A Christmas Letter
SS by Chris

“Mama, I’m leaving,” Britney said as she placed her bag at the front door.

“But sweetie, its Christmas.  You’re going to leave on Christmas,” Lynne said walking in from the kitchen

“Yeah, I’m not in the Christmas spirit I guess.  I just need to get away and be alone for a little while,” Britney said hugging her mother

“Okay, sweetie.  I don’t like this, but whatever makes you happy,” Lynne said trying not to show her intense disappointment through her voice.

“Tell everybody that I love them and I’ll be back for New Years,” Britney said grabbing her bag and walking out the front door and into the waiting limo.

The limo took her to the airport where she boarded her plane and left.  Where she was going nobody, but her and pilot knew.

At the Timberlake household, Justin was relaxing in the living room watching the basketball game, when suddenly the doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it,” Justin yelled to his mother in the kitchen

He opened the door and found his family on the other side.

“Hi everybody.  Merry Christmas,” he said opening the door all the way and helping them bring everything in.

“Hi sweetie,” his Grandmother said as she walked into the house and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Just as Justin was about to shut the door another car pulled up.  It was Johnny.

“Hey Johnny, Merry Christmas,” Justin said as he walked outside into the cold weather.

“Merry Christmas Justin.  I wanted to give this to you today,” Johnny said handing Justin a box.

“Oh well thanks.  Come on inside, I know that mama would want to see you,” Justin said walking back to the door.

“No that’s okay I need to get heading back home.  I promised the wife that I wouldn’t be gone all day.  You worked hard this year kid.  Enjoy the rewards,” Johnny said motioning to the box before getting back in his car and driving away.

As Justin was going back in the house he noticed something on the floor in front of the door.  It must have been wedged between the door and the house and when he opened the door it must have fallen.  He picked up the envelope and started to read it, but was interrupted by his mother

“Justin, who was that in the car?” Lynn asked

“Oh that was Johnny.  He was just dropping this off,” he said holding the box up so that she could see it.  He set the envelope down on the end table  in the foyer, and then walked the box over to his mother. 

“Well that was nice of him.  He could have stayed for dinner though,” she said.

“He wanted to get back to Erica,” Justin said.

“Oh okay,” Lynn said and then she returned to the kitchen.

Justin set Johnny’s present underneath the tree with all the others and sat down to watch the game, completely forgetting about the envelope that he left lying on the end table in the foyer. 

A few hours later, after all the presents had been opened and dinner had been eaten people started to leave he finally saw the envelope again.  This time he read who it was addressed to.  He instantly knew who it was from just by looking at the handwriting.  He went upstairs to his room where he opened it in private.  It was a letter from Britney.

Dear Justin,

            I have been using the last few months as a period of reflection upon my life.  While I was reflecting on the past, I remembered what we had together.  I remembered all the happiness that we shared amongst each other.  I remembered all the pain that we inflicted upon each other.  Most of all I remembered you.  I miss you so much.  I’m sorry for everything that my weakness has caused to you.  I’m sorry for pushing you away.  I’m sorry that I don’t get to be the one who you hold in your arms at night and that kills me.  I’m sorry that I’m not the one who gets to be the last one to say goodnight to you anymore.  I’m sorry that I have lost my best friend, because I wasn’t strong enough to keep him.  You’re right that I don’t deserve you, because how could someone so weak hold on to someone so strong.  I just wish that I could make it all up to you somehow.  I just want you to know that I love you with all my heart and that will never change.  I love you Justin Timberlake. I have always loved you since the day I met you all those years ago.  I love you with all my heart J,  I just wanted you to know that.  Merry Christmas Justin. 

Love you forever,

Britney

As Justin finished reading the letter, he set it down on the nightstand next to him and cried.  He loved her so much, but she had caused so much pain.

After he let all the emotion that he was feeling out, he realized that he needed to find her and tell her the very thing that she had just told him in the letter.  He picked up the phone and dialed the number to her home.  He didn’t even need to look it up and he still remembered it by heart.

“Hello,” Lynne said answering the phone

“Hi Lynne,” Justin said.

“Justin, is that you sweetie?”

“Yeah, it’s me. Merry Christmas Lynne,” Justin said sweetly.

Even though they may have been fighting amongst themselves it never boiled over to the other members of the family.  They still held the same love for the other’s family as they did for their own.

