Justin Timberlake


River Chambers


Marty Kudelka


Chris Chambers


Phoenix Chambers


(Justin Timberlake, Aly Michalka, Marty Kudelka, Matt Barr, Ashlee Simpson)

How is it possible to be surrounded by people everyday and still feel so… alone? She'd never experienced this kind of feeling before, she'd always been happy and content with her life and the people in it.

Until she'd met him, of course.

She looked around, biting her bottom lip as she made sure she hadn't left anything behind. She zipped her bag up as quietly as she could, glancing over at his sleeping form to make sure she hadn't disturbed him.

Of course, he was still asleep. Nothing could wake him up, he'd sleep through anything. She smiled softly as she looked down at him, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead. She pushed her blonde hair behind her ears and turned away when she heard the quiet knock on the door. Grabbing her suitcase, she wheeled it behind her and walked out of the room, pulling the closed behind her as quietly as possible.

"Thank you for this," she whispered, looking over at her brother as they walked down the corridor. She sighed and gave her hand a squeeze, looking back towards the room they'd just left.

"Are you sure you wanna do this, Riv? He's gonna be-"

"He'll be fine, Chris," she interrupted as they stepped into the elevator, pressing the button for the lobby. "He got along perfectly well before me, and he'll get along fine now. You haven't told Fee, have you?"

"I haven't told anyone anything, you asked me not-so-politely to keep my mouth shut," he raised an eyebrow at his younger sister. "We can work out what you're going to say when we get back to mine, okay? I'll go check you out, just wait here," he sighed, putting an arm round her shoulders and kissing her forward. He looked down at her and shook his head. "What am I gonna do with you, huh?" he smiled softly at her before he turned and walked to the reception desk.

River looked around her, taking everything in, fully aware that she'd probably never see him again as soon as she left the hotel, but knowing that it was the best thing for everyone involved if she just disappeared.

“Okay, you’re done,” Chris spoke from behind her, making her jump as she turned to face him. “You’re checked out. I asked the receptionist not to tell them anything if they asked about you, I thought it’d be easier if they didn’t know you left with me…”

“Thank you,” she whispered, lifting her bag further onto her shoulder and smiling weakly at her brother as he took hold of her suitcase. “Chris-“ she  grabbed his arm as he went to walk forward, and he turned back to her. “I just- I mean- I’m doing the right thing, aren’t I?” she bit her bottom lip.

“I don’t know. Are you?” he asked, raising an eyebrow in question.

“I- Yeah. Yeah, I am,” River nodded. “Yeah. Okay, let’s go.” She nodded her head before she pushed past her brother, walking out of the hotel, and out of Justin’s life.

(Seven months earlier…)

“Gave you all I had
And you tossed it in the trash
You tossed it in the trash, you did
To give me all your love
Is all I ever asked
'Cause what you don't understand is
I'd catch a grenade for you
Throw my hand on a blade for you
I'd jump in front of a train for you
You know I'd do anything for you
I would go through all this pain
Take a bullet straight through my brain
Yes, I would die for you, baby
But you won't do the same…”

24 year old River Chambers closed her eyes, letting the music completely wash over her as she danced around the small conference room that had been temporarily turned into a studio of sorts.

She loved this, dancing. Dancing just for herself, with no audience, no one to try and please, no exact steps to follow. She was so lost in the music that she didn't hear the door open and close behind her, didn't notice anyone else was in the room until her the song on her iPod changed and she heard the deep laugh from behind her.

Her eyes shot open and she stumbled forward, quickly pressing pause and turning around sheepishly.

“Backstreet Boys, really?” he asked, one eyebrow raised as he leant against the wall, his feet crossed at his ankles and his arms crossed over his chest. “And I thought you were gonna be an NSync girl…” he tutted, shaking his head.

“I, uh, I am… I'm just, sort of a closet Backstreet fan, too…” she waved a hand dismissively, avoiding his gaze. “Sorry…” she trailed off in a whisper.

“It's cool,” he grinned. “I'm guessing you're my new dancer, right? It's nice to meet you, I'm Justin.”

“I know,” River raised an eyebrow as he stuck his hand out towards her. “I'm River Chambers.” She reached out and shook it quickly, before dropping it back to her side and wiping her palm on the bottom of her t-shirt.

“I don't have cooties, y'know,” Justin smiled playfully and she blushed.

“Sorry, I'm just… I'm nervous, I've never worked on a tour like this before,” she admitted, her eyes widening as she realised that probably made her sound inexperienced. “I mean, I've done a couple shows in England and Ireland for other bands, but not like, world tours or anything… Not that I'm- I mean, I can dance, I'm just a little-”

“Are you scaring the new girl already, Timberlake?”

