Date: Sun, 27 Jun 1999 16:12:58 CDT
From: River Shant <groundwriter@hotmail.com>
Subject: 'NSYNC-Brush With Fame Chapter 7

Disclaimer: This story is fiction. This does not imply anything about the
members of *N SYNC.  If you do not like it then don't read it.

Note to the reader: Okay, this chapter involves some already well-known
fictional characters into my story.  Devon and Rob.  If you guys aren't
familiar with these characters then read T.R.'s: Devon and Lance, and
Rob's: Rob and Lance, they're my favorites.  Next thing, in no way does
this have anything to do with the outcome of the above mentioned author's
stories.  I'd also like to thank Jared for the great ideas, as well as
Phoenix.  I hear Phoenix might be starting a story of his own soon so keep
an eye out for it.

	And one last note.  I'm sorry to say but this will be the last
installment of "Brush with Fame".  I'm not able to write anymore, due to
some pretty hectic going ons in my life.  I may pick up the typewriter
later for another series, but I think River and Justin deserve a little
privacy now.  Hehe.  Thank you so much for reading.

`NSYNC-Brush with Fame

	I spent a lot of my time after the single was released doing
promotional gigs.  It was tiring but we were promised a week break before
we left for our tour if we did them.  After about a month of autographs and
pictures we were allowed our week.  Luckily, this was also the week that
Devon was coming to visit, so it was all good.

	I pulled into the airport and made my way to the terminal he was
arriving at.  I sat around for about ten minutes and then a girl came up to
me and started freaking out.  "Oh my GOD!  It's you, you're River," she
yelped.

"That is correct," I said calmly.

"Hey guys," she yelled over her shoulder to her group of friends that were
standing around talking, "Look who it is!  It's River from Infiniti!  Oh my
gosh, can I have an autograph."

"Sure thing babe," I said as I pulled out a pen and signed her plane ticket
cover.  I was then surrounded by about five of her friends whom I'd also
signed autographs for.  I posed in a couple of pictures and then the
airline announced the arrival of Devon's flight.  "Sorry to cut this short
you guys," I said as I got up. "But my friend is coming in on this plane
and I need to make sure that he sees me."  They said okay and watched me as
I waiting at the gate for Devon.

	There he was, gorgeous as ever, smiling that huge smile of his at
me.  "How ya been Riv," he asked as he hugged me.

"Pretty good, kinda tired, but good all in all."

"That's great to hear."  We made our way to the luggage claim and out to my
car.  "Nice wheels," he said as he put his bags in my trunk.  I had just
bought a new car, an Infiniti, to coincide with my band name.

"Thanks," I started, "I like it too."  We got in and began chatting about
everything that has been happening.  I told him about the whole situation
with Justin and how Lance was dating Rob.  He kinda laughed it all off.  It
didn't seem to phase him in one bit.

"More fish in the sea, my friend," he laughed.  I nodded.  We finally drove
up to my apt. and got his luggage inside.  No one was home so I couldn't
introduce him to anyone.  I showed him to my bedroom and he jumped on my
bed and just lay there.

"So what do you wanna do," I asked.

"How about just lay around for today, I'm bushed."

"Sounds good to me," I stated.  I flopped down next to him and we began
talking about old times.  Not that we went way back, but we did have a
little history to talk about.  He turned to his side and noticed my
answering machine blinking.  Before I could stop him he had already pushed
the button.

"River, this is Justin, it's like the fifteenth time I've called.  Where
are you?!?  I really want to see you.  I miss you.  Me and Jay are through,
I told him everything.  I feel like a complete jerk, but I did it all for
you.  Please call me back.  I love you."

"Woah," Devon said, "He really has it bad for you.  Maybe you should call
him back.  He deserves at least that after what he's done for you."

"I guess.  I feel so responsible for this though.  It's like I'm finally
being forced to deal with my actions.  Fate must not like me," I said as I
picked up the phone and dialed Justin's number.

"Hello," a woman answered.

