An unlikely cross section of the Britney Spears Appreciation Society gathered Monday with, for once, a singular intention: Save the "Toxic" singer.
During the course of the night and into Tuesday morning, the disparate group at times featured manager-pal Sam Lutfi, paparazzo boyfriend Adnan Ghalib, longtime confidante Alli Sims and parents Jamie and Lynne Spears, all huddled in the Blackout artist's Beverly Hills home.
"Britney's mom was crying so much inside the house," said a family insider. "She is so hurt and just wants Britney to get better already."
Several sources disputed the notion that the meeting was specifically intended to be an intervention, but various psychiatric options for the erratic pop star were discussed. Lynne was there, said one of Britney's friends familiar with the situation, to "help her through" her increasingly troubling time.
There was no immediate comment from either Britney's camp or the spokesperson for Jamie and Lynne Spears.
The seeds of the late-night session were sown last week. As originally reported by E! Online, Lynne Spears spoke to Britney on Friday, shortly before the singer visited a psychiatrist's office in Santa Monica.
E! Online has since learned that Lynne Spears also spoke with Lutfi, Britney's gatekeeper, as well as Trope and Trope, the law firm representing the 26-year-old in her custody battle with Kevin Federline, to mount a plan of action to get Britney treatment. Her family believes the singer suffers from a bipolar disorder, but Britney has refused to admit she has a problem.
"Lynne was just trying to get [Britney] to admit herself somewhere," said the family insider.
The mother, who hadn't spoken to Britney in over a month, has become so desperate to get help she reluctantly decided to work with Lutfi.
"They don't really like or trust him," said another source, a close female friend of the pop star. "But Britney does, unfortunately, so they need him as an ally right now."
Lynne Spears, who had been holed up at the family's Louisiana home with her younger daughter, the pregnant Jamie Lynn, arrived in Los Angeles Sunday night, ostensibly to visit her grandchildren at Federline's house.
Despite some reservations by Britney, her mother was en route to the house after hearing media reports of Britney's dustup with Lutfi followed by a not so friendly tête-à-tête between Lutfi and Ghalib. (In a text message, Lutfi said Ghalib was a bad influence on Britney, calling him a "manic trigger.")
The two spoke briefly on the phone before Lynne made it to Britney's Mulholland Drive-adjacent address. The panicked former Mouseketeer was "hysterically crying" by the time she called her mom," according to Britney's friend, claiming that "everyone is always ganging up on me."
Lynne arrived separately from husband Jamie. A witness at the entrance to Britney's gated community said he was "tearing up a lot...he was so angry and sad about the situation." (See our timeline of the Monday night events.)
Britney spent much of the night driving around with Ghalib, while her parents and Lutfi waited back at her home. She finally returned a little after 11 p.m. Ghalib, who apparently didn't have any idea about the family summit, stayed a short time before leaving the premises. (Aside from Lutfi's documented antipathy toward Ghalib, Britney's parents are "terrified" of her relationship with the paparazzo, according to Britney's friend.)
After more than two hours, Britney, Lynne and Lutfi emerged for a quick group outing to a nearby Longs Drugs in Studio City. (Also along was Lynne's friend Jackie, with whom Lynne is staying in L.A., and recent Britney hanger-on Chad Hardcastle.)
The excursion took place at 1:30 a.m., and the group entered and left the drugstore together, with the "Gimme More" singer toting a brown paper bag on her way out. Lynne held tight to Britney's arm to and from the car, guiding her daughter through the swarming paparazzi.
The group returned to Britney's home and didn't emerge until midmorning Tuesday for a shopping excursion.
Both Britney's inner circle and her lawyers believe that voluntary therapy is the only certain path for the singer to be reunited with sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.
She hasn't seen the boys since her Jan. 3 custody standoff, although last week the commissioner overseeing the case ruled that she could speak with the boys, who remain in the care of Federline, on the phone.
Federline himself was not involved in Monday night's group meeting. But through attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan, Federline has stressed his desire for his children to have a healthy relationship with their mother.
"You know, nothing phases him anymore," a source close to the aspiring rapper-actor told E! Online. "He's seen it all from Britney.
"As long as the boys are safe with him, he doesn't care what she does or who she's letting into her life. But he's made it clear, she won't get the boys back until she gets serious about her own life. And that means getting rid of certain bad influences—and a paparazzo boyfriend and a so-called manager who spills all our personal business to the world certainly falls into that category."
—Additional reporting by Jeanifer Hwang