"Judy!" Justin yelled up the stairs.

"What?"

"Are you almost done? The bus is waiting."

"Yeah. I'm putting my shoes on."

"You have till the count of five and then I'm leaving you behind. You'll have to take a flight and meet us in Arizona. One."

"Justin."

"Two."

"Stop counting."

"Three."

"I'm not a child."

"Four."

"Okay, okay, I'm coming."

Judy finally appeared at the top of the stairs, one of Justin's rolling suitcase tagging along behind her.

"I told you I was almost done. You didn't have to count."

When she reached the bottom of the steps Justin took her suitcase and headed for the front door.

"You were taking forever up there."

"I only needed two more minutes. Look, my shoes aren't even tied."

"Tie them on the bus."

Justin set the alarm using the keypad by the door, then ushered Judy outside so he could lock up. While Justin fished for his keys in his pocket Judy wandered down the driveway, taking the sight before her. That had to be the biggest bus she'd ever seen. It seemed 30 feet tall and 500 feet long. It was black with silver swirls, loud, and smelled like diesel. Trace was leaning against the side, talking to a girl with brown hair who had her back to Judy.

"Impressive, isn't it?"

Justin appeared beside her.

"It looks so big."

"Trust me, it'll feel really small by the time we're done."

A gentle nudge got her to start walking and when they reached the bus Trace and the girl turned to give Justin their attention.

"Rachel, this is my friend Judy. Judy, this is my cousin and personal assistant Rachel."

"Nice to meet you." Rachel extended her hand.

"You too. Personal assistant? I thought Trace was your assistant."

"Used to be," Trace corrected. "We're just business partners now. I'm along for the ride so we can work on designs."

Judy nodded.

"Justin, we gotta get going," Rachel said. "The equipment and the crew members have already been on the road for an hour. We're way behind schedule."

"Right."

Justin opened the door to the bus and Trace and Rachel hopped on, completely at ease. Judy however looked a little hesitant.

"Hop aboard," he told her.

"What? I don't get my own bus?"

She made the joke as she walked up the stairs, but Justin knew she was using humor as a cover for her insecurities. When she got onboard she found herself in the middle of a small kitchen area. There was a booth, mini-fridge, and bench seating.

"Keep going," Justin told her.

Judy moved ahead, past the bathroom and vanity area, into the middle of the bus where the bunks were.

"Pick a spot. Except this one. This one is mine."

Justin took off his jacket and tossed it onto a bunk up top. Then he pulled the curtain closed. Judy looked around, taking note that three more bunks had the curtains pulled closed. They must have been Trace and Rachel's, but she didn't know who the third belonged too.

"What's so special about that one?"

"I always sleep there. It's up high so it's harder to hear the noise from the back room and people walking around."

"Good idea."

Judy eyed the other bunks up at the top.

"But I don't think I'll be able to climb up there. I'll take this one." She pointed to the one in the middle.

Justin tossed her bag to onto the blanket, and closed the curtains.

"Where is everyone?" She asked.

"In the back with Mike."

"Mike?"

Justin turned and opened the door that lead into the back room of the bus. There was seating on all three sides of the room, and a mirror on the back wall. Trace and Rachel sat staring at a large flat screen TV, holding Wii controllers. Next to them was a hefty black man in a jean jacket.

"Oh my God! You totally cut me off!"

It was during Rachel's shout that Judy realized she had the same twang Justin did.

"You snooze, you lose," Trace teased.

"Cheater."

"You already know Frick and Frack," Justin said. "This is Mike, my personal jungle gym."

Justin ended his sentence by taking a flying leap into the big man's lap. He gave Mike a smacking kiss on the cheek. Mike's response was to stand up, dropping Justin onto the floor with a thud.

"Remind me next time some girl tried to molest you, to not stop her." Mike turned to Judy. "He meant to say personal assistant. Justin ate too many paint chips as a child, got his head all screwy."

"And here I thought it was plain old stupidity. Judy, nice to meet you."

Justin stood to his feet.

