Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2001 01:54:41 -0500
From: Kris Eshleman <uninspired_teen@hotmail.com>
Subject: Lance Meets an Angel: Chapter Four

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with NSYNC, Dawson's Creek, or any other
organization I may mention. This story is fiction and is not meant to imply
anything as to the true sexuality of Lance Bass (even though that would be
the coolest thing) or any other real person in the story. If you are not old
enough to read male/male relationship stories with graphic sexual
descriptions then please leave.

Hope you all liked the previous chapters, as always please send me what you
think. Uninspired_teen@hotmail.com If you like my work here and would like
to see more please check out my website
http://www.geocities.com/uninspired_teen
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     Tiernan breathed a heavy sigh of relief upon finally reaching Lance's
room. The boy was a lot heavier than he looked, and with his legs around
Tiernan's waist, and arms draped around his neck, he was not doing anything
to help. Tiernan tried to be careful with his burden, but while trying to
slide the key card through the lock he almost dropped him. Fumbling through
the door he tried to keep his mind on getting his friend to the bed. Lance's
limbs were setting Tiernan's body on fire. The boy was clinging to him and
nuzzling against his neck murmuring softly. Tiernan wanted him so bad,
wanted to hold him and to love him, but he was not going to take advantage
of him tonight. When or if it happened, Tiernan wanted it to be real, not a
stolen night of passion.

     He carefully lowered Lance to the bed, trying not to wake him, but when
he tried to pull him self up, he found that Lance was not letting go. He
looked down into Lances deep green eyes.

"Hey there handsome, get enough beauty sleep?" Tiernan asked teasingly.

     Tiernan waited for Lance to say something, but he didn't. He reached up
and ran his hand over Tiernan's chest. He could feel the heat of Lance's
skin through the fishnet shirt he was wearing. His skin burned as the boy
underneath him caressed his chest. He tried to pull back, but Lance still
had his legs around his waist.

"Lance you don't want this." Tiernan said softly, trying to mask how much he
himself did.

"Yes I do..." came Lance's almost slurred reply.

     Tiernan tried to pull away again, but Lance's legs were holding him
like a vice. He put his hands on the bed, trying to keep his balance without
putting his weight on Lance. He felt Lance's hands trail down his chest and
over his stomach and grip the waistband of his black cargos, trying to undo
the button. The closer Lance got, the more Tiernan's brain became clouded by
his growing lust. He knew he had to do something or...

"Lance stop it! I don't want to do this, not now!" Tiernan's voice was thick
with all of his pent up emotion.

"I'm.... I'm so sorry Tiernan."

     Tiernan looked down into Lance's eyes, and saw the moisture of held
back tears. He felt Lance release his pants, and unclamp his legs from his
waist. Tiernan stood up and stepped back from the bed. He watched in silence
as Lance rolled over onto his stomach, and heard him start to cry. He walked
over and sat down on the bed next to him, putting his hand on his back and
making small comforting circles.

"Ssshhh, Its okay Lance, I'm not mad, I just didn't want to take advantage
of you." He whispered, he couldn't stand to see Lance cry; it was tearing
him apart inside.

"I'm so sorry..."

"It's okay"

     Tiernan just sat next to Lance, whispering comforting words, gently
rubbing his back and trying to get the boy to stop crying. He wasn't sure
how long it took, but eventually the sobbing stopped, and Lance's breath
became regular and steady. Quietly he stood up and went over to Lance's
laptop. He opened it and typed a quick note on the word pad.
Then he slowly exited the room, keeping his eyes on the sleeping form on the
bed.

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     Lance awoke to the screeching of some monstrous creature, he pulled his
pillow over his head and struck out with his arm against the wretched sound.
His hand connected with whatever it was and he heard it hit the floor.
`Good' he thought as the room was sheathed once more in silence. Now he
could just lie down and...suddenly his stomach flipped and he scrambled from
the bed and into the bathroom. He spent a few minutes retching as his body
emptied itself of things he didn't even know were in him. Slowly he
clambered to his feet, and was rewarded with a splitting pain in his head,
like thousands of tiny needles boring into his skull.

     He stumbled miserably back into his room, and suddenly became aware of
a great many things that were odd. First off, the phone was lying on the
floor, looking for the entire world as though someone had flung the thing
from the bed stand. Second, his laptop was open. Third, he was still wearing
the clothes he had on when he went out the night before. Fourth, his hand
hurt like he had punched a wall, and finally he was recalling the oddest
dream. Tiernan had carried him home, and they had lain together on the bed,
and Lance had wanted him so bad, but Tiernan had said.... what had Tiernan
said?

     Suddenly everything straightened itself out, and Lance wanted to cry.
Or rather start crying again. Tiernan probably never wanted to see him
again. He picked up the phone, replaced it on the stand, and laid back down
on the bed. His thoughts were a mix of confusion and pain. How could he have
let himself get so wasted? He had ruined everything.

