"Keep up with the rhythm Madison, you're about a half second behind!" Michele Martinez called to one of her nine year old students. Becoming aware of herself, the little girl quickly caught up with her peers. Michele gave her a nod of approval, and continued walking around the dance floor, surveying her students. She smiled, pleased with the progress they were making. Sure, they needed some polishing here and there, but overall her class of seven to nine year old girls was amazing. She was sure that by the time regionals came around that the Make It Shine routine would be perfected. There was no doubt in her mind that her girls would nail it, and bring home the gold.

As the bridge to Victoria Justice's Make it Shine approached, Michele paid close and careful attention. This was the most intricate part of the routine that was sure to please the judges and the audience. That also meant, if they didn't nail it, the whole thing would fall apart. Michele stepped back and surveyed Destiny and Amanda, her two strongest dancers, as they launched into a series of aerials, while the rest of the girls launched into barrel turns.

"That's great girls!"She called over the loud, pulsating beat. "Destiny, make sure you build more momentum before your aerial next time." She began to pace the room again, watching her girls dance their hearts out. She hoped that they would always be able to connect with the message of never giving up on your dreams, despite their young age.

The girls landed in their final positions, posing and smiling to perfection. Michele clapped her hands proudly, pleased with their work. "Great job girls, that's it for today. You all deserve a much needed break, so rest up over the weekend, and I'll see you all Monday," she said, walking over to the stereo, to cut it off. She could hear the footsteps of twelve little girls running up behind her moments later, and then twelve pairs of arms wrapped themselves around her body, embracing her in a group hug. "Aww, I love you girls, you're so sweet!" she gushed. She loved being a choreographer, mostly because she loved kids.

She loved her job, and knew how lucky she was to be able to do it everyday.

After the girls released their grip on her, they paraded to the bar on the back wall so they could collect their things. Well, all except for one.

"Miss Michele?" Haleigh, said timidly.

"Yes, Haleigh?" She turned around to face the seven year old, and bent down to her level.

"Is Justin coming to the competition with you next weekend?" Haleigh asked shyly, blushing.

Aww! She's so cute. Michele thought to herself. Haleigh, who was the youngest and smallest of them all, had a crush on her boyfriend, but she wouldn't admit it. According to her, and most seven year old girls Michele had come to know, boys still had ‘the cooties.'

"Ooooh! Haliegh's got a crush on Justin Timberlake!" Nine year old Jacqueline Conners teased.

"Ooooh!!!" The other girls echoed, focusing all of their attention on the ultra-sensitive seven year old. Haleigh ducked her head in embarrassment, and her cheeks started to get redder and redder by the second. She hated being teased, and Michelle knew she could burst into tears at any moment.

"Jackie be nice," Michele warned.

Jackie crossed her arms and stuck out her bottom lip, upset about being scolded.

Michele bent down to Haleigh, and playfully pinched her cheek to cheer her up. "Don't worry, I'll make sure he comes," she whispered.

Haliegh smiled, and Michele gave her a wink. She'd always had a soft spot for Haleigh, because she reminded Michele of herself when she was a girl; shy and sensitive.

"Alright girls, let's not keep your parents waiting," Michele called to her students.

The girls finished collecting their bags and coats, before heading out the door in a single file line. meeting up with their parents in the hallway. Their parents were there, as always, patiently waiting for their children to return to them.

Michele said her goodbyes, and once everybody was gone, she packed up her own stuff and shut down the studio. Grabbing her iPhone from her purse, she turned it on, feeling giddy with excitement. She anticipated that her inbox would be flooded with voice mails and text messages from her wonderful boyfriend of seven years: Justin Randall Timberlake!

Yes, the Justin Timberlake. Most people knew him as an international pop and movie star, but to her, he was just Justin, her man, her boo! The love of her life! She hadn't been able to see him, since he'd had a meeting early that morning, so she couldn't wait to hear his voice, especially on today of all days. She loved December for three reasons: Christmas, her birthday, and her anniversary with Justin. Today, the 10th, happened to be both her birthday and anniversary! Michele could remember it like it was just yesterday!

December 10, 2004

Michele stepped out of the dance studio, and into the warm Los Angeles air, having just finished teaching a dance workshop. Although she loved what she did, she missed being on tour. She had finished *Nsync's PopOdyssey Tour, with barely more than a week off, before Justin called and asked if she wanted a spot on the Justified/Stripped tour. Of course, she accepted. Being able to tour with *Nsync, Justin, and Christina was more than she could ever ask for! After the Justified/Stripped tour, Justin offered her a spot to be a backup dancer on his Justified and Lovin' It tour. She got to work with great people, and travel the world. Now that it was all over, she missed it. She missed the adrenaline of performing in front of a live crowd every night. She loved getting to wear cool costumes, and meeting new people, but most of all, she missed the guys. Especially Justin.

Towards the end of the PopOdyssey Tour, Justin found out that his longtime girlfriend, Britney Spears had cheated on him with their choreographer, Wade Robson. Not only was it devastating to Justin, who loved Britney more than anything, but it also made it awkward for everyone else on tour. Justin's whole demeanor had changed. Although he wanted to be treated the same as everybody else, it was hard when he was breaking down even more as the days passed. He was fragile. What made it worse was that they had to work with Wade every single day, and Chantal, who was his older older sister. The whole tour was beginning to unravel and Justin would open up to no one. No one...except Michele.

