June 6 (Houston, Texas)

"So, have you come up with a way to thank him yet?"

Looking up from Kayla's case file, Cathy couldn't help but sigh in frustration at the knowing look on Rebecca's face.

Here we go again.

It had been a week since she had asked the younger woman for help in figuring out a way to thank the younger man. And if Rebecca's apology--because she couldn't think of anything--didn't help matters, then the younger woman's constant need to ask Cathy--every five seconds--if she had come up with a way yet, was helping her even less.

"No, I haven't....but at the rate I'm going, I think the only thing Mr. Timberlake will be getting from me is a statement that says: I know you've hired me a bodyguard and even though I don't really appreciate the fact that you went behind my back while doing so, I still want to thank you for lessening my chance of a bloody death at your expense. That sounds about right, doesn't it?"

"A little bit morbid, maybe. But yeah, it works for me." Rebecca responded, sarcastically, before smirking slightly and sitting down in the aisle seat next to Cathy. "So, what are you working on?"

Knowing that she probably wouldn't be getting any more work done now, caused Cathy to sigh slightly before saying: "Kayla's inspection form. It'll be two weeks on Sunday, since I did her last one, and I just want to jot down a few more things before that day comes."

After nodding her head slightly, in understanding, Rebecca nonchalantly asked: "So, how long does Justin have until you're finally finished with your inspections and he becomes a fully legal parent to Kayla?"

Without bothering to think about it for a second, Cathy replied: "Well, you can't really say that he's not already Kayla's fully legal parent now. He always was--and from the way things have been going--he always will be. But in answer to your question, my stay on this tour will be ending on July 14; a month from next Sunday. And then, from there, I'll be heading back home."

To fill out a whole bunch of job applications.

With that thought in mind, no longer feeling the desire to work on something--that when she finished--she'd be fired for, Cathy quickly closed the case file in her hands before putting it back in her book bag.

"You know, this sucks, right?"

While raising a questioning eyebrow at the younger woman, Cathy asked: "What sucks?"

"You leaving." Rebecca responded, after a brief seconds pause. "I mean....the guys finally bring me a cool chick to hang out with on tour and you're leaving me two months before we can even call it a wrap. It sucks!"

Not bothering to hide the surprise she felt at the comment, Cathy immediately widened her eyes in shock, before bringing them back down to their normal level and slightly smiling, "I promise you, it wont be that bad. I mean, it's not like you wont be able to call or email me every night from the tour bus complaining about what the guys did to you this time."

"I know." Rebecca replied, while slightly sighing. "But it wont be the same...I mean, even the rest of the crew has said that within a week, they've grown to like you more then they ever liked Joey...which I'm not sure is a compliment or just a statement meant to annoy the heck out of Fatone."

After slightly smirking at the thought, Cathy let her eyes advert towards the main stage area; where Joey and Chris were playing keep away with Kayla.

If they don't be careful, someone's going to get hurt.

"I wonder who he's talking to."

Without bothering to ask who Rebecca was talking about, Cathy followed the younger woman's line of vision--towards the back stage area--and found herself raising an eyebrow in questioning as her gaze landed on a furiously red Justin, talking on his cellphone. "I don't know..but I'm just glad that I'm not the one on the other end."

"Me too. You don't know how-" Rebecca began, but before she could get the rest of her statement out, a shrill piercing scream was heard from on stage.

"DADDY!"

After turning around as the familiar sound of his daughter's panicked screams filtered through the air, Justin felt himself practically growing weak as he saw his baby-girl on the ground with tears coming from her eyes. Shit.

Making his way towards the main stage area, Justin only had enough time to tell Johnny, who he had been talking to on the phone, that he'd call the older man back later, before getting to the little girl--who was surrounded by two of her uncles--and quickly picking her up off the floor.

At seeing the familiar frightened expression on the younger man's face, Joey quickly said: "J, man, I'm sorry. We were just playing a quick game of keep away and she tripped over her own feet and landed on her chin....I'm really-"

Not wanting to hear any more of the man's apologizes, Justin angrily interrupted him with: "Not now, Jo! Save it for later." Before turning around and bringing Kayla back to where he had came from.

After sitting her on his lap as he took a seat on a nearby amplifier, Justin quickly checked underneath Kayla's chin for any bruises, before softly saying: "Kay, open your mouth so daddy can see where you got hurt at."

"No." Kayla immediately replied, while shaking her head. "It hurt."

Feeling his heart almost drop down to his stomach at this comment, caused Justin to blink back the tears that were slowly starting to form in his eyes before saying: "I know it hurts, sweetie. But if you don't let me look in your mouth, it's only going to get worse and we don't want that. So, can I please see?"

After staring at her father's concerned face for a brief second, Kayla reluctantly opened her mouth; showing Justin a small split on her bottom lip.

