Fate

The sun gently and gracefully rose out of the sky, casting a golden shadow on everything it touched. Leaves rustled with the slight whispers of the wind. The sounds and smells of early morning drifted through the open windows of the large three story house. Each room slowly filled with light, gleaming off the mirror on one side of the bedroom, cascading a glimmer of mixed colors on the soft white floor. The sheets rustled on the luxurious bed and a delicate hand pulled the sheet toward her, a gleam shone off her hand in the pool of light, a silver band encircled her ring finger, a large diamond set in the middle. A satisfied sigh escaped her lips as she turned to lay on her side, one arm reached to the man beside her, and she snuggled against him. His arms reached around her and he hugged her to him. He rested his chin on the top of her head, before they both fell asleep again. The digital clock beside him on the nightstand blinked eight oclock, then a rapid beep filled the quiet room. The man groaned and reached one arm beside him, and tapped the top of the clock until the noise turned off. He slowly sat up, opening his eyes to the new day. The two blue spheres blinked, trying to focus on his surroundings. He ran a hand through his hair, the tight curls getting his fingers caught and he winced in pain, and rubbed his head. He looked down and smiled when he saw the woman still sleeping, her head resting on his stomach. Her black hair came just short of her waist, the long black waves cascading on the pillow. He looked over at the time again then unwillingly rested one hand under her head, the other under one of her shoulders, and slowly moved her to her side of the bed, trying his best not to wake her. He lay her head on the pillow then kissed her cheek softly before pulling the sheets around her.

His feet swung over the side of the bed, and he stood up, his feet sinking into the plush carpet as he walked. He reached for a shirt that lay folded on the bureau and put it on while walking out of the room and down the wooden stairs. He entered the spacious living room and sunk into one of the couches, and reached for the remote control. He flicked through the channels, and he froze, flipping back to he found what had caught his eye.

"Member Justin Timberlake of NSYNC has been accused of verbally abusing a young girl backstage at a concert. Here is what the young woman had to say." A man on TV announced, and the girl appeared, sobbing.

"He-He yelled at me, telling me to shut up and then he walked away. I can't believe he'd do that!!!" The girl wailed. The man leaned over on the couch, his eyes widening.

"The young woman is pressing charges, saying Timberlake, ruined her life. Coming up next on ET-" He shut off the TV with a low growl, and closed his eyes, not believing a fan would make accusations like that. He stood up and with a long legged-pace strode to the kitchen, and opened the refrigerator door. The phone rang, and he reached across the counter the pick up the phone.

"No!! I cannot believe she'd say that. I put on the TV and saw it. I mean, I didn't even know about this!!!" Justin said, running a hand through his hair.

"I didn't think you would. But...... Why would you not have heard about it and a TV show did?"

"Because its a bunch of BS. I cannot believe this. What am I gonna do. She's pressing charges Lance. What am I gonna do?"

"Now the reason I called was because you need to come to the studio, one track was erased by accident. You need to re-do it."

"Bye Lance." Justin said as he hung up the phone, and stared at the can of coffee sitting on the counter, spacing out, wondering what he was going to happen if this got out of hand.

"Looking at it won't make the coffee Justin." He looked up and smiled when he saw the woman standing in the doorway to the kitchen, wearing fleece pajama pants and a blue tank top.

"Hey sleepyhead," he grinned when she yawned, "I thought you were asleep." She walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his waist, and he pulled her close to him, kissing her nose.

"I was. I thought I'd make you breakfast." She said as she reached into an open cabinet and pulled out two dishes.

"So what's for breakfast Adrian?" Justin asked as he sat on a stool at the counter, across from her. She reached for a box and set it on the counter. Justin eyed the box and smiled.

"I'm making waffles." She said proudly, taking out an old looking waffle maker. Justin nervously watched her then bit his bottom lip.

"Right now." She grinned proudly, mixing the batter in a large glass bowl. Justin eyed the big lumps in the batter and gulped. He knew Adrian wasn't the best cook, hell, you couldn't really call her a cook at all. He coughed into his hand and looked at the batter again.

"Shoot." She said, her tongue sticking out of corner of her mouth as she concentrated on measuring the exact amount of milk.

"What if I made you breakfast.. and..... You get to take me shopping with you today." Justin said, praying she said yes.

"I want to make you breakfast baby. Besides, I'm not going shopping today, I'm going to work. It is a weekday after all."

"Oh okay then." He grinned to show her his best fake smile. Adrian looked him over and set both hands on the counter.

