One More Day

By: Mindy

©2001

CHAPTER 1

Macey sighed as she rolled over and grabbed the phone on her bedside table.

"Hello?" she mumbled incoherently, still lost in a state of sleep and exhaustion.

"Good Morning. The time is now 7:45 AM and this is your wake up call. Have a wonderful day," a pre-recorded voice blarred cheerily into the phone.

Macey rubbed her eyes with one hand as she slowly sat the phone back down into it's cradle. Suddenly, reality began to set in as she stared in wonder around her posh hotel room. Smiling, she untangled herself from the cotton sheets and hopped out of the bed, running her hand through her long brown hair as she walked to the window.

"Good Morning New York!" she said to herself, throwing back the curtains and squinting in the bright morning sun that flooded the room. Looking down at Times Square confirmed that she was not dreaming some amazing dream created in her mind. She slowly leaned her head against the window and watched the activity below. She hugged her arms to her chest and sighed, letting her mind wander back to three weeks before.

It had started out as a normal day. She'd been updating her resume' on the computer, intent on getting as many as possible sent out that afternoon in order to speed up her search for a teaching job for the next school year. When the phone rang, she jumped in suprise, grabbing it shortly after the first ring.

"Hello?" she said, a trace of irritation in her voice.

"May I speak to Macey Jenkins please?" a female voice repsonded.

"Speaking," Macey answered absentmindly as she continued to type.

"Hi Macey, this is Kerry Sweeney and I'm calling on behalf of NSync and SFX Entertainment. Several months ago you entered an online contest to spend a fun-filled getaway weekend with the members of NSync and I'm pleased to tell you that you are our lucky winner!"

Macey sat in stunned silence, unable to utter even a word. Her left hand had fallen on the keyboard, a long stream of Rs running across her resume on the screen.

"Macey?" Kerry asked.

"I'm here," she managed to spit out, "Are you serious?"

"Most definitely! Congratulations!" Kerry said as she began to fill her in on the details of the trip.

"And now here I am," Macey said to herself, turning away from the beautiful view of the city below and facing her hotel room, "And I get to meet NSync today!" she said excitedly, a huge grin spreading across her face as she made her way into the bathroom to shower and get ready for her big day.

An hour later, Macey was standing in the hotel lobby waiting for Melinda Bell. She looked over the itenerary she'd been sent in the mail. Meeting up with the guys and having breakfast at Leo Lindy's was first, followed by a touristy-type day complete with visits to the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center. She continued to scan the weekend's events as her mind wandered to JC. Macey smiled at the thought of her "favorite" NSync member... there was just something about his voice that she adored and that was what first attracted her to the band.

"Macey?" she heard someone behind her say and turned to face a cute brunette she didn't recognize.

"Yes?" she answered.

"Hi, I'm Jennifer," the girl said and stuck her hand out with a smile, "Melinda's stuck on a phone call and asked me to run down and grab you. It's nice to meet you."

Macey smiled back and shook Jennifer's hand, "It's nice to meet you too," she replied, smiling back.

"The guys are really looking forward to the weekend. It's not very often that they get some relaxation time in cities like this where no one knows they're here. That's part of the reason we were so excited to find out the winner was someone our own age... I'm sure you can understand that," Jennifer explained as they stepped into the elevator and gave Macey a pointed look.

"I can understand that. Better a 20-something fan who'd die to meet them than a 13 year old teenie who'd die to meet them, right?" Macey joked.

"Exactly," Jennifer said with a laugh, "You're gonna' fit in just fine."

"Well that's good to hear. Hopefully I won't be banished from my 'dream weekend getaway' within the first hour," Macey laughed.

"Don't worry about that- it's gonna' be an awesome weekend, I promise," Jen said sincerely as the girls stepped out of the elevator.

"I'm sure it is," Macey replied, taking a deep breath as Jennifer slowed down at room 1522.

"Are you ready for this?" Jennifer asked, seeing the excitement in Macey's eyes.

Macey gulped and managed a smile, hoping she'd be able to get through the initial meeting without making ass of herself.

"Most definitely," she said finally, bracing herself as Jennifer knocked on the door.

CHAPTER 2

The door opened and Macey slowly let out the breath she had been holding in her chest. She recognized Todd, NSync's chief of security, and felt herself calm slightly as he welcomed them into the room.

'At least JC didn't open the door and give me a heart attack,' she thought to herself.

"The guys will be right here. They're on their way down right now," Todd explained as several people surrounded Macey. Jennifer smiled at her and stepped aside as Melinda Bell, Johnny Wright, Dave Brown, and Kerry Sweeney all approached Macey, introducing themselves and welcoming her to their group.

"It's nice to finally meet you in person," Kerry told Macey sincerely, gripping her hand firmly as they shook.

"You too, I was so excited when you called," Macey bubbled, her tough exterior beginning to crack slightly as she waited for the door to open.

Melinda chuckled as she shook Macey's hand, "Well, we're so glad you could make it here to spend the weekend with us. While we wait for the guys, I should probably fill you in on a few unexpecteds that came up since we last spoke a few days ago." Macey nodded as she listened to Melinda begin to talk about scheduling changes. "Most of it is small stuff, like we've taken 15 minutes off of our tour of the United Nations in order to give us more time to get to Phantom of the Opera tonight. But we've also added a special viewing of the Producers for tomorrow afternoon, and I don't know about you, but we're all really excited."

"We get to see The Producers????" Macey asked in amazement.

"Well, we tried to get tickets for the whole group for Friday night's performance, which was impossible, as you can imagine if you know anything about Broadway, but after Johnny pulled some strings, we managed to arrange a private showing tomorrow afternoon."

"You're kidding???" Macey said incredulously, her jaw dangerously close to the floor.

"No, she's serious," Johnny assured her, enjoying the excitement of someone who was so new to the world of celebrity.

"One of the other major changes isn't quite as exciting, I'm afraid," Melinda continued, changing the subject.

"Uh-oh.. that sounds scary. You aren't going to tell me that I don't actually get to meet the guys, but just see them from an adjoining room are you???" Macey joked.

Melinda and the others cracked up at Macey's half-serious humor and Jennifer laughed as she kidded, "No, I'm sure it's nothing like that Macey. Remember, you're 20-something, not 13." The two girls laughed together as everyone else looked a little lost and finally Melinda dropped the bombshell.

"Unfortunately, JC won't be able to join us until Sunday, our last day in New York. We just got a call yesterday that there is a problem with his vocals on a couple of songs for the new album and the only time for him to get it done and then help remaster the track is this weekend," Melinda explained.

"JC isn't here?" Macey said softly, trying desperately to hide her disappointment.

"No, I'm really sorry. He said to send his regards, but he just can't be here until Sunday," Melinda reitterated.

"I understand," Macey told them, biting her lip as she tried not to cry.

'What am I doing???' she thought to herself. 'Get ahold of yourself. It's not like you're not going to be spending the next 3 days with Justin, Joey, Lance, and Chris. It's not the end of the world,' Macey tried to convince herself.

"Hey girl, cheer up, we're gonna' have a blast anyway," Jennifer assured her as everyone smiled.

"Guess we know who Macey was looking forward to meeting most, huh???" Dave joked, trying to break the thin layer of ice that was forming in the room.

"So sue me for having a favorite... but don't worry, It'll be all good!" Macey smiled as everyone laughed at Dave's remark and Macey's quick comeback.

"Well look, it's a party!" Chris said as he walked in the door followed by Justin, Lance, and Joey.

"And we weren't even invited," Lance frowned, holding it for about five seconds before breaking into a huge grin.

"You mean you didn't get your invitation??? Damn my mail," Macey said on cue, amazing herself that a slightly intelligible comment came out of her mouth in the presence of NSync, even if it was NSync minus JC.

"So you must be Macey," Justin said, stepping forward to shake her hand, "It's very nice to meet you."

"Yes, I'm Macey... and it's very nice to meet you too Justin," she answered, feeling her heart flutter involuntarily as he shook her hand.

"And I'm Lance," he butted in, smiling as Macey turned to him. They shook hands and the greetings continued with Joey and Chris.

"Are you ready for this weekend?" Lance asked after everyone had been introduced.

"Hell yes!" Macey grinned.

"Well then let's get started!" Melinda suggested. As they all trooped out of the room, the guys donning hats and sunglasses, Macey stared at each one of them for a moment and said a small prayer that this wasn't some incredible dream she was going to wake up from.

CHAPTER 3

The group quickly trooped out of the hotel and made their way slowly through Times Square.

"This place is just amazing," Macey sighed, looking around.

"Never been here before?" Joey asked as he slipped his arm around Jennifer's waist as they walked through the crowded street. Macey looked over and noticed the closeness of the two, thinking to herself that she'd have to talk to Jennifer about that later.

"Nope...this is my first time. Always wanted to visit, but never had the chance. It always seems like I'm running off to do something else and New York always got shuffled to the back," Macey answered.

"Well here's your chance to see it all," Lance threw in.

"It looks like we have a lot planned in the next few days," she commented.

"You can say that again," Chris agreed.

