*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (I wouldn't be so lucky..um..yeah...well..dreams are sometimes a cool thing...I think) they belong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Ashley, Devon, and Rachel. Plagiarism, haven't you already guessed? Please don't do it. Thanks.

The sun was nearing the ocean as it made it's way to the other side of the earth for the night. Beautiful tones of red, orange, purple, pink and twilight colored the sky much like a mystical watercolor painting hanging in an art gallery somewhere. Stars began to shine brightly, causing wishers to make a wish on that magical first star of the night. A soft warm breeze ruffled the leafs in the surrounding trees and birds sang their nightly song. This was what life was all about. The soft song that constantly played, each song for each person being as different as the nightly sunsets.

Mike and Ashley had arrived in Sea Side, New Jersey two days earlier. Now both had gone their separate ways on the boardwalk, hoping to catch some alone time to think. Ashley had gone in the direction of the stage that had been set up near the end of the boardwalk, while Mike headed toward the shore to sit on the sand and watch the sunset with an almost indifference to the world around her. It had been a tough move for her to make, telling James that they would be better off without one another. The only thing that made the whole thing worth while was that James did actually have someone in mind and had for quite some time. But Mike couldn't help but feel a little pang of self pity when she thought about her loss. She should have been used to it by now, but losing JC was one of the most earth shattering things she had gone through. Not because she had lost him as the man of her dreams, but because she had lost him as her best friend.

She had tried calling him the night before, only to get no answer on his home phone or his cellular phone. Mike hadn't heard JC's voice in over two months, and that alone was enough to drive her insane. She shook her head as she buried her bare feet into the still warm sand. You may have lost him, but at least you'll always have Disney World. The thought nearly brought her to laughter. The last time she had seen him, they had spent the night doing anything and everything that had came to mind. It had been the best night of her life. She had seen the old Josh that night. The Josh that became her best friend during the filming of the Micky Mouse Club. The cellular phone in her pocket rang, startling her out of her thoughts.

"Fire Pit, Satan speaking." she answered with a smirk.

"Wait, is this a toll call?"

"Of course, how do you think I pay the electric bill for all this fire down here? Selling brownies?"

"Got milk?"

"Nope. Never did like the stuff. Too white and pure for my liking."

"We're here Mike."

"What do you mean 'we're here'?"

"We're in Sea Side."

"Dammitt Chris, I came here to get away from everything."

"I know, but hear me out."

"Chris, look, I'm tired. Emotionally, physically, mentally. I can't deal with this right now."

"Okay, let's go out and get ferschnookered."

"Now there's a word I haven't heard in a long time."

"Okay, lets go out and get blitzed, bombed, hammered, tweaked, sloshed, poopy, nutty, whacked, reeling...."

"Okay Chris, I get the picture."

"What do you say?"

"I can't believe you want me to go out and get rip roaring drunk with you."

"Yeah, well, I shock a lot of people. Besides, far be it from me to proclaim to have a crystal record, but with all the grief we've gone through, I think we deserve it."

"All right, but on one condition."

"And what would that be?"

"We don't get so drunk that we can't walk back to the hotel."

"You got yourself a deal."

"All right, so, where are you?"

"Right now?"

"No, ten minutes from now. Whuddaya think?"

"About twenty feet behind you."

"Jesus, how do you do that?"

"We ran into Ash. I pulled her aside and asked her where you ran off to."

"Ah, okay." Mike nodded hanging up the phone as she climbed to her feet. She turned and saw Chris walking toward her with a smile. He shoved his phone into his pocket as Mike slipped on her shoes.

"Okay, I'm not really sure if I want to ask this but.....has he....," she started when he cut her off.

"Asked about you? Sometimes." Chris shrugged as he draped an arm along her shoulders. "Where's a good bar around here?"

"Chris, look around you, man. If you can't see one that interests you, than you're an ameba." Mike snorted with a shake of her head. "You better by buying tonight cause I'm running low on funds."

"I wouldn't ask you to get ferschnookered with me if I wanted you to pay for yourself." he shook his head as they headed toward the first bar they spotted from the beach. Once inside, they sat down at a table in the back with a bowl of pretzels and a glass of beer for Chris and a mixed drink for Mike. The drank steadily and talked for hours. Mike ended up telling Chris everything, about how she felt for JC, about everything. Finally they left around two a.m., just before the bar would close for the night, and started walking back toward the hotel. Both giggled inanely at the way they stumbled every now and again. They made it back to the hotel in one piece but almost collapsed in the hallway. Chris fumbled with the key to his room and finally managed to open the door after missing the key hole six times in a row. Mike walked over to the bed and flopped down on it, face pressed against the mattress. The two sat up all night, talking about everything that came to mind. Mike was reminded, sadly, of all the late night conversations that she and JC had before everything had changed between then.

