*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to), they belong to their respective owners (probably the people who signed their insurance policies). I do, however, own all fictional characters and situations I put them in. Plagiarism is against the law. Don't do it. Thanks.

**Author's Note - Okay folks, I just want to get this out of the way. This is a dramatic story with heavily comedic plot lines that Kat and I decided to write together. Now, there is a small measure of religion in here. Just a warning. Anyway, remember this is for comedic and dramatic purposes. Thank you.

Heaven was normally a rather tranquil place, filled with good-natured and happy angels. A few rare occasions seemed to disrupt the otherworldly existence. This moment was one of those times. It wasn't that the two angels meant to get into so much trouble. They couldn't help it most of the time. They were young, rambunctious and ornery, but had their hearts in the right places, which was their only saving grace. Quinn sighed, shaking her head slowly as she flipped through a wrack of white robes. She was on a quest to find a new robe, being her old one had begun to bother her.

"White. White. White. And more white. Color would be a nice addition to my wardrobe, you know." she muttered softly to herself as she continued flipping through the blindingly white robes, discarding each one, only to come across another robe of the same blinding qualities.

"This is heaven, is it not? Do angels have something against magenta or chartreuse?" she sighed in dismay, glancing over her shoulder when she heard a commotion in the background. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw angels darting out of the way of a rather large whirlwind. Quinn groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead, instantly knowing whom the whirlwind belonged to.

"Out of my way! Move it, folks! Nothing to see here! Look out below!" a painfully familiar voice echoed through the tranquil streets, mutterings and gasps mingled with the words.

"Jasper!" Nathan's exasperated voiced yelped as a second whirlwind appeared behind the first. Suddenly, Jasper, Quinn's angelic partner, appeared before her. Quinn let out an involuntary yelp, stumbling backwards as Jasper grabbed her shoulders.

"Save me! It's gonna eat me!" Jasper cried out, giving her friend a firm shake.

"What in heaven's name are you talking about?" Quinn inquired, steadying herself.

"Nathan's pet dove. He trained it to kill and it's after me!" Jasper glanced over her shoulder, quickly hiding behind the other for protection.

"What of his do you have?" Quinn folded her arms across her chest, giving her friend a knowing look.

"Nothing. He lost it fair and square. He's just a sore loser." Jasper waved a hand in the air dismissively.

"It?" Quinn lifted an eyebrow.

"His halo." Jasper shrugged a shoulder, firmly stilling the amused twitching of her lips.

"Please tell me you weren't playing poker by the pool of holy water again." Quinn groaned, closing her eyes tightly.

"Okay. I wasn't playing poker by the pool of holy water again." Jasper grinned, then screeched and began flailing her arms as the attack bird in question swooped down from above her.

"Give it back, Jasper." Quinn warned ominously.

"No way. He lost it fair and square. It's mine now." Jasper shook her head vigorously.

"For crying out loud, Jasper. Have you forgotten the last time you got us into trouble? We were sent to Siberia. Do you remember how cold it was there? Not to mention how boring." Quinn demanded, whirling around to face her friend.

"At least we got to work on our tans. And you have to admit, we looked good in white for months." Jasper pointed out, finding the best possible angle to win her friend over. Quinn tossed her hands into the air, shaking her head.

"You're going to get punished again, and they're going to blame me as well." Quinn muttered, abandoning her search for a new robe for the situation unfolding before her. Both girls sighed, gazing around guiltily as the commons disappeared and the chambers of their superior angel appeared. Michael gazed at them, arms folded across his chest, foot tapping impatiently on the floor.

"Before things get out of hand, I would just like to state, Nathan lost fair and square. That and he needs to cage his attack bird." Jasper held up her hand, speaking quickly before any form of punishment could begin, hoping if Michael knew the truth the punishment would be less severe.

"Jasper, why do you insist on stirring up trouble? You know better than to play poker on the shores. You've been warned about this before and you continue to do such things." Michael folded his hands in his lap, gazing from one girl to the other before resting his gaze on the guiltier of the two. Jasper winced, head hanging forward slightly.

"You're going to give Nathan his halo back, are you not?" Michael lifted an eyebrow. Jasper's head snapped up, her mouth opening to say something. Quinn's eyes widened and she elbowed her friend in the ribs before she could say anything that would get them into even more trouble. Jasper reached into her robe and pulled out the glimmering gold halo from the inside pocket, handing it over to Michael with a sigh of resignation.

"You've been given a new assignment." Michael started briskly as he pulled the drawer of his desk open, dropping the halo into the drawer before sliding the drawer shut once again.

"Oh, come on, Michael. We just got back. We haven't even had the chance to sleep in." Jasper exclaimed in protest.

"In light of your antics, you are more than rested up for another assignment." Michael smiled knowingly. Jasper sighed, head hanging forward while Quinn forced herself to return Michael's smile.

"Either way, you have a rather large assignment ahead of you. It could very well keep you on earth for months." Michael went on to explain, taking a seat in the large, overstuffed leather chair sitting behind his desk.

"Months?" both girls squeaked, eyes wide.

"There are five young men that need your help. You two are the only angels qualified to take this assignment. Both of you have an understanding of the younger humans and why they do things. My superior advised me to enlist your help and I agree with her." what could only be described as a smirk crossed their superior's face.

"Oh, man." Quinn winced, keeping her eyes downcast.

"This is James Bass, nicknamed Lance for a reason I don't understand." Michael held out his hand, an image of a young man with spiky blonde hair appeared before them.

"This is Joseph Fatone, Jr." another image of a young man with dark hair and a bright smile appeared.

"This is Justin Timberlake." another blonde with huge curls atop his head.

"And Joshua Chasez." another brunette with gray-blue eyes.

"And Christopher Kirkpatrick." a black-haired individual with mischief residing in every facial feature.

"They form a group named 'N Sync. These five young men create what young human girls think of as music. That is all we can tell you at this time." Michael informed them. Seconds later, the two girls stood in a rather large backyard, gazing around in stupefied wonder.

"You couldn't stay out of trouble for more than twenty-four hours, could you?" Quinn demanded, turning fiery eyes to her friend.