Everyone walked down the subway entrance and waited for the 1/9 Train to arrive in the station.

"So this is an NYC subway, huh?" Macey said as she walked across the platform and grabbed one of the metal bars to steady herself as the train lurched forward.

"Not as scary as everyone makes it out to be, is it?" Jennifer answered.

Macey just shook her head and the group rode in silence until the conductor announced, "Next Stop: Courtland Street."

"This is our stop," Joey told the group as everyone quickly prepared to depart.

The doors slid open and they all walked off the train and up the stairs into the bright New York sunlight. Macey continued to be amazed at the immensity of everything all around her and simply looked around in wonder as they made their way to the World Trade Center.

Lance hung back and brought up the back of the group, walking along with Jennifer and Joey.

"So what do you guys think of Macey??" he asked the two of them innocently.

"I think she's awesome," Jennifer said immediately, laughing at the little jokes she and Macey had cracked back and forth that morning.

"Why do you ask, Lance?" Joey chided him.

"No reason, Joe," Lance replied, a small grin sliding across his face.

"Awww, Lance likes Macey," Joey teased him.

"Ok, so I think she's sweet...not to mention hot..." Lance admitted sheepishly.

"Well, I hate to break your heart Mr. Bass, but Macey has a thing for a certain brunette that's absent over these next few days," Jennifer told him.

"She likes JC??? Says who?" Lance asked.

"Says her. She was almost in tears when Melinda told her that he wouldn't be here," Jennifer filled them in.

"But that's the point exactly... I'm here and he's not," Lance said with a smile and a little wave, starting to jog to catch up to Macey.

Jennifer sighed as she watched Lance make his way up to the front of the group and fall into step next to Macey.

"What's wrong Jen?" Joey asked, sensing an immediate change in his girlfriend.

"Nothing..I just..."

"You just what??" Joey pushed.

"I just hope Lance doesn't see her as some sort of challenge. A little quest to get the affections of a quote-unquote JC fan," Jennifer admitted.

"Come on, Jennifer- you know he's not like that," Joey replied.

"Come on, Joe- you know how he can be. Lance is an incredible guy and I love him to death, but nobody's perfect... and he can be fickle, to put it nicely. I mean, how many times did Melissa from Dream call his cell phone after he got drunk at the Roseland on New Year's Eve and showed her a little too much attention?" Jen argued.

"I know. But he was drunk, remember- like you said yourself, nobody's perfect. And I don't think Lance is that sinister," Joey reasoned.

"Ok, so maybe you're right. I just like Macey a lot and I don't want to see her get hurt or have what she views as the best weekend of her life ruined."

"Point taken. And neither do I. But I don't think we have anything to worry about. She likes JC, remember???" Joey said as he poked Jen in the side, enticing a smile out of her.

"I hear ya'," she answered, smiling at him.

"Let's just have fun and not worry about something like that unless we have to... deal??" he bargained.

"Deal," she said, stepping onto her tiptoes to give him a quick kiss.

"I like making deals with you," Joey said, kissing her again.

"HEY LOVEBIRDS! Let's go!" Chris yelled from the doors of the World Trade Center.

"Damn him," Joey muttered, causing Jennifer to laugh out loud, as the two joined hands and ran to catch up with everyone.

CHAPTER 4

"Ready to go outside?" Lance asked Macey, walking up behing her as she stared out the glass observation deck at the World Trade Center, high above the city.

"Uhhh, outside?" Macey asked, turning to face him and noticing for the first time how beautiful his eyes were in person.

"Yes, outside... like above us? the open deck?" Lance said.

"I didn't know there was an open deck."

"Well there is, and it's an awesome view, come on," Lance prodded her.

"I don't think so," Macey resisted, holding onto the rail behind her.

"You don't think so what?" Justin asked, walking in on the conversation.

"I don't think I'm gonna' take my happy ass outside," Macey answered.

"Awww, come on Macey, it's incredible up there.. why?" Justin questioned.

"I have this little fear of heights," she replied, still clinging to the rail.

"It'll be ok, Macey, I'll hold your hand- you'll be fine," Lance promised, getting closer and prying her hands off of the bar.

"And I'll be right there too, we won't let you fall," Justin added.

"Ok, I'll go up there, but I'm not promising I'll go to the railing," she agreed reluctantly.

The trio rode up the escalator to the top of the building and Macey took baby steps off, with Lance pulling her along by the hand.

"You're ok sweetie," Lance said, realizing for the first time how scared she really was.

"Uh-huh," was all she said as she slowly moved off the escalator with Justin behind her.

"See it's not so bad," Justin said soothingly as they walked a few steps out onto the deck.

"Sure it's not," she replied.

"Come on, Macey, just take a look," Lance requested, walking her slowly to the edge and stopping, wrapping his strong arms around her waist tightly and standing behind her to reassure her.

Macey took several deep breaths with her eyes closed and tried to relax. Lance's arms around her did a lot to comfort her and she forced her eyes open. The sight below her was breathtaking. The city spread out for what seemed like forever. The buildings that had seemed so overwhelming from the ground were now dwarfed from her spot high in the air.

"It's amazing," she breathed.

Lance and Justin smiled as she enjoyed the view and Lance escorted her around the square observation deck.

From across the square, Joey and Jennifer turned away from the city's skyline and Joey noticed Lance and Macey across the deck.

"That boy moves fast," Joey noted, nodding towards the two of them.

"Damn," Jen said aloud, once again hoping Lance knew what he was doing.

A short time later, the group trekked out of the World Trade Center.

"I hate to leave you guys, but we've got a ton of stuff to get done back at the hotel, so I'm gonna' take off and we'll see you all later tonight," Melinda said.

"Same here," Kerry agreed, along with Dan and Dave, leaving just Joey, Lance, Macey, Jennifer, Chris, Justin, Todd, and Mike to continue on the whirlwind tour around New York City. The remaining tourists headed back down to the subway, hopping on and riding to the South Ferry stop where they exited and made their way over to the ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands to see the Statue of Liberty. After waiting in line for the ferry for an hour, taking the 20 minute ride to the statue, getting off the ferry and taking the obligitory touristy pictures, waiting another 45 minutes to reboard the ferry, taking the 10 minute ride to Ellis Island, getting off, being bored by the museum and leaving after 10 minutes, waiting another 35 minutes to reboard the ferry, and then taking the 10 minute ride back to the mainland, everyone agreed that the statue of liberty was something that only needed to be seen once... from across the bay.

"God, I had no idea that would be such an ordeal," Justin blurted out as they finally got off of the ferry and back onto solid ground.

"No doubt... it only took us, what? 3 1/2 hours to see something that looks just like it did on the postcards?" Chris agreed.

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving!" Joey threw in.

"What else is new, Joe? You're always starving," Lance kidded him.

"Hey! I'm a growing boy! I need my 7 basic food groups!" Joey retorted.

"Yeah, you're growing horizontally, my man," Justin added, expertly dodging a quick punch from Joey at the end of his remark.

"They're making fun of me," Joey pouted to Jen, putting his head on her shoulder.

"It's ok, baby... I still love you," she told him, patting his shoulder while still laughing at the guys' antics.

At Canal Street, everyone hopped off the train and headed into Chinatown. The group grabbed a quick lunch at one of the hundreds of Chinese restaurants and walked out stuffed. Jennifer and Macey went into full shopping mode, buying everything from "gucci" watches to bootleg copies of their favorite current movies to t-shirts for all of Macey's friends back home. Joey tried to point out that he'd happily buy them real Prada bags, but the girls just shooed him away and continued with their shopping while the guys watched in amazement. Finally, three hours and fifteen shopping bags later, the ladies were ready to leave Chinatown.

"It's about time, jesus, I've never seen such power shopping in my life," Lance commented as he carried half of Macey's bags.

"Ahhh, but Lance, we're such expert bargainers that it's hard not to," Macey smiled at him.

"And hey, we bought you all something!" Jennifer reminded them.

"Oh yeah, we're all the proud owners of new 'Rolex' watches and Oakley sunglasses," Justin laughed.

"Let's just hope the watches don't self-implode going up an elevator," Jennifer joked.

"That would not be good," Macey agreed as everyone laughed and two taxis stopped to take the group to their tour of the United Nations.

As they were led out of the building, Chris sighed as he realized that it was finally time for a break. Everyone was looking a little worn out from the day's events and they all boarded the subway in relative silence. The group deboarded at 42nd street and headed back to their hotel to drop off bags and get freshened up for dinner. Lance and Macey headed to Macey's room with all of her new belongings in tow.

"So what's the deal with Joey and Jennifer?" Macey asked Lance, "She didn't say anything about them being together today when we met."

"It's not really something she advertises. It's not always easy to be the girlfriend of one of us- a lot of people hate you for that reason alone. But I guess you figured it out... they've been together for quite awhile. Ever since Joey and Kelly broke up," Lance filled her in.

"Ahhhh, so Jen's the infamous one that's not the mother of Joey's baby but who he's in love with," Macey thought aloud.

"What???" Lance asked, confused.

"Oh nothing, just fitting together pieces of the rumor mill," she responded.

