: Chapter 5 :

"Stop!" Justin yelled as he barracaded himself between the two girls. "I don't have time for this right now. If you two wanna fight then do it somewhere else. I have a show to get ready for and you two are getting in the way!"

"Oh, well excuse me!" Britney replied with an attitude as she backed up.

"Ok I'm sorry, that came out really mean but come on, you have the security out here now!" he said pointing to 5 members of the venue's security team standing on the stage.
"It's cool. I'm going home. I don't have time for this either!" Ambria exclaimed as she started to turn away.

"No, wait!" Justin grabbed her arm so she wouldn't leave. "I need to talk to both of you right before the show."

"Well then I will go home and come back. You don't think I'm gonna stick around with her prancin her fancy ass around backstage do ya?"

Britney smirked. "You are so gonna get your ass beat!"

"Bring it then!" Ambria motioned to her to come over.

"Stop it!" Justin yelled to Ambria. "Calm down. I'm sending Britney with security back to the hotel. I promise that you won't be running into her tonight."

"Yeah right." she rolled her eyes.

"If she's here and she gives you any problems, I will give you the authority to kick her ass, okay?"

Ambria smiled as she looked over Justin's shoulder to Britney. Britney gave her a mean look as Ambria looked back at Justin. "Deal."

"Ok, good."

"But, I still have to go home and get some things done before I come back. When does the concert start?"

"Seven thirty, but we don't come out until nine."

"Ok. Well, if you need to talk to us then I will be back around 8."

"Sounds good to me."

"And how will I know you won't be hanging around with Britney?"

"A little jealous are we?" Justin snickered. "Like I said, she will be up at the hotel until the show. I'm staying down here."

Ambria sighed as she turned and walked offstage. She waited around to see if Britney really went to the hotel. To her amazment, she immediately jumped into her limo and sped away.

******

"So, let me get this straight." Monica said as she went over things with Ambria in her suite. "You don't think there is anything going on between him and Britney now, yet, you have to go back to the venue tonight for him to choose who he wants to be with?"

"Well, yeah?" she studdered at how stupid that really sounded.

"And, Britney said that she still loves Justin and she thinks that Justin still loves her, right?"

Ambria sighed. "Something like that."

Monica got up from the couch and poured herself a cup of coffee. "Girl, you got problems."

"No, shit."

"Well, I don't think he wants to be with her." she continued as she sat back down.

"How do you know?"

She took a sip before she answered. "Well, you know the saying 'love is blind'? Well you might not notice it but everytime I talk to him, I can hear it in his voice."

Ambria laughed a little. "Oh yea, Miss Smarty Pants? And, what if he doesn't choose me?"

"Well," she paused. "Then you just go back to work everyday and forget about boys."

"Boys?"

Monica put her cup down and replied, "Well, yeah. Then its time to get a man."

They laughed and joked about her situation for another two hours before she decided to finally head down to the venue for the showdown.

******

Ambria walked the same path as she did earlier that day. Outside the venue was now a little quieter. All of the fans had already packed the stadium and were listening to the opening acts. The high pitched screams could be heard from miles away as she neared the back of the stage. She cautiously made her way around in the dark. Security was everywhere and on hiatus.

"Who are you?" A security officer asked as two men grabbed her arms so that she had to stop walking.

"I'm Ambria Atkins. I have an all-access pass. I was here earlier with Justin Timberlake." she squinted as they shined a flash light in her face.

"Let her go, guys, she's cool." Lonnie announced as he met up with her again.

One of the security guards dropped the pass back down as it hung around her neck. "Sorry, Ambria. It's hard to see people in the dark. Those that are allowed back here have venue or *NSYNC personnel shirts on."

"Oh. Sorry, I don't have one."

"Well, make sure you get one from Justin then, just to be on the safe side."

"I will, thanks." she finished as she walked away with Lonnie.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I'm fine, but, man the security here is tight."

"Yeah, it's always like this here since they had a few problems with some other shows awhile back."

"Well, of course there is going to be problems if you make a special section for mosh pits when Slipknot and Mudvayne come around."

Lonnie laughed as he led her to the dressing rooms. The lights were bright enough back there to be able to pick out a million people if they walked in the halls.

"Here ya go." he said as he opened the door. Sitting alone and by herself was Britney, waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Oh gee, great. I'm not staying in here with you." she announced.

"The feeling is mutual." Britney snapped back.

"Where are the guys?" Lonnie asked.

"Shouldn't you know? That's what you are here for." Britney replied with an attitude.

"And I wonder why I never liked you." he said under his breath.

"I'm sure Justin will be here soon. He said 8."

"Yeah, I know, he told me when he dropped by at my hotel room." Britney snickered.

"You're a bitch!" Ambria exclaimed as she was about to go after her again.