"Oh, that's rich. Like you've never gotten us into trouble before. You forget who you are." Jasper snorted with a shake of her head. The argument came to an abrupt end when a loud clap of thunder filled the air.

"All right, all right. We'll get right on that." Jasper muttered, tossing an exasperated glance up to the heavens where she knew Michael was shaking his head at their antics.

"Okay, how are we supposed to help these guys?" Quinn folded her arms across her chest.

"I have no idea. They have everything, right? Fame, money, women." Jasper ticked off on her fingers, rolling her eyes.

"Maybe they're not happy." Quinn suggested, beginning to pace in a small circle. "I mean, they do have everything a human could desire as in possessions, but maybe they're not happy. What if they don't have anyone to share all this stuff with? What if love from the right woman is the crucial element? The one element that's missing from their lives."

"You know, sometimes you're so bright I see sunspots." Jasper commented, nodding slowly. Quinn tossed a glare over her shoulder in Jasper's general direction.

"Be serious about this. I don't know about you, but I don't want to stay on this planet any longer than I absolutely have to." Quinn snorted, shaking her head, lips twitching with amusement.

"You like it here on earth, and you know it Quinn." Jasper accused, giving her friend a playful shove. Another thunderclap sounded from above, causing the two girls to jump slightly.

"All right already. Yeesh." Quinn tossed a look up to the heavens, silently reminding Michael that patience was a virtue.

"So, essentially, we have to find these five guys some women to share their worldly belongings with." Jasper began pacing as well, then stopped abruptly when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Quinn turned to see what Jasper was gaping at and felt her own jaw drop slightly.

"You know, their images didn't do them justice." Jasper mumbled, shaking her head slowly.

"You're having impure thoughts, aren't you?" Quinn lifted an eyebrow, unable to turn her gaze away from the scene in front of them.

"I wouldn't talk. So are you." Jasper snorted, groaning softly.

"I am not." Quinn shook her head, closing her eyes tightly for a moment.

"You're doing this just to test us, aren't you?" Quinn demanded, throwing her head back so she could gaze up at the sky.

"Why Michael assigned us to humans who look like that, when we can't do anything about it, I'll never know." Jasper sighed, snapping her fingers in frustration. Her white robe melted into a pair of jeans and a white tank top.

"Someday, you're going to have to teach me that trick." Quinn shook her head, gazing down at her own white robe and sandals.

"I'll teach you my trick if you teach me yours." Jasper grinned impishly, snapping her fingers once again. This time Quinn's robe melted away to reveal jeans and a white tank top.

"Somehow, I don't think the dream plane is ready for you." Quinn snorted with a shake of her head.

"Now, where do you suppose they're going?" Jasper returned her attention to the half dressed young men standing a few feet away from them.

"Great. Just great." Quinn mumbled through a sigh, following obediently as Jasper wandered over to the group of men.

"What's on the agenda for today?" Chris inquired, draping a towel around his neck, glancing around at his friends. Everyone turned expectant eyes to Lance, who groaned loudly.

"Interview and photo shoot for TV Guide; rehearsal for the concert; meet and greet; concert; optional but highly encouraged after party; sleep." Lance listed off, rolling his eyes. The others groaned in unison, shaking their heads.

"You think they'd schedule some time off for us." Justin muttered, rubbing the towel he held against his soaked hair. They had taken a break from everything and decided to hit the outdoor swimming pool the hotel had to offer.

"Time off? What's that?" Joe made a face, reaching for his own towel as they wandered back toward the sliding glass doors, which led to the lobby of the hotel. JC snorted, covering his laughter with a loud cough.

"Don't let management hear you say that, Joe. They might think we'll claim mutiny." JC scolded playfully, jabbing the elevator call button. They all waited in silence until they made it to their floor, quickly making their way to their rooms so they could shower and get dressed for their date with the TV Guide reporter.

"Ooh, television. It's been so long since I've seen MacGyver." Jasper grinned, sighing as she rested a shoulder against the wall outside their charge's closed doors.

"Forget it. You're not becoming a couch potato again." Quinn shook her head firmly, her foot tapping impatiently on the floor as the pair waited for the five young men to show their faces again.

"All right, down to business then." Jasper clapped her hands, scrunching her face as she thought. "What kind of girls would these guys need?"

"How would I know?" Quinn retorted with a snort.

"Well, we have to figure something out. As you said, you don't want to stay on this planet any longer than you absolutely have to. So, start thinking." Jasper teased gently, folding her arms across her chest.

"We could read their minds." Quinn suggested.

"Go into the mind of a human male? Are you insane? We'd get lost. We wouldn't be able to find our way back for days." Jasper's eyes widened dramatically.

"They're males, how difficult can their minds be?" Quinn reminded, lips twitching slightly with amusement.

"Oh, right." Jasper snickered, then yelped when the door at her back suddenly opened causing her to lose her footing and topple backward, passing right through the young man Michael had called Lance. Since they didn't really exist, the two angels were ghosts of sorts with the ability to pass through anything. Quinn cleared her throat, trying desperately not to laugh as she watched Jasper sputter, glaring at the young man who had caused her discomfort.

"I think he bruised my tailbone." Jasper grunted, struggling to her feet, rubbing viciously at her lower back.

"Come on, guys. We're going to be late!" Lance called out loudly, glancing down at his watch.

"Jasper - don't do it." Quinn shook her head, recognizing the gleam in her counterpart's eyes. That very same gleam always meant trouble was brewing.

"Oh, come on, Quinn. He deserves this." Jasper took a feline step closer to Lance, who remained oblivious to either of the angels or their presence in the hallway. Jasper strolled around Lance so she stood in front of him, her arms folded across her chest, her eyes narrowed as she glared mildly at the young man.

"Guys? Come on!" Lance called out again, sighing impatiently.

"Please, Jasper, I'm begging you. Don't." Quinn pleaded, watching with suppressed amusement as Jasper took another step closer to the poor, unsuspecting Lance. She stopped inches from him, lifting herself up so she was eyelevel with the young man. She brought her hand up, curling her fingers and flicked him as hard as she could in the forehead.

