*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, Ashley, Devon, Rachel, Calri and Blake. Plagiarism is still against the law. Thank you.

*Note: I rewrote history to fit my needs...you are forewarned.

"I can't believe she won that bet! It was a sucker's bet!" Chris complained loudly as he paced the room. The Super Bowl had just ended, and from the way Chris was talking, it sounded as if the world had ended with it. Everyone was crowded in the Harless home, in the livingroom. Chris paced the room while everyone looked on with amusement.

"Chris, what can we say? You're just extremely unlucky when it comes to bets against Mike." JC shrugged as he cuddled his girlfriend closer to him. Chris shot the younger man a glare, then shifted his eyes to JC's girlfriend Mike, who was smiling up at him.

"How was I supposed to know that the Falcons would actually win." she shrugged. "It's not like I can see into the future. I normally bet on the underdog anyway."

"That's not the point! The point is the Falcons won against the Broncos. No one wins over the Broncos!" Chris snorted with a shake of his head.

"Chris, what's the big deal? It was just a football game." Mike sighed shaking her head.

"He we go." JC groaned closing his eyes as he rested his head back against the couch he and Mike occupied.

"Just a football game?" Chris stopped dead in his tracks. "Just a football game?!"

"What? Do I stutter?" Mike grumbled folding her arms across her chest, eyes rolling heavenward.

"That was not just a football game! That was the football game! The Super Bowl, the place where the best of the best come to fight for the title. That was not just a football game!" Chris practically shrieked tossing his hands into the air with frustration.

"Oh, forgive me, but football doesn't rule my life. If you've seen one game, you've seen them all." Mike shrugged as she climbed to her feet.

"Chris," Devon warned when she saw Chris open his mouth. "Football for men is different than for women. Remember that."

"Honey, that's....never mind." Chris shook his head then disappeared upstairs to the kitchen. Ashley burst into laughter as soon as the door closed behind the irate Chris.

"I have never in my life seen someone overreact like that all because of a football game." Ash shook her head, settling back into Joe's arms.

"Well, it is the Super Bowl." Joe commented tiredly.

"The Super Bowl. Big deal." Mike snorted, her arms still folded over her chest, looking like a pouting child. JC leaned over and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Are you pouting?" he inquired, laughter lacing his voice.

"No." Mike snapped with a shake of her head.

"Yeah you are." he laughed softly in her ear, causing tingles to go up and down her spine.

"I am not!" she laughed as she bolted to her feet to pace the room.

"I can't believe this." JC grinned glancing over at the other ladies in the room. "The Michaela Costeo is actually pouting."

Mike whirled around to face her boyfriend, a mock look of menace on her face. "Take it back." she demanded.

"No way, cause you are pouting." JC shook his head, leaning back against the cushions.

"Take it back or suffer the consequences." she demanded again, propping her hands on her hips.

"Not on your life." he laughed, his eyes dancing with humor. Devon snorted with laughter and immediately slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle it. Mike pounced on JC and started tickling him.

"Crap! Mike, come on! Stop!" he laughed as he tried to squirm away from her.

"Nope. Take it back." she laughed shaking her head as she continued to tickle him. He grabbed a pillow and swung it at her, hitting her in the face with it. She yelped out in surprise and immediately toppled over onto the floor. She stayed on the floor, laughing uncontrollably. She was still doing so when Chris walked back into the room.

"I demand a double or nothing bet." he stated suddenly. Mike finally calmed herself down enough to nod.

"Fine. I bet that John Elleway will retire." she sighed looking up at him.

"And I bet that he won't. He'll play at least one more game, if not more." Chris held out his hand. Mike promptly took it, and they shook on the bet, making it legal.

Mike had just gotten off the night shift from her work study job at college radio station and she was dead tired. JC had picked her up at eight and drove her back to her apartment, knowing full well she would be too tired to drive herself home. Ashley was still in bed when they silently let themselves into the loft which had been converted into a rather large apartment.

"You should really paint this place." JC whispered as he followed her into her bedroom.

"I know, but when do we have the time? We're always in class or at work, or with you guys. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to do much of anything." Mike whispered back as she tossed her book bag onto the easy chair in her room.

"We could help you, ya know." he laughed softly as she rummaged through a drawer to find a pair of boxers and a t-shirt to sleep in.

