Date: Sat, 14 Aug 1999 03:43:43 EDT
From: BrwyMilo@aol.com
Subject: "Nick and Justin" part 17
OK, I know this took a little bit too long to finish, but with work and
school coming up, it's been hard to get online. But anyway, here is part 17.
I would like to thank everyone who voted in the awards. The story placed in
several categories including story of the year. Also, many thanks to RJ, my
partner in crime in the series "Lost and Found", which consequently will be
updated very shortly as well. My e-mail address is BrwyMilo@aol.com, so feel
free to send me any comments, suggestions, criticisms, etc that you would
like. I love mail!
This story is completely a work of fiction and is not meant to imply
anything about the sexuality, personal lives, or attitudes of anyone
involved. That said, enjoy the story!
*****
Britney sat on the edge of her bed with her mouth wide open. Leigh Anne
sat on the floor in front of her, her face buried in her hands. Tears
escaped from between her fingers. She lifted her head up slowly and looked
at Britney through puffy eyes.
"Would you please say something," she pleaded, tears still coming.
Britney simply stared at her.
"What can I say? Leigh Anne, that's terrible! What were you thinking!
You could've destroyed everyone's career here, not just one person's. Don't
you think," Britney said in a shrill soprano on the top of her lungs. Leigh
Anne just cried harder and started shaking. Britney looked at her and
crawled down to her, pulling her into a hug. "It's OK honey, I'm sorry I
yelled at you. But that was nothing compared to what the guys are going to
do to you." She looked Leigh Anne in the eyes. "Now what can we do about
Robert?"
Leigh Anne stopped and thought. "I don't know. I really don't know."
She cried harder and threw her head onto Britney's shoulder.
*****
"Ow," Justin yelled as he felt a sharp pain in his leg. He glanced over
and saw Nick, rolling around uncontrollably, limbs flailing like crazy.
Justin quickly jumped off the bed and walked over to the other side of it,
dodging clenched fists as he went. As Nick continued to flail around, Justin
grabbed one wrist and then the other and tried to stop him. "Shit, he's
strong," Justin said as he struggled. Finally he was able stop him. He
breathed heavily as he looked down at his sleeping lover, who now had tears
streaming down as his face. "Nick," Justin said softly, as if trying to see
if he was still awake. There was no answer. Only a low sniffling as the
crying continued. Justin crawled next to him and pulled him into his arms,
humming lightly. He gently stroked his hair and kissed his cheek. Tears
streamed down his own face as he remembered his meeting with Robert Carter.
"Your dad loves you Nick, he does love you. He just needs time...maybe a lot
of time. But we can wait it out baby. He'll come around. I promise. I'll
make him." Justin continued to rock, kiss and whisper to Nick, who after a
while slipped back to a calm gentle sleep. Justin looked down at the angelic
face and smiled. Finally, Justin lay back down as well, keeping Nick as
close to him as he could. He felt the warmth between their bodies and sighed
heavily. He closed his eyes slowly and tried to get a couple more hours of
sleep.
****
The alarm in Kevin's room went off precisely at 7 am. He breathed
heavily and stretched in his bed. He rubbed his eyes and then jumped up.
Immediately, he went down onto the floor and began to do some push-ups.
After twenty he stood up and walked over to the mirror to check himself out.
He rubbed his hands over his cheek and felt the smooth skin. He flexed a bit
and then laughed. "OK, so I'm not too old."
The phone rang suddenly, waking Kevin out of his dream. He blushed and
ran over to it, picking it up on the second ring.
"Hello," he said quickly.
"Hey Kevin, it's Britney." She sounded as if she had been up for hours
already.
"What's up?"
"OK, can you get all the guys into your room," Britney began. "We've got
a long story, so you'd better order a lot of food and even more coffee."
"Britney, just answer me this. Is this going to be really bad?"
"Kevin, you need to make sure all the guys promise to stay totally calm
and let Leigh Anne say everything. And after this story is over, we're gonna
have to do some major thinking, because this is going to take quite a lot to
get out of."