"I think I'm gonna stay here until he gets here." Lonnie said as he stopped Ambria from tearing Britney apart.

"She's always gotta say shit to provoke me." she whispered to Lonnie.

"And don't believe anything she says about her and Justin. She does it so that you think Justin is guilty. That way she can move in on him. Don't let her do it."

"You're right. Thanks." she said, calming down.

"Justin loves you, not her. She is just jealous because she knows the truth." he added just as Justin walked through the door.

"Um, hi?" he said as he looked at the uncomforable situation.

"Hey baby!" Britney exclaimed happily as she walked up for a hug.

"Wait!" he said, holding his hand out to stop her.

"I know you want a hug." she flirted.

Justin ignored her and looked over at Ambria and Lonnie. "Thanks for being here Lonnie. You can go now."

"Well, do you mind if I stay? I'm sure Ambria will feel better if I am here."

"Ambria?" Justin asked for an answer.

"Yeah, it would be nice if he could stay."

"Ok, cool." he said, walking around Britney.

"Maybe they have something secretly going on." Britney said, trying to provoke again, but everyone looked at her as if she was retarded.

"Anyway, I think it is time to get everything settled here." Justin started.

"Yeah, tell her how it is Justin." Britney added.

"Shut up, Britney!" he snapped back.

"Yeah, would you just shut your trap for one minute?" Ambria started to get mad again. "God, your mouth goes like a duck's ass!"

"Good one!" Lonnie whispered to her as he laughed. Britney retreated to a chair and grumbled as she sat down.

"I'm gonna make this short and sweet. This is only gonna take a minute because I know what I want and I'm just gonna come out and say it."

"And?" Ambria asked nervously.

Justin looked over at Britney. "Brit, you are like one of my best friends. I enjoy your company, I look to you for advice. We have a long history together. We've been in love with each other for a long time and still are," Ambria sighed to herself as Britney's face lit up as Justin continued. "But, now I only love you as a friend. I have moved on from us and now I love Ambria."

"What?!" Britney gasped as she stood up.

"Please don't make this harder than it is. You knew all along that I loved Ambria alot."

"But," she studdered to find words. "I know you still love me more than that. What we shared can never be taken away."

"No, what we shared can never be taken away, but what I am sharing with Ambria is something different than that, it's something more. I just want you to understand and be able to move on."

"But," she started again. "You asked me to come out here with you, you wanted to help me with the album."

"I do still want to help you with your album. I said I would write the song for you because I am your friend. I asked you to come out here with me because I needed some support and advice in a girl's point of view, nothing more. And, I'm sorry if you got the idea that I was still in love with you, but, I'm not."

For once, Britney was silent as a tear escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. "Are you sure about all of this?"

Justin felt bad for what he had to do. He didn't want to see her hurt, but it was the only way. His eyes became teary too. "I'm sure."

"And you promise to still come and do the song with me?" she sniffed.

He smiled a bit that she was compromising with him. "I promise as long as you don't mind if Ambria is there with me."

Britney sighed as she sucked in some pride. She looked over at Ambria who still stood silently beside Lonnie and then looked back at Justin. "Ok. That's fine."

"Hurry up Justin, the other guys want to get in here!" Johanna, their wardrobe supervisor, yelled through the door.

"Ok, good." he responded to Britney. "Well, we better finish up here."

"If you don't mind, I am gonna leave. I'm gonna head back to the studio to prepare for the album."

"Are you sure?" Justin asked consolingly.

"Yeah, I don't want to get in the way any longer."

"Do you want to take a private jet? It's a long way back in the limo."

Britney turned away and opened the door. "I'll be fine." she finished as she met up with one of her bodyguards and walked down the hall.

"Well, I'm gonna leave you two alone." Lonnie jumped in as he walked to the door.

"Ok, thanks." Justin replied.

Ambria immediately hugged him. They stood for almost a minute like that before Justin broke away.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Justin asked.

"I don't know what to say. I'm shocked. I thought I was going to lose you."

Justin laughed a little. "Remember I told you awhile back that I ain't goin' nowhere?"

Ambria smiled. "Oh yeah, the typical line from a song?"

Justin brushed her strawberry blonde hair back and looked in her eyes. "Everything is going to be fine."

She smiled again as Justin kissed her softly. It was the first time that their lips had touched for the first time in 3 months. It was like a flower embracing the rain.

"I love you." Justin said as he broke away, keeping his eye contact with her.

"I love you, too." she replied.

"And, they lived happily ever after!" JC announced after sneaking in while they were kissing.

Justin and Ambria, surprised, looked over at him and the rest of the guys as they all stood there with smiles on their faces. They turned back to each other and knew what the other was thinking. It looked like everything was finally going to be okay.

: Epilogue - An Interviewers Article ~ The Cinderella Story :