"I know. So, as soon as you all have a month or so off, we'll paint this place. Until then, it'll have to remain in this rundown state of repair." Mike smiled as she disappeared behind a Chinese curtain to change.

"We'll never have a whole month off. We could paint one room at a time." he suggested as he flipped through one of her text books.

"That's an idea. We could start next time you're in town." she sighed walking over to her bed and flopping down.

"Hard night?" he inquired sympathetically. She nodded with a groan, rubbing her shoulder to ease some of the pain. JC pulled down the blankets with a small smile.

"Why don't you climb into bed and try to get some sleep and I'll go home for a few hours. You can call me when you get up." he suggested invitingly, knowing she wouldn't sleep as long as he was there.

"How about you stay here and I will." she countered with a yawn.

"Having nightmares again?" he inquired softly as she crawled under the covers.

"Unfortunately, yes." she sighed.

"All right. Push over." he conceded as he made himself comfortable next to her then pulled the covers over both of them. She snuggled up to him and his arm wrapped around her. Soon, both were in dreamland. It seemed as if she had been asleep for only a few minutes when the phone rang loudly, causing her to groan.

"Don't answer it." JC suggested in a groggy voice.

"I have to. What if it's important?" Mike sighed as she fumbled on the dresser, trying to find the phone. She finally succeeded and pulled it over to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Mike." Chris's voice rang cheerily on the other side.

"Prove it."

"Wow, sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Chris, I just got home a little over an hour ago. I worked the night shift last night. I haven't been asleep long enough to wake up on the wrong side of the bed. Now, what is it that you want?" Mike sighed as JC pressed a kiss to her cheek, his eyes closing again.

"I just wanted to let you know that you lost."

"I lost what?"

"The bet we made about Elleway."

"Can't we talk about this later? Like after I've had at least two hours of sleep."

"Alright, I just wanted you to know that you lost and you're going to pay dearly."

"Got it. I lost and I'm going to pay dearly. Bye." Mike sighed then hung up the phone.

Everyone was crowded into Mike's room looking through her closet, trying to find something suitable to wear to help pay off her debt. Ashley and Mike were sprawled out on the bed, Joe and JC were leaning against the wall arms folded across their chests, Lance and Rachel were quietly talking in a corner, Justin and Carli were laughing at something Devon had said to them, and Chris was inside the closet going through Mike's wardrobe with evil intent, knee deep in clothing.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Mike mumbled with a shake of her head.

"You should." Joe laughed as he walked over to the bed to sit down beside his girlfriend.

"Oh God, please tell me that what he's planned isn't that bad." Mike groaned covering her face with a pillow.

"I could tell you that, but I'd be lying." Joe grinned placing a quick kiss on Ashley's cheek.

"Oh great, he's gonna make me become the human sacrifice for his demented little tribe of adolescence worshipers." Mike flopped backwards onto the bed with a laugh.

"Not quite, but it is going to be a sacrifice for you." Joe laughed pushing Mike off the bed. She landed with a loud grunt.

"That's all I need. To be a sacrifice." she sighed as JC held out his hand to her to help her up. She took it with a smile.

"You'd protect me, wouldn't you, honey?" she inquired, giving JC a winning smile.

"I'd rather deal with Chris's wrath than yours, so yeah, I'd help you. But in this matter, I can't. Sorry. You lost fair and square." JC laughed with a shake of his head.

"I realize that, but he's gonna make me a sacrifice. Do you know what that word means?" Mike demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, I know what that means. It means that the rest of us are gonna laugh so hard we're gonna develop a brain aneurism." JC smiled wrapping an arm around her neck from behind.

"You know, I feel so loved." Mike giggled. Her giggle stopped immediately when she saw what Chris was holding when he walked out of her closet. The color drained from her face when Chris gave her an absolutely wicked smile.

"Here, put these on and come back here so I can see." he demanded holding the clothes out to her.

"Chris, I haven't worn that shirt since I was a freshman in high school. It's not going to fit." Mike countered weakly.

"I don't care." Chris shook his head. "Put it on anyway."

"Fine." Mike sighed dejectedly as she took the clothes from Chris. She walked out of the room and into the bathroom to change. Once changed she nearly burst out laughing when she saw her reflection. The shirt was stretched so tightly across her chest, it was a wonder that she could even be comfortable, and the faded stone washed jeans from her years in the eighties felt like she had to be poured into them. The holes in the knees and thighs gave her no end of humor. She pivoted to get a better look at herself. She looked exactly like she did freshman year in high school, granted a couple of pounds heavier, but other than that, exactly the same. She sighed and headed back into her bedroom. Everyone's jaws dropped when they saw her.