     Right when tears started to flow down his face he heard a banging on
the door. He wiped at his face with his sleeve, and tried to compose
himself. He opened the door to see Josh's concerned face.

"Hey Scoop, are you alright?"

"Yeah I'm fine Josh. Why?"

"Cause you look like someone dragged you through hell after beating you to
death." Josh smiled to take the sting out of his words, but the smile didn't
really touch his eyes. They were filled with concern.

"Thanks a lot man." Lance replied, laughing a bit.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure"

     JC walked in, and seeing the open laptop walked over to it. "Already
hard at work I see. What are you worki...? Oh." JC laughed to himself. "So
when were you going to tell the rest of us? Ten minutes till 8 o'clock?"

"What are you talking about, I haven't been working..."

     Lance walked over to his laptop, and slid it to where he could see what
was written...

HEY LANCE, SORRY ABOUT LAST NIGHT. HOPE YOU WON'T HOLD IT AGAINST ME. I WAS
HOPING YOU AND THE GUYS WOULD COME TO A PARTY THAT THE WB IS HOSTING TONIGHT
AT 8:00PM. IT IS A BLACK TIE THING SO YOU GUYS WILL HAVE TO FIND TUXES ON
SHORT NOTICE. DON'T WORRY ABOUT INVITATIONS, I CALLED YOUR FRIEND BEVERLEY
MITCHELL FROM 7TH HEAVEN, AND SHE SAID BETWEEN THE TWO OF US WE COULD GET
YOU ALL IN. SHE SAID SHE WOULD LOVE TO SEE YOU AGAIN >;-)

PLEASE COME
TIERNAN

     He stared in shock at his computer. Tiernan wasn't mad? He wanted to
see him again? He looked over to Josh who was looking at him with a weird
face.

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"What was he talking about: `sorry about last night'?"

"Oh, um.... he brought me back to the room after I had gotten totally smashed,
and I wanted him to.... err...." Lance felt heat rushing toward his face; he
knew he was blushing heavily.

"It's cool, you don't have to explain it to me." JC said as he raised his
hands in the air.

     Lance looked at his friend, there had been something in the way JC had
said that. If only Lance's head wasn't still partially clouded, he could
have figured out what it was. He let it slide off his mind; he obviously
wasn't going to figure it out in this state.

"Hey Josh, I'm going to jump in the shower. Are the guys meeting down in the
lobby to go for breakfast?"

"Yeah, I came up since you didn't say anything when you answered your phone,
and Justin said he heard a crash of some sort."

"Oh sorry about that. Hey can you ask the guys if they want to go to that
party tonight since we are free?"

"Yeah I can, I'll also call someone about tuxes and stuff."

"Thanks Josh I appreciate it."

"No problem Scoop. We'll be waiting for you downstairs."

     After JC vacated his room, Lance walked into the bathroom. He looked at
himself in the mirror. `Well, Josh wasn't lying when he said I looked
terrible'. He started the shower, and stripped off his clothes. He let the
steamy water cascade into him, loosening his cramped muscles. His thoughts
wandered, what had been in Josh's tone earlier? Why had Justin taken all of
Tiernan's time at the club? He let these thoughts rattle around, unable to
grasp their answers, but glad that his head was starting to stop hurting if
not clear. He was glad to take anything he could get at this point.

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     Tiernan looked at himself in the mirror. He thought he looked handsome,
maybe even sexy. His tuxedo perfectly accentuated his body, and he loved the
colors. Solid white, with a black vest, the Mandarin style of coat caused it
to flare out a bit when he walked. He buttoned only the top button to
achieve the flowing style. His black shoes had thick soles, adding almost an
inch to his height. He smiled to himself, hoping Lance would dance with him.
If that cute guy didn't find him attractive in this, he was straight.

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     JC stared into the mirror, studying his own reflection. He had finished
getting dressed for the party, his traditional black and white tuxedo looked
nice, but something was eating at him. He couldn't figure out what was wrong
with him. He had been angry all day, snapping at everyone. He couldn't
concentrate on anything. He was really confused. Why did it matter if
Tiernan had stayed in Lance's hotel room? Obviously they had had sex, what
else would Tiernan hope Lance wouldn't "hold against him". It didn't matter
to him whether or not Lance was gay or bisexual; it wasn't any of his
business. What Lance and Tiernan did wasn't any of his business; even if
they did end up sleeping together the first night they knew each other.  But
for some reason, whenever he saw Lance and Tiernan look at each other he
felt a hollow pain in his stomach, kind of like he was going to throw up.
Something tugged at the edge of his thoughts, something small and barely
there....

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK

"Hey Josh, the limo is leaving so get your butt out here." Justin's voice
yelled from the other side of the door.

     JC pushed all his thoughts back into the recesses of his mind, hoping
he could sort it all out soon, before he drove himself crazy.