"Am I going to regret bringing you?"

"It's possible." She shrugged.

They all took a seat, watching Trace and Rachel as they raced their Mario cars.

"When do we start filming?" Judy asked.

Truth be told she was much more nervous about that than she was being on the tour itself.

"Rachel, we're meeting up with MTV in Arizona tomorrow, right?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off of the screen.

"They start filming tomorrow morning, first day of the tour. I think we meet the crew tonight when we arrive."

"Will we be working with Steve again?"

Justin shrugged.

"Most likely he's already doing another show, if he's even still with the network."

Judy sighed, leaning her palm into her hand.

"How long is the drive?"

"Six hours. Maybe longer if there's traffic."

"So we'll get there around 1am?"

"Yep."

"I don't think I can stay up that long."

"Me neither."

Judy turned to see that Justin had leaned his head back against the sofa, eyes closed, his long legs stretched out in front of him. If she hadn't known him so well she might have thought he was asleep already. So she followed suit, pulling her legs up onto the couch and resting her head against his shoulder, listening to Trace and Rachel argue.

Judy is standing alone in a dark hallway, doors on either side of her. It took her a moment, but she eventually recognized it as the building of an apartment she'd shared with Ben while they were waiting to get into military housing. It had been dark, run down, and dingy. She'd always been afraid to walk the halls alone. There were always strange people sitting on the steps giving her looks.

But this time she was alone in the hall. The building was quiet and still. Inching down the hallway step by step, she finally approached her own front door, number 37. The door was already ajar, cracked just enough for her to see the flashing blue lights of a TV on the inside walls.

"Ben?" She called softly.

It wasn't like him to leave the door open like that. She had no idea who was inside.

"Ben?"

She stepped forward, tapping the door open a little more. She still couldn't see more than the blank white wall dancing with blue lights.

"Is that you?"

She waited for an answer, but no response came. She reached out again to push the door, intending to push it open all the way. But instead the door yanked open on it's own, and on the other side stood a tall, shadowy figure. Lean, with broad shoulders, hair cut short. She could see the strong jaw line, but not the eyes.

"Ben?"

In a flash, and seemingly without moving, the figure lunged forward. Her body slammed against the wall, long fingers gripping her throat tightly.

"No, Ben!!"

Judy awoke suddenly, sitting straight up on the sofa laid on. Instantly she regretted sitting up so fast, her head became dizzy.

"Are you okay?" Rachel asked.

She'd been the one shaking Judy out of her slumber, but she hadn't quite expected that reaction.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Judy looked around, recognizing the bus. "You just startled me."

"Sorry," she said. "Just wanted to tell you it's time to go inside."

"Oh. Are we here already?"

Judy turned to look out the window. She could see the lobby of the hotel they were parked in front of.

"Where's Justin?"

Last she remembered he had been her pillow, now she was by herself on the couch, under a blue blanket.

"He's already inside. They always take him in first, before the crowds have a chance to figure out whose bus this is."

"Oh. Okay."

"So, come on. Let's go in. All of us could use a few hours sleep in a real bed."

Judy pushed the blanket away and stood up. She ran a hand over her face as she followed Rachel through the bus, trying to wipe the sleep from her system. Finally they reached the door and she could hear the voices of a small crowd and make out that same smell of diesel. As she made her way down the steps she saw Mike, and several other men dressed just like him clearing a path through a small crowd of girls. Behind the girls were 10 or 12 photographers, cameras aimed and ready. Not only were they on the lookout for anything involving Justin, but they had seen the MTV vans, and knew something was up.

"Let's go," Rachel called, already making her way through the crowd.

Judy followed, flashes going off on either side.

"That's Rachel, Justin's cousin. Hi Rachel!"

She didn't seem at all phased by the strangers calling her name.

"Who is that with her? Hey! Who are you? You look familiar."

Judy paused, turning to face the young blonde who had questioned her. Then she felt a tug on her arm.

"Just keep walking," Rachel said. "Never stop for anything. Once they got you stopped they'll never let you go again."