"What about love? Don't you love him?" Chris inquired, mostly sober now, as the early morning sunlight filtered through the blinds.

"Love," Mike scoffed bitterly. "Love is an illusion created by pathetic romantic saps like myself, which in turn created another illusion called marriage. Now marriage created a reality illusion called divorce, hence giving divorce lawyers a good name."

"When did you become so cynical?" someone inquired from the doorway, in an obviously shocked voice. The voice itself was like music to her ears and salt in her old wounds.

"When I found out that love was a fraud. No one ever truly ends up with the one person that's right for them. Take Romeo and Juliet, they found each other by pure chance, but people seem to think that it was infatuation and not love mind you, and because no one took them seriously, they murdered themselves. It's the same all over the world. You meet the one for you and nine times out of ten, they don't feel the same way. Or, if they do feel the same way, by some miracle, something always manages to happen that tears the two star crossed lovers apart." Mike shrugged indifferently as she leaned back against the headboard.

"Pretty philosophical for seven in the morning." JC commented, not moving from his position in the doorway.

"Yeah, well, you know me. I always have a theory on everything." she sighed, not daring to meet his eyes.

"So, did you two have fun getting plastered?" JC questioned, a note of resentment in his voice.

"Now there's one I forgot about." Chris laughed as he climbed to his feet. "Well Satan, I feel like hell, so I'm taking a shower."

"And you told me this because?" Mike countered sarcastically with a raised eyebrow.

"Just in case you wanted to get some sleep. I'll come by later and we'll go do something." Chris shrugged making a face.

"Oh, yeah, I guess that would be a good idea." she nodded climbing painfully to her feet. Her head started to throb painfully and she clutched it to keep it from rolling off her shoulders completely. "Chris, we are never doing this again." she moaned loudly, which only made him laugh as he shut the bathroom door behind him, leaving Mike and JC alone.

"All right, who's the wiseass who put the world into warp nine?" Mike mumbled as she headed for the door, one hand still on her head to keep it from flying off.

"I'll walk you to your room to make sure you make it okay." JC sighed as he opened the door for her. They walked in silence for a few minutes before JC shattered it with one sentence.

"How come you got sloshed with Chris last night?"

"Because he talks to me. He cares how I'm doing, which is more than I can say for some people. He wanted to hang out with me, so he asked and I accepted." Mike shrugged as she turned the corner and kept walking.

"Okay, I deserved that, but you have to look at it from my point of view, too. Not just your own." JC shook his head.

"Josh, I don't have to do a damn thing. I told you I loved you and you did nothing about it. I took the first step and got rejected in the worst possible way. I not only lost you as a prospective boyfriend, but I lost my best friend. Do you know how many times I picked up the phone to call you when something happened and I needed you to be there? So many I've lost count. And by the time I reached the last number, I would remember all that had happened and realize that you just don't want to deal with me. If you had, you would have attempted to call, even if it was just to tell me you didn't want to talk to or see me again, or even to go to hell, not that it would have been an overly long trip. Anything would have been better than the two months of silence from you." Mike shook her head as she stopped walking. "I left it all up to you, and you did nothing."

"What about you?" JC inquired with a sigh.

"What about me?" she shot back defensively.

"You telling me that I shouldn't want the complications, then delivering that note to me. What was I supposed to think, Michaela. You basically told me to screw off and now you're angry because I did what you told me to do. I never knew you felt that way about me, because if I had known, I would have done something about it." he raked a hand through his hair, agitated at the whole situation.

"Josh, look, I did everything in my power to let you know how I felt. That kiss in the airport, the night I told you to forget about the complication I would bring. I know how you feel about your career and I know as surely as I breathe that if you had started something with me, things would have changed. Guys with girlfriends aren't marketable toward the audience you guys have and I knew that. So I did the only thing left to do. I let you go and tried to get on with my life." Mike sighed, turning to walk again. JC said nothing, but just walked her turn another corner and disappear.

Chris walked out of the bathroom, dressed in a clean pair of pants, and wandered over to his bed. JC sat in a chair on the other side of the room, looking like he was brooding over his encounter with Mike.

"What are you doing with her?" JC questioned suddenly, his voice so low it barely went unheard.

"What do you mean?" Chris countered with a raised eyebrow, feigning misunderstanding.

"I meant exactly what I said." JC ground out.

"Oh, well, I'm being a friend to her JC. Something you wouldn't know about." Chris snapped testily.