Lance grunted, startled, as sharp pain exploded on his forehead, almost as if he'd been hit with something. He rubbed the abused spot, glancing around curiously, wondering if Chris happened to be playing one of his numerous practical jokes on him. He shook his head musingly, seeing no sign of Chris or a practical joke.

"You couldn't stop yourself, could you? You just had to make your presence known through physical violence." Quinn slapped her forehead, shaking her head sadly.

"He started it. Bruised my tailbone!" Jasper defended herself, glowering at her friend. Quinn tossed her hands into the air.

"With all the people you could have partnered me with, you had to chose her, didn't you?" Quinn snorted the question up at the ceiling.

"You know as well as I do, we're made to be partners." Jasper reminded her friend cheerfully.

"Details." Quinn snorted, glancing around when the hallway suddenly became crowded as the other young men began to show up. "Now, shut up and keep your ears open."

"Yes, ma'am." Jasper sighed contritely, head hanging forward slightly, then gave a loud yelp when Quinn slapped her in the arm.

"What's wrong with you?" Justin Timberlake lifted an eyebrow, glancing over at Lance, who still stood, rubbing his forehead absently.

"What? Oh, nothing." Lance shook his head, a slight frown marring his brow before he shrugged a shoulder, grinning sheepishly.

"Are we ready to go, then?" JC Chasez inquired through a lengthy yawn.

"Almost, where's Joe?" Lance folded his arms across his chest, lifting a suspicious eyebrow.

"Already downstairs. Found a girl on the staff he thinks is cute, so he's perfecting his flirting routine." Justin snickered as they strolled down the hall to the elevator, security guards flanking them in case any overzealous fans were to make their presence known.

"You think this photo shoot will have a theme?" Chris inquired, a note of dread lingering in his voice as he remembered the dozens of other photo shoots the group had to dress up for. He had hated two photo shoots in particular the most. The cowboy outfits from years earlier and the silver glitter suits they had to wear for the Rolling Stone Magazine cover shoot.

"Shut up, crack-head. Don't make us paranoid, alright?" Justin groaned loudly, slapping a hand to his forehead as the elevator doors slid closed.

"I can't believe you expect us to lower our intelligence long enough to understand what in heaven's name they're talking about." Jasper snapped irritably, tossing a glare up to the ceiling.

"Jasper." Quinn sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger. "Let's just go."

"Oh, for the love of--,"

"Jasper!"

"Pete." Jasper finished, rolling her eyes as she glanced around the hallway. Quinn snickered softly, shaking her hear in wry amusement.

"Are you ready?" Quinn opened her eyes to gaze at her friend.

"To watch five men change into an embarrassing getup? Sure. Why not? I have some time to kill." Jasper shrugged an indolent shoulder. Quinn snapped her fingers and the hallway melted away.

"Are y'all sure this is where the photo shoot is?" Joe made a face, glancing around.

"This is where it is." Justin nodded with finality, stepping into the small building, hands thrust into the pockets of his baggy jeans.

"Where is everyone?" Joe continued to sound unsure.

"Maybe we're early?" JC suggested.

"Or maybe they're late?" Chris tossed in his two cents worth.

"Or maybe we're late?" Lance grinned, folding his arms across his chest.

"Or maybe they were early?" Justin finished.

"You guys are so funny. You should enter yourselves in to Reader's Digest. I hear they pay good money for funny things." Joe rolled his eyes, stepping further into the room. A young woman glanced up from her perch on the top of a desk.

"You guys looking for the TV Guide photo shoot?" she inquired, her voice echoing slightly in the small room.

"Yeah," Justin nodded, glancing around nervously.

"I take it no one told you the location was changed at the last minute." the young woman sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward.

"I can't say we were privy to that information." Justin mused thoughtfully.

"Privy?" Joe snorted, highly amused.

"Privy? Privy?! Are you trying to tell me this kid has a brain?" Jasper demanded incredulously.

"He was tutored." Quinn waved a hand in the air, trying desperately to still the twitching of her lips.

"Oooooohhhhhhhh." Jasper nodded, understanding dawning on her. "He's 'special'."

"If you don't have anything nice to say…," Quinn reminded her friend.

"Try the next best thing. The truth." Jasper snorted, shaking her head.

"They moved the whole things about a mile down the road. Said there wasn't enough space over here, which, now that I see you all, I can understand." the young woman heaved a long suffering sigh. "You want to go back out the way you came in. Take a left, then take a right. You should see everything by then."

"Thank you, Miss…?" Justin gave her a smile.

"Mrs., actually. And it's Donnelly." she returned the smile, waving them all out of the room.

Quinn sighed heavily, closing her eyes tightly as she slowly shook her head. Jasper placed a hand on her friend's shoulder, giving her a soft, affectionate squeeze.

"We can do this." Jasper stated firmly.

"We can?" Quinn countered weakly.

"We can." Jasper nodded.

"I don't know about that." Quinn shook her head.

"Sure you do. Being on this planet always makes us slightly upset." Jasper draped an arm along her friend's shoulders as they followed behind the small group of men surrounded by security guards.

"Slightly?" Quinn mumbled with a shake of her head.

"Okay. Greatly?" Jasper gestured helplessly with a hand.

"They're missing so much and they don't even know it." Quinn gestured toward the oblivious young men climbing back into two vans.

"I know, but, Quinn, we can't let our memories of being alive alter our views on how we help them. You reminded me of that not too long ago." Jasper sighed, her heart going out to the angel beside her.

"You don't have to throw logic in my face. I know we have to keep all past attachments firmly from our minds. And for my mind, that's easy. I'm just having a hard time convincing my heart of the same thing." Quinn turned her gaze over to her friend. Jasper smiled gently, giving her friend a squeeze.

"Quinn, let's just do what we came here to do and leave the past where it belongs. Try not to think about it, all right?" Jasper pleaded softly, resting her head against her friend's shoulder.

"Like I said, easier said than done."

JC idly flipped through the rack of clothing in front of him, looking for something intriguing enough to pull it from the rack and try it on. Joe stood a few feet away from him, holding up a gold and black shirt with a frown of concentration. Lance pulled out a pair of ripped blue jeans with an amused smile.

"Think we'll be able to choose our own wardrobe?" Chris inquired loudly from in front of one of the numerous full-length mirrors hanging from one of the walls.