Judy nodded, following Rachel into the lobby. It was bright, virtually empty, and decorated with white and gold marble.

"Well, well, Judy Bucklass."

She turned at the sound of her name, only this time the voice was more familiar. Her eyes landed on a gathering of people, and one of them flashed her a smile.

"You've come a long way from Central Valley."

"Steve!" She couldn't help the squeal that escaped her lips as she ran toward him.

Judy threw her arms around Steve's neck, squeezing tightly.

"It's so good to see you."

"You too. Let me get a look at you."

He stepped back, giving her a look over.

"You look so different."

She couldn't tell if that was a compliment or a hidden insult.

"A lot has happened," she said.

Steve nodded.

"Justin said something similar to that effect when I saw him earlier."

"You saw Justin already?"

"Yeah, he was on his way upstairs."

"Oh. So, what's with all the crew?" She motioned to the people behind him. "The last time it was just the three of us, now there's a whole…"

"Production?" He filled in the word when she paused.

"Yeah, back in CV, MTV wanted your life to remain as normal as possible, so they just sent me to the floor. But now, a national tour like this with a celebrity like Justin? They had to send the whole team. You're in the big league now, baby."

Half an hour later, after meeting the rest of the crew, Judy shuffled up to her room on the seventh floor. It was average, small, with a single King sized bed, her luggage on the floor in the closet area. Instantly her chest got a little tight. She'd always had a fear of staying in hotel rooms alone. Watching so many episodes of Most Haunted late at night had permanently irked her. In fact, she nearly screamed out loud when the shrill ring of the telephone sounded through the room.

"Hello?"

"Hey."

Judy smiled, breathing a sigh of relief as she sat down on the bed.

"Justin. Hey. Where are you?"

"On lock down in my room."

"Sounds like a party."

"Of course. Your room okay? How you feeling?"

"Surreal. The room is fine, just thinking of heading to bed soon."

"Good. Today will be a long day."

"You mean tomorrow."

"No," he chuckled. "It's almost 2am remember? I mean today."

"Right."

It was going to take time for her to get on the right schedule.

"Let me know if you need anything. I'm right next door."

There was a light knock on the wall above her headboard and Judy knocked back.

"Thanks. G'night J."

"Night Juicy."

After what felt like hours Judy sighed dramatically and dropped the remote. There was absolutely nothing on. The TV was playing some commercial about some kind of Bump It! Hair accessory.

She'd been tossing and turning, trying to get comfortable, trying to relax. But nothing that she did was working. She was either thinking about the nightmare she'd had earlier or she was listening to every little sound of the hotel, wondering if her room was haunted.

Judy glanced at the clock, seeing that in reality it had been less than an hour since he'd called, then picked up her cell phone. She didn't know what the room number next door was, but she knew he'd answer his cell.

"Yeah?" He sounded groggy.

"Hey. You awake?"

"Nope. Just having conversations in my sleep."

"Okay. That was a stupid question."

"Yep. What do you need?"

She didn't know how to say, "Can I sleep with you because I feel safe there." So she simply said:

"Big bed, little person."

"Come here," was his reply.

Judy hung up, grabbing her room key off the dresser. She didn't even bother putting her shoes on as she headed into the hall and to the room next door. She knocked once, smiling shyly at the hotel security guard who stood posted by the elevator. Justin's door opened and before her was nothing but a sea of black. She stepped in anyway and when the door closed behind her the lights magically flipped on. She spun around to find Justin there.

"Were you hiding behind the door?"

"Yes. Paparazzi often hid out in the halls."

Judy followed him into the room, and when she looked up her jaw dropped. They were standing in his living room, decorated in red. Across the room was a door way, and inside she could see a dining table. Judy turned, looking back at the door. Was she still on the same floor? This was what was next to her room?

"Oh my God," she breathed.

"I know. I don't know why they get me these rooms. I only sleep here."

Judy made a face.

"Wanna trade?"

Justin smiled, heading around the corner.

