, etc. She was getting fed up and her Dad was picking on them for acting mature while Alex's mom was of course defending Justin. Dre was laughing as hard as he could at the scenario, eating a bag of doritos and drinking a coke.

"Well what did she do to you that was so horrible?" Her father asked, sitting across from them with Dre. Justin was in-between Alex and her mother.

Alex shot Justin a look as an evil smile crossed his handsome features, being shaded by a baseball hat. "She flipped me off." He bowed his head like he was crying and Alex shoved him into her mother when she caught the bright white of his smile.

"Alexandria." Her fathers low voice his her and she looked up to see her dad giving her a look.

"Daddy, I was just picking."

"I was just picking." Justin mocked in a high pitched voice.

"You know how I feel about that sort of thing, you should know better." Her father shook his head and Alex just stared at him a few moments in disbelief.

"Fine, SEE YA! Have a GOOD FLIGHT!! Gosh, all yall have to align with the mega-popstar. Well, he ain't all that great. Peace!" She grabbed her purse and jacket, stood up and stalked off.

"Um, is she really leaving?" Dre asked.

"Probably." Alex's mom giggled and shrugged. Before either one of them knew it, Justin had stood up and followed her, ignoring Dre's yells for him to come back and security.

He spotted her, walking rather slowly, looking down at her feet. He jogged up to her and grabbed her arm to turn her around. He had a pitiful look on his face that immediately turned sour when he saw her amused smile.

"Oh, OH MY GOS-" His hand covered her mouth and he slightly put her in a headlock as they walked back towards her parents. "Don't you even DARE think about yelling like a teenybopper."

He finally pulled his hand away and she wrapped her arm around his waist. "I knew you'd come running for me."

"I'm still not talking to ya." He mumbled.

Alex giggled and pinched his side. "Ok. I didn't want to hear you're nasally voice whine anyway. You are only good to look at."

Justin stopped and looked at her hurt. She smiled and tugged on his hand, "And to kiss, and cuddle and flirt with." A girlie giggle escaped her when she saw him shake his head and turn a bit red and he let her pull him where her parents were.

"Well, Alex. Nice of you to join us." Her dad said, trying to hide his chuckle.

"Ah ha, gosh, dad. You are the next Jerry Seinfield." She deadpanned.

"Flight 429 to Chicago, Illinois is now boarding first class passengers at gate 12..." The speaker repeated the announcement and Alex looked up almost shocked by the news.

Alex shuffled her feet and looked down at them. "Well..."

"Come here baby." Her mother immediately stood up and walked over to her embracing her in a tight hug. "I'll miss you, girlie."

Alex sniffed and snuggled into her mom's shoulder. "I'll miss you too mom. Better call me, cause well, I might be needed some, you know...advice."

Her mom pulled away, with her still in her arms. "I know baby. I'll try my best." She rested her forehead against her daughters and began whispering and giggling things.

Justin looked over at Alex's dad and chuckled. "Gosh, they are like twins."

"I know, amazing eh?" He shrugged. Justin just nodded and looked around nervously.

"Well, Justin. It was nice meeting you. I uh, well, I know I'll see you again sometime."

"You too, Mr. Smith. It was a pleasure." Justin extended his hand for Lexia's father to shake. The man looked at it and pulled Justin in a "manly" hug. Justin's eyes widen and he was in pure shock by the gesture. "Take care of my girl for me, Justin. Please."

A grin managed its way on his face at the words. And for the first time, He really got to see just how tight Lexia; HIS girlfriend was close to her family. It was just another thing that made him love her more. "I will sir."

They pulled away and straightened out their clothes trying to recuperate from their little break in the stern image they were showing.

Alex's mom laughed loud and let her daughter kiss her on the cheek. She caught Justin's eyes. "Ohh Justin. We were just talking about you." Alex nudged her mom embarrassed a bit and rolled her eyes.

"Ohh my other baby. I just mmmm." Alex's mother walked over to Justin who was trying to hold in his giggles.

"It was nice, umm, meeting you." He giggled and wrapped his arms around her.

"Ohh Lex, he gives nice hugs." Her mom groaned.

"Mom, he is MY boyfriend. Not yours. Look at your hand, you have a wedding ring. HELLO??" Alex rolled her eyes and sauntered to her dad who was talking lightly with Dre.

Alex pouted and whined. "Dad, my boyfriend is stealing your wife."

"Oh well, who needs em." He shrugged and pulled her into a hug. They looked over to see Justin with his arm around her mom and they were talking very deeply.

"Bye Daddy."

"Bye Alley Cat. Just, before I go; I just want to make sure you're not gonna let some boy walk all over you."

"I wont."

"I know you wont. But I can tell you really like him." He paused and kissed her head that was resting on his shoulder as they hugged. "But I know he likes you too, I know he really likes you because of the way he has acted around you this past week. And I'm so glad you found someone Lexus. I am truly happy for you."

"Thanks Dad."

"Just be careful with your heart. I don't want to have to fly 5000 miles with my shotgun just to get a point across." They both laughed and squeezed each other one last time.