"That's right, because I got tired of being pulled on a string by her mixed signals." JC snapped back as he jumped to his feet.

"She never once sent you a mixed signal. In fact, if I remember correctly, she told it to you in four easy words. I love you, Josh. What's mixed up about that?" Chris demanded, in no mood to play games with his young friend. JC shook his head, clearly disgusted, and walked from the room.

Well Chris, I think you made one royal mistake on bringing everyone here. You should have just taken this trip by yourself. He shook his head as he sat heavily on the unmade bed. Though it is good to see that boy show some kind of emotion, even if it is anger and a touch of jealousy. He leaned back and was suddenly asleep before any other thought could come to his head.

JC flopped down on his bed, seething about everything. He had no clue what was happening, all he did know was that he didn't like the idea of Chris replacing him in Mike's life. He was her best friend, not Chris. Some best friend you've been. She's better off with Chris being there for her. Besides, it's your own damn fault. You should have told her that you did call, but would hang up as soon as you heard her voice. JC shook his head with a groan. This was just wonderful.

JC jumped to his feet and walked out into the hallway. He headed purposefully toward the room he knew where Mike was staying. He banged loudly on the door and waited with impatience. The groggy young woman pulled the door open and looked up expectantly at him, fire in her eyes.

"Josh....," Mike sighed shaking her head.

"When did you stop." he demanded as he pushed himself into her room.

"When did I stop what?" she inquired, closing the door behind him.

"Stop loving me." JC sighed taking a seat on the foot of her bed.

"JC, now's not the time for this." Mike shook her head.

"That's what you said in Germany. I'm not going to let it go this time." he shook his head.

"Let it go, Josh. I can't do this so just let it go." Mike pleaded.

"Not this time." JC stated, climbing to his feet.

"I can't do this after I've been drinking all night." she protested weakly.

"Tell me." he demanded softly, standing in front of her.

" Never." she whispered painfully.

"Never what?" JC inquired raising an eyebrow.

"I never stopped." She shrugged, turning her back to face him.

"Then why the whole charade with the lawyer/politician wannabe?" he sighed.

"Because I knew you didn't feel that way toward me. I knew....so I tried to forget about it and James helped me do that." Mike answered calmly, now totally sober from her long night of imbibing.

"Why is Chris taking my place?" JC questioned suddenly, startling Mike into laughter.

"Chris replacing you?" she inquired raising an eyebrow. "How so?"

"Taking my place in your life. The place reserved for best friends and possible romantic relationships." he ground out, becoming angry all over again. Realization dawned hard and fast to her, and she nearly jumped up and down for joy. He was jealous.

"I don't know. Maybe I've realized that I have feelings for him. He treats me well and he's a nice guy." Mike shrugged flippantly as she turned to walk to the bathroom. JC grabbed her arm and pulled her around to face him.

"I don't believe you." he stated with finality.

"I never said you had to, Josh. It might be true, it might not be true. But like I said before, the ball was in your court and you blew it. You didn't even try to swing at it." she countered bitterly.

"You were getting married. Dammit, I couldn't compete with that." JC ground out as she dislodged her arm from his grasp.

"Bull! If you had shown an iota of feelings toward me, none of this would be happening right now. You can't blame this one on me, Josh. I kissed you. I told you I loved you. You did nothing. It was made perfectly clear to me your feelings." Mike shot back. Suddenly she was in his arms and he was kissing her. Her squeak of surprise was muffled by his lips as her hands slowly inched up his arms to rest on his shoulders. Just as suddenly, he pulled away.

"You told me that the kiss at the airport was nothing more than curiosity. I think that's total BS because a kiss out of curiosity doesn't have sparks like that." JC shook his head and left the room, leaving her to stare after him with a hand to her lips. She spun on her heel and grabbed a pillow only to throw it at the closed door.

"Infuriating men!" she practically screamed with frustration. She flopped backwards onto her bed with a sigh. Leave it to Josh to totally confuse her. First he didn't say anything, and now he was talking so much she didn't know what to do. She covered her face with her hands and rolled onto her stomach. Why do I let him do this to me? Mike climbed to her feet and walked into the bathroom. He kissed you and told you there were sparks. Maybe he is falling for you. She shook her head as she turned on the hot water so she could take a shower.

Mike strode purposefully toward JC when she saw him standing on the boardwalk later that afternoon. He was talking with a young woman running a t-shirt booth while waiting for Justin to finish in the record store a few doors down. She smiled sweetly to the young woman then turned to glare at JC.

"We need to talk. Now." she demanded in a low tone.