"Come on," he called back. "I'm tired. I have to be up in three hours"

As she followed, Judy noticed for the first time that Justin truly had been sleeping. He was clad in rumbled, plaid boxers, the tattoo on his back exposed for all the world to see. For a moment she got the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, but quickly shook them away. Must have been left over nerves from the dream.

"I promise you…" she began, stepping into the bedroom.

Only half of his bed was touched.

"…I am working on being able to sleep in my own bed more than twice a week."

Justin snorted back a laugh, tossing the decorative pillows from her side onto the floor.

"Keep working," he suggested. "It's going to be hard for me to mack on groupies if you're jumping in my bed at 3am every night."

Judy climbed up into the bed, fluffing her pillows before she climbed in and laid down to get comfortable. But she didn't ever get the chance. An arm snaked around her torso, yanking her backwards halfway across the bed, her back to his bare chest.

"You could have asked," she said.

She already knew from experience that he had an affection for spooning in his sleep. Rather than answer, Justin lifted his hand to cover her mouth for a second before dropping it. It was his way of politely telling her to shut up.

"Night."

Her response from him was a snore. For the three hours she slept peacefully.

"Juice box, get up, let's go."

Judy's heavy eyelids open and she saw Justin coming into the bedroom from the bathroom, shrugging on a cream button down over a t-shirt.

"No."

Justin yanked the blankets up over her head.

"Yes. I told you we had to be up early."

Justin sat on the edge of the bed and yanked the covers back, only to find she was holding the pillow over her head as well.

"You're the one on tour, why do I have to get up?"

Justin looked at her, at least, what he could see of her that wasn't hidden by white linen.

"Okay. You want to sleep?"

"That would be why I'm still in bed."

"Yeah well that's not all there is to do in bed," he muttered.

"What?"

"Nothing. So, okay, it's six am now. You can stay here until noon. I'll send the van back for you, but if you don't get on it and come to the venue than you're getting left behind because we're leaving from there."

"Got it, boss."

"It's so unfair that you get to sleep and I have to go to work."

"Unfair? Do I get paid millions of dollars to smile and shake my non-existent ass on a jumbo tron? Nope."

Justin scoffed.

"Non-existent ass?"

He flung the blankets back over her and headed back into the bathroom.

Around 10am Judy finally awoke, reaching her arms into the air and rolling the stretch down her back before letting them flop back down to the bed. She sat up, looking around the room. It was bright and airy, the furniture decorated in cherry wood. Standing up, she moved into the front room toward the front door, seeing Justin's bags already there, waiting to be picked up.

Grabbing her room key off the coffee table, Judy headed toward her own room. She might as well start getting ready. It was the first day of the tour and the first day of filming. Her first moment of filming came as soon as she opened the hotel room door.

"And we're rolling."

In the hallway waiting, was Steve, holding a camera, another man, Matt, holding a large microphone over her head, and one of the producers, Mindy, holding a clipboard.

Judy blinked at them, then turned the corner to get back to her own room. She hoped her closing door would lock them out, but instead they followed her inside.

"You can come into my room?"

"Yep. We just can't go in the bathroom," Mindy answered. "Unless we know there's something scandalous going on in there that we need to get on film."

"Ah. I see."

Judy grabbed a few things from her suitcase and went into the bathroom and change.

"Oh. Judy, wait one second before you change."

She stopped in the doorway at Mindy's voice. Mindy put her walkie-talkie to her mouth and pressed the button.

"Control, do you want us to go back and do a shot of her waking up in Justin's bed?"

A staticy voice sounded to answer Mindy's question, but Judy didn't wait for the reply. She rolled her eyed and headed into the bathroom, locking the door behind herself. Even if they wanted that shot she wasn't giving it to them. When she opened the door again she was fully dressed and in the middle of brushing her teeth.

"So, Judy, you excited about the tour?"

Mindy was now sitting on the corner of Judy's bed.

"I am."

"Have you seen Justin perform before?"