“Hey, man,” Justin shook his head and held his hands up, stepping away from River. “She just started rambling, I didn't do a damn thing, I swear.”

“Yeah, right. Ignore him, River, he likes to try and psych people out. Don't let him get to you, he's a softie really.”

“Hey, Marty,” River smiled in relief, happy to see the familiar face of Marty Kudelka, the reason she'd gotten the job. “It's nice to see you again.”

“Again? You guys know each other already? Ahh, a guy on the inside, huh?” Justin raised an eyebrow.

“Shut up, J,” Marty laughed. “Yeah, we've worked together a couple times, and when Christa twisted her knee River was the first person I thought of to bring on the tour. She's good. No, actually, she's better than good. She's one of the best dancers I've worked with. You wanna show him what you got?” he asked with a smirk. River opened her mouth to reply, but Justin interrupted her.

“She doesn't need to, I was peeking before when she was warming up, she is good.” Justin agreed.

“O… Kay…” Marty shot him a look, and River glanced between them in confusion. “Hey, Riv, why don’t you head on back to your room or whatever, you have the next few hours to yourself, I need to talk to Justin here about Christa’s replacement.”

“I thought she was Christa’s replacement!” Justin pointed a finger in River’s direction and she glanced over at him as she picked up her bag.

“No… Jenni’s going to be Christa’s replacement, she already knows most of the moves. River will replace Jenni as one of the backing dancers and- why are you shaking your head at me?” Marty asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

“I want her,” Justin told him, crossing his arms over his chest and nodding towards River, who was standing by the door ready to leave.

“But I-“

“Marty. I want River, she’s a better dancer. You can teach her the moves and she’ll pick them up in no time.”

“I…” Marty sighed as he looked between Justin’s smug smirk and River’s nervous smile. “Okay, fine, River can be your new dancer. I gotta go talk to Jenni, we’ll take a break and I’ll meet you guys back here in an hour to run through the routines with both of you, sound okay?”

“Perfect,” Justin grinned at him as River nodded and pulled the door open.

“This won’t- I mean- will Jenni be pissed at me over this?” she asked, nervously biting her bottom lip. Marty smiled softly and shook his head as River breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, cool. So, I’ll see you in an hour then.”

“Hey, wait, I can show you around if you want, introduce you to the others?” Justin suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“Uhm… Yeah, okay. I’ll just- I told my sister I’d call her, gimme ten minutes?” she asked, holding up her phone. Justin nodded and went to follow her out of the room, but Marty grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Hey,” he hissed. “Don’t do this shit, Justin. She’s good, she’s really good and this could be an amazing break for her. I’m not gonna let you ruin it and I refuse to lose another dancer off this tour because of your inability to keep it in your pants.”

“Dude, that’s not even-”

“Yes it is,” Marty snapped. “The only reason you want her as your dancer is because the other girls were here for the shit you pulled with Christa and they won’t go near you. But I- Look, River’s… She’s a friend, okay? She’s an amazing dancer and she’s a good person. I’m begging you, just don’t… Don’t mess with her, alright? The last thing she needs is you making her life even more fucking complicated than it already is.”

“Okay, okay, I won’t touch her, chill out,” Justin raised his hands in defeat and rolled his eyes.

“…Okay,” Marty looked at him suspiciously. “Well, I guess that’s fine then. I’ll see you both back here in an hour.”

 

Taking a deep breath, River raised her hand and quickly knocked on the door before she could change her mind, hearing a mumbled 'come in' from the other side. She pushed the door open and stepped inside.

"Hey, Marty, I need to talk to you. I-" she stopped speaking when she realised she wasn't alone with Marty's, Justin's grin pissing her off even more than she already was. "Uhh... You know what, never mind," she shook her head.

"No, River, what is it?" Marty frowned in concern.

"Oh, please, don't mind me..." Justin told her, licking his lips when she glanced over to him and raising his eyebrows innocently.

"Fine," she said  flatly, looking back to Marty. "I needed to talk to you about Mr. Timberlake's behavior. His actions and comments towards me over the last few days have been downright inappropriate and I'd appreciate it if you'd speak to him about it. I am here to work, I have no interest in being caught up in the midst of some scandal. I don't mean to speak  out of turn, but if Mr. Timberlake is looking for someone to fill the vacancy Christa left in the bedroom, I suggest he start looking somewhere else, because the only area of the job I am interested in takes place on stage." She looked over at Justin, raising an eyebrow at him when she saw his mouth open in shock, and Marty snorted with laughter, fighting to keep a straight face.

"Uhm, thanks, Riv. I'll make sure he backs off."