Kevin heard the dial tone as Britney hung up. He called the rest of the
guys and told them to meet in his room in half an hour. That done, he walked
into the bathroom, shedding his boxers as he went. He turned the water on
hot and just stood under the powerful stream.
*****
"OK, I made all the phone calls and none of us have to be anywhere for a
couple of hours," Kevin said as he sat on the floor. He had a plate of toast
in front of him. Leigh Anne sat in a chair not looking at anyone while the
rest of the guys were camped out in various positions on the floor. It
looked like a kindergarten classroom at story time.
"Guys, Leigh Anne has something to tell everyone," Britney began as she
looked over at her friend. "Please guys, this is going to sound horrible,
but please let her say everything before you start. This is very hard and
it's going to take some work to get out of, but I think we can do it if we're
clever." She looked over at Leigh Anne and nodded.
Leigh Anne cleared her throat and shook nervously. She looked at the
anxious faces of everyone in the room. She looked over at Justin who was
sitting between Nick's legs, Nick's arms wrapped securely around him. Brian
had his head leaning up against JC's shoulder. As she saw this, she thought
she would burst out crying again, but she took several deep breaths and was
soon able to open her mouth.
"I did something really bad," she began. Brian simply nodded his head
and kept his eyes transfixed on her. "When Brian told me he was
gay...well...I guess I was a little more upset than I thought I was. I loved
him...love him...and when he told me that I guess I kind of flew off the deep
end."
"What did you do Leigh Anne," Kevin asked calmly. Britney shot him a
look that told him not to dare open his mouth again and he quickly complied.
"I spent some time with Britney, and she seemed to be doing really well
about you, Justin," she said as she saw Justin nod. Nick kissed him lightly
on the neck and looked back at Leigh Anne. "So I thought if I spent some
time with her, I'd be able to get over it too. But, I couldn't." She
stopped and tried to collect her thoughts. She pushed back the tears and
began to shake a little more. "I wanted to get Brian back," she said as
tears came back to her eyes. "I needed him. I know I never got to see him
all that often when we were dating, but I love him. I didn't care. I loved
that fact that I had someone who I thought cared about me as much as I did
him. It's all anyone ever wants." She stopped momentarily and tried to stop
her tears, but it didn't work. "So I tried to think of a way to break up
Brian and JC." JC made a small noise and Leigh Anne quickly shot her head
up, tears streaming down both cheeks. Britney quickly produced a tissue and
handed it to her. "I didn't know what I was doing...I swear...I only knew
that I loved Brian. I did a very bad thing."
The guys were too caught up in what she was saying by this point to make
any sound. Britney sat on the bed and looked nervous. Leigh Anne kept her
head down as her mouth slowly opened. "I called a reporter."
"You what!" Kevin screamed suddenly. Leigh Anne jumped a little and
cried harder, bringing her knees up to her chest.
"Kevin, stop it! Let her talk," Britney ordered. She gently began
coaxing Leigh Anne to talk again.
"I called a reporter. And..." She looked up at JC as tears ran silently
down her cheeks. "...I told him you were gay."
JC gasped and stopped breathing for a second. He simply stared at her,
completely dumb founded. Brian out his hand on his shoulder, but JC quickly
jerked away. His breathing became more uneven as tears began to stream down
his face. "You're sick," he whispered through his whimpers.
Leigh Anne nodded slowly. "I know I am," she cried.
Kevin sat where he was and watched the scene unfold. He had been afraid
of something like this happening all along and now one of his worst fears was
realized. Then, a thought hit him. "Leigh Anne, who was the reporter?"
"His name is Robert-"
"Oh my God," Justin said suddenly jumping out Nick's lap. "It's Robert,
isn't it? That's why he's following us around like that. He's not making a
video!"