"Gotta' love the rumor mill, always so accurate," Lance said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course- but then again, if it's so accurate, then congratulations are in order," she teased him.

"And why would that be?" he asked as she opened the door to her room.

"On your engagement and upcoming wedding to Beverly Mitchell, of course!" she dead-panned.

"Ooooooh, I see... well, just to set the record straight," he commented as he sat her bags down on the floor and she turned to face him, "I'm not engaged...nor am I involved with anyone... yet."

"I see," Macey said, looking down, unsure of the intent behind his remark. Several seconds passes in silence before Macey finally said, "So it's dinner next, right?"

"I suppose so. I think we're going to Sardi's and then to see Phantom of the Opera," Lance supplied.

"I cannot believe I'm going to see Phantom on Broadway," Macey sighed, plopping onto her bed.

"Well believe it, May... we're gonna' have a blast this weekend. I'll see you in just a while," Lance said with a smile as he held her hand briefly and then released it, leaving the room with a slight glance at her as he pulled the door shut.

CHAPTER 5

Macey studied herself in the mirror, carefully scrutinizing her appearance.

'I wish I'd brought those other black shoes,' she thought to herself, glancing down at the strappy black sandals that seemed to be her only choice to go with the simple spaghetti strapped dress she had chosen for the night. A knock on her door startled her and she jumped, almost hitting her head on the mirror. A look out the peephole revealed Jennifer standing outside her door.

"Hey you, what's up???" Macey greeted her, pulling open the door.

"Nothing much. Just wondering if you happen to have any clear fingernail polish? I managed to snag these damn nylons and the giftshop downstairs is already closed and I don't have an extra pair," Jen moaned.

"Sure thing.. and actually I've got an extra pair of pantyhose if you'd rather just have those," Macey offered.

"Seriously??? I hate running nylons," Jennifer added.

"Of course, let me grab 'em for you."

"So what's up with you and Lance?" Jen asked as Macey rummaged through her overstuffed suitcase looking for the extra hose.

"What do you mean??" Macey asked, pausing from the rummaging to peer around the lid of her suitcase and look at Jen. As far as she knew, there was nothing up with her and Lance... but his comment before leaving that afternoon made her wonder if there was something going on she didn't know about.

"You guys just looked awful cozy at the World Trade Center," Jen said innocently, not wanting to press Macey.

"Oh, that- nothing there, believe me. Lance and Justin were just trying to get me to go outside up there because I'm deathly afraid of heights. Lance was afraid I'd have a nervous breakdown if he didn't hold on to me," Macey answered with a grin, coming up with the pantyhose, "Here ya' go."

"Thanks so much," Jenny replied, grabbing them and tearing open the package.

"But what's up with you and Joey??? Lance said you're together? And you didn't even tell me today!" Macey said in a half laughing, half accusatory tone.

"I'm sorry! But it would be my luck that I would've told you and then Joey would've been your 'favorite' and you would've hated me or been upset or both. It's just not worth it sometimes, ya' know?" Jennifer explained.

"But I'm 20-something, not 13, remember?" Macey reminded her.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Jen laughed before turning serious for a minute, "I'm sorry JC's not here. You seemed kind of upset about it earlier."

"Mmmm, yeah, I suppose. But it's ok. I mean, I'd love to have him here just to get to know him. It sounds stupid and it's not like I have a chance with any of these guys, or would really want one once I got to know them for that matter. It's just that I've thought about him so much for so long... and I don't really know what it was about him- about JC in particular, I mean. I just wanted to get to know him. And now, I'm going to have that chance to get to know everyone BUT him, which is fine... just not what I expected, ya' know?" Macey explained and turned to face Jen.

"I know what you mean, sweetie. But you will get to spend one day with him. And it seemed like you were having a blast today, too," Jen said as her mind whirled, wondering whether or not she should mention to Macey that she did indeed have a chance with Lance.

"Oh I did... everyone is so awesome, much nicer that I ever expected, actually," she replied.

"They're an amazing group of people, especially for what they've been through," Jen agreed.

"So it seems," Macey said, sliding her last earring into her ear as another knock sounded at the door.

"That's probably Joey," Jennifer told her as Macey got up to answer, "I told him to just come and get me here."

"Ahh, cool," Macey said, opening the door to find not only Joey, but Lance, Justin, and Chris also.

"Ya'll ready???" Chris asked, peeking into the room.

"Sure, just let me grab my bag," Macey answered, smiling at Lance behind Chris.

"You look beautiful," Joey complimented Jen as she walked into the hallway and gave him a quick squeeze, "as always."

"Why thank you," she replied, sliding into his arm and hugging him tightly.

Macey slid the door shut behind her and said, "Ok, all ready to rock."

"Shall we?" Lance asked, offering his arm as everyone began to walk down the hall.

"Thanks," Macey answered shyly, sliding her arm into Lance's.

After an incredible dinner at Sardi's, the group headed over to The Majestic Theatre.

"The tickets say it's on 44th, which is this way," Joey pointed, leading them through the brightly lit Times Square.

Macey looked around in wonder at all the lights flashing around her. From the Virgin Records Megastore to the MTV studios to the the Today Studios, lights invaded her senses from all around. She let Lance lead her through the throngs of people and she didn't hear him the first time he spoke to her.

"Macey....earth to Macey..." he teased, waving a hand in front of her face.

"God, I'm sorry Lance, what'd you say?"

"I just asked what you'd like to do after the show tonight," he repeated with a laugh.

"What can we do??? Or is the better question what can't we do? I'm in New York City! I want to do it all!" she rambled in excitement, dropping Lance's arm and spinning around in a little circle, almost taking out two picture taking tourists in the process, "OH! Sorry," she giggled, grabbing Lance's arm again and squeezing. From just ahead of them, Jen looked back and smiled.

"She looks radiant, doesn't she?" Joey asked, catching his girlfriend's stare and turning to look himself.

"Yes she does," Jennifer agreed, smiling herself at Macey's excitement, "And I have to admit," she continued, "so does Lance."

Joey's gaze shifted slightly to his friend, who was laughing with Macey. Their arms intertwined, they looked like the happy couple.

"Yeah, he does... I just hope we're not worrying about the wrong thing here," he thought.

"What do you mean???" Jen asked, puzzled.

"Well, you're worried about Lance playing with Macey's mind. But what if it's the other way around; he really does seem to like her- and what if she resists or leads him on and then stops short only because he's not her 'favorite," Joey proposed.

"Oh come on, Joe- I really don't think she's like that," Jen responded.

"But how well do either of us really know her? We just met her today. I mean, yes, granted, she seems like a completely sincere, sweet person. But how many times has it happened before? I know how badly it sucks to get led on by someone who's just using you to get to one of your best friends. It just makes bad blood all the way around," Joey went on.

"I know what you're saying, Joe, but... I just don't see it happening, and like you said earlier, let's not worry about that unless we have to... deal?"

"Ya' know, you're smart sometimes," Joey said with a grin.

"Sometimes?" Jen asked, pulling back from him slightly.

"Ok, all the time," he conceeded, kissing her forehead.

"What's all the somber chatter up here about?" Justin asked, catching up to them.

"Nothing much really. Just talking about Lance and Macey, actually," Joey admitted.

"They do look good together. It's been a long time since I've seen Lance look that truly happy," Justin agreed, "Makes me wish Brit was here."

"I'm sorry, J," Jen said sincerely, knowing firsthand how hard it could be to be away from the person you love.

"Chin up, man, she'll be back with us soon enough. She's almost done recording, right?" Joey asked.

"Almost. Only another week or so," Justin answered, a smile breaking through at the thought of spending some time with his famous girlfriend.

"Ok, we were feeling left out back there!! What's up???" Macey popped into the conversation.

"Justin's just missing Brit," Jen filled them in.

"I'm sorry Justin... can I fill in?? Here, you can be my date!" Macey kidded him, grabbing his arm.

"Hey! What about me? I'm lonely too, ya' know!" Chris threw in from the front of the group where he'd been talking to Melinda and Kerry.

"You can be with Melinda and Kerry, I'm sure they won't mind!" Macey said loudly and laughed as Chris took both their arms and began escorting them into the theatre, at which they'd just arrived.

"Now this just isn't right, you stole my date, Justin!" Lance whined comically.

"Come on Lance, I have two arms, one for each of you," Macey told him, sticking her arm out as he accepted.

"Now this is what I call cool as hell... going to see my favorite musical with not one, but two members of my favorite band on my arm. I heart my life right now," Macey bubbled.

"Girl, you are just too much," Jennifer told her as she cracked up laughing.

"But that's why ya'll love me so much!" Macey responded.

"Yes we do... yes we do.." Jen agreed.

With that, everyone quieted down and found their seats, which were located in the orchestra directly below the chandellier. As the lights went down, Macey found herself enthralled in a world she'd only dreamed about. The magic of Broadway truly was undescribable... and Lance's arm resting across her shoulder certainly added an extra sparkle to the show too.

