Date: Mon, 22 May 2000 14:28:08 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robin <nsajscgirl@yahoo.com>
Subject: Chapter 8, Now or Never, Boy-bands, Celebrity

Now or Never by Robin Smithson

Disclaimer: If you are committing any laws by reading this piece of
fiction, please go elsewhere.  You must be 18 or 21 years old depending on
your location.  Like I said before, this is a piece of fiction.  I have
never met 'N Sync, therefore, I do not have any idea what their sexualities
are.

Hey all!!!!!!  :) Okay, I'm sorry this one was later than usual, but I had
a damn good excuse!  I SAW 'N SYNC IN CONCERT THIS PAST
THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  OH MY GOD THEY WERE FRIGGIN' AWESOME!  Talk about
lookin' HOT!  There were enough pelvic thrusts in that one show to make
even the most heterosexual male swoon.  ;) I can die happy now!  And that's
all I gotta say about that.  :)

Thanks to my faithful emailers!  Y'all make me so happy!  :) I gotta say
"What's up?!" to Aphrodite, the author of 'A Tale of Two Boybands.'  You go
girl!  :)

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Previously on Now or Never

	The police are here."  With that little piece of information,
Justin's heart dropped a little.  A small knot of butterflies appeared in
his stomach and he glanced at Lance worriedly.
	"Okay," Lance called out to JC.  Once they heard the door close
behind JC, Lance smiled at Justin reassuringly, hoping to provide his young
companion with some small amount of comfort.  Justin returned the smile
weakly before exiting the stall.  Lance followed behind him closely, his
smile turning into a worried frown as soon as his lover's back was turned,
belying his confidence.  He was just as nervous as Justin was about facing
the police.

