*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. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike and Ashley. Plagiarism was still against the law last time I checked, so please don't. Thank you.

The bathroom of the ballroom the auction was being held at was bustling with activity. Everyone was changing and getting ready for the huge gala the evening would bring. Ashley, already in her dress, stood in front of the mirror applying her make-up with precision while Mike wrestled to get into the dress that had been assigned to her. A loud bang then a loud cry of pain filled the air causing Ashley to giggle.

"What? You fall in?" she questioned Mike as she applied eyeliner with a firm stroke.

"I wish. Then I wouldn't have to wear this God forsaken dress." Mike muttered as she walked out of the bathroom stall wearing the aforementioned dress.

"You look great." Ashley smiled at her in the mirror.

"Thanks. So do you." Mike returned with a smile as she delved into the small cosmetics bag she brought with her. A loud banging startled the two of them.

"Are you ladies decent?" a familiar male voice questioned loudly.

"Yeah JC, come on in." Ashley called out just as loudly, causing Mike to grimace into the mirror. The door opened and JC, Justin and Chris strolled in wearing their tuxedos.

"You guys look fabulous." Ashley smiled her approval with a nod as she packed up all the things she had brought in with her. Mike glanced down at her watch and sighed when she saw the time. In an hour everything would begin. She would have to get up in front of a hundred or more people and sell her friends to the highest bidder. Inanely, her might drifted to the times when slavery was still a haiku thing.

"You almost ready Mike?" Justin inquired, watching her apply a thick coat of lipstick on her lips.

"Yeah, I just have to blot." Mike sighed.

"Blot?" Justin raised an eyebrow with amusement.

"Yeah, blot. You men have no idea what a woman has to go through to look beautiful, do you?" Mike questioned as she grabbed a tissue from her cosmetic bag. Justin shook his head as she pressed the tissue between her lips to remove the excess lipstick.

"That's not overly surprising." she laughed as Justin watched her with amusement. "All right. Are the others ready?"

"Yeah, we're just waiting for you two so we can all walk in together. People have been arriving for the past twenty minutes or so." Chris nodded, leaning back against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.

"Great." Ashley sighed nervously as she yanked down on the hem of her dress.

"I don't know what you're nervous about. I'm the one who has to go up there and sell these guys." Mike snorted as she grabbed the silver purse that she had been forced to carry, though nothing was in it except for a tube of lipstick and a tube of mascara. Mike checked her appearance one last time in the mirror before she was satisfied enough to go mingle with New York's finest before the auction started. JC offered his arm to her with a smile, as Chris did with Ashley moments earlier. Mike smiled her thanks and rested her hand in the crook of his elbow. Ashley beamed at everyone as she walked inside to where everyone was milling about, talking to people, on the arm of Chris with Justin following right behind. Mike stopped short with a panicked look on her face

"What's wrong?" JC inquired softly, turning to face her.

"I can't do this. You guys are used to the rich and famous, and so is Ash. Me? I'm a poor girl from Boston that had to share a bathroom with seven people." Mike shook her head, the room seeming like it was closing in around her.

"Sure you can. These people aren't all that different from you. And I'm not used to this either." JC commented resting his hand on top of hers.

"Oh come on, JC. Those people are nothing like me. They scoff at people like me and pat them on the head, telling them what good little ones they are for contributing to a cause that fits us." Mike snorted pulling her hand away from his.

"Mike, you are a classy lady, well beyond most of the people you see before you. You're in a class of you're own. Where's that confidence of yours?" JC smiled taking her hand again, and fitting it on his arm.

"It flew out the window the second I heard the music." she sighed closing her eyes.

"Listen to me." JC whispered close to her ear. "You look stunningly beautiful. There's nothing you should worry about. Just go in there and give them your charm and you'll do fine."

"Easy for you to say. You already know and like me." Mike laughed nervously.

"You're right, I do. Now let's go." he smiled then escorted her into the room. Mike's eyes darted around nervously, only resting on one person at a time before darting to the next person. JC gave her hand a gentle squeeze as they walked over to where Justin, Joe, Ashley, Chris and Lance stood talking in one of the corners of the room.

"Hey, hey, hey. Look who finally made her appearance." Lance smiled warmly at her.

"Um, yeah, well, I was having a slight problem backstage, so to speak." Mike replied with a shrug.

"Yeah? Stage fright?" Lance inquired raising an eyebrow.

"Something like that." JC answered for her.

"Punch?" Joe inquired looking at everyone.

"No thanks, I might break a nail." Mike muttered sarcastically as Jade and Melody walked over to them, smiles dripping from their faces.

"I thought we recognized you." Jade smiled at JC, tossing her long dark hair over her shoulder.