Shit. Justin thought to himself as he saw a small pool of blood seeping out of the sides of Kayla's mouth. What the hell am I supposed to do now?

As if reading his thoughts, a familiar voice from behind said: "It looks like someone needs some baby Oral-jel and some liquid Ibuprofen."

"Thanks, I-" Justin began, but as he turned around and saw who had suggested the idea, he couldn't help but silently curse under his breath. Shit.

Seeing the frightened look on the younger man's face, Cathy couldn't help but furrow her eyebrows in confusion. But then as a thought hit her, she couldn't help but smirk slightly. He thinks I'm going to write him up for this...which I probably should, but wont.

"I can explain..." Justin quickly began, but before he could get the rest of his statement out, Cathy held up a hand to stop him.

"No need, Mr. Timberlake. I'm not going to report it....I saw the whole thing happen and believe the incident was merely just a toddler being a toddler."

While slightly sighing in relief, Justin replied: "You should report it. I mean, it was my fault. I should've been watching her more closely and not have left her alone on stage with Joey and Chris. I know how rough they can be sometimes...especially when we're all on stage."

Damn, this kid can really be rough on himself and the people around him.

After adverting her eyes towards Kayla, who wasn't crying anymore but instead looked to be wincing at the pain her lip was causing her, Cathy slowly replied: "First of all, Justin, you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened. I mean, from what I saw, the three of them were all laughing and having a good time until Kayla tripped. And second of all, don't take this the wrong way because I'm not saying that you shouldn't be mad at Joey and Chris because they could've been more careful and picked a better setting then the hard stage to play on. But honestly..accidents happen. I mean, I know you probably don't want to hear this, but Kayla is probably going to get about a hundred more bruises and cuts on her body before she reaches the age of 10. And, even though your going to want to, you can't always blame yourself every time it happens..... because if you do, your going to find yourself in therapy before you reach the old age of twenty-five."

Even though he didn't want to, Justin couldn't help but chuckle at the last comment. And then afterwards, realizing that the woman in front of him was right, he couldn't help but nod his head slowly, in agreement. "Thanks."

While smirking slightly, Cathy coyly replied: "No, thank you." Causing Justin to stare at her in confusion.

What the hell?

(Eight Twenty-five)

"Um, can you tell me again what we're doing here?"

Looking up from the toddler that was fidgeting around in her lap, Cathy smirked slightly at the frown that she saw on Rebecca's face, before replying: "We're here because Justin promised Kayla that if she took a nap, after he gave her her medicine, then she'd be allowed to come see Nsync perform live tonight."

After slightly nodding at this information, Rebecca replied: "All right, that explains why you're here, but it still doesn't explain why the heck I am."

Without bothering to hide it from the other woman, Cathy rolled her eyes in amusement before saying: "If I have to spend another night watching Mr. Timberlake and the other guys perform in concert, then so do you."

"Whatever!" Rebecca replied, before turning her attention towards the live crowd below her and absentmindedly ignoring the slight chuckles coming from the older woman beside her. "Anyway, I've been meaning to ask you this for a while now: but why do you always call Justin: Mr. Timberlake? I mean, I know that's his name and all, but you keep going back and forth. Why don't you just call him Justin?"

After thinking about it for a second, Cathy replied: "I don't know. I think it's mostly because I'm so used to calling my clients by their last names that the professional side of me wants to call him by that all the time."

While nodding her head, in understanding, Rebecca raised an eyebrow in slight amusement before saying: "Well, if the professional side of you wants to call him that all the time, then what does the personal side of you want to call him?"

Huh?

Not understanding what the younger woman meant by that comment, caused Cathy to furrow her eyebrows in confusion before asking: "What do you mean?"

A question which Rebecca was about to open her mouth to respond to, but unfortunately didn't get a chance to as the lights in the venue went down and the vision of a type writer on the Jumbotron came up.

"I guess the shows about to start."

"I guess so." Rebecca confirmed, with a hint of slyness evident in her voice; something which Cathy would've questioned the younger woman about had Nsync not popped up on stage, a few seconds later, and had Kayla not have begun clapping soon after that.

"I sync!"

After adverting her eyes from the younger woman's laid back form, Cathy quickly stood up, so that Kayla could get a better view of her daddy on stage. "Yeah, sweetheart, that's Nsync. Look at them go."

Dirty pop!

While absentmindly smiling to herself as the guy's and Kayla started to sing, as only they could, Cathy couldn't help but roll her eyes at Justin, who if she looked at close enough, she could tell was smiling and singing in the direction of the V.I.P area; where her, Kayla, and Rebecca were seated in.

Show off!

After watching the guys perform two more songs and laughing at Cathy and Kayla who were dancing around the V.I.P area, Rebecca reluctantly stood up; saying that she hated being the only one seated in their section.