"I've seen him in concert when he would come through my hometown, but I've never been on an actual tour before. This is totally different."

It was 12:30pm when the white van pulled up behind the arena where Justin would be playing. The car doors opened and the crew filed out, followed by Judy. A large well lit hall was before her, and she moved on the assumption that she was supposed to follow it.

"Does anyone know where we're going?" She asked.

Steve and Matt were walking backwards, their focus on her. They weren't paying any attention to their surroundings.

"Judy?"

A stage hand, dressed in all black, appeared at her right.

"Yeah."

"Follow me."

Judy and the camera crew followed the stagehand through a maze of hallways, the noise from the band echoing louder and louder as they made their way.

"Through there," he pointed to a set of double doors.

The group passed through the doors and found themselves on the empty floor of the arena, the stage in front of them. Judy could hear the band loud and clear now, along with Justin's voice over the speaker saying something about the lights, but she couldn't yet make out which figure on the stage was him.

But as she was making her way toward the stage, an insistent vibration sounded in her pocket, distracting her attention. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket, her body language changing when she saw Ben's name on the caller ID.

She looked at the phone hesitantly before she decided to answer. She stepped away from Steve and Matt, hoping they'd recognize her need for privacy. They didn't.

"Hello?"

"Why haven't you been answering your phone?"

"I've been busy."

"Busy doing what? Or should I say whom?"

Judy heard a noise, and when she turned around she ran right smack into the microphone Matt had been holding above her head.

"Hold on Ben. Matt, would you guys go away? I'm trying to have a conversation here."

"Who are you talking to? Who's Matt?"

She could hear Ben's voice yelling through the earpiece on the phone, and he didn't sound happy.

Up on the stage, Justin was focusing on the lights, working with the techs to see if there was a lighting pattern that didn't blind him as much as the one they'd been using.

"Ooh, who is that? She's cute."

The voice of his stage director, Mason, caught his eye. Justin followed Mason's line of vision, and spotted Judy down on the floor. She had her phone in one hand, and was waving away Mindy and her crew with the other.

"That's Judy," Justin answered.

"Oh, my bad man. Is she with you?"

"Well," Justin glanced back out at Judy.

Now she was walking in circles, trying to outrun the camera crew.

"Actually she's not with anyone," Justin said.

Mason smiled and looked to the arena floor again.

"That's because she hasn't met me yet."

Justin began to feel that same feeling of doubt and disgust that he'd gotten with Ben rise in the pit of his stomach.

"Yeah," he told Mason sarcastically. "Are we done here?"

"Yeah, you can go. But be back at four so we can run through it again before the show."

Justin heard Mason, but he didn't acknowledge him as he jumped from the stage down to the arena floor. He made his way towards Judy, who was still on the phone, trying to keep Matt's microphone at bay.

"Well I don't care what he said, that never happened."

She was so focused on yelling, that she didn't notice Justin walk up behind her. He reached out, taking the phone from her hands, and closed it.

"What did you just do?" Her eyes went wide.

"Was that Ben?"

"Yes. And you just hung up on him-."

"Good. He deserved it. And you don't need this."

Just as he spoke the phone began to vibrate again. It was Ben, calling back. Judy reached for it, but Justin stuck it in his pocket.

"Why don't you let me hold onto this for awhile?"

Justin slung an arm around her shoulders, guiding her back out of the doors she'd just come through.

"Which way is backstage?" He asked a random worker passing by.

They pointed, and Justin pulled Judy in that direction.

"Guys, next time could you give me some privacy for crying out freakin' loud?"

"Hey, it's not their fault," Justin said. "You knew when you signed on for a reality show…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."

After turned down several halls they arrived at Justin's dressing room, and he picked up a black laminated pass off of the table.

"Keep this on at all times. Otherwise, security will kick you out, and then you'll have to flash a staff member to get back in, and even most of them aren't allowed near my dressing room."

"Even if they flash you personally?"

He shrugged.

"Then it depends."

"You're disgusting."

"I'm a man."