"Evening ladies." JC nodded to them as the two new comers gave Ashley and Mike a once over.

"You two clean up quite nicely." Melody commented, taking Justin's arm as her eyes lingered on the possible competition.

"Why thank you. Back home they say we're the purdiest ladies around. So glad you high priced New Yorkers approve of our evening wear." Mike sighed, her grip on JC's arm tightening just a bit. JC coughed to hide his snicker of amusement as an older gentleman walked over to the small group.

"Hi daddy." Jade smiled as she placed her hand on JC's other arm.

"So is this the young man you've been telling me about?" her father inquired glancing at JC with trepidation.

"Yes he is, daddy. This is JC." Jade replied airily as she waved a well manicured hand in the air, signaling a waiter to come by with a tray of drinks.

"That's all well and good darling, but come, we've to make our rounds yet." her father replied in a jovial voice.

"But daddy, I just met up with my friends again and I'd like to talk and catch up on all that's happened to them throughout their stay." Jade pouted prettily.

"All right, princess. Have fun." he smiled then sauntered off toward the closest group of socialites.

"I do believe I will go for some 'punch' as Joe so fondly calls it. Please excuse me." Mike stated dryly then walked over to where it would be safer from the eyes of the public. Jade followed close behind.

"So, are you and JC dating?" she lifted a delicate eyebrow as Mike sipped a glass of wine.

"I don't see where that's any of your business and a rather forward question for someone you've only met once." Mike replied distastefully as she gazed about the room.

"My goodness, it was a simple question." Jade shook her head, dark hair falling over her shoulders.

"No, we are not dating." Mike sighed with a slight roll of her eyes.

"Good." Jade nodded with satisfaction. "I'm going to buy him tonight and I don't want a girlfriend to get in the way."

"I'm sure no woman could get in the way of you. Excuse me, I believe JC needs to talk to me." Mike retorted with a flaming streak of jealousy arching through her. She walked back over to where everyone stood and smiled at them.

"I would like nothing more than to get the hell out of here. Who's with me?" Mike stated folding her arms across her chest.

"Mutiny in the ranks. Not a good thing. The punishment for that is flogging." Chris shook his head with a smile as classical music filled the air. Couples started to dance to the music on the dance floor.

"Joe, would you like to dance?" Ashley questioned looking over at her boyfriend. He nodded with a smile and took her hand.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea. Mike, would you do me the honor?" Justin smiled offering his arm to her.

"You know how to dance to classical music?" Mike replied with shock.

"No, but there's a first time for everything. Besides, it doesn't look that hard. What do you say?" Justin laughed.

"If you say so." Mike conceded with a grin, taking his arm. Out of the corner of her eyes, she caught Melody glaring at her and Jade walking over to JC with a pretty smile on her lips.

"JC, it seems you've been abandoned." Jade commented as Lance and Chris took off for a table to sit and relax before everything started in earnest.

"I guess it looks like I have. How are you this evening, Jade?" JC smiled congenially at her.

"I'm just stupendous. This is one of the grandest occasions I've ever partaken in." Jade laughed softly as she rested a hand on his arm.

"It looks like that Mike girl and Justin have hit it off really well." Jade commented when she noticed JC's eyes stray to the laughing duo.

"They should, they are friends after all." JC laughed, his eyes smiling at the pair's antics.

"They do make an adorable couple." Jade countered softly. JC nearly choked on his wine with a laugh.

"I don't think so. She'd get prison time just for looking at him the wrong way." he replied with a shake of his head.

"Is that so?" Jade sighed with a hint of frustration. "Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not polite to stare at one girl when you're conversing with another?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that Mike was nervous and I just want to make sure she's doing alright." JC answered with a sheepish smile.

The two talked of trivial things until the auction started. The group wouldn't be up for a short while, so Jade took JC's arm and took him to where she was seated with her father. Justin and Mike smirked at him and he shrugged helplessly.

"You better go get your cue cards and get backstage." Justin whispered to her as one of New York's most eligible bachelors took the stage with an easy gait. Mike nodded with a sigh and did as she was told. Soon she had to take the stage. The spotlight nearly blinded her as she looked out into the crowd. She gazed over to the curtain and saw Ashley, Justin, Joe, Chris, JC and Lance all give her a smile and a nod.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, I have to offer you five cunningly sexy men all for the benefit of their favorite charity. The first bachelor is Joseph Fatone, Jr. He's twenty-one years old and loves to do just about anything." Mike started as Joe sauntered onto the stage, a sexy smile spread across his face.

"He promises an evening on the town with good food and great dancing and a night you'll likely never forget. The bidding will start at a hundred dollars."