"All right." JC shrugged. "Pick you up at eight, Missy." he smiled at the young woman then turned to Mike. She gave him a stunned look and he started to feel a little guilty.

"So, you have a hot date tonight." Mike stated briskly as she walked toward the beach.

"Yeah, I guess I do. Does it really matter?" JC inquired stuffing his hands into his jeans pockets as he followed her.

"Gee JC, I don't know. Does it? You storm into my room and demand what's going on between Chris and I, then you kiss me and now you've got a date with some woman you just met. You tell me what's wrong with this picture." Mike sighed anger draining out of her as she plopped down on the sand.

"I just got tired of the games." JC shook his head, raking a hand through his hair.

"Games. I wasn't playing any games Josh, and you know it. I told you the truth and you're a damn fool." Mike spat out becoming angry all over again.

"How am I the fool?" he demanded taking a seat next to her.

"Never mind Josh. You obviously don't want to hear any of this anymore. Just go. Have fun on your date and in your life. The games are over. I thought we could be friends, or some semblance of friends, but I guess I was wrong like so many things in my life." she sighed climbing to her feet. "I wish you every happiness in the world, and sincerely hope all your dreams come true. We've had a hell of a time together, but we both knew it had to end. I just hoped it wouldn't be this bitterly."

JC sat in stunned silence as she leaned over and kissed his cheek softly. She straightened then heaved a sigh before walking slowly away. This hurts more than I thought it would. Even breathing hurts too damn much. One breath at a time, one step at a time. You can do this Mike. But can you do this without him? You can. Just one foot in front of the other. Right. Left. Right. Left. In. Out. In. Out. Don't think about the pain. Endure it. Embrace it. It's all you'll ever know when it comes to him.

Michaela slowly walked back to the hotel and started packing her bags again. This time she had no idea where she was going, she just had to get out of Sea Side. The town was getting crowded and too painful to remain in. She folded a shirt and carefully set it down in her suitcase as someone banged loudly on her door. She walked over to the door and reluctantly pulled it open. Chris beamed at her, rubbing his hands together.

"You ready for some…..what happened to you?" he raised an eyebrow as he walked inside. Mike shut the door behind him and continued packing.

"Nothing." she stated in a muted voice.

"Let me tell you something kid, never bull crap a bull crapper. What's going on." Chris questioned again grabbing her by the arms so he could get a good look in her eyes. He almost backed away from her at the empty state he saw.

"I've lost him. The friendship, the relationship that never was, everything." Mike sighed tossing a hand into the air.

"What do you mean 'lost him'?" he pressed.

"What part of that don't you understand, Chris? He's asked some other girl out and relishes in the fact that it hurt me. He accused me of playing games. So I walked away. As much as it hurt, I walked away." She answered tonelessly, not meeting his eyes.

"Okay, let me get this straight. He asked someone else out and you walked away because he said that you were playing games with him?" Chris demanded incredulously. Mike nodded turning back to her packing.

"That son of a bitch. I'm gonna knock some sense into that boy." he shook his head as he headed for the door.

"Chris, don't. It's not worth it." Mike shook her head as she zipped her suitcase.

"You've got to be kidding me." Chris shook his head.

"I'm not. Josh obviously wants nothing to do with me in that sense. I can't just be his friend anymore. It's better to just let sleeping dogs lay." Mike shook her head.

"You can't just leave like this." he sighed watching her drape her jacket along her shoulders.

"Yes I can. I'll keep in touch. Tell Ash that the keys to my car are in the night stand." Mike whispered touching his cheek with her hand.

"Why are you running?" Chris questioned as she opened the door.

"Because it hurts too much to stay." she replied then disappeared from his sight. She walked to the front desk and called a cab, then headed outside to wait. Justin jogged over to her from one of the booths on the boardwalk.

"You going somewhere?" he inquired, squinting over at her.

"Yeah. This vacation turned out to be a little more stressful than I had planned." Mike nodded with a sigh.

"Wait, I showed up here because you were going to be around, and I never get to see you anymore." Justin pointed out.

"I'm sorry old man. I just can't stay here. Please understand. It hurts too much to tolerate anymore." she shook her head as the cab pulled up beside them. She dropped her suitcase into the trunk then turned to her young friend.

"You're gonna do great things in life, Justin. I know you are. Don't ever lose hope." she whispered to him as she hugged him tightly.

"Why does this feel like the last time I'm gonna see you?" Justin inquired as he hugged her back just as tightly.

"I don't know, old man. I'll keep in touch, and that's a promise." she smiled at him then climbed into the cab.

"Where to lady?" the cab driver inquired.

