"Justin!" Chris leaned out in the hallway of the venue. "Get your butt in here. You don’t want to miss the one hour special devoted entirely to you, do you?"

Justin grinned as he walked into the greenroom. "Yes, I do," he said. "It’s probably going to make me look like a complete tool."

"You?" Joey said, raising an eyebrow. "A tool? Never."

"Fuck off," Justin said.

"Language," JC said, shaking his head with a look of mock disapproval. "I swear, no more hick towns for you. Who knows what sort of words you’d come back saying next."

"But he might actually like country music," Lance said. "That would be a plus."

"Do I have to watch?" Justin asked. "I know all about my four months abroad anyway. I’m not going to learn anything new."

"But you can see all your old friends," Chris said. He held up the TV Guide. "They say here that they interview *real* Mill Creek students. Like, *real* ones. Not the fake ones you can buy in any old store."

"Great," Justin said.

"I bet *Maggie* will be on," Joey said. "You wouldn’t want to miss that, would you?"

"I--" Justin started.

"Shh," Lance said. "It’s starting."
--

New York City, NY

"Good evening," Kurt Loder said as he stared into camera number two. "I’m Kurt Loder and this is an MTV News Special Report."

He waited as the music faded and the director cued him that Justin’s picture was being projected on the blue screen behind him.

"Six months ago today Justin Timberlake walked off of his tour bus in the middle of the night and simply disappeared," Kurt said.

An image of a bleak looking Kansas countryside filled the screen. "The town he disappeared into was this one." The "Welcome to Mill Creek!" sign filled the screen. "Mill Creek, Kansas."

"Tonight," Kurt continued. "In this one hour, special edition of MTV News, we will explore both what prompted the world’s pop prince to leave his life of fame and fortune and create the life that he did in this tiny town."

"Located halfway between Wichita and Manhattan, Mill Creek is a small town--barely a dot on the map." Kurt appeared in the video footage. "In the last two months it became known for two things. First, it’s where Justin Timberlake chose to hide, and secondly, and most importantly for the people here, the basketball team won an unprecedented State Championship."

"In an exclusive interview last week, we asked Justin why he chose Mill Creek as the place he would call home. Here’s what he said."

Footage of Justin being interviewed appeared on the screen. His slouched posture was back and his lengthening curls were tied under a bandanna.

"It was luck," TV Justin said. He laughed. "I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. It was pure and simple luck."

"What was so lucky about that town?" Kurt asked.

"I was just some random person who showed up in town and they accepted me for who I was," TV Justin said. He stared at the camera and it focused in on his earnest face. "Where else would that have happened?"

Footage of Kurt walking outside Mill Creek High School appeared on the screen.

"Justin went by the name Randy Smith for the four months he lived in Mill Creek." Kurt paused and looked at passing students. "He attended classes here--earning straight A’s--and was the starting point guard of the basketball team--the same team that later went on to win the State Championship."

"He was a natural," Coach McGrath said. He leaned back in the chair in his office.

"He was a smart player," Coach continued. "And he performed well under pressure." He paused. "I guess there was a reason for that."

Kurt was suddenly standing inside the Mill Creek gym. "This gym is a little smaller than the venues Justin is used to playing in."

There was a brief clip of the Madison Square Garden concert.

"We’ll be back," Kurt said, "with interviews with Justin, the rest of ‘N SYNC, and the students who went to Mill Creek High School."
--

The hallway of the hotel was done in red--red striped wallpaper, red plush carpet, and red painted doors.

"This place is *nice,*" Stu said. He fumbled the room keycard and slid it through the slot.

"Yeah," Emily said. She looked around the hallway and rested curled her hand through the Stu’s bent arm.

"Do you think they’re still here?" Maggie asked. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"No," Stu said. He pushed the door of the room open when the entry light blinked green. "Remember, Justin said they had to be at the venue early for sound check."

"Yeah," Maggie said. She sighed. "I just thought that maybe, you know, he might still be here."

"You’ll see him soon enough, sweetie," Emily said. She glanced down at her watch. "I bet he’s on TV now, though. We haven’t missed much of the MTV special."

The three teens dropped their bags on the floor of the room and Stu turned on the TV.

Maggie swallowed, nearly convulsively, as she saw Justin on the TV screen.
--

"I never intended to stay in Mill Creek longer than a few days," TV Justin said. He looked at the camera and then back at Kurt. "I really wanted to just have a break from being me. I thought it would be a nice mini-vacation."