Joe had a blast winking at all the ladies who bid for him, turning this way and that for their approval and it was all Mike could do to keep a straight face. The final bid came from a blond woman in the back offering one thousand, two hundred dollars to spend an evening with the man.

"Our next bachelor is nineteen year old Lance Bass, our blue eyed romancer. He enjoys the beach, horseback riding and adventure. He promises a night filled with laughter around a fire on the beach. Bidding will again start at one hundred dollars." Mike smiled as she glanced over at Lance who strutted around the stage, a slight blush tinting his cheeks. Mike nearly laughed out loud when she saw that the highest bidder was a good friend of hers, Rachel, at one thousand, one hundred and fifty dollars.

"The third bachelor I have to offer you is twenty-seven year old Christopher Kirkpatrick." Mike sighed as Chris took the stage. He walked with a slick gait, one hand thrust deeply into his pocket, doing swift turns here and there, then finally stood at the end of the stage and shook his butt at the ladies. Mike groaned inwardly with a laugh at his antics.

"This tattooed wild man enjoys spontaneity, sports and concerts. He promises an evening at the symphony with dinner and dancing afterwards. Bidding will start at one hundred dollars."

Devon Summers, her older cousin, appeared out of nowhere and fought for him with the money she had put away for this occasion. She finally beat out the other patrons by offering one thousand, four hundred and ninety dollars for him.

"Our next bachelor is seventeen year old Justin Timberlake. This talented young man enjoys basketball, singing and dancing. He promises an evening at one of the many New York hot spots for dinner and dancing. Bidding will start at one hundred dollars." Mike laughed as Justin gave the audience all he was worth. The bidding ended with Melody at two thousand, four hundred and fifty dollars. Mike notice Carli in the background shaking her head with amusement.

"Our last bachelor of the evening is twenty-two year old JC Chasez. This quiet, serious guy enjoys Shakespearian plays, movies, and dancing. He promises a romantic dinner and a evening at the theatre. Bidding will start at one hundred dollars." Mike glanced over at JC, who gave her a quick smile as he strolled down the stage. As badly as she wanted to bid her own money on him, she didn't have the type of money that Jade and one other girl were bidding. Finally Jade won out with two thousand, eight hundred and ninety dollars. JC gave Mike a stunned look as he walked down the stairs and met up with Jade.

"I'm afraid we're out of bachelors. Thank you for coming tonight. Good night." Mike smiled at the audience then made her way to the curtain area.

"Hold up, we still have one more auction to do. All you guys have been left out all evening, so we thought it would be only fair to have one more. This one's a bachelorette auction though." Chris stated into the microphone just as everyone was climbing to their feet. Justin and Lance met Mike behind the curtain with twin devilish grins.

"No way guys. This is so far from funny." Mike shook her head with a groan.

"Just play along. Chris wants to get you back for making him walk that way and for making him wear that tux." Lance replied.

"Actually this is how we all wanted to get back at you for the tux thing. Come on Mike. It's for a good cause." Justin wheedled, giving her his most effective puppy dog face.

"Fine." Mike hissed as she was pushed out onto the stage yet again. She turned a bright smile to the audience.

"Our first and only bachelorette is twenty-one year old Michaela Costeo. She's a workaholic who enjoys music of all kinds, moonlit walks in the rain and a nice quiet evening at home with a book or a really good movie. She doesn't promise a thing, it's you who will have to do the promising. Bidding for this beautiful young woman will start at one hundred dollars." Chris smirked into the microphone as he walked over to Mike.

Justin raised his hand with a nod and Mike almost burst out laughing. She would have if she didn't notice a man that she could barely stand offer two hundred dollars for a night with her.

"You die for this." Mike muttered to Chris under her breath, smile never wavering. JC watched with amusement, his arms folded over his chest and a smile on his face. Mike closed her eyes as the bidding continued with Chris gentle prodding for more money.

"Five thousand, nine hundred dollars!" someone in the audience shouted, causing Mike's head to snap up to look around. It was an elderly man with what looked like a fourteen year old boy beside him, prompting him on.

"Seven thousand dollars." another elderly man stated. Seven thousand dollars was the final bid, and Mike tried her best to smile as she was lead down to where the elder man sat with a smile on his face.

A woman walked onto the stage with a huge smile on her face. "I would like to announce that we've raised over one hundred thousand dollars with this evening auction. Please stay with us for dinner and dancing." she stated before walking off stage to attend to some business. The man that had bought Mike turned to her with a smile.

"You are a very lucky girl." he told her.

"Yeah? How's that?" Mike questioned with a smile.

"Because my dear lady, you were not bought by me. You were bought by that gentleman over there." he returned her smile, pointing to a young man in the corner talking with her best friend Ashley. Mike's heart jumped into her throat when she saw his face. JC lifted his glass to her with a smile.

