Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2001 18:36:54 EST
From: KandLStories@aol.com
Subject: The Maze of Moments 15 -celebrity/boyband

STOP! READ THIS FIRST! WHY? IT'S THE DISCLAIMER, THAT'S WHY!!

Well, as much as I'd like, I still don't know Lance Bass, Justin
Timberlake, or any of the other members of N'Sync, okay? This is fiction,
and I don't claim to know anything about the sexuality or lives of those
guys. Really! I don't! All other characters are products of my imagination,
and any coincidence is unintended.

Well, once more Ye Writer has a few things he'd like to say, so bear with
me if you would. First of all, many thanks as always to everyone who has
written me with comments regarding my little tale here. I appreciate it
very much, as your encouragement only makes me want to write more and
better! My apologies also to all of you readers who have been wondering
just where the hell I've been for the last month or so! Ah, real life does
happen. Bah!

At any rate, make your voice heard! Tell me what you think about Maze by
writing to KandLStories@aol.com okay?

Next on the agenda, if you have a moment, do stop by www.railwayshoes.net
where you can read not only Maze but dozens of other great stories. It's
hosted by my wonderful Guru, Gabriella Morrison, who has been kind enough
to let me and Maze have a permanent home. You'll never know what you might
find there, so go! Now! Well, read the story first. But then go!!

Lastly, thank you as always to my fellow members of the FNC, who never fail
to help me out with ideas and make me laugh and smile. Big HUG to you guys!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone! If Lance comes to your door, make
sure to give him a special treat!

The Maze of Moments and A Kevin and Lance Story copyright 2001.

Thanks for waiting, and now on with the show!!


---Tony


The Maze of Moments - A Kevin and Lance Story


Chapter 15 - Faithful Are the Wounds of A Friend

          "The truth of life is the greatest gift,
               but I don't think I can make it fit."
               --from "I've Tried Everything" by the Eurythmics


*click*

"The campaign of George W. Bush kicked into high gear today, as the Texas
governor...."

*click*

"Dee- Dee! Get out of my laboratory!"

*click*

"Is that your final answer?"

*click*

"Hi, this is Kurt Loder with an MTV News break. Lance Bass of the hugely
popular boy band N'Sync announced this morning that the group will perform
a special benefit concert later this week in his hometown of Jackson,
Mississippi. Last week, a predominately African-American church was burned
down, apparently an act of arson, just outside of Jackson, and the group
hopes to raise enough money to rebuild it. Our John Norris was at the
conference this morning, and has this report."

"Although N'Sync will headline Thursday's benefit, it was a student from
the University of Mississippi that suggested having the concert in the
first place. Lance Bass told us that the idea came from a friend of his,
Kevin Douglas:

'It was a great idea, and I'm glad we can be a part of it. You know, a lot
of people wouldn't have come up with this in the first place, so it says
something about young people today. Our generation, I think, has, uh,
really put the whole notion of being a slacker to rest.'

Bass also said that Douglas and his band will open up the performance, and
serve as backup for N'Sync during the concert:

'This gives our own band the chance to enjoy the rest of their vacation
before we start back on tour, and it gives Dubious Distinction a little
exposure. Who knows, they may just be the next big thing!'

Tickets for the event went on sale immediately after the press conference
was held, and early indications are that it will be a sell out."

"Bass went on to say that N'Sync will take none of the proceeds, and any
costs incurred will be paid for through FreeLance, his music management
company. That's all for now, stay tuned for more news at ten to the hour,
every hour, right here on MTV."

*click*

"Dee- Dee! I said to get out of my laboratory!!!"

"Hey, why'd you change the channel?" Lance asked.

"I have a reputation to uphold, remember? That's probably the most MTV I've
watched in about a year or so," Kevin replied.

                         **********

May 8, 2000. Earlier that morning.

"What do you mean?.....Well, if they want juice and coffee, serve juice and
coffee......Terry, I don't know, run over to a grocery store or
something.....Surely to God there has to be a quickie mart
nearby......okay, okay, we'll stop and get some, how much do you think
we'll need? Uh-huh.  Uh-huh. No, just orange......because this is a press
conference, Terry, not a buffet! Look, we'll stop and get some, and should
be there in about half an hour or so, okay? Right.....talk to you
soon. Bye."

Lance hung up his cell phone and sighed as he maneuvered through traffic.