"Why did you want a break from being you?" Kurt asked.

"It’s hard for people to understand what being in the spotlight 24/7 does to you," TV Justin said. "Nick Carter admitted it to *Rolling Stone*. It jades you towards life; it makes you look at everything differently. You don’t think about just yourself anymore, you think about how the world views you."

"So you ended up staying in Mill Creek," Kurt said. He leaned forward. "Why?"

"Because." TV Justin shrugged. "Because I wanted to and it was a choice I could make for myself." He paused. "And I started school, and started playing basketball, and I made friends that genuinely seemed to like me for being me."

"Do you still keep in contact with those friends?" Kurt asked.

"Yeah," Justin said. The camera seemed to focus in on his eyes. "I haven’t been back at all, but it seems like I call there daily."
--

"Were you surprised to find out he was Justin Timberlake?" TV Kurt shoved a microphone in the face of a passing student. The girl on the TV screen nodded enthusiastically, blond braids swinging.

"That was Mindy," Justin said to the rest of the guys. "She wrote an article on me for the school paper."

"Yes," TV Mindy said. "He was just the nicest guy and he always said ‘Hi’ to me in the halls and-"

"He didn’t seem different from anyone else who comes to this town?"

"No one ever comes here," Mindy said. "And no. He was just a regular old guy."

"She was a cute kid," Justin said. He leaned forward.

"No," TV Laura said. "He was just a little off. You could tell he didn’t belong here."

"She’s a bitch," Justin said. "She didn’t know when to lay off."

"Another girl who wanted the great Justin Timberlake and couldn’t have him," Chris said, his voice bordering on a falsetto. "Poor girl."

"I knew from the beginning," TV Stu said.
--

"How?" Kurt asked. "Was it that obvious?"

"I was working at the motel when he came in," TV Stu said. "His hair was longer and red and he was alone."

"And you recognized him?" Kurt asked.

"No," TV Stu said. He gave a sad smile at the camera. "I’m sorry, I’m not that much of a boy band fan."

"So-" Kurt trailed off.

"The next day, or two days later-" The camera moved in for a close up. "-two men came in with a picture of Justin and asked if I’d seen him. Since Justin had said his name was Randy, I figured he didn’t want to be found and so I said I’d seen him, but that he’d already left."
--

Emily squealed. She grabbed onto Stu’s arm. "You’re on national television, honey!" She pushed her lips onto his cheek.

"I know," Stu said. He raised an eyebrow as he stared at the TV screen. "Do you know how many twelve-year-olds are going to have put a contract on my head for that comment? That I knew where Justin Timberlake was for the whole 4 months he was gone?"

"Not as many contracts as are out on me," Maggie said. She curled into one of the hotel room chairs.
--

"That was the guy in the motel," JC said. He leaned forward.

"Stu always watched my back," Justin said. "Sometimes a little more than I cared for."

"And he’s coming tonight?" Lance asked.

Justin looked down at his watch. "He should be here already."
--

"I watched them drive away," TV Justin said. "I saw JC and Lance arrive at the motel that day and I watched them go into the office and come back out. I thought for sure that they were going to come knock on my door, but they didn’t. Instead they drove away."

"How could you do that?" Kurt asked. "How could you watch them drive away?"

"It was hard," TV Justin said. He grinned slightly. "I almost ran after them. But like everything else that happened in those four months, it was what I needed to do."

"A few days later my sister showed me a picture of ‘N SYNC and I recognized him," TV Stu said. "That was when I knew. About a month later, sometime in December, though, he told me that he was Justin Timberlake."

"It was on this playground," Kurt said. He walked across the sandbox, carefully avoiding all of the carefully placed plastic toys. "This is where the first mention of Justin Timberlake came up."

"Why did he tell you?" Kurt asked.

"I think it was building up inside of him," TV Stu said. "He had to tell somebody; he was going to burst."

The preview for the next segment flashed on the screen.

"They thought it was a fad," Carson Daly said. "So first they said he was sick, and then that they were playing a ‘Where in the World is Justin?’ game. And it was the use of that telephone number that eventually led to his return to the group."
--

"How’d Carson get in this?" Justin asked. "I thought this was a Justin Timberlake documentary."