And now here's Chapter 8 of Now or Never

	Justin stepped through the door to the waiting room only to stop
abruptly as he took in the scene laid out before him.  Lance had been
following Justin closely and he wasn't able to stop in time.  He bumped
into the younger man hard enough for a loud "Uff" to escape his lips.  He
stood on his tiptoes, trying to see over Justin's broad shoulders, but
Justin was simply too tall.  He placed his hands on Justin's back and
pushed slightly causing the taller man to stumble further into the room.
Justin shot Lance a disgruntled frown over his shoulder and Lance simply
shrugged his shoulders in reply.
	Remembering the situation they were faced with, both young men
faced forward and surveyed the room before them.  The room was glaringly
bright and the white walls and white tiled floors didn't do much to ease
the glare.  Only a few of the many chairs that lined the walls were taken.
Two groups occupied the room, facing each other, both on opposing sides.
Their positions made the room look something like a battlefield, the police
ready to attack with their questions and the lawyers ready to defend their
clients.  Two fully uniformed police officers stood against the wall to
Justin and Lance's right.  Across the room to the duo's left, Chris and JC
sat side by side, flanked by Johnny standing beside JC and Jive's lawyers
beside Chris.  The lawyers were imposing in their $600 suits, but
unfortunately, not nearly as imposing as the two police officers.
	Justin gulped loudly and Lance gently nudged him with his elbow.
Justin turned his head slightly to look down at his lover.  Lance nodded
slightly, his eyes showing love and support.  Justin, fortified by Lance's
gaze, straightened up and faced the police with confidence.  He stepped
forward and greeted the police officers.
	"I'm Justin Timberlake and this is Lance Bass," he said as he
gestured to Lance, "we're..."
	"Yes, Mr. Timberlake, we are well aware of who you are," one of the
officers interrupted.  "If you and Mr. Bass would please take a seat, we
can get started right away."  Justin, unaccustomed to being interrupted,
felt a moments resentment against the policemen.  Lance's nudge to his side
got him moving and he took a seat next to JC.  Lance followed, but instead
of sitting beside his lover, he sat next to Chris, hoping to provide the
older man support.
	"Alright.  For now we will question you as a group, but if we have
any further questions, we will contact you on an individual basis," the
police officer to the group's right said.  His nametag read "Bartlett."
Before Bartlett could continue, one of Jive's lawyers raised his hand to
stop him.
	"Officer, I have to warn you right now, if you even think about
questioning one of these gentlemen without one of their lawyers present, I
will have both of your badges," he said seriously.  Lance could have sworn
that he saw Bartlett's partner roll his eyes.  Evidently he was use to
lawyers that took their jobs a little too seriously.
	"Don't get your friggin' panties in a bunch," Henson, Bartlett's
partner, mumbled underneath his breath.  The lawyer obviously heard
Henson's words and he scowled at the officer.  Henson smiled innocently in
return and Lance had a hard time keeping the smirk off his own face.
	"Yes, Mr....?"
	"Mackenzie."
	"Yes, Mr. Mackenzie, we'll be sure to keep your, um, threat in
mind," Barlett said, throwing his partner an exasperated look.
Mr. Mackenzie had the grace to look a little embarrassed.  "Anyway, back to
the questioning..."  Henson took a small notebook and ink pen from his
front pocket and readied them to take notes.
	'This is just like a scene out of a stupid murder mystery,' Lance
thought to himself in disbelief.
	"...Who wants to tell us about the events of last night?"  Lance
turned to look at Chris; it was his responsibility after all.  Unexpectedly
though, Lance turned to find all of his band mates staring at him.  Chris's
eyes pleaded silently with Lance and JC and Justin were looking at Lance
hopefully.  They both felt that Lance would be the best person to deal with
the situation.  Since they couldn't very well have a mini-conference right
there in the room, Lance frowned in defeat and turned to face the police.
	"Well...last night my friends, Chris and Joey, decided that they
were going to a local club, to unwind a little," Lance started but was
interrupted by Bartlett.
	"So you weren't with them?" he questioned.  A grimace pasted over
Lance's face, but was quickly replaced with a neutral expression.
	"Oh, well...no, I wasn't.  I was at home," Lance explained.
Bartlett and Henson shared an exasperated glance.
	"In that case, I'm going to need Chris to tell us about last
night's events."  Chris stiffened beside Lance and glanced at his friends.
Lance, sensing Chris's panic, laid his left hand on his friend's back in a
gesture of comfort.  Chris looked at Lance and the younger man's expression
was full of support.  Chris sighed heavily and faced the police.
	"Well, like Lance said, Joey and I went to a club to chill for the
night..."
	"Which club?" Henson asked quickly.
	"Um...it was the Howling Monkey."
	"Okay, please continue," Bartlett urged.
	"We were partying pretty hard, so I don't remember a whole lot.  We
got pretty drunk and we were both dancin' out on the floor.  We left our
drinks and stuff at our table, like we usually do.  Joe left to go to the
bathroom and then went straight back to our table.  I saw him there downing
