Title:As Fate Would Have It

Author:Jules

Parts:16

Pairing:TimberNick

Rating:Bits vary from G to NC-17

Guest Appearances By:JC Chasez, Joey Fatone, Lance Bass, Chris Kirkpatrick, Brian Littrell, Kevin Richardson, Howard Dorough, AJ McLean, Christina Aguilara, Mandy Moore and a few others that I won't tell, but want to see if you'll notice ...points go to those who figure out who I'm talking about... *evil giggle*

Feedback:Would be appreciated - mailto:slash_me_baby@yahoo.com

Disclaimer:This is a work of fiction. I am not making assumptions on their sexual preferences or orientations. It's just for entertainment

Warning:AU warning. Crossover warning. Slash warning.

Notes:Because it is an AU, it indicates that things are different from how they are in real life now. Thus, AJ will be drinking at one point in this story. It is not meant as a disrespect to his alcoholism and trip to rehab, it is just that in the story, he didn't have that problem. If you can't handle this or don't like the fact that I have him drinking alcohol, too bad. Because it's in there, you've been warned and it is SO not my problem. And NO. No sequel is in the works. This is a piece that will stand alone. So don't even ask cuz I don't have the will power to write another one like this.

Dedication:To Andrea. Who said "you should write a TimberNick story about the film festival". During one of our waiting sessions for someone to emerge from the hotel, we bounced ideas off of each other and came up with a very loose outline of what you will find here.

As Fate Would Have It
by Jules

Chapter 1

SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY MORNING

Justin sat down at the front desk, exciting for the next 10 days. It was one of their busiest times of the year and the hotel was completely booked with Hollywood's top celebrities. The Toronto Film Festival was when the movie elite were all in town, shmoozing with the best of the best. Parties were held every night, movies screened during the afternoon and when the stars weren't scheduled to be anywhere in particular, they could be found wandering the streets of Yorkville, visiting the cafes or shopping in the upscale stores. But Justin didn't have to camp outside for hours on end like the fans he'd had to push through to enter the hotel. They would be out there religiously, waiting for just a glimpse of their favourite star, with hopes that they would stop for a few moments for an autograph or a picture. Instead, Justin got paid to see them, talk to them, answer any questions or complaints they might have. Life was good and Justin loved his job.

Working as the evening desk clerk at the Four Seasons Hotel, Justin was responsible for guests checking in, checking out, as well as special requests and emergencies the guests might have. Usually he hated working the overnight shift, but during this week, during the Film Festival, it was the prime shift. Everyone was fighting for these hours, and due to his seniority Justin was granted the shift. It was between the hours of 1 am and 9 am that most of the action happened, celebrities returning from industry parties, seeing who was with who, hearing gossip that no one was supposed to know, but alcohol providing them with lowered inhibitions and loose lips.

Of course, hotel policy was strict regarding famous guests. Employees were to be professional at all times, no autographs, no pictures and definitely no divulging of private information to outside sources. That was fine with Justin, as he was simply happy seeing his favourite actors and actresses, having that 30 second conversation with them and having them remember his name the next time they passed by. Although there had been times where he would have liked to have his picture taken with a guest, keeping the job that allowed him the opportunity to be up and close with them won out.

Justin checked his watch and saw that it was just after 1:30. He would be off at 9, just when all the boring press conferences and meetings started. Clicking his headset in place, he answered the calls that were waiting on the line for him. "Good morning, Four Seasons Toronto." Justin dealt with another fan attempting to find out what room their favourite star was in. It was something that happened every year during this time, people thinking that they could find out where someone was staying. It was something that barely even registered with him anymore, Justin actually finding some of the excuses quite funny. Sometimes, if it was

really creative, he would write it down and tell the star about it, having a good laugh when they would pass by later on.

His shift passed rather uneventful, people returning from parties, fans waiting outside, the same old stuff. The phones were actually a bit busier than usual, the Saturday night providing much for Justin to do. He was in the middle of locating a 24 hour animal hospital for a guest when someone appeared in front of him, waiting for attention. Justin held up his hand, indicating that he would be right with them in a moment. Once he had contacted the guest with the information and arranged for limo service to the hospital, Justin looked up into the most intense pair of blue eyes he had ever seen. They were red and bloodshot, his smile weary, but still he was one of the most beautiful people that Justin had ever laid eyes on. He felt his pulse quicken and his stomach do flips. Justin could barely believe that Nick Carter, THE Nick Carter was right in front of him, waiting patiently for service. Justin took a deep breath, willing his nerves to calm down.

"H...hello. May I help you sir?"

"Hello. I'd like to check in please. Nick Carter," Nick spoke, producing his identification along side his credit card. Justin took both cards, hoping that his hand didn't tremble too much, indicating his extreme nervousness.

Nick Carter was one of his favourite actors, Justin having gone to every single one of his movies. As a gift, Justin's night manager had managed to score him a ticket to Nick's movie that was screening on the final night as the festival's closing movie. Although Nick had yet to win an Oscar, he had been nominated twice so far, in both the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories. The buzz on the circuit was that he was the favourite to win in next year's awards. And here, this man was standing right in front of him, blonde hair sticking up in every direction, wearing a pair of thin wired glasses, dressed in a black hoodie, baggy jeans and a pair of flip flops, his duffle bag thrown over his shoulder.

Justin processed Nick's information, smiling as the reservation appeared on the computer in front of him. "Well Mr. Carter, you are in room 714. Jacob will bring your luggage up for you." Justin handed Nick his key cards as well as various other papers, his breath catching in his throat as their fingers grazed one another. "If you need anything, dial 0-1-0 and you will be connected to the main desk. My name is Justin and I will be here until morning." Justin wasn't sure why he had added the final part to his speech, most likely because he just wanted to prolong the conversation with Nick.

