Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 18:41:57 -0000
From: J-dot M <catsfan1@hotmail.com>
Subject: Angel's Wings Part 17

Angel's Wings (Part 17)
Written by JM

--- Da da da da da... what to write, what to write?  Hmmm, it's about
celebrities... yeah, that sounds good.  Two very moral celebrities too...
ooh yeah, that makes it better.  Let's see, what else... oh yeah, these two
male celebrities are together, but that has nothing to do with their actual
personal lives.  Ha ha, oh yeah, forgot this one... it's fiction ALL THE
WAY!  Is that it?  I think so... wait, no... please be 18 or older or have
your parents permission.  Parental Guidance is suggested.  Need some
popcorn?  Maybe a soda?  Got to have the Twizzlers... remember, 'Silence Is
Golden'!  Okay, let's move on to to the previews... ---

--- Rated PG-13: Hey, I'm back!  That's right and I thought I could stay
away.  No, I prayed I could stay away, but this is in my blood.  I've just
got to write.  Anyway, I'm glad to be back with another exciting verse in
the song of Brian and Justin's lives.  Please remember that these stories
are based on the romance created for Brian and Justin through 'Brian and
Justin' and 'Just Beginning'.  This is not called 'JC and Nick' or 'Lance's
Beginnings,' so please respect the fact that they will not get all the
attention in the world.  If you don't know by now, send all comments to:
catsfan1@hotmail.com  Thank you very much!  Enjoy the show... ---