"Who knows?" JC shrugged a shoulder, sighing when the cellular phone residing in his back pack decided to play the musical ring at a pitch that grated on his nerves.

"I hope sure so, cause, we don't want another mishap with the wardrobe personnel. That would just be a disaster." Chris grinned ruefully as he held a red crushed velvet shirt to his chest.

"Someone should really tell him red isn't his color." Quinn muttered, her attention catching on JC, who paced on the other side of the room with the phone pressed against his ear, a frown marring his face.

"Looking cute, sugar!" Chris exclaimed loudly, egging Lance on as he strutted around in a pair of ripped and rather revealing pair of faded jeans.

"Does your momma let you walk around like that? Looking ghetto fabulous!" Chris continued, clapping energetically as Lance continued to strut, flexing his muscles for Chris, who immediately began to fan himself with a hand.

"So, this is what men do when they're alone." Jasper snorted softly with a shake of her head.

"This is a far worse punishment than we actually deserved." Quinn retorted with a grimace.

Lance disappeared for a moment, only to return wearing a cowboy hat and brown chaps. He grinned, gazing at his reflection in the mirror.

"You should just wear the chaps." Joe called from his seat in the hair stylist's chair, head resting back as the woman rubbed moose into the thick strands.

"You need to shave, Joe." Lance called out the reminder, causing the other to groan loudly.

"Give me one good reason why I should." Joe countered as the young woman standing behind him began styling his hair in slightly rumpled spikes.

"Cause the women love your goatee, not your stubble?" Lance snorted, shrugging a shoulder.

"Good point." Joe nodded agreeably.

Justin gazed at his reflection in the full-length mirror in front of him, dubiously eyeing the red leather pants he had acquired within the past ten minutes. He grimaced, shifting from foot to foot awkwardly, eyes taking on a subtle wry amusement.

"These pants are so tight," he began, glancing around at the others either standing or sitting nearby. "It's like I'm having sex with myself."

Quinn slapped a hand to her forehead, flushing slightly with the last comment the group of men made.

"I have a feeling we're going to walk away from this assignment knowing far too much about those boys." Jasper muttered, her own cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Isn't masturbation an original sin?" Quinn muttered through a cough, trying to take in a full breath.

"I don't think so." Jasper shook her head, worrying her lower lip with her teeth.

"It's having sex before marriage." Quinn pointed out logically.

"Yes, but it's with no one but yourself. So, in a way it doesn't really count." Jasper shrugged a shoulder.

"Too much information, Curly." JC groaned, hanging up his cell phone before tossing it into his back pack.

"She call again?" Lance questioned, a white sleeveless shirt covered in rhinestones draped over his arm. JC nodded silently, sighing heavily.

"She try to pick a fight again?" Lance continued, draping a pair of dark blue and white jeans decorated in the same fashion as the shirt over his other arm.

"Doesn't she always?" JC muttered with a grimace, reaching for the red suit a wardrobe specialist held out to him.

"Why do you keep her around if all she does is make you miserable?" Lance lifted an eyebrow.

"Easier to stay with someone for the wrong reasons than be alone for the right reasons." JC shrugged, gazing at the red suit he held skeptically.

"You sure about that?" Lance retorted disbelievingly.

"Shut up, Lance." JC muttered, eyebrows bunching together when the wardrobe woman handed him a black and silver shirt to wear with the red suit.

"Go. Change. Now." the wardrobe woman pointed to the changing room.

"Yes, ma'am." JC sighed meekly, head hanging as he shuffled toward the changing room set aside for the group to use.

"I need a few minutes to clear my head. I'll be back. You pay attention to what the others do." Jasper gestured toward Chris and Joe, who both sat in chairs with stylists working on their hair. Lance was still sorting through the wracks of clothing, trying to find something they liked, while Justin flipped through a wrack of shirts. Quinn nodded wordlessly, watching as Jasper disappeared through a closed door.

"Thanks, Michelle. My hair looks wonderful, as always." Chris grinned bounding over to one of the full-length mirrors. He gazed at his reflection studiously, taking in the multi-blue colored jeans he wore with a black sleeveless, hooded sweatshirt. He nodded in satisfaction, turning toward the others.

"What do you think?" Chris inquired loudly, his arms akimbo.

"Very nice." Justin agreed without looking up from the Hero 01 shirt he held in his hand. Without waiting for the changing room, he pulled off his shirt and shrugged into the new one, tossing his own over to where his back pack rested against the wall.

Quinn's eyes widened, heat slowly climbing her cheeks when she glimpsed hard muscle shifting under resilient, tanned skin. She quickly turned her back toward the young man in question, who had whipped off his shirt, and covered her face with her hands.

"Unbelievable. Is there no modesty among men?" Quinn muttered, her voice muffled by her hands as she shook her head slowly from side to side. She quickly stumbled toward the wall, needing to brace herself against something so she could obliterate the image of Justin from her mind. He heart painfully constricted in her chest. Without thinking, she snapped her fingers and she appeared on the shores of a beautiful sandy beach. She immediately sat heavily on the sand, covering her face with her hands.

"What are you doing here, Quinn? Your assignment is with those young men, who don't happen to be located on this beach." Michael inquired from behind her, startling her enough to hold a hand to her heart.

"I…I needed some time to clear my mind. You know coming to earth is hard for me Michael." Quinn stuttered, momentarily shocked to see the angel standing in front of her.

"You've been told numerous times, you can't be bothered with the past, Quinn. It will bring you nothing but misery." Michael sighed softly, resting a hand on the younger angel's shoulder in comforting gesture.

"I know, Michael. I'm trying to convince myself of that as we speak." Quinn swiped at the tears dotting her cheeks with the backs of her hands. She hadn't expected this to be so hard. With time, all wounds heal. She didn't think so in this case. If anything, time wouldn't heal old wounds. Time would only reopen old wounds, making them bleed worse than they had the last time. She had died before her time, or so everyone had said as she watched herself die from outside her body in the cold, sterile hospital room. Things had gotten better once she made it to heaven. She had forgotten a lot about her life on earth, and had briskly maintained her opinion that memories were a wasteful thing. Until she started having them about her past life. There were nights she would wake up crying and calling out for the person who had completed her when she still lived and breathed.