JC stared at him. "You sent him a little note back in December, remember?"

Justin blushed. "Oh, yeah."

"Oh, yeah," Chris mocked.
--

"We didn’t know what to do when we woke up and Justin was gone," TV JC said. He ran his fingers through his long hair. He looked at the other guys. "In those first 24 hours we just didn’t know what to do. We didn’t know whether it was a joke, or whether he was serious, or--"

"They thought it was a fad," Carson said. "So first they said he was sick, and then that they were playing a ‘Where in the World is Justin?’ game."

"What prompted the end of the game," Kurt asked.

"He apparently started to go back in December," Carson said, "but he changed his mind. He sent me a letter." He held up a piece of paper. "And to prove that it was really him, he included his JRT pendant."

Carson started reading from the letter.

"There is no ‘Where in the World’ game and there never was. The truth is that I ran away. I succumbed to the pressure and I ran away.

"You’re probably thinking that I’m insane and why would I do this? I don’t know. It was just a ‘what if’ thought that caught my brain. Now you’re probably wondering why I’m writing you at all if I’m on the run. The truth is that I’ve settled and I’m happy where I am. I don’t want to run anymore.

"You may not believe me… you may think I’m a poser, cause why would Justin Timberlake run away. That’s why my necklace is in there.
Take care of it, okay? I would like it back. Show it to the guys and show them the letter. They’ll tell you this is true."

"Things were a little iffy there for a long time," TV Joey said. "We didn’t want to go on without him, even though in the note he left for us he told us to. We didn’t want to watch ‘N SYNC die either"

"He started to come back in December," TV JC said. "We were 97% sure he was in Kansas and we sent him a bluff email telling him we knew where he was. He told us he was coming back."

"He got as far as the Denver Airport," TV Lance said. "He called me from there."

"Why?" Kurt asked. "Why did he call you?"

"Because he couldn’t come back," TV Lance said. "He was having an opportunity to live the life he’d never had."

"After that things were a little rough," TV Chris said, "but we decided to do a tour in his honor."

"The ‘We Want You Back’ Tour," Kurt said.

"Yes," TV JC said. "We made it a charity event to raise awareness for runaways all over the country."

"It was a wonderful idea," Lynne said. "It felt like I was able to do something good for society. It was through this experience that I’ve found that I can make a difference." She smiled for the camera. "I have talked with so many mothers who have gone through the horror of having a child run away and together we are fighting every day to make a difference. Even though I was lucky enough to have my baby return to me, I’m still working so that other mothers can feel the same joy I do."

"Do you feel like you all made a difference?" Kurt asked.

TV Lance looked at the rest of the guys. "I hope we did," he said.

"And after the tour," Kurt said. "Everything was smooth sailing?"

"No," TV Chris said. "We gave Justin an ultimatum for what day he had to be back--"

"The last show in Wichita?" Kurt asked.

"Yes," TV JC said. "But he didn’t come back."

"It has been a rough road," TV Joey said. "But we’ve had snags before and we always survived them. We knew we’d survive this."

"How did you know where he was?" Kurt asked.

"Someone very close to him told us," JC said. "She called and told us."

"Would this be the mysterious girlfriend?" Kurt asked.

"You’ll have to ask Justin about that," TV Lance said.

"I heard you had a girlfriend while you were there," Kurt said. The footage switched quickly to the individual interview with Justin.

"I did," TV Justin said.

"Tell me about her," Kurt said.

"She’s wonderful," TV Justin said. "She’s my best friend, my confidant…"

"Are you still together, even though she turned you in?" Kurt asked.

"Yes." TV Justin stared at Kurt. "Like everything else in my life after I came back as Justin Timberlake, things were rough. We both had trust issues to work out so we slowed down, but we love each other and are very happy together."

"What about Britney?" Kurt asked. "Before you left you two were rumored to be together."

A short clip played of Justin and Britney arriving at an awards show together.

"Britney and I have never been and never will be more than friends," TV Justin said. "Those were just rumors."

"But you two are still close," Kurt said.

"We are," Justin said.

The screen shot changed back to Mill Creek. "Justin’s girlfriend lives in this house--the same house that Justin lived in for four months."

"I needed a place to live," TV Justin said. "And I just happened to rent a room from her parents. After that, the rest was history."

"They were a cute couple," a random senior girl said. "Very sweet to each other. *Sweet on each other.*"

"Where can I find her?" Kurt asked.