	--- Feature Presentation: Angel's Wings, Rated NC-17 ---

		It was pretty early for them.  The sun had not kissed the sky before they
were sitting in this secluded longue of a hospital but the reasons they were
there made it necessary.  They dropped all they had to do to be there.  She
sacrificed finishing a recording session at a Miami studio to be there.  She
angered producer Rodney Jerkins by abandoning the studio, but for her
friends, she willing did it.  The man next to her gave up a comfortable, a
loving man and a day at work to be at the hospital.  But neither gave no
thought to what they gav up.  Their only concerns were what was occuring at
the hospital and what had brought them there.
		Britney twirled a finger through her hair, her legs crossed and her
clothing a sportier side of her personality.  She preferred to be
comfortable in the studio and, in that instant, she was thrilled she wore
her stone-washed jeans and an old T-shirt.  She glanced over to Bryce, his
button-down shirt and khaki pants calling for a more upper-scale affair that
Britney's attire but she grinned through it.
		"I can't believe they're going through this again." Britney remarked, her
hands settling in her lap.  Bryce glanced over at her curiously.  He ran a
hand over his semi-spikey blonde-brown hair and smiled meekly.  "Yeah...
Justin sounded pretty shaken up when he called me.  He almost sounded scared
or something." Bryce agreed, crossing his own legs.  "Well you know how
protective Justin is of the little one." Britney noted, leaning in Bryce's
direction.  Bryce nodded, glancing down at his watch.  8:11 AM.  He thought
about Lance and how Lance probably wanted to be there but couldn't.  He
chewed the inside of his mouth, wishing he could've stayed in Lance's arms
for a few more hours during the night, but he knew Brian and Justin needed
him.  After all, he was the one that helped them to adopt Angel.  To know
how scared Brian and Justin were only frightened him.  He didn't think he'd
ever have to face this again, especially not after the incident last year
when he was forced to fight to keep Angel in Brian and Justin's arms.
		"They're good fathers.  I mean, to be so young and have Angel has to be
difficult." Bryce said, adjusting the glasses on his face.  Britney frowned
slightly, combing fingers through her hair.  "It's still hard for me to
believe that Justin's twenty and has a husband and a son." Britney
commented, glancing around the quiet room.  "But he's great with Angel.  He
and Brian are really great with that kid.  It's like they were meant to be
Angel's parents." Bryce sighed happily.  He watched nurses pass the room
without speaking.  He wanted one of them to stop, to let them know if
everything was fine.  He needed to know why Justin sounded so scared and
what was happening with Angel.
		"Those two were meant to have kids period.  They're so in love.  They have
been since the day they saw each other in that airport in Atlanta." Britney
grinned, thinking of the times she had seen Brian and Justin together.  The
days when their love was young.  When Justin told Britney that he loved
Brian and when she saw the young couple walk down the aisle.  She only
wished for that again.
		Bryce cleared his throat and leaned back in his chair.  "Lots of people
fall in love, but most never make down the aisle, especially not in their
situation." Bryce stated, a sour expression gripping his face.  Britney
nodded, lowering her head.  "Me and Joey were together for two and a half
years and never made it down the aisle.  Brian and Justin were together
eleven months before they were taking their vows.  I guess it just depends
on how fast the love grows." Britney declared mournfully, stringing strands
of her hair behind her ear.  "Yeah." Bryce nodded, only managing that one
word when thinking of Britney's failed relationship.  'What if that's me and
Lance?  What if we go years together and never make that final step because
we let our careers or our friends or anything keep us on different tracks?'
Bryce thought, nervously picking at the buttons on his shirt.
		Bryce had to stop himself.  His eyes caught a glimmer of the ring that was
around his finger and happiness ensued.  'No, Lance gave me this promise
ring.  He promised that one day I'd be Bryce Bass and I believe him.  I know
he wouldn't lie about that.' he grinned, rubbiner his fingers over the cool
metal.  He closed his eyes and thought of Lance's ivory-soft touch.  The way
Lance kissed him the day he gave him that ring and the way the words were
choked out because Lance had small tears in his eyes and it was emotional
for him.  Lance never proposed to Nick or JC or Matt and he even turned down
JC's proposal.  That meant something to Bryce.  It meant he was special, he
was something that Lance could live with forever.  He could be the one.
		Footfalls and quiet talking stirred Bryce from his musings.  He glanced up
as Joey walked into the room, a short, curly0headed female attached to his
arm.  The girl giggled quietly as Joey glanced around the room.  "Hey you
two." he grinned when seeing Bryce and Britney.  Britney glanced up briefly
before lowering her head.  Bryce frowned smally before looking at Joey.
"Hey Joey.  Hi Kelly." Bryce said dully.  He knew just saying her name
brought pains to Britney's heart.  To know that only a few weeks after their
breakup, Joey was in the arms of the woman he cheated on Britney with
destroyed Britney.  It hurt everyone.  Bryce had hoped better for the
couple, maybe a reunion of their love, but with Kelly in the way, he lost
that faith.
		Joey led Kelly to a pair of seats opposite Bryce and Britney.  He stood,
eyeing Britney, while Kelly immediately sat, disatisfied with the silence.
"Have you heard from Brian or Justin yet?" she asked, reaching a hand up to
grab her boyfriend's.  Joey hesitantly sat down next to her, his heart
hiding under a pair of perplexed eyes.  'God, I hate it being this hard for
her.' he thought to himself, still glaring at Britney.
		"No, we haven't heard from Brian or Justin.  I don't think they even know
that we're here." Bryce finally remarked, searching Joey's expression for
his thoughts.  He watched the quiet man shift uncomfortably in his chair
when his girlfriend snuggled to him and it was obvious.  He turned to
Britney and watched her hooded eyes stare at the floor, her mouth unmoving
but her actions strained.  He felt the need to start a conversation with
her, to ease her out of that awkward shell but he couldn't.  'Maybe that's
what JC feels like when he sees me and Lance together?' he thought, settling
with resting a hand on top of Britney's for mild comfort.
		"Excuse me, but are you the friends of the Littrells?" an elderly nurse
asked, causing eyes to flock to her with surprise.  She stood outside of the
lounge, a chart pressed to her chest and a unique smile on her lips.  Joey
cleared his throat loudly while standing from his seat.  "Yes, we are." Joey
replied.  Bryce and Britney quickly stood with curiosity as the nurse took a
step into the longue.  She kept a generous smile with them as she scanned
over their expressions.  "I'm Marge Abbigale Angel.  I know the Littrells
from their trips here to the hospital and I've been visiting with them
today." Marge explained before lowering the chart in her hands.  "Are they
okay?  How's Angel?" Britney questioned quickly, stepping forward as she
spoke.  Bryce held her elbow in his hand, squeezing it lightly to calm her
anxiety.
		Marge glanced at Britney and sighed lowly.  "Well, it's over with, I can
tell you that much.  They're really indifferent about the situation and
especially the suddeness of it.  They haven't had a chance to let it sink
in, but I can see that it's got them shaken a little.  As for Angel, he's
confused.  He's not really sure what's happening and I guess it kind of
worries and scares him." Marge expounded, giving her attention to all of the
occupants of the longue.  Britney groaned softly, dragging her fingers
through her hair.  She turned from the group and paced toward a corner of
the room, frustrated by Marge's words.  "Do you think that they'll let one
of us visit with them... at least talk with them?" Joey questioned, denying
himself the displeasure of seeing Britney in her shaken state.  'Why do this
to yourself?  You were the one who was there with her, taking care of Angel,
before Brian and Justin got him.  It almost felt like a family... and you
know how she feels about children.' Joey thought, sliding his hands into his
pockets.
		"There's no need to ask for that sort of permission.  Brian and Justin are
on their way down the hall as we speak." Marge informed them, finally
revealing information that she hid at request.  Joey was the first to let
his mouth fall open and his brow raised.  Could it have been that easy?  He
bypassed Marge quickly and peeked into the hallway of the hospital.  A few
nurses passed him with flirtatious laughter leaving their lips as they
santured down the hall.  He ignored them all to focus on the pair slowly
moving toward him.  A smile curled on his lips and his brown eyes lightened
with a light of life.
		He stared into a pair of crinkly blue eyes and reality hit him.  Brian's
eyes had never been filled to the brim with joy like they were at that
moment.  Joey had yet to experience the innocent, composed side of Justin as
he focused his attention on something besides his own happiness.  Joey
folded his arms and stood beside himself as he watched Angel rush in front
of his fathers, babbling words that were incoherent to Joey.  Joey found
himself laughing as the boy stumbled around Brian, pulling on his shirt
occasionally to draw Brian's attention from the picture of sunshine embedded
in Justin's arms.
		"Hey Joey, we've got someone for you to meet." Brian said proudly as they
finally drew closer to Joey.  Joey raised his brow with his jeery smile as
the others made their way into the hall.  "You're kidding right?" Joey
laughed out, focusing his focal point on the blanketed child in Justin's
arms.  "You got her?" Britney asked excitedly, leaning on Bryce as she
glared at the couple.
		Brian and Justin came to a halt in front of their friends, nothing
removing the chocolate-sweet smile from their lips.  They watched their
friends try to draw closer and view the infant resting in Justin's arms.
Justin chewed on his lower lip and nervously peeled away the pink blanket
from near the baby's face.  He admired the child, watching the way the baby
slept without fear in his arms.  He could only think of her saphire-blue
eyes and the way they glew like the sun setting in Egypt.  He thought of the
softness of her hair and it's golden hue.  He smiled when dreaming of the
faint blush that filled her cheeks and the way she smiled so generously.
She was his and she was Brian's and she was a Littrell.
		"Guys, we'd like to meet Autumn Ava Littrell, our daughter." Justin
stated, lifting his head to look at his friends.  He held his daughter up a
little higher for his friends to view.  Coo's raced from his friend's lips
and Justin began to feel a state of comfort wash over him.  It was eaiser
when they admired the baby.  Life seemed calmer when he could depend on his
friend's support.  He felt Brian's arm slip around his shoulders and squeeze
him close, assuring him that things were right.
		"Wow, she's gotten gorgeous over the past few months." Britney gushed,
brushing a hand over the soft material of Autumn's blanket.  She edged
closer to her friend's to view Autumn in all her beauty.  'Another one.
Another beautiful child for them... but you have none.  You have nothing to
look forward to because now your old boyfriend has moved on and you're still
stuck on him.  Still stuck on his stupid, childish, annoying ways.  You
can't help but love him and now look, Brian and Justin, the man that was
also once your boyfriend, have their second child.' Britney told herself,
tuckering away a frown to keep the mood light between herself and her
friends.
		"She really has grown.  She looks a lot healthier now." Joey remarked,
laying a hand on Britney's shoulder and it was all Britney could do from
snatching away and running to a corner to cry.  She felt his bretah on her
skin as he eased closer to view the child, leaving a chilled, sick feeling
in the pit of her stomach.  That wasn't how she was supposed to feel but it
was.  It was all she could feel.
		Justin leaned his head on Brian's shoulder as Brian ran a careful hand
over his daughter's golden brown hair.  "Yeah, she's a true beauty.  The
doctors say that we'll have to keep a close eye on her because she was born
prematurely, but she's still in perfect condition for us to take home.
They're pretty sure that she'll be fine as long as she's in a stable
environment." Brian remarked with his healthy country accent.  "Well, there
goes her chances of being happy.  We all know that the Littrell house isn't
stable." Joey joked, causing the others to laugh causually.
		Bryce pulled his attention from the newly adopted Littrell to give
attention to another.  He glanced downward as he felt a pair of small hands
pulling on the tail of his shirt.  He smiled at Angel as the young boy
becokened for his attention.  "What's up little buddy?" Bryce asked, lifting
Angel up into his arms.  He tossled the young boy's blonde hair as Angel got
comfortable in Bryce's arms.  "New baby." Angel exclaimed, pointing toward
the yawning infant in his father's arms.  Bryce laughed lowly, nodding.
"Yeah.  That's your new sister Angel." Bryce chimed, finding a brighter
world in Angel's glassy blue eyes.
		Angel glanced back at his sister, cocking an eyebrow upward with
curiosity.  He watched all of the attention fall on her and suddenly, he
felt alone.  He fiddled with the collar of Bryce's shirt before pouting his
lips.  He looked upward and found Justin's eyes holding him still.  His
father smiled at him and then winked, giving Angel a reason to smile back.
"Daddy." he whispered, grinning as he rested his head on Bryce's shoulder
and let his heavy eyes close.
		There ws a bowl of corn and a plate of fried and baked chicken.  She had
prepared a large dish of mashed potatoes with a small dish of green beans.
