October 21, 2006
Los Angeles, CA

Justin stood in the entry way to his house and stared at his mother. Great, just when he wanted some peace and quiet she decides to show up and ruin any chance he had to just relax and sit at home.

"What are you doing here mom?" Justin asked plopping down in his favorite recliner.

"I knew you were coming to town so I decided to come see you. You did give me a key after all." Lynn answered.

"You could have let me know that you would be here." Justin reasoned.

"You've never cared before why should this time be any different?" Lynn asked looking at her son. "Are you okay?" she asked now concerned about him.

"I'm fine mom, just really stressed." Justin answered with a sigh.

"Want to tell me about it?" Lynn asked.

"I feel so stretched, pulled in different directions and there's nothing I can do about it." Justin replied rubbing his face in his hands.

"Want to be more specific?"

"Not really. I don't know what to do, but that's it, there's nothing I can do. I'm still with Cameron and she's still with Brad." Justin answered not making much sense to Lynn.

"Well I don't know who 'she' is, but you know I can't stand Cameron and that I think you should get rid of her fake ass a.s.a.p." Lynn answered.

"I know mom. I just don't know how. She's going to know the reason why, but that's not the only reason. I haven't felt the same about her for the past few months, I'm just frustrated I guess." Justin explained.

"It's okay. I'm coming to the show tonight." Lynn said changing the subject.

"Sweet. Should be a good one. After tonight we don't have another show until the night we leave. We're off until then, although our openers are going to be laying down tracks for their debut album. They've just signed with JIVE." Justin answered.

"Who?" Lynn asked.

"Broken Angel. You were the one who suggested we go see them. They're really good, they've worked really hard to get where they are."

"Sounds intense. I'm sure I'll see them tonight." Lynn smiled.

"What do you want to do before then?" Justin asked he'd just given up his right to have peace and quiet for the day.

"Are you hungry at all?" Lynn questioned.

"Um, not really, but we could go out or something." Justin shrugged not really caring where they went.

"Let's go to the Hard Rock, I've been craving their food." Lynn suggested.

"That's close to our hotel too." Justin added getting up.

They ended up going to the Hard Rock in Justin's car talking about this and that on the way. Turned out the only reason Cameron wasn't with him right now was because she had family in town and she didn't want Justin tagging along which was more than fine by him because he had more important things to do anyway.

They went inside and while waiting to be seated witnessed a big commotion. Justin realized who it was and went to investigate.

Shelby saw Justin walking towards her with his mother in tow and groaned inwardly. She thought she was handling the situation fine, but when she'd asked for a semi-private table for eleven people they told her it was impossible and that only the high end guests could get such a table. She had then proceeded to tell them that four fifth's of Nsync would be joining them, but he took one look at her and dismissed her.

"Is there a problem here?" Justin asked stepping up to her side.

Shelby opened her mouth to answer, but the host stepped up instead.

"No problem of course Mr. Timberlake, we'll get that table ready for you stat." the host said bowing toward Justin.

"That's right thank you, please add two more places to whatever number she gave you." Justin nodded.

They watched him hustle away then Shelby turned to Justin.

"Thank you. I volunteered to come first and get the table, but I didn't think it would be a problem." Shelby explained.

"Well I'm glad I could help you out. Where's Danielle?" Justin asked seeing Gracie but not Shelby's young daughter Danielle-Nicole.

Shelby looked down at Gracie and felt a moment of panic. "Where'd she go?"

Gracie pointed to the place where Danielle disappeared to. Shelby almost had a heart attack, but she did spot her by a colorfully lit sign. She ran over to where she stood and scooped up Danielle in her arms and hugged her tightly.

"Mommy, you're hurting me." Danielle cried struggling to get away.

Justin took Danielle out of Shelby's arms and held her. His free arm he put around Shelby and softly murmured in her ear trying to calm her down.

Lynn took all of this in with piqued interest. She'd only ever seen her son act so protective once and that was toward Shelby. Come to think of it the young woman he was talking to looked like her. He was very protective of the young woman and her young daughter, the older one standing right where they'd left her.

Justin led Shelby back to where he'd left his mom and Gracie standing. His mom was giving him a bemused look and he could hear the wheels turning in her head.