"Thanks, Marty. I'll, uh, I'll be with Jenni and the others if anyone's looking for me," she smiled gratefully before leaving the room. Marty smirked and turned to look at Justin, who's mouth was opening and closing as he tried to think of something to say.

"I told you not to screw with her," he shook his head as Justin continued to stare at the door River had just left through in disbelief. "Close your mouth, dude. You look like a damn fish," Marty chuckled.

"Can you believe she had the balls to come in here and say that when I'm sat right here?" Justin asked incredulously.

"Can you believe you had the balls to come onto her when I told you to back the hell off?" Marty turned to him, eyebrows raised. "I told you already, she's good at what she does, which is dancing. Nothing more, nothing less. I told you she'd run a mile from you and I was right. The others have obviously filled her in on the whole Christa debacle, I'm glad she could come to me and tell me you were being an ass." he muttered. Justin furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Marty curiously, a pout on his face.

"You fuckin' her or something?"

"What the- no!" Marty laughed in disbelief. "Jesus Christ, Justin! She's a friend, she helped me out back in the day and I fucking owe the girl a lot, alright? She's like my kid sister and I don't want to see you screw with her head! …You're unbelievable! I know you think every single girl you come across is going to fall at your damn feet but that's clearly not the case, get your fucking act together and remember you're here to do a job, not to screw your dancers!"

"Alright, okay, fuck man," Justin held his hands up in defense. "Jesus, what the fuck's with you? You're touchy today!"

"I'm… You know what, Timberlake?" Marty sighed. "Get the fuck out of my room."

***

River sighed in relief as the door clicked shut behind her, and she felt herself smile as she saw the triumphant grin on Jenni's face.

"That. Was. AWESOME!" Jenni squealed quietly. "I think my favourite part was, 'if Mr. Timberlake is looking for someone to fill the vacancy Christa left in the bedroom, I suggest he start looking somewhere else, because the only area of the job I am interested in takes place on stage'… You fucking rock, Chambers. You're my new hero." Jenni grinned, looping her arm through River's as they walked down the corridor.

"Thanks," River laughed softly. "I wasn't expecting Justin to be in there, though, it kinda messed with my nerves a little bit," she shook her head and Jenni stopped, staring at her open-mouthed.

"He was in there? And you still said that?" she giggled. "Oh my God, you seriously are my new hero!  C'mon, let's go find the others and have a celebratory drink or something, it's about time someone stood up to King Timberlake," Jenni rolled her eyes. "Ever since tour rehearsals started he's walked round like his shit don't stink or something, thinking he can get away with whatever he wants. Christa worked her ass off to get this job, she worked fucking hard all through rehearsals. I'm not defending her coz, you know, she was engaged and shit so she's to blame as well, but she really fucking liked him. He gets away scot-free and she gets kicked out of the best job she's ever had, or ever will have? It's about time someone told him how it is. He obviously thought it'd be easy to get you because you weren't here when it all went down with him and Chris… The rest of us were, we know he's an ass and we're staying the hell away. He knows that none of us would touch him with a ten foot pole."

"I know he's Justin Timberlake and everything," River rolled her eyes. "But he can't go round treating people like that."

"'I know he's Justin Timberlake and everything' is usually followed by but damn, I totally would…"

"Yeah, usually," River froze, pulling Jenni to a stop as she heard him speak behind them. She turned round to face him, raising an eyebrow. "But as you know, I was always a JC fan." she finished, and Jenni snorted, her hand covering her mouth as she tried not to laugh. Justin sighed, talking his bottom lip between his teeth and smiling sheepishly at her as he walked forwards.

"Can, you uh… leave?" he asked Jenni.

"No, she can't," River gripped onto her new friends hand tightly. "She's staying. I need a witness."

"A… witness? I'm not about to assault you or anything," Justin scoffed. "I just, I want to apologize. I know I've acted like a jerk over the last couple of days and I'm sorry. I appreciate that you're just here to a do a job, it was wrong of me to speak to you the way I have been and from now on I promise I'll remember that our relationship is strictly professional." he finished, nodding his head as River looked at him skeptically.

"Well… Thank you, I guess. I'm sorry I had to go to Marty but I didn't really have a choice…"

"I know, I know…" Justin nodded. "And it's my fault, I shouldn't have been so… persistent."

"Creepy," Jenni corrected, her eyes widening as she realized she's said it out loud when Justin smirked and raised an eyebrow at her. "Uh… Sorry?"

"It's fine," he shook his head in amusement. "So, we're okay?" he looked back at River. "I mean, you're still okay dancing with me and all? I'll be on my best behavior from now on, Scout's honour!" 