She had a plate of cornbred, a bowl of candied yams and a platter of
watermelon.  "Watermelon?" Mandy Ashford, a youthful blonde from the group
Innosense, questioned as she glanced over the table full of food.  She
shifted her body until she looked upon the woman who had prepared the feast.
  Her solid green eyes watched as Lynn Harliss worked desperately to finish
icing the Red Velvet cake she prepared for dessert.  She knew Lynn was
cooking endlessly because of fear.  She feared not having her first
granddaughter.  She feared seeing disappointment on her son's face because
she knew it would hurt him more than anything.
		Lynn glanced over her shoulder, a weary expression clenching her face.
"Angel loves it.  I figured he and somebody else might just be in the mood
for some fruit." Lynn stated, quickly surrendering her attention to her work
again.  She was dtermined to finish, determined to keep herself busy because
she didn't need to think about what could happen with her son.  She just
needed to cook.
		"Woo, Lynn, this looks like some good eating." Lance announced, his
country accent deep and slippery.  He stood next to Mandy with a bright
grin, slipping an arm around his best friend's shoulder.  He brushed his
hand over her straight blonde hair, tilting his head to the side to take in
the full view of the table.  "Don't you think about touching that food Lance
until Brian and Justin get here." Lynn ordered, keeping her focus on the
cake.  Lance giggled quietly, leaning on his friend.  "I won't.  Of course,
Joey might gobble it all down before I get a chance to." Lance commented.
He drew a small laugh from Mandy, one that he cherished.  "And you probably
don't want to eat without your boyfriend here either?  Huh?" Mandy teased,
looking at her friend a wide smile.  Lance let blush creep into his cheeks
but he did not hesitate in nodding.  He couldn't lie about about it.  He
wanted to see Bryce, wanted to feel Bryce, wanted to stare at Bryce and know
that love was there in his eyes.  It just felt too natural now.
		"Hey, Bryce just pulled up with Britney and Brian and Justin are coming up
in the driveway right now." Bryan Deas, Mandy's boyfriend, proclaimed as he
rushed into the kitchen.  Head preked up and eyes glew with excitement.  "Oh
God..." Lynn gasped out, drying her hands with a dishrag as Lance moved away
from Mandy and towards the door.  "Did they have the baby?  Did they have
her?" Mandy asked quickly, throwing her arms around Bryan's neck with bright
eyes.  Bryan smiled at her and slipped his arms around her waist.  "I'm not
sure.  I only saw them pull up, but Britney was smiling pretty hard." Bryan
responded with a model-like grin.
		Lynn eased by the cuddling couple to follow Lance toward the door.  Her
heart had already passed her chest and was slowly creeping into her throat.
She could barely control the way her hands shook and shivered.  Her mind was
jumbled into a thicket of thoughts that barely gave her room to think of her
son's name.  But it came to her.  As soon as she saw him hug Lance and walk
into the house, it all returned to her.  "Justin..." she squeaked out,
searching her son's face for a sign of happiness or joy or that fatherly
glow he carried.
		Justin looked up at his mother as Lance grabbed Angel's hand and led him
into the house.  He gave her a calm smile and glanced over his shoulder as
Brian entered the house, Autumn cradled in his arms.  "Would you like to
meet your granddaughter Ma?" Justin asked, already aware of the answer.  He
stepped aside so that Brian could fully enter the house and move toward his
mother-in-law.  "Oh God, oh thank God you got her." Lynn gushed, tears of
pure joy lining her eyes.
		Brian shot his mother-in-law a proud smirk, carefully carrying his
daughter toward her.  "Yep, she's all ours; adopted in full." Brian chimed
in, holding Autumn up for Lynn to admire.  Lynn sniffled softly and wiped
the tears from her eyes, composing herself long enough to stare into those
stunning blue eyes that belonged to her granddaughter.  "Autumn Ava, I'd
like you to meet your grandmother." Brian said quietly, offering his
daughter to Lynn.  Lynn willingly scooped the three-month-old child into her
arms, smiling gaily as she looked upon the child.  She looked upon her
granddaughter and those nervous feelings slipped away.  She was at peace.
She was proud to hold the daughter of her son and his husband.
		Justin found his spot on the couch more than comfortable.  Next to his
husband, he felt nothing but security.  His legs were pulled up close to his
body and his head rested on Brian's shoulder.  His upperbody was snuggled
under the wing of Brian's arm, the heat between them only seperated by thin
material.  That material was only enough to remind them that they could not
act out on their feelings in front of the others.  They could not release
that sexual energy that had swelled inside them.
		Justin rubbed Brian's thigh with his smooth hand while Brian pet his
short-cut blonde hair.  He knew part of Brian desired to string his hand
through a head of curls, but Justin wasn't ready to return to that person.
He wasn't ready to be Justin Timerlake for the world.  He wanted to be the
docile, blue-eyed, buzz cut Justin Littrell that his husband got to hold at
night and know he was only his.  He liked feeling his hair spike up when
Brian brushed it backward or when Brian scrapped his fingers along his scalp
during sex.  He liked the way Brian scrambled to grab his ears because there
were no curls to latch onto when Justin gave him head.
		He listened to his mother coo at his daughter while Angel and Britney
played tag in the nearby room.  It was all too soothing for him.  Being near
his husband, feeling his love, and knowing his children were happy eased
everything inside of him.  There was a coating of vanillia over his heart,
sweet and pure.  It was because Brian rubbed his temple in that relaxing way
that almost made him feel like falling asleep.  It was because he felt
complete.  He felt that soft, cotton candy world he dreamed about surround
him.  He had his friends, his family, Brian, Angel and, now, he had Autumn.
		"All right, since throwing you guy's a baby shower wouldn't be too much
fun, I thought we'd play a little game." Mandy stated as she sat in her
boyfriend's lap on a nearby couch.  Justin peeked his head up with curosity
flaring through his eyes.  "What kind of game?" Justin questioned, lowering
his brow with obvious wonder.  Mandy perked up and licked her glossy lips.
"It's a couples game.  I'm going to ask you and Brian and Lance and Bryce
questions that pertain to your mate." Mandy replied, giving quick glances to
Justin and then Lance.  Lance shifted uncomfortably on the floor, his head
resting between his boyfriend's legs as Bryce pet his hair.  "What kinds of
questions?" Brian asked, letting his hand drop to Justin's shoulder.  Mandy
arched her eyebrow fondly as Bryan slipped his arms around her waist.
"Well..." Mandy grinned, pulling up a book from near Bryan.  "I was shopping
in the bookstore the other day with Nikki and just happened upon this book
written by Samantha Stonebraker, Brian's ex-girlfriend." Mandy beamed,
holding the book up for the others to view.  The mere mention of the name
cause Brian to groan loudly and hide his face behind his hand.  Justin
chewed on his lower lip nervously and lowered his eyes, aware of the book
and some of its contents.
		"The book is basically about Samantha answering questions about her
relationship with Brian and her connections to the Backstreet Boys." Mandy
explained, flipping through the book while speaking.  "Sounds dirty." Lance
teased, looking toward Brian.  "Sounds underhanded if you ask me." Brian
remarked, brushing the curve of Justin's ear.  Justin calmed under the touch
and listened as Mandy spoke.  "Anyways... I thought I'd ask each of you
questions from the book and have you answer them to the best of your
ability.  Answer the question as it pertains to your relationship with your
boyfriend or husband or to the group he's with." Mandy suggested, searching
for approval from her friends.
		Lance shrugged before looking up to Bryce.  Bryce stared down at him with
a sincere smile.  "Sure, why not." Bryce agreed before laying a quick kiss
on Lance's lips.  He had fear racing through his mind but he kept it silent.
  He didn't want to discuss Lance's former relationships, but if it meant he
could get closer to Lance, he dared to face his fear.
		Mandy turned to Brian and Justin, both silent but obvious.  Brian nuzzled
his nose against the top of Justin's head, hoping his affection would
persuade Justin.  Justin sighed and sat up, escaping Brian's touch.  "We're
in." he said softly, picking at his shirt.  Brian frowned and let his hand
fall to Justin's waist, giving it a light squeeze.  This wasn't the way he
wanted to spend the day.  He wanted to be with Justin and he wanted to play
with Angel and help Autumn adjust to her new surroundings.  He knew Justin
didn't want to hear about his past, especially not his past with Samantha or
Leighanne or Matt.
		"All right, I've randomly selected these questions by just flipping
through the book.  The first question from the book is 'What is it like
going home with Brian to Kentucky?'  So Justin can answer that question and
Bryce can answer what it's like to go home with Lance to Mississippi." Mandy
stated.  Bryce glanced at Justin, waiting for him to move or to speak.
Justin gave Brian a quick look before smiling quietly.  "Going home with
Brian is always relaxing for me.  His mom always makes home-cooked meals and
his dad always sits and talks with me.  They accept me for me and really
treat me like a son." Justin said happily.  He let his hand creep back into
Brian's lap and rest on his thigh.  "Brian's always so laidback and
comfortable around his family.  He's great to see his parents so into
spending time with Bastian because it gives me and Brian a chance to get
back to normal." Justin added, keeping his eyes on Brian as he spoke.  Brian
felt a rush of blood spread across his cheeks and he lowered his head with a
smile.
		Bryce wrapped his arms around Lance's neck and grinned.  That was the kind
of love he aspired to reach.  "Bryce?" Mandy prompted, causing the dazed man
to smile goofily.  "Uhm, let's see... being at home with Lance is so special
to me because his family always makes me feel like I'm one of them.  Stacy
always hangs out with me and takes me places around Clinton and his parents
are really caring.  They treat me like I've been the love of Lance's life
for years and it always makes me feel like there's something I want all the
time." Bryce replied, his voice drifting softer.  He felt Lance looking
upward and he couldn't find th strength to look down.  "That's because I
told them that it feels like we've been in love for years." Lance said, his
deep voice serenading Bryce's heart.  Bryce swallowed hard and glanced
downward, watching a smile spread over Lance's face.  He didn't have to
speak.  His eyes told his story, his thoughts.
		Mandy grinned at the couples.  She flipped through the book again and
stopped on a page.  "Okay, the next question is 'What was a typical date
like with Brian?  Did you ever double-date with other members of the
Backstreet Boys?'" she stated, lowering the book when she finished reading
the question.  Brian leaned back into the couch as Justin laid his legs
across Brian's lap.  "He's a romantic.  He always wants to do something
romantic when we go out.  He likes to go to the quiet spots where not too
many people bother us and we can be us.  But Brian's always fun too.  He'll
take me to the carnival or to the arcade or any place where we can have fun
together." Justin replied, keeping his eyes lowered.  "Have you guys
double-dated with the guys from the BSB before?" Mandy wondered, tilting her
head to the side.  Justin looked up at his husband with curious eyes.  "Not
really.  I mean, if it's a get-together where everyone is there, I guess you
can count that.  We've double-dated with Britney and Joey a lot and we've
been out with Chris and Meelah and Irish and her boyfriend." Justin
responded.  "And we've been out with Lance and Bryce." Brian added, taking a
quick glimpse at the other couple.  Justin nodded, leaning forward to be
closer to his husband.
		"What about you two?" Bryan questioned, staring at Lance and Bryce.  Bryce
raised his brow before looking at Bryan.  "Lance is a homebody.  He likes to
spend time at home.  We'll go to clubs occasionally, but we like to spend
quality time at his place or mine.  It's harder for us to go out to
restaurants and stuff because the public doesn't know about us, but we do it
when we feel like it." Bryce said.  "But we like our time at home because
it's peaceful and special." Lance added with a small smile.  "What about
those double-dates?" Mandy questioned with a knowing smile.  Lance blushed
quickly and turned his head away.  "Mandy, we all know that you and Bryan
are pretty much the only folks we double-date with." Bryan chimed, hugging
onto Lance.  "Don't forget about us." Justin called out, laughing lowly.
"Them too." Bryce teased, motioning toward Brian and Justin.  Lance giggled
deeply and intertwined his fingers with Bryce's, striving to be closer to
his boyfriend.
		Mandy giggled to herself as she flipped through the book.  "There's just
so much we don't know." she said softly, cocking an eyebrow upward when
viewing pictures of Brian and Samantha together.  "Are you sure this isn't a
way for you to find out all of their deep, dark, juicy secrets?" Bryan
joked, gliding his fingers over his girlfriend's waist.  Mandy smiled even
harder, her eyes twinkling in that way that caused for questioning.  She
folded strainds of her blonde hair behind her ear and winked at her
boyfriend.  "Oh Lord." Lance groaned, throwing a hand over his eyes while
withholding a laugh.  "The next question is 'Is Brian a good kisser?'" Mandy
beamed, lowering the book with a michevious smile.  Blush rushed Brian's
thin cheeks and he lowered his head.  "Could this get anymore embarassing
for you?" Bryan questioned him, grinning wickedly.  Brian shook his head
