Date: Sat, 14 Oct 2000 10:39:40 CDT
From: mega nick <mega_nick@hotmail.com>
Subject: NSYNC and the House of Dark Challenges: Part Two

NSYNC and the House of Dark Challenges
By
Mega-Nick

Part Two:
Thursday Evening 6:00 PM
Nick's Mom's House
The Coming of the Storm

Copyright 2000
Ok this is my first attempt at a slash story.  You guys be kind or I'll hunt
you and haunt you and hound you until hell freezes over! <grin>

The obligatory disclaimer:  I have no clue as to the sexual preferences of
anybody in this story.  This is fiction and if you don't believe it, get a
life!  If you are underage according to the community standards of where you
live then you shouldn't be at the Nifty Archives at all, and you certainly
shouldn't be reading this story.  The author takes no responsibility for the
actions of the irresponsible.

Dedication: this second part of the story is dedicated to my good friend and
inspiration, Jeany aka Nsyncgrrl.

Acknowledgements: special thanks to Schuyler, CJ, Rachel, Karen, Josh, Kyle,
Little Jon, DLS, Dark Seraphim, Kat, Superchris, Jay Cee, Jeff, Em, Eric,
Superjoey, ScottyT and all the guys at Boy Band Chat for their warm welcome
and wonderful friendships and kindnesses.
All comments and quality constructive criticism will be greatly appreciated.
  Who knows?  If you're real sweet you might make a friend for life!  You
can reach me at mega_nick@hotmail.com

"I just got off the phone to the airport in Orlando.  Justin's plane is
already in the air and Justin is on the plane."  Lance said.  He looked not
apprehensive, but in fact just plain, downright scared.
	"Cubby, take Lance into the kitchen and get him something hot to drink.
Would you please?"  Nick made it sound like a polite suggestion, but Jay
knew it was an order that Nick expected to be obeyed.
	Jay grabbed Lance by one hand, and took his cell phone away from him with
the other hand.  He placed the cell phone on the coffee table, and then
pulled Lance toward the kitchen.  As the pair entered the kitchen Jay looked
out the window and saw the first drops of rain hit the windowpane.  He went
to the pantry and pulled hot cocoa boxes out, and asked Lance what kind he
wanted.  Lance shrugged his shoulders, not really caring.  Jay put the boxes
down on the counter.  He walked slowly over to Lance, reached up and put his
hands on Lance's shoulders, maneuvered him over to the kitchen table, and
slowly sat him down into one of the chairs.  Lance's face was ashen and for
just a second, Jay thought he'd pass out right there, but the moment passed
and Lance just slumped a little in the chair.
	"Wait right here.  It'll only take a moment to make your chocolate for
you."   He turned back to the cabinets across from the sink area, selected
two large mugs, brought them over to the counter by the sink and then opened
packets of the designer mix hot cocoa, white chocolate macadamia for
himself, and raspberry chocolate for Lance.  He poured the mix into the cups
and then turned and looked at his favorite gadget in the kitchen.  Nick's
mom had one of those boiling water dispenser faucets next to the regular
faucets in the sink.  All you had to do to get boiling water was turn on the
tap.  Jay got a kick out of it.  The device made instant coffee or chocolate
or Quaker Oatmeal really instant.  You didn't even have to take the time to
boil the water.  He took a spoon from the drawer and stirred the hot cocoa
and carried the mugs over to the table.  He handed one to Lance and then sat
in the chair next to him...

	"Nick, you think little Cubby can handle Lance when he gets like that?"  JC
asked.
	"Yeah, Cubby can handle him.  You saw how he just grabbed Lance and dragged
him into the kitchen."
	The wind began to pick up and the rain came down.  A huge wave of thunder
rolled over the house.  Everybody but Nick looked startled.  Then Joey, and
JC looked right at Nick.
	"This doesn't bother you?"  JC asked.
	"Uhm no not really.  I was born here.  I'm used to weather like this."
	"I'm scared to death.  I hear tornados are frightening and dangerous.  I'm
worried about Justin flying into this mess."  Joey spoke casually and tried
not to let the real worry inside him show.  He'd not moved from his seat
after he first came back with the sandwiches.  JC was still leaning against
his knees and oh did that ever feel good.  Joey thought to himself, why do I
kick and scream about him and Kyle?  It was my own fault.  Somebody better
than me deserves JC.  I hope for JC's sake that Kyle is the right one.  Then
Joey thought about this little trip to a haunted house that Nick invited
them too.  Joey didn't believe in ghosts, well not at this time.  Then he
thought about Justin, alone on that plane and flying from sunny and dry
Orlando into this monster storm conjured from the nightmares of the
tormented in Hell.  He felt the house shudder as the wind picked up even
faster and more thunder roared out of the southwest.  He shuddered in his
soul thinking about what Justin was about to go through at 36, 000 feet.  As
he thought of Justin on the plane, Joey saw a picture in his mind
superimposed over Justin's face-a picture of an old, dark, forbidding,
house.  Joey felt uneasy because just for a moment it seemed the house
watched him, and he saw a glimpse of another picture.  The picture was of
Justin, lying on his back, at the bottom of a hidden stairwell, in the
middle of a large pool of his own blood...and Joey felt something give
inside him, as if something important in his life just fractured and fell
away into nothingness.