"What was that all about?" Kevin asked.

"Apparently some of the media doesn't drink coffee....go figure....and
Terry thinks we need juice there as well. Looks like we need to stop at
Kroger."

Lance's tone indicated that he was not a happy camper this
morning. Although he and Kevin spent a restful weekend together, the
traffic this Monday morning was heavy, and the little bits and details that
Terry Reid, his assistant, kept bringing up, did nothing for his
mood. That, and ever since their conversation of Saturday night, Kevin's
words stuck out in the back of his mind.  Should he tell Terry he was gay?
Should he tell his parents? When? Should Kevin be there when he told them?
How would they react? Would they get mad? Would they be hurt? Would
they.....

"Lance....Lance? Babe, that's a red light up ahead. Lance? LANCE!"

Lance snapped back to reality and slammed on the breaks, screeching to a
halt just in the nick of time. Kevin, who had braced himself on the
dashboard, caught his breath and looked over at his boyfriend.

"Jesus, Lance! It's just some orange juice!" he exclaimed.

Resting his head on the steering wheel, and feeling a bit stupid now for
not paying attention, Lance sighed. Looking back up, he turned to Kevin and
in a soft voice said, "I'm sorry."

"What's bugging you all of a sudden? And come to think of it, you were kind
of out of it yesterday, too. Is it this press conference thing? You'd think
that you would be used to this by now!"

"No...no, Kev, that's not it. And it's not the juice, either. It's....it's
hard to explain."

"Try me," Kevin said, folding his arms in front of his chest.

The light turned green, and Lance pulled into the parking lot of a gas
station, off to the side.  Putting the truck in park, he turned to his
boyfriend.

"Look....I've been thinking about what we talked about the other
night. About...telling people?"

"Yeah? And?"

"And.....and I don't think I can do it." Lance turned away, looking out his
window at a station attendant checking someone's oil.

"Lance, we talked about this, remember? About telling the people you care
for? You have to do it at some point, babe. It's not right to keep them in
the dark."

Lance spun quickly to face Kevin, tears starting to trickle down his
cheeks. "Kevin, do you have any idea how hard this is for me? Do you? Do
you realize what I'm risking here? What if my family hates me? What if that
goof Terry hates me? It's quite possible they may never speak to me again!
You have no idea what's running through my mind right now! This scares the
living shit out of me!" Turning away again, he slumped back in his seat,
sobbing quietly.

This stunned Kevin. True, he had seen Lance cry on a few occasions by now,
but those were tears of joy. This, on the other hand, was totally
different.

"I....I had no idea. Lance, I'm so sorry," he said, reaching out and
putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it gently.

"I know I need to do this....but I can't. I'm so afraid of what will happen
if I do," Lance said in a small voice.

"Lance, look. Do you remember what you told me a week or so back? You said
that a big part of life was taking chances. You took a big chance on me
when you asked me out, remember? Well, this is a big chance, too, I
understand that. I just....I just never knew how much it bothered you."

"How would you do it? Would you even do it? Tell your family?" Lance asked
as he wiped away tears with the back of his hand.

Now it was Kevin's turn to become quiet.

"I....I don't know. Like I said, it's none of their business and all,
so...."

"See? That's just it. As much as I love my folks and my sister, this is
none of their damn business!  It's my life, after all. I don't think I'm
ready for this, not at all. Maybe one day....but not now."

"Okay," Kevin replied. "I'm sorry I pushed you. But Lance....Terry. You
really need to tell Terry.  You see how he is around you. You've got to
tell him before he finds out on his own. Okay?"

Lance nodded, and Kevin squeezed his shoulder once more.

"I'm sorry I upset you," Kevin said again. "I never wanted to do that."

"I know, but it's not your fault. It's not like I haven't been stressing
over this before you brought it up."

"You okay now?"

"Yeah, I think so. Let's go to the store and stock up on some Minute Maid."
Lance looked at Kevin and smiled, then started the 4-Runner back up again.

                         **********

They reached the Civic Auditorium, where the concert would be held later
that week, and where dozens of members of the media were waiting. Terry,
with the help of the facilities staff, had set up coffee, the juice Kevin
and Lance brought, donuts, danish, and assorted other goodies for the press
to snack on while they waited.