"Thank you." Mike sighed as she climbed to her feet. She then headed over to where he was standing. He handed her a glass of wine without saying a word.

"You bought me?" Mike inquired causing Ashley to choke on her own wine.

"Excuse me. I think I see poor Joe shooting help me eyes." Ashley mumbled and made a hasty retreat.

"Not only me. The rest of the guys put together some money. We thought it was about time we took you out for a night of whatever you'd like to do. This is the only way we would get to know you a little bit better than we actually do." JC shrugged as Jade walked over to the pair.

"You shouldn't have done that." Mike shook her head.

"In your opinion, but I can guarantee that we're all glad we did it. I mean, this way we get to hang out with you for a night and still raise money for charity. You can't beat that." he smiled as Jade took his arm.

"JC, darling, come dance with me." she pouted prettily.

"That's not the point, Josh, and you know it!" Mike countered, finding it increasingly hard to get angry at him.

"Then what is the point, dear Michaela?" JC lips twitched with humor.

"It's really too bad you were bought by an old man, Mike." Jade stated suddenly with a shake of her head.

"He's hardly an old man. JC's the one who bought me." Mike stated with conviction.

"Oh." Jade retorted haughtily. "He probably feels pity for you."

"I doubt very much that I do. You see, Jade, this is the only way Mike will go out on a date with me." JC answered smoothly. Jade opened her mouth to make a reply but thought better of it and turned to Mike instead.

"We'll just see about that." she muttered under her breath so only the other woman could hear. Mike raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk.

"Whatever Jade. If you'll excuse me, I feel the urge to dance." Mike countered and gave JC one last smile before walking off to find a partner to dance with. Chris was the only one not dancing so she walked over to him.

"Care to dance with a lady?" she inquired standing in front of the older man.

"Sure. Where's the lady?" Chris teased with a smile as he offered her his arm.

"What is that girl's glitch?" Jade inquired glancing over at JC.

"She's had a rough couple of months." JC shrugged as he downed the rest of the wine in the glass he was holding.

"That makes up for her being a bitch?" Jade replied disdainfully. JC gave her a look then shook his head.

"Mike wasn't being a bitch. Believe me, you'd know if she were." he retorted as he escorted her to the dance floor. The dancing lasted for two hours, and dinner another hour. By the time everything was over for the night, everyone was exhausted and wanted desperately to go back to the hotel. A limo took everyone back and they all piled into one room to discuss what had happened throughout the night.

"I can't believe Rachel bought me." Lance laughed softly to himself.

"I can. She's had the hots for you for a long time. I never heard the end of it." Mike countered with a roll of her eyes.

"Yeah?" Lance smiled. Mike nodded as she walked to the bathroom to change. She came out minutes later wearing a pair of lose jeans and a sweater. Ashley was dozing quietly in Joe's arms as he flipped through the channels on the TV set up on one of the dressers. Chris was lounging in a chair reading that day's paper while Lance checked his e-mail on his laptop. Justin had fallen asleep on the floor and JC was lounging on one of the beds, reading a book that he had been trying to read for the past six months. Mike smiled secretly to herself as she leaned in the doorway of the bathroom watching everyone relax after a strange night.

Chris stood up and grabbed something out of his bag and walked purposefully over to where Justin was sleeping. He tossed the item, which turned out to be a shirt, onto the younger man's face. Justin groaned opening his eyes.

"Go get some sleep, kid." Chris stated tiredly. Justin, too tired to argue, nodded climbing to his feet. He left the room without a word and toppled into his bed in one of the other rooms.

"You guys were great tonight." Mike stated as she walked back into the room. "I'm proud of you for acting the way you did."

"Well, thank you. I tried." Chris smiled at her.

"I know, and it was so difficult wasn't it?" Mike teased as she took a seat next to Chris at the table.

"Yeah, actually it was. I was going to do cartwheels and stuff like that, but I value my life and didn't want to piss you off again." Chris laughed with a shake of his head.

"I'll let you in on a little secret, I think I half expected something like that from you. I was pleasantly surprised when you didn't. Thank you." Mike laughed and placed a kiss on the older man's cheek. Chris blushed slightly as he shook his head with amusement. Mike leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes with a glimmer of a smile. It was silent for a few minutes before Chris spoke again.

"Does she know we're the ones who bought her?"

"Yeah. I told her." JC laughed with a nod.

"Did she get angry?" Lance inquired, glancing up from the laptop in front of him.

"Not really. I think secretly she was happy as a clam about it." JC replied with a shrug.

"You know, it's amazing what you can find out by just playing possum." Mike commented, her eyes still closed. Everyone groaned with good natured smiles.

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