drinks and I went to go sit with him...it was after that that he started
acting really weird.  He was spacing out and stuff.  I got really worried
and all the sudden, he passed out cold.  I think he even knocked his head
on the table on his way down.  I don't know what happened after that; it
was a huge blur.  I think I put him in the car and took him to Lance's
house.  Lance took him on to the hospital from there," Chris finished.
Henson was busy scribbling on his notepad and Bartlett looked at Chris
questioningly.
	"You said that after Mr. Fatone went to the restroom, he came back
to the table and was drinking heavily?"
	"Yes, officer," Chris replied.
	"Does Mr. Fatone have a record of heavy drinking?"
	"Just at parties, sir.  I don't think I've ever seen Joey drink
unless he was at a party."
	"What about drugs?  Had you ever seen Mr. Fatone take any drugs
before?"
	"No, sir," Chris replied adamantly.  Chris's reply was a little too
quick for Lance and he noticed, with no small amount of concern, the quick
glance Bartlett and Henson exchanged.
	"So you don't know the exact moment Mr. Fatone ingested the drugs?"
	"No, sir, I don't."
	"Okay, then.  I think that's enough questions for now.  If we have
any further questions, we'll contact you," Bartlett quickly before exiting
the room, Henson close on his heels.  The room remained silent for a moment
after their hasty departure before Chris spoke up.
	"That was it?" he asked a little shell-shocked.  He had expected
much more.
	"No, Mr. Kirkpatrick.  That's what they want you to think.  This
questioning was only the beginning," one of the lawyers spoke up.
	"Oh," was Chris's intelligent reply.
	"Look, I don't want you guys to worry about anything, okay?" Johnny
spoke up.  "We're going to take care of everything."  Chris nodded quickly,
relieved that someone would be willing to take the responsibility of this
situation from him.  The others nodded, showing their faith in Johnny.
"What Mackenzie said earlier is completely valid, okay?  If either of those
policemen come up to any of you and start asking you questions, call me
immediately.  They can't talk to you without your lawyers."  Everyone
nodded their understanding and Johnny excused himself and the lawyers from
the room.  Once again, an uncomfortable silence reigned the room, even
though it contained best friends.  Lance wondered if things would ever
smooth out.  JC, full of nervous energy, got up and started pacing the
room.  Justin simply sat slumped in his chair, silently counting the number
of tiles on the floor.  Chris sat staring straight-ahead, not making eye
contact with any of his band mates.
	"Are you guys going to hate me forever?" Chris said softly a few
minutes later, breaking the silence of the white room.  JC stopped pacing
abruptly and Justin sat up straight in his chair.  Chris looked like a
little child, wishing for acceptance.
	"No, Chris," Lance replied gently.  He looked warningly at JC when
he noticed the older singer's frown.  JC wiped the frown from his face and
sighed.  It would take a while, but JC would come to forgive Chris
eventually, as long as Joey was okay.
	"No, Chris, we won't hate you forever," Justin said.  JC echoed his
friend's statement.  The relief that overwhelmed Chris at their forgiveness
rendered him speechless and his friends looked on as tears filled Chris's
brown eyes and spilled over his cheeks.  The impending tender moment was
ruined as Joey's doctor entered the room.
	"How's everybody holding up?" she asked with concern.
	"Fine," Chris managed to choke out through his tears.  Lance threw
his left arm around Chris's shoulders and drew him close in a supportive
hug.  She gave them a small smile filled with understanding.
	"Good, good.  Well now, I have some really good news for you guys."
	"Really?  That's great!" JC exclaimed.
	"Mr. Fatone is going to be just fine.  He maybe a little out of it
for the next few days, but..."
	"What's new?" Justin interrupted with a grin.  The others smiled as
they recalled Joey's happy-go-lucky, puppy dog personality.
	"...But he's going to be just fine," she finished.  "I can't let
anyone in to see him right now because visiting hours are over, but if you
gentlemen would like t come back tomorrow morning, you can see him first
thing."
	"That's great, Dr....?" Lance paused hoping for some help.
	"Jenkins, it's Jenkins," she supplied.
	"Thank you so much Dr. Jenkins," JC said, his voice heavy with
gratitude.  The rest of the guys echoed his statement.
	"You all are quite welcome.  I'm glad we saved him.  It would have
been quite a loss," she replied.  "There is one more thing I would like to
discuss with you before you leave, if that's all right?"  At Lance's nod,
she continued.  "Well, the amount of drugs in Mr. Fatone's system was
astronomical.  Does he have a history of drug use?"  That simple question,
identical to the police's, caused enough panic within the group to start
World War III.  With the police, they were protecting Joey and Chris by not
telling them about his previous drug use.  With the doctor however, what
would be the purpose in lying to her?  It may hinder her care of their
friend.  The only problem was, they hadn't talk about this.  They hadn't
decided how they were going to deal with the doctor.  JC glanced around the
room in alarm.  Lance was staring at the floor in consternation, thinking
things through as usual.  Justin and Chris were both looking at Lance,
waiting for his response.  They were willing to let him make all the