Kevin peeked out from a hallway, and saw that Terry had begun to hand out
packets of information, while cameramen and women put the finishing touches
on their equipment. With a shake of his head, he walked back to a small
room that was set aside for their use, where Lance was going over some last
minute details.

"That's quite a crowd out there," he said.

"Must be the prospect of free food. Usually does it for reporters," Lance
replied without looking up.

Kevin laughed, but it was a nervous one. Now normally, he could keep his
cool about things, and didn't have a problem with crowds. However, he never
had to appear on television before. The radio either, for that matter. And
to the best of his knowledge, the last time he was interviewed for a
newspaper was back in high school, when it had to do with a football
game. Needless to say, he was a little unprepared for what lay ahead. His
palms began to sweat, and he paced back and forth.

"Kevin," Lance said, as he saw this out of the corner of his eye. Getting
no response, he tried again. "Kevin...calm down, okay?"

"This...this is for real. We're really going to do this. We're going to
practice later this afternoon and everything. I'm....I'm going to be on
tv...hell, on MTV! Do you know how much I watch MTV?"

"Not very often?" Lance said with a smile as he put down the paperwork he
was reading.  Although he felt badly that his boyfriend was quickly
becoming a nervous wreck, there was still a small part of him that was
amused.

"No...not hardly. Jesus....everybody and their brother is out there...and
I...that is you...I mean, we..."

"Kev, you're rambling. Listen," Lance got up and walked over. "This is
nothing, okay? It'll take half an hour, forty five minutes, tops. I'll do
most of the talking, if not all of it, and they'll just ask you a couple of
questions. It'll be over before you know it. Okay?"

"Yeah....yeah, okay. Man, I wish Eric was here...."

"Somebody mention my name?"

Lance and Kevin turned to the door, where the voice had originated, and saw
Eric Hagen standing there with a huge grin on his face. Kevin's eyes lit
up, and Lance broke out into a relieved smile.

"I see we've encountered rambling, nervous Kevin. Think you'll want to put
up with this, Lancelot? It is cute and all, but you know," Eric said with a
laugh.

"I happen to think it's one of his more endearing qualities, actually."
Lance and Kevin walked over and both gave Eric a quick hug. "Glad to see
you here. The directions okay?"

"Yeah, not a problem at all. The other guys are here, too. I sent them in
the direction of the snack table, where we were stopped by a freshman who
looks like he's in some kind of authority. I assume this is the infamous
Terry?"

"One and the same," Kevin said. "How did you get past him?"

"All I had to do was mention Lance's name and yours, and all of a sudden he
was practically worshiping the ground we walked on. Is he usually that
annoying?"

"Pretty much, yeah. So, you going to be at the table with us, or are you
going to hang out in the crowd?" Lance asked.

"I think the guys and I will sort of hang back. I'm sure you'll point us
out and all, but I'd rather not answer questions or shit like that. I don't
think the others do, either, for that matter. We'll just direct everyone to
Kev over here."

"Gee, thanks," Kevin said dryly.

Laughing, Lance put his arms around both his friends and looked from one to
the other. "Well, gentlemen," he said, "this is it. The moment of
truth. Shall we meet the press?"

                         **********

"Can everyone hear me? Is this loud enough? Alright then. Good morning,
ladies and gentlemen, and thank you for coming."

Lance stood behind a battery of microphones, Kevin seated at his left, and
the press conference began.

"As you know, N'Sync is more than just a group of five men singing and
dancing. We have always had a particular interest in charitable events,
giving back some of the tremendous fortune we have been blessed with in our
careers. From our 'Challenge for the Children' basketball events, to Justin
Timberlake's foundation, we are mindful of the fact that there are those
who may need a helping hand."

He paused for a moment as a few flashbulbs went off.

"To that end, I am very proud to announce this morning, that N'Sync will
perform a benefit concert in this building this coming Thursday night. I'm
sure you are well aware of the senseless act of hatred that destroyed the
house of worship for the congregation of the Mount Zion Baptist Church
about a week ago. It is our intention that the proceeds raised through this
concert will go to the church in their efforts to rebuild."

Another pause, and more flashes. Some of the television cameras zoomed in
closer.

"Reverend Hardin, the pastor of that congregation, sends his regrets that
he could not join us this morning, but he had a prior commitment. I do,
however, have a letter of thanks and support from him, which, with his
permission, I have included in your packets."

Lance then looked over at Kevin and smiled.