quickly, giggling lowly.
		Justin scratched the back of his shortly cropped hair.  He licked his lips
slowly and eyed his feet as they nervously padded against the side of the
couch.  "What was her response?" Justin wondered, laying his head to one
side with an innocent look of curiosity.  "Oh no you don't.  I'm not getting
you jealous." Mandy chimed, laying the book next to her boyfriend's legs.
Justin let a smirk creep out of the corner of his mouth before rolling his
eyes.  "Well... Brian's the best kisser I've ever met.  He might have small
lips, but he knows how to use them.  He always gives sweet kisses, nothing
too over the top and nothing too bland either.  I don't know... it's
just..." Justin stopped mid-sentence and turned to Brian.  He found those
pretty pastel blue eyes and he had to swallow his heart.  There he was, a
romantic in all forms.  Just his eyes were a potrait of a summer romance.
There was no fighting a love that beautiful.
		Justin reached his hand up and latched onto Brian's collar, quickly
pulling him forward.  He pressed his lips to Brian's and waited.  It was
just that easy.  His husband responded immediately, brushing their lips
together in a soft form.  Justin did not resist in running he tip of his
tongue over Brian's bottom lip before pulling back, his smile a true visual
rendering of an angel wrapped in pure white silk.  "There's no way I can
describe the way he kisses.  Just know he's a great kisser." Justin gushed,
his voice dipped in a caramel coating of love.  Brian smiled on him,
brushing the back of his hand over Justin's cheek.  "And he tastes like
candy too." Justin whispered, drowning in the eyes of his husband.
		Lance lost himself in Brian and Justin's display of affection.  He batted
his eyes like a child, fascinated by them.  'Is that what it's like to be
young and married and madly in love?' Lance pondered, scratching the fews
hairs that grew on his chin.  "Bryce, it's your turn." Mandy announced and
Lance let himself drift away from his thoughts.  "Can I answer this one?"
Lance requested immediately, halting his boyfriend from speaking.  "Sure."
Mandy replied loosely, sitting up with interest.  "Bryce knows how to and
when to kiss me.  He knows that kissing is an important part of a
relationship because it shows care and understanding.  He knows to kiss me
softly when I'm upset or stressed out and he knows that I like subtle kisses
when something is going right.  He kisses me quietly when I'm feeling sleepy
and he knows to kiss me passionately when we're in the mood.  Most
importantly, Bryce knows that when he kisses me, I feel what he feels and it
makes my love for him grow stronger and stronger." Lance stated, his voice
trembling with emotions he rarely expressed.
		He felt Bryce running fingers through his hair and he knew Bryce was going
to kiss him.  He knew those words were enough to stir up emotions inside of
Bryce that called for a kiss.  He tilted his head back and eyed his
boyfriend, tenderness grooving through Bryce's face.  "Can I kiss you now?"
Bryce whispered out his question, rubbing Lance's temples with his soft
fingers.  Lance shot him a quick smirk.  "Only if you want to." Lance
whispered back.  There wasn't a need for prompting.  Bryce leaned down
quickly and their lips met with a spark of fire that rushed through their
blood.  It was the right kiss for the right moment from the right couple.
		The doorbell chimed and eyes drew away from Bryce and Lance as Britney
rushed through the foyer.  "I'll get it ya'll." she cheered as she passed.
"Looks like this game is over ya'll." Mandy announced, standing up and
dropping the book into her boyfriend's lap.  She stretched laungidly while
Lynn entered the living room with Autumn curled up in her arms.  "This
little girl is just too cute." Lynn said with her heavy country accent.
Brian traced his fingers over the spikey ends of Justin's hair as his
husband scooted forward to view their daughter.  "She's a doll." Justin
agreed, folding his arms over his knees and leaning on them.
		"You know, the silent treatment isn't always the best way to greet
someone." Joey called out as Britney trudged through the living room, her
head high but her demeanor filled with flames.  "It works for me." she
snapped back, keeping her head forward as she moved through the room.  Joey
quickly followed her into the room, slowing his pace when he felt the eyes
of his friends on him.  "Hey Joe, what happened to Kelly?" Lance questioned
his friend, briefly pulling Joey's concentration from Britney.  "Took her
home." Joey replied in a curt tone, peering at Britney with unwanted
aggravation.  He had dealt with months of deep stares and little words.  He
grew weary of the thought of never being able to know Britney as a friend
again.  But did he ever?  Was their every waking moment together just their
relationship?  Didn't they know each other as more than boyfriend and
girlfriend?  Joey hoped so.
		Justin cleared his throat loudly as he stood from his seat on the couch.
His husband followed him with slower movements, stretching behind Justin as
Justin adjusted his shirt.  "Well, since most of you are here, I suppose
this would be an opportune time to make an announcement." Justin said in a
clear voice.  Brian rested his hand on Justin's shoulder and gave it a light
squeeze.  It was an added boost of confidence.  It was a small gesture that
Justin needed but never asked for.  "I hope they don't plan on telling us
that they want to adopt another kid." Joey joked quietly to Lance, grinning
smugly as a few eyes flocked his way.
		"Hey, I wanna tell 'em." Brian spoke up, stepping up to his husband's
side.  Justin turned to Brian with his brow lowered.  "But I'm going to tell
them." Justin whined.  "No, I wanna tell them." Brian grinned out, speaking
slowly to tease his husband.  Justin pouted.  "But I'm going to." Justin
fussed, his face wrinkling up.
		Brian raised a hand and rested it on Justin's cheek, rubbing it with a
tender touch.  He lunged in briskly and situateed his lips against Justin's,
kissing the ruddy lips with mild passion.  He swiped his tongue across
Justin's teeth and shuffled his lips against Justin's with smaller kisses.
He briskly pulled back and shot Justin a cocky smirk.
		Justin's mouth hung open.  He squinted his eyes and sighed.  It was a
tricky move, beyond underhanded.  He didn't think Brian was capable of it,
but his husband was.  "Cheater." Justin hissed out, smiling loosely at his
husband.  "I know." Brian whispered back, rubbing a thumb over Justin's
bottom lip before turning to the others.
		"Well, Britney and Joey are already Angel's godparents.  They were there
the whole time I was trying to surprise Justin with Angel and they've been
there for Timber whenever we needed them to be.  Now that we have Autumn,
we've noticed that there's two other people that have stood by us the whole
way." Brian declared, holding his husband's hand happily.  Justin gave
Brian's hand a light squeeze and leaned his head on Brian's shoulder.  "We
figured that these two would truly be there for Autumn, especially since one
of them helped us get both Angel and Autumn." Brian added, turning his eyes
on Bryce and Lance as he spoke.  Bryce's face went taut and his eyes grew in
size.  "We want Lance and Bryce to be Autumn's godfathers." Justin finally
announced, stealing Brian's glory from him.  Brian huffed quietly while
Justin grinned, pressing his lips against Brian's cheek for a small peck.
		Cheers cascaded and fell with a spark of joy rushing throughout the room.
"Congratulations." Mandy cheered, rubbing Lance's shoulder while Bryan
patted both Lance and Bryce's backs.  Bryce swallowed quickly and grinned,
the announcement playing blissful melodies in his heart.  It's official?" he
questioned, a gleam of hopefullnes in his eyes.  Brian and Justin nodded
with laughter.  "We don't have any official contracts drawn up or anything,
but it's pretty official." Brian teased, sliding his arm around Justin.  It
was a small gesture but he knew what it meant.  It meant he wanted to share
the pride with Justin.  He wanted to know his husband stood by him for this
decision and that nothing would change their mind.
		Lance couldn't move.  He couldn't speak.  He could only think, contemplate
why such a heavy burden was so easily placed on him.  Godfather?  The man
that would have to be there on birthdays?  The one that would surely be
there when the child was baptised?  What if he parted ways with Bryce?  What
if the romance was only meant for the moment and not for eternity?  He
wouldn't know how to be in the same room with Bryce if things went sour like
they did with Britney.  Yet, Justin was trusting him to be the godfather to
his first daughter?  Him and not JC or Chris or AJ.  Hell, Lance was only
but an usher at Justin's wedding.  A fucking usher and now he was a
godfather.
		"Why?" he blutered out and, somehow, he wish he hadn't.  He saw that look
in Justin's eyes, the one that told him that Justin was hurt by the
question.  The one that said Justin knew of his doubts but wanted Lance to
trust him.  "Because Lance, you and Bryce have been there for me and Justin.
  You've been real supportive of us and especially when it comes to being
parents." Brian replied with a slowly fading smile.
		Lance shyly slid his hands into his pockets.  He wanted to understand, but
it was hard to.  It couldn't have been as easy as words.  "Lance... we want
you to be Autumn's godfather because I know if there's one person I can
trust to care for my daughter like he cares for me, it's you.  Not JC or AJ
or Nick or anyone else.  Sure, Chris is like a brother to me but that makes
him more of an uncle with less attachment.  But you... you're a true friend
to me and though we've had differences, now, I feel that you're more than
deserving to hold a place in my family's life." Justin said in an
appreciative tone.  He took a step forward and Lance flinched.  "Please be
Autumn's godfather." Justin whispered his plea, his doughy blue eyes circled
with want and his lips forming a pout that Lance didn't want to deny.
		He felt prickly tears strike his eyes and this was what he needed.  A
reminder.  Something that told him that he truly was one of Justin's closest
and most trusted friends.  Just a touch of reality that made him think that
Brian loved him like a friend too.  "It would be an honor and a blessing to
be your daughter's godfather." Lance finally choked out with a strained
smile.  Justin smiled back and embraced his friend, hugged him with a thank
you that was unspoken.
		"Aaaww, see Jenny, I told you we were missing all the good moments." Trace
Ayala, Justin's childhood best friend, said humorously, standing in the
entryway of the living room with his girlfriend, Jenny Morris, by his side.
Justin separated from Lance with a childish grin, glancing over his shoulder
to look at his friend.  "You should've got here earlier when we were playing
Candy Land and braiding each other's hair." Justin joked, keeping an arm
around Lance's shoulder as he faced his friend.  Trace shot him a thick
smile.  "What hair J?" Trace teased, pointing toward his friend's short-cut
hair.  "Same to you." Justin laughed back.  Trace quickly swept his hand
over his own hair, a short mess of hairs trying to curl again.  Trace let
his hand fall over his face and run over the beard he was growing.  "Well,
you suck anyway." Trace snickered back, grabbing Jenny's hand and leading
her into the room.  "Uhm, no comment." Justin giggled, pulling his arm from
Lance and approaching his friend.
		Mandy stood stiff and quiet as Jenny passed by.  She had no words for her.
  Nothing.  There was only that quite, aching tension of two people, once
friends, now nothing but people again.  She could remember how Jenny freely
agreed to fire Lynn Harless as Innosense's manager, how her only concern was
Trace and his position with the group.  Then when Trace brokeup with Jenny
before Valentine's Day, the care for the group slowly diminished.  Trace
wanted to stay with Lynn and Jenny was torn because she loved him more than
she did the other four friends she had in the group.  And Mandy, her best
friend, the one person she thought understood didn't.  For a man, she left
the group.  For one man, she ended friendships and abandoned the group she
fought so hard to be a part of.  For this man, Jenny learned the meaning of
hate because she could feel that Mandy hated her more than anything.
		Trace toyed with Autumn's small, delicate fingers as his girlfriend held
her, cooing at the child.  "Yeah, she's a cutie." Trace remarked, looking up
to Justin.  Justin licked out a smile and nodded.  "That she is." Justin
agreed softly.  "And you're a father again, all before the age of
twenty-one." Trace added, staring at his friend with grand concern in his
expression.  Justin sighed lowly and turned his eyes to his daughter.  He
didn't want to hear this again, not from Trace or his mother or Johnny
Wright or anyone.  Anytime he made a serious decision, whether it was dating
Brian or falling in love with Brian or marrying Brian or adopted his first
child, he had to be questioned.  He had to hear Trace's concerns or Johnny's
doubts or friend's insecurities.  There was never a unified agreeance when
it came to his decisions.  He hated it.
		"Trace, you know this is what I want.  I want to have a family and I want
to continue to be with the guys from *NSYNC.  I want to live my life with
Brian and I want everyone to support me." Justin said, his heart carried in
each word.  He nibbled on his lower lip and glared at Trace with a furrowed
brow and glassy eyes.  "I know buddy.  I just have to make sure you're
getting what you want in life." Trace said with an undulating smile.  Justin
smiled back and his heart rested, secure in the spot it belonged.
		The sun sparkled, glimmered, and brought illusions to the sky when
reflecting off the pool water.  The images revealed beauty and innocence,
two things that were devoid from this relationship.  She couldn't believe
she was on the deck, listening to the melody of her heart, wishing it would
stop.  She was out there with him, her ex-boyfriend, the one man that was