One night during a tour stop in Phildelphia, she told the other girls, Kristen, Chantal, Analisia, and Diana, that she needed space, and wanted to be by herself for a little while. Michele grabbed her bathing suit from her suitcase, put it on, and headed downstairs to the pool area. Luckily, there was nobody there at that time of night. Lowering her body down into the hot tub, Michele let the hot water relax her. She tossed her head back, and closed her eyes, trying to get the images out of her head. Unfortunately, like Justin, Michele had just gone through a devastating breakup as well. About two weeks prior, she discovered through a text message that Kyle, her high school sweetheart, and boyfriend of six years, had cheated on her with her best friend, Janie. There she was, eating lunch with the girls after rehearsals when she heard her Motorolla alert her that she had a text message. Seeing that it was from Janie, she thought that it would be another one of her best friend's heartfelt messages, keeping her informed on all the things that she was missing out on back home. Much to her surprise, the message was a picture of Janie locking lips with Kyle, tongue included!

She could almost feel the pepperoni pizza that she had been eating, making it's way back up her throat. She thought that she would die right then. Well, she didn't die, but she did launch into a full blown panic attack, for everyone to see! It took all four of the girls to calm her down. Oh God, she was gonna die. Can you imagine? Death by a broken a heart? How could she? How could he? How could they? How dare they? Those son of a bitches!

Michele was an emotional wreck over the next two weeks. She even missed a few steps in rehearsals as well as the live shows, and she was afraid that she might even get fired. She needed to relax and get over Kyle for the remainder of the tour, and then sulk and sob afterwards. She had to stay professional.

"Mind if I join you?" Michele heard a voice ask. She looked up to see the crystal blue orbs of the one and only Justin Timberlake staring back at her.

"Umm.... Sure." Michele stammered. What in the hell was she going to say? No? She couldn't, he was her boss, and she was already skating on thin ice. Michele tried to remain calm, as if he wasn't lowering himself into the jacuzzi right along side of her. Sure, she worked alongside him, saw him every day, and danced with him every night, but she was still a fan! They had always co-existed in a professional environment together, but to be this close to him, in hot water, almost naked? It was almost to much to handle.

An awkward silence ensued, and then she finally decided to take a step and make light conversation. "So...how goes it." Seriously? How goes it? What am I twelve?

"Horrible." Justin replied. "No matter what I do, I just can't stop thinking of her. Everywhere I go, it's like I see Brit's face. Something always reminds me of her. This is driving me insane."

Michele didn't know why he was confessing this to her, of all people. They weren't friends, just co-workers, and that was how it had always been.

"Tell me about it," she replied, saying the words before she could stop herself.

"You just broke up with someone too?" Justin asked, opening his eyes, and turning his head to look at her.

Shit! Now she had to relive the horrible event all over again. Plus, she wasn't sure whether or not she was comfortable with Justin knowing her business.

"Well, um... Yeah. About two weeks ago, I found out that my boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend."

"Wow, no shit," Justin said.

"Even worse, I found out through a text message," she added.

"You win." Justin said. He couldn't imagine catching Trace, J.C., or any of the other guys with Britney. Finding out about her and Wade was bad enough.

"Yeah I guess so." Michele said, letting out a small bitter laugh. Then it started up again. The images of both Janie and Kyle swapping spit flooded her mind, and the tears threatened to spill out of her eyes. But...no, she couldn't cry. She wouldn't, she refused.

"I loved Britney. Fuck, I still love her. I gave her everything, and then she does this," Justin said coldly. "I don't think I can ever love again."

Michele's heart was broken, but she could feel her heart breaking more for Justin. From what she saw, he was a great guy, who didn't deserve to be treated that way. She didn't know what to say to him though. But, she figured the best she could do was listen. That's exactly what she did. She listened to Justin dwell on his relationship for a while. He told her everything about them. The good, the bad, and ugly. She was shocked when she saw a few tears slide down his face.

"So enough about my problems," he sighed. "What about you?"

"Me?" Michele asked, pointing to herself.

"Yes you. What did you think I was some sort of self absorbed narcissistic asshole?" He smiled.

"Um... Maybe a little. But only at first." Michele replied, truthfully.

"Shit, well, at least you're honest." Justin laughed.

"I can tell that you're not."

"Well, that's good to know, 'cause you'd be right." Justin replied. "So, what about you?"

"It's a long story," she said.

"I'm all ears."

"But, it's really depressing."

"Well, I'm already depressed."

"I'm sure you don't wanna hear about my life. It's late anyway. I should get going." Michele nodded quickly and turned to leave.

Justin grabbed her by the wrist before she could get anywhere, though.

"Don't go." Justin pleaded, his blue eyes wide. "I just need to be around someone other than the guys for a minute. Besides, it seems like you need someone to talk to, and I just made you sit here while I rambled on about my pathetic love life. It wouldn't be fair not to let you do the same."

How could she say no to that? Without thinking, she decided that she was going to stay. "Well Kyle was my first and last boyfriend, and I've known Janie ever since we were in our mother's wombs. My mom, Tina, and her mom met in Lamaze class, and we've been best friends ever since. Kyle, however, didn't come along until eighth grade. That's when Janie started to change. She got popular, I didn't, and got left behind. That's how I met Kyle, he was nice to me, when everyone else wasn't. He became my friend when everyone who used to be my friend had isolated me. He never made fun of me, and he never judged me. He was the first guy who I wasn't afraid to be myself around. By the time ninth grade rolled around, Janie had come to her senses. The queen bee was overthrown, and she was back to being a pimply nobody. She apologized, and we were friends again. To be honest, I don't even know why I forgave her in the first place, because she treated me like crap. I guess I missed her. By tenth grade Kyle became my first official boyfriend, and we became inseparable. We never did anything without each other, and it made Janie jealous. She did everything she could to break us up, and we fought. We didn't speak for seven months, until junior year when Janie apologized, and I forgave her. Again."