"Air port, please." Mike answered, tears filling her eyes.

JC walked into his room, brooding about what had happened earlier that day. He didn't think Mike had meant what she said about this being it. There had to be more to it than that. More to it than a forced goodbye. He shook his head as he pulled out a change of clothes for his date that night. Part of him didn't really want to go anymore because he'd known he'd done it spitefully. He never really wanted to go out with this other girl.

The door opened and Chris stormed in with Justin not too far behind him. JC glanced over at them, briefly startled. "Hey guys, what's up?"

"She's gone." Chris stated flatly.

"What? Who's gone?" JC inquired, a confused look on his face.

"You really are a dumbass, aren't you?" Chris spat out, his anger getting the best of him.

"What the hell are you talking about?" JC demanded starting to get a bit peeved at the way he was being treated.

"Mike's gone." Justin stated softly.

"What do you mean 'Mike's gone'?" JC raised an eyebrow.

"Exactly what I said, man. Mike left. She wouldn't say where and she was saying goodbye like we'd never see her again. What the hell did you do to her?" Justin sighed sitting down on the foot of JC's bed.

"I didn't do anything." JC shook his head.

"Oh no? You call asking some stranger out, not doing anything? You call telling her she's a game player, not doing anything? With friends like you, JC, who the (bleep) needs enemies." Chris snorted as he backed JC up against the wall. JC glared at the older man defiantly.

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about." JC shook his head, pain gripping his heart. He had done it now, he had really lost her now.

"I'm talking about how you hurt your best friend. How you took her heart and ripped it to shreds. I'm talking about a heart broken woman who left here without an ounce of life left in her. I'm talking about a girl who seldom laughs or smiles anymore. I'm talking about a girl whose voice doesn't have that musical quality anymore. I'm talking about how you not only broke her heart, but also made her feel as if she didn't matter at all. You're an ass, JC. You had the best thing in your life just sitting in your hands in front of you, and you did everything possible to make her walk away. How's it feel? How's it feel to know that the one woman that could complete you in the way most people could only dream of, is no longer around?" Chris inquired spitefully. JC hung his head, eyes closed, not knowing what to say.

"Well, it looks like I screwed up royally this time." JC mumbled more to himself than anyone else.

"You got that one right." Chris nodded backing away from his friend. "We all know that this whole love thing is scary, but even though you're scared, which is something I can only assume, that doesn't give you the right to do to Mike what you did."

"I know. I was just tired of the back and forth all the time." JC sighed rubbing his face with his hands as he sank down on the empty bed.

"That's what people do. They go back and forth. It's called talking, fighting, loving, hating. All of those things are back and forth things. Emotions and actions that two or more people have to partake in." Justin countered with a sarcastic grin. JC threw a half hearted glare in Justin's general direction.

"Call her." Chris stated tossing JC his cellular phone. JC sighed glancing down at it.

"I can't." he shook his head.

"Why not?" Chris demanded softly.

"Because I did all those things to her and she won't want to hear from me." JC sighed flopping back against the bed.

"Try anyway, you may just get credit by attempting to explain yourself." Chris stated suddenly looking ten years older than he actually was. JC sighed as he dialed the number he knew so well. At the other end of the line an operator told him that the number he was dialing was out of service.

"Her battery's dead." JC mumbled tossing the phone onto the bed beside him. He sat up and rested his head in his hands. What have I done?

Miami was a beautiful place filled with people of all ages and dozens of beaches. It was someplace that Mike had gone to escape yet again. She had returned to Boston on that fateful day and finished up the semester, trying hard not to think about the what if's and the should have been's. Now she was staying with her sister in Miami for the summer. She had kept in touch with Chris, Justin, Joe and Lance, never once asking how JC was doing. Not that the question didn't burn in her throat every single time she talked to them, she just couldn't handle the answer. She couldn't take it if he was doing well. Mike had lost a lot of weight do to not eating or sleeping well, something her sister hoped to cure over the summer, and she didn't go out often anymore. A smile was a rarity and laughter hadn't crossed her lips in nearly nine months.

It had been just that amount of time since she had seen all of them last. Since she had left Sea Side and JC far behind, though she couldn't truly get away from them. Their faces were everywhere, their music played on all the radio stations. Her friends would always ask how they were doing and she would have to grit her teeth and tell them. Ashley had been wonderful throughout the first few months, fielding off phone calls from Chris and Justin in the beginning because they had tried to talk her into talking with JC. After they had given up on that, she started talking more and more with the two. Once a week they would call and they would talk for hours.

"Mike, come on, get up." Dawn, her older sister, demanded rolling up the shade. "It's a beautiful day and we're going shopping."