"Over there," the girl said. She pointed to a spot off camera.

Kurt moved toward Maggie and Emily, the camera following close behind.

"Tell me about Justin," Kurt said. He stuck the microphone out towards Maggie.

TV Maggie turned around. "You know about him," she said. Her expression was guarded.

"Did you know?" Kurt asked. "Did you know who he was?"

"No," TV Maggie said. "I didn’t."

"He was just a regular old guy?" Kurt asked.

"He *is* a regular guy," TV Maggie said. "The world doesn’t understand that and I hope that one day they will be able to see it."

"Why did you call?" Kurt asked.

TV Maggie walked away.
--

"Ooh, Justin," Chris said. "I like her."

Justin smiled proudly. "You’ll love her."
--

Stu leaned across Emily and slapped Maggie’s hand.

"You *go*, girl," he said. "Get down with your bitchy self."

Maggie sank down in the chair cushions.
--

"It was his girlfriend that turned him in," TV Carson said. "She called, literally, as the guys from ‘N SYNC were packing up the Compound."

"How did she know where to call?" Kurt asked.

TV Carson smiled. "She used the phone number from the ‘Where in the World’ game. Even though the game was assumed to be over, we were still getting calls daily."

"But this call was different," Kurt said.

"Yes," Carson said. "Apparently she knew things that only someone who knew where Justin Timberlake was would know."

"You said earlier that you love her," Kurt said. "Have you forgiven her for turning you in?" Kurt asked.

"She tends to know what’s best for me, even when I don’t know it myself." TV Justin laughed for the camera. "But don’t tell her I admitted it on camera."

The clip for the next segment showed.

"We were the champions," Josh said, "but even in our own minds that was eclipsed by Justin being a member of our team."
--

There was a knock on the door of the greenroom. "Guys," Johnny said. He opened the door and leaned into the room. "You gotta do your sound check."

"Yo," Chris said. He stood up. "But we were watching the Justin Timberlake worship-a-thon."

"It’s MTV," Johnny said. "They’ll be playing it every hour, on the hour, you know that."

"Oh thank goodness," Justin said. He grinned. "Heaven forbid they don’t play anything that has to do with ‘N SYNC until the tape wears out."
--

"Can we go yet?" Maggie asked. She shifted in the chair and ran her fingers through her hair.

"No," Stu said. He looked at his watch. "We aren’t supposed to leave here until five."

Maggie sighed.
--

"It was at the State Basketball Championships that Justin and the rest of ‘N SYNC met again," Kurt said.

"We decided that we needed to give him another chance," TV JC said. "He’d called earlier and asked for an extra week and we’d said no, but then, after we knew where he was, we got to thinking."

"There was a difference between saying we were over and actually being over," Chris said.

"What were your thoughts while you were watching Justin on the court?" Kurt asked.

Footage from the State game showed on the TV screen.

"That he’s an amazing basketball player," TV Lance said.

"He went back with you," Kurt said.

"Yes," TV JC said.

"I’m happy to be back," TV Justin said, now with the rest of the group in an interview. He looked at the rest of the guys. "I was happy to go back."

"Why didn’t you go back by your deadline?" Kurt asked.

"I had an obligation to the town," TV Justin said. "They were like a family to me and me leaving would have been inexcusable."

TV Joey laid a hand on his shoulder.

"So you think you made the right decision?" Kurt asked.

The footage suddenly switched back to the individual interview. "Yes," TV Justin said. He looked directly into the camera.

"And you’d do it again?" Kurt asked.

"I would do everything again," TV Justin said. "I went away because I needed to find Justin again and I did. I was going to break."

"You aren’t feeling like you’re going to break anymore?" Kurt asked.

TV Justin shook his head. "I am and always will be Justin Timberlake, but I’ve still got all the perks of Randy’s life, too."

"Not everyone was thrilled to have Justin show up in Mill Creek," Kurt said.

"Justin and I didn’t get along too well at the beginning," Josh said.

"I heard you quit the team because he joined," Kurt said.

Josh blushed. "I did, but we worked it out."

"Was he an integral member of the team?" Kurt asked.

"He was-" Josh paused and it was visible that he was thinking. "Justin was the best."

"He was the glue that held the team together," Coach said.