"You should go back, Quinn." Michael gently urged her, pressing a cloth handkerchief into her hand. She nodded silently, miserably as she climbed to her feet.

"Thank you, Michael." she muttered hoarsely, snapping her fingers. Instantly, she was back in the room the group had gathered in. She took a quick inventory of everyone, noticing JC and Jasper were not in the room. Quinn worried her lip between her teeth, brows furrowed as she thought on how best to help these five young men.

"What's taking Jace so long?" Justin sighed, glancing down at his watch for the third time in five minutes.

"He just got a call from Rebecca, give him a chance to collect himself." Lance warned the younger man with a shrug.

"Why doesn't he just change his cell phone number?" Justin made a face, plopping down in a chair. He grimaced, glaring down at the red leather encasing his thighs.

"Curly, let me give you some advice on clothing." Chris caroled from his seat on a chair across the room.

"Oh lord. This coming from the man who wears green and orange together as if it's a natural thing." Justin rolled his eyes, snickering loudly.

"Hey, the grass is green and the sun is orange. Anyway, that's not what I was going to say." Chris pointed out, folding his arms across his chest.

"Then, pray tell, Chris. What were you going to say?" Justin lifted an imperial eyebrow.

"Wear leather pants in your true size, for they will chafe when worn to small." Chris recited as if he were reading rules to a classroom full or ornery students. Justin groaned, shaking his head slowly as he fought laughter.

"Now he tells me." Justin tossed his hands into the air, lips twitching with a suppressed smile.

"You know, I think Chris has a point for once." Lance mused thoughtfully, rubbing a fingertip along his jaw line.

"There goes the neighborhood." Joe mused wryly, shaking his head as he gazed at his reflection, checking out the final product of his efforts at looking good. A pair of black leather pants encased his legs and a black silk shirt with various sized silver stars scattered over the front lapels hung loosely from his shoulders. A pair of square-toed black boot completed the outfit.

"I look good." Joe grinned at his reflection, nodding slowly in approval.

"I'm not wearing these." Justin shook his head, gazing at the square-toed black boots covered in white stars.

"Why not?" the wardrobe woman demanded with an arched eyebrow.

"I'll look like a dork." Justin countered, shaking his head emphatically.

"Justin, you always look like a dork. Why try to change things? The fans have come to expect it." Chris snickered, pulling on his own pair of black boots with red toes and white stars covering what red was on the boots.

"Shut up, Chris. Isn't it your naptime by now?" Justin grumbled, folding his arms across his chest, for all intents and purposes, pouting until he got his way with the boots the wardrobe woman held out to him.

"Justin, just put them on. They're not as bad as the shoes JC has to wear." Lance advised, rolling his eyes heavenward.

"Fine. But it's on all your heads if I look like an idiot and people point at me and laugh." Justin heaved a long-suffering sigh, grabbing the boots in question and pulling them on.

"Didn't they always point and laugh at Justin?" Chris whispered conspiratorially to Lance, who nodded slowly, worrying his lower lip with his fingers.

"I heard that." Justin tossed a mild glare in his friends' general direction.

"Yeah, but it was never because of his shoes." Lance nodded, glancing over at Justin innocently.

"I heard that, too." Justin grumped loudly, gazing critically at the boots now residing on his feet.

"What was it for then?" Chris's brows furrowed together in deep concentration.

"Don't even say it." Justin advised ominously without looking up from his perusal of the boots.

"His hair." Joe entered the whispered conversation.

"His hair?" Chris and Lance both raised their eyebrows, shock contorting their faces.

"Yeah, his hair." Joe nodded with a smile, folding his arms across his chest.

"Whatever for?" Chris inquired innocently, tossing a glance over to a glowering Justin.

"The rumors are that his hair has gotten so big, it had to of eaten something to get that way. The fans are figuring it's his brain that was digested." Joe answered, clamping his lips tightly together to keep his laughter from escaping.

"Wait, I thought it was the hair dye that killed off his brain." Lance held up a hand, shaking his head slowly.

"No, no. The hair dye merely stunned his brain so his hair could devour it." Joe sighed, shaking his head sadly.

"You guys suck. And I fart in your general direction." Justin muttered, amusement finally reaching his own voice as he quoted a line from the movie 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail'. Chris coughed to cover his laughter. Lance bowed his head, shoulders shaking in silent mirth. Joe wasn't as tactful, and instead of remaining silent, threw his head back and laughed.

Quinn slap a hand to her forehead, groaning loudly. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing. It was one this for friends to pick on one another, but an entirely different thing when a group of friends ganged up on one all at once.

"Men." she muttered, tossing a hand into the air.

Jasper sighed, leaning back against the counter in what she assumed was a small changing room, pinching the bridge of her nose between her thumb and forefinger in hopes of easing an oncoming headache. Being on earth always made her feel slightly off balance, as if her equilibrium had decided to take an extended vacation. She took a deep breath, sighing it out before she opened her eyes and turned toward the mirror, silently scolding herself when she had forgotten she wouldn't have a reflection.

"You know, I could have some real fun with this. Get me some of those fake teeth and pretend to be a vampire. Scare the living daylights out of those boys." she mused, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jeans. She glanced up when the door opened.

"Oh no. Uh-uh. No way." Jasper shook her head, eyes wide as she backed up until her back hit the wall, refusing to budge so she could back up any further.

JC sighed in relief as he closed the door behind him, resting his forehead against the cool wood as he closed his eyes. He didn't know why Rebecca constantly wanted to start something with him, whether it was an argument or an all out fight. The only reasoning he could come up with was she liked the making up more than she liked the relationship in the first place. He groaned softly, pushing himself away from the door as he turned, placing the red suit on the counter as he gazed at his reflection. He passed a hand over his face, raking his fingers through his hair.

"You can do this. You've lived through this more than dozen times. Everything will be back to normal when you call her later on tonight. It always happens like this. You know it, so stop sweating it." JC commanded, giving his reflection a glare. He sighed, shaking his head as he transferred his attention to the red suit draped on the counter.