"Dawn, I hate shopping. Malls, a place where people gather to kill others who want what's on the sale rack." Mike groaned yanking the blankets up over her head, trying to block out the offending sunshine.

"Oh no you don't." Dawn scolded gently as she yanked the covers back, forcing Mike to open her eyes.

"This is my summer vacation! Why must you torture me so?" Mike wailed sitting up.

"Because, that's what older sisters are for." Dawn grinned impishly as she searched the closet for a decent outfit for her younger sister to wear. She took out a pair of black shorts and a light purple tank top and tossed them onto the bed before walking to the door. "I expect you to be ready in a half an hour. If not, then it's waking by Chinese water torture." she stated as she left the room.

"I can't stand being in Florida again. Who knew sisters could be such a pain in the ass?" Mike grumbled to herself as she walked to the bathroom to take a shower. She ended up being ready in the designated time frame Dawn had told her.

"Good, ready to go?" Dawn nodded her approval as she grabbed her car keys. Mike nodded silently as she grabbed a light weight sweatshirt to slip on. "You can't be serious. It's nearly ninety degrees!" her sister admonished with wide eyes as they walked out of the apartment building.

"I'm cold, all right?" Mike countered defensively.

"He really did pull a number on you, didn't he?" Dawn stated, her voice taking on a softer tone.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Mike lied as she climbed into the passenger seat. The ride to the mall was a silent one with Mike gazing unseeingly out the window. Finally the car stopped moving and they climbed out and headed inside the huge mall. Inside the air conditioning was up to Arctic which made Mike give a violent shiver. She followed her older sister to a music store and sighed painfully when she saw the newest release from 'N Sync, their faces smiling brilliant at her from the life size poster board. She picked up the CD case and looked down at the cover with regret in her eyes. Mike couldn't help it, she walked up to the counter and quickly paid for it, then she walked out into the main hallway to wait for her sister. Twenty minutes later, Dawn emerged with a plastic bag filled with CD's.

"Where to next?" Mike inquired climbing to her feet.

"Macy's." Dawn grinned as she headed toward the other end of the mall. Mike should have realized what was going on when she saw the dozens of young teenage girls in the store, but she hadn't really been paying close attention, so she realized at the last moment.

"I don't believe you!" she hissed angrily to her older sister.

"You have to face him sometime. Now is better than never." Dawn shrugged as she nodded toward the group of men sitting behind a long table signing autographs. Dawn dragged her into the line and stood with her hand encompassing her little sister's arm.

"I'll never forgive you for this!" Mike cried out softly, trying to yank her arm from Dawn's grasp.

"I'm not surprised, but you'll get over it eventually." was the only reply she got.

"Why do you have to make me relive all of this? Wasn't once enough?" Mike demanded coldly as Dawn pulled her forward in line.

"Obviously not. Look at the way you've been moping around since everything went down. It's time to act like an adult and face him again, Mike." Dawn reminded with a sigh. Mike opened her mouth but immediately shut it with a click when she noticed she was next in line.

"Hi, who should I make this out to?" a familiar voice questioned without out looking up.

"Satan." Mike sighed making Chris's head snap up. A slow smile curved his mouth and he quickly wrote something on the promotional picture they were giving out this morning.

"We gonna get together tonight?" he inquired nudging Lance in the ribs.

"I swear to God Chris, if you don't knock it off....Mike!?" Lance grumbled in surprise.

"In the flesh, not that I really want to be here. Look, Chris, I don't think it's such a good idea." Mike shook her head as the picture that was being signed for her was passed down to Lance. Lance quickly wrote a message on it then passed it to Justin, who quickly looked over to where Chris, Lance and Mike were talking. He pointed a finger at her and motioned her to walk forward.

"You're getting together with me and Chris." he stated with finality.

"Old man, like I told Chris, it wouldn't be a good idea." Mike shook her head and Joe smiled at her. She smiled back and grabbed the picture out of his hand before he could pass it to JC.

"It was nice seeing you again though." she smiled as she leaned over and placed a kiss on the younger man's cheek. She pulled away just as JC glanced over and saw her. She gave a small wave to JC and started walking away from the table.

"Gus, stop her!" she heard JC yell from the table. Mike glanced behind her shoulder and balked at the sight of big, huge Gus walking toward her, filled with intent. Mike sighed and took off at a run, hoping to elude the man in the crowds. She was nearly halfway down the hallway when she glanced over her shoulder to see if Gus was still there and crashed into someone in front of her, causing her to flail her arms and land on her ass with a loud 'umph'. Her tail bone throbbed painfully as she looked up to see another one of 'N Sync's security guards.