	With the second series of thunder from out of the southwest, Lance sat up
straight in his chair at the kitchen table.  Sweat beaded on his face.  His
eyes went wide in part because of the spectacular power of the storm, but
also from the fear coiling like a snake around his heart.  He looked out the
kitchen window and saw a line of massive, anvil-head, thunderstorms heading
straight for him.
	"Cubby!"  Lance tried to yelp, but surprised himself at how small and far
away his voice sounded.
	"I'm here Lance."  Cubby said, and tried to hide the fear he also felt.  He
reached out and laid his hand on Lance's hand that rested on the table next
to the cup of hot chocolate.
	"I'm worried about Justin."
	"I know you are, Lance.  Don't be.  Justin, among other things, is the
luckiest guy I ever met.  Nothing will happen to him.  I promise."
	"You say that like you know it for a fact."  Lance then gave Cubby a rather
old sort of look, saying with his eyes, "...and don't torment me with what
you can't possibly know..."
	"Look at me.  I know.  I'm telling you that Justin will be just fine.  I
bet his plane even comes in early."
	"Are you psychic or something, Cubby?"
	"Yeah. I am.  Trust me.  I know that Justin is and will be safe on his
journey to us.  Stop worrying, and drink your chocolate.  If you're still a
basket case when we go back into the living room, then Nick's gonna skin
me."
	Lance tried a smile, and he was more or less successful.  He turned his
hand so that he could clasp Cubby's hand with a friendly squeeze.  He
marveled at how brave his little friend appeared in the face of the coming
of the storm.  Something deep in Cubby's character produced this brave and
talented young man, Lance thought.  He's just as frightened of the storm as
I am, but he doesn't show it so he can be strong for me.  I'm supposed to be
the strong one here Lance chided himself.  Some leader I make.  Well I don't
care right now.  I'm scared and it feels nice to be here with Cubby.  Nick
is so lucky, but then that was something Nick held in common with Justin.
Cubby spoke the truth when he said Justin was lucky.  Lance also knew that
the real reason he was so frightened had nothing to do with Justin or the
storm or his own fear or how neat a guy he thought Cubby was.  He kept
saying the one word over and over and over in his mind like a mantra that
would protect him and guide him and keep him safe through the coming storm
and the adventure to come.  Chris.  If Lance was worried about Justin, then
he was just freaked by the fact that if this storm kept on through the night
and into tomorrow, then Chris would have to fly into it as well.  Chris.
Lance lifted his chin to hide his sinking spirits, and he smiled at Cubby,
and thought over and over, Chris.  Chris.  Chris.