"Hi my I speak to Justin please," I asked in my most polite voice.

"My I ask who is speaking?"

"Sure, this is River.  Justin left a message for me to call him."I was cut
off by her yelling.

"IT'S YOU!  Get your ass over here right now young man.  I think we need to
have a little talk about my son," she said rather rudely.

"Nice to meet you too.  Sure we can talk, but only if you treat me with a
little more respect.  I may be young ma'am, but I deserve to be treated a
little more fairly than how you have already decided to," I blurted out
assertive like.  Devon had the most astonished look on his face; I just
smiled at him and punched him in the arm.

"Well, I'm sorry son.  I didn't mean to come off like that," she was
obviously dumbfounded by my acrid but polite response, "But will you please
come and talk to me?"

"Sure thing Mrs.."

"Harless.  Lynn Harless.  Call me Lynn," she said.

"Alright Lynn, I'll be over there in about an hour.  By any chance would
the guys happen to be there?"

"Yes, all of them are."

"Could you tell them I am on my way and I am bringing a friend of theirs
along," I mentioned as I smiled at Devon.

"Okay.  I will see you in a while."

"Bye ma'am.  Err, Lynn."  I hung up the phone and let out a deep sigh.  "I
wonder what she wants to talk to me about?"

"I don't know, but she sure did jump your ass when she answered," he
snickered.

"Well let's get ready.  We have an appearance to make."  We rushed around
changing and prepping.  We casually attempted conversation but I was too
nervous about Lynn, and Devon was nervous about seeing Lance again.  About
thirty minutes later we were all prepped and ready to leave.  The drive was
deafened by Devon and I singing the songs off the radio as horrible as we
could, it was a riot.  He was a really great guy.  I wished I could have
felt something for him, but what I did feel was more of a brotherly/best
friend type of feeling.  This meant we could get as close to each other as
possible without feeling awkward.

	We pulled up to the house of unseen horror and got out.  I told
Devon to wait by the door out of sight so that we might surprise them.
When I rang the doorbell Lance answered.  "Hey River," he said
uncomfortably, "Come on in."

"You sound like you know what's gonna happen to me," I snickered, "Just
fill me in on something.  I'm not going to lose a body part am I?"  He
laughed under his breath and walked me into the living room where everyone
else was sitting except for Justin and Lynn.

"River, ooh man, I can't believe you stood up to Lynn like that.  No one
has ever done that.  I don't know whether she hates you for it, or respects
you for it," JC joked.

"So who is the guest," Chris asked anxiously.  I had completely forgotten
about Devon outside.  And at that moment the doorbell rang.

"That's probably him," I laughed, "I forgot he was there."

"I'll get it," Lance said as he walked to the door.  When he left I shook
my head.

"Maybe one of you guys should have gone to get it."

"Why," Joey asked.

"You'll see," I said.  A few seconds later Lance shrieked.

"OH MY GOD!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!"  The guys ran to go see who it was.
When the realized it was Dev. They began the exchanges of welcome.  Lance
was way too excited.  "I can't believe you're here.  I'm so happy to see
you again," he cried as he hugged Devon.

"AHEM," someone cleared his throat behind me.  When I turned to look I
noticed it was Justin in back of his mother.  He had obviously been crying.
"You must be River," she said as I shook her hand.

"And you must be Lynn, very nice to meet you," I shook her hand firmly, but
not as much as to crush her hand, "And Justin.  How have you been?"  He
looked up at me.

"Horrible," he cried as he ran up to me and hugged me.  He began to let the
tears flow on my shoulder.  I held him tighter.  God, how I missed these
moments.

"It'll be okay," I said as I kissed his forehead, "It will all be okay."

"That's enough of that now you two," Lynn said sternly as Justin flinched
out of my arms.  She had this boy whipped.  "River, maybe you and I should
go into my office and talk."

"Okay," I said unsurely.  I followed her into her office and sat down.  I
glanced around the room to see pictures of Justin all over; it was like a
shrine.