"No, he isn't," Leigh Anne said quietly. "He was going to get a story on
JC being gay. I thought that if he saw that, he might get scared enough to
stay away from Brian. But...um, I guess it backfired. Because now he thinks
Brian is gay too and wants to expose him." She looked up at Nick and Justin.
"And he knows about you guys too," she added quietly.
Nick's jaw fell open. Justin stood up quickly and ran into the bathroom.
Nick tried to stop him, but he was too fast. He turned back to Leigh Anne
and spoke with total contempt. "Do you care who you hurt? Did you tell him
about us?"
"No, I didn't," Leigh Anne cried out defensively. "Once he told me
everything he was finding out I tried to stop him. But, I can't. At least
not by myself." She paused a second and then added quietly, "He has
something on me too." She dropped her head and waited for the inevitable.
It didn't take long. "Really now? And what skeletons are in your
closet," Howie asked with hatred.
"I'd rather not talk about-"
"You'd rather not talk about it," JC screamed on the top of his voice.
"After all the shit you pulled you decide now that you'd rather not talk?
Well you had better start talking!"
Leigh Anne cried still harder and looked to Britney for some kind of
support. Britney simply nodded her head. "You say it," Leigh Anne said
quietly.
Britney took a deep breath. "Leigh Anne's done some porno movies," she
said slowly as she exhaled. Everyone in the room gasped and continued to
stare at her.
"So, he has that on you, huh," JC said viciously as he jumped to his
feet. "You went to someone and told them I was gay, but now that you're
reputation may be damaged, that's when you finally decide to bring us in?"
Leigh Anne could only shake and slowly rock herself back and forth. Brian
stood up behind JC and again tried to touch him. "Don't touch me Brian.
Just don't right now, OK?" JC couldn't even look at him. Brian just
withdrew his hand and walked to the bathroom. Halfway there he remembered
that Justin was still in there and suddenly felt lost. He fell to his knees
and just stayed there on the floor. Nick quickly got up.
"It's OK B," Nick whispered as he hugged him. "He's just upset." Brian
nodded his head, but wasn't so sure. Nick stood up then and walked to the
bathroom. He tried the knob, but it was locked. He sighed and knocked
gently. "Open up, it's me Justin." After a few seconds, Nick heard the lock
to the door turn. He opened it slowly and then closed it behind him. Justin
was sitting on the side of the tub, tears streaming down his face.
"She's a bitch," was all that Justin could get out.
"I know baby," Nick said as he wrapped his arms around Justin. "We'll
find a way out of this though. Robert can't do anything without proof and
right now he doesn't have that. So we've got some time before anything has
to be done. OK?"
Justin merely nodded and held onto Nick tightly. After a moment there
was a knock on the door. Nick got up to open it and saw Chris on the other
side.
"Um, I didn't want to disturb you guys, but um, I gotta go," Chris said
in a five-year old voice. Justin laughed a bit and stood up.
"We were just getting out of here anyway," he said as he brushed by and
walked back into Kevin's room.
Leigh Anne was sitting in the same chair as before. Britney and Joey
were trying their best to calm her down. As soon as she saw Justin she
jumped out of her chair and ran over to him, throwing her arms around him and
crying furiously on his shoulder. He was a bit taken aback. He did not
return the hug however.
"Oh God, I'm so sorry Justin. I never meant for anything like this
happen. I swear. I don't know what I was thinking. Please, forgive me,"
she said quickly through her tears.
Justin tried to look behind to see Nick. Finally Nick stepped towards
them and pulled Leigh Anne off of Justin gently.
"Leigh Anne, you did a bad thing. I don't think many of us like you
right now. It sounds bad, but you have to understand that," he said, looking
right into her eyes.
"I know none of you like me right now. And I do understand why.
I'm...I'm sorry," she muttered as she walked back to her chair to cry.
"Where's JC and Brian," Justin asked as he noticed the couple were
missing.
"Well, since you were occupying one bathroom, JC decided he needed one.
Brian chased after him," Kevin replied quickly. He saw the frown and
Justin's face and sighed deeply. "They'll be alright Justin, they will.