"I wish that we could take the credit for coming up with the idea of having
this special event, but that honor goes to my friend, Kevin Douglas. He is
a junior at the University of Mississippi, Ole Miss, and he was the one who
suggested having this concert in the first place. I am also happy to say
that Kevin's band, Dubious Distinction, will be opening for us that night,
and will be lending their talent to us as they will be our band for the
night. Kevin will be happy to answer any questions you may have shortly.

Before I take questions from the audience, I would like to say, in closing,
that we feel this is the right thing to do. Speaking on behalf of JC,
Chris, Justin and Joey, I would add that in this day and age, senseless
acts of violence and hatred have no place. It shames me that this would
have happened here in my own home state....I would think that we as a
society were beyond this.  Hopefully, our concert will serve a dual
purpose. Not only to raise money, but to raise awareness.  That in the time
we have on this earth, we need to live as brothers. As someone said a few
years ago, and though it may sound cliche, the words ring true....can't we
all just get along?"

Lance let his opening remarks settle with the audience, and then began to
take questions. Most of them were about minor details of the upcoming
event: Which songs would be performed? Would all of the proceeds go to the
church, or would the band keep any? Where were JC, Joey, Chris, and Justin?
How did management react?

Has Dubious Distinction ever performed before?

Now, up to this point, Kevin had only been half-listening, because he
already knew the answers to what was being asked. However, it was perhaps
only inevitable that someone would ask about this new band that would be
taking the stage with one of the most popular groups in the country.  So,
when he looked up at Lance and saw him grinning, a sinking feeling came
over him. He was going to be on stage, so to speak.

"Well, why don't I let Kevin answer that one," he said, stepping aside.

Taking a deep breath, Kevin rose from his seat and stepped in front of the
microphones. He cleared his throat, and as he was about to speak, saw Eric,
Nick Smith, Brandon Moore, and Derrick Scott (his fellow bandmates) giving
him the thumbs up sign, along with cheesy grins on their faces.

"Um...well....of course, we're all musicians to a large extent...and we
have a great passion for our music...and...and we think that everyone will
enjoy what we're going to play and no we've never played in public before
but I think we're going to be really good and we hope to see you there."

Realizing he was rambling through what he was saying (or attempting to say
at any rate), Lance came to the rescue, gently nudging Kevin aside. "The
guys have been working very hard, and we know that they're going to put on
a great opening act, as well as backing us up. Well then, I think that
concludes this conference ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all again for
coming, and we hope you will join us again Thursday night."

Mild applause came from some of the reporters, who began to talk among
themselves. Kevin slumped back into his chair, more than a little red in
the face, and sipped from a glass of water.

"Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" Lance leaned down and whispered.

"Oh, yeah, just peachy...lets hope I don't make this big of an ass of
myself later in the week," he replied.

Eric made his way up to the front, shaking his head and grinning from ear
to ear.

"Good thing you never wanted a career in politics. That first speech on the
campaign trail would be killer," he said.

"Uh-huh, whatever. Ya know, you're going to be the lawyer, why didn't you
get up here and do this instead of me?" his roommate asked.

"Because, I'm not the one who came up with the name for this band, that's
why!"

                         **********

After Lance spent some time speaking to a few individual reporters, he led
Kevin and the others to the auditorium, where practice would take place. He
shook hands with and was introduced to the other members of the band along
the way, all of whom were impressed that Kev knew a celebrity and had kept
it to himself all this time. For his part, Kevin once again used the whole
'I'm full of surprises' line. While he liked these guys and considered them
his friends, he felt that there really wasn't any need to tell them that
this particular celebrity also happened to be his boyfriend.  They were
cool and all, no doubt of that, but they had no knowledge of his
sexuality. No harm, no foul.

"Okay guys, the stage is yours. We've got the place all week, so we can
stay as late as we want.  All of the sound equipment is hooked up,
instruments are up there....have it at," Lance said, sweeping his hand in
the direction of the stage.

Kevin turned to Eric. "Ready, partner?"

"As ready as I'm going to be. Let's do this."

As they took the stage, Lance found a seat with Terry, so that they could
get a little bit of work done and critique at the same time. Occasionally,
he would point out a helpful piece of advice to one or more of the band
here and there, especially when it came to N'Sync songs, but for the most
part let things go.