"Me? Say that? NEVER." He shook his head. She sighed and continued mixing the batter. Justin groaned inwardly as she opened the waffle-maker, and noticed the rust on the outside.

"Well.....Justin. You love me right?" Adrian asked, pouring what Justin though of as a mess into the maker.

"Not the face. Please not the face." Justin begged. When he looked up at her again to see she still had her lip stuck out he threw his hands up.

"Um well school starts at eleven, so maybe noon? Would that be good?" She asked, opening the maker and scooped the cooked waffles into a plate. Justin couldn't even tell they were waffles. They looked like square charcoal. He cleared his throat when she slid his plate to him.

"Mmm-mmm!!! They look great Addy." He said through clenched teeth. He cut off a chunk and slowly let the fork rise to his lips as Adrian watched, and in one bite he chewed it, and swallowed the burned mass of flour.

"Thanks. Now I need to go get dressed because I have a meeting with Bobby's mom in half an hour." Adrian said as she hurried out of the room. Justin listened carefully until he knew she was upstairs and he gagged, gulping down his coffee. He looked in disgust at his plate and slid it away from him.

Adrian jumped into her brand new Audi, and waved to Justin as he stood in the doorway in their house. She turned the wheel, looking in the mirror as she backed out of the garage, and zipped down the long driveway, each side covered with dense trees. This was the idea, so that when someone saw the dirt path leading into the woods, they thought nothing of it. She drove down for a few minutes until she reached a large metal gate blocking her pass. She rolled down her window and the car rolled to a stop at a keypad on the side of the road. She pressed a few numbers, and the gate swung open. Why there needed to be a keypad to open the gates on BOTH sides of the metal contraption was beyond her. Adrian drove through the gate, and it shut behind her slowly, clanging together as it did so. She put the car in drive and drove down the rest of the dirt road, applying lipstick in her rearview mirror. Once she reached the road, she looked both ways and turned left, heading towards the school. She hated the abnoxiously enormous houses that towered over the narrow street, but that's LA life for you. It's all about showing off the money you have. Adrian sighed, leaning back in her seat, and pushed a cd into the player. Shakira blasted from the car, and Adrian bobbed her head to the music, happily singing along, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel. She left her window open, her long black hair floating behind her.

"Whenever, wherever, were meant to be together. I'll be there and youll be near, and that's the gift my dear." Adrian sang, and she groaned when a familiar ring filled the car. She reached over to her radio and pressed pause, and opened her cell phone, holding it to her ear.

"Very very well. I cannot complain at all." Adrian smiled, turning her car onto another road, and sighing when she saw the light turn red in front of her.

"He's so wonderful. I mean, married to Justin isn't as tough as I thought it would be".

".. I'm sorry did you say tough? I think you did. Was that the cell phone connection or something cause I swear-"

"Well okay, I thought being Mrs. Justin Timberlake would mean every teenage girl in the world hating me, and people taking pictures of us every second, and stalkers. I'm crazy right?"

"Well yes. No I'm kidding. Um..... I guess it is correct to think that way, but I hate to break it to you..... But no one really cares."

"Huh.... no, I mean maybe everyone wants to leave you guys alone, and not bother the hell outta you."

"I hope you're right." Adrian sighed, turning off the car and leaning back in her seat. She watched as a few kids passed in front of her car, and Adrian burst into laughture when she saw one of the little girls.

"This girl cant be more than five and has a Justin tee-shirt on. How damn cute is that."

"Well, no. I mean, put yourself in my shoes for a second." Adrian said as she stepped out of her car and shut the door behind her. She pulled a bag over her shoulder, held a coffee in one hand and her cell phone in the other.

"HYPOTHETICALLY SPEAKING." Adrian stressed, looking both ways as she crossed the road, and walked toward the school.

"I'm married to the most recognizable man in the music business, he sings for a living, which means whenever I turn on the radio, there's a good chance I'll hear him. Everytime one of the boys songs play I get shivers down my spine because that's my husband, and no one really knows him for who he truly is. Think about it Faith." Adrian sighed, and opened the front door the kindergarten school.

"Nope." Adrian grinned as she walked down the hallways, grinning when a few of her students waved at her.

"Sorry hun. Mr.Chasez is taken off the market." She laughed, and one of the parents gave her a dirty look, and Adrian glared at her.

"Oh yeees. I gotta go. Tell mom I said hi." Adrian said as she walked into her classroom, and flipped on the lights.