	A third series of thunderclaps sounded with a deafening roar.  JC
practically leaped out of his skin and suddenly found himself sitting in
Joey's lap.  Joey looked at JC with a curious expression, but he saw the
fear in JC's eyes, and something else deep underneath the fear.  Joey
believed he saw the embers of longing and of lost opportunities there,
somewhere deep inside JC's eyes.  Joey's knee-jerk reaction was to laugh and
dump JC on the floor, but he couldn't.  He merely wrapped his arms tenderly
around JC's waist and pulled him in close so JC could lay his head down on
Joey's strong shoulder.  He felt JC sigh from his whole body and being.
Joey just sat there, and held his friend close.
	Nick looked at the pair in sheer astonishment.  He would have never dreamed
that he would see JC sitting in Joey's lap like old times.  They're still in
love, Nick thought.  Sheesh!  This weekend was already more complicated than
he bargained for and the adventure had not yet even begun.  Nick suddenly
felt cold and clammy.  He found that he'd broken out in a cold sweat.  It
felt like a large and venomous spider crawled up his spine.  Nick shuddered
and shook off the feeling.  Sometime this imagination of mine will get me
into a lot of trouble he thought.  He tried to stand, and the world went
whirling and his stomach heaved with the nausea, his head felt like a
monster with an axe just split it wide open, and then everything went black.
	He saw a fireplace and the limp form of Lance lying in a puddle of ooze and
black blood.  Chris stood over Lance breathing hard and brandishing the iron
poker from the fireplace.  Chris screamed in both triumph and anguish.  Nick
saw the leaping flames of the fire in the fireplace reach out and wrestle
with Chris, and then he saw the flames pull Lance's lifeless body and Chris'
living body into the pit of the flames.  Chris looked up at Nick and said,
"forgive me" as he and Lance disappeared into the fire.
	"No!  No!  Nooooooooooooooooo!"   Nick heard himself shouting as his
eyelids fluttered and opened.  He was in his bed upstairs in the room he
shared with Jay.  He focused his eyes, and there was Jay holding his right
hand, and with a deeply troubled look on his face.  Nick turned his head and
saw Joey and JC standing at the foot of the bed he and Jay shared.  Then he
felt his left hand squeezed by another hand.  He looked over to the left
side of the bed and saw Lance holding his left hand.  Nick looked back over
to his right.
	"Cubby?"  Nick tried to sit up, but Jay gently held him down.
	"Steady Nick.  You took a nasty tumble out in the living room."
	"Cubby, where's mom?  What happened?"
	"You're mom's downstairs making you some chicken soup."  Cubby said.
	"What happened?"  Nick repeated the question.
	"Easy Nicholas.  You got a nasty bump on your noggin.  You must have hit
your head on the edge of the coffee table when you fell."  Cubby said as the
rain outside continued to intensify.  Thunder crashed and lightning strokes
flashed across the heavens.  Cubby caught his breath and bit his lower lip
to take his mind of his fear and to remind himself to be strong for Nick.
Just as he began to speak again, the first balls of hail started popping on
the roof and the lawns outside.
	Nick looked into the startling green eyes of his boyfriend.  He could tell
Cubby knew fear and tried to hide it.  Nick hoped it was more from the storm
than from anything that had happened to him.  He wanted to scold Jay for
making such a fuss, but he saw only love and beauty and hope in the older
boy's eyes.
	"I love you Cubby."  Nick said.
	"I know.  I love you too, Nicholas."
	"You only call me Nicholas when you're mad at me or I've done something
stupid."
	"I'm not mad at you Nicholas, and you haven't done anything stupid."  Cubby
said, and the concern in his heart overflowed and the tears spilled down his
face.  Joey rushed around to the side of the bed and put his arm around
Cubby's shoulders.
	"Here Jay.  You sit down next to Nick.  I'll tell him the rest."  Joey said
and looked sharp at Cubby to make the boy obey him.  Cubby always felt
comfortable around Joey.  He sat quietly on the side of the bed and held
Nick's hand as if he would never let go.
	"The rest of what?"  Nick asked with a quizzical look on his face.
	"Nick?  Are you some kind of seer or prophet or something?"  Joey asked.
He did it with a sober and straight look, so Nick would know he was not
joking.
	"I think so.  If what I think has happened then yes, it's happened before.
Sometimes I see things or feel things that nobody else can see of feel.
What did I say?"
	Joey continued.  "There was a huge thunderclap.  JC jumped up into my lap.
Then you looked at us both kind of funny.  You stood up and said, 'it knows
about us. It knows we're coming.'  Then you screamed.  You yelled out
something about Chris killing Lance and then both of them being eaten by a
fire.  Your face turned green.  Your eyes rolled up and you laughed like a
maniac.  And then, then you fell to the ground shaking and crying and then
you gasped and lay still.  I thought you'd had a heart attack.  We only just
carried you upstairs and had just turned the lights down when you came to.
Your mom said she tried to call the paramedics, but the phones are out.  The
cell phones are out too.  I felt for your pulse and it seemed strong enough
and regular, so I asked your mom to fix you something hot to eat and drink.
Then I carried you up to here.  Cubby ever see you do this before?"
	Nick said no, but Cubby nodded yes.  Nick looked questioningly at his
lover.
	"Yeah.  He did it once before that I know about.  We were in bed at the
room we stay at in Justin's house in Orlando.  It was the night before you
and JC split up Joey.  I thought he was having a nightmare.  He screamed and
groaned and then he sat up in the bed and had this wild look in his eyes.
He said that you and JC were fighting and that you guys would break up and
that a year would pass with a lot of hurt between the two of you, and then
the hurt would end.  That was a year ago this very night."  Cubby stopped
crying, and the tears were replaced with a strange look of amazement and
apprehension.
	The room seemed quiet for a moment in spite of the raging storm rising
around them.  Joey looked suddenly old for his years and very tired.  JC
looked at Nick and then at Joey.  JC let his heart run free and felt the
warmth grow inside.  He thought of Kyle and knew he honestly loved Kyle.
What a mess.  I'm in love with both of them, he thought while he looked into
Joey's eyes.  What am I going to do?
	Nick once again tried to sit up in bed.  As he moved his head felt like a
grenade exploded inside it.   He swore angrily under his breath, and still
fought his way up into a sitting position.  Cubby tried to protest, but Nick
waved him off.  Nick looked over at Joey and said, "Would you be kind enough
to carry me back downstairs?"  Again Cubby started to protest that Nick
shouldn't be moved, but Nick silenced him with a look and said reasonably,
"I'll be more comfortable on the couch, and I want to be downstairs when
Justin arrives.  If you guys will feed me and give me a hand, maybe I won't
look so bad when he gets here.  I don't want Justin walking in and feeling
like there's something wrong with me."
	Joey looked hesitantly at Nick and then he caught Cubby's face out of the
corner of his eye.  He saw Cubby nod yes.  Then Joey leaned over and scooped
the very lightly built Nick up into his arms and asked JC to open the door.
He carried Nick down the stairs and through the den into the living room.
He gently put Nick down and asked Cubby to fetch a blanket for him.