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     Lance tried to keep his frustration down as he once again tried to tie
the bow on his tuxedo. Normally this wouldn't be a trial, but he wanted to
make sure he looked perfect. He hoped that Tiernan would find him attractive
tonight. He was wearing a black tuxedo, with a deep blue shirt and a black
vest. They were a very fine cut, and Lance felt comfortable in them, unlike
many tuxes he had worn in the past. Deciding he was as good looking as he
could be, he left to meet the guys downstairs. Joey and Chris greeted him
enthusiastically.

"Hey Scoop, you are looking sharp."

"Thanks Joey, you are looking good yourself. You too Chris."

     Lance was about to inquire about Justin and JC when they suddenly
appeared. JC looked a little on edge.

"Hey Josh, are you okay man?"

"I'm fine James, you look nice tonight...."

"Thanks Josh, I appreciate you taking the time to get us all tuxes."

"No problem, we better get going or we are going to be late."

     With that, JC headed out the door. Lance gave the other guys a
questioning look. Justin shrugged.

"He has been a little snippy all day. You'd think he had gotten dumped or
something."

     Dumped? Lance had no idea what Justin was talking about, be he decided
to let it go for now. He hoped JC would tell him what was wrong soon; he
hated to see his friend upset, especially when he didn't know what to do to
help. He followed the other guys out and got in the limo. He hoped the ride
to the hall would ease some of the tension.

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     Tiernan was waiting patiently, listening to music, when Alex called.

"Hey Tiernan, I'm in the limo in front of the building, just come on out and
we can go."

"Alright Alex, thanks again for the tux, I love it. I'll be down in a
minute."

     He grabbed his cell phone and wallet, and headed out the door. He
quickly went down the elevator and out the front of the lobby. He shook his
head when he saw the massive limousine. He still hadn't quite gotten used to
all of this upcoming star stuff.

     The ride to the reception hall was filled with silence, and decidedly
quick. Tiernan stepped out of the limo when the driver opened the door. He
stood there for a second, the photographers snapping picture after picture.
He started to lose himself in the rush, when he felt an arm loop through his
own. He looked over to see the beautiful star of his show, Katie Holmes,
resplendent in a flowing silver gown. Her hair was raised up in an elaborate
mass of curls and braids. With silver chains adorned with many small
ornaments threaded through her hair. He looked at the multitude of stars,
roses, dolphins, and fish, amazed that she could have such an intricate
thing done.

"Hello Tiernan."

"Katie, you look stunning. As always."

"You are to kind. You are looking very handsome yourself."

     Arm in arm they walked into the hall, with cameras flashing all around.
They made rounds together, talking with other actors and some of the WB
administration. But Katie couldn't help but notice Tiernan's distraction.

"Are you waiting for someone?"

"What.... oh um, yeah I am."

"And who would you be waiting for?"

"Well, uh.... Beverley and I invited the guys from NSYNC. I met them at the
photo shoot we had the other day for Teen People."

"Oh really! I would love to meet them! Could you introduce me to them?
Please!"

     Tiernan couldn't help but laugh a little at the tone of her voice.
You'd think she herself was not a really big star, with tons of screaming
fans waiting to get HER autograph.

"I'll see what I can do okay?"

"Thanks Tiernan, you are such a sweetheart.... Will you dance with me while we
have time away from everyone?"

"Sure...."

     Katie led him out into the middle of the dance floor, then turned and
wrapped her hands around his neck. They started to dance slowly, getting
lost in the rhythm. Tiernan's mind wasn't really on the dance though. He
kept wondering whether or not the guys, and more importantly, Lance, were
going to show up.

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     Lance looked out the limousine window, glad that they were pulling up
to the hall finally. The trip had been, unpleasant, to say the least. Not
that anyone said anything cross to anyone else; it was just that nothing was
said at all. Chris and Joey were joking around as usual, talking about which
of their favorite WB stars were going to be there, Chris going so far as to
say that he was going to ask Alyson Hannigan to dance, but a tension hung in
the air, like in the lobby of the hotel. JC was unusually quiet. Lance had
tried to talk with him, but he had been pushed away.

     As soon as the limo came to a stop, and the driver opened the door,
Chris and Joey scrambled out and headed into the party. Justin followed,
only a little less enthusiastically, leaving Lance and JC in the limo.

"Hey Josh, I'm going to see if I can find Tiernan, you want to come?"

"No I think I'm going to go in and get something to drink, then mingle or
whatever."

     Before Lance could even suggest that he go with his friend, JC was out
of the limo and heading inside. He didn't even hesitate a little to allow
for pictures he just walked in. Lance stared after him in bewilderment, then
pulled himself out of the limo. Before heading in he took a deep breath, and
hoped that the feeling of a storm brewing was all in his imagination.

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Thanks everyone who has supported me so far in my writings, Ben, Kenitra,
Ryan and everyone from Nifty. Please let me know what you think of the
latest instalment of LMA. uninspired_teen@hotmail.com Look for Chap 5 soon.