CHAPTER 6

Macey silently wiped a tear from her eye as she watched the action unfold on the stage before her. The Phantom and Raoul were battling for Christine's affections and the tension in the theatre could be cut with a knife. Macey caught Jen's eye and the two shared a small smile as Macey saw the tears glisten in Jen's eyes also.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Lance whispered into Macey's ear.

"Yes it is," she whispered back, her gaze fixed on the stage. Lance stared at her profile, watching a single tear glide down her face. He sighed as his thoughts wandered.

As the show came to an end, their group stood to give the deserving cast a standing ovation. Together they walked out of the theatre, Macey, Kerry, and Jen carrying program's from the night's performance.

"I never realized how powerful the shows can be," Kerry said as they walked along the crowded sidewalks of Broadway.

"I can't wait to see more!" Macey said excitedly.

"So what's up for tonight?" Jennifer asked, holding Joey's hand as he led the group through the hordes of people coming out of theatres to a small side street where they could stop and talk.

"It doesn't matter to me, I'm up for whatever," Macey threw in.

"Well, I know you guys are used to burning the candle at both ends, but we've got a huge day ahead tomorrow... I think our first tour starts at like 8 am, which means we have to leave the hotel by 7:30 and we go strong all day long," Melinda reminded them.

"I want to go clubbing one night while we're here, but it doesn't have to be tonight," Macey added.

"I think I'd rather go out tomorrow night," Jen said, starting to feel the effects of the full day taking their toll.

"Same here," Justin agreed.

"Well we can't stand here all night," Lance grinned.

"So should we just head back to the hotel?" Chris suggested.

"Sounds good to me," Kerry answered, looking around.

"Does anyone want to just walk around for a little while with me? I'm still so keyed up from the show that I don't think I could sleep," Macey said.

"Sure," Lance answered quickly.

"I'll go too," Justin piped up.

"Cool... is everyone else going back then?" Macey asked.

"Looks like it," Jen answered, grabbing Macey and giving her a quick hug while saying, "Have fun; I'll see you in the morning."

Macey squeezed her back and said, "You too," and then to the whole group, "Thanks for everything guys."

"No problem, eez beeen fun," Chris kidded as he headed back toward the hotel, the two groups parting.

Macey, Lance, and Justin headed back out into the madness of Times Square.

"Ok, how much of a dork am I going to look like if I start taking pictures?" she asked them.

"Oooh, on a scale from 1 to 10, I'd say an 8 1/2," Justin answered, joking with her.

"Only an 8 1/2?? Cool!" Macey smiled, grabbing her camera. Lance and Justin stood aside while she wandered around, snapping pictures of everything from billboards to stores to people.

"Having fun?" Lance asked her as he grabbed her from behind between pictures. Macey let out a little squeal and then realized it was only Lance, laughing as she fell into his arms.

"You know what I don't have???" she asked suddenly.

"What's that?" Lance responded.

"I don't have any pictures of me with any of you guys. I've been snapping all of these pictures, but I don't have any of me, or you, or us," she explained.

"Well here, gimme' your camera," Justin said and grabbed her camera out of her hands, "SMILE!"

Before they could react, Justin had snapped a quick picture of Macey and Lance, Lance standing behind her, arms wrapped around her, both of them laughing.

"Thanks for the warning J!" Macey admonished him.

"No problem," Justin laughed, handing her camera back to her.

The trio walked along the streets of New York until late into the night. When they finally headed back to the hotel, Macey was nearly incoherent due to exhaustion and a lack of adrenaline; after having it pumping through her body all day with all the excitement, she was suddenly on an incredible low without it.

"You gonna' make it Mayce?" Justin asked her as he held open the door for Lance, who was essentially holding Macey up.

"Mmmm-hmmm," she responded.

"I'll get her back to her room," Lance told Justin.

"Need some help?" Justin asked.

"Nope, we'll be fine," Lance answered, smiling at Justin as Macey sighed.

"Alright.. see ya' in the morning man," Justin said, slapping the back of Lance's shoulder as he stepped off the elevator on their floor. The doors closed and the elevator continued upwards and stopped three floors higher.

"Come on Macey, we're almost there," Lance coaxed her.

Macey awakened slightly, enough to cooperate with Lance in getting to her room.

"Where's your key babe?" he asked as they stopped at her door.

"Mmmm... in here somewhere," she answered, holding up her small purse.

"Alrighty then," Lance said, opening her purse and rummaging for the key, laughing a silent laugh as he saw her NSync makeup mirror. The small plastic key found it's way into his hand and he popped the door open quickly, putting a hand on Macey's back and propelling her through the door. She managed a half smile for him as she collapsed onto her bed. Lance smiled down at her and sat down on his knees and started taking off her shoes. He helped her under the covers and tucked her in, smiling as she mumbled something that sounded like, "Shanks shance."

CHAPTER 7

The next morning, Macey was once again awakened by the incessant ringing of her bedside telephone.

"Hello?" she said drowsily, struggling to stay awake.

"Hey Macey," a deep voice she couldn't quite place greeted her.

"Hey," she responded automatically, her brain fighting the cobwebs that had formed inside it overnight.

"You ready for another day?" Lance asked.

"Mmmm.... yeah," she answered, thoughts of the day before beginning to fill her head as she smiled at the memories.

"Well, I knew we didn't get you a wake up call last night, so I figured I'd better call and do the duty. So this is your wake up call Macey!" he explained.

"You're much better at waking me up than the recording I got yesterday," she joked with him, her brain finally beginning to function.

"Well, thank you. But if I keep you on the phone much longer, I'll be doing more harm than good. It's already 6:40 and we have to be out of the hotel by 7:30," Lance said.

"I guess that means I should haul my butt out of bed, right?"

"That would probably be a good thing. I'll pick you up at your room around 7:25," he told her.

"Sounds good. Thanks Lance."

"No problem, see ya' soon Macey."

"Bye."

"Bye."

Macey hung up the phone and closed her eyes, letting the disbelief that she'd just hung up from a phone call with Lance Bass, THE Lance Bass, wash over her and then subside.

"I love my life... I so so so heart my life," she mumbled to herself as she threw back the covers and hopped onto the floor, heading to the bathroom to get ready for another day with NSync.

The second day of activities flew by as the group trekked from one tour to another, seeing everything from Wall Street to Soho to Rockefeller Center. They all enjoyed their special performance of 'The Producers' as well.

"That was incredible," Justin said as they left the theatre.

"Matthew Brodrick and Nathan Lane are just amazing," Jennifer agreed.

"Can I just have one little teenie moment and tell you all that I cannot believe this is all happening to me???" Macey threw in, a bright grin lighting up her entire face.

"20-something, Macey, remember???" Jen kidded her as the two busted into laughter.

Everyone laughed at the girls as they hailed cabs to take the group back toward Rockefeller Center for their tour of NBC studios. Macey, Lance, Jennifer, Joey, and Chris jumped into a mini-van cab together and chattered as they headed to the television studio. Macey jumped as her cell phone began to play, "Take me out to the ballgame."

"What the hell?" Chris asked as Joey began to sing along with her phone as she searched through her small purse.

"Hello??" she asked, hitting the talk button, "Hey Christine!!"

Macey listened to her friend for a moment and then answered, "Yeah, it's been awesome so far- I so wish you could've come.... Mmm-hmm... Lance, Joey, and Chris are sitting right here... Yes, I'm serious," she said and smiled as the guys laughed at her end of the conversation.

"Actually, I haven't met him yet," Macey replied quietly, "He hasn't been here."

Joey and Jennifer exchanged glances at her comment and Jen looked at Lance, who was now staring at the floor.

Macey listened for another moment and said, "Yeah, I'm ok... really. I'm having a blast. I need to run though, we're almost at NBC, so I'll call you later and fill you in on everything, ok?" Macey smiled at the group who was listening to her conversation in silence. "Thanks Christine... I'll talk to you soon..... ok, I will... bye sweetie." Macey finished her conversation and hung up the phone, turning the volume off and tossing it back in her purse.

"Sorry about that, guys," she offered.

"No problem, Macey," Chris answered.

"Was that your friend that was supposed to come with you?" Jennifer asked.

"Yep, that was Christine. She was going to come along but some things came up with work that she couldn't get out of- mandatory meetings for the school district she works for," Macey explained.

"That sucks," Lance said.

"Yes, it does. She was really bummed to say the least," Macey agreed.

"Here we are," the cab driver announced as they pulled up outside of the familiar NBC studios. Everyone walked into the building and checked in at the front desk of the lobby.

"You guys have probably seen this a million times," Macey realized.

"A few," Lance admitted.

"We don't have to go then- I'm sorry, I totally forgot that this would probably bore you to death," Macey said.

"No, it's fine," Justin assured her as they walked down a long white hallway lined with pictures of special moments from the years of Saturday Night Live. The tour was rather short and the guys did end up having a good time as they got to see a slightly different side of NBC than they were used to. After a quick trip to the gift shop, everyone started back toward their hotel to get ready for another show that evening.