"Sure, that's the reason."

While ignoring the other woman, Rebecca adverted her attention towards the stage where Lance was about to begin speaking, "Uh-oh, here he goes with his speech."

After smirking slightly at the younger woman's comment, Cathy adverted her attention towards the stage as well; finding herself rolling her eyes, once again, at Lance's brief words.

"How are you guys feeling out there......? That's good, because if you didn't know...you guys are at the Pop Odyssey tour and that's the only way you can feel tonight. Now, with that being said, before we can continue on with the next song, me and the guys would just like to send a small shot out to a couple of people in the crowd: Kay, Becca, and Cat. Thank ya'll for coming out tonight and watching the show. We love you."

And I'm trying hard to figure out just how I ever did without ...the warmth of your smile, the heart of a child
That's deep inside, leaves me purified...

While watching the guy's begin the chorus of a song, that she had heard hundreds of times--thanks to Kayla--Cathy couldn't help but think to herself, in amusement:

I guess I have to rephrase my last thought. Justin's not the only show off...they all are.

(Twelve Thirty, AM)

After quietly stepping on the girl's bus, Justin silently nodded his greeting to Leon, the girl's bus driver, before heading towards the back of the vehicle; stopping suddenly as he as got towards the middle of it and saw Cathy seated on the bus's pull out couch with a sleeping Kayla in her arms.

Wow.

After silently watching as the older woman gently brushed a curly strand of hair from his baby-girl's face, Justin couldn't help but wonder to himself was this one of the things that Kayla was missing from her life because she no longer had her mother in her life.

Fortunately--and unfortunately--enough, as soon as that thought came, it left as well; replaced by the memory of Debra saying a long time ago that she had to sometimes leave Kayla with the neighbors, so she could tend bar at night; unfortunately not getting back to the small infant until it was well around six thirty in the morning.

With that memory on his mind, Justin inwardly promised himself that no matter what happened, he'd always be home to put Kayla to bed at night, before snapping himself out of his thoughts and clearing his throat, to make his presence known. "Ahem."

Quickly looking up at the clearing of the throat, Cathy couldn't help but blush slightly as she realized she'd once again been caught staring at Kayla, in awe. "Hey..I didn't hear you come in."

Without bothering to make a move towards the little girl in Cathy's arms, Justin made his way towards the kitchen area booth. And after taking a seat on the comfy couch, he--so as not to wake the sleeping Kayla--silently whispered: "I figured everyone was asleep and didn't want to risk waking you guys up."

After slightly nodding her head, in understanding, Cathy raised an eyebrow in questioning at the tired expression, that seemed to be on Justin's face ever since the conversation he had earlier on the phone. "So, what's up? You look like you just swallowed a whole bottle of Tylenol PM's on accident."

While slightly smirking at the comment, Justin let out a low sigh, before running his hands over his fuzzy hair and saying: "It's nothing..I'm just--for lack of a better word--frustrated."

After a second of seeing no sign of the younger man continuing, Cathy raised both eyebrows in a prodding manner before silently replying, "Go on." Causing Justin to open his mouth to do as she asked, but then stop just as quickly; causing Cathy to guess--by his facial expression--why he had done so.

"Don't worry, Justin. Anything that you say in the next couple of minutes will be completely off the record. I promise."

After blushing slightly, Justin opened his mouth to tell the older woman that that wasn't the reason he had stopped talking. But after seeing the knowing expression on Cathy's face, he instead of quickly lying to the older woman, began to tell her the truth. "I talked to Johnny earlier today and he confirmed that, even though him and Doug, our Public relations guy, have been able to keep the reporters at bay for now, I'm still unfortunately going to have to do an interview on Debra and Kayla; whether I want to or not."

Damn.

Not knowing how the younger man was feeling at the moment, caused Cathy to silently whisper an "I'm sorry" before asking Justin what he was going to do.

After letting out another deep sigh, Justin replied: "I don't know. Johnny says that everyone from Barbara Walters to Carson Daly is willing to put me on their show to talk about it. But the thing is, I don't want to talk about it. I mean, it's my life, not theirs, you know what I mean?"

Knowing exactly what he meant, caused Cathy to nod her head, in understanding, before saying: "Did he give you a time limit as to when you'd have to come to your decision on this?"

While nodding his head slowly, Justin replied: "He gave me to the end of the week. Then I'm going to have to either schedule a press conference or look foreword to a bunch of news reporters having my home and cell phone number."

Not believing for a second that the guy's manager would do such a thing, caused Cathy to furrow her eyebrows in confusion before saying: "Is that a threat?"

And after shaking his head No, Justin replied, after a few seconds:

"Knowing Johnny....that's a promise."