"I fell madly in love with Kyle. He was my first kiss, I lost my virginity to him. He was my first love, my everything, my world revolved around him. And now the two people I loved the most have gone behind my back, and broken my heart. I've known Janie all my life, she was more like a sister than a friend. And Kyle? I've been with him since I was fifteen years old. I gave him six whole years of my life. But looking back on everything now, I don't know how I didn't see this coming. Janie was never a good friend. She was always screwing things up in our friendship, and I was always the one forgiving her. But Kyle, I thought he was all good... I guess I was wrong."

"Damn that's fucked up," Justin stated.

"Tell me about it. What hurts the most, is that Janie deliberately sent me that text. She meant to hurt me, and I can't understand why. I would never do anything to hurt her." Michele said, a tear now rolling down her cheek. It felt so good to let everything she had been holding in for the last two weeks out. She never expected that that relief would come in the form of a six foot pop star.

"You know what?" Justin said. "Fuck 'em!"

"What?" Michele asked, incredulously.

"Fuck 'em. We don't need them."

"I guess you're right." Michele sighed. "If we're sitting here crying our eyes out about how wrong they did us, then what do we need 'em for?"

"Hey you were the one crying your eyes out. I don't cry" Justin joked.

"Yeah, right." Michele laughed.

"Hey, no one needs to know about this." Justin said seriously.

"I agree."

That was the moment when Justin and Michele formed a friendship. After that, Justin made an effort to spend more time with her after work. He would take her out to lunch, or they'd go shopping, and just... talk. That was it. She wasn't looking into jumping into another relationship anytime soon, and neither was he. They were both too damaged from their pasts. What they needed from each other was companionship. They were simply friends, and although he loved the guys like brothers, he was happy to have someone else to talk to. Someone that understood him in a different way. Someone who he wasn't afraid to show his sensitive side to. He could open up to Michele, feel completely comfortable around her, and he hadn't felt that way in a while. Whenever he was around her a homey and familiar feeling came over him, and whenever he was away from her, he couldn't wait to be near her again.

Even after the PopOdyssey tour was over, the two had kept in touch, and became closer than ever. Since they both had home-away-from-homes in Los Angeles, they would spend most of their time together, whenever they were in town for work. When they were both on opposite ends of the earth, they would make an effort to talk to each other at least once a week on the phone to catch up on their lives. At that point, Justin was putting the finishing touches on his first solo album, and Michele had the chance to dance for Janet Jackson at a few events.

With Justified about to be released, Justin was preparing to go on tour, and reached out to his former Mousketeer pal Christina Aguilera, to join forces with him. Together, they formed the Justified/Stripped tour where Justin promoted his new album, and Christina promoted hers as well. When it was time to audition dancers, Justin knew just who to call.

In June of 2002, Michele received a call from Justin. He said that they needed a couple of dancers for the new tour, and wanted her to be one of them. She immediately accepted. She couldn't wait to go on tour again, and she loved to work with Justin. It was great to work alongside someone that was truly professional, and was just as much as a perfectionist as she was. Being that Justin was a dancer as well, he fully understood what it meant to be in her position. Michele loved that he appreciated what she, and the other dancers did. To top it off, she was a huge Christina Aguilera fan! She couldn't wait to spend every day with Justin, almost like when she was on tour *Nsync. This was gonna be awesome!

~*~*~*~*~*~

During the Justified/Stripped tour Justin and Michele grew even closer. Justin loved having the comfort of knowing that Michele was with him wherever he went. Maybe it was from having her on the PopOdyssey Tour, but he loved having her on tour, and he didn't think that it would be the same without her.

On some nights, when Justin didn't feel like being alone, he would invite Michele back to his hotel room, and they would stay up all night and watch Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies. Since they were all like one big family, no one seemed to mind Justin and Michele's one on one time together. In fact, everyone thought that it was cute and respected their privacy.

One night on the tour, when Michele was too lazy to go back to her room, Justin had invited her to stay the night with him. She curled up next to him in his bed, he wrapped his arm around her, and she laid her head on his chest.

"Justin." Michele said.

"Hmm?"

"Remember that night in the hot tub in Philly?" Michele asked.

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Why did you talk to me that night?" She asked.

"What did you think I was gonna be rude, and stare at you, and not say anything?" Justin laughed.

"No! I didn't mean like that!" Michele laughed. "What I meant was, why did you choose to tell me the things that you told me? To confess all of those things like that. I mean we barely knew each other at the time, so... why me?" Michele asked. Ever since that night in the hot tub, Michele had always wondered why he chose her to share some of his inner most feelings with. What made her so special?

"Because I felt comfortable around you." Justin answered honestly, gently rubbing her back, his eyes still closed.

"But you hardly knew me." Michele said. "How could I have possibly made you feel comfortable?"