Alex turned her head to the side so she could look away from him. Her voice cracked and a single tear escaped her eye. "I love you Daddy."

"And I love you Alexandria."

"Will you do me a favor?" She whispered.

"Sure."

She pulled away and looked up at him. He tilted his head to the side and wiped away her tear. "Kiss Andrew's grave for me."

Her dad simple nodded and lifted his chin to place a kiss on her forehead.

The announcer called that the rest of the passengers to Chicago were able to board and Alex pulled away, took a deep breath and looked at her parents. "I guess this is it."

"Honey, no it is NOT! You two WILL be visiting us. And I will be calling. You know me better than that, sweetheart." Her mother stated animatedly.

Alex chuckled and rolled her eyes. "Ok mom."

"You ready?" Her father asked her mom who nodded.

"All right, Alex. We will call you when we get in." Her dad spoke.

"Ok. Bye guys." They smiled and her mom came over to give her a quick kiss and turned to Justin to do the same. Justin smiled and gave Alex's mom a peck. "MOM!! Stop hitting on him!!"

She just shrugged and they turned to walk away. "Bye Justin! Bye Dre, thank you. See ya later Alex."

The three left waved and yelled good-byes as Alex, Justin and Dre stood there and watching them board the plane. When they disappeared down the ramp, Dre turned to them.

"Ok, let's go. By now the whole world knows you are here." Dre groaned and pushed them ahead of him.

"Dre, lighten up." Justin groaned. He looked down at Alex who was walking beside him with her head down and a sullen look on her face.

"Hey, you ok?" He nudged her and she looked up and barely smile. "I'll be ok."

"I think you need cheering up." He said low and huskily. Her eyes widen and she let him pull her close to him. "Ohh really?"

"Ohh yeah, and that's why me and you are going on a date tonight. Hey Dre?" Justin looked over his shoulder to the bulky man behind him. "Get your nice clothes cleaned and dry, because tonight, us three are going out. rarrr" He growled at Alex who smiled brightly in response and held on to him tighter as they made their way out of the airport.

---------
February 5th 12:45 p.m.
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"Come ONNN! You have to tell me."

"I'm not saying anything."

"But Alex!! I haven't talked to you hardly at ALL since last Tuesday. Wednesday I didn't go to class, and then the next two days you hardly spoke to me. And then I tried calling you over the weekend but you were NEVER home. So what is up between you and Justin! Come on! Something MUST have happened after you guys left the party."

"Jen! Gosh, Calm down." Alex grabbed the girl's upperarms in the midst of the people in downtown Orlando. "Ok, we are...together."

The two girls were walking together to meet Danielle for lunch. Jen had a hair appointment downtown and was walking with Alex. She had not shut up about what was going on since they had started their treck. Downtown Orlando was bustling with activity. People going to eat in their short lunch breaks, people talking on cell phones, people shopping like maniacs.

Alexandria continued on walking but noticed that Jen was no longer with her. She stopped and turned to see Jen staring at her, her jaw on the cement, her eyes as wide as baseballs and she was frozen in place.

"Come on, geez." Alex walked back and grabbed her arm, dragging her further.

Jen stuttered. "I just, oh my, see, wow."

"Just chill ok. It's not that big of a deal."

"YES IT IS!!!!" Her scream caused the people around them to look at them like escaped circus clowns. Alex forced a smile at the people and rolled her eyes, stomping off.

"Jen, isn't this where you get your hair done?" Alex sighed, pointing to the building she was standing on.

"Yeah, but so-"

"Call me later, I'm already late for meeting Dani. I'll fill you in. Just don't say anything. All right. I'll explain later."

"OH YOU BET YOU WILL BE EXPLAININ'!" Jen pointed to her and in an almost angered fashion, pushed the door open and stomped into the beauty shop.

Alex giggled and shook her hair. People and cars whipped past her on the sidewalk of Orlando's main street. Her purse was raised higher on her shoulder and she started walking a fast pace towards the small cafe she was supposed to be meeting the other Nsync girlfriend, to talk about being just that.

----

"So, Dre and Mike BOTH had to hold the boy back. Those guys are too much at times, but I swear they never fail to crack me up." Dani took a sip of her water and giggled at the memories she had.

"I just can't believe that Justin did that! I mean he was only 16, what was he trying to do?"

"Prove a point. The boy is a perfectionist. He does everything to the maximum. If he takes on a task he is going to put all of his effort and MORE into it. But he's learned not to take on Chris's bets anymore. Especially when they can get you in to trouble with the law."

"Yeah, I've kinda gotten the feeling of how close they are. I mean, just by the way they seem to know each other so well."

"Yeah, they are close friends. But we are here to talk about us, not them. So, what do you want to know?" Dani crossed her hands and leaned over the table a bit.

Alex looked down at her empty salad bowl and then back up at the blonde in front of her. "How do you handle it? How do you handle all the press and media, and fans?"