"…I really don't think you were a Scout, Justin," River scoffed. "But it's fine. Whatever. I mean, I'm cool with the dancing, as long as you remember that's all I'm here for."

"Yeah, I-I will do," he nodded. "Okay, good. Glad we got that cleared up. I'll see you guys at rehearsals," he smiled at them both, waving at them as he turned and walked in the opposite direction. River stared at him, before she turned to Jenni.

"Did that actually just happen?"

***

"PARTY TIME!" Madison hollered as she slid into the booth, beckoning for the guy who was holding their drinks to follow her. "C'mon ladies! I got wine… Vodka… I got Jack as well for our own little hard ass over there," she smirked, pointing over to Dana, removing the glasses from the tray and smiling up at the waiter, letting him know he'd basically been dismissed.

"Are we seriously doing this right after a show?" Jenni groaned. "Getting drunk right after a show…? I'm too tired!"

"Don't be a party pooper," River giggled, nudging her with her foot and grabbing the glass of white wine that Madison was holding out to her. "One night won't kill you!"

"Yeah, listen to River!" Madison cheered.

"We've got tomorrow off, Jen. We might as well make the most of it, huh?" Dana pulled herself up into a sitting position. "We needed a night out. Let's call it a bonding experience."

"I know who I'd like to bond with," Madison giggled, fanning herself with her hand and winking at the tall brunette guy who walked past their table.

"Slut."

"You're right, he's too hot. He probably is a slut," Madison pouted.

"I was calling you a slut," Dana smirked, grabbing her drink and taking a gulp. Madison gaped at her, before laughing loudly and pushing her shoulder. River smiled as she watched her new friends, jumping when she felt a vibration in her pocket.

"Uh, I'll be back guys, my sister's calling," she told them, holding up her cell phone and quickly rushing towards the exit, pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello? Fee?"

"Riv? Hello?"

"Phoenix can you hear me?"

"Yeah! Hey, where the hell are you, what's all that noise?"

"I'm out with the girls, the other dancers. We decided we needed a night out, blow off some steam. What's up?"

"I- oh, it's nothing, it doesn't matter. You're busy. Go have fun, okay?"

"Hey, Fee," River tutted when she heard the sad tone in her sister's voice. "You didn't call just to tell me to have fun. I'm never too busy for my little, so spill it. What's wrong, why do you sound so depressed?" she asked, fear gripping her as she pressed the phone tighter to her ear. "Is Dad okay?"

"Dad's fine, I went to see him yesterday. He… He didn't know who I was, he kept asking where the baby was and I told him I was there, I was the baby and he just looked at me, Riv. Like I was crazy or something. He rolled his eyes at me and asked where you were, had a I left you with a babysitter again."

"He thought you were Mom," River mumbled, sighing.

"Mhmm."

"Hey, it's okay, don't cry-"

"Easy for you to say, he remembers you, he knows you're his daughter!" Phoenix snapped. "He has no damn clue who I am! I had to try and explain that I wasn't Mom, that she was dead and that you and Chris were all grown up, that I was his daughter too. He went ape shit and started screaming at me to get out, one of the nurses had to calm him down and she told me to leave."

"Phoenix, I told you not to go there on your own, didn't I? This is exactly why I said that – you can't handle it when he gets bad. Why didn't Chris go with you?" River frowned into the phone, moving out of the way and people continues to push past her. She sighed and walked a little further, coming to the alley at the side of the club, ducking into it and letting her eyes follow the people walking past. "Fee?"

"I'm here," she mumbled.

"Why didn't Christopher go with you?" River repeated the question. "…Phoenix Rae Chambers. Tell me right now what's going on."

"Alright, alright! Jeez, relax Mom," Phoenix pulled a face, even though River couldn't see her. "He, uh… So I guess things are getting pretty serious with some girl, the one he was out with when you called the other day."

"Things are so serious who haven't bothered to learn her name, hmm?" River smirked into the phone.

"Whatever. But, yeah. He kinda sprung it on me last night and I was pissed at him, so I didn't want to ask him to come with when I went to see Daddy. He's, uhm… He's moving out, River. He's looking for his own place, he wants to live with this girl." she admitted quietly, wincing as she waited for River's reaction.

"…Put him on the phone."

"Riv-"

"Put. Him. On. The. Phone. NOW." River growled, making her sister gulp on the other end. River heard the rustling of papers as Phoenix stood up and opened the door, walking out of her room and downstairs to where Chris was sat on the sofa, a bottle of beer in one hand and the remote control in the other.

"It's for you, jackass," she grumbled, throwing the phone at him before stalking back upstairs. Chris grabbed the phone from where it had landed next to him, the smirk falling from his face when he saw River's name on the caller ID.

