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Mom to the Rescue

Originally posted Thursday October 11, 2007 12:00 PM EDT

October 7, 2007: Jamie Lynn shouts down a heckler who hassled sister Britney in Bel Air. Photo by: Ramirez / JFX

Besides sharing Preston and Jayden with Lynne for the first time in months and sitting down for family meals, Britney seemed to most enjoy the time she spent with her sister Jamie Lynn. They drove around Malibu in Britney's Mercedes CLK 350, giggled as they ordered takeout at a Taco Bell drive-thru, stopped for orange drinks at a Shell gas station and had sushi and salad in Bel Air. "Britney was very happy and laughing with her sister," says a waiter who saw them eating an early dinner at the Sushi House Unico on Oct. 7. "Last time she was in here she was very upset, so it's nice to see her smile again."

Britney even got to see how far her family will go to protect her. When a woman cursed out Britney in the parking lot outside the Sushi House Unico, it was little Jamie Lynn who got between the woman and Britney and yelled a few choice words of her own. A video of the encounter promptly made the YouTube rounds.

The incident was a reminder that Britney's life isn't likely to get back to normal any time soon. Her latest record, Blackout, is due to arrive in stores on Nov. 13, and its first single, "Gimme More," quickly hit No. 1 on iTunes and No. 3 on the Billboard charts. But whether or not the record will signal a career comeback remains to be seen; a music video for "Gimme More," released on Oct. 5, hardly wowed critics still dazed by Britney's drowsy performance of the song at the MTV Video Music Awards Sept. 9.