able to hurter her more than Justin.  Even closing her eyes tightly and
throwing a penny into a fountain, making a wish that only she could hope
would come true, didn't help her situation.  The heat of the day only heated
her pain and anger.
		"So why'd you take home that girl?" Britney questioned, letting the soft
breeze catch her hair.  She turned her almond eyes on Joey, letting the
crease in her brow and the tight formation of her lips express her distrust
of him.  "Because it was hurting you." Joey replied gently.  He didn't look
at her.  He didn't have the audacity to.  He knew that she hurt a little too
much to handle him looking at her, judging her.  "What was hurting me?"
Britney asked innocently, but she knew he knew.  They were together for two
years; how could he not know?  It was right there, in her eyes, when he
looked at them.  If only for a brief second, he knew it all.
		Joey turned in her direction, stepped closer to her, but he didn't touch
her.  He looked at her with soft eyes and a quiet smile.  "I don't love her.
  I don't know if I ever will, but she's someone new.  Someone to help me
get over you." Joey declared in that voice that reminded Britney why she had
so many feelings for him.  "You're using her then?" Britney questioned in a
sharp tongue.
		Wasn't it supposed to get easier?  After months of being apart, it was
supposed to be easier to talk to each other.  They should've been past it,
but they weren't and Joey was the first to admit it.  "I'm not using her.
I'm exploring my life without the woman I loved for over two years.  I'm
trying to find out who I am without her and Kelly is helping me." Joey
disagreed without the condescending voice that he knew Britney wanted him to
use.  He refused to hurt her.  He wanted her to know, to understand his
choices.
		"I hope she helps you find your inner Joey then." Britney hissed, pulling
stray strands of hair from her face.  Joey shook his head and sighed.  He
laid a hand on her shoulder, massaging it lightly.  His thumb brushed over
the baby soft skin and he was flooded.  The feel of her skin was something
he'd never forget.  He'd never forget that night in Hawaii where she gave
her soul or the days he held her, the nights he loved her and the moments
her skin under his meant that she wanted to be near him and wanted to be
loved by him.  It meant she was his forever in that second of touch.
		"I'm not going to pretend that I'm over us Britney, but if I can't find a
sign that you forgive me and want me back, then I guess I can't wait." Joey
whispered to her, his hand rising to run through her honey-blonde hair.
Britney leaned into the touch but she knew she wasn't supposed to.  She
wasn't supposed to feel those feelings for him because he cheated on her.
He was the one that broke the relationship and she wasn't supposed to repair
it, was she?  She was the one who was supposed to walk away and forget that
he loved her better than any man ever tried to.  "I'm the one who's supposed
to say I can't wait.  I'm the one who shouldn't forgive you for cheating
because if you can do it once, you can do it again." Britney said quietly,
closing her eyes.  "Why not Brit'?  Nick forgave JC.  Amanda forgave AJ.
Brian forgave Justin..." Joey argued with a lowered tone, disappointed in
her refusal to let the pain end easily.  "That doesn't mean they aren't
capable of doing it again." Britney replied, lowering her head.  "Even
Justin?" Joey questioned quickly, looking for just a spot of hesitation.
"Even Justin." Britney whispered and let her feelings catch flight in the
casual breeze.
		Brian watched them with concerned eyes.  'I wonder if they'll ever get
back to where they were?' Brian thought, searching Joey and Britney's faces
for a chance.  He couldn't see it.  He wanted to, but he couldn't.
		"I wonder what they're talking about." Mandy remarked while drying a wet
bowl from the many dishing that Lance had just sprayed clean.  "Love." Lance
replied flatly, splashing water onto another dish with his eyes lowered.  He
concentrated on the dishes instead of the constant push and pull between his
friends.  He had been there.  He had experienced it enough to know he'd
never do it again.  He'd never leave himself that vulnerable after a breakup
because he had Nick and he had JC and he had memories of endlessl nights of
tears because of them.
		Brian cleared his throat and scrubbed a cup clean while continuing to
watch Britney and Joey.  "I know how it is for her.  It's just not that easy
to forgive someone when they hurt you like that." Brian stated lowly,
holding back painful black and white images from his mind.  He let his eyes
fall to the water he scrubbed the next dish in.  "But you did, Brian.  I
think that was so noble of you.  That's real love." Mandy noted, glancing at
her friend with a sincere expression.  Brian sucked in his lower lip and let
the dimples rise in his cheeks as he tried to smile.  "It's hard not to love
Justin." Brian said softly, blushing speckling across his cheeks.  "Oh, but
how we try." Lance joked, playfully splashing a few drops of water on Brian.
  Brian and Mandy laughed with him, pulling their eyes away from Britney and
Joey.
		Mandy strung her hair up in a ponytail and turned to the table still
decorated in plates of food.  "You know, I bet a lot of our friends thought
those two were going to be the next to get married." Mandy commented,
folding her arms over her chest.  She let out a quick exhale, blowing her
bangs upward and out of her way.  "I did." Brian said shortly, drying his
hands.  He tossed the dishtowel on the counter and began filling the
cabinets with the clean dishes.  "I sorta thought they were next to make
that move.  Two years is quite a long time for young people." Lance agreed
brightly, twisting the silver ring that adorned his right hand.  He watched
Mandy shifting through cabinets in search of plastic wrap with intense eyes.
  "Then again, I thought maybe you and Bryan would take that big step
Manny." Lance remarked slyly.  Mandy glanced over her shoulder with a
distrustful grin.  "Me?  Mrs. Deas?" she questioned, arching one of her
eyebrows.  Lance nodded proudly, the corners of his mouth raising into a
quiker smirk.  Mandy rolled her eyes and returned to her task.  "Maybe next
year Oh Sappy One." Mandy teased.
		Lance leaned against the counter with his elobows, his shoulders haunching
up as he slouched.  His light green eyes acught Brian staring at him,
smiling sweetly.  He raised his brow inquisitively before asking, "What?"
Brian winked at him quickly.  "Oh nothing Mr. Winters... I mean Mr. Bass."
Brian joked coyly, turning from Lance.  Mandy did not surpress her laughter
at the comment.  Lance scrunched his face quickly before sticking his tongue
out at his friend.  "You know, everyone does think that you're going to
propose to Bryce pretty soon." Mandy sung out to him, patting his shoulder
as she passed.
		Lance sighed loudly and leaned off the counter, adjusting his ring
nervously.  "Well..." he let the words hang as he hoisted himself up onto
the counter.  He let his feet bang against the polished wood as he stared
down at his hand.  "Can you two keep a secret?" he asked in a quiet voice,
lifting his eyes for confirmation.  "Sure can." Brian chimed while Mandy
nodded.  "I'm madly in love with that man!" Lance called out, a tingly
giggle proceeding his words.  Brian groaned with frustration.  "That's the
secret?" Mandy asked with arrogance lacing her healthy southern accent.
Lance nodded happily, a thick shade of blush rushing through his cheeks.
"Well gosh Lancey, I didn't even know you were gay." Mandy cooed mockingly,
flipping her hand in his direction.  Lance grinned wickedly.  "Couldn't you
tell by his unusually good fashon taste." Brian joked, tapping Lance's knee
while mouthing the word 'down' to him.  Lance briskly hopped off the counter
and straightened his clothing.  "I guess that would explain why he's always
walking around like something's shoved up his ass." Mandy remarked cooly,
ruffling Lance's hair with her hand.  Brian snickered quietly, slipping past
the two with a lowered head.
		"Hey, low blow." Lance scoffed, pushing Mandy's hand away with a friendly
smile.  "Yeah, you wish you had a..." Lance threw his hand over Mandy's
mouth, stopping her, halting the words that dared to slip from her mouth.
Mandy gasped under the hand before looking downward.  She eyed Angel as he
trotted into the kitchen, a wide smile on his petite lips and his eyes
brighter than the stars.  "Dad!  The baby happy." Angel babbled out, rushing
to his father's side.  Brian smiled down at him cheerfully.  He brushed a
hand over Angel's head before sliding a few more plates of food onto the
counter.  "Are you playing nicely with your new little sister Timber?" Brian
asked as he edged by Angel, carrying a dish toward the refrigerator.  Angel
nodded happily and quickly dashed after his father.  "She.. she and Uncle
T... playing." Angel stumbled out, tugging on the hem of his father's pants
for needed attention.  It was something Angel never desired to be without.
He adored attention from his fathers and he felt the world glow when he had
it.
		Brian glanced down at him with a playful smile.  He couldn't deny Angel a
smile.  It unthinkable.  The look in Angel's eyes revealed the need to be
loved and adored and that look warmed Brian.  He placed the food into the
refrigerator and closed the door before kneeling down to stare at his son.
He brushed his hand over Angel's face, watching the bright smile on Angel's
face glow.  Angel's eyes were perfect for getting lost in.  They were all
Brian had to keep him positive sometimes.  The light shades of blue that
spread evenly throught his eyes told the story of a child that knew nothing
but love and joy.
		"Do you love Autumn a lot?" Brian questioned Angel.  His fingers traced
the roundness of Angel's cheeks while his eyes stayed focused on Angel's.
Angel proudly nodded, sucking in his lower lip to hide his glee.  "And you
love Daddy a lot?" Brian asked, cupping Angel's chin.  "Yep." Angel chimed,
tilting his head to one side.  Brian giggled softly at the action.  Angel's
shyness was beyond description.  It came in like the rains and disappeared
like the eclipse.  "Do you love me a lot?" Brian asked finally.  Angel's
docile eyes answered the question before it was finished.  "A whole lot." he
whispered back.  "How much?" Brian wondered, teasing his son.  Angel
stretched his arms in opposite directions, offering his father a dign to
answer his inquiry.  "That's my boy!" Brian cheered, sweeping Angel into his
arms quickly before tickling him wildly.  Angel fell into Brian's arms,
laughing loudly as his father tickled him.
		The foreign sound of another child's crying and whimpering unexpectedly
interrupted Brian and Angel's laughter.  Brian pulled back from Angel and
peeked his head up, eyeing Lynn as she entered the kitchen.  "I don't think
this little gal is too happy right now." Lynn said with a heavy country
accent.  She rocked Autumn in her arms, hoping to silence the child's
uncontainable cries.  Brian frowned slightly, standing from his position
with Angel still embedded in his arms.  "She's probably sleepy." Brian
stated lowly while carrying Angel toward his mother-in-law.  "I'm sure
that's what it is.  She probably needs a bottle and a good nap." Lynn
agreed.  "And this little guy is probably tired too." Mandy remarked while
running a hand over Angel's soft hair.  Angel grinned at her and Mandy stuck
her tongue out at the toddler.  Brian nodded, carefully petting his
daughter's hair.
		"Hmmm, somebody doesn't sound too happy." Justin said as he walked into
the kitchen, Trace following closely behind.  "Say 'Daddy, I'm so very
tired.'" Lynn cooed at the infant.  Autumn continued to cry in her
grandmother's arms, her face turning a bright shade of red.  Justin opened
his arms and accepted his daughter with a small smile.  "Aaaww, it's okay
Autumn." Justin gushed, wiping away her tears with his finger.  He felt
something inside of him rupture as he watched her cry.  This was his
daughter now.  When she cried, he hurt.  "You should probably take her
upstairs to calm her down." Lance advised, watching from behind Justin as
Justin pet Autumn's face.  Justin nodded and glanced up to Brian, a sign in
his eyes calling on Brian.  Brian offered him a dimunitive smile and nodded
toward the stairs.  Justin turned and made a quiet exit, striving to hush
his daughter as he, Brian, and Angel headed for the stairs.
		Strips of pink laced themselves throught the yellow-painted room.  Various
stuffed animals adorned the dresser while painted balloons gave life to one
of the walls.  Each wall held a name scripted into it, from Brian to Justin
to Lea to Angel to Autumn.  The two lamps sat in the room were ceramic
angels and the crib sat next to a rocking chair in one corner of the room,
completing the look needed to comfort a small child.
		Justin carried Autumn toward the crib while humming a soft tune that only
he knew.  Brian followed with Angel still sitting curiously in his arms.
"Nap?" Angel asked quietly, his head turning to Brian.  Brian nodded with a
mute answer.  He focused his concentration on Justin as he carefully laid
Autumn down in the crib.  The care, the gentle touches brought back colorful
memories for Brian.  He could see images of Justin laying Angel down in his
crib, patting his back and giving him a pacifier just as Justin did with
Autumn.  It was surreal for him.  'God, I was blessed with a good man.  He's
so good with kids.' Brian thought as he took a seat in the rocking chair,
turning Angel so that his son could watch Justin.
		"It's okay honey, Daddy's here." Justin said softly, rubbing Autumn's back
to calm her.  Autumn sniffled loudly, closing her eyes as Justin rocked her.
  She could feel the warmth of her father's body as he leaned down.  "Don't
cry sweetheart." Justin whispered, kissing the top of Autumn's head.  Autumn
sucked greedily on her pacifier, keeping her eyes shut as fewer tears
escaped them.  She listened to Justin hum a song and she relaxed when
hearing her father's softly, lulling voice sing to her.

