This was actually written to take place a month or so after Crash and Burn, but I updated it a bit.
~2000~
Justin shielded his eyes form the bright light.
"Where am I?" he thought to himself.
The more and more that he walked, the brighter the light became. Finally, he reached giant gold gates. As he approached them, they swung open. He walked through and saw a man behind a podium, reading something.
"Hello Mr. Timberlake."
"How do you know who I am?"
" I know everyone. You're not supposed to be here. It's not your time."
"My time? What are you talking about? Where am I? Who are you?" he questioned
"All your questions will be answered. Not today. Many years from now. See you later." the man said waving his hand.
"No, I want to know now." Justin screamed
The light faded and everything was black. Suddenly, his eyes flew open.
"RILEY!!!!" he screamed.
JC’s head sprang up, followed by Chris'.
"Shit, call the nurse." JC screamed at Chris
"J, calm down, it's okay.” JC said
Justin was breathing heavy and sweating. The nurse came running in and pushed Chris and JC out of the room. They stood in the hall, waiting. Justin had walked in front of a truck the night of Riley’s funeral. He felt that since she was gone, he didn't need to live anymore. She was his first real love and she was gone. He almost died. He had been in a coma for the last month. The guys stayed by his bedside religiously. They had put everything on hold indefinitely until Justin was well. After the accident, no one thought he was going to make it.
The nurse came out of the room, followed by the doctor. The guys were allowed back in to see Justin. He was calmed down and sitting up.
"Hey man, you had us all scared." JC said
"I had the weirdest dream, I think I was on my way to heaven, it was all white and......." he went on telling the guys all about his experience with death.
Chris and JC listened to him, with looks of shock on their faces.
"So, what, you went to heaven and they sent you back?" Chris said
"Yeah, it wasn't my time." Justin explained
"Uh, okay, J, whatever you say." Chris said.
"I think we better go. You need to get some rest." JC said standing.
"Okay, I’ll see you guys." Justin said settling back onto his pillows.
Chris and JC walked out of the hospital and got into the car. They both were quiet until JC stopped in front of Chris' house.
"Do you think he's okay?" Chris asked
"Yeah, he's probably just in shock. The accident, Riley. Being in a coma for the last month." JC said
"See ya later man." Chris said getting out of the car.
They made plans to go back to the hospital with the rest of the guys in the morning. JC pulled out of the driveway and headed towards his house.
***Justin dreaming***
"Riley, I love you. I'm so glad we're finally together." he said hugging her
"I love you to Justin. I'm sorry it had to happen this way. At least we are together, forever." she said
Justin smiled in his sleep. The next week, Justin was released from the hospital. He had been pretty banged up in the accident. His left leg and arm was broken, he had scrapped his face badly and had a few broken ribs. The coma was a result of his head hitting the concrete after the truck had struck him. He was lucky to be alive, his neck could have been snapped. He kept having dreams about Riley. He figured it was normal, but he couldn't shake how real they felt.
***Waterloo, Iowa 2005***
"Good morning, how are you feeling?" Madge asked
"Fine, thank you." she responded
"Anything new?" she asked
"No, not yet. I do keep having these dreams, the man in them is very familiar, but I don't know who he is." she said
"Does he call you a name? Can you remember his?"
"Riley. He calls me Riley."
"Maybe that's your name. Riley."
"I don't know. Madge, how did I come to live here?"
"I’ve told you a thousand times. Maybe someday it will help you remember. I took you in. You were in the hospital and no one knew your name or where you were from or anything."
"How did I get to the hospital?"
"You were found in the woods by a hunter. You were unconscious and he brought you there. I took you after you were better since you have no memory of where you live or who you are."
"I wish I knew." she said leaving the room
She went into the small living room and sat on the couch. She flipped on the TV and began channel surfing. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a guy being interviewed.
"Aaron!!" she shouted "I remember him. His name is Aaron." she yelled
Madge ran into the living room to see what she was yelling about. She looked at the TV and then at the girl on the couch.
"Are you sure you know him? He's famous you know."
"Yes, I worked for him. I grew up with his family. I was on the plane with his mom when it crashed......" she paused suddenly remembering what had happened, then she began to cry.
"What's the matter sweety? Why are you crying?"
"He thinks I’m dead. My name is Riley Michelle Hansen. I’m 27 years old and my birthday is July 15, 1978. I live in Orlando, Florida. Oh my god, I remember." she said with tears streaming down her face.
She told Madge all about her and how she knew Aaron. Then she ran to the phone and dialed Nick’s house.
"Hello?" a male voice answered
"Nick?" she asked
"Yes, can I help you?"