"You know Jason, you have an uncanny resemblance to a brick wall." Mike ground out through clenched teeth. Jason reached down and took her arms in his hands to help her to her feet.

"Thank you kindly for all your help. I'll see you around." Mike smiled and started to walk away. Suddenly the ground slipped from under her feet as she was tossed over Jason's shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Oh come on! I didn't do anything!" Mike yelped pounding on the giant's back with her fists. "Security!"

"I am security." Jason grumbled with a humor filled smile.

"Mall patrons! Help me! I'm being kidnapped!" Mike yelled, all the blood rushing to her head. Dozens of the mall patrons she had bequeathed help from smiled at the spectacle that was unfolding for them to view. Jason walked through the crowds and into the back of Macy's store. She was put into one of the many offices located in the back. Jason walked out, leaving her alone, and locked the door behind him.

"This is insane. What the hell is all this about? I'm gonna kill JC when I see him again." Mike mumbled to herself, rubbing her bruised tail bone. A window caught her eye and a slow smile curved her face into something of a vision. "Wouldn't it be funny if I weren't here when they came to get me? God, I am so bad." Mike laughed to herself as she opened the window and climbed up on a chair. She hoisted herself up onto the ledge and sat on the window sill. She was halfway out the window when the door opened, showing Gus standing in the door way.

"It's been real. It's been fun. But it hasn't been real fun!" she called to him as she slipped outside. She landed like a cat and bolted down the alley to the parking lot. All she had to do was get to Dawn's car and she would be safe. She spotted the car and ran as fast as she could toward her savior. She was about three feet away when she was stopped short by someone grabbing her arm. Mike glared over her shoulder to see a highly amused Gus.

"I'm glad you find this humorous. Do you mind letting me go now? I have to get home." she stated icily.

"Sorry Mike, I can't do it." Gus shook his head.

"Be still my beating heart. He actually spoke more than one word and it wasn't a grunt." Mike snorted trying to yank her arm out of his unbreakable grasp. Gus just shook his head ruefully. Dawn made a face as she rolled down the window.

"What did you do now?" she demanded of her younger sister with a half smile.

"I didn't do anything. That's the point. None of this would be happening if you hadn't forced me to go to the mall with you!" Mike shouted still struggling with every ounce she was worth to get her arm free.

"You're gonna hurt yourself." Gus warned ominously. Mike spun around and stuck her tongue out at the giant of a man.

"Looks like it's about to get worse." Dawn commented nodding toward the tour bus that was rounding the corner. Mike peered around Gus and groaned loudly. The bus stopped and Chris jumped out and gave Gus a rueful smile.

"You caught Satan. You're gonna catch hell for this." he shook his head as he walked over to Dawn's car. "We're going to steal Mike for a while. You don't mind do you?"

"Not at all, have fun kiddies!" Dawn laughed.

"You traitor! Remind me to tell Brian all of your secrets!" Mike yelped as Gus grabbed her into a bear hug and brought her aboard the bus. Chris laughed shaking his head as he followed the pair. Gus set her down onto her feet and she whirled around glaring at him.

"The next time I want to be crushed in someone's arms, I'll give you a call, but until then I would thank you if you left me the hell alone!" she scolded Gus loudly, shaking a finger in his face before she spun around to face the others. "I don't know what kind of game you all are playing, but this isn't going to work. I can promise you that much."

"Mike, just calm down. We haven't seen you in nine months and you were planning on disappearing again. We couldn't let that happen." Lance replied in a soothing voice with an equally soothing smile.

"Yeah right. I don't believe you." Mike snorted shaking her head as she completely ignored JC as if he weren't even in the room. A young woman walked into the lounge from one of the back rooms.

"Is this what you do in your off time? Kidnap young helpless girls for your pleasure?" she inquired causing Mike to whirl around with fire in her eyes as the girl in question took a seat next to JC and draped her arm along his shoulders.

"Mike is far from helpless." Chris snorted and received a glare from Mike.

"Who the hell are you? Their accomplis?" Mike demanded with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I'm Carli." the young woman stated with a smile.

"Ah, Justin's girlfriend." Mike nodded with narrowed eyes before turning back to the others with a glare. "Mind telling me just what this is all about?"

"Like Lance said, we've missed you and you bolted without spending any time with us at all. We didn't think that was too cool of you, so we stopped you and made you come with us." Justin replied with a shrug.

"All this is because I wouldn't hang out with you tonight?" Mike demanded incredeously, her eyes filled with shock.