"Because you make everyone feel comfortable, Michele." Justin responded, now opening his eyes to look at her. "You have this very comforting aura around you Michele, that night in Philadelphia I just got a comforting vibe from you. I felt so calm, I knew immediately that I could trust you. You're not like a lot of malicious people that I've encountered. You're real, and you're honest, and the most kind and nurturing girl I've ever met. And to top it off you take good care of me." Just then, at that very moment, Justin's heart leapt at his sudden realization, that Michele had possessed all of the qualities that he was looking for. She was that girl. The perfect girl. Could it really happen between us? Justin wondered. Nahhh, Michele made it clear that she wasn't looking for a boyfriend. But still... Justin shook his head, quickly erasing the thought from his mind. "So, what made you decide to open up to me that night?" Justin asked, flipping the script.

"You made me, remember?" Michele asked, laughing.

"Yeah I did." Justin replied. "But aren't you glad you did?"

"Yeah, I am."

~*~*~*~*~*~

After the Justified/Stripped tour was over, Justin hired Michele to be a backup dancer for the Justified and Lovin' It tour. He often wondered if he was becoming a nuisance to Michele. He hated being without her, was almost completely dependent on her. He had been on two tours with her now, and it wouldn't be right to go on another one without her. Justin loved going out on stage every night, knowing that Michele was gonna be there. He was completely mesmerized by her, he loved to watch her dance. She gave it her all, and left her heart out on the stage, and that was so amazing to Justin. She was so passionate about what she did, and that's what Justin admired about her. He wanted her right there with him traveling the world, and performing side by side each night. She was like the Bonnie to his Clyde. She wasn't just his dancer, she wasn't just his friend. She was something more, something that he couldn't put a label on, but it meant everything to him. She took care of him when they were on tour. She made sure he was eating proper meals, and getting the amount of rest he needed, which was damn near impossible on tour, she could always tell when he was stressing out, and did everything in her power to relax him, and even when he had to go on vocal rest, Michele made sure he kept his mouth shut. She was always looking out for him, and sure, she was his employee and all, but what she did for him, you couldn't put a price on that. He deeply appreciated Michele, and everything she did for him, and hoped that maybe one day, he'd get the chance to take care of her, the way that she had done for him.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A few months after the Justified and Lovin' It tour, Michele was back in Los Angeles, and Justin had settled in New York, where he began work on his second album. After touring with *Nsync and Justin, Michele had gained so much experience and exposure, that had led to great opportunities. She got to choreograph a few music videos for Usher, Mya, Gwen Stefani, Kylie Minogue, and Christina Milian, and she got to be in a Black Eyed Peas, and Maroon 5 music video. She got to work alongside choreographers Tina Landon, and Darren Henson, and teach lessons at the Millenium Complex in Los Angeles. She was more than blessed, and thankful for the opportunities that she had been given, and Justin had been a huge part in making that happen, and she couldn't be grateful enough. But even with all of this newfound success, a part of her felt empty. She wasn't sure whether the emptiness came form not being able to go out on stage every night, or from not being able to see Justin every day. She was pretty sure that it was the latter.

Being so busy, Justin and Michele's careers kept them apart most of the time, so they hardly got to see each other. Going from being together almost every day for four years, to going weeks sometimes months at a time without seeing each other was a major culture shock. Something that they both had to get used to.

And since today was Michele's birthday, it would take a lot of getting used to not having Justin there. He hadn't missed a birthday in three years. What made things even worse was that her family was back in Texas, and couldn't be with her. She had other friends, but it just wasn't the same without her family or Justin. When Michele had gotten into her silver 2005 Camry, she decided to pop in the mix C.D. that Justin had made for her. It included some of their favorite songs: Brian McKnight's "Never Felt This Way" , Princes's "Adore", Craig David's "Seven Days", and a few others. She noticed that most of the songs had a romantic theme to it, and she often wondered if he had done that on purpose.

Pulling out of the parking lot, and making her way to her apartment, Michele enjoyed every song on the C.D. that Justin made. She figured if he couldn't be with Justin, at least she would have a part of him with her. When Michele had finally gotten to her apartment, all she wanted to do was take a hot bath and relax for the rest of the day, and watch Christmas movies. Once Michele got to her door, and her duffel bag over he shoulder, she turned her keys in the door knob anticipating for her Maltipoo, Lala, her Pomeranian, Georgia, and her Shih Tzu, ChiChi to come running up to her, barking in excitement, and running around their Mama's ankles. But much to her disappointment, when she stepped into her apartment, there was no Lala, Georgia, or ChiChi. That was odd. Michele dropped her duffel bag, and turned on the living room light.

"SURPRISE!" Michele thought that she would jump out of her skin when she heard the noise. But much to her shock and surprise, she saw her mom, dad, brothers and sisters, all four of her grandparents, nieces and nephews, and cousins all holding presents. The apartment was decorated with balloons and Happy Birthday Banners. And in the center of the room was none other than Justin Randall Timberlake himself.

"Wait, what?" Michele asked in complete shock and disbelief, tears rolling down her cheeks. She had missed her family, and she had missed Justin so much, and now they were all here! It was almost too much to take in. "But how did you--- when--- but you said--- and..." Michele stuttered. She just couldn't piece the puzzle together.

"Hey does it really matter?" Justin asked. "We're all here now!" Justin walked up to Michele, and wrapped his arm around her and led her into her apartment. The first thing she did was hug her parents, her mom was her number one best friend, and she was a daddy's girl. She was super close with her family so being away from them was the hardest part. She then hugged her brothers Eric and Shayne, then her sisters, Isabella and Cammi. After her siblings, she hugged all four of her grandparents, then her nieces Gabriella and Aubrey, and her nephews Jospeh and Andrew. Then onto her cousins Stephanie, Candice, Daniella, Antonio, and Steven.Yeah, she had a pretty big family, and that wasn't even all of them!