"We made it to the State Championships as a team," Josh said. "But he was the one that led us there."

"Were you surprised?" Kurt asked. "Were you surprised to find out that he was Justin Timberlake."

"Hell, yes," Josh said. "We were the champions, but even in our own minds that was eclipsed by Justin being a member of our team."

"What can I say," TV Justin said. He gave a stupid grin. "I like basketball."

"Things weren’t easy sailing, though, after Justin came back," Kurt said.

"We yelled a lot," TV Chris said. He laughed tightly. "I think it would be safe to say that we were on very shaky ground there for awhile."

"After we got back to Orlando we *screamed* at each other," Lance said. "I think we all strained some vocal chords."

"But you’ve survived," Kurt said.

"Yes," TV Chris said. "We have survived. And I would like to think that we’re stronger now than we were before."

"We are," TV Justin said. "Because we all know this is what we want to do."

"And you’re recording a new album," Kurt said.

"Yes," TV Justin said. "We’ve been splitting our time between the studio and practices."

"And you’ll be going on tour?" Kurt asked.

"We’re going to start mid-July," TV Lance said, "and go through December."

"We’re going to reemerge with a splash," TV Justin said.

"Watch out world," TV Chris said. "Because ‘N SYNC’s back, alright!"

"Alright!" TV Joey and Lance echoed.

"Our return to the stage will actually be co-headlining a show in Orlando with the Backstreet Boys," TV JC said. "Britney’s going to open for us."

"Why the Backstreet Boys?" Kurt asked. "Why not do your own show?"

"Awhile ago," TV Lance started. He clasped his hands. "Awhile ago, when we started thinking about the ‘We Want You Back’ tour and there were so many people who wanted to be a part of it, we got the idea to do a pop festival."

"This isn’t a ‘pop festival’ though," Kurt said.

"No," TV Lance said. "We thought that would be a little overwhelming." He grinned. "We’ve never done a show with the Backstreet Boys and they were willing, so--It’s going to be a pay-per-view concert. PPV has been kind enough to donate all profits to the same charities we were benefiting over our tour."

"It sounds like a lot of fun," Kurt said.

"We hope it will be," TV Justin said.
--

There was a knock on the door of the hotel room.

Maggie stood up quickly, her fingers worrying each other.

Stu unfolded from his place on the couch and walked to the door, opening it.

"Yeah?"

"Your ride to the venue is waiting outside," a bodyguard said.

Stu looked back into the room at the girls. "Let’s go," he said.
--

"Do you think we’re going to get crap for the way we enter?" Justin asked as they walked back down the hallway of the venue. "Do you think people will think we’re selling out? That we’re washed up?"

"Calm down," JC said. "It’s going to be a cool entrance. It’s going to catch people off guard."

"We do covers all the time," Joey said. "While this one is a little different, I think it will be all good."

"And it’s appropriate," Lance said. "Johnny gave it his blessing for the tour and I think it’s more appropriate now."

Justin nodded.

"I can’t believe the first song we’re going to sing together in public as a group is going to be Backstreet Boys."

"Everybody," Lance sang. "Rock your body."

Justin laughed. He looked down at his watch.

"You excited?" JC asked. He threw an arm over Justin’s shoulders.

"No," Justin said. "I’m not excited to see Stu or Emily, and I’m especially not excited to see Maggie. God no."
--

"Is it just me, or are we moving deathly slow here?" Maggie asked. She looked out the window of the town car.

"It’s just you," Stu said.

Maggie sighed and slumped further into her seat. She sat up straight when she felt the car move around a turn and she smiled as they pulled into the parking lot of the venue.
--

"She should be here already," Justin said. He paced the dressing room.

"There was probably traffic," Joey said. "You’re going to exhaust yourself with all this pacing, you know."

Justin turned on the ball of his foot and glared at Joey.

The door to the dressing room opened and a stagehand peeked her head in. "Justin, you have visitors."

Justin turned back around and stood up straight as Stu, Emily, and Maggie walked in.

"Hey," Justin said. He grinned widely.

"Hey, man," Stu said. He clapped Justin on the back.

Emily gave him a hug. Maggie stood by the door.

"Guys," Justin turned toward the other four men. "This is Stu, and Emily, and you’ve all heard about Maggie." He moved towards her and rested a hand on his shoulder.

"It’s because of you that I thought Justin had a phone permanently attached to his ear," Chris said to Maggie.