"Oh no." JC shook his head grabbing his jacket off the bed. "No way in hell is my girlfriend wearing that." he stated emphatically as he wrapped the jacket around her, much to everyone's delight.

"Damn." Chris sighed. "Now I have to go find something else."

"I friggen told you!" Mike laughed. "People never listen to me when I say things."

"What did you say, Mike?" Lance inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Shut up, Lance." she growled playfully as Chris disappeared into the closet once again.

"How can you breath in that?" Devon questioned from her seat on the windowsill.

"Really shallow breaths." Mike replied with a nod, causing everyone to laugh. Moments later Chris stepped out with a relatively newer set of clothing, still dating back to the eighties, but the later eighties and would probably fit better. He wordlessly handed Mike the clothes, who in turn disappeared to the bathroom again. She reappeared moments later in clothing that actually fit her.

"Perfect." Chris smiled with a nod, rubbing his hands together.

"Great. Now, do want to tell me what I have to do?" Mike sighed sitting heavily on the bed.

"You, my dear girl, are going to a concert. A televised concert. One that we can watch via Pay Per View on February 6th." Chris started to explain. Mike groaned shaking her head with fear.

"You wouldn't do that to me. You wouldn't be so cruel as to do that to me!" she cried out jumping to her feet, somehow knowing what she would be forced to do.

"Oh, but I would. You are the proud owner of two front row seats to this year's hottest concert. The Backstreet Boys!" Chris yelled animatedly.

"Son of a....I can't believe you." Mike slapped a hand over her face.

"It's called revenge. Sweet revenge for all that you've made me do." Chris patted her shoulder consolingly.

"I guess so. Fine. I'll be there. But who's going with me?" Mike smiled gazing from one person to the other.

"Your sister Blake. After all, she dates Brian and wouldn't mind going. And she's also agreed to make sure you stay for the whole concert." Chris replied, folding his arms across his chest.

"Wonderful, wonderful." Mike groaned with a good natured smile.

Mike winced as she and her older sister Blake stepped into the auditorium filled with screaming female fans and followed the directions one of the safety people had given them to get to their seats. The concert would start in about an hour, so they had time to kill before everything started happening. The slowly made their way to their seats, rolling their eyes at some of the sign and posters that fans had brought with them to get the group's attention. Nick was definitely loved by thousands.

"How long is this thing going to last again?" Mike yelled to be heard over the din of screams.

"About two hours, give or take an encore or two." Blake yelled back with a smile. She was obviously glad to see her boyfriend perform again.

"Great." Mike mumbled distractedly as she folded her arms across her chest. The seats were wonderful. Front row center. She would have love these kinds of seats, for any other concert than the Backstreet Boys. It wasn't that she didn't like them as a group, or didn't like their music, because she had been caught more than once listening to their CD. She just didn't like being trapped in a place that most of these screaming fans would want to be, and she didn't feel like getting mauled when they finally took the stage. She knew that the tides would shift and she would be pressed into the metal safety horse that kept the fans at a certain distance from the stage, and it would be painful and she'd likely walk away from the whole experience with bruises. Now she would have minded if it were Korn, though she wasn't much of a mosher, so she probably would have gone quite a few rows back. She had tried moshing once and had walked away with a few cracked ribs and a bruise in the shape of a Nike sneaker on her back.

"You having fun?" Blake yelled in her ear.

"Oh yeah! I'm having a blast! I now know that I'm not the only one who wants to bear Nick's children!" Mike retorted, rolling her eyes heavenward.

"Funny, I though Kevin was more your style. The dark brooding thing going on with him." Blake laughed.

"He is, but that's not the point. Nick is the next blond Adonis. Better yet, people seem to think he's Hercules." Mike shook her head, wondering what in the hell Chris had gotten her into. Suddenly the whole arena was pitched into blackness and the wild screams intensified as strobe lights went off. Mike surged forward, banging into the metal safety horse and grunted in pain, already tiring of the whole thing. The first few strains of 'Everybody (Backstreet's Back)' came through the huge speakers. The group took the stage and everything began. Blake sang along with the group, nodding her head in time to the beat of the songs that they sang, one right after another. Mike stood stock still, arms folded across her chest, trying desperately not to move with the crowd. She was about ready to kill the girl behind her who kept bashing her in the head with the life size poster she had of Nick with the words 'Nick, I'll Never Break Your Heart' written on the top. She clenched her fists, refraining from turning around and grabbing the sign from her to rip it into tiny shreds. Chris is going to pay big time for this one.