After Michele had the chance to hug all of her family, everyone went to the kitchen where they sang Happy Birthday to her, and cut the cake. Justin had a special Frosty the Snowman cake made, because he knew winter was her favorite time of the year.

"Oh my God, I've missed you guys so much!" Michele cried, taking a bite of her cake. She was overwhelmed with happiness, and a since of completion. "So how did you guys all get here?" She asked. "I thought you all were snowed in."

"Well Justin called and told us that you were going to be alone for your birthday." Cammi started.

"And we couldn't have that!" Her mother said.

"But since we couldn't fly out to come see you..." Isabella said.

"Justin all flew us out on his great big private jet!" Eight year old Gabriella cheered.

Michele's eyes immediately went to Justin, who then blushed a little. "Justin... you did this?" Michele asked.

"Um...yeah." Justin replied, all eyes on him.

"Thank you!" Michele said, walking over to hug him. When Michele hugged Justin she wondered if he felt the same spark that she felt. Whatever it was sent chills down her spine.

"It was nothing really." Justin replied modestly, shaking off the feeling that hugging Michele gave him.

"No trust me, it's everything!" Michele smiled. Justin loved to see her smile. All he wanted was for her to be happy.

A few hours later, after Justin, Michele, and her family were done stuffing their faces and sharing exciting stories with each other, all of Michele's family had left and gone to the Four Seasons Hotel, where Justin had payed for them to stay, since there wasn't nearly enough room in Michele's tiny apartment.

"'Bye Mommy, bye Daddy!" Michele said, hugging her parents. "Call me as soon as you guys get to the hotel."

"We sure will." Her mother said. "Love you baby"

"Love you Lady Bug." Her dad said, calling her by her nickname that he had given her when she was four years old.

"I love you too." Michele replied, giving them one last hug, before they left. Sighing, Michele shut the door behind them. She missed them already.

"Lady Bug?" Justin giggled.

"Shut up!" Michele said, embarrassed.

"No, I like it! It's cute!" Justin replied.

"Yeah, well no one calls me that, except my parents."

"Aww, is my little Lady Bug embarrased?" Justin teased.

"Whatever, just don't call me that in public." Michele said, sitting next to Justin on the couch.

"Hey look!" Justin exclaimed, pointing out the window. Michele turned around to see what got Justin so excited so fast. Michele didn't know if she could stand another surprise that day. When Michele looked out the window, she felt like a little girl at Christmas.

"Is that snow?" Michele asked completely shocked. "In Los Angeles?" This is the last place that anyone had expected snow to fall.

"I guess it is." Justin said, shocked as well. "Well, you got your wish."

"Huh?"

"Remember that time when we were in Chicago, and it was snowing, and you said that you hated L.A. because it never snowed?" Justin said, reminding her.

"I can't believe you remembered that."

"I remember everything you tell me, Michele." Justin replied. Michele smiled. Damn! It was happening again. That feeling that she got whenever she was with him. The butterflies at the pit of her stomach would start fluttering, and she would start to blush. This was crazy!

"Yeah well I guess I did get my wish then." Michele said.

"Well now you have to make another wish." Justin said.

"Why?" Michele asked.

"Because, it's the first snowfall of the season. C'mon everyone knows that you have to make a wish during the first snowfall of the season." Justin explained. Michele really couldn't think of anything else to wish for, she had all that she needed, she was a happy girl. And that was all because of Justin.

"Well, I don't really know what to wish for, Justin, you've already made them all come true. I still can't believe that you've done all of this for me."

"It's the least I could do, with all that you've done for me over the past three almost four years." Justin said honestly.

"But you really didn't have to do all of this." Michele said.

"Of course I did! I didn't want you to be alone for your birthday." Justin replied, locking eyes with her.

"Thank you." Michele smiled, truly touched. In that moment, she didn't know what came over her, but before she could logically think about what she was about to do, she did it. And there they were; their lips pressed up against one another's. Michele didn't know why she did it, but it felt right. She hadn't felt that way in a long time.

Finally! The moment that Justin had been longing for for the longest of time, had finally come. To be honest, he didn't expect for Michele to make the first move, but he was sure glad that she did. He hoped that she wouldn't regret it.

Michele finally pulled away, and saw the shocked look on Justin's face. Shit! What did I just do? Michele thought to herself, silently panicking. "Umm... Wow! I'm sorry." Michele said, feeling a bit defeated for ruining a perfect moment.

"Oh Baby, don't be!" Justin replied, a goofy grin on his face, and Michele giggled a little.

At first, Michele was afraid of Justin's reaction, but he made her feel comfortable, and not like a huge dork. Michele had gotten the craziest thought in her head, but maybe, just maybe, Justin felt the same. Just then, as if reading her mind Justin grabbed her hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze, almost as if to say, "Don't worry, I love you too." Then he gave her a kiss on the back of her hand. Michele blushed. This moment was perfect.

"So what's your wish?" Michele asked Justin, breaking the silence.

"For you to be mine." Justin replied, looking deep into Michele's eyes. And the rest as they say, was history! After that night Justin and Michele had become an official couple, and were inseparable. Just a few short months later, Michele had moved with Justin to New York, where they bought a house together. He continued to work on his music, and Michele continued dancing. When Justin released his second album FutureSex/LoveSounds, and went on the tour, once again Michele was right there by his side dancing alongside of him every night, and he wouldn't have it any other way. They were perfect together. They couldn't imagine living life without each other. They completed each other. ~*~*~*~*~*~

Michele smiled sweetly to herself, thinking back on all the events that led her to becoming Justin's girlfriend. Looking back on it, she never could have imagined that Justin could ever be her boyfriend, it seemed so unreal to her at the time. But then again, that was before she had actually gotten to know him.

