"Oh my God," said Mira, staring at her reflection in the mirror. "What is this I'm wearing?"

"It's a dress, Mir," said Leanna looking over her shoulder. "And you look gorgeous, so stop complaining," she said as she closed the clasp on her necklace.

"But it's so..." Mira trailed off.

"Beautiful?" offered Leanna.

"Revealing," said Mira with a nod. "That's the word I'm looking for."

Leanna rolled her eyes. "Oh please," she said. "It's beautiful, Justin's going to love it, and I don't want to hear another word about it."

"Yes mom," said Mira bitterly.

The doorbell began ringing as they spoke. Leanna sped off down the hall, her calf length, spaghetti strapped, back tie dress swaying as she moved, leaving Mira staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her dress was beautiful... she had Leanna to thank for that, but it was far out of Mira's normal style. Her uniform jeans and sweaters had now been replaced with a semi-formal dress for the Valentine's Day party thrown by the record label that Justin was taking her to. Her dress was a light pink, made of light, almost weightless silk chiffon. It's low neckline left little to the imagination. But, Mira had to admit, she loved the way it danced with every movement she made. Her normally ponytailed hair how hung down past her shoulders... her waves turned into gentle curls sitting on her bare shoulders.

"Is it safe?" came a voice from the hall.

Mira sighed, glancing at her reflection once more. "Yeah, I suppose," she said. She looked to the doorway in time to see Justin sticking his head in. His jaw dropped as he openly stared at Mira. Mira, suddenly feeling uncomfortable under the scrutiny, laughed nervously. "I look that bad, huh?"

It was then that Justin broke out of his stupor. "N-No, Mir," he said with a shake of his head. "You look beautiful."

Mira suddenly felt overcome with shyness. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You're welcome," said Justin, taking a few steps towards her and kissing her on the cheek. "Let's get going before Jace and Leanna leave without us."

With that, Justin held out his arm for Mira to take, and led her down the hallway into the den, where JC and Leanna stood, talking softly. Leanna smiled at the couple as they approached. JC looked at them, looked away, then looked back again. He stared at Mira, completely stunned by her appearance. His mouth hung open slightly, openly taking in Mira's appearance.

"Do you have something to say, Chasez?" asked Mira, her heart beating fast.

"You look..." he began. Mira held her breath as he stared at her. "Like a girl."

Mira fought the temptation to roll her eyes. "Coming from you, Chasez, I take that as a compliment."

"We're going to be late," said Leanna, glancing at the clock sitting on the mantel.

"You're right," said Justin, looking down at his watch. "We better go," he said, taking Mira's hand and kissing the back of it gently.

Mira suddenly felt awkward as she felt JC's eyes on her. She turned to see Leanna smiling at her. Standing behind her was JC. His eyes met hers for a brief moment before he looked away.

Leanna walked towards the door, her hand entwined with JC's, tugging him behind her. Mira smiled at Justin standing beside her. He held out his arm for her to take. She giggled softly and took it, allowing him to lead her out the door. Mira gasped as she spotted the long limo parked outside their home. "What the-" she began.

"Oh, did I forget to mention the limo?" asked Justin innocently, walking her down the walkway.

Mira slapped him playfully on the arm. "You jerk! How could you not tell me?"

"I wanted to surprise you," said Justin with a shrug.

"Well you did!" cried Mira as they approached the end of the driveway.

"There's just one catch..." said Justin slowly. Ahead of them, JC opened the car door and was motioning for Leanna to get in when a CD flew out the door.

"Hey!" came a voice inside the limo.

"No way in hell are we listening to that!" cried a voice, now recognized as Joey's.

"Boot-Scootin' Boogie is a kickass song!" cried Chris.

"And it's my CD!" cried Lance.

"We're not listening to it!" cried Joey.

Mira looked up at Justin, her eyebrows raised. Justin smiled sheepishly. "Surprised?"

"Not really, to be honest," said Mira with a shrug. "You boys are inseperable."

"Do you mind?" he asked.

Mira's eyes widened in surprised. "Why would I mind?"

"Old dates of mine have insisted on having our own limo," said Justin with a shrug.

"Well, I'm different," she said with a smile.

"I'm figuring that out," said Justin with a smile. Mira grinned brightly and picked up the CD lying on the grass, stepped into the limo, and swiftly slid it into the CD player, and sat down, ignoring the sounds of discontentment coming from Joey and high fiving Lance and Chris.