He was impressed. Although Kevin and Eric sang and played together, and
they had done so with just about all of the others at one point or another,
this was the first time all of this particular group was together, and they
sounded good. In fact, they sounded better than just good. With a little
polish here and there, tweak a few things, maybe...just maybe...FreeLance
could have its first group signed.

But there was still one thing he could not do, and that was reveal his true
self to Terry, the ever present assistant who was sitting next to him,
taking notes or answering the cell phone. Sure, he tried several times
during the course of the practice session, but something always stopped
him: Kevin or one of the other guys had a question, there was a phone call
that had to be taken, he needed to point something out to the band....

Excuses. All excuses. And not very good ones, either.

'Well,' he thought to himself, 'no time like the present. Might as well get
this over with.'

"Hey, Terry...I kind of need to talk to you about something. It's pretty
important."

"Hmm? Oh, sure Mr...um, Lance. What is it?" Terry looked up from the notes
he was making and looked over at his boss, who appeared to be
uncomfortable.

"Well, see....it's like this. Kevin is...I mean, Kevin and I...well,
we're..."

"Hey, Lance, the guys wanna break for lunch now, that cool?" Kevin asked
from the stage, interrupting him.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah, sure. That's cool. Okay, we can keep on after lunch then,
sound good?"

Lance quickly rose from his seat and was about to walk off. Then, stopping,
he turned back to his confused assistant. "Uh...I'll just talk to you
later, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, okay," Terry replied, a quizzical look on his face.

Kevin and Eric walked over to meet Lance, who was heading towards them,
while the other three made their way out towards the parking lot in search
of food.

"Wow, you guys are sounding fantastic up there....you're gonna be great,
just great."

"Thanks Lancelot, we do try."

"You tell him yet?" Kevin asked in a quiet voice.

Lance looked down at the floor. "No."

Sighing, Kevin nodded. "Okay, but remember what we talked about. Soon,
Lance. Soon."

"I know." The three were now walking through the backstage area, down a
hall towards the same room that was used that morning before the
conference. "I kept trying to...I really did. I just...it wouldn't come
out, you know?"

"What? What did he keep trying to do?" Eric asked.

"It's kind of a long story, E. I'll tell you later." Then, turning to
Lance, Kevin put a hand on his shoulder. "I know this is hard...I really
do. Just tell him Lance, he deserves to know. I bet he won't think any less
of you. But you can't let this get out of hand."

Nodding, Lance leaned in for a hug, and then gave his boyfriend a quick
kiss.

Eric didn't mind, as he saw his friends show affection for one another a
few times already.

Kevin certainly didn't mind. After all, he was the boyfriend here.

Lance....well, like Lance was going to mind?

However, someone did mind. This was noted by the sound of a glass breaking.

Three heads turned in the direction of the crash, and saw Terry Reid
standing there, mouth open and eyes wide. The glass of water he was
bringing back for himself fell from his hand, and the remnants of it
scattered in shards and moisture at his feet.

Four young men stood in silence for what seemed like an eternity, when it
was in reality only a few seconds. Finally, Lance found his voice.

"Terry...Terry, I..."

But it was in vain, as Terry turned around quickly and ran off.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Shit!" Lance cursed.

"Why did Terry run off like....oh, wait a minute. He didn't know, did he?"
Eric asked.

"No, he didn't," Kevin replied. "I'll go see if he's oka..."

Lance was already walking on ahead. "I'll do it...this is all my fault
anyway."

As Lance disappeared around the corner, Kevin and Eric walked back into the
room to gather a few things and wait. As they did so, Kevin explained his
suspicions, which as it turned out were now probably true, of Terry's
unrequited affection for his employer, and how he had urged Lance to get
everything out in the open before something happened...which, of course,
now had.

"Man....poor kid," Eric said.

"I know. He should have let him know the other night....I was afraid
something like this was going to happen."

"Something like what was going to happen?"

Turning to the door, the roommates were greeted by the sight of Justin
Timberlake, who had returned to Jackson to help prepare for the concert.

"Hey Just, come on in. We'll get you caught up," Eric said.

"Cool. Anything to eat?"

                         **********

It took a few minutes, but he finally found him, sitting outside on a
loading dock, at the rear of the arena. As he walked over quietly, he heard
him sobbing softly, and saw that he had his knees pulled up to his chest.

"Hey," Lance said quietly. "Mind if I sit down?"

Terry offered no response.