Justin was it for her. She wanted for nothing or no one else. He made her happy, he was her everything. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this man. Sometimes she even felt like he was way too good for her. Sometimes she wondered what she had done to deserve a love as good as Justin's. She was truly blessed, and humbled by his love, and never wanted to let it go.

When her iPhone turned on, to her surprise, there were no new messages, or missed calls from Justin. So she checked her inbox. Still nothing. Nothing from Justin at all. This was weird. Deciding not to jump to conclusions, Michele dialed Justin's cell phone number. It rang once before going straight to voicemail. She hung up. Okay, what the hell was going on?

Michele grabbed her keys, coat, purse, and duffel bag before shutting the lights out, and locking the studio door. Michele walked through the hall way, and past the receptionist desk. "Hey Carla, do you mind shutting down today?" Michele asked.

"Yeah sure, oh and Happy Birthday by the way." Carla, the receptionist replied.

"Thanks, I'll see you on Monday," Michele said, before leaving. As Michele walked out into the cold New York air, she thought that maybe somehow the snow would calm her down like it always did, but this time it didn't. She just didn't understand. Had Justin forgotten their anniversary and her birthday? After seven years?

Once Michele was in her car, and on the road driving home, she dialed Justin's number again, using her blue tooth system. After the phone rang about five times, he finally answered. "Hey Babe." Justin answered nonchalantly.

"Um yeah, it's the day that Esmee starts recording for her new album." Justin stated matter of factly, referring to his recording artist, Esmee Denters, whom he had discovered from YouTube.

Was he even seriously being serious here? "Wait, what?! Where are you?" Michele asked in disbelief.

"In the studio, with Esmee." Justin put an emphasis on her name, as if to remind her of where he was.

"Justin, what's today's date?" Michele asked impatiently.

"Um, hold on babe." Justin replied.

"Yeah, no shit dickhead!" Michele said, her voice almost breaking. She wasn't even angry anymore, she was hurt, beyond hurt.

"Listen Michele, baby I'm sorry it's just that I-"

Michele cut him off before he had even gotten to explain. She just wasn't in the mood to hear Justin's half-assed excuses of why he had forgotten their most important day together. There was no excuse!

She couldn't believe that Justin had forgotten both their anniversary and her birthday. She was looking forward to spending the weekend with him. Just the two of them. Alone. But all of a sudden Justin had decided that work was more important.

Michele was finally relieved when she pulled into the driveway. She was so emotional, that she didn't know if she would make it home without hitting someone or driving straight into a ditch. All she wanted to do was go upstairs, get into her pajamas, and curl up in bed with a bucket of Ben and Jerry's and cry. However, her plan was thwarted when her keys wouldn't fit into the keyholes. She tried again three more times, but to no avail. What in the hell was going on? Justin had the locks changed! But when? Why? Was this Justin's jerk way of breaking up with her? Not bothering to wish her a happy birthday, and putting her out of the house at the same time? That bastard!

Trying to maintain her composure, Michele bent down to get the spare keys from under the welcome mat, but once she retrieved the keys, she realized that they weren't the house keys. They were the keys to Justin's Range Rover. Okay, now Michele was really confused. After contemplating for several minutes in the freezing cold over what she should do next, she figured that she'd had no choice but to head to the Range Rover. Michele swung her duffel bag over her shoulder, and walked towards the garage.

Unlocking the garage door, Michele walked over to the black 2010 Range Rover unlocked the doors, threw her purse and duffel bag in the backseat, and then got in on the driver's side. After she put her seatbelt on, she saw that there was a note on the dashboard. Michele grabbed the note, and read it aloud:

Michele didn't know whether or not to be scared for her life and call the cops, or be curious and play along. But then again, curiosity killed the cat. Was this a kidnapping? Would she be held for ransom? Or was this Justin messing with her mind? Going against her better judgement, Michele decided to go along with the instructions, just in case there may be a hit man waiting across the street, if she didn't cooperate.

Michele turned on the engine, and slowly backed out of the garage, making sure to be aware of her surroundings and anything and anyone that might look suspicious. As the GPS gave the directions, Michele followed them, until they led her to the most unlikely place; Dylan's Candy Bar!

"What the hell?" Michele said to herself. Getting out of the car, Michele walked into world's famous candy store that looked more like the Candy Land game than a store, and was greeted by an attendant.

"You must be Michele Martinez!" The woman said. Michele looked at the girl's name tag. Caitlin. Did she know a Caitlin? Michele looked the perky little blonde up and down. The girl couldn't be any older than nineteen. She didn't look familiar to Michele, so how did this girl know her?

"Um... yes." Michele said a bit uneasy.

"Your order is ready." Caitlin said. But Michele didn't order anything.

"Um... okaaaay." Michele replied.

"Follow me." Caitlin instructed. Michele followed Caitlin up to the cash register. Caitlin handed Michele a pink box, and smiled expectantly. Almost like she knew something that Michele didn't.

"Okay, so how much do I owe you?" Michele asked, digging through her purse.

"Oh, it's already taken care of!" Caitlin replied smiling.

"But who-"

"Just open it!" Caitlin urged.