She smiled.

Justin looked down at his watch. "The show’ll be starting in about ten minutes," he said. "You guys should probably go get your seats. They’re really good."

"We’re hanging out after the show, right," Stu said. He grabbed Emily’s hand in his own.

"Heck yeah," Justin said. "I’m your guys’ for tonight."

Stu nodded. He leaned closer to Justin. "Is there anyway you can introduce me to Britney?"

Emily slapped him on the arm. "Excuse me?" she asked.

Stu blushed. "So that I can tell her how wonderful my girlfriend is," he amended.

"Of course," Justin said. "She really wants to meet all of you." His eyes drifted to Maggie.

"Well, we want to meet her," Stu said. "Don’t we, baby?" He kissed Emily’s cheek as she glared at Justin.

"Yes," she said. "We want to meet her."

"You guys don’t want to miss her performance," Justin said. "You should probably get out there."

Stu nodded, and tugged Emily gently back out into the hallway.

Maggie lingered by Justin.

"You okay?" Justin asked quietly.

"Yeah," Maggie said. She grinned sheepishly at him. "I’ve been bouncing off of the walls all day and now I’m just not quite sure what to do now that I’m here."

"You could say hi," Justin said.

"Hi," Maggie said. "Its just like-I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Justin said. He wrapped his arms around her. "Do you want to go out there or stay back here."

Maggie nodded against his chest. "I should probably go out there." Maggie sighed. "I don’t want to, though. I’ve seen Britney, and I haven’t seen you in seven weeks."

"I’ll walk you part way," Justin said. "Cause right at the moment, I don’t think I can let go of you."

Maggie nodded again and turned around in his arms.

"I’ll be back, guys," Justin said. He walked out of the room, his arms still linked around her, only letting go long enough to shut the door behind him.

"You know what," Joey said as their voices faded. "I think they’re even going to be more sickening than he would have been with Britney."

"I’m afraid you’re right," Chris said. "Lord save us all."
--

Emily grabbed onto Maggie’s arm as the lights of the venue went to black. "Not only do we get to see ‘N SYNC, but the Backstreet Boys, too."

"I know," Maggie said. She bounced up and down on the balls of her feet. "If you’d told me six months ago that I would be here, I would have laughed you straight out of Mill Creek."

A video image of Justin appeared on the white screen hanging at the top of the stage.

"Welcome," screen Justin said.

Screams.
--

Chris rested a hand on Justin’s shoulder as they stood in the wings of the stage. "I think they’re happy to have you back."

Justin smiled widely and stretched his arm across his chest. "Well, I’m happy to be back."
--

Screen Justin smiled at the audience. "We’re here to do lots of things tonight."

More screams.

"We’re here with our friends in the BSB and Britney to continue the fundraising efforts of the ‘We Want You Back’ tour that happened earlier this year." Screen Justin grinned.

More screams.

"I’m also here to tell you how happy I am to be back," screen Justin said. "In the two months since I returned to Orlando you all have been wonderful about giving me just the right amount of support without smothering me. Thank you for that."

More screams.

"And thank you for understanding why I had to do what I did."

More screams.

"Lots of people have been saying that pop music is on its way out." Screen Justin paused. "Feel free to ‘boo’ here."

The audience booed.

"What we’re here to do tonight is tell the world that pop is here to stay. We aren’t ready to give up yet. None of us are."

Screams.

"So, thank you all for coming out tonight and without further ado, I would like to introduce one of my best friends, Britney Spears."

More screams.
--

"Stu," Emily said sweetly. "Honey?"

"Yes?" Stu asked, tearing his eyes away from the stage.

"Just remember, I know where you sleep at night." Emily smiled.

"I know," Stu said. He leaned over and kissed Emily squarely on the lips.

Maggie looked at them, shifted her weight, and turned her gaze to the wings of the stage.
--

"Hello, Orlando!" Howie said. He smiled and the grin was projected onto the screen at the back of the stage. "It was such an honor for us to be asked to do this show."

Screams. Camera flashes.

"We would like to thank ‘N SYNC for allowing us to be part of such a wonderful philanthropic activity."

More screams, though they seemed confused.

"And there is no better place to have this concert than right here in our home town," Howie said.

More screams, louder again.

"So, because Justin said it best at the beginning of the show, pop music is here to stay, and we want it that way."