Shelby had calmed down, thankfully so, as she was to once more meet Justin's mother. The host came back and led them to their table. Lyn ended up sitting on the end and Shelby was right next to her with Justin on Shelby's right side. Danielle was in Justin's lap and Gracie on his other side, they really looked like a little family and it tugged at Shelby's heart strings.

"It's good to se you again ma'am." Shelby smiled at Lynn.

"Do I know you?" Lynn asked unsure if it was for sure Shelby or not.

"We met a few years ago." Shelby nodded.

"Mom, you know it's Shelby so quit playing stupid." Justin said chastised rolling his eyes.

"Yes, I thought it was you. What are you doing here?" Lynn asked engulfing her in a fierce hug.

"Eating?" Shelby chuckled.

"Well I know that much, but what are you doing here? I know you didn't just come because my son isn't yelling and getting all pissy." Lynn laughed.

"I'm in Broken Angel." Shelby answered unsure of how to respond.

"I'm sure it's been a rough few weeks." Lynn said watching the emotions play across Justin's face.

"You have no idea." Justin muttered thinking back on the past month and all that went down. "Hey there are the others."

Shelby was grateful for the change of subject and welcomed the others. Nancy should have been with them, but her parents rethought their decision to let her come and be Shelby's nanny. They didn't trust the lifestyle, they were very old fashioned so they thought it was all sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Shelby tried to plead her case but to no avail. They were not letting their foster daughter come.

The guys all greeted Lynn like their own mother and Shelby introduced her to the boys. They finally settled down and were able to look at the menu and order when the waitress came.

Lynn observed Shelby and Justin through out the remainder of the meal. She quickly put two and two together from what he had told her earlier. Justin had feelings for Shelby and it was obvious that Shelby had the same feelings. If only there was something she could do to help things along. From what Justin had told her, Shelby had a boyfriend and there was of course Cameron.

They finished eating and decided to just hang out at the venue as sound check was only an hour away. Lynn waited to get Shelby alone so she could talk to the younger woman. It wasn't until an hour before the show that she was finally able to sit down and talk to her. Everyone else was getting ready, but Shelby was always done early.

"You are a hard woman to get a hold of." Lynn said sitting on a couch across from Shelby.

"Sorry." Shelby smiled sheepishly.

"It's okay. So how have you been?"

"Good, stressed of course, but good."

"I've missed you. I was really happy to see you this afternoon, I've always wondered what happened to you."

"Sorry ma'am. I had to disappear. I couldn't contact you, it just wouldn't be right what with all the things that went down. Besides contacting anyone from that life was the last thing on my mind to do." Shelby explained looking down at the black knee length skirt she was wearing absent-mindedly picking at a piece of lint.

"I understand. I don't know all the details, but I do know that Justin was really pissed off for the longest time. Heck we talked about you just before he went on this tour and he was still trippin'." Lynn answered.

"Yeah, he was so hateful and mean when I first got here. He didn't even try to listen to my side of the story, not even when it happened. He just said his piece, tore out my heart and took it with him. There was nothing i could do. It wasn't until a few nights ago that he did hear the truth, but then Cameron came so we still haven't talked about it yet."

"So you've met her?" Lynn asked with a scowl on her face declaring her obvious disdain for her sons girlfriend.

"Yeah, can't stand her. She's a bitch. I hate having the girls around her." Shelby said bitterly.

"Which brings me to another question. Does Justin know about his daughter?" Lynn asked watching the expression on her young face change quickly from shock to disbelief to nervousness.

"How did you know? Who told you?" Shelby asked breathlessly.

"It's not that hard to see, especially for me. I'm his mother, I remember what he looked like at that age. They do look similar. He doesn't know does he?"

"No. I don't know how to tell him. I honestly didn't think I'd ever see him again, but then we came on tour and he hated me. I knew I couldn't tell him then and now that we're sort of on good terms I don't know. I'm terrified that I'm going to wake up one day and he's going to hate me again. I can't handle that. I love him too much. God that sounds so pathetic when I say it out loud." Shelby answered resting her head on her hand.

"No, you don't sound pathetic. Justin is really stubborn. I say you do have to tell him, he is after all her father, but I trust you to do it in your own time." Lynn reassured her with a smile on her face.

"Thanks Lynn. Thanks for understanding." Shelby said with a sigh of relief.