Macey glanced in the mirror and hoped she looked good enough. She'd pulled her dark hair back into a french twist and then pulled down little curls to frame her face. She'd applied her make-up meticulously, paying special attention to each detail. As she struggled to fasten the clasp of her bracelet, she thought about Lance once again. A sigh escaped from her lips as she created a mental image of him in her head.

"What am I thinking?" she asked herself, looking into the mirror. Each minute she spent with him made her a little more fond of him. She found herself fighting the urge to take his hand or snuggle up closer to him when they were sitting next to each other. In her head, she knew that it was ridiculous to feel the way she did.

"He has to be nice to me, it's probably part of his contract," she tried to convince herself, yet she was unable to totally dismiss the possibility that the attraction she thought was there between them wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

A knock on her door jerked her away from her thoughts and she took one last look in the mirror before walking over and peeking through her peephole. She drew in a deep breath as she looked at Lance standing on the other side wearing a black suit.

"Hey there, don't you look nice?" she greeted him as she pulled the door open wide, allowing him to step through.

"Thanks; you look beautiful Macey," he replied honestly.

"You're a sweetheart, Lance, Thanks," she answered, grabbing her handbag off of the desk.

"Ready for Aida?" he asked as they exited her room.

"Definitely," she answered, feeling a shiver travel up and down her spine as he laid a hand on her back, guiding her down the hall.

Once again, the show was breathtaking. Macey barely even thought about the fact that her makeup might be running as she cried at the end of the performance.

"How do they do it?" she wondered aloud as everyone walked out of the theatre.

"I have no idea," Jen answered, wondering herself what it was about the magic of Broadway that could touch her in that way.

"I'm gonna' grab a CD real quick," Macey told them, motioning for them to go ahead outside, "I'll be right there." Lance waited in line with her and pulled out his wallet as she asked for a CD.

"I've got it Lance," she told him, reaching for her own purse as he handed the cashier a fifty dollar bill.

"No, let me," he insisted, smiling and thanking the cashier as he handed him the change.

"Well thank you," Macey said.

"My pleasure," Lance answered, offering her his arm as they trekked outside to meet the rest of the group.

"So it's on to the Empire State Building, right??" Justin asked.

"Right," Melinda answered.

"Are we walking or cabbing it?" Jennifer asked.

"We can do either,really," Joey started, "It's on 34th and we're at 44th now, so it's a little bit of a walk, but it'll be tough to get a cab right now anyway with all the shows letting out."

"Let's just walk it," Lance suggested and everyone agreed and began to walk through the crowded streets. Lance and Macey led the group, walking along with their arms linked and laughing and talking.

"So what's up with those two?" Todd asked, nodding towards Macey and Lance.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Justin said.

"Yeah, Jennifer, what's up with those two?" Chris asked, directing the question towards someone he thought might know a little more.

"I don't really know. Lance said he likes her, but she hasn't said much other than that she doesn't think she has a chance in hell with any of you because she's just some girl from a little town and Lance is, well... Lance." Jen explained.

"But it doesn't matter that Lance is Lance," Joey reasoned with a logic only they could understand.

"I know that, you know that, we all know that, but she doesn't know that," Jen reminded them.

"This trip could get real interesting real quick," Justin noted.

"Yeah, especially when JC shows up tomorrow," Joey threw in.

"What about JC?" Chris asked.

"Macey's 'favorite' is JC," Jen answered hesitantly.

"How do you know?" Justin asked.

"Because she told me, and you should've seen her face fall when Melinda told her that he wouldn't be here," Jen explained.

"Shit, this could get real interesting," Chris agreed, watching as Lance hugged Macey as they laughed about something only the two of them could hear.

"Let's just hope no one gets hurt," Jen said and everyone nodded, walking along in silence.

"This is breathtaking," Macey sighed as she looked out over New York City.

"Do you like it Macey??" Joey asked, walking up behind her as she stared at the bright lights that lit up the skyline.

"It's incredible," she responded, looking away from the city to smile at Joey.

"I can never get enough of this sight. I remember being a little boy and coming up here for the first time with my parents. I think it's the first and only time Janine, Steve, and I were all quiet at once," Joey joked.

"It really is beautiful," she responded, smiling at him and then looking back out over the city.

"There's a lot of beauty up here tonight," Lance added as he walked up to Joey and Macey, sliding in next to her at the rail.

Macey blushed, not sure Lance was meaning what she thought he meant.

"Ooooh, you're smooth, Lance," Justin teased him, having approached just in time to hear Lance's comment.

"Shut up Justin," Lance grinned, playfully punching his friend on the arm.

"Doing ok up here, Macey?" Justin asked, referring to her fear of being so high in the air.

"Yeah, I'm fine.. it's too beautiful to even think about anything else," she told them, "Thanks for asking though."

"No problem, just making sure," he answered.

"You guys about ready?" Todd asked the group after they had all traveled around the entire observation deck.

"I'm ready if everyone else is," Chris responded. Everyone echoed their agreement and headed back for the elevators to take the long ride down.

"Where we going now?" Jen asked as they walked out of the building.

"I don't know about you all, but I wanna' go dance," Joey answered, pulling his girlfriend close to him and nuzzling her neck.

"Ya'll lead the way and I'm there," Macey said agreeably.

"I'd like to go change clothes before we go out though," Lance requested, looking down at the Armani suit he was wearing.

"True," Joey agreed.

"Ok, so back to the hotel and then out, right?" Justin reitterated.

"Right," Lance affirmed. Everyone hailed taxis for a quick ride back to Times Square and quickly changed into more club-appropriate clothing.

Macey and Jennifer rode down the elevator together to where everyone was gathering in the lobby.

Justin whistled at them as they stepped out of the elevator.

"Thanks... I think," Macey laughed as she got closer to the guys.

"It was definitely a compliment," Justin assured her, being a true male and looking her up and down as she approached.

"Looks like we're all ready to hit the town," Chris noted as everyone walked toward the door to a waiting Expedition sitting just outside.

"We figured this would be easier than taking a cab since it's so late," Lance explained as they all climbed in.

"Definitely," Jen agreed, sliding along the seat and into Joey's arm.

The group was relatively quiet as they drove across Manhattan to the club. As a precautionary measure, their driver dropped them off at a back entrance and they were quickly led to a small VIP area on the second tier balcony.

"This place is awesome," Macey said in awe, looking all around her at the flashing strobelights. She glanced over the balcony down onto the main floor where a kicking DJ was spinning. Cages were dotted throughout the dance floor, men and women inside dancing to the blasting music that seemed to echo from every inch of the building.

"What are you drinking Macey?" Lance asked her as a waitress appeared out of nowhere.

"Smirnoff Ice please," she requested. Lance ordered a rum and coke for himself, while Joey asked for a gin and tonic and a amaretto stone sour for Jen. Everyone unwound a little while they waited for their drinks to arrive. The group just sat back and talked, downing one drink and then another. Joey and Jen headed down to the dance floor, leaving the rest of the group to drink.

"Another one Macey?" Justin asked, noticing her empty bottle as he nursed his own Coors Light.

"Sure, why not?" she answered.

"Ready to dance?" Lance asked Macey after they had each finished their fourth drink.

"Definitely," she smiled, taking his outstretched hand and letting him lead her down to the main floor.

The duo made their way to the middle of the dance floor through the hordes of people who were filling every available space. A pounding beat came out of the speakers as Lance and Macey began to move together. She let herself cut loose and didn't resist when Lance pulled her closer to him. For Macey, nothing else in the world existed. She could feel Lance's body pressed against hers and willed herself to just relax and let whatever happened happen. She looked into his eyes and smiled a seductive smile at what she saw in them.

"Damn, look at them go," Justin nodded toward the dance floor below. Chris peered over the railing and searched the crowd for Lance and Macey. He spotted them almost immediately and nodded in agreement with Justin's assessment.

"What's so interesting down there?" Joey asked as he and Jen walked off of the staircase and back to their private area for a breather.

"What else? Macey and Lance," Justin said.

"Damn," Jen whistled as she watched the two grind in a mix of people.

The hours wore on and Macey and Lance only got closer. They headed off the dance floor to grab a drink and take a rest only twice. During their second break, Justin grabbed them to say a quick goodbye for himself and Chris who were heading back to the hotel. Macey gave him a quick hug before she and Lance headed right back out onto the floor, moving from their spot in the middle to a dimly lit corner where there were fewer prying eyes checking them out.

At 4:30, the lights began to slowly come up and Jen and Joey unattached themselves from each other on the couch where they'd been sitting.

"I think it's about time to call it a night," Joey said, kissing Jen's lips one last time before pulling away.

"I don't know about calling it a night, but I'm definitely ready to head back to the hotel," Jen flirted, Joey eating it up.

"Mmmm, I think you're right," Joey agreed, pulling Jen off the couch, suddenly in a rush to get back to the hotel.

"Now where are Lance and Macey?" she asked, leading Joey over to the railing to look down below them to find their friends.

"Who you looking for?" Lance asked from behind them as he and Macey slid up behind them.

"You guys ready to go?" Jen asked, noticing the glazed look in Macey's eyes and the way she clung to Lance.