Soon what seemed to be an intermission happened, with Kevin doing all the talking while Brian, AJ, Nick and Howie disappeared to partake in a wardrobe change.

"We have a special fan with us tonight, coming from our hometown, O-town and if we can get her to come up here, we'll introduce y'all." Kevin stated into the microphone he was holding for the moment. Mike paled and shook her head at the security guard that pushed his way through the crowd to get to her.

"Come on, man. Tell them you didn't find me!" she cried out as he took her hand and pulled her to the stage.

"We actually met her years ago when we had to co-host a radio show with her at the college she attends." Kevin continued. Damn, I had hoped they'd forgotten about that by now, Mike sighed silently as the guard escorted her up the stairs and onto the stage.

"Now, she wasn't too thrilled that we took over her really small studio for an entire night, so this is our way of apologizing for wreaking havoc in her life for eight hours. The one song that she said she liked to the point of tolerating," Kevin laughed as he glanced over at Mike, who forced a smile and waved. "Is the song we're going to sing next. And maybe, if we're really nice, she'll sing it with us."

Brian, Howie and Nick walked back out onto the stage and Kevin disappeared handing his microphone to Mike on his way by her.

"Thanks, Kev, for that wonderful trip down amnesia lane. I had hoped you forgotten about that by now. That was over two years ago." Mike commented dryly as she shook her head. Brian reached out and gave her a bear hug.

"Good to see you again, Mike." he smiled.

"I wish I could say the same." Mike laughed teasingly. "It's not like I don't see you enough as it is."

"That was harsh." Nick commented from his side of the stage.

"A Nick, the wonder boy. Do you know how many girls want you? Its crazy." Mike shook her head as she turned to Howie who gave her a brilliant smile.

"Howie doing?" he inquired as he walked over to her.

"You know, that gets cornier and cornier each time I hear it. It's like that whole 'we're single and ready to mingle' thing that your competition loves saying in interviews." Mike groaned as Kevin finally took the stage. They all had on white suits and silk colored shirts, wearing hats to match the suits.

"So, you gonna sing with us?" Kevin inquired draping an arm along her shoulders.

"Sing with you? I dunno. I'd love to sing, but I don't think I can bring myself to sing one of your songs." Mike laughed with a shake of her head.

"Sure you will." Nick nodded as the opening bars to 'All I Have To Give' came through the speakers. Mike groaned loudly as she sat down at the edge of the stage, her feet dangling over the edge.

"I have one thing to say," Mike stated looking directly into the camera in front of her. "Chris, pay back's a bitch. And remember, I know where you sleep at night."

"I don't care, what he does to make you cry, I'll be there to make you smile...." the song started in earnest with Mike shaking her head dolefully. She suddenly had a brilliant idea, and gave the camera and evil smile.

"Every morning there's a halo hanging on the corner of my girlfriend's for post bed." she sang softly and each one of the guys in the group burst into laughter. "I know it isn't mine but I think I'm gonna use it for the weekend or a one night stand."

Kevin walked up behind her and covered her mouth with his hand. "Dear, I hate to tell you this, but, you're singing the wrong group." he laughed as he helped her to her feet.

"Oh, sorry. Aren't you the guys who sing this one?" she made a face as if she were trying to remember something. "You got the right stuff, baby, and I love the way you turn me on. You got the right stuff, darlin, you're the reason why I sing this song."

"Nope, that's not us either, but nice try." Kevin smiled down at her.

"Um, let me think here. Hey wait! You guys sang that really hip song, what was it called? Oh right. Iesha, you are the girl that I never had and I want to get to know you better!" Mike laughed while she sang, finally having fun for the first time that night. She was glad that the guys knew how to take a joke.

"Wrong age and decade all together." Brian commented with a shake of his head.

"You're my popsicle, from the very first time I met you girl, you captured me?" she inquired making a face.

"No way." Nick shook his head, a smile on his face.

"Wait, who are you guys again?" she sighed.

"The Backstreet Boys." AJ grumbled with a good natured grin.