"Well, it took some time to get use to. I mean, I was literally scared of Dre, and Lonnie, and those guys. But I warmed up to them, and that helped. I'm not going to lie and say that I like having them around all the time. But whenever Chris wants to take me out, well, its kinda necessary. I've learned the hard way, that I'd much rather go out with Chris AND one of the guards and have a pleasant evening, than go out with just Chris and end up being hounded. Because no matter what we try, it ALWAYS happens when we go to a public place."

"Yeah, and I don't really mind the security that much. But.." Alex sighed and looked out to the traffic filled street. "..I hate attention. I have a phobia of it."

After a long paused Danielle cleared her throat. "You are going to HAVE to get over that phobia, Alex. There is no way you can be a celebrity girlfriend and still have your OWN life unless you can handle a little hounding by fans, a little bad press, and a little attention."

"That's what I was afraid of."

"See Alex, Justin is probably one of my FAVORITE people. I mean, it's no WONDER he has all the fans, or most of them. He is an amazing guy. He is such a RARE thing. You just can't find a guy like that around today. And you are so lucky to have captured his heart. But with that, you gotta take the risk or you gotta leave. Justin doesn't play around. In fact when I first heard about his little crush for you I was REAL skeptical, because he doesn't get crushes. Justin falls in love. Hard. And I personally thought that him and Britney were a done deal. But I was wrong."

Alex nodded not really knowing how to respond and just let the noisy streets fill their silence. "But if you try, if you just push away your own fears for a second, and concentrate on just him, it will be worth it. I've never seen him like this. It's the real thing for him this time. But that doesn't mean its going to be easy."

"I know, but I just don't want to hurt him ya know? He threw away a perfect relationship just to take a chance with me. And I'm really scared that I'm not going to be able to handle it."

"Well first of all his relationship with Britney wasn't picture perfect, in fact, it was horrible. They just looked good together. They are great friends, but when it comes to dating, just NO!" Danielle eyes widened and she giggled a bit. "But, I haven't spent much time with you, Lex, but I know you are a strong girl. And I know you can tough this out. It gets better, you learn to handle it and there are definite perks. No matter what is thrown your way, if you just put up a wall and don't let it get to you, Justin will make it worth your wile." She leaned over the table and grabbed Alex's hand. "I've seen the boy in action. I still can't get over for the things he does for those he loves. Just keep in mind how lucky you are to have him in your life. All the guys pick on Justin about him having the most fans. Yeah, he is a cutie, but that's not it. No disrespect to the other, but he just has a way about him, you just see him and you cant help but want to know more. The fans are bitter, I'm not lying. They will RIP you a part, but only if you let them. The one thing that you can do to make all this better, just be nice to the fans."

"What? How does that make my relationship better?"

"Yeah its crazy, but believe me, it works. If you don't give the fans a reason to hate you, if you let them in and are nice, even when they are mean, it makes YOU feel better. Plus you are at less of a chance of getting bad press. And that's one less thing you have to worry and get upset over."

Alex thought about it and nodded, but Danielle continued. Alex made a note to herself that Dani could go on and on, but she didn't mind the advice. "I'm not saying all the fans will be angels if you are nice, but it will be better than being called a bitch."

The advice that Danielle was giving her was taken straight to the head and digested into her heart. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy to be with Justin, but Alex had never had feelings like she was having, and she wasn't going to take the risk of having them disappear or be taken from her. Besides, what did she have to lose?

A lot.

It was a risk her even thinking she could do this. Her job, her social life, and her anonymity could be put into turmoil. Alex wasn't a risk taker, but when she closed her eyes for a moment and tried to look into the future, Justin was apart of it. And she knew this was a risk she HAD to take.

The ring of her cell phone brought her back into reality and she apologize to Dani while searching her purse and flipped open the small silver device.

"Hello?"

"So, I was thinking, after last night's enchanting evening at the Tavern, why don't we go low key tonight and go bowling. I know a great place on the outside of town, where their wont be a crowd."

A smile stretched across her face and her icy eyes twinkled beneath her sunglasses at the sound of his voice. "I don't know I have class tomorrow, and since I didn't get in till 1 last night I almost didn't make it to class this morning."

"Pweaaassse."

"Justin, I have class. Why don't you come over and help me study and we can just do whatever."

"Whatever, eh?"

His voice was mischievous and Alex slightly blushed and looked up to see Danielle staring at her with a smirk on her face.

"Well, I don't know." She shyly said.

Justin chuckled knowing he had pushed one of her buttons and was happy with her reaction. "Ok Lexia, I'll be over around 4:30 or 5 and I'll bring some take out with me. I'll get someone to watch Jon, so it will be just you..." He paused and whispered. "...and me."

"Ok. Bye Just."

"See ya in a bit, baby." With a click of her phone, she cleared her throat, sat up in her chair and looked at Dani.

"Well Alex, I'm glad we've had this talk. But I gotta go rescue Chris from recording, and you need to get back to class probably. But do one thing for me?" Dani pulled out some money from her purse as Alex looked at her questionably.

"What?"

She giggled. "Wipe that grin off your face, and get rid of the red on your cheeks. You don't want to go to class looking all flustered."