decisions.
	"Yes."  Lance looked up in shock as the simple word was uttered.
He looked around frantically, searching for the person who had just made
such a huge mistake.  His eyes lighted on JC and he scowled at the older
singer.  At almost the exact second JC had spoken up, Lance had decided
that it would be in the best interest of the group to lie about Joey's drug
use.  His thinking had been, 'What if the doctor tells the policemen what
she found out?'  He knew that if the police found out that they lied, they
would be in deep shit.  JC returned Lance's stared without remorse.  He
didn't feel that it was right to lie to the doctor too, not if it could
possibly hurt Joey.  "Yes, Joey's used drugs before.  But to my knowledge,
only at parties, not on a regular basis," JC finished his explanation.
	"How often did Mr. Fatone attend parties?" she questioned.  JC was
silent for a moment before responding.
	"A couple of times a week."
	"I don't know about you guys, but I would consider that close to
drug abuse.  I would hope that you would consider talking your friend into
getting some help," she said in concern.  "I would like to think that
Mr. Fatone wasn't attempting suicide, but you never know in these
situations."
	"Wait, you think Joey did this to himself?" Chris asked almost in
disbelief.  He never thought anyone would think Joey would try to kill
himself.  It made even more unbelievable considering the fact that Chris
knew exactly what happened.
	"Well, yes.  That's just my conclusion.  It would seem highly
unlikely someone would want to drug him, I would think.  But I don't know,"
she replied, shrugging her shoulders.  "If he didn't take the drugs on
purpose, the police are going to have a tough time trying to figure out who
would do something like that.  It just seems unusual.  Anyway, thanks for
your time.  I hope you all get some rest tonight.  I'm sure your friend
will be happy to see you tomorrow.  Good bye."  With that, she turned
around and opened the door.  She paused when Lance spoke up, detaining her.
	"Just out of curiosity Doctor, do you have to share all your
finding with the police?" he asked quickly.  He tried to make it seem as
though he had no particular interest in the answer, just a small amount of
curiosity and she didn't give it a second thought.
	"Yes, of course.  I would be breaking the law if I didn't," she
replied with a helpful smile.  Lance returned the smile, although his was
completely fake.
	"Of course," Lance responded.  She once again she bid the group
good bye and left the waiting room.  The door hadn't been closed behind the
doctor more than a second when Lance jumped up from his seat to face JC
angrily.  "What in the hell were you thinking?!" he exclaimed, waving his
hands in the air for emphasis.  JC wasn't about to back down from Lance's
anger, so he stepped towards the younger man and replied in a controlled
voice.
	"I wasn't going to lie to her, Lance."
	"What made you feel so damn honorable all the sudden, when
everything depends on us telling everyone exactly the same thing, JC?  Now
she is going to tell the police what you said.  What do you think they will
do once they find out we lied to them?  They'll think we have something to
hide.  We do dammit and we have to protect that at all cost!" Lance spat at
the older man, as if JC had forgotten their predicament.  JC shook his head
in disbelief.  Lance was only thinking about the group, he wasn't thinking
about Joey or Joey's health.
	"What if something had happened and Joey had died?  What if that
little piece of information could have saved his life?" JC asked.  "I know
I couldn't have lived with myself if I had not told her the truth.  True,
maybe nothing will happen, but what if it did?"  Silence greeted his
question and JC looked at his friends and band mates in disbelief.  "I'm
not sure I know you guys any more!  First Chris does this to Joe, then you
go all kamikaze management on us, and Justin is sitting back letting
everyone else make the decisions.  I feel like I'm in the freakin' Twilight
Zone!  Hopefully I'll just wake up from this damn dream!" JC shouted
vehemently before stalking to the door, throwing it opened and exiting,
leaving behind three dumbstruck young men.  Lance shook his head in
confusion.
	"He's right, this is the Twilight Zone," the blond muttered before
rubbing his face roughly with the palms of his hands.  He slowly turned to
face Justin and Chris.  "I'm going home, I'll meet y'all back here tomorrow
morning," he said before following JC's footsteps.  The two remaining men
looked at each other in bewilderment.
	"They were our rides," Justin pointed out after a moment of
silence.
	"Oh, yeah," Chris replied, not sure what to do.
	"Come on, man.  I'll call us a cab," Justin said as he got to his
feet and exited the room, Chris following closely behind the younger man.

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All right there y'all go.  I apologize for the lack of Justin/Lance
romantic moments, but there wasn't room for them in this chapter.  But if
you're lucky there will be more than just a little kissing in the next
chapter...if ya know what I mean!  Hint, Hint!!!!  :) Are the police gonna
find out that Chris lied to them, or will it somehow escape their notice?
Does this mean the end of 'N Sync?!?!?  Who knows?  :) Anywho, let me know
what y'all think!  Email me a nsajscgirl@yahoo.com.  I really want to know
what y'all think!  Please, Please, Please!  :) Catch y'all later!  Robin :)