They need some time though."
Justin merely nodded and put his head on Nick's shoulder. "Can we go
back to our room please," he whispered slowly. Nick nodded and carefully led
Justin towards the door. They got a safe distance away from each other as
they stepped into the hall before quietly slipping into their rooms.
Kevin remained with Joey, Chris, Howie and AJ after everyone else had
gone. Joey sat on the bed and tried to remember a time when he had seen JC
more upset. He could think of none. Chris and AJ were trying to make light
of the situation to no avail. All Howie could do was see red.
"So what the hell are we gonna do about this," he finally spoke up,
pounding his fist into his palm.
"We really can't do anything right now," Kevin replied.
"We can tell management. They'll see what he's trying to do and how he
tricked them and kick him off the tour," Joey said with conviction.
"No, we can't do that. He gets fired, he thinks he's right about
everyone being gay, he goes ahead and prints something. Boom, several
careers seriously damaged, and many people hurt," Chris replied in a low
voice.
"Exactly. What we need to do is...well, try to convince him that he's
wrong. But that's not going to be easy either. Even if he believes us, he
may still print something. We need some dirt on him too," Kevin replied
slowly.
"Something illegal maybe," Howie jumped in quickly.
"Something that maybe could hurt him as much as he wants to hurt us..."
AJ added.
"Something that could destroy his career like he can destroy ours," Joey
added.
Kevin merely looked at all of them and grinned. "That's exactly what I
have in mind."
****
"JC, please talk to me," Brian pleaded through the bathroom door. He
still had tears running down his cheeks, and they had been flowing ever since
JC had stormed out of Kevin's room. He slowly slid down the wall and waited
for some response. After what seemed like an eternity for him, the bathroom
door opened.
JC's eyes were red and swollen from the endless crying he had been doing.
He stared at Brian down on the floor and felt his heart go crazy. Brian
could only look up at him and plead with his eyes.
"Please," Brian whispered again slowly.
JC breathed in heavily and walked over to the bed. He sat down on it
heavily and tried to remain calm. "Brian, I think it would be better if we
kept a little space from each other."
Brian cried harder and kept his face in his hands. He shook violently as
he tried to catch his breath, his voice getting trapped in his throat.
"Please don't do this JC," was all he could get out. JC remained on the bed
and cried gently.
"I'll have the hotel set up another room for me," he said slowly, his
voice faltering as he tried to get out what he needed to stay.
Brian looked up at JC and cried softly. "You're leaving me?"
JC never once looked at Brian. "I don't know what I'm doing," he finally
said. "But I do think we need some time apart."
"JC, please don't do this to me," Brian pleaded softly. He kept his eyes
on JC and leaned his head against the wall.
"It's the best thing for us right now Brian. At least until Robert is
gone. Please Brian, we just need some space right now. I can't deal with
all this crap." He threw himself down on the bed and let out a yell. "God I
hate Leigh Anne," he cried out. He sat up on the bed and looked at Brian.
"I'm sorry Brian, but I need some space and time to sort things out. This
has to settle down before we can move on from it. Please try to understand."
Brian wiped his eyes roughly with the back of his hand and quickly stood up.
"It's alright," he said quickly, lying through his teeth. "Take as much
time as you need. I'll be waiting right here. And I'll be fine, I promise."
He gave a fake smile and kissed JC gently on the cheek. JC was a bit
surprised but soon regained his composure and stood up.
"I guess I'll go see about that other room then," JC said, quickly
walking out the door. He stopped to look at Brian, but changed his mind
mid-turn and left, closing the door behind him.
Brian stood where he was and let the grief overwhelm him. "I'll be
fine," he repeated over and over as the tears came once more.
******
"What the hell is going on with you people today," Fatima said as she
paced back and forth in front of everyone. Britney sat at the end looking
down at her feet. Everyone else merely sat out of breath and angry with
themselves. "I have never seen you guys, any of you, trip over yourselves so
much. This is definitely not new choreography. Nor is it that difficult.