Sighing, Lance sat next to the young man. As he tried to put his arm around
him, Terry pulled away.

"Leave me alone! Just...just go away!"

"Terry...Terry, come on. Can I at least explain some things to you?
Please?" Lance asked, again in a soft voice.

"No. I don't care...you don't care...just...why don't you just go back in
there."

"Because I'd rather be out here with you, that's why. And I do care, I care
very much," Lance said with a sad smile.

"No you don't....if...if you did...then you'd....you'd...."

"Like you the way you like me?" Lance completed.

Terry only nodded and sobbed again. "I..I kinda guessed you liked
guys...and I thought that...thought that maybe you could...that we
could....you know..."

Lance's heart broke as he realized that Kevin was right all along, and that
this situation could have been avoided. He turned to look out on the trucks
passing along on a nearby road, and felt the hot sun, the glare causing him
to squint a little. Beside him, Terry sniveled and rested his forehead
against his knees.

"It's not easy figuring out you're gay, is it?" he asked.

"I don't know....I don't know if I'm even gay or not," was Terry's muffled
reply.

Nodding, Lance drew up his own knees and wrapped his arms around them,
lazily intertwining his fingers. "Confusing as hell. I remember. Took me a
long time to figure that out, too."

"It did?"

Lance nodded again, and turned to his assistant, who was now looking over
at him, even though his head still rested on his knees.

"When I was younger than you, I started to think that maybe I liked guys
instead of girls, and after awhile I knew it was just guys. I figured out
that I was gay...and that was the scariest moment of my life, you know?
Because I was so worried about how everyone around me would be if they
found out, and whether or not I would ever find somebody to love, if I
should tell my family, all of that stuff.  And for a long time, I couldn't
tell anyone....hell, I didn't *want* to tell anyone, because I knew if I
did, they would laugh at me, and make fun of me, and just be mean like
people can be sometimes.

Well, then I joined N'Sync...and finally, I had friends who I knew would
like me for me, no matter what. I just needed some time to where I knew I
could trust them, and once that happened, I told them. And I was right,
they were still my friends. But even still, it's hard for me to be totally
honest with everyone...even my family and some of my friends. I'm still
scared of what might happen. This is why I kept it from you."

Terry sniffed and wiped his eyes with his arm as he lifted his head.

"I should have told you from day one...I know that now. And I'm so sorry
that I didn't, Terry. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. But I hope you
understand why I have to be careful about this...this isn't like fans
wanting to know what my favorite food is, or what kind of after shave I
wear. This is more important than that, way more important. I should have
known I could trust you."

At last, Terry looked over towards Lance, who plainly saw the pain and hurt
in the red eyes and flushed face. "But....why don't you like me...like
that?"

Lance took a deep breath and continued. "I guess I didn't see that for some
reason. I don't know why. I guess I was too busy with the group and with
work and everything else. And then I met Kevin. Terry, when that happened a
few days ago in Oxford, that was one of my best days, because I finally
found someone. He's very special to me...."

"And I'm not?" Terry interrupted.

"Of course you are, don't be silly. I'm flattered, I really am, you've been
such a good friend to me..."

"You....you think of me as a friend?"

"Sure I do, why wouldn't I? Terry, if it wasn't for you, I'd go insane with
all of the little crap that I have going on. I know that I can always count
on you. Besides, I like having you around...even when you do call me
Mr. Bass all the time. But Terry," Lance went once more to put an arm
around his friend, and this time he was not stopped, "I'm seeing
Kevin....okay? I love him, very much. And I love you too, but as a
friend. And sometimes, people make stupid mistakes and hurt their friends,
which is what I did to you. I hope you forgive me...but it was so hard to
tell you the truth."

With a sigh, Terry looked at the ground and nodded. "I don't know, Lance,
I'm just so confused.  Sometimes I think I like girls, then I think I like
guys...then I think I like both. It's just so...fucked up."

"I know it is, believe me. Just give it some time, you'll figure it out...I
know you will. And no matter what, there's nothing wrong with you, no
matter what you are....straight, gay, bi, it makes no difference. One day,
you're going to find someone special too, and whoever that person is will
be lucky to have you in their life.  Now, come on..." Lance stood and
helped Terry to his feet.  Putting his hands on his shoulders, he looked
him in the eye. "If I led you on in some way, I'm sorry. I don't want this
to hurt our friendship, and I don't want you to quit or anything like
that. I need you around, you know? We've got this big summer tour coming
up, and I can't think of anyone else I could depend on. Okay?"