They talked for a little while longer before Shelby had to go on. Lynn was going to stay for the show which made Shelby a little more nervous than she normally was. Last night she found herself equally nervous with the rest of Nsync being there in the audience. She was really comfortable on stage and totally in her element, but she still found herself nervous before a show.

Shelby looked out into the audience and saw a lot of darkness and camera flashes. She could see only the first few rows of people they were all excited for the show. She saw a little girl of about ten or eleven years of age sitting in a wheelchair watching the show. She looked so excited, her face shone with joy her eyes moving about taking everything in.

Shelby smiled tenderly imagining Danielle-Nicole at that age feeling blessed to have two beautiful daughters in her care. Gracie was becoming a permanent member of her family, she considered her a daughter and had even looked into adopting her.

Before she knew it the show was almost over and it was time for her to take the lead. She already knew what she was going to do and say. She grabbed the cordless mic from the stand in front of her and walked out to the middle of the stage and looked out into the audience. She smiled and said hello and listened to them scream their response. They really went wild when she sat on the edge of the stage then jumped down onto the floor. She went to stand in front of the little girl in the wheel chair then knelt down in front of her.

"Hello, how are you?" Shelby asked still talking in the mic.

"Good." the girl responded shyly.

"My name is Shelby, what is yours?"

"Mae."

"That's a beautiful name. It was my mother's name. Are you having a good time?"

Shelby smiled as she bobbed her head up and down excitedly.

"I wanted to come down here and say hello, but now I have to get back up there okay? Maybe I'll see you later." Shelby said smiling tenderly at the little girl whose day had been made. She gave her a big hug then turned around. She saw Mike standing there a look of amusement in his eyes. He was not only watching her to make sure she didn't get mobbed, but he also waited to help her back up on stage. She whispered something in his ear and he nodded then helped her back up on stage.

Shelby walked over to Ryan and told him a slight change of songs.

"Let's do 'Don't Tell Me'." She suggested.

"Sure, we can do that. Let me just tell you Shelby, you're amazing." Ryan winked at her then switched keys. He turned around and informed the others of the change.

"Hey everybody, is it okay if we get serious for a moment?" Shelby asked waiting for a response.

The crowd quieted down for a moment and Shelby began.

"This next song has a really good message behind it. It talks about a girl going on a date and the guy is expecting to get something, but the girl isn't ready and she tells him no. People this is a very important issue. Girls are having sex younger and younger all the time and it makes me sick. Why are young girls so attracted to having sex? There are a few things I've found that makes it a lot worse. I'm going to be real with you for a minute. I may step on a few toes, but this is something that isn't addressed enough." Shelby paused to collect her thoughts. She really was taking this farther than she was going to, but it really was something she felt strongly and passionately about.

"One of the key factors is of course the mainstream media. Everywhere we turn there's sex. We hear it on the radio, we watch it on tv, we see it in movies. Everything is saying sex sex sex. Do it if it feels good. Where's the responsibility to put a positive message out there for girls. It's really sad to see the celebrity role models out there. They're all just selling sex. The musicians are singing about it and doing it. Just look at Britney Spears, that girls' middle name is sex. We have to stop buying into it ladies.

The other problem that could seriously use some work is parents. I would never let my daughters listen to a lot of the stuff that's out there. If I did we would have a sit down and talk what it's about. Parents we need to start taking some accountability for our children. No wonder this world is so messed up. Sorry I took up so much time, but I'm not sorry for saying any of it because as I said, it needs to be addressed more. This is our last song and afterwards we'll be back at our table signing for a while so come on back and say hi. I love you guys."

Shelby went back to her place behind the keyboard and took a deep breath. Maybe she'd went to far, but when she looked at Ryan he flashed her an encouraging smile.

Shelby didn't play on this song so she took her mic again and went to stand by Ryan. She opened her mouth and sang what was in her heart.

You held my hand and walked me home, I know
Why you gave me that kiss it was something like this it made me go ooh ohh
You wiped my tears, got rid of all my fears, why did you have to go?
Guess it wasn't enough to take up some of my love
Guys are so hard to trust
Did I not tell you that I'm not like that girl?
The one who gives it all away, yeah

Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time?
Did you think that it was somethin I was gonna do and cry?
Don't try to tell me what to do,
Dont try to tell me what to say,
You're better off that way

Justin had heard everything that she said and had to agree. It really was true and he was a part of it. A lot of his songs were provocative. He couldn't change it now, but his respect for Shelby was growing in leaps and bounds.