So, someone talk and talk fast." She stood with her arms crossed across her
chest and her foot tapping.
Kevin looked up and saw Robert walking around in the back throwing
glances at them every now and again. "Fatima, come with us into a dressing
room for a minute," he said softly. Everyone slowly got up. Kevin took
Fatima's hand and led her into a room. "Some of you guys wait out here, and
make sure no one tries to come in," Kevin said. AJ and Howie quickly
volunteered as everyone else went inside.
Fatima sat down on one of the large couches and looked around at
everyone. "Well, I think we're alone. Now what the hell is going on here?"
Kevin kneeled down in front of her and sighed heavily. "You know about
Nick and Justin, and Brian and JC, right?" Brian felt his heart drop again
as he took a quick glance at JC. JC had his head down and was looking at his
feet.
"Well, it wasn't too hard to figure out," Fatima said with a small laugh.
"But what does that have to do with anything?"
"Leigh Anne told a reporter about JC," Joey said quickly. Fatima's eyes
grew wide as she looked over at Brian.
"I have always hated that bitch. You guys just found out this morning,"
she said, still a bit shocked from the news.
"Well, yea. But there's more," Kevin added quickly.
"He found out about me and Nick, and about Brian as well," Justin said in
a low voice. Nick placed his arm gently around Justin's shoulders and pulled
him in a little, whispering whatever comfort he could. Fatima sighed loudly
and thought.
"So, who's the reporter? Can we do something," she asked eagerly.
"The reporter is Robert," Nick said as he tried to comfort Justin.
Fatima jumped to her feet quickly.
"Robert! You have got to be kidding me! So that's why he's really here
and that's why he hangs around so closely! That fuck," Fatima screamed. "So
what are we doing about it," she demanded.
Kevin sighed and hunched over further. "Any suggestions," he asked, his
eyes down on the floor. He had never before felt so helpless as he did now.
He glanced up at Nick and Justin and felt the urge to wrap them in his arms
and protect them, but he knew that was impossible.
"There has to be something you can do," Fatima said spitefully. "Let me
kick his ass or something!"
"It wouldn't work," JC said flatly as he kept his eyes on the floor.
Brian tried to keep his eyes away from him, but he couldn't resist. They had
been together for so short a time. Brian felt cheated in a way that all his
happiness could be ended by one stupid act.
"I'm...uh, gonna go outside for a bit," Brian said slowly, trying to keep
his voice from quivering too badly. He felt JC's eyes on him and then
quickly left the room.
Lance watched the scene with Brian and thought something was wrong. He
glanced over at JC and figured it was probably that they were both upset
about the whole Robert affair, but he made a mental note to see if Brian was
OK.
"We'll think of something guys, don't worry about it," Fatima said as she
looked at each of them. "But until then I need all of you to try to
concentrate on the work at hand. You have to play it cool and not let on
that anything is bothering you. Trust me, everything will be alright." She
walked towards Justin and saw his pained eyes. "And you have to stop crying
on us," she said with a smile as she gave both he and Nick a hug. "Now, can
we get out of here before everyone starts to think that all you guys are
having your way with Britney and I?" She gave a short laugh and quickly
exited the dressing room. She stopped however when she saw the look on AJ
and Howie's face. Kevin quickly materialized behind her.
"What's wrong? You guys look like you just saw a ghost or something," he
said with a smile.
"It's Robert," Howie said quietly.
"What about Robert," Kevin asked slowly.
****
Oh, a cliffhanger. I must apologize for the lateness of this part! I am
so sorry. I just started a job and I start school soon and have found it
hard to get online as much as I used to. Don't worry, the story won't be
ending anytime soon, but the parts may take just a bit longer to get out. I
will try to get the next part out in under a week. So, until then, send any
comments etc to Mike at BrwyMilo@aol.com. Thank you so much for reading and
smile! :o)