"Okay," Terry nodded.

Then, after he and his assistant hugged, Lance took a step back and
smiled. "Hey...you called me Lance without my having to tell you too."

"I guess I did, didn't I?" Terry smiled back.

"Making progress already. Look, if you ever want to talk, we can. Same goes
for Kevin. I want us all to be friends and get along, so don't
hesitate. Now, how about we get something to eat?"

"That depends. Is the boss buying?"

"Hmmm. We'll see. Come on." Laughing, Lance led Terry back inside.

"Hey, Lance?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks....and...and I'm sorry about what happened."

"No Terry, I'm sorry for not telling you sooner...none of this is your
fault, okay?"

"Okay...Mr. Bass."

Lance looked over and saw a grin on the young man's face, and laughed along
with him.

                         **********

"Does Mr. Timberlake always eat like that," Terry whispered.

They had long since arrived back at the arena after lunch, but Justin had
brought some take out with him, and was now working his way through another
sandwich as he sat with Terry and Lance while the band got ready to play
again.

"Yes, Mr. Timberlake does. It's because he's the bottomless pit," Lance
answered.

"Oh, shut up Scoop. I'm a growing boy," Justin replied through a mouthful
of food.

Rolling his eyes, Lance turned his attention back to the stage. "Ready when
you are guys."

Nodding, Kevin turned to the others for a minute or two, then back to the
front.

"One, two three, four...." Eric took the lead on piano and vocals for this
one:

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels Looking back at the years
gone by like so many summer fields In sixty-five I was seventeen, and
running up one-on-one I don't know where I'm running now, I'm just running
on

Running on- running on empty Running on - running blind Running on -
running into the sun But I'm running behind

Gotta go what you can to keep your love alive Trying not to confuse it with
what you do to survive In sixty-nine I was twenty-one and I called the road
my own I don't know when that road turned onto the road I'm on

Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on -
running into the sun But I'm running behind

Kevin, on electric guitar, made his was over to the piano, timing his
playing with Eric, bridging towards the next verse. As he did so, Lance
leaned over and nudged Justin. "See? That's my man," he said with a
grin. Now it was Justin's turn to roll his eyes, but he grinned as well.

Everyone I know, everywhere I go People need some reason to believe I don't
know about anyone but me If it takes all night, that'll be all right If I
can get you to smile before I leave

Looking out at the road rushing under my wheels I don't know how to tell
you all just how crazy this life feels I look around for the friends that I
used to turn to to pull me through Looking into their eyes I see them
running too

Running on - running on empty Running on - running blind Running on -
running into the sun But I'm running behind

Honey you really tempt me You know the way you look so fine I'd love to
stick around but I'm running behind You know I don't even know what I'm
hoping to find Running into the sun but I'm running behind (1)

The band played on for another minute or so, concluding the song and
sounding as close to Jackson Browne as they possibly could. When they
finished, Lance, Justin and Terry applauded enthusiastically as Kevin
grinned and bowed. Then, he walked over to switch to an acoustic guitar for
the next song:

Hi there, how are ya?  Been a long time.  Seems like we've come a long way.

And my but we learn so slow.  And heroes they come and they go And leave us
behind, as if we're supposed to know why.  Oh tell me why do we give up our
hearts to the past?  And why must we grow up so fast?

And all you wishing well fools with your fortunes Someone should send you a
rose With love from a friend It's nice to hear from you again

And the storybook comes to a close Gone are the ribbons and bows Things to
remember, places to go Pretty maids all in a row All in a row...(2)

Again, the three audience members clapped. Justin made a mental note of how
impressed he was that they could go so effortlessly from a fast paced song
to a slow one, and that he needed to tell Kevin and the others about this
later on. Lance and Terry continued to make and look over their notes, as
they would help Kevin and the others choose the final list later in the
week, but they too noted their approval.

After a few more songs, it was mutually decided to call it quits for the
day. There was still tomorrow and Wednesday, plenty of time to get in
practice. The group had 'their' songs pretty much down, it was now a matter
of perfecting the instrumentals for the selection N'Sync would perform.

Coming down off the stage, Eric and Kevin said their goodbyes to the others
in the band. Derrick and Nick had friends in Jackson that they were going
to stay with, and Brandon, the drummer, had family on the outskirts of
town, so his arrangements were taken care of as well.