Twenty-five minutes later, the limo came to a slow stop in front of the Sir Francis Drake Hotel in downtown San Francisco. Mira and Leanna looked out the window at the tall hotel. "Why are we here?" asked Mira.

"The party's being held on the top floor," said Lance.

"You mean the Starlight Room?" asked Mira in amazement.

Justin smiled. "Yup."

"Wow," breathed Mira, returning her gaze just outside the window.

Just outside the limo rolled a red carpet. On either side of the red carpet were hoards of fans and reporters. Mira's heart leapt into her throat. The bodyguards, who had been following in an SUV got out and opened the limo door, letting the deafening sounds of screams fill the limo. Mira's eyes widened.

"Don't worry," said Chris. "I always feel like I'll be eaten alive too," he said with a shrug. "But you get used to it."

"I don't think I want to get used to it," said Mira flatly.

"Come on Mir," said Justin, reaching for her hand. "Let's go."

Mira hesitantly followed Justin's lead, letting him pull her out of the limo. Justin held out his hand to help her as she unsteadily stepped out of the vehicle. Flashes went off in a million different directions. Screams got louder. Mira was so overcome by it all that Justin had to pull her along to get her to walk.

"Justin!" she heard called in a million different directions.

"You okay?" asked Justin, whispering in her ear as he led her down the carpet with his hand on the small of her back.

"Yeah... sure... fine," said Mira shakily.

"Look, I'm sorry baby. Why don't you wait inside? I have to talk to this reporter over here. He's a friend of mine and I promised him an interview," said Justin.

"Yeah, sure," said Mira distractedly. Before she knew it, Justin had left her side, leaving her to fend for herself down the carpet. Normally, this would have been no problem. It just involved walking, right?

At that moment, Mira was so overcome by the sheer insanity surrounding her that she'd lost all sense of direction and movement. She froze, becoming the focus of the screams and reporters calls.

"Are you Justin's girlfriend?"

"What's your name?"

"What's your relationship with Justin?"

Mira was ready to either faint, break down in tears, or run away screaming. She wasn't sure which yet. But all that was interrupted when she felt a hand on the small of her back, gently leading her forward.

"Almost there," said the male voice in her ear. As soon as she stepped foot inside the hotel lobby, it was as though someone had flipped off a switch. The lobby was blissfully peaceful. She made her way up the entrance stairs and to the main floor, where she was amazed by the pure elegance the hotel exuded. She turned around to thank her rescuer when she realized it was JC.

She stood there, stunned, staring at him blankly. He stared at her wordlessly, his gaze shifting uncomfortably to the ground and back to her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his black dress pants.

Mira couldn't help but be impressed by how JC looked in his tuxedo. Of course, she kept those thoughts to herself. The uncomfortable silence was too much to handle. "I-I'm going to go sit down," she said, motioning to the red circular couch in the center of the room. JC merely nodded and turned back to the entrance, making his way down the steps, no doubt to find the rest of the group.

Mira gave herself a minute to breathe, wondering why in the world JC would "rescue" her like that. He hated her... right?

She didn't have time to contemplate any further, as the rest of the group, consisting of Joey, Lance, Chris, each of their dates, JC, Leanna, and Justin walked up the stairs and to the lobby. Mira smiled at Justin as he appeared.

"I'm really sorry about that, babe," said Justin, taking her hand and helping her to her feet.

"Don't worry about it," said Mira, smiling at Justin, taking a brief glance at JC, who was staring at the ground. "Well, anyway, are we going to go up?"

"Yeah, I'm kind of anxious to see if the Starlight Room lives up to its reputation," said Leanna, taking JC's arm.

Together, the group of ten took two elevators to the top floor of the hotel. Leanna and Mira gasped as they stepped foot inside the room, the smooth sounds of jazzy orchesteral music filling the room. The walked out of the gold elevators onto a black granite floor. Ahead of them, sitting on an antique presentation table sat a gorgeous artistic masterpiece, filled with long stemmed roses. Beyond that, in the main room, the walls were lined with elegant drapery, a soft ruby tone with gold and teal green running through it.

The carpets lining the entire room, minus the sparkling hardwood dance floor, was a lush ruby and green. The room glowed from the light of several chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. Gold mirrors lined the walls that didn't have windows, reflecting the view and soft light of the room. The view was amazing. The two far walls of the room that faced out were lined with window, giving a breathtaking view of the city lights. "It's beautiful," whispered Mira.