Smiling, the blonde actor accepted the cards from Justin, his eyes lingering on the rainbow bracelet around Justin's wrist. A strange expression crossed his face before it turned into a smile, their eyes locking in an intense gaze. "Well thank you Justin, I'll have to keep that in mind." Once they broke their gaze, Nick turned to talk to the person behind him, indicating that he'd be up in his room if they wanted to contact him for anything. Justin felt bad listening to their conversation, but couldn't help it. He'd overheard Nick saying that his first conference was at 2 PM the next day and if possible could he not be bothered until at least noon. The other person agreed and Nick turned back to focus on Justin, flashing him another tired smile. "Well thank you Justin. I'll probably see you around again."

Justin felt his heart soar to his throat as he managed a nervous smile and blush, looking down at his hands which were clasped tightly together. He watched the blonde walk towards the elevator, focusing his attention back to the man in front of him once the doors had closed and Nick was on his way to the seventh floor. "Can I help you sir?"

"Yes. I'm Christopher Kirkpatrick. I have a reservation here."

Justin entered the name in the computer and waited for the reservation to appear. "Yes. You are in 701." Justin handed the man his key cards going through his regular speech, not giving him the 'Nick Carter' extended version.

"Thank you." Christopher spoke, picking up his bag. "And, I'd like to arrange a wake up call for myself for 8 am, as well as one for Mr. Carter for noon."

"One for Mr. Carter sir?" Justin asked. This was the man that Nick had been speaking to and Justin was curious as to what their relationship was.

"Yes. I'm his personal assistant. He needs to be up for noon, so if you could please arrange a wake up call, that would be fantastic."

Justin smiled at the short, brunette, nodding his head. "Yes sir. Wake up call for Mr. Nickolas Carter, 12 noon. And also, one for yourself at 8 am. Anything else Mr. Kirkpatrick?"

The man shook his head and smiled. "No. That's all." After the mini rush of people coming in and out of the hotel, Justin's mind began to wander to the man who was probably sleeping soundly up in room 714. He had known that Nick would be staying in their hotel, but never actually thought that he would get the chance to see him. The phone rang and Justin answered it accordingly, seeing that it was from an inside line. "Front

desk, how may I help you?"

"Justin?" The voice spoke, sending a shiver down Justin's spine.

"Yes this is Justin. What can I do for you sir?" This couldn't be who Justin thought it was, there was no way he was phoning him. Asking for him.

"Hey. This is Nick. Carter. Room 714," Nick clarified, as if Justin wouldn't know which Nick Carter was calling him. His palms began to sweat, his heart rate accelerated.

"Yes Mr. Carter. Is there a problem?" Justin heard Nick laugh and closed his eyes, committing the sound to memory. It was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard, only second after hearing Nick say his name.

"No Justin. Umm, please stop calling me Mr. I'm probably not all that much older than you."

"A year and three days," Justin whispered before he could stop himself.

"Excuse me?" Nick asked, his laughter cutting short.

Justin cleared his throat, praying that Nick didn't complain about him being some psycho fan. The last thing he wanted was to be fired for breaking the rules as well as scaring Nick off. "I said, a year and two days Mr.. Nick. Your birthday is January 28, 1980, mine is January 31, 1981."

Nick began to laugh again, this time causing Justin to join him, mostly in relief. "Well then Justin. There is NO way you should be calling me Mr. then. Just call me Nick, okay."

"I'm not sure..." Justin stuttered, thankful for the lull in activity.

"If anyone gives you a problem, tell them to kiss my ass. Got that?"

Justin giggled, running his hand nervously over his shaved head. "Can I quote you on that? Can I say, 'if you have a problem, kiss Nick Carter's ass!?" Oh god, he was flirting with Nick Carter. He, Justin Timberlake was flirting with Nick Carter at 6 am, after knowing him for only an hour and a half. If he wasn't so sure he was awake, Justin would have thought he was dreaming.

"Yeah. Go right ahead. I'm sure they'll line up to do just that, kiss my ass." Nick's voice went suddenly serious, a hint of annoyance at the truth in the statement. "It sure as hell wouldn't be the first time."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Justin repeated, becoming uncomfortable with the ease he felt talking to Nick. He didn't want to get too emotionally involved with the actor, knowing that even if he did see him on an extended level this week, he had no chance at all with him. The odds of Nick being gay, let alone bisexual was slim to none, and so rather than get his hopes up, Justin decided to just play it cool with the blonde.

"Yeah. I need a wake up call for tomorrow morning. I forgot to ask for one while I was down there. And I'm just about to go to sleep and thought I'd call."

He was just now going to sleep? Justin couldn't help but wonder what he had been doing up there for the past hour and a half. Images of Nick in the shower suddenly filled his mind. He could just picture Nick wet, soaping up his tanned skin, washing his short blonde hair, drying off with the fluffy hotel towels. He felt himself react as his groin tightened and Justin had to bite back a low moan.

"Mr. Kirkpatrick arranged for a wake up call for you already Nick. He asked for it to be scheduled at noon, is that all right?"

"Yeah. It figures. He's so anal sometimes. Doesn't think I'm capable of doing anything for myself." Nick chuckled. "Okay, well since that's taken care of I should get to bed. It's been a long day and I'm exhausted. Thanks for everything man, I appreciate it."

Justin held his breath, enjoying listening to Nick talk knowing that it was directed at him. "Your welcome Nick. My pleasure." Seconds later their call disconnected and Justin heard another line beeping for his attention. Attending to the usual early morning duties, he barely even noticed as the remaining three hours of his shift flew by.