	I'll always remember
	It was late afternoon
	It lasted forever
	And it ended so soon, yeah

	You were all by yourself
	Staring up at a dark gray sky
	And I was changed

		Justin smoothed his hand across Autumn's small back as he sang.  He closed
his eyes and concentrated, trying to rmember the lyrics he had heard Mandy
Moore sing only a few times.  He brushed his thumb along the back of his
daughter's head, ruffling the blonde hair that rested there.  He could feel
her calming down, relaxing under his touch.  He dared not to smile, to think
he had accomplished the task of bringing his daughter to ease.  He just sang
for her, only for her.

	In places no one would find
	All your feelings so deep inside (Deep inside)
	It was there that I realized
	That forever was in your eyes
	The moment I saw you cry

	Cry
	Moment that I saw you cry

		Justin batted his eyes open and stared at Autumn.  Her face was that of a
newborn angel, one he had seen before.  It was sweet, soft, peaceful and
everything he loved about his son's expression when he began to fall asleep.
  He let a miniature smile caress his lips as he brushed his hand along her
back.  He'd give it all up.  He'd leave behind his career and his fame and
his money to see those moments nightly.  He didn't mind losing it all when
he had Angel and Autumn.  They were links in his life he would never risk
losing.  They were his son and his daughter, adopted or not.  They were he
and Brian's children.  They were a rainbow that gave Justin hope he never
thought he'd have when he and Brian fell in love.

	It was late in September
	And I'd seen you before
	You were always the cold one
	But I was never that sure

	You were all by yourself
	Staring up at a dark gray sky
	And I was changed

		Justin glanced upward and found Brian's calming blue eyes.  He smiled at
his husband, leaning back to take in Brian's beauty.  Brian smiled back at
him, Angel fast asleep in his arms.  Justin tried not to giggle at his son's
obviously uncomfortable position.  He shook his head as Brian continued to
rock back and forth in the chair, keeping their son quiet and sleep.  'Love
you.' Justin mouthed to his husband, his expression more than sincere.
'Love you too.' Brian mouthed back, winking at Justin.  He adjusted himself
in the chair and tuned out the world, focusing on the sound of Justin's
angelic voice.

	And I wanted to hold you
	I wanted to make it go away
	And I wanted to know you
	I wanted to make your everything all right...

	I'll always remember
	It was late afternoon
	In places in no one will find

		Brian cautiously stood from the rocking chair, clutching Angel tightly.
His son whimpered softly but remained asleep in his arms.  He lifted his son
a little higher into his arms and slowly carried him away from the chair.
He stopped near Justin, smiling innocently at him.  Justin leaned forward
and left a small kiss on the tip of Brian's nose.  "Hurry back." he
whispered to Brian, rubbing his side.  Brian nodded and for some reason, he
knew what it meant.  He knew that touch.  It meant something deep.  He
licked his lips and carried Angel out of Autumn's room and to his own,
thinking of nothing other than his family.