"I hoped you'd like it," said Justin with a smile.

Mira stood with Leanna at the window's edge, marveling of the beauty of San Francisco at night. They calmly sipped their champagne, laughing as best friends do. Together they admired the 1930s style of the Starlight room, its rich colors, and pure elegance. It was then that he tapped her on the shoulder.

"Mira?"

Mira turned around, her smile growing as she spotted Justin. "Hi J... where've you been?"

"Wasting fake smiles talking with these execs," said Justin with a shrug. "I'm getting sick of them kissing up to me, you know?"

"No, I don't know, but I'll smile and nod and pretend that I do," said Mira.

Leanna giggled beside her. "I see JC over there, and I see a blonde in a red dress heading straight for him," she said, her gaze fixed across the room. "Excuse me while I stake my claim."

Mira and Justin laughed as Leanna sped away. Justin looked at Mira with a smile. "So are you having fun?"

"Yes, I am," said Mira honestly, nodding. "You?"

"You're here with me, aren't you?" said Justin with a smile. Mira rolled her eyes.

"That doesn't necessarily constitute a good time, buddy," she said with a smile.

"For me it does," said Justin, kissing her cheek. "Would you like to dance?"

"Of course," said Mira with a smile, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. He slid his hand over her waist and pulled her close to him as they moved along to the slow, jazz filled melodies. She leaned her chin on his shoulder, letting her gaze float over the meandering crowds of people, dancing to the slow beats. Standing just a few feet away, she soon realized, was Leanna and JC, dancing slowly to the same song. Her eyes met his for a brief moment before he turned away.

Mira was lost in her own world, dancing with Justin, savoring in the full, smooth beats of the music. She closed her eyes to enhance her listening of the tender music; that is, until it was bruskily interrupted.

Justin reached deep into his pocket, smiling apologetically at Mira as he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello? Yeah... look, I-... uh huh... I can't right now... can't this wait?" he said into the reciever, covering his ear with his hand. Mira looked around her uneasily as she realized a few people were staring. After all, they were still in the middle of the dance floor. Justin let out a heavy sigh and ended his conversation, hanging up the phone. "Look, Mir," said Justin.

Mira smiled weakly. "We have to go, don't we?"

"I'm so sorry, babe," said Justin. "It's business."

"I figured," said Mira with a shrug. "I'll go get my purse," she said, turning to walk away.

"No-" said Justin, grabbing her arm. "You stay."

Mira's eyebrow raised. "Stay?"

"Yes," affirmed Justin. "Stay. Have fun."

"Um, Justin..." said Mira slowly. "This is a Valentine's Day party..."

"Yeah... so?" asked Justin.

"A Valentine's Day party isn't that much fun when you don't have a date," she said.

"Don't worry," said Justin, kissing her forehead. "You're hot enough. You'll find plenty of guys willing to ditch their dates to have a dance with you."

"Oh really?" said Mira with an amused smile. "I'll just have to take advantage of that."

"Be good," said Justin, wagging a finger at her warningly.

"I will," said Mira with a smile as he walked away. Her smile faded the instant he disappeared. 'Well, how much of a loser am I?' she thought. 'Alone. At a Valentine's Day party.'

With a sigh, she made her way across the room to the bar where she slid herself onto a stool. She quickly ordered a glass of champagne and watched the dance floor, filled with happy couples. Her eyes lingered on JC and Leanna. They looked so happy together. He smiled at Leanna. She giggled in return. She leaned her head against his shoulder. He held her hand to his chest as he gently led her over the dance floor.

"You're staring."

"Am not," said Mira, not tearing her eyes away from the couple.

"Why aren't you looking at me then?" asked Joey.

"Have you thought that maybe it's more of a conscious choice?" asked Mira, turning her gaze to the Italian standing beside her. The small smile tugging at her lips signaled her playfulness.

"Yeah, well, you were still staring," said Joey.

Mira rolled her eyes. "I was only wondering how he can be such an asshole, but yet manage to treat Leanna like a princess."

"Jealous?" asked Joey amusedly.

"Me?" asked Mira in surprise. "Are you kidding me? I can't stand the man!"

"Had to ask," said Joey with a shrug. "So where's Justin?"

"Work," said Mira with a sigh. "He left."