Don't think that your charm and the fact that your arm is now around my neck
Will get you in my pants I'll have to kick your ass and make you never forget
I'm gonna ask you to stop, thought I liked you a lot, but I'm really upset
Get out of my head get off of my bed yeah thats what I said
Did I not tell you that I'm not like that girl, the one who, throws it all away

Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time?
Did you think that it was somethin I was gonna do and cry?
Don't try to tell me what to do,
Dont try to tell me what to say,
You're better off that way

Lynn watched different emotions play over her sons face and smiled. He was falling for his ex whom he had promised to hate. He was aware of it, but fighting it for all he was worth. Impressed by Shelby's speech moments earlier Lynn turned back to the stage. Shelby was a good performer. She had awesome stage presence, commanding the attention of the entire audience.

This guilt trip that you put me on won't, mess me up I've done no wrong
Any thoughts of you and me have gone away

Did you think that I was gonna give it up to you, this time?
Did you think that it was somethin I was gonna do and cry?
Don't try to tell me what to do,
Dont try to tell me what to say,
You're better off that way

Better off that way
I'm better off alone anyway

Shelby walked off stage and grabbed a water bottle and took a long drink. She looked in on the girls who were with Aimee. They were sleeping on the couches in a vacant dressing room. She washed off the thick stage makeup then lightly reapplied her own makeup. She grabbed a few sharpies and stepped out of the dressing room where she found Mike waiting for her.

"Can I help you?" Shelby asked looking up at the giant of a man.

"I'm here to take you to the merch table because you insist on going." Mike answered.

"Oh, don't worry, you don't have to go." Shelby said walking away.

"Oh, but I do. You can't go out there alone." Mike said falling in line with her.

"Why? We're not even well known." Shelby asked.

"The crowd is intense tonight, you can't go out there alone."Mike said final answer. "Might as well get used to it kid."

Shelby rolled her eyes as she made her way out onto the floor and down to the merch table where she was astonished to see the amount of people. She was relieved to see the other members there as well. She stepped next to Ryan who was signing some girls' hat.

"Hey Shelby." Ryan said giving her a side hug.

"Hey."

Shelby suddenly found herself surrounded by fans eager to talk to her and get her autograph. She felt slightly overwhelmed when she looked at all the people staring back at her. She smiled and greeted the first person she saw. She found herself relaxing after the few people they were, after all, her fans. A lot of them had bought their EP, having the band sign them.

It seemed a little out of the norm at this type of show for an artist to sign after their set, but it was something Broken Angel was used to doing with the other type of shows they've played. They hadn't done any on this tour yet because they'd always had something to do right after their set.

"I just wanted to say thank you miss." a woman said coming up to Shelby.

"I'm sorry?" Shelby asked looking at her.

"The message that you gave. It really affected my daughter for the good. She's been thinking about having sex with her boyfriend. We have a close open relationship so she told me about it. The only thing I could tell her was to wait until she was ready. It was her boyfriend that was trying to pressure her into having sex. What you said was all the confirmation that she needed for her to wait and be okay with it."

"I'm really glad to hear it. I feel very passionately about that subject. I just wish I would have spoken up earlier. I had my child and I'm not married, but I loved her father very much and I thought one day we would be married, but it didn't work out. I don't regret it, but I was ready for it. I was eighteen." Shelby answered.

"I understand totally. I had the same thing with my daughter. I was nineteen when I had her. I have to go now, but thanks again. It was really nice meeting you. Good luck with everything."

Shelby thanked her then excused herself and went back stage. Justin's set had just finished and the crowd was starting to leave. She quickened her pace as she didn't want to be caught in the hustle. She hadn't meant to be out there the entire show, but she just wanted to do something useful. She remembered the girl in the wheelchair and went to find her Aimee had brought the girls out and they were with Mae, talking to her animatedly.

Justin came out of his dressing room with Cameron in toe. They seemed eager to get out of there ignoring everyone and anyone who said hi. Mae called his name and he glanced over at her, but Cameron pulled his hand and he turned back to her and walked away.

Shelby couldn't believe she'd just witnessed. Justin had just totally blew off one of his fans. What the hell?

*Song Don't Tell Me by Avril Lavigne