"Oh, right. Silly me. My little sister has toilet paper with your faces on it." Mike commented with a nod, which brought groans from everyone.

"That was just plain mean." Kevin shook his head.

"What? You're faces are on everything these days. Haven't you seen it all?" Mike replied with a shocked expression. They all nodded with solemn smiles. Soon everything returned to normal, and the concert kicked back into gear at full swing and Mike returned to her seat.

"You are so bad!" Blake laughed in her younger sister's ear.

"What? I was telling the truth." Mike retorted with a shrug.

As soon as the concert ended, Blake dragged her backstage to talk with the guys and to find out if they were miffed about the whole thing, which Mike knew they wouldn't be. The dressing room was filled with gifts from fans and five tired, freshly showered guys.

"Hey, baby." Brian smiled as Blake made her way over to him with a smile. Mike leaned back against the wall, rubbing her forehead to stop the headache that had started the second she had stepped into the venue for the first time nearly four hours ago now. Blake leaned over and dropped a kiss onto Brian's lips.

"The show was interesting." she commented giving her younger sister a meaningful look.

"All right, all right already. I'm sorry if I stepped over the line tonight. Your fans are probably going to kill me as soon as they find me. It'll be a lynching." Mike commented with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Nah, its all right. People like you keep us grounded." Brian laughed as Kevin climbed to his feet with a groan.

"I'm getting too old for this stuff." he mumbled as he walked over to Mike.

"That's right. You're the old man of the group." she nodded with a smile.

"How've you been?" he inquired giving her a hug.

"Okay. Really okay, actually. I keep moving up in the station, so that's going well." Mike nodded, trying to skirt around the issue that would inevitably come up.

"You still with that guy?" Kevin raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I'm still with JC. He makes me happy." Mike shrugged suddenly becoming uncomfortable in the room. Kevin had asked her out when they had first met, back when she and JC weren't serious and they had dated others, but she had turned him down hoping that something would change between her and JC. The chemistry had definitely been there, and still was from the way the her heart was pounding, but JC was all she had ever really wanted in a guy and she wasn't about to toss out two years over for a possible new relationship that might not work out in the end.

"Well, I hope he's treating you well." Kevin sighed with a rueful smile.

"I wouldn't be with him if he didn't." Mike countered softly as she pushed herself away from the wall. "Blake, I really need to get home. I'm going to call a cab or something. Call me when you get back to wherever you're going to tell me you made it okay."

"I can drive you." Kevin offered raising an eyebrow. Mike gazed at him for a second, then sighed with a nod.

"All right."

Ten minutes later, they were sitting in Kevin's little sports car driving toward the loft. The car was silent, the radio playing softly in the background to make it more comfortable. The funny thing, it made her more nervous. She and Kevin had shared a near kiss in the radio station, something that she had told JC about without divulging names, and he had been okay with it but she hadn't.

"I'm glad you're doing well. I think about you every so often." Kevin stated suddenly.

"Thanks, it's been a hard road for both of us, hasn't it?" Mike smiled as she gazed out the window. The whole city was dark now, the only things casting light were the various night clubs in town.

"You can say that again. Sometimes I feel I'm too old for all the traveling, like I just want to settle down. Get married, have children." he shrugged as he turned onto her street.

"What's stopping you?" she inquired making a face.

"Things like tonight. I have way too much fun to stop." he laughed pulling the car to a stop in front of her building.

"Well, thanks for the ride. It was nice seeing you again, Kev. And it wouldn't kill you to call me and let me know how you're doing every once in a while." Mike sighed as she climbed out of the car.

"I'll do that. Take care, Michaela." Kevin stated just before she closed the door. She hurried across the sidewalk and let herself into the building, and nearly ran up the stairs to the elevator to the loft. As soon as she was inside the loft, she noticed that most everyone was still crowded around the television, watching the recorded concert for what seemed the tenth time.

"Mike! It was wonderful! You had us all laughing our asses off!" Chris exclaimed as she stepped into the room.

"Mind toning it down a little. I have the headache from hell." Mike stated distractedly, her eyes meeting with JC's.

"Sorry, but it was classic. You and those bad eighties songs." Chris giggled inanely. Mike shook her head, walking over to where JC sat in a chair. He took her hand and pulled her onto his lap.

"You okay?" he inquired raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. Just tell me that you love me." Mike sighed resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you." he stated simply without asking any more questions.

"I love you too." she replied closing her eyes.

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