"That's what he gets for starting a solo career," said Joey with a shake of his head. "See, guys like me... we like to make sure we have time to enjoy life," he said with a grin.

Mira giggled and shook her head. "Well, enjoy life and take me for a dance, won't you?"

"Of course," he said, bowing dramatically.

An hour later found Mira at the bar, downing her third glass of champagne. She was having a good time, granted, but it was still a little awkward being there with her date MIA. She was never much of a drinker, and was beginning to feel the effects of the sweet tasting champagne. If she was to spend her evening watching everyone and their grandmother happy and in love, she might as well have some alcohol in her system to dull the sentiments of lonliness.

"Hello there," came a voice beside her.

Mira turned to see a tall, handsome, light haired man dressed in a tuxedo smiling down at her. "Hello," she said with a nod.

"This seat taken?" he asked, motioning to the empty stool beside her.

"Nope," said Mira with a shake of her head.

"Do you mind?" he asked.

Mira smiled. "Not at all."

He sat down and ordered a drink before turning back to Mira. "I'm Steven Pennington," he said, holding out his hand.

"Mira Stewart," she said, shaking his hand.

"Pleased to meet you," he said with a smile.

"Likewise," she said with a nod of her head.

"So did you come here alone?" he asked.

Mira's eyebrow raised as she regarded Steven skeptically. "I hope I don't seem pathetic enough to come to a Valentine's Party dateless."

"Oh I didn't mean to imply-" he began.

"Don't worry about it Steven," she said with a giggle. "I was only kidding." Mira took the last sip of the flute of champagne she was holding.

"Oh, let me get you another one," said Steven immediately.

"Oh, no, I'm fine-" began Mira.

"Please," said Steven with a smile. "It's on me."

"Well, if you insist," said Mira with a smile. The bartender quickly gave her another glass, which she took a slow sip of.

Steven seemed to relax slightly at her assurance. Twenty minutes later, the pair was still talking, and Mira continued to drown her lonliness in the champagne that Steven kept ordering for her.

"I thought I saw you earlier. You came with Justin Timberlake, am I right?"

"That you are," said Mira with a tipsy giggle. "We're dating."

"You are?" asked Steven in surprise. "How long have you been dating?"

"Oh, two weeks or so," said Mira with a shrug. "Not long."

"How do you feel about him?" asked Steven, leaning in closely. Mira, too overcome by the effects of the alcohol, didn't even notice.

"He's a great guy," said Mira with a shrug. "And isn't, like, every girl in America wishing to be dating him?" she gushed.

"That they are," said Steven with a nod. "Are you happy with him?"

"Of course," said Mira. "Who wouldn't be happy with Justin Timberlake? He's a great guy," she repeated.

"Are you sleeping together?" he asked.

Mira, even in her impaired state, caught Steven's abrupt words. "Excuse me?"

"Are you sleeping with him?" asked Steven, slower this time.

Mira's brow creased as she stared questioningly at Steven, who stared intently at her. "Why do you care?"

"Mira," came a voice from behind them. "Are you okay?"

Mira turned to see JC approaching the bar. In reality, he was approaching them, glaring evenly at Steven. "What are you doing here, Pennington?"

"Mr. Chasez," began Steven, standing up. "I'm merely enjoying a conversation with my new friend Mira."

Mira's brow creased as she struggled to process what was going on in front of her.

"Like hell you are," said JC. "I thought they didn't allow reporters in."

"I'm not here as a reporter tonight, Mr. Chasez," said Steven innocently. "I'm here as an invited guest."

"Oh really?" asked JC with a vengeful smirk. "I've never seen you taking such an interest in anything other than a source for a story."

"I happen to think that Mira's a beautiful girl," said Steven. "Can you blame me for wanting to talk to her?"

"Then why'd you ask if Justin and I were sleeping together?" cried Mira, a little too loudly. Luckily, the band continued and only a few people nearby turned to look, as opposed to the rest of the guests.

JC looked at Steven, arching an eyebrow skeptically. "Just talking, huh?"

"You can't kick me out," said Steven. "I was invited here tonight, just like you were."

JC scoffed at Steven's comment but realized he was right. Without another word, he motioned to Mira. "Come on, Mir, I think it's time you get home."

Mira stared at JC blankly. "Huh?"

JC let out a sigh. "Come on, Mir," he said, slipping a hand around her waist to help her to her feet. "Time to go."

