*Disclaimer - I do not own any of the members of 'N Sync (nor would I ever really want to) they bleong to their respective owners. I do, however, own all fictional characters such as Mike, Devon, Rachel, Ashley and Carli. Plagiarism is against the law. Don't do it. Thank you.

The hotel was silent, being that it was almost one in the morning, but JC couldn't sleep. It wasn't for lack of trying, his mind was just going a thousand miles a second and wouldn't leave him in peace. His mind and his heart had been debating for the past few days about what he should do. Chris, who was sleeping, shifted suddenly in his sleep causing JC to glance over at his friend from his stance at the window. He shook his head ruefully.

The soft strains of music filtered through the door connecting his room to Mike's room. He closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side to hear the words better. A small, bitter smile turned the corners of his mouth upward at the irony the words to the song brought him.

He stepped closer to the door, listening to Mike sing softly with the music. He stopped in front of the wooden barrier and rested his forehead against the cool wood, eyes closing with a sigh. He raised his hand to knock on the door, but rested his knuckles beside his head instead. His mind wandered to what could be, but wouldn't happen. He groaned softly with a shake of his head.

The music drifted into silence, jolting him back to reality. He opened his eyes and gazed at the door for a few moments, letting the lyrics of the song drift through him again. The phone rang shrilly, causing both Chris and JC to jump out of their skins. Chris grabbed for it and ended up missing it by inches. JC shook his head, laughing softly as he walked over and picked the phone up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, JC?"

"Yeah?"

"It's Chrissy."

"Oh, wow. Long time no hear. What's up?"

Chris groaned loudly, covering his head with a pillow to drown out JC's voice as he talked to his good friend and ex-girlfriend.

Mike paced around her hotel room, not really cherishing the solitude. She didn't really want to be around people, but then she really didn't want to be alone either. She shook her head with a roll of her eyes. She hadn't been able to say more than three words to JC in the past week, and Chris was angry with her for avoiding her father and the others didn't know her as well as the other two, so they didn't really know what to say. She groaned, shutting off her small sterio. She grabbed her jacket and made a beeline for the door. She walked down the hallway to the elevator and pressed the down button. She knew she was about to do something unwise, but she needed to blow off some steam. To vent a little bit of her frustration. She silently made her way to the hotel bar and sat down at the counter with a sigh.

"What can I get you?" the bar tender raised an eyebrow at her with a half smile.

"Um, how about a Tequila Sunrise." Mike suggested softly.

"You have ID?" he inquired, resting his elbows on the counter. She reached into her pocket and handed him her ID. He gazed at it for a moment then handed it back to her before making the drink she had requested. Mike took the drink from the bar tender and downed it in two gulps.

"Could I have a shot of JD?" she called out to the bar tender as she climbed to her feet and moved to a booth. She drank steadily for about an hour before someone joined her. He was a man, about her age who was in town for business. He seemed like a nice enough guy, so she had invited him to join her. They had flirted harmlessly as she continued to steadily get drunk in the hotel bar.

"How long are you in town for?" Jared inquired, shifting closer to her with a drunken grin.

"Another day and then I get whisked off to the next stop." Mike waved a hand in the air with a giggle. The bar tender kept glancing over at the pair, shaking his head every so often. Mike glanced up and saw a familiar form in the doorway.

"Uh oh." she mumbled with a shake of her head. JC walked over to her table, frowning at her, his eyes as cold as ice and a muscle in his cheek ticking. Without saying a word, he took her arm in an iron grip and hauled her to her feet. She winced as he pulled her through the bar and out into the lobby where Chris was waiting for the two of them. Mike sighed, head hanging, because Chris looked even more furious than JC did. Chris took her other arm before walking with JC to the elevator. Once in Mike's room, they turned to her, eyes blazing.

"What in tarnation do you think you're doing?" Chris demanded loudly, arms folded across his chest.

"Tarnation?" Mike raised an eyebrow, hands folded in her lap.

"Don't test me little girl." Chris nearly exploded.

"Didn't know we were in school." she shot back, angered that the two of them would carry her out of the bar the way they had.

"Don't sass me, Michaela. This is serious." Chris sighed with a shake of his head.

"What? What did I do wrong? I'm of legal drinking age." Mike tossed her hands into the air.

"That's not the point." JC pointed out.

"Then what is the point?" she interupted, gazing over at him. JC shook his head silently.

"Just sleep it off, Mike. We'll talk about this in the morning when you're not so arguementative." Chris stated as he made his way to the door connecting the two rooms. JC gazed down at her, a look of disappointment on his face. She sighed and flopped back on the bed, gazing up at the ceiling.

"Don't look at me like that, JC." she mumbled tiredly. "I didn't do anything a normal twenty-one year old wouldn't do."

"You were never a normal twenty-one year old, Mike. Shame on you for thinking that you were." JC sighed, walking towards the door.

"What did I do, JC, to fall from grace?" she demanded suddenly, the alcohol starting to wear off of her muddled mind.