"Excuse me?" Michele asked in disbelief. Okay seriously? Why did this girl act as if she knew her? Michele could've sworn that she had never seen the girl before. This day just kept getting weirder and weirder. She felt as if she were in "The Twilight Zone".

"You're Michele Martinez, right?" Michele nodded her head. "Okay, well I was put under specific instructions to give you this box, and you're supposed to open it right now. So can you please just stop being difficult, and just go along with it? Please?" Caitlin begged. "My job is on the line here, and if I don't pull this off, then it's my ass!" Caitlin explained nervously.

"Go along with what?" Michele asked, growing more irritated by the minute.

"Just do it." The girl sighed, growing impatient. Doing what she was told, Michele opened up the pink box that was filled with what looked to be about a hundred Hershey's Chocolate Kisses.

"What is this?" Michele asked looking up at Caitlin.

"Look underneath!" Caitlin instructed excited for Michele. Feeling underneath all of the chocolate kisses, Michele could feel two more items out of the bottom of the box. Michele pulled out the first one; A Dylan's Candy Bar Chocolate Boyfriend. Finally something clicked in Michele's head!

"Is this from Justin?" Michele asked. Caitlin enthusiastically nodded her head.

"Yes!" It was all Justin! He had set this whole thing up! He didn't forget! "There's more!" Michele reached for the second item, and pulled it from out of the box; It was a Dylan's Candy Bar Sweetly Said Greeting Card. On the front of the card were a boy gingerbread man, and a gingerbread girl, and the card had the words True Love engraved on it. When Michele opened up the card, tears sprang to her eyes. On the left side of the card was a huge chocolate heart, and on the opposite side of the card, was a note that said: Did you really think I'd forget? -Love, Justin.

"Sorry, I'm such a crybaby." Michele said, as tears began to roll down her cheeks. She couldn't believe Justin! The nerve of him to get her all pissed off pretending like he had forgotten their anniversary, and her birthday, and now this! She loved him!

"Here." Caitlin said, handing Michele a Kleenex. "I just love, love!" Caitlin stated.

"So what happens now?" Michele asked, expecting Caitlin to have the answer.

"Go and get your man!" Was all she said. Michele grabbed the box from the counter, and she was off to go get her man!

This time in the Range Rover Michele found another note, this one looked a bit more friendly. Michele picked up the purple laminated card that read:

Smiling, Michele willing did exactly what was instructed. She couldn't wait to see Justin. To hug him, kiss him, and apologize. She felt bad for getting so mad at him. After seven years, she should've known better than to think he would forget their most important day together. While following the directions, Michele decided to eat a few chocolate kisses. Hell, she was hungry! She then put in the C.D. that Justin had made for her.

"Hey Baby, Happy Birthday and Anniversary!" Michele heard Justin's voice fill the speakers. "So, this C.D. is a mix of songs that we've made love to, laughed over, and cried over. These are all of the songs the remind me of us, so I hope you like it."

Michele could feel herself cheesing so hard! She had the world's best boyfriend! Listening the the GPS, Michele made a right, and then turned left onto 5th Avenue. This is where the GPS had instructed her to stop.

"Rockefeller Center." Michele said, partly amazed, yet partly confused. What was she doing here? Better yet, what was Justin doing here? Never the less, the building was a vision, covered in Christmas lights, and the iconic Christmas Tree looked even better in person, than it did on television. Shutting off the engine, Michele grabbed her purse, got out of the Range Rover, and locked the doors behind her. Michele walked up to the main door of the building where there was a man waiting.

"You must be Miss Martinez." The man said. The gray haired man, who looked to be in his sixties, was dressed in a red and black uniform, he stood about six feet tall, and his British accent sounded authentic. Not like those really cheese pretentious guys who wanted to come off as more sophisticated. No, this man was the real deal.

"Uh huh." Michele said, impressed that the man knew her name. Justin had really gone all out.

"My name is Martin, and I will be escorting you to Mr. Timberlake, follow me." Martin informed her. Martin held one of the double doors open for her, and Michele stepped inside. Following Martin, he led her to the Rockefeller Center's Ice Skating Rink, where there, her coat and purse was taken by an attendant, and she was given a pair of ice skates.

Sitting on the bench and tying the laces to her white ice skates, Michele could only imagine the wild stunt that Justin would have her attempt now. Just as the thought had popped into her head, Michele could hear the familiar sounds of the piano chords that she knew so well. It was Brian McKnight's "Never Felt This Way". That was their song.

After tying her skates, Michele got up from her place on the bench and carefully walked to the ice skating rink, where her eyes locked with the baby blue ones that she loved so much. The way that Justin looked at her in that moment, was the way that Justin looked at her that night seven years ago. And all though they've been together after all this time, he still had the power to make her knees weak, and to make those butterflies flutter at the pit of her stomach. He could still make her heart beat a million times a minute, and bring tears to her eyes. All with just one look. Stepping into the ice skating rink, Michele couldn't skate fast enough to her man.

Watching Michele skate towards him, he couldn't contain his smile. He couldn't wait to have his Baby wrapped up in his arms. Shit, even after seven amazing years together, Michele had never ceased to make him feel like the luckiest man in the world. What had he done right to deserve her? He made a promise to himself seven years ago, when Michele first became his that he would do anything in his power to keep her happy, and that promise didn't stop here.

"Baby I don't know what to say!" Michele exclaimed, when she finally reached him in the middle of the rink.

"Do you like it baby?" Justin asked, wrapping his arms around her, and holding her tight.