"But I don't want to," said Mira with a pout. "Justin told me to have a good time..." she said, her words slurring as she stumbled along.

"Isn't that a little low for even you, Pennington?" sneered JC. "Getting her drunk first and then getting your information out of her?"

"I didn't force her to drink," said Steven innocently. JC rolled his eyes and led Mira away. He held a tight grip on her waist. He took her hand in his and continued to lead her through the people in the room, quickly finding Leanna sitting at a table by herself, waiting for JC's return from the bar. Her eyes widened in surprise as she spotted him helping a barely intelligible Mira walk.

"What happened?" gasped Leanna standing up and rushing to her boyfriend's side.

"Some reporter got her to drink a few too many," he said.

"Steven," said Mira with a nod, an amused smile on her lips. "Leanna... I want to take a nap," she said suddenly.

"Come on, Mir," said Leanna, grabbing her purse. "Let's get you home."

"Mir..." said Mira slowly. "That's a funny nickname..."

Leanna stared at Mira in amazement. Mira never liked to drink as, for her, it wasn't worth the hangover. Because of that fact, it took very little to get her drunk, as that night's prime example reminded her. Besides that, Mira was a giggling drunk, which could get very, very annoying to those who dealt with her.

As though reading Leanna's thoughts, Mira broke out into a hysterical giggle, waving her finger in Leanna's face.

JC regarded her closely, keeping his arm firmly around her waist. "Come on Mira..." he said, leading her through the crowd towards the exit.

"I'll meet you at the car," said Leanna. "I'm going to go get our shawls at the check in." With that, she headed off towards the small check in station that had been set up just outside the entrance to the Starlight room just beyond the elevator.

JC, leading a giggling Mira to the elevator, pressed the button and waited. Mira suddenly began pressing the call button for the elevator; repeatedly.

"Mira," said JC, moving her hand. "Stop."

With this, Mira began giggling harder. She pushed his hand away and began pressing the buttons. JC ran his hand over his face and sighed in frustration. The gold elevator doors opened, and JC led Mira into the confines of the car and pressed the call button for the lobby. He quickly grabbed hold of both of Mira's hands and held them tightly. "No," he said firmly, as though speaking to a small child.

Suddenly, Mira's eyes closed and she dropped.

Straight into JC's arms, that is.

She had passed out. "Oh no no no," said JC, struggling to hold her up. "Come on now... stand up, Mir," he pleaded.

Mira's eyes fluttered open slightly. "Huh? What?"

"Let's get out to the limo," he said, taking her hand, his arm resuming it's position around her waist, and leading her out of the elevator car.

Somehow they made it through the lobby. The sound of Mira's high heeled shoes sliding heavily across the granite floors echoed throught the large, empty lobby. After making the challenging climb down the steps, JC found Randy, one of his body guards, who, rather than ask why Mira was trudging along beside JC in a barely conscious mess, opened the limo door and helped JC get Mira inside.

Leanna joined the pair in the limo a few minutes later. She entered to find Mira, her head leaning heavily on JC's shoulder, her mouth hanging wide open, a loud snore escaping her lips. Leanna's eyebrow raised in amusement. She couldn't help but giggle softly.

The limo pulled up in front of the house twenty minutes later. Randy rushed around the vehicle and opened the door. "Do you want me to help you with her?" he offered.

"No thanks, Randy," said JC, adjusting the grip he had on Mira's body that lay in his arms. "I've got her."

Leanna rushed up the walkway and opened the house door, turned on all the lights, and rushed to open Mira's bed, preparing everything for her arrival.

Being especially careful not to wake her, JC gingerly made his way down the hall towards her bedroom, where he softly placed Mira in her bed. She shifted a little at the change, but soon her breathing regained it's heavy pace. Leanna tiptoed out of the room, leaving JC momentarily staring down at Mira. Her curls lay across her neck, emphasizing the softness of both her tender skin and silky hair. The silver chained necklace she wore laid across her chest, it's single diamond pendent drifting down towards the blankets underneath her. The moonlight drifting in through the slits of the blinds over her windows touched the necklace at just the perfect angle, making it sparkle subtly in the dark room.

Leanna popped her head around the corner of the doorway. "Are you coming, JC?" she asked.

Torn from his reverie, JC nodded and left the room, following his girlfriend down the hall.

Chapter 9