"Oh, please don't do this to me. Oh please, oh please, oh please." Jasper whispered inanely as if the man standing not more than two feet in front of her could hear her, her eyes closed tightly. She heard the faint whisper of clothing dropping to the floor and she bit her lip, cracking open an eyelid. Her mouth dropped open, her heart stumbling in her chest upon seeing the particular young man wearing nothing but boxer shorts as he gazed bemusedly at the black and silver shirt he held.

"This is so not happening to me. You would have to be this cruel, wouldn't you? Do you know how long it's been since I've had attention from a male? Especially a male this good looking?" Jasper demanded on a hiss, glaring up at the ceiling as she tried her best to ignore the shift and play of muscle beneath the resilient skin of his chest and shoulders.

"Are you testing me?" Jasper's voice hitched as she turned abruptly so she was facing the wall, and pressed her forehead against the wall to keep herself from glancing over her shoulder.

"God, this is ugly." JC grimaced, gazing at the shirt he wore as he pulled on the red dress pants, zipping and buttoning them. He reached for the jacket and pulled it on over the black and silver shirt. He shook his head wryly, pulling the door open and walking back out to where the others were waiting for him.

"Oh, my, god." Justin burst out laughing upon seeing JC and the outfit he was wearing.

"They turned him into a pimp!" Joe snickered, slowly walking around JC to get the full affect of the awful red suit.

"What is that? Velour?" Chris inquired, grabbing the lapels of the red suit jacket to feel the material.

"Man, back off." JC laughed, giving the older man a firm shove away from him.

"Let's get this done and over with, shall we?" Lance inquired, rubbing his hands together as JC pulled on a pair of white boots with red stars scattered over the leather.

"Um, so, yeah." Jasper mumbled distractedly as she stepped up beside Quinn, startling the younger woman enough to make her jump. Quinn glanced over at her, doing a double take upon seeing her friend mildly shaken and slightly flushed.

"What happened to you?" Quinn inquired as the two wandered behind the group of young men, following them into the small room where they would be taking pictures.

"Trapped. Changing room. JC. Naked. Horrible." Jasper grumbled, unable to complete a full sentence.

"What?!" Quinn yelped, eyes wide.

"I turned my back, just not in time." Jasper exclaimed defensively. "Besides, who could turn away with a show like that?"

"Jasper, I swear, you're going to get us into more trouble than this is worth. Just stop. Please?" Quinn pleaded as she watched the photographer call out commands to the five men posing.

"I wasn't doing anything. That's the point Quinn. I wasn't doing anything." Jasper reiterated, shaking her head as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Good. Keep it that way. If not for your sake, than for mine. I don't want to be here any longer than I have to be." Quinn thrust her hands into the pockets of her jeans.

"I know." Jasper snapped irritably, tucking a lock of red-brown hair behind her ear. "When do we dream-walk?"

"Tonight." Quinn answered shortly.

"All right, that's it for now. Wardrobe change." the photographer announced, handing his camera over to his assistant for a fresh roll of film before he walked off in search for a cup of coffee. The five young men wandered back to the wardrobe room, muttering under their breaths about having to change clothes more than one time in two hours. They each wandered back over to the wracks of clothing, looking for another suitable outfit.

"Doesn't anyone wear anything normal these days?" JC inquired, highly amused with a brightly colored, sequined shirt.

"Define normal." Lance snorted, pulling out an off-white shirt with a yellow collar.

"You know, jeans, t-shirts. That's sort of thing." JC mumbled, shaking his head, thrusting the sequined shirt back onto the wrack. He pulled out a forest green turtleneck with a slow nod.

"Are you kidding? In this day and age? You're dating yourself, Jace." Lance teased, reaching for a pair of black leather pants.

"I'm old, I know. But, I do miss the days when I could just throw anything on and not have to worry about being a fashion victim." JC mused aloud, rolling his eyes heavenwards.

"JC, my friend, I know the feeling." Lance rested a comforting hand on JC's shoulder.

"This is so cool." Justin yelped, coming across a huge fur coat, pulling it out and holding it against himself.

"You would." Chris snorted with a shake of his head as he buttoned up a tan-green shirt.

"The PETA people will go nuts over that." Lance observed quietly, pulling on the off white shirt before he went in search for a pair of pants.

"It's not real fur." Justin protested with a shake of his head, setting the coat aside so he could continue his search for a shirt and a pair of pants. JC grabbed a pair of silvery what looked to be snakeskin pants and headed toward the changing room to put them on while Joe pulled out a pair of black pants to go with the skull t-shirt he now wore. Lance shrugged into a black jacket, nodding in approval at his reflection before grabbing a pair of black pants for himself. Ten minutes later, the group appeared in their new outfits. JC wore the forest green turtle neck, the silvery snakeskin pants, and a leather jacket that faded from dark green to white; Joe wore the skull t-shirt, a pair of black pants and a black leather jacket; Lance wore the off white shirt with a yellow collar, a black leather jacket and a pair of black leather pants; Chris wore the tan-green button up shirt with a pair of black pants; and Justin wore a black shirt beneath the fur coat, a pair of muted mustard yellow leather pants and a straw cowboy hat.

"You're not thinking of actually having your picture taken in that getup, are you?" JC snorted incredulously, lifting an eyebrow.

"This is no worse than those stupid star spangled boots I had to wear." Justin rolled his eyes, lips twitching with amusement.

"Whatever, guys. Let's just get this done and over with. We also have to do the MTV Music Video Awards promotional picture. And that one does have a theme." Lance called over his shoulder as he wandered back into the room where the first half of the photo session had been taken.

"Dare I ask, what's the theme?" Chris groaned in trepidation.

"We're going to play construction workers." Lance snorted.

"Ooh, can I have the jackhammer?" Chris clapped his hands excitedly as he followed the rest of the group out of the room.

"This is crazy. Construction workers? Jackhammer? Good grief." Quinn rolled her eyes, wry amusement leaking into her voice.

"Boys will be boys." Jasper sing-songed, dancing about the room.

"And apparently, you will always be crazy." Quinn retorted.

"Hey," Jasper thrust out her lower lip, folding her arms across her chest. "I resemble that remark. And frankly, so do you, Quinny."

"Shut up." Quinn laughed softly.