"I love it!" Michele replied, looking around. The skating rink had red rose petals outlining it, and the ceiling was sparkling in the most beautiful white Christmas lights and porcelain Angels with harps hanging from the ceiling. Knowing how much Michele loved winter, Justin wanted to transform the skating rink into the perfect Winter Wonderland for her.

"Baby they're playing our song! How did you-"

"Hey, it doesn't matter." Justin said, smiling down at her. "All that matters is that you're here with me now."

"I thought you forgot." Michele admitted.

"Yeah, I'm sorry for acting like an asshole." Justin said apologizing. "But it was part of the plan."

"Yeah well it worked, because here I am!" Michele laughed.

"How could you think that I'd forget our most important day together? I've haven't forgotten it the other six times." Justin said looking deep into her eyes, and stroking her cheek. "And I don't plan to forget this day, for the rest of my life."

"I sure hope not, because then that would ruin two out of the three reasons why I love December." Michele laughed.

"Well, I hope to give you at least one more reason to love December." Justin said, kneeling down on one knee.

"Justin! What are you doing?" Michele gasped breathlessly. Michele could feel herself tremble when Justin pulled a tiny red velvet box out of his right pocket.

"Michele Elizabeth Martinez, you are my whole entire world. From the very first moment that I let you into my life, I knew that I wouldn't regret it. You've been my rock since day one, and I can't imagine ever living my life without you. I couldn't live without, and I couldn't be without you. Michele, I want to spend everyday of the rest of my life with you. I want to have a family with you and grow old with you. Baby, you're the one for me. So Michele, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me Michele?"

In that moment, Justin and Michele's seven years spent together immediately flashed before her eyes. The good, the bad, the ups and downs, and how they overcame everything. And now this. A proposal? Was she dreaming this? Never in her life could she have ever imagined that someone as amazing as Justin would come into her life and sweep her up off of her feet. Just in case this really was a dream, she needed a moment, to revel in the feeling before someone woke her.

"Michele... Baby?" She heard Justin call. When she felt him pulling at her left hand, she knew that she wasn't dreaming. This was real!

"Huh?" Michele asked, in a sort of daze. Was this what happened when people went into shock? Did they ever come out of it?

"Say something. Please." Justin begged, his blue eyes growing wide and desperate. The longer he waited for an answer, the more he felt like he was going to die. If she said no, then he just might die.

"Did you just a-a-ask me to marry you?" Michele asked, in complete astonishment and disbelief. Michele looked down at him through glossy eyes, praying that this was real.

"Yes, Michele. Baby, I need and answer I'm freezing down here!" Justin said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Justin, baby I love you." Michele cried, happy tears now streaming down her face. "And I wanna spend the rest of my life with you too!"

"So is this a yes?" Justin asked genuinely confused, his heart racing a thousand miles a second.

Michele smiled down at his innocently confused face. "Yes, it's a yes!" A few tears escaped Justin's lids as he slid the platinum Harry Winston 3.03 carat cushion-cut micropavé diamond engagement ring onto her left ring finger.

As Justin slid the ring onto her finger, she couldn't stop trembling. She couldn't help it! She was the future Mrs. Justin Timberlake! Overwhelmed with emotion, Michele burst out into tears, as Justin stood up on his feet, picked her up off of her feet and swung her around. "She said YES!!!!" Justin screamed, nearly scaring her half to death.

As soon as Justin declared that Michele had accepted his proposal, artificial snow came drizzling down over them. "Justin this is incredible!" Michele exclaimed before he planted a giant kiss on her lips. "I can't wait to tell my parents!"

"Turn around." Justin whispered in her ear. Doing as he said, Michele turned and was surprised to see both her mom and dad walking towards her, as well as Justin's parents; His mother Lynn, his stepfather Paul, his father Randall, and his stepmother Lisa.

"Congratulations Babygirl! Welcome to the family!" Lynn said, hugging her daughter-in-law to be.

"Thank you!" Michele replied excitedly. After Lynn, she hugged Lisa, then Randall, then Paul, while her parents hugged Justin. At that moment, Michele knew, this was it! She needed nothing or no one else to complete her. Justin was it!

~*~*~*~*~*~

Later that night, at their house, Justin had planned an elaborate engagement party, and had invited all of her family, and his, and all of their friends, hence why he had locked her out of the house. Everyone that they loved was there to celebrate their engagement and they wouldn't have it any other way.

"So I can't believe you actually did it man! Justin Timberlake is finally tying the knot!" Joey exclaimed.

"Yeah, and JC's next!" Justin said, facing his ex-bandmates.

"Yeah, and I'm never." Chris Kirkpatrick said.

"Dude, when are you ever going to get over your fear of marriage?" Lance Bass asked.

"Probably when he can get over his fear of heights." JC Chasez chimed in.

"Never!" Justin, JC, Joey, and Lance all said in unison.

"How many times do I have to tell you guys, it's not a fear, it's a phobia!" Chris said, stressing the difference between being afraid of something, and having an actual phobia.

"Sure, you keep telling us that, and we'll keep believing it!" Justin said, patting Chris on the shoulder. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go wrap my arms around my fiance!"

Justin walked over to Michele, spun her around, and placed a kiss on her nose, then her lips. "Are you happy?" He asked her, looking into her deep brown eyes.

"As happy as I'll ever be!" Michele replied.

"Good, and I intend on keeping it that way!" Justin said, before kissing her again.

"Number four." Michele said.

"What?" Justin asked.

"You just gave me a fourth reason for loving December." Michele explained, smiling.

"And counting!" Justin replied.