"It's me, Riley." she said
He was silent on the other end of the phone. A chill ran through his body.
"Is this some kind of joke? Who is this? How did you get this number?"
"Nick, it's me, really."
"I don't find this funny. Don't ever call here again." he said slamming the receiver down.
He instantly broke into tears just at the mention of her name. He missed her so much, she was like a sister to him.
Riley replaced the phone and looked at Madge.
"I need to go back. They all think I’ve been dead for the last 4 years."
"Yes. You need to return to your home."
"How can I ever thank you enough for all you've done for me?"
"You gave me what I’ve wanted for a long time. You gave me companionship. Ever since my Ralph died, all I’ve wanted is someone to talk to.” she said smiling.
Riley thanked her for her hospitality and gathered the few items she had with her. Madge gave her enough money to buy a bus ticket to Orlando and Riley promised to pay her back. She boarded the bus and was on her way home.
***Justin’s LA house***
As a result of all his pain, Nsync broke up. Her death made him bitter and he wanted nothing to do with anyone. He had his solo career and all the fame that went with it, he even began dating again. When him and Cameron began getting close, his dreams would start again, and after a while, she just couldn’t take it anymore.
“Cameron, where are you going?” he asked her
“I can’t compete with a dead woman anymore Justin. I thought you would have gotten over her by now, but I was wrong. Have a nice life.” she said as she left
"She's right. Riley is dead. She's not coming back. I need to move on and forget about her." Justin said wiping his eyes and walking back into the house.
For the next week, he had the same dream. Riley was standing at the end of his bed, beckoning him to come to her. Just when he would get to her, she'd fade away.
***Orlando***
Riley stepped off the bus and headed straight for the police department. She spoke to an officer and told him who she was and what had happened to her. He looked at her like she was crazy.
“I’m sorry Miss, but your story does sound a little outrageous.”
“Call this number and ask for Nick Carter.” she said giving him a piece of paper
The officer took the paper and dialed the number. Nick was on his way down to the station. When he got there, he was escorted to a room. The officer that Riley had been talking to told Nick why he was there and sent Riley in. As soon as Nick set eyes on her, the officer new she wasn’t lying. Nick’s face went completely white like he’d just seen a ghost. After her name was confirmed, she had to fill out a stack of papers. Since she was believed to be dead, whomever was buried in her grave had to be dug up and identified. Three hours later, she was on her way to Nick’s house. He kept eyeing her the entire time. He still couldn’t believe his eyes.
“What happened after the funeral?” she asked Nick when they got inside
“Well, Aaron was pretty torn up, but not as bad as Justin.” he paused
Justin. Her love.
“What happened to Justin?” she asked
“He tried killing himself. He walked out in front of a truck. He was in a coma for about a month. After he got out of the hospital, he left Nsync. He has a solo career now, did a couple movies. I don’t really talk to him much now.” he finished
“He tried killing himself? What was he thinking?” Riley screamed.
“He was upset, I wanted to do the same after I found out about my mom and you, but I couldn’t do it. I had to watch out for my brother and sisters.” he said
“Aaron, where is he?” she asked
“In LA with my dad. He took it pretty bad. Especially you. He loved you so much.” he said
“Nick, stop talking about me like I’m dead. It was a simple mistake. I’m alive. I’m standing right in front of you.” she said
“I know, it’s just kinda hard to grasp. We buried someone that day. Everyone thought it was you.” he said
“I can’t believe he left Nsync. The guys are like brothers to him.” she said before pausing “is he married?” she asked
“no. he’s seeing someone though. For the past 2 years he’s been dating Cameron Diaz.” he said
“I’m glad he moved on.” Riley said lying
A few weeks passed and Nick kept Riley a secret. She went and visited her grave with Nick. It made her feel sick to her stomach standing there. The next day, it was dug up and the body was identified and laid to rest where it belonged. Riley was going crazy not being able to see Justin. Even if he had moved on, she still wanted to see him one last time. After nick went to sleep, she took some money from his wallet and got a cab to the airport. After buying a ticket to LA, she boarded the plane, shaking the whole time. The entire flight, she clutched the armrests and jumped at any noise. She cursed herself for getting on a plane again.
After landing, she took out the paper with Justin’s address on it. When the cab stopped, she felt defeated. The house was dark, and surrounded by a tall fence. Hoping he didn’t have a dog, she threw her bag over the fence, then climbed over. After finding a spare key hidden in the same place he always hid one, she unlocked the door, and pressed the alarm code, sighing in relief that it was the same after all these years. The house was dark and quiet and after her eyes adjusted, she made her way upstairs. Finally, after peeking into every room, she found Justin’s. Hoping his girlfriend wasn’t there, she quietly walked in. She stood watching him sleep, and about 10 minutes later, she turned to leave.