"Bye Addy." Adrian clicked of her phone as she walked toward her desk in one corner of the room, and set her things down on it. She looked around the room with a smile. Small desks were neatly in rows, cubbies had name tags in the back of the room, but what made her smile the most were the pieces of five year old artwork hung all around the room. She sighed, sitting in her chair, when a knock caught her attention. Adrian looked up to see the mother that was to meet her standing in the doorway.

"Oh hi Mrs. Jennkins, thanks for coming." Adrian smiled, standing up to meet the mother. The woman looked over her with a scoff and sneered,

"Of course I came. You claim my son disrupts the class, I came here to tell you otherwise." Adrian sighed inwardly and regretted calling her about her son in the first place.

Adrian looked down at her watch and sighed. It was twelve-thirty, and no sign of Justin. She looked up from her desk to see the children in her room happily coloring, using building blocks, and reading books. She pulled out her cell phone and looked at it, then at the class, and stood up. She walked quickly to the door at the side of the room that joined the other room to hers. She opened it to see her friend sitting at her desk, correcting papers.

"Hey Jen, Justin's not here and I'm getting worried. Can you watch my class for a few minutes?" Adrian asked, holding up her phone. The woman nodded to her and picked up a few papers off her desk and carried them to Adrian's room.

"No prob." She replied. Adrian walked out of the room and outside the front doors, and she sat on a bench just outside the school and dialed Justin's cell phone number. She waited as it rang and tapped her foot impatiently on the ground.

"Addy, I swear I am on my way. Recording took longer today for some reason. I am about... five minutes away from the school."

"Bye." She whispered and turned her phone off. She sighed, and stood up, dusting off her skirt. She walked back into the classroom and gently shut the door behind her.

"Mrs.T I need ta use the bathroom." Adrian looked at all the kids asking her questions at once and she sighed, rubbing her eyes.

"Emily, books are in the corner. Joey, get the pass and be nice and quiet in the halls." She said, leaning against the door. She loved her job, but when it was a long day like today was she could not wait to get home. Jen looked at her and smiled.

"Oh yes. I think it's going to be naptime. Sound good guys?" Adrian asked as the kids shouted at her and yelled no, shaking their heads.

"Oh allright. Fine, don't have a nap. You just won't get the surprise today." She grinned.

"If you ALL take a nap, when you wake up the surprise will be here." Adrian laughed out loud when all the students hurried to get their blankets and pillows and ran to the rug at the center of the room, laying down and closing their eyes. Adrian walked over to Jen and grinned.

Adrian looked at the clock and bit her lip. He was supposed to be here at noon, and it was now one o'clock. She closed her eyes and sighed, knowing he must have gotten called back to work and couldn't call her. That had to be it. He was recording so he couldn't call. There was no other reason. Her cell phone rang and she quickly reached for it, noticing all the children were still asleep.

"This is Doctor Micheals from the Orlando hospital emergency room. Your husband Justin has gotten into a car accident and to be quite frank with you Mrs.Timberlake.... it doesn't look good at all." Adrian gasped at his words and the cell phone crashed to the floor.

Voices echoed throughout the tiled halls, nurses ran from one room to the next, pushing carts and holding stacks of papers. Adrian opened the glass door that led to the emergency room, her face pale with shock. Her whole world spun around her, nurses trying to get through to her.

"No, it's okay-no I know her!! Addy, it's JC!!" A voice called out to her. She looked up, tears brimming in her eyes when she focused on the man standing before her. He fell to his knees beside her and held her hand.

"I can't lose him Jayce. I can't..." She cried, her shoulders shaking with sobs. His heart went out to her, he knew Justin was trying his best to live, but he didn't know how Adrian would hold up if he didn't make it. He hugged her tightly, afraid if he let go she would lose it completly and break off from the world.

"Come one Addy let's go sit down." JC sighed, and he pulled her to her feet and sat next to her on a bench in the waiting room. She stared ahead and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"What happened to him Jayce?" She asked calmly. He looked at her, then at the floor and took a deep breath.

"From what they are telling me", JC said,waving his hand toward nurses hurrying by, "Justin's car was hit by a tractor trailer, and it was crushed into a telephone pole. Adrian, it's a miracle he survived just that." Adrian looked at the doors that blocked her from the hallway where Justin was being operated on, and hesitantly she looked toward JC.

"Justin is a strong kid. He'll make it through this." JC said, trying his best to hide the doubt that laced every word he spoke. He watched as the doors swung open and a doctor walked toward them, not making eye contact with them. JC took her hand and she tightened her grip on his hand as the doctor grew closer.