"Yeah, we're ready," Lance answered, nodding as the group headed back down the stairs to their waiting vehicle.

The ride back to the hotel was almost eerily quiet. Macey and Lance sat in front, Lance's arm tightly around her, each of them lost in thought. Jen and Joey were in the back, trying quite unsuccessfully to keep their hands off of each other until they got back to the hotel. As they arrived, Lance hopped out and helped Macey out, leaving the door open for Jen and Joey, who got quickly out of the car and made a bee-line for the elevators waving goodnight to Lance and Macey.

Lance pushed the up button on the wall and ushered Macey into the elevator that opened immediately.

"Those two make me laugh," Lance chuckled, referring to Jennifer and Joey.

"They're so cute together," Macey noted.

"Yeah, they're awesome. We're all glad Jen's around," Lance told her, "And as a matter of fact, we're all glad you're here too."

Macey turned to face Lance, "I'm glad I'm here too." He leaned toward her and she closed her eyes. Just before their lips met, the doors opened and Lance sighed as someone coughed.

Lance sighed and looked outside the elevator.

"Are you going to introduce me?"

Macey's mind interpreted the sound and before she could even open her eyes, her mouth had dropped open.

"Nice timing," Lance groaned.

"Sorry."

"Macey, this is JC, JC this is Macey."

CHAPTER 8

Macey opened her eyes and turned her head slightly. JC was standing before her wearing that grin that never failed to melt her heart. He knew he'd caught Lance in the act and was enjoying every moment of it.

"Macey... it's nice to finally meet you. I'm sorry I couldn't be here earlier in the weekend," JC greeted her, extending his hand.

Macey responded with a smile as she somehow managed to stutter, "It's nice to finally meet you too, JC," shaking his hand as she choked out the words.

"Well, I'm sorry I interrupted there; I certainly didn't expect to see you two here," JC apologized halfheartedly.

"No problem JC," Lance spat out, knowing full well that he was never likely to hear the end of this one.

"I guess I'll see you both tomorrow," JC said as he stepped away from the elevator doors, allowing them to close, "Have a good night- and it was nice meeting you Macey."

She started to answer him, but before she could get a response out the doors had closed and she and Lance were continuing their ascent to her floor. They stood in an awkward silence, neither sure of what to say or do. Macey wasn't sure of what had been about to happen when the doors opened and Lance wasn't sure he should try to continue it, although he desperately wanted to kiss her. The bell sounded and they both stepped out of the elevator and turned right toward Macey's room.

"Lance..."

"Macey..." they both started at the same time. Their timing made each of them smile and Macey said, "Go ahead."

"I had a really good time tonight Mayce," Lance told her sincerely as they stopped at her door.

"Really?" she asked.

Lance looked surprised for a moment and wondered how she could even doubt it. "Really," he affirmed, reaching out for her and gathering her into his arms for a tight hug.

Macey sighed as she felt Lance's arms around her; he was stronger than she'd imagined and she could feel the muscles in his arms and chest and he held her tightly for a moment. Her mind rolled over and over as thoughts and emotions seemed to crash in like waves on the shore.

Lance pulled away from Macey and looked into her eyes. Where there had earlier been a hunger in them, he now saw confusion. Torn about how to end their night together, he opted for the gentleman's way out.

"Goodnight Macey. Sweet dreams," he said softly as he kissed her forehead.

The gesture made her smile and she impulsively hugged him and responded with, "Night Lance. Sweet dreams to you too."

She stepped back away from him and quickly fished her key from her purse. Sliding it into the door, she pushed it open and stepped inside, turning back to Lance one more time.

"See you in the morning?"

"Of course," he answered with a slight smile.

"Night," she said one last time as the door slowly swung closed and she disappeared behind it.

"Goodnight Macey," Lance whispered, staring at the empty doorway before turning and walking away.

Macey turned and fell back against the door, listening to Lance's footsteps pad quietly down the carpeted hall. She closed her eyes and drew in a long, deep breath. Her mind swirled in thousands of directions. She tried to make some sort of sense of what was happening between her and Lance, but a million different emotions and thoughts invaded her head. Macey pushed herself away from the door and walked slowly into the bathroom, stripping out of her clothes and tossing them aimlessly onto the floor. She stepped into the shower and let the hot water take away some of the tension from her body. JC's face crossed her mind and she smiled.

CHAPTER 9

Macey rolled over in her bed and glanced at the clock on the bedside table.

"Jesus," she muttered when she saw that it was only 7:45. She'd been asleep less than four hours, but she had vague recollections of unsettling dreams that she couldn't quite remember, yet kept her from falling back asleep. She laid awake for another twenty minutes, tossing and turning until she finally just gave up and got out of bed. She stumbled across the room to the bathroom, turning on the light and squinting as her eyes adjusted to the brightness.

A knock at the door caused her to jump and drop the towel she was using to dry her newly washed face. "It must be Lance," she thought, a smile crossing her face as she stepped out of the bathroom and pulled open the door.

"You scared the hell out of me!" she said immediately.

"Sorry," JC replied with a sheepish grin, "I see you're awake though."

"Oh hey JC, I thought you were someone else," answered, looking down at her Winnie the Pooh pajamas.

"And who would that be?" he teased her.

Her face turned bright red and she realized that she hadn't brushed her hair, "Ummm, nevermind," she answered, her hand self-consciously going up to run through her uncombed hair.

"I just wanted to come by and see if you were awake; thought you might like to join me for breakfast. It'll give us a little time to catch up since I had to be back in LA for your first couple of days here," JC asked.

"Oh… that'd be great. Can you give me a couple of minutes to get ready?"

"Of course. Meet me downstairs in half an hour?" he suggested.

"Sure. I'll see ya' down there."

"Alright. See you down there Macey," he finished, winking at her as he turned away from the door and started down the hallway toward the elevator.

Macey let the door close and listened for the elevator to ding, signaling it's opening and then closing, before she let out a squeal of excitement.

"How old am I? 12?" she asked herself as she ran back into the bathroom, looking in the mirror and thanking heaven that she'd showered the night before. She quickly did her make-up and ran out into the main room to find something to wear. She threw clothes out of her bag left and right, searching for the perfect outfit.

Thirty five minutes later she was walking into the lobby. JC stood up as he saw her coming, meeting her halfway.

"Ok, so I'm only ten minutes late," she greeted him.

"Fifteen, but I'll forgive you," he answered, leading her through the front doors of the hotel and out into the beautiful New York morning.

"Where we going???" she asked.

"Well, there's a Howard Johnson's down here. It's not the most glamorous place in the city, but they've got awesome breakfast and it's not crowded at this time of day. I figured we'd go there if that's ok with you," he explained.

"Sure, sounds good," Macey agreed as they walked along the street that was eerily empty.

"It sure is different out here right now," she noted.

"Definitely. This is one of the few cities that I like to actually get out of bed early in. It's so much more peaceful here early on the weekends," JC said.

"How was LA?" she asked, changing the subject.

"It was good; I got all the tracks redone, so it was productive, if nothing else," he told her, "How have things been here?"

Macey began to fill him in on their last couple of days in New York. He held the door open for her as they entered the restaurant. They continued to talk about the city throughout the meal, JC comparing his thoughts about the city to Macey's recent experience. The duo took their time eating, laughing and talking as they finished the early morning meal.

"I've got an idea… how about a walk through central park to get rid of some of those pancakes?" JC suggested with a smile.

"Sounds good to me," Macey answered, following JC's lead as he stood up from the table.

He threw a twenty dollar bill down on the table as they walked away, and quickly paid the bill before they left the restaurant and started down Broadway. JC hailed a taxi and they hopped in for the short ride to the main park in Manhattan.

"Thanks," Macey said to the driver as she got out of the cab and waited for JC to pay the fare.

JC slid out the door behind her and together they entered the park.

"I still can't get over this. It's like this huge piece of nature in the middle of the biggest city in the world," Macey said in wonder, looking around at all the trees and grass.

"What amazes me is that the trees totally block out the buildings once you get deep inside the park. It's like a different world from what's just outside," JC agreed.

They walked along in silence, each thinking their own thoughts.

"Shit," JC said suddenly, reaching for his waist.

"What's wrong?" Macey asked.

"Nothing, just my pager," he explained, pulling it from his belt and looking at the display, "And I don't have my phone with me."

"Me either. I left my whole purse in the room- I totally forgot to grab it on my way out the door," Macey realized.

"It's just Melinda. We should probably head back; God knows they throw a conniption fit if they don't know where I am 24/7," JC said, suddenly sounding bitter.

"I'm sorry," Macey offered, unsure of what to say.

"It's not your fault, it's just a pain in the ass. One of the downsides of this whole thing- you can't have any kind of life without a bodyguard right behind you all the time."

"This whole thing meaning NSync?" she asked.

"Yeah," he answered, "How in the hell do you get out of this place?????" he groaned, turning around in circles and not seeing a path that would lead them out.

"I have no clue," Macey said uselessly. They wandered around aimlessly for a few minutes until they came upon another person walking and secured directions to get out of the maze of paths that led through the park.