"Well, Lance has plenty of room, I don't think it'd be a problem putting
you up for the night," Kevin said to his roommate as they walked over to
where Lance, Justin, and Terry were waiting.

"I don't wanna impose or anything like that, and I know you two want some
time together and all, so..."

Kevin waved his hand. "Forget it, it's not a big deal E. We won't make too
much noise, don't worry," he finished with a grin. Then, approaching the
others, said, "Hey, I told Eric he could stay with us, that cool Lance?"
This question was met by wide eyed looks from his friends.  "What? What's
wrong?"

"Um....well, I just told Justin he could stay with us," Lance replied.

"You mean you two didn't even talk about this first?" Eric asked, looking
at Kevin.

"Well, I just kind of assumed...." was his reply.

"Yeah, so did I. Man, talk about planning," Lance added.

"You two were probably too busy doing other things. It's cool, Eric can
have the room," Justin said.

"No, you go ahead Justin. Not a problem, I'll get a room somewhere in
town."

"No, no, go right ahead, I can do that just as easily."

"No, really, you've known Lance longer and all, so I think...."

"Yeah, but I always crash at his place, so this isn't a big...."

Lance turned to Kevin with a smirk. "We obviously didn't plan this one very
well, did we?"

"I don't guess we did. Couldn't they both stay? That would solve
everything."

"Well, I only have the one guest room, and I'd feel bad making one of them
take the couch all week long. That's just not right."

As Justin and Eric continued to banter back and forth, and Lance and Kevin
left scratching their heads for ideas, it was left to Terry to come up with
a solution. Several times he had tried to interject a comment, but was cut
off by someone or another. Finally, he loudly cleared his throat, getting
the attention of all.

"Uh...yes. I'm sorry I interrupted you, but I just wanted to say that I did
make a hotel reservation just in case we needed it. You know, what with
Mr. Douglas' band being here and all. Why don't Mr. Timberlake and
Mr. Hagen just take that room? It'd be a shame to have to cancel the
reservation now and all."

"That's not a bad idea," Kevin said.

"Um..." was Lance's reply.

"I don't mind if Eric doesn't. Eric?" Justin asked.

"Um..." Lance said again.

"Not at all, no. It might be kind of fun, staying with a famous star. I
might get hooked up or something, you never know!" Eric said.

"Um...." Lance stopped as they all looked at him. "Are you two sure you
want to do this?"

"Why not? Scoop, it'll be fine, trust me. Kev, I promise I won't corrupt
him that much."

"Works for me, and it does make sense. Lance?"

"I....guess so," he hesitated. "Yeah. Yeah, what the hell, right?"

"Okay, so it's settled then. Terry, where's that hotel at?"

                         **********

As Kevin leaned back in the couch, after changing the channel back to
Cartoon Network, Lance snuggled up to him and sighed. After the sleeping
arrangement discussion was settled, they went together to have an early
dinner, and then parted ways, agreeing to meet up again the following
morning.

"You know, there's something I meant to ask you earlier," Kevin said as he
reached over for the glass of wine on the table to his left. "You seemed
sort of...unsure, I guess, of Justin and Eric staying together. How come?"
He took a sip of the dark red liquid and put the glass back.

"Well, Justin is sort of...unique. Yeah. Yeah, that's a good word to put
it. Now don't get me wrong, I love him like a brother, but rooming with him
takes some getting used to, that's all. I just don't want Eric to think
that we're all like he is."

"He can't be that bad, can he?"

"Well, not to the point where you want to kill him, but let's just say that
he can be a little....weird when he wants to."

"Oh, I'm sure they're fine. They're probably eating pizza and watching bad
soft core porn on pay per view right now," Kevin said as he kissed Lance's
hair.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

                         **********

Meanwhile, in a hotel suite in downtown Jackson, Mississippi:

"Dude! You're.....NAKED!!"


End of Chapter 15 But Justin and Eric will return in Chapter 16,
coming.....Justin and Eric? Wait a minute.....


1. "Running on Empty" written and performed by Jackson Browne; copyright
Elektra/Asylum Records, 1977.

2. "Pretty Maids All in A Row" written by Joe Walsh and Joe Vitale and
performed by the Eagles; copyright Wow & Flutter Music ASCAP, 1976.