"Partially." Joe nodded with a smile, glancing over at JC. Mike's eyes followed his gaze and bore down hard on the person in question.

"What did you have to do with this, Josh?" Mike demanded striding over to him.

"Everything." he answered flippantly with a shrug.

"Didn't you get it into your thick skull that I didn't want to see you again?!" Mike demanded hotly, no sign of her temper ebbing.

"No, actually I didn't." JC sighed as he climbed to his feet. The tour bus lurched forward causing Mike to lose her balance and topple into JC. His arms wrapped instinctively around her to keep her from falling. Mike braced herself by pressing both hands against his chest. She glanced up at him, shock evident in her eyes at the electricity that passed through them. JC's eyes warmed as he gazed down at her for a moment. She opened her mouth to say something but stopped short when his eyes darted down to her lips. Before anything else could happen JC dipped his head down and delivered a soft kiss to her lips. Mike, too shocked to do anything, just stood there for a moment before reason came to her and she pushed him away with a vengeance. She reached back to slap him, but her arm was caught by Chris.

"Now children, play nicely." he admonished teasingly. "Or do I have to separate you two?"

"You will never do that again, do you hear me?" Mike demanded glaring hotly at JC.

"Why not? Scared of what might happen?" JC smirked folding his arms across his chest.

"Only for your manhood, because if you do touch me again in any way, shape, or form, I will personally make sure you can sing higher than Chris has ever dreamed for the rest of your natural born life!"

Every man in the room, including JC and Chris, winced at her implied meaning, all being thankful he wasn't JC at the moment.

"You don't have the balls." JC shook his head.

"Funny, neither do you." Mike ground out turning her back to him. Lance tossed his hands into the air as he climbed to his feet.

"All right, this is it. JC, go to the back tv room. Mike, you stay here." Lance yelled over everyone in the room.

"Why do I have to go to the back?" JC demanded as Joe grabbed his arm and started pulling him into the backroom.

"Because Mike is a guest, or have you forgotten?" Lance sighed with a shake of his head.

"She's no guest, she's Rosemary's baby!" JC yelled just before the curtain slammed shut.

"At least I'm not a sad excuse for a Jordan Knight wannabe." Mike yelled after him.

"Wait, wasn't Jordan Knight gay?" Carli inquired making a face.

"Precisely." Mike nodded with satisfaction.

"Stop!" Lance yelped wagging a finger in her face.

"He started it." Mike yelled gesturing toward the other end of the tour bus.

"I did not!" JC called out from his sanctioned place of residence.

"I don't care who started, just shut the hell up!" Lance screamed causing everyone to fall silent with shock.

"Wow, Lance did something useful for a change." Chris mumbled in awe. Everyone burst out laughing as Mike flopped down on the empty couch.

"Serious question time. Do you still love him?" Lance inquired taking a seat next to her.

"What do you think?" Mike sighed covering her face with her hands.

"Then why are you doing this to him?" Justin questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Because after two years of torture, he's gonna have to work for it. He has to prove it to me." Mike replied with a shrug as she settled back in her seat.

"That's cruel." Chris shook his head.

"Yeah, so was what he did to me." Mike countered with a hint of sarcasm. "Or have you forgotten Sea Side?"

"I know, but I think it would be best if the two of you just forgot about everything and started new. I know how bad that sounds and it's a typical answer to everything, but it may work." Chris shrugged.

"I can't forget." Mike shook her head as the bus pulled to a stop outside a hotel.

"Does Gus have to carry you again, or are you going to come willingly?" Lance inquired as he climbed to his feet.

"Willingly." Mike sighed and followed everyone inside, Lance taking one side and Justin taking the other side. They climbed the short flight of stairs to the elevator and walked inside. Soon they reached the floor their rooms were on. Justin brought Mike into one room, Lance brought JC into another. Mike sighed looking around and shook her head when she saw JC.

"Oh no. You've got to be kidding. I'm not staying in this room with you." Mike spat out angrily. JC reached down and picked up a slip of paper and laughed loudly.

"According to this we are." he stated handing her the paper.

Mike and JC,

By now you're wondering just what is going on. Mike, it's true that JC devised the plan in kidnaping you, but only to make sure he could talk to you. The rest of us came up with locking you in the same room together until you came to some sort of truce.

Don't bother checking the doors, security guards have been posted and you're too high up to even think about jumping out of another window, Mike.

Food will be delivered upon request, and we hope that everything will work out soon.

Love,

Justin, Joe, Lance and Chris.

"I don't believe this. I feel like I'm trapped in a really bad made for tv movie." Mike groaned flopping down on the bed.

© 1997 hells_fiction@hotmail.com

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