"What do you mean?" he turned back to face her, an eyebrow raised.

"You and Chris. The two of you used to talk to me and now, I'm lucky if you two say a few angry words to me a week. When did you all start hating me so much?" she slowly climbed to her feet to walk to the window.

"I don't hate you." JC retorted softly with a shake of his head. I think I'm in love with you, so how can I hate you?

"Don't you? After that night, you don't talk to me. You don't even look me in the eye anymore." Mike snorted, folding her arms across her chest. JC leaned back against the wall, head hanging slightly.

"I just don't know what to do. Everything's jumbled in my head and its hard to make sense out of all of it." he tried to explain away his recent distance from her.

"You know what you want to do, you're just scared. Like me." she turned to face him, eyes burning with unshed tears. "But you lack the one thing that I've recently gotten back. The courage to take a chance."

JC blinked, not sure of what to say. A phantom of a smile turned his lips upward at her sardonic comment. He stuffed his hands into his pockets, slowly walking over to her.

"I don't know what you want me to say. I do know what I want. I want a career and I want you. I can't have both so I have to concentrate on one or the other. I'm not choosing either or, but I know that I have to do this career thing because I love doing it. I've signed contracts and I can't let the guys down. If I start seeing you, things will change. My views of what's important. So, in a way, I do lack the courage to take a chance." he told her softly. Mike reached up and rested her hands on his unshaven cheeks, caressing his cheek bones with her thumbs.

"I understand." she stated simply, eyes closing. Her hands drifted from his cheeks to his chest as he pressed his lips against her forehead.

"You know something?" she inquired in a whisper.

"What's that?" he whispered back, his lips brushing her forehead with every word.

"I didn't flinch once tonight." she smiled sadly, gazing up at him. JC took a hand out of his pocket and pushed a stray lock of hair from her face. He smiled sadly himself when he realized that her statement was true.

"You better go get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow." she suggested, still whispering.

"I know." he nodded, reluctant to leave just yet.

"You're not moving." she laughed softly.

"I know." he nodded again. She gave him a gentle push towards the door. He took a step backwards and didn't move any further. He stuffed his other hand back in his pocket, afraid he would touch her again. If he touched her again, there would be no going back. There would be nothing to stop him from persuing her the way he wanted to.

"Tell me to leave." he stated suddenly, almost desperately.

"I can't." she shook her head, gazing down at the carpet. JC smiled to himself. At least he knew she felt the same way. He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. Staying away from her almost killed you. Not seeing her smile. Not hearing her laughter. Not seeing her gaze to him for reassurance. Not being able to tease her to see her blush. She was like any other addiction. And she was just as hard to give up.

"Tell me to leave." he whispered again.

"I can't." she whispered back, their lips a breath away. She leaned into him, needing his strength for a moment before she pulled away. She glanced up at him, heart beating wildly in her chest. JC shook his head ruefully.

"It would have been better for the both of us if you had just asked me to leave." he told her, backing up a few steps to the door.

"I know." she nodded with a sigh.

"Night." he whispered just before he disappeared into his room. Mike groaned loudly to herself as she flopped down on the bed. Leave it to the male species to totally confuse and befuddle me. What just happened, anyway? Her mind refused to even attempt to search for an answer. Part of her didn't want to ruin the moment, though the other part of her wanted to disect everything that had just happened between the two of them. She closed her eyes against the glare of the lamp on the bedside table and sighed.

The tour bus was quiet with the solitude of many tired people. 'N Sync had just finished performing a concert and now they were headed to the over eighteen after party to mingle with their older fans and grab something to eat. None of them were really looking forward to the party, though they usually loved to meet the fans. They were just more tired than normal.

"What kind of food do you think they'll have for us this time?" Chris raised an eyebrow as he looked up from a book he was reading.

"Lets just hope its something hot and edible." Justin grinned as he flipped through a teen magazine to see what rumors had been spread about him and various talented females in the past few weeks.

"I dunno, I was kinda hoping for something Mexican tonight." Joe mumbled through a yawn.

"Only you, Joe." Lance shook his head with a laugh as he sat down on the couch. Joe tossed a grin at his friend and went back to lounging in his chair. Mike stepped into the room with a yawn, having just gotten up from a nap, pillow creases on her cheek.

"Now isn't that cute?" Chris teased as she flopped down next to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Chris cooed through a laugh and wrapped an arm around her. "Did the kiddo have a nice nap?"

"Sorta." Mike mumbled through a yawn, closing her eyes. Chris rested his head against hers for a moment, an affectionate smile on his face, before he turned his attention back to the book he was holding. The bus pulled into the parking lot of the establishment the after party was being held, cars already filling every parking space and then some. JC gazed out the window with a sigh.

"Well, it could be worse." JC shrugged, straightening to his full height.

"Do tell, how could it be worse?" Justin snorted as he climbed to his feet.