"I'm sorry, Macey. I didn't mean to lose it back there. I was just having a good time and it's been getting to me lately how little privacy I have. I guess I should be used to by now," he shrugged.

"No apology necessary, JC. I can imagine it'd get really old really quick," she thought aloud.

He nodded in agreement as they jumped into a cab and headed back to the hotel. When they walked into the lobby, they found not only Melinda, but Todd waiting for them also.

"Where the hell have you been?" Todd asked, rushing up to JC.

"We just went for breakfast," JC answered, slightly annoyed.

"A note would've been nice, JC," Todd threw back.

Melinda stepped between the two, trying to break the tension. The elevator doors opened and Lance started to step out. Seeing Macey with JC, the smile on his face faded and he stepped backwards into the elevator, disappearing just before Macey turned his way.

"We were just worried about you. We didn't realize Macey was with you," Melinda inserted, trying to calm JC.

"I'm fine," JC said, glaring at Todd as he brushed past them, "Thanks for breakfast Macey. I'll talk to you later," he added as he glanced at her and headed for the elevators.

Macey turned and watched him step into an elevator.

"I'm sorry about that- I didn't realize us being gone would cause a problem," Macey said softly to Todd and Melinda.

"Don't be sorry, Macey. You being gone didn't cause a problem. JC not leaving a note or telling anyone is what caused the problem," Melinda said quickly.

"If you say so," Macey responded with a half smile, "I'm gonna' be upstairs. I'll see you all in a little while." She waved a little wave goodbye and walked over to the elevators, hitting the up button to head back to her room.

Upstairs, Lance punched the button for the door to open on his floor and almost knocked Jennifer down as he barrelled out of the elevator.

"Whoa! Where's the fire?" she joked with him.

"Sorry Jen," he mumbled, not looking at her as he continued down the hallway.

"Hey.." Jen called.

"What?" he asked, stopping and turning halfway around.

"What's wrong?" she questioned, stepping away from the elevator and towards Lance.

"Nothing..."

"Don't lie, Lance. You're not good at it," she told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"It's nothing Jen, really."

"Lance...."

"Ok, so why should I care if Macey is hot for JC?" Lance blurted out.

"Huh?? You knew Macey liked JC before she came here- I told you that on Friday," Jen said, unsure of why this was an issue now; from the looks of Macey and Lance at the club the night before, Jen figured that JC certainly shouldn't be a concern for Lance.

"It wasn't that she liked him before she came here that bothered me. It's that she likes him now."

"Wait, time out... what do you mean?" Jen asked, thoroughly confused.

"I mean that Macey and JC came waltzing into the lobby together, her looking happy as a damn lark," Lance explained.

"JC is here?"

"Yep, got here last night- with his perfect timing, as usual," Lance groaned, rolling his eyes.

"What do you mean?" Jen asked yet another question, walking with Lance as they headed toward his room.

"I mean that I was finally going to kiss Macey- the timing was perfect... and all of the sudden, the elevator doors open and there stands JC."

"Are you serious?"

"Mmm-hmmm," he affirmed.

"Not cool... but what's this about her being with him now?" Jen asked.

"I called to wake her up and say good morning, but she wasn't answering her phone. So I went down to her room a little while later to see if maybe she was just in the shower when I called or something. No Macey. So I went on downstairs thinking maybe she'd gone down to get something. And in she walks with JC, who apparently took off sometime after he got in last night and hadn't been seen until he re-appeared just now with Macey," Lance explained.

"Bet Todd wasn't happy about that," Jen threw in.

"They were in quite an uproar when I saw Melinda earlier. I just had no idea he was out with Macey," Lance said.

"Look, Lance- you have no idea how long they were together. They probably just went out to breakfast or for a walk or something, who knows??" Jen reasoned.

"But you didn't see her face- she looked so happy walking in with him," he thought back.

"As happy as she was last night with you?" she commented.

Lance didn't reply as he thought about the night before.

"I know you like her Lance and it's obvious she likes you too," Jen told him.

"I thought she did, especially last night, but-"

"But nothing," Jen cut him off, "Let me tell you something about Macey, Lance- the girl is totally oblivious to the fact that you could like her at all."

"What?"

"She sees you as totally beyond her reach. She doesn't realize that it's possible for you to actually care about her because up until this weekend, you've been just someone she's seen on TV. Everything she feels for you, she probably questions because she thinks that the signals you're sending her are probably a figment of her imagination," Jen went on.

"But why?" Lance asked, thinking back to Macey's question the night before about whether or not he had a good time.

"Because this is the first time you've just been Lance, and not Lance Bass, the guy from NSync that's onstage or on TV. Believe me, I went through the same thing. For quote-unquote normal people, it's hard for us to believe that a celebrity could really be attracted to us. Give her time and she'll get used to it, but you need to tell her how you feel," she advised.

"And if she's interested in JC now that he's here?" Lance played devil's advocate.

"Then she'll be confused- and she'll tell you that. I don't think Macey wants to play games with anyone Lance."

"I don't either, I just," he started and was cut off by a knock at the door. He looked at Jen and shrugged, hopping up to answer the door. Melinda stood outside, not looking very happy.

"What's wrong Chicken?" Lance asked as she walked in, nodding a hello to Jen.

"Well, we've got some problems," Melinda answered with a sigh.

"What kind of problems?" Lance questioned.

"More problems with the CD. This time it's the booklet photos. There's something wrong with the way they were taken and the lighting and I don't really understand it, but I do know that the shoot has to be re-done," she explained.

"What a pain in the ass," Jen commented.

"No shit. When do we have to re-do it?" Lance wondered.

"Today," Melinda answered.

"WHAT?" Jen and Lance blurted out at the same time.

"It's the only time we can do it," Melinda tried to explain.

"What about next week sometime?" Lance tried.

"There's just no time. We're booked solid and this has to get done to get the booklets in time for the release," she said.

"What time do we meet with the photographer?" Lance asked.

"We fly out at 1:00," Melinda answered.

"FLY OUT?"

"Yeah, we're flying out to LA at 1," Melinda told him.

"Why do we have to go to LA to re-do a shoot someone else screwed up?" Lance groaned.

"Because everything is already set up out there, that's where the photographer is, we'll get a quicker turn around if we do it out there, and we can't exactly get a whole lot done here in New York at the last minute on a Sunday," Melinda clicked off the list of reasons.

"What about Macey?" Jen asked, knowing Macey wasn't going to be too happy about this recent development.

"I feel bad, but there's really nothing much we can do to change it," Melinda frowned. "I've already told everyone else, except JC. They're packing."

"Has anyone told Macey?" Jen asked.

"Not that I know of," Melinda answered.

"I'll go tell her," Jen sighed, not looking forward to the task.

"Do we have time to have lunch before we have to be at the airport?" Lance asked, glancing at his watch which read 11:15.

"Not really..." Melinda responded.

"Damn it," Lance spat out.

"I'm sorry Lance," Melinda said again as she headed out of the room.

Lance plopped down onto his bed with a huge sigh, "I cannot believe this."

"Look, you start packing and I'm going to have Joey throw all my crap into suitcases for me and I'm going to talk to Macey," Jen told him, "I'll bring her up here to talk to you after I explain."

"Alright... just be sure she comes up with you- I want to talk to her," Lance agreed.

"Will do," Jen promised as she stood up and walked toward the door, "And Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Don't worry, it'll all work out," Jen said with a smile.

"Thanks."

Jen walked down the hallway to the room she shared with Joey and knocked, waiting for him to open up.

"Hey baby, what's up?" he asked, stepping aside for her to enter.

"Can you just throw my stuff into suitcases for me?" she asked.

"Sure, but what's going on?"

"I just have to go talk to Macey- tell her about the change in plans," Jen said.

"How did you get that job? I feel so bad about this," Joey said sincerely.

"I volunteered... I think she'll take it better coming from me- maybe," Jen answered.

"Well, good luck- I'll pack your stuff for you and see you downstairs in a little while," Joey agreed, kissing his girlfriend as she headed back out the door and down to Macey's room.

Jen walked up to Macey's room and took a deep breath and she started to knock on the door when she noticed a piece of paper taped to the door. She pulled it off and read it quickly.

"Hey guys... If anyone's looking for me, I went for a walk just to clear my head a little bit. I'll be back in time for the matinee this afternoon. See ya' soon! Macey."

"SHIT!" Jen said aloud, wondering what in the hell they were going to do now.

CHAPTER 10

Macey strolled along the streets of Manhattan, thinking back on the weekend that had passed so quickly.

"I can't believe this is my last day with them," she mumbled to herself, ignoring the tourists who were beginning to crawl out from the woodwork all around her. She passed one of the thousands of souvenir shops and went inside, looking for postcards and trinkets to bring to her family and friends back home. Her mind wandered as she picked up picture frames, key chains, and shot glasses that sat among hundreds of other items. After looking uselessly for fifteen minutes, she retreated from the store and out into the bright sunlight, trying to get her mind and feelings in order with each step she took.

Back at the hotel, Jen paced her room in silence.

"Walking back and forth like that isn't going to make her get back here any faster," Joey reminded Jen with a grin.