"Ooh, good comeback." Jasper taunted, disappearing from the room.

Justin stretched, groaning loudly as he scratched his chest, stumbling toward the direction of his bed for the night. JC sat on the other bed in the room, writing furiously in a small notebook with the lamp beside his bed turned to the dimmest setting the lamp had to offer.

"Jace, hit the light, man. It's late." Justin mumbled through a yawn as he collapsed into the bed, pulling the covers up over his shoulder, eyes closing with fatigue. They had been going straight on this tour with hardly any breaks, and if they did have a break, they were only scheduled for one or two days. There wasn't a whole lot of anything a person could do in one or two days to catch up on missed sleep or family matters. He sighed softly, cracking open an eyelid.

"Come on, Jace. Turn off the light. We have to be up early." Justin pleaded, curling his arm beneath his head as he turned his gaze up to the ceiling.

"When did we switch places, Curly?" JC inquired humorlessly, tossing his notebook onto the floor next to his bed.

"When you started dating Rebecca." Justin snorted wryly. JC just sighed, switching the lamp off.

"Speaking of Rebecca. Did the two of you work things out?" Justin inquired, closing his eyes gratefully in the darkness.

"Yeah, as worked out as things ever get." JC shrugged, folding his arms behind his head, gazing up at the ceiling.

"You should just dump her, Jace. She's no good for you, man." Justin's voice held a note of sympathy.

"I'm not ready to let go yet, J." JC sighed, closing his burning eyes.

"You've always been the optimist, Jace. And someday, it's going to end up killing you emotionally and spiritually." Justin mumbled, shifting so he lay on his side, sleep quickly claiming him.

"Okay, now we know what we have to fix in Mr. Chasez's life." Jasper whispered, leaning back against the wall as she watched the two young men breathe evenly with sleep.

"That's a given. He's with the wrong woman." Quinn nodded with a roll of her eyes.

"So, who's first? Curly or pretty boy?" Jasper continued to whisper.

"Why are you whispering? It's not like you're going to wake them." Quinn folded her arms across her chest, gazing from one man to the other.

"I don't know. Maybe because it's the polite thing to do?" Jasper shrugged a shoulder.

"We'll do pretty boy first, then curly." Quinn nodded firmly.

"All right. Let's do this." Jasper sighed, wandering over to the side of the JC's bed. She knelt down, gazing at the young man's chiseled face and high brow.

"Hey, pretty boy, time to wake up." Jasper called out softly.

JC shifted, mumbling something incoherent under his breath as he thrashed slightly beneath the blankets covering him, his brow furrowing as if he were having a nightmare.

"JC, wake up. We need to talk to you." Jasper tried again, this time her voice a little louder. Quinn glanced nervously over at the other young man sleeping peacefully in the second bed, hoping they didn't inadvertently wake him.

"Sleep now. Talk later." JC mumbled through thick lips, trying to push the intimately feminine voice from his mind.

"JC, wake up." Jasper finally exclaimed in exasperation.

"I'm up, I'm up. What?" JC demanded, voice hoarse as he struggled into a sitting position. He glanced around the room, making a face when he didn't immediately see anyone.

"What the hell is going on?" he mumbled, raking a hand through his tousled hair.

"JC, we need to talk." Jasper informed him.

JC jumped slightly, gaze darting to where the soft, musical voice had come from. Slowly, his eyes adjusted, seeing the image of a woman beside his bed, shimmering slightly with an other-worldly light.

"Welcome to the land of the awake and thinking." Jasper gave the young man a smile as she slowly climbed to her feet.

"This is a dream, right?" JC mumbled through a yawn, passing a hand over his face.

"If you'd like it to be, it is." Jasper shrugged nonchalantly as she turned to Quinn. "Why do they always think we're a dream?"

"Probably because we're so beautiful." Quinn shrugged, a smile twitching at the corners of her mouth.

"Who are you talking to?" JC questioned curiously, gazing around the room and only seeing a sleeping Justin and a young woman standing beside him.

"What? Oh. My partner, Quinn." Jasper answered the sleepy question distractedly.

"Two women I don't know are in my room in the middle of the night. Why aren't I panicking?" JC inquired bemusedly to himself.

"Because you know we aren't going to hurt you." Jasper shrugged a shoulder, plopping down on the bed beside him. She glanced around expectantly for a moment.

"Quinn!" Jasper hissed.

"What? Whoops. Sorry." Quinn appeared where Jasper had stood, hands shoved into the pockets of her jeans.

"Wait. Are you two angels?" JC's eyes narrowed as he gazed from one girl to the other and back again.

"No. I'm the ghost of Christmas past and she's the Easter bunny." Jasper's voice practically oozed sarcasm.

"No oozing, Jasper." Quinn wagged her finger at her friend.

"Oh, fine. Drat. You figured us out. We're angels sent from heaven to help you." Jasper snorted, rolling her eyes.

"For crying out loud, Jasper. Will you be nice?" Quinn admonished, clamping her lips firmly together so her smile of amusement couldn't be detected.

"I am being nice." Jasper stuck her tongue out at her friend, folding her arms as she settled back against the headboard with a huff.

"Aren't angels supposed to have wings and a halo?" JC's brow furrowed as his mind scrambled to place the pieces of the puzzle in front of him together.

"Out of all the stereotypes in heaven, why'd he have to chose wings? Doesn't he know growing wings out of one's back is painful, especially when we've never had wings in the first place? Who told them we had wings? And what, exactly, do we need wings for?" Quinn muttered savagely under her breath as she shot to her feet and began pacing the small hotel room.

"You had to say it, didn't you?" Jasper groaned, covering her face with her hands.

"I'm sorry?" JC rolled his eyes.

"Shut up." Jasper advised, shaking her head. "Quinn, remember the task at hand."

Quinn stopped pacing for a moment, tossing a glower in their general direction before resuming her pace. After a moment, she finally turned back to the pair sitting on the bed.

"Don't think we're angels, huh?" Quinn folded her arms across her chest.

"Oh, no. Quinn, don't do it. I always manage to get us into trouble, but you keep us there. I thought you didn't want to stay on earth any longer than you had to." Jasper tried desperately as she jumped to her feet.