"Well," JC thought for a moment. "We could still have the concert to do."

"That was weak." Mike mumbled with a smile, her eyes still closed. JC grabbed a pillow and tossed it at her, hitting her in the face. She opened an eye and gave him an icy stare before cuddling closer to Chris, sticking her tongue out at JC. Chris rolled his eyes at the antics, happy to see that she was now having more fun and returning to her old self. JC shook his head with a grin, opening his mouth to say something smart but ultimately decided against it.

"Alright, everyone out!" James, the driver of the tour bus, yelped with a good natured smile as he opened the door. Security was already waiting for them to step from the bus. Joe, Lance, Justin and JC all filed to the front of the bus.

"You coming inside?" Chris raised an eyebrow, gazing down at her.

"No. We all know what the fans would do if they saw me walk in with you guys. I think I'll just watch a movie or something." Mike shrugged as she sat upright. Chris shook his head with a rueful sigh.

"You worry too much. Come on." Chris climbed to his feet, holding his hand out to her. Mike rolled her eyes, placing her hand in his. She followed him out into the cool night, a smile of genuine happiness on her face. Things were starting to look up for her. The small restaurant was crowded with various different people milling about and demanding the group's time. Mike was inevitably left to her own amusement. She walked around, glancing at all the girls that had come out to see the guys. She came across a refreshment table and grabbed something to drink.

"You come here often?" an unfamiliar male voice inquired. She glanced over and saw a young man smiling down at her.

"To this particular establishment or 'N Sync after parties?" Mike raised an eyebrow with an unladylike snort.

"Either or." he shrugged, putting on the charm.

"Lets just say that I've been to many places like this in my travels around the country." Mike nodded, turning around to see Chris gazing at her from across the room, eyebrow raised in silent inquiry. She shook her head slightly with a roll of her eyes.

"Hey little girl." Justin smiled as he grabbed a can of soda off the table.

"Hey old man." Mike returned the smile. Soon a DJ started playing some music so people could dance on the small dance floor, or just groove out to the tunes. The young man who had tried to put the moves on her eventually left to find a more willing partner to talk with and Mike was left to her own defenses.

JC laughed and nodded right on cue. A fan was telling him a funny story about an experience she had trying to get to one of their concerts the year before. His eyes wandered as he kept the smile in place for his fan. His eyes rested on Mike and he warmed immediately. She was laughing with a group of girls, all standing around the refreshment table. The DJ started playing one of her favorite songs and he smiled at the way she tilted her head with her eyes closed to concentrate on the song.

"Ooh, I love this song!" Amanda, the young woman he had been talking to smiled up at him.

"Yeah, its a pretty cool tune." JC nodded in agreement. "Excuse me a moment, I see someone I need to talk to."

"Okay." Amanda nodded, showing a little of the disappointment she felt. JC gave her one last smile before making his way over to where Mike and the other girls were standing.

"Good evening ladies." he smiled, giving them a flourished bow.

"Hi Josh." Mike smiled at him, eyes dancing with amusement.

"Who are your stunning friends?" he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Oh..sorry. This is Casey, Natalie and Morgan. Ladies, this is JC Chasez." Mike introduced everyone.

"Pleasure to meet you." JC nodded at them, eyes remaining on Mike for a moment too long.

The party finally started to dwindle down with the fatigue of the group members. Finally everything was over and they boarded the bus once again to head off to the next town and hotel. Everyone collapsed in the back room on the bus to watch some tv and let their bodies relax from a hard night. Two hours later, James pulled the bus into the parking lot of the hotel they would be spending the night at. Everyone grabbed their bags and walked into the lobby to check in. Then went to their rooms. JC sat down on his bed for the night and rested his head in his hands. Something had transpired between he and Mike and he wasn't quite sure of what it was or what it had changed into. There had always been sparks, but things were different now somehow. The sparks were still there, but they had changed into something more than just a mutual attraction. He had come to care about her in a way that he hadn't thought possible. He had grown to depend on her smile. He shook his head, flopping back on the bed, eyes closed.

"JC, man, stop thinking about it and get some sleep." Chris laughed with a knowing smile. JC nodded silently. His night was filled with strange dreams, things that he couldn't place his finger on any of it and when he woke, he had the unsettling feeling that something was wrong. He climbed to his feet and walked to the bathroom to take a hot shower. When he finally stepped out of the small room, Chris, Joe, Lance and Justin were all waiting for him.

"What? What's wrong?" JC raised an eyebrow.

"It's Mike. She's gone." Chris stated, almost mutely.

"What do you mean, gone?" JC demanded, his heart leaping into his throat.

"Gus was found knocked out in her room. Apparently someone attacked him from behind and hit him really hard." Chris informed him. JC sat down in a chair, head resting in his hands.

"What are we going to do?" he mumbled, his heart thudding painfully in his chest.

"I don't know. We've already called the police. We just have to wait until they tell us what to do." Chris shrugged. The room fell silent.

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