	In places no one would find
	All your feelings so deep inside (Deep inside)
	It was there that I realized
	That forever was in your eyes
	The moment I saw you cry

		The situation felt too perfect, almost a fantasy for him.  When he had
walked down stairs, after laying his daughter to rest, all of his friends
and family had gone.  They left cards and well wishes, cleaning up the
kitchen and living room before they made their silent exit.  They had left
them alone, to be together, to cherish their time in peace.
		Then, without expectancy, he found himself kissing his husband in the
middle of the hall, the silence of the house urging them further with slow
touches and smooth tongues.  He couldn't deny that he had wanted that all
day.  A smooth, tasty kiss from his husband was what he desired, but to
receive one without requesting was pure pleasure.  When Brian had lifted the
front of his shirt and crept pliant fingers across his navel, smoothing down
that kinky path of hair that ran from his navel into his jeans, he released
a soft moan into the kiss.  He melted into his husband's arms and accepted
all of the touches, quick kisses and whispered words of lust with closed
eyes and an open mouth.
		Now, sitting on his knees in his bed, completely devoid of clothing, he
felt aroused, inspired, and very sexual.  The ruffled comfort under him kept
his legs warm as the night's light crept into the bedroom.  He ran a hand
over his shaved head, ruffling the prickly strands of hair while his hooded
eyes watched Brian approach him slowly, seductively.  He let a quick smile
curl on his lips as he hugged himself, eyeing Brian draw closer and closer.
		Brian was beautiful naked.  There was nothing about him Justin could not
want to kiss or grab.  The way the light traced over his pecs, showing off
his semi-muscular form helped to raise the tempature in Justin's lower body.
  He watched the scar draw a line down the middle of Brian's chest before
letting his eyes watched the muscles flex in Brian's stomach.  He wanted to
wrap his hand around Brian's semi-erect penis, bring it to life and touch
the thick organ.  He inadvertly licked his lips when he looked at Brian's
arms and the way they bulged as Brian acrried objects toward the bed.
		Justin spread his legs shyly as Brian crawled onto the bed.  Justin
nibbled his lower lip and tilted his head, adoring Brian openly.  "Now we
have to be quiet because Autumn's room is right next to ours." Brian said
softly, placing four small jars onto the bed.  Justin sucked in his lower
lip and nodded, keeping his arms wrapped around himself.  He felt Brian's
eyes on him and he winked at him.  "Are you trying to play the shy, sex
kitten role?" Brian asked with a playful voice.  Justin nodded before
grinning.  He listened to his husband's flirtatious giggle as he pulled his
legs from under himself, keeping his knees bent and his legs openly
inviting.  "Well it looks good on you babe." Brian whispered, leaning
forward to lay a gentle kiss on Justin's lips.
		Justin unfolded his arms and allowed one of his hands to grab the back of
Brian's head, holding him in the kiss.  Het let his head tilt even further
to the side, intensifying the kiss with slight hesitation.  His husband's
hands rested on his inner thighs, giving them a small squeeze.  Justin
smiled to himself and let his tongue slink out of his mouth and into Brian's
open mouth.  He felt Brian rake his teeth along his tongue, squeezing
Justin's thighs a little harder.
		"Mmmmm." Brian hummed, feeling Justin's tongue lick against the roof of
his mouth.  He pulled back with a grin, flicking his tongue against's
Justin's as he retreated.  Justin moaned impatiently and Brian pushed him
back slightly, letting Justin rest his back against the headboard of the
bed.  He scooted in between of Justin's open legs, dropping the four jars
between them.  He leaned to one side and kissed Justin's bent knee, palming
sturdy, hairy thighs as he hummed to a melody breathing into the room.
		Justin wanted to close his eyes and listen to the song, let Brian touh him
and kiss him while he took in the sexuality of the song wavering through the
room.  He listened to the Arabic melody with open, wandering eyes.  He
glanced down and stared at the four jars, two of them dangerously close to
his balls.  He reached down curiously and lifted them.  He knew what they
were.  He knew the jars were filled with edible body paint, something he
blushed at when buying them, but he had forgotten what flavors he had
purchased.  The first jar was vanilla, followed by blueberry, peach, and
pineapple.  'Mmm, I wonder how pineapple would taste on him... though, I
have tasted pineapple on him before.' Justin thought to himself, smiling
helplessly.  He twisted open the vanilla jar and stared at the substance
within as Brian kissed his jaw.
		Justin curiously dipped a finger into the cool liquid.  "I thought couples
were supposed to be kinky when they're dating and lose all of this when they
got married." Justin commented as Brian's lips drifted higher.  Brian
snickered near Justin's bottom lip, tentatively licking it to grow accustom
to the taste once more.  "We're a special couple Justin." Brian stated,
looking up at his husband.  Justin nodded with a proud smile.  He withdrew
his finger and stared at the cream-colored substance.  "Hmmm." he hummed,
running the finger across Brian's lower lip.  He smiled when viewing the
glossy smear it left across his husband's bottom lip.  "Looks good on you."
Justin said before leaning in.  He took Brian's bottom lip between his own
lips, sucking longly on the flesh.  Brian moaned quietly, grabbing Justin's
torso for support.
		Justin traced Brian's lip with the tip of his tongue, closing his eyes as
he spread the paint through his mouth.  He pulled back, smacking his lips
happily as Brian's eyes rolled to the back of his head.  He couldn't hold
back his grin as he used the back of his hand to wipe off the remaining
paint from Brian's lip.  "Tastes like you." Justin chimed, immersing his
index and middle finger into the jar.  He watched Brian regain composure as
he lifted his fingers again.  "That felt nice." Brian sighed out, pulling
Justin closer.
		Justin lightened his smile while staring into Brian's blue, lust-filled
eyes.  "Maybe I should see if it tastes that good everywhere?" Justin
suggested, brushing his fingers down the middle of Brian's chest, leaving a
healthy coating of the paint in the shadows of his fingers.  He kept a
steady gaze with Brian, letting a crooked smile emerge.  He dropped his
hands to Brian's lap and waited, letting time guide his actions.
		The cool, gelatinous paint caused Brian to shiver briefly.  He took in the
beat of the song as Justin leaned forward and ran his smooth tongue over the
center of his chest.  He wrapped his arms around his husband's head, holding
him there as he licked and kissed his scar and his pecs.  His breath had
lost its even, steady flow and he knew he would never forget these kisses.

	The desert I wander lacks its mirage
	There's no mistaking the barrage
	Of sand and wind that tears my skin
	Leaving what's without, exposing what's within

	Forsaken, left here in my barren desolate...

		Justin withdrew from Brian's chest, licking his lips, tasting nothing but
vanilla and Brian.  He preferred the taste of Brian, but the added taste of
vanilla didn't hurt any.  His eyes watched Brian's shaky hands open the jar
of peach while he lifted the vanilla jar.  He let the tip of his tongue
plunge into the jar, collecting paint on the edge of his tongue.  He
carefully carried the paint to Brian's smooth shoulder, rubbing it in there.
  His tongue trailed the paint down the upper portion of Brian's arm.  He
felt the cold paint circle his right nipple and he moaned quietly, kissing
away the vanilla from Brian's shoulder with an open mouth.  He scrapped his
teeth along Brian's taut muscles until he reached Brian's bicep.  He
smoldered a groan in Brian's skin as Brian pinched his nipple with wet,
sticky fingers, stimulating the nub into an erect piece of flesh.  He lifted
his head and pulled back some, permitting his husband to duck his head and
flick his tongue along the nipple.  He hissed loudly as Brian blew warm
breath along the skin.  The fingers of his left hand tangled themselves into
Brian's blonde hair while his right hand traced the muscles of his arms,
outlining the new tattoo that was etched around Brian's arm.
		He spelled out the letters to keep his mind away from the mind-numbing
feel of Brian's hot tongue on his nipple, licking at the erect nipple
without care.  'Autumn and Angel.' he thought to himself as he traced over
the black ink, the capital letters written close together and repetitively
around Brian's arm.  It was hard to read from far away, but up close, it was
easy to piece together what Brian had permanently scripted onto his body.
		"Mmmm, blueberry." Brian mumbled out as he kissed higher on Justin's
chest.  Justin let his eyes lazily fall shut as Brian's thumb plastered dabs
of the blueberry paint across his neck.  'When did he open that?' Justin
wondered, looking at the blue remains of the paint on Brian's hand.  He let
his eyes fall shut again as his husband left smooth kisses across his neck,
collecting the liquid.  "Oh Jesus..." Justin hissed out, spreading his legs
further as Brian moved in closer.  He felt the bottom of Brian's thick penis
brush against the head of his, drawing in breath quickly.  He swiped blobs
of vanilla and drew circles along Brian's wrist, lifting his husband's arm
to collect the artwork with his mouth.