"Just like Lance deserved that flick in the head, this little piggy needs a lesson in myths and legends." Quinn's eyes narrowed.

"Hey, look, take it from my prospective. I was sleeping when all of the sudden you two nuts appear. Neither of the two of you are fans, 'cause you haven't tried to maul me yet, and you have this strange silvery light surrounding you. I was only trying to use the powers of deduction by following some very simple religious 'myths' as you call them." JC held up a hand, shaking his head slowly.

"He's mocking me, isn't he?" Quinn lifted an eyebrow, silently daring her friend to stop her from doing what she was planning.

"No, Quinn. He's not mocking you. We've just given him a bit of a shock. Right now he's just trying to recover." Jasper forced a smile, hoping her words would defuse the situation. It didn't work.

"I couldn't mock you. Honestly. You're as old as time and deserve respect." JC mumbled through a yawn as his mind began to shut down for the night once again.

"Old as time?" Quinn parroted calmly.

"You're not helping your case any, JC." Jasper groaned, slapping a hand to her forehead.

"Old as time?!" Quinn screeched. Without giving another thought, she snapped her fingers. Instantly, the hotel room disappeared and a crowded mall filled with young girls appeared around them. Jasper glanced around and saw five pair of wide, confused eyes.

"You had to do it to all of them, didn't you? You couldn't have just done it to JC, the only one who deserved this, could you?" Jasper muttered, exasperation flooding her tone.

"What's good for the goose, is good for the gander." Quinn shrugged a shoulder, smiling triumphantly as panic finally crossed over five male faces.

"What we have here is a mall in California, where it happens to be about six a.m., and the Backstreet Boys are going to make an appearance at the record store here. They're going to show up in a few hours to sign some autographs and meet with their fans. But, I'm sure these young ladies wouldn't mind if another boy band happened to just show up." Quinn informed the young men.

"Um, someone want to tell me what's going on?" Chris inquired suddenly, glancing over at his friends, then down at his footie pajamas with a grimace.

"I pissed off an angel." JC answered, folding his arms across his chest.

"Wait. Let me get this straight." Lance held up a hand, eyes closed. "You pissed off an angel and we're all being punished for it?"

"Looks that way, doesn't it, Scoop." JC snapped irritably.

"Why the hell did you piss off an angel?" Lance demanded incredulously, slapping the back of JC's head, causing his head to snap forward.

"It's not like I set out to do it." JC grumbled, tossing a glare at the other man.

"You think this is some strange group dream? Maybe hallucination?" Chris inquired, gazing around the crowded mall in consternation, reaching out a hand to touch the wall beside him. It was cold and slick against his hand. And most definitely real.

"I don't think so, Chris." Justin shook his head, raking a hand through the curls atop his head.

"All right. This place is making me nervous. Can we go back to our hotel rooms now?" Joe turned glazed eyes to the two women standing silently beside them.

"Quinn, it's all you. You're the one whom is trying to prove something here." Jasper held up her hands, shaking her head ruefully. Quinn muttered something under her breath, snapping her fingers. The five men and two angels returned to JC and Justin's hotel room.

"Wait, this isn't my room." Chris held up a finger, stumbling backward until he sat heavily on one of the two mattresses as he reached for a pillow. He hugged the pillow in front of him, burying his face into the soft pillowcase to clock out the light.

"If you're angels, where's the halo? The wings?" Lance turned dubious eyes to the two women.

"Fine. You want wings and halos, you got wings and halos. And white robes and sandals even." Jasper muttered, snapping her own fingers. Quinn grimaced as huge wings sprouted from her shoulder blades, a gleaming gold halo appearing over her head as her wardrobe melted from jeans and a tank top to a floor length white robe. Jasper shifted uncomfortably, the wings behind her weighing heavily on her back.

"This isn't worth it." Quinn shook her head, folding her arms across her chest awkwardly.

"Um…," Justin gazed at Jasper in amusement.

"What now?" Jasper exclaimed, lifting her eyebrow.

"Your halo's kind of…tarnished." Justin informed her graciously. Jasper rolled her eyes, tossing her hands into the air.

"I can't talk to them. You do this." Jasper muttered, presenting the five young men with her back.

"Jasper." Quinn sighed, shoulders shaking with silent mirth.

"What? First they don't believe we're actually in front of them, then they don't believe we're angels simply because we don't fall into a stereotype, then after we go through all this trouble of presenting ourselves so they would feel more comfortable, the curly haired dimwit insults me. No way. Forget it. I'm done with this. Have a nice life." Jasper waved to the young men before turning back to Quinn. "Have a nice death. I'm out of here." Jasper continued, then snapped her fingers. Quinn looked on with amusement as Jasper groaned loudly, knowing the other angel couldn't change her location as easily as Quinn could.

"Are you quite finished?" Quinn inquired, lips twitching with amusement.

"Yes." Jasper hissed. "Please continue."

"Why thank you." Quinn gave her friend a winning smile.

"Through simple deduction, you're Jasper." JC's eyes landed on Jasper, causing her to give a small start.

"Yes." Jasper nodded.

"Who are you?" JC continued, transferring his gaze to Quinn.

"Quinn." Quinn answered through a sigh.

"Why are you here?" Lance inquired, leaning back against the wall, gazing at them dubiously.

"Because you're obviously not happy with your lives. All of you." Quinn countered, giving each young man a pointed gaze.

"What do you mean?" Justin took a seat on a chair, folding his arms across his chest.

"It means, Jasper and I have been sent here to earth from heaven to help your sorry butts." Quinn snorted, rolling her eyes.

"How can you help us? You're angels. You're not really here." Lance pointed out.

"Not really here?" Jasper squeaked, eyes wide.

"Would you care to educate them?" Quinn held out a hand.

"Not here? Jeez, kid. You really have no clue, do you? Do you remember earlier today in the hallway when you suddenly felt this sensation as if someone had smacked you in the forehead?" Jasper gave Lance a sadistic grin.

"Yeah." Lance nodded slowly.

"That was me. I did that, and you felt it. So, tell me, am I really here?" Jasper retorted, pushing long white feathers from her face.

"You could have been watching from another room." Lance shook his head, intent on debating the issue.

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