“Riley, I love you.” he said
Riley smiled to herself. “ He still loves me.”
Just then, he sat up and shook his head.
“Stop it, Timberlake, she’s dead, she’s not coming back.”
“Justin?” she whispered
Justin’s head whipped around to where she was standing. For a few minutes he just starred at her.
“Riley?” he said
“Yes.”
“Are you real, or am I dreaming again?” he asked
“I’m really here.” she replied
He got out of bed and walked over to her. He still wasn’t sure if this was real. Slowly, he reached his hand out and touched her cheek. Riley closed her eyes and leaned into his hand. He put his other hand on her cheek and leaned in to kiss her.
“If this is a dream, I want to kiss you before I wake up.” he said
They kissed for a moment, until Justin pulled away.
“I’m not dreaming, you’re really here but........you died.....how?” Justin said
She walked over to his bed and sat down. She motioned for him to do the same, and after he did, she began.
“The night on the plane, after I hung up the phone with you, I went to the bathroom. Nick’s mom was talking to a woman a few rows back and I didn’t want to leave my purse sitting by itself. I asked the girl sitting in front of me if she’d hold it for me while I went. She said she wouldn’t mind and I went off to the bathroom. I was washing my hands when the pilot made the announcement that we were making an emergency landing, but he wouldn’t give the details of why. Well, the plane never landed, instead, it crashed. I, by some miracle of god, managed to live. When I seen all the wreckage and bodies laying around me, I took off running. I had no idea where I was running, but anywhere was better than there. I must have passed out from exhaustion or something, because the next thing I knew, I woke up in a hospital. I had amnesia and didn’t know anything until a few weeks ago when I saw Aaron on TV. Suddenly, seeing him brought everything back to me.” she said
Justin sat listening intently, hanging on every word she spoke. He was still convinced she was going to disappear again at any given moment.
“Riley, stay with me tonight.” he asked
“Okay, but I have to go back to Florida in the morning. I’m staying with Nick. We are kinda keeping me hidden at the moment. For some strange reason, the entire world thinks I’m dead.” she joked
She stayed the night with Justin. He held her all night, hugging her close to him. The next morning, he drove her to the airport and flew to Florida. When they got to nick’s the three of them sat around discussing what they were gonna do with her. She just couldn’t go back living a normal life, walking around scaring people like she was a ghost. They finally decided on having a press conference. There was one after the plane wreck in honor of her and Nick’s mom, then after Justin’s accident, Nsync held one to explain the long break they were taking.
Justin and Nick kept the reason for the conference secret. No one knew any of the details, not even Aaron. Nick walked out onto the stage and got everyone’s attention. He welcomed everyone, and then motioned for Riley to walk out. When she did, the entire room gasped. Then, it erupted in questions. Riley patiently answered them all and described her incident over and over again. After it was all over, Aaron came running up to the stage. He just wrapped his arms around her and she held him while he cried. All the other guys showed up also, and just looked strangely at her, but by now she was used to it.
Afterward, Riley, Justin, Nick and Aaron all sat talking. She had a lot of catching up to do. She couldn’t believe how grown up Aaron was and how much he was starting to look like nick. He was glued to her side the entire time. Justin had changed a lot also. He was more muscular, had a shaved head and was more mature. After a while, Riley began to get tired, so her and Justin went back to their hotel.
Over the next few weeks, she tried getting her life back. She was living with Justin because her houses where sold upon her “death”. All her belongings had been put into storage because Nick wouldn’t let them go. Her car was parked in Justin’s garage and since the day of her accident, no one was allowed to touch it. It just sat in the garage of his house in Florida, exactly the way she left it, collecting dust. She was now looking for a job, because Aaron had a new P.A. person. After the conference, she had offers pouring in. Offers for movie deals, book deals, talk shows, you name it. Everyone was interested in her miraculous story.
She did Oprah and a few news shows, but being Justin Timberlake’s wife was enough for her. They were married in Las Vegas by Elvis, but for them it was perfect. A few months after they married, she convinced Justin to start talking to the guys again. The first meeting was awkward for them, but after the shock wore off, things went back the way they were. Instead of writing books or doing movies, she spent most of her time between Justin, Chris, and Aaron. When she wasn’t with Chris or Aaron, she was glued to Justin’s side. They never spent more than three days apart. Chris was happy to have his best friend back. Nsync never did a full scale reunion, but at least Riley had managed to get them speaking again. Her and Justin lived everyday like it was their last and never went to bed without saying “I love you.”
The End
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