"Tattle tale!" he called after his younger sister, before putting the phone to his ear and sighing. "Hey…"

"Are you fucking kidding me, Chris?" River snapped at him. "You're seriously going to move out and leave our 19 year old sister in that house on her own? What the fuck has gotten into you?!"

"Okay, whoa," Chris raised his eyebrows. "First of all, do not speak to me like that. You might be some jet-setting dancer extraordinaire, but you're still my little sister and I don't appreciate you saying the word 'fuck'."

"Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Tough shit, asshole. I don't appreciate you abandoning Phoenix to go shack up with some chick who's name you won't even remember in six months!"

"That's not fair!" Chris hissed at her. "I love her, we've been together a while. We got together months before you left, I didn't say anything because you and Phoenix always have a way of fucking things up for me!"

"Excuse me?!"

"Yeah, you heard me. Things were going great, Carolyn and I were already talking about moving in together when you dropped your fucking bombshell on us and went swanning off on tour! Fee's a big girl now, River. I can't keep putting my life on hold to take care of her – she's perfectly capable of living here on her own for a few months. It's not like I'm going to forget about her – I'll still come by and make sure she's alright, I'll still take her to see Dad-"

"Amazing job you're doing of that last one, seriously. She went to see him yesterday, alone. He didn't know who she was, he couldn't remember her and that hurt her. I told you not to let her go alone for that exact reason! What if it sets her back, what if she-"

"River! We can't keep treading on eggshells around her for the rest of her life! She has to learn to deal with shit eventually, you keeping her wrapped up in some little bubble isn't doing her any good! You took on this role of 'mom' and you didn't need to! If you're that damn concerned about her, why don’t you get your ass home and make sure she doesn't try to fucking OD again?!" he snarled, and River gasped at his bluntness.

"Watch your damn mouth, Christopher," she warned him. "You may not give a shit, but you're talking about my baby sister, about my best friend and I'll be damned if I have to go through that again. I will not lose her, do you understand?" she asked, only to be answered by silence. "Good. I look after her because I have to. Mom died, Dad could hardly remember what year it was, you were off living your life – I had to take care of her, I had to take on that role. You weren't around, who else was going to do it?"

"That's not fair, I was-"

"You were off in college, getting your degree in whatever the fuck it is that you do, I know," River rolled her eyes. "And now I'm away, working, to try and support the three of us. I know you have a job, but it doesn't cover everything, does it? We need to pay for the help Dad gets, we have bills, we need food!"

"I can manage," Chris whispered.

"Oh, really?" she asked. "So when you move out, you're going to be able to afford to keep two households going?" she snorted. "If you and Caroline-"

"Carolyn." he interrupted.

"I don't give a shit!" River snapped. "If you and her want to live together so fucking badly, have her move in to the house!"

"I… Look, River, I'll make you a deal, alright? I'm moving out. I'm going to move out, I want my own space away from you and Phoenix and from the damn drama that is our family, okay? But…" he sighed. "I won't do it until you're home. Until you've finished dancing for some mediocre popstar. I'll wait. That's the best I can do right now."

"…You promise you won't leave her alone?"

"I promise."

"I can't lose her, Chris." River whispered. "She's the only thing that's kept me going. If I didn't have her to take care of I would have lost it a long time ago."

"River, I promise. And I resent that – you have me. I like being taken care of!"

"You like being lazy," she scoffed at her brother. "I'm… I'm sorry I blew up at you."

"It's cool. Like I said, family drama. Used to it. I happen to have crazy bitches for sisters." he grinned, taking a gulp of his beer. "Look, I'm gonna go talk to her, alright? Apologise."

"Alright. Tell her I love her and I'll call her tomorrow, okay?"

"I will. Love you, little sis." Chris told her quietly.

"I love you too, Chris." River smiled.

"Now get off the damn phone and go have some fun! But, you know, not the kind of fun that makes me an uncle."

"I won't!" she laughed quietly at him. "I should probably get back, though. The girls will be wondering where I am."

"So get. Go have some fun and stop worrying about us for once in your life," he ordered. "I'll tell her you said bye and you'll talk tomorrow. Stay safe, Riv. We need you back in one piece." he told her, before hanging up the phone. River sighed, running a hand through her straightened hair and shoving her phone back in her pocket as she walked back into the club, heading straight to the bar and ordering four shots of tequila. She paid and carried the drinks back over to the table her friends were at, trying to balance the slices of lemon and the small bottle of salt the barman has given her.

"This one's on me, girls," she grinned, passing the glasses around and holding hers up. "Let's get wasted."