"I know that Joey, I just don't know what else to do," Jen sighed as she plopped down on their bed and picked up the phone again, first dialing Macey's room number and then her cellular phone number.

"Hey, you've reached Macey. I'm in New York City right now and am probably off somewhere having an amazing time- so leave me a message and as soon as I return to reality, I'll give ya' a ring. Take care!" Macey's message resounded in Jennifer's ear. Having already left multiple messages, Jen just hung up and laid the phone back in it's cradle.

In his room, Lance listlessly threw his clothes into a bag. A glance at the clock told him that he wouldn't see Macey before they left for Los Angeles. He sighed and started to zip his bag shut, jumping when the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lance," Jen's voice greeted him.

"Oh, hey Jen," Lance responded, clearly disappointed.

"Don't sound so excited to hear from me," she said, half joking, half not having the heart to joke.

"Sorry," he offered halfheartedly.

"Heard from Macey?" she asked.

"Nope," he sighed.

"Great. I just talked to Melinda… I was going to try to stay here so that Macey didn't get back and find all of us gone," Jen started.

"That's awesome, Jen," Lance interrupted with relief.

"It would be awesome," Jen groaned, "but I have to go with you guys."

"Why?"

"Because what's my job?"

"Keeping Joey happy?" Lance joked, a smile breaking out on his face.

"Well, that and making sure things like this go smoothly- I have to be there; that's what I get paid for and why I can stay on the road with you," Jen recited.

"So what are we going to do about Mayce?" Lance asked.

"I guess Kerry is staying; she's got some things that need to be done here and is flying out later tonight, so she's going to take care of Macey," Jen told him.

"Well at least it's something," Lance conceded, "I guess I'll see you downstairs."

"See you in a few," Jen said, hanging up the phone with a sigh.

As Lance, JC, Jen, Joey, Chris, Justin, Melinda and the rest of the crew were boarding a plane for LA, Macey was making her way back through Times Square towards the hotel. She glanced up and saw an AIDA billboard, smiling at the memories it brought back. A look at her watch made her pick up her step; she wanted to talk to Lance before they went to see RENT. She traipsed into the hotel and headed to the guys' floor. Stepping off the elevator, she almost ran into a maid's cart.

"Weird," she thought to herself, glancing in at the maid who was busy cleaning what had been Justin's room, "He must've had to switch rooms," she reasoned. Her walk down the hallway confused her even more. All of the doors were standing open. When she got to Lance's room, she peeked her head in and jumped when a maid looked back at her.

"Ummm, maybe I'm in the wrong place," she said, thoroughly confused.

"Oh, Hey Macey!" a voice came from down the hall.

Macey spun around quickly to see Kerry headed toward her.

"Hey Kerry, what's up?" she asked.

"Well, there's been a little bit of a problem," Kerry began.

"Ummm… a boatload of teenies found out the guys are here and they all had to change rooms?" Macey joked.

"Not quite," Kerry laughed.

"So what's going on? Where is everyone?" Macey asked.

"Unfortunately, they're all on a plane."

"What?" Macey's face fell.

One look at Macey and Kerry felt a twang of sympathy.

"There was a problem with the jacket photos for the cd. Their schedule is so packed next week that the only time they I'd get it done in time to get to the printers and get everything out on time is today," Kerry explained, putting a hand on Macey's shoulder.

Macey just stood there for a minute, unable to process what Kerry was telling her.

"You mean they're gone?" she asked again.

"They tried to get ahold of you, but no one knew where you went and we couldn't get through on your cell phone," Kerry offered.

"I've got it with me, it should've went through," Macey argued, grabbing her cell phone from her purse. "Six missed calls," it read.

"Great," she muttered, realizing that she'd never turned up the volume again after they'd left the show last night.

"I've got your ticket for RENT, if you'd still like to go," Kerry motioned back toward her room where the tickets were stored.

"Oh, sure," Macey mumbled unable to believe that it had all ended so soon.

"I'd love to go with you, but I've got a million things to do before I leave the city tonight," Kerry explained as they walked down the hall and into her room, "Here's everything that you'll need. Melinda left this for you; it has all the information about your stay and flight and everything. If you need anything from me, just give me a call. I threw my card in there so you can get ahold of me anytime today on my cell phone."

"Ok, thanks," Macey answered absentmindedly, taking the envelope from Kerry's hand.

"Hey Macey," Kerry called to her as Macey walked out the door.

"Yeah?" Macey turned around.

"I'm sorry," Kerry offered sincerely.

"It's ok," Macey mustered, grasping the envelope in her hand, "Thanks for everything Kerry."

"I hope you had a good weekend."

Macey smiled as she thought back over the past couple of days.

"Thanks," she replied, turning and walking out of the room. Macey walked slowly down the hallway, looking into the rooms that had been occupied by Lance, Jen, Joey, JC, and the rest of the crew when she'd left the hotel that morning. She fought back the tears as she stepped into the elevator.

Macey opened the door to her room and tossed the envelope from Melinda onto the table just inside the door. She threw herself down on the bed and let the tears that had been building up flow. She cried herself out and then rolled over, exhausted. A look at the clock revealed that she'd missed the matinee of RENT that was scheduled for the afternoon. She thought for a few minutes about what she wanted to do and quickly realized that she had no desire to be in New York City alone. She hopped out of the bed and retrieved the envelope that held all of her travel plans from Melinda. A long call later, Macey's flight had been changed to just three hours later. Macey began to pack up the room. Each piece of clothing she picked up reminded her of something from the weekend. Memories flooded her head as she got everything together.

An hour later, Macey picked up her bags and took one last look around the huge room. Sighing, she walked downstairs to check out and say goodbye to New York. A long line in the lobby awaited her and she dialed the number to retrieve her messages as she waited.

"Hey Macey, it's Jen. I need to talk to you like NOW. Call me!" Jen's voice said over the line.

The next message was startlingly similar, "Macey, it's Jen again. Call me back girl! There's some major stuff going down and I need to talk to you!"

Macey hit the delete button and listened to the next message, "Macey, just trying one more time. By this time you've probably figured out that we're gone. I wanted to stay but I couldn't; I'll explain later. Everyone said to tell you good-bye and we'll miss you. I'll call you tonight or tomorrow. I'm sorry about all this Macey. Talk to you soon," Jen finished.

Macey requested her last message, hitting the one button as she said to herself, "What did you forget Jen?"

"Macey… it's Lance. I just wanted to say I'm sorry about all of this. I wish I'd gotten to say good-bye in person. I… I just wanted to make sure you knew that I had a great time this weekend… maybe we can do it again. Take care Macey."

The sound of his voice shocked her and Macey stood there in a daze.

"Can I help you?" the desk clerk asked for the second time.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Macey said, stepping up to the counter, "I need to check out," Macey requested, giving her room number.

"Macey?"

"Yeah, that's me," Macey replied.

"It looks as if everything is all taken care of, although you're paid up until tomorrow," the clerk noted.

"I decided to leave early," Macey responded halfheartedly.

"Seems to be a trend today," the girl said.

Macey just smiled a half smile and turned to leave.

"Have a good day," the clerk offered.

"Thanks," Macey said, heading outside into the sunshine, hailing a cab.

She asked for the airport and sat back, letting the city go by and trying to take in everything one last time. The ride went quickly and she paid the cabbie and stepped out, checking her luggage outside and then walking inside the airport, heading for her gate.

When she was allowed to board, Macey sunk into her window seat. She looked out the window at the runway and tried to make sense of everything that had happened that weekend. Gone was the initial shock of it all ending so abruptly. She still couldn't quite believe that she'd hung out, partied with, and really gotten to know the guys of NSync. She smiled at all the memories that were beginning to resurface. In the back of her mind, she knew that she didn't want the way it ended to ruin her entire trip. She thought of Lance's message and his offer to "do it again sometime."

"Yeah…. I'm sure," she rolled her eyes, knowing her luck wasn't quite that great. Her trip had been amazing, but she knew that she was just an average person who was given an amazing opportunity. Unlike her fantasies, JC hadn't fallen in love with her and she and Lance were not going to live happily ever after like a fairy tale. Somewhere in her consciousness was the reminder of the time she'd spent at the club and shows with Lance, but she refused to let herself believe that there'd been anything there. He was Lance and she was… a fan… and maybe, just maybe, a friend. Sighing, Macey closed her eyes, put on her headphones and sat back as the plane lifted off the ground, returning her to her own world… her own reality away from the lights and glitter of New York and NSync.

The cd she was listening to began to play track five. Macey took a deep breath as the words sank in and she sang along softy, thinking once again of Lance.

"Last night I had a crazy dream… A wish was granted just for me, it could be for anything. I didn't ask for money or a mansion in Malibu, I simply wished for one more day with you. One more day, One more time, one more sunset baby, I'd be satisfied. But then again, I know what this would do… leave me wishing still for one more day with you… One more day, One more time. One more sunset baby, I'd be satisfied. But then again, I know what this would do; leave me wishing still for one more day with you…leave me wishing still for one more day… with you."

The End

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