Screams.
--

The stage was black and the arena was lit only by glow sticks.

Howie’s voice came out of the speakers. "We have time for one more song tonight before you all welcome our friends from ‘N SYNC."

The audience screamed.

"Everybody," Brian sang. The audience could see four men rising out of the stage floor.

"Rock your body," he sang. "Everybody, rock your body right."

The stage exploded with colored pyrotechnics and the four men suddenly became visible.

"’N SYNC’s back, alright!" JC, Lance, Joey, and Chris sang.

The audience screamed, the volume increasing ten-fold.

They began doing a new Wade-choreographed-dance to the song.

"Hey-ay-ay," Joey sang. "Now."

"Oh my god, we’re back again," Lance sang. He was dressed in a tight leather tank top. The audience screamed. "Brothers, sisters, everybody’s sayin’. Gonna bring you flavor, show you how. Gotta question for you, gonna ans-a’ now. Yeah." He thrust his hips.

"Am I original," JC sang.

"Yeah-ah"

"Am I the only one," Chris sang, holding out his hand to a girl in the audience.

"Yeah-ah."

"Am I sexual?" Joey sang, thrusting his hips.

The audience screamed as the guys sang "yeah-ah."

"Am I everything you need, you’d better rock your body now," they all sang together. "Everybody. Yeah. Rock your body. Yeah." They moved around the stage. "Everybody, rock your body right. ‘N SYNC’s back, alright!"

"Alright."

"Now throw your hands up in the air," Joey sang. "And wave ‘em round like you just don’t care." Joey moved his arms and his hips in a circle. "If you want to party let me hear you-"

"SCREAM!" the four men all yelled.

The audience *screamed*.

"Cause we’ve got it going on again," Joey sang.

"Yeah-ah-ah-ahhh," Chris sang.

"Am I original," JC sang.

"Yeah-ah."

"Am I the only one," Chris sang to a girl on the other side of the stage.

"Yeah-ah."

"Am I sexual?" Joey sang.

"Yeah-ah."

"Am I everything you need, you’d better rock your body now," they all sang together. "Everybody. Yeah. Rock your body. Yeah. Everybody, rock your body right. ‘N SYNC’s back, alright!"

"Alright!"

The lights on the stage dimmed and a spotlight focused on another person who was rising out of the stage.

"So everybody, everywhere," Justin sang.

The audience screamed. And screamed. And screamed.

"Don’t be afraid, don’t have no fear." The words to the song were nearly drowned out by the volume of the fans. "I’m going to tell the world, make it understand."

He pouted for the camera he knew was focused on him.

The audience screamed more.

"As long as there is music we’ll be coming back again."

"Everybody," Justin smiled as the rest of the guys joined him on the chorus. They fell into the formations Wade had designed for them, moving together, in step. "Rock your body. Everybody, rock your body right. Everybody. Rock your body. Everybody, rock your body right, cause--"

They hit their final pose.

"’N SYNC’s back, ALRIGHT!"

Justin felt the adrenaline rush through his system as the lights flashed to black.

Everything was right in his world; it was all the way that it was supposed to be.
--

Back in the empty dressing room, the TV played, showing the first of the hundred repeats the MTV News Special Report would get.

"I just have one more question for you," Kurt said. "You are a very recognizable person. Why do you think no one recognized you? Not your girlfriend, not your friends…"

TV Justin sighed and looked down at his hands. He fiddled with the cuff of the flannel shirt he wore.

"I’m a firm believer that if you aren’t looking for them, you won’t see things that are right under your nose," he said. "There was no reason for anyone there to suspect that I was who I was. The guys didn’t announce that I was gone until later and then they said that I’d left Kansas."

"It was just a haircut and contacts though," Kurt said. I’ve seen pictures. Albeit you’re disguised, you still look like you."

"The hair and the contacts are superficial," Justin said. "What made the difference was that I was *Justin* and, previously, not many people had seen that side of me."

"Are you just Justin now?" Kurt asked.

"I am Justin Timberlake," TV Justin said, "but when I get home at night, when I talk to my friends, I’m the real me. If I’ve learned anything from the past six months, it’s that I can do what I love, be with the people I love, and be the person I love all at the same time."

There was a pause before TV Justin continued.

"I’m back, yo, and I’m not going away again."

The TV screen faded to black and the credits rolled.