"Mrs. Timberlake?" He asked. Adrian nodded slowly. The doctor took a deep breath.

"Justin has made it through the operation, he has very bad internal and head injuries, we did our best to stop the bleeding, but we need to face the truth.... I....I don't think he will make it through the night." The doctor said slowly, letting his words sink in. Adrian's grip on JC's hand tightened and tears formed in her eyes again, her bottom lip slightly shaking, holding back the tears. JC looked down and nodded, closing his eyes, understanding what the doctor was saying. The doctor left them sitting there and JC sighed, running a hand over his face.

"What if he doesn't" Adrian whispered. Both were quiet for a moment and a voice echoed across the intercom in the waiting room.

"ER room number three, doctor Micheals STAT." Adrian winced at the noise and watched with wide eyes as the doctor who had just spoken to her raced down the hall and closed the door behind him. A loud yell echoed throughout the waiting room and Adrian blinked her eyes.

"ADRIAN!!!!" The voice screamed at the top of his lungs, and Adrian's hands flew to her mouth to hide the cry that escaped her lips. JC's eyes grew wide and he looked at Adrian. She ran to the double doors that seperated her from Justin and she looked through the small window, and held her fingers to the cool glass.

"Justin." She whispered under her breath, and looked around quickly before pushing the doors open and running down the hall. A doctor saw her aproaching and he held his hands out to stop her.

"Woah hun. No one's allowed back here." He said slowly, and she skidded to a stop before him. She streched her neck to see behind him.

"ADRIAN!!!" Justin screamed again, and she shook her head, tears falling down her cheeks.

"I NEED to go see him NOW!!" She screamed, and pushed the doctor aside. Her hair flew behind her as she ran down the halls, pausing to listen for Justin's voice. She stopped at a closed door and taking a deep breath she pushed it open. Adrian froze when she her eyes settled on Justin, laying on the hospital bed. He was shaking so violently that a few nurses had to hold him down to the bed. His eyes were closed, a large gash oh his forehead was seeping through the bandage. His jaw was clenched, trying to overcome the imense pain he was going through. A few doctors ran over to her and held up their arms to hold her back from him.

"JUSTIN!!" Adrian screamed, lifting her arms and swinging them at the doctors to let her through. Justin's eyes opened and he foucused on Adrian, fighting in the corner of the room.

"Addy." He said quietly, struggling to say those words, two tears rolling down his cheeks. Adrian's eyes shot over to him and she clenched her teeth together and pushed with all of her weight against the doctors.

"Let.....me.....go!!!" She screamed and they fell to the ground. She ran to the side of Justin's bed. One of his legs was broken, cuts were all over his arms and legs. His muscles were so tense Adrian tried to stop the cry threatening to escape her mouth.

"Addy." Justin cried, lifting a hand toward her. She grasped it with both of her hands and held it close to her.

"It's okay baby, I'm here." She sniffled. His whole body shook, the nurses stepped around her to sink the metal needles into his skin to ease his pain. Adrian looked around her through the tears in her eyes, and softly ran her fingers over his shaking hand. His eyes opened with a jolt and his head launched from side to side, his jaw clenched again, his fingers slowly tightening around hers to the point that he was hurting her. She reached over and ran her fingers along his cheek.

"Addy." He made out the word through clenched teeth, tears now rolling down his cheek and onto her hand.

And then it stopped. His body was still, his hand relaxed in hers, his eyes slowly closed. Adrian chest rose and fell so quickly, and she opened her mouth to say something but no words could come out. Her world became a blurr after that. She watched him lay there, then an angry surge rose in her throat.

"NO!!!!" Adrian screamed at the top of her lungs, her fist slamming into the floor. Doctors rushed over to her and lifted her arms to pull her back. She kicked her legs, screaming as hard as she could, screaming his name like he had called out to her before. Then her world became a blurr. She could remember doctors picking her up, and moving her aside as they tried to save him. She remembered screaming his name over and over again, her body racking with sobs when he did not answer them. She remembered JC coming into the room and picking her up in his arms, taking her out of them room. She remembered seeing the looks on his friend's faces when JC entered the waiting room with her again. The only thing she could not remember was the feeling when he was gone. It was like her heart was ripped out of her so violently. She sat on the waiting room chair, rocking back and forth in her seat, news cameras rushing in, demanding to know what happened to the beloved pop star. Adrian did not answer them, she did not even acknoledge they existed. Her whole world was taken from her. Nothing could make it right again.