	Justin looked out the window of the Jumbo 777 as he fidgeted in his first
class seat.  Everything worked smoothly at the airport in Orlando from
checking his bags in, to getting his boarding pass, to finding his seat on
the plane.  The take-off was also smooth and effortless, but as the plane
flew westwards the ride turned rough and bumpy.  The western and
southwestern skies began to darken and ominous roiling black clouds loomed
closer as the plane flew on towards the great intercontinental nexus of the
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.  As Justin tried to get comfortable
in his seat the Captain announced the "Fasten Seatbelts" warning lights
would be left on, and for all persons in their seats to keep the seatbelts
buckled properly because the plane would encounter turbulence on their
approach into North Central Texas.
	An hour and thirty minutes into the flight, and one hundred miles out from
DFW International, and now firmly in the grip of the winds of the out-flow
boundary of the giant storm, lightning struck the plane.  The lights all
over the jet blinked and went out, the main control system and the back-up
control system for the left wing ailerons failed, and the plane fell from
the sky in a long, shallow dive.  The Captain radioed into the DFW
International Control Tower, that he was declaring an emergency.  He
reported structural damage to the plane and apparent damage to the left wing
control surfaces, and that he was losing altitude.  The plane lurched hard
as the Captain fought the electronics to regain control of his falling jet.


	The Creature lurked deep in Its lair, hidden in the House where only the
loving could ever find it, and the Creature would see that no loving would
ever happen in this house.  The Creature was not all-powerful, but it was
powerful, and it seethed with anger and hate.  It knew that it could not
hide everything from the three psychics in the group that would come to
visit on the morrow.  So It decided to allow a picture of a possibility for
the one called Justin to appear as a fleeting image in the mind of one of
the three.  Then it showed another scene for a possible future for the ones
called Lance and Chris.  These two were not psychically aware and would pose
no real threat and could therefore be eliminated easily.  And all this just
to hide the first real attempt on the loving one, the one called Justin.  He
posed the greatest potential threat because of the greatness of his heart.
He loved everybody yet was loved by no one.  This wellspring of greatness of
the heart was a thing the Creature was dearly afraid of, but that mattered
nothing to the Creature.  It hungered for the sustenance of the energy It
fed on from the dying life force of the innocent.  The Creature willed
itself to forego the energy the one called Justin.  That one was better dead
before it arrived than it would be for food.  Then the Creature would only
have to face the threat posed by the three psychically aware ones.  The one
called Nick was the most dangerous of the three.  The one called Nick had
experience in these matters, the Creature knew.  Something to keep that one
occupied while I take care of the first threat.  With the one called Justin
dead from a plane crash It was content to allow the other to come to the
House.  The Creature gloated in Its tormented being.  It summoned up all its
diabolical energy and lashed out across time and space to hurl a killer
lightning bolt at the plane the one called Justin rode within...


The plane lurched to the right in a violent shifting of the wind, and
another lightning bolt struck the jet.   The plane fell faster and faster.
Justin thought to himself, oh God I don't want to die.  And like the plane,
his spirits fell.