	My soul is evaporating
	Won't you saturate me, won't you saturate me
	Rain down on me with life
	My soul is evaporating
	Won't you saturate me, won't you saturate me
	Storm around me, bring the tide

		Brian had Justin's left arm bent back, a thick, messy strip of blueberry
paint running along the underside of Justin's arm.  He licked his lips,
still tasting the peach paint from Justin's chin there.  He squinted his
eyes before inclining forward, flattening his tongue on Justin's skin and
pulling it upward, fathering the paint into his mouth.  He felt Justin's
right hand dance paint around the crack of his ass and he didn't resist his
husband's want.  He lifted himself higher and let Justin's mix the paint
with his own sweat.  He ran his tongue back downward, dragging his lips
along Justin's skin until reaching his fuzzy patch of blonde hair under his
arms.  He took in a breath of Justin's masculine scent while swallowing the
sweat and paint in his mouth.  "God, you taste good... and you smell good
too." Brian groaned, rubbing the tip of his nose into Justin's arm.
		He wrapped his fingers around Justin's wrist and lowered Justin's arm, his
other hand collecting more blueberry paint.  He outlined his husband's new
tattoo with the paint, leaving light brushes of the blue substance.  He
stared at the finely crafted cross on Justin's arm.  The way Justin's
muscles bunched and flexed caused Brian to shudder.  The added feel of a
finger penetrating his body did not help, but Brian concentrated on the now
blue tattoo, curcling his lip slightly as Justin burried his entire index
finger in him.  He bent down and licked away the paint, thinking of the
meaning behind the tattoo and the way it felt to hear Justin moan when his
tongue mapped out the formation of the tatoo over the large muscles of
Justin's arm.

	My days stretch long into the heat
	As the sun brightens my defeat
	My lips are chapped, they're parched and dry
	My thirst, it builds with every day gone by

	Forsaken, left here in my barren desolate...

		As Brian gripped his shoulders, lowering his body onto Justin's
vanilla-slicked penis, Justin drew the features of Brian's chiseled cheek
with his thumb and pineapple paint.  He dusted his middle finger over the
tip of Brian's nose and then over his lips, delicately applying the paint to
Brian's open mouth, listening to the grunts his husband released as he
adjusted to the feel of Justin's legnthy cock inside of his body.
		The fire that raged around Justin's cock made him flinch, his body
spasming upward and throwing Brian off blance.  Justin clutched his
husband's hips and held him steady, watching a single tear escape Brian's
eyes.  It must have been the beauty of the moment, the passion that was felt
between two aroused bodies.
		Justin stretched up and brushed his tongue over Brian's cheek and then his
lips and finally his nose.  He kissed away the paint with eager lips,
tasting what he knew was pure sugar and innocence.  "Oh baby..." his lover
groaned lowly, slowly riding him.  Justin kept his hands gripped around
Brian's waist, keeping him slow and cautious.  He felt Brian rub paint over
his naked collarbone and drift lower, leaving smudges of paint on his chest
and his stomach.  His own hand dared to move away and find a glob of spilled
paint on the sheets, gathering the peach liquid and rubbing it over Brian's
thigh.  "Mmmm, yes..." he moaned and slid backward, feeling Brian's muscles
constrict and suck on his aching dick.
		Brian batted his eyes open, letting his tongue hang out of his room.  The
heat swelled around his body.  Sweat, paint and a coating of stickiness
surrounded his naked form.  He lowered his head and lapped at Justin's
collarbone, tasting a healthy dose of paineapple.  He squeezed Justin's arms
as he rode Justin at a quicker pace, angling so that the head of Justin's
penis brushed against his prostate.  With every scrape came another moan and
another sparkling explosion inside of his heart.  He painted a heart on
Justin's chest with the blueberry paint, leaving it there to admire.  "Oh
baby, fuck..." he groaned as Justin spread a glob of pineapple over his
navel and pubic hair.  He felt Justin's cool hand wrap around his throbbing
dick and he knew it'd be over if he thought about it too hard.  If he looked
down and saw that multi-colored hand jerking him off, he'd lose all control
and release his seed before its time.

	My soul is evaporating
	Won't you saturate me, won't you saturate me
	Rain down on me with life
	My soul is evaporating
	Won't you saturate me, won't you saturate me
	Storm around me, bring the tide

		Brian garnished Justin's shoulder with drawings of a halo and a happy face
with pineapple paint, wrote the word 'sex' across Justin's upper chest and
splattered the remains of peach paint on Justin's nipples.  He sucked
roughly on Justin's nipple as Justin thrusted upward, taking an active role
in their love-making.  Brian tried not to think of the way Justin constantly
grunted in his ear, trying to stay quiet as the headboard lightly rocked
against the wall.  He smiled as Justin broke his silence, calling out as he
flexed his ass muscles.  "You're killing me baby..." Justin groaned,
throwing his head backward.  Brian bit back his own need for release as
Justin played with the head of his cock, spreading precum and paint over his
cock.  "Want me to stop?" Brian asked, licking away the smiley face from
Justin's shoulder.  He listened to a low hiss and felt Justin massage the
cleft of his ass, keeping the steady upward thrusts become softer.  "No...
no, no, no... don't stop Rocky..." Justin pleaded, lifting his head.  Brian
nodded and leaned forward, locking his lips with Justin's.
		Justin let heavy pants express his love.  He closed his eyes tightly,
holding everything he had inside.  He wanted it to last.  He wanted it to be
more than beautiful.  He wanted their love-making to be an immortal painting
in his mind.  It couldn't be just good sex.  It had to be the best.  It had
to be something he wouldn't recover from so quickly.  He wanted help getting
to the bathroom afterward.  He wanted to smell like Brian, smell like sex,
smell like heaven.  He needed to feel choked-up afterward, ready to shed
tears over withdrawing from Brian's body.

	The dunes that shift, drift and lift in the wind
	Cover up my hope as I start to give in
	To the cracks and the creases and the dips in my will
	As I am pushed toward to the brink
	I drink down there and swill

		"JuJu.. JuJu.. fuck, JuJu..." Brian groaned out, scraping lines of
pineapple paint over Justin's arm.  A drum pounded in his head, in his
heart.  He was losing control and his breath was shallow.  His throat was
helplessly dry and his eyes were drawn completely shut.  His husband's thumb
slicked the sticky paint over the slit of his penis and it was over that
easily.  "Fuck!" he grunted out and a new color was added to the mix.  Long
streams of white smeared across Justin's hand and Brian's chest.  It dripped
slowly downward, leaving lines of white over smudges of yellow and blue.
Brian's nostrils flared and his mouth stayed open, bathing Justin's neck
with moist breaths.  "God, I... I love you..." Brian managed to get out, his
body shivering helplessly in Justin's arms.
		Justin drew a line down Brian's spine, kissing away paint from Brian's
fingertips.  He controlled his pants but his body was on another plane.  It
moved in quick, sharp inward strokes, fighting against the gripping muscles
of Brian's butt.  "Mmph... baby, Rocky..." Justin gasped out, licking
in-between Brian's fingers and across his palm.  He kissed the back of
Brian's hand and everything wen stiff.  "Rocky... holy shit, Rocky..."
Justin strained to speak.  His body exploded, everything went black and he
was sucked into a zone of blurry features and paint, paint everywhere.  He
could see Brian's eyes watching him, smiling at him as he came, came deep in
Brian's body.  "Keep cumming baby... keep cumming in me." Brian whispered
and Justin could've swore he was having multiple-orgasms.  He felt his toes
curl and his legs go numb while his arms became tight and pain met pleasure.
  "Oooh, fuck baby..." Justin hissed, letting it all go.  His husband's hand
pet his face and encouraged him, leaving sparkly trails of yellow across his
cheek.
		Justin fell back against the headboard.  His body was sticky, worn and on
fire but he loved it.  He stared up at Brian through half-open eyes.  He
fumbled out a smile as Brian painted a heart on his cheek.  "You look so
damn good when you nut Beanie." Brian commented, licking paint from his
fingers.  Justin managed a lazy nod, mouthing out, 'You too.'  Feeling began
to gradually return to his body and he took deep breaths inward as Brian
laid across his body, holding him as he tried to recover.  "I don't think
I'm going to be able to walk for a few hours." Justin whispered, brushing a
sticky hand over Brian's hair.  Brian giggled and left a small peck on his
cheek.  "It's okay cutie.  You've got at least five more hours before Autumn
or Angel get up." Brian assured him, retracing the heart he drew on Justin's
chest.  Justin snickered quietly and bathed in the afterglow of their sex,
thinking of nothing but Brian and the racing sound of his heart.

					TO BE CONTINUED...

Song Credits (In order of appearance)

- Cry (James Renald), performed by Mandy Moore
- Saturate Me (Randall M. Barlow, S. Green, Tim Mitchell), performed by
Mandy Moore

--- Hmmm, that was a rather interesting scene right there.  I think you've
got to listen to Mandy Moore's 'Saturate Me' to appreciate the passion that
comes along with those words.  Anyway, I don't think it took me too long to
finish this one up.  It was hard to get past certain parts, but I think I
got it.  I hope you liked this very drama-free chapter of the series.  It's
easier for me to write ones like these.  Takes a little less energy.  Oh
yeah, forgot to point this one out: NO couple is able to adopt as quickly as
Brian and Justin do.  In reality, it takes years.  That's why I enjoy
fiction, but I thought I'd mention that I do realize NOBODY gets kids that
fast, legally.  Uhm, someone told me I won two awards at the latest
Nifty/Boy Band Awards.  Uh, yeah, I guess.  Uh, the next part is going to be
kind of drama-free too and have a focus on *NSYNC and what not.  Be sure to
pick up *NSYNC's new CD when it comes out (My God, Justin is getting SO DAMN
SEXY!  Brian too!)  I want to say that my prayers are with Mr. Alexander
James McLean during his trying period.  I hope he makes it through his
dilemma soon.  Go out and get Mandy Moore and Alicia Keys albums too!  Great
stuff there.  Anyway, I'll leave it at that.  If I haven't gotten back to
you on e-mail, again, I apologize.  Don't give up on me though.  Just nag
me!  God bless and keep smiling... ---