“Merry Christmas to you too Justin.”

“Is Britney there?”  Justin asked

Lynne sighed and said, “No sweetie, she left earlier this morning and we haven’t heard from her since.  We don’t know where she went.  Why?”  Lynne questioned.

“Well…” Justin explained the letter that he had received that day to Lynne and what he was going to do about it.

“Okay, Justin when you find her will you call us and let me know please,”  Lynne asked on the verge of tears.

“Yes, I’ll call you,” Justin and then hung up the phone.  He was on a mission to find the love of his life.

He started his mission by calling Fe.  He figured that she would know where she was.

“Hello,” Fe said

“Hi Fe, it’s Justin.  Do you know where Britney is?”

“No and even if I did I wouldn’t tell you, because you’ll just hurt her some more you asshole.” And she hung up on him

‘Well that went well’ he thought to himself.

“Hello,” Rob, her bodyguard answered the phone.

“Hi Rob, it’s Justin.  Are you with Britney?”

“No, Justin.  I dropped her off at the airport and then she told me that she would be going somewhere safe and that she wanted to be alone when she did,” Rob said explaining what happened at the airport.

“And you just let her go.  I thought you were supposed to be there to protect her,” Justin said very mad that she was out in the world alone with no protection.

“Whoa, Justin.  Just calm down she told me that she didn’t want me to come along.  I wasn’t going to argue with her when she is in one of her moods like she has been for the last three months.  Now it is Christmas and you’re taking up my time.  Have a nice holiday Justin,” and Rob hung up on him.

‘Well that’s great’ he said to himself.

“What’s so great?” his mother asked after entering his room

“Oh nothing,” Justin said trying not to show how worried he was about Britney

“Justin Randall, what is the matter and don’t tell me nothing.  I know you better than that and I can tell that something is bothering you,” she said irritated that he wouldn’t talk to her.

Justin explained everything to his mother, about Britney’s letter, her not being home, Rob not being with her and that nobody knows where she is.

“Now I would really like to be alone right now,” he said getting up and walking out onto the balcony.

“Okay, but I’ll be right downstairs if you need anything,” Lynn said and she left the room.

Justin stood outside looking at the view that he had from his balcony.  He was out of people to call that would know where she would be.  He didn’t know where she was and nobody else did either.  He was really worried that something might have happened to her and that is when something caught his eye.

He turned and stared out at this tree that had a swing attached to it in the back of the compound.  It looked like someone was sitting on the swing.

Justin threw on some shoes and sprinted through the house and outside.  As he closed on the tree he noticed the figured staring in the opposite direction of the house with their back to him.  As he continued to move towards the person he noticed the figure of a body that haunted him.  He just stared at her.  He knew it was her.  He just knew it.  As he continued to walk closer, she spoke.

“I’m sorry Justin.”

“How did you know it was me?” he asked as she turned around to look at him

“I always know when you’re around.  I get this feeling in the pit of my stomach.  It makes me feel so good when I get it.  I love that feeling and I haven’t felt it in a while so I knew that you had to be around,” she said with tears coming down her face

“Hey, no tears,” he said pulling her into his arms.

They stayed this way for a while before Justin spoke.

“I’m sorry babe.  I shouldn’t have reacted the way that I did.  It was wrong and I’m sorry for causing you so much pain,” he said joining in with tears of his own.

“I’m so sorry Justin.  I wasn’t strong enough,” she said breaking down again.

“Hey, we both did some really dumb stuff and neither one of us were strong enough for the other.  We have to just move past that and move on with our lifes.  I love you Britney Jean.  I love you more than life itself,” he said pulling her closer to him

“I love you too, Justin Randall.  I love you more than life itself.  I’m nothing without you by my side,” she said with her head against his chest.

They stayed like this for an hour.  Just the two of them.  Nothing else to worry about except each other. 

“How did you know that I was out here,” she finally asked as they were walking back inside.

“ I didn’t.  I called your mom, Fe, Rob and none of them knew where you were.  I was losing my mind.  I didn’t know what happened to you, then something caught my eye,” he said pulling on her pinky ring.  “Then I thought about it and remembered that you love that swing.”

“Mama, look what I found outside,” Justin yelled

Lynn came running to the kitchen where she found Justin and Britney arm in arm

“Merry Christmas Mama Lynn,” Britney said walking over and hugging her.