"River, I called you in here to talk to you about my son," she said very
acutely.  I was scared of what she was going to say.  "I have never in my
life," she broke down right in front of me, "seen my son this distressed
over someone.  What you have done to him I do not know, but I am asking
you, no begging you, as his mother, please take him back."  I almost fell
out of my chair when she said that.  I was expecting something about me
hurting her son and that she was going to cut my penis off or something.

"Lynn, in all the time that I have known Justin, I have loved him.  I would
never and will never intentionally hurt him.  Things just got out of hand
because of my stupidity.  I never should have ended it between us, but I
couldn't stand the thought of us being together but at the same time being
physically apart for so long," I said while shedding a few tears.

"Will you please try and make it work?  For me, for Justin, for the future
of `NSYNC," she asked melodramatically.

"So much pressure," I joked, she laughed as much as she could without
disrupting her sullen state, "But yes, I will.  I have missed him.  But as
you know, being a new group I'm all over the place and I have to give up a
lot."  She nodded.

"I understand.  I just would like to see my son happy again."

"I'd love to see that again too," I calmly said as I placed my hand on her
shoulder, "and I really admire you for caring so much."

"And I admire you for standing up to me," she laughed.

"If I would have known you were Justin's mother, I wouldn't have.
Anonymity does that to me," I shrugged.

	We walked back into the living room.  Devon was entertaining the
guys with some story about his promotional gigs for the Class tour.  It
must have been really funny because they were laughing like there was no
tomorrow.  When they noticed us, they stopped dead in their laughing
tracks.  "What's wrong," I asked happily.  They all breathed a sigh of
relief.

"You're still alive," Chris joked.

"Yes he is," Lynn smiled, "I like this young man.  Maybe even a little more
than you Chris."  Everyone laughed.

"Hey, that's not fair," Chris yelped.

"I think she was kidding with you Chris," I said.

"Oh."

	Lynn excused herself because she has to go do some work with
Innosense.  We all said goodbye and things went back to normal.  Almost.  I
pulled Justin outside and began talking to him, "Justin, I'm really sorry.
I have been a real big jerk.  I know it seems that I was ignoring you, but
you understand what it's like in the beginning.  I wish we could just erase
everything back to the day when I made the stupid mistake of separating us.
But we can't, so the next best thing would be to try at it again."

"You really mean it," his face lit up.

"Yeah.  I've missed you bud, and I don't think I could be happy with
everyone else.  And most of all, I love you."

"I love you too," he said as he came up to me and hugged me.  We began to
cry for about the next ten minutes and then started making out.  It was
pretty intense, but I handled it well.  After a few kisses JC stepped
outside.

"Well it looks like things are finally back to normal.  Good, maybe Justin
will be able to perform better on stage now that he's happy," he laughed.

	We walked back inside and Devon and Lance were making out in the
corner.  "It looks like things are really back to normal," I joked as I
pointed at Lance and Dev.  Everyone nodded in agreement.

	The next week I spent not only with Justin and Devon, but with the
rest of the guys too.  We were inseparable.  We did everything together,
save for using the bathroom.  It was pretty weird.  Justin and I had lost
all morality when we were with each other.  We turned into major sluts.  It
seems that we slept together as much as we could.  Everywhere.  My room,
his room, public restrooms, telephone booths, park benches, cars, pools,
hotels.  I think we were making up for all the times that we were not going
to be together.

	Devon left at the end of the week.  We made a pretty big scene at
the airport with all of us seeing him off.  It was like saying goodbye to
my left arm.  He was a part of me.  But I knew I would see him again.

	`NSYNC left next.  We had a pretty big shindig to see them off,
which involved lots of alcohol.  It was hilarious seeing all of them drunk.
Especially Lance.  Don't ask.  Justin and I spent every second together.
We weren't very emotional about it.  We promised to keep in touch as much
as possible.  This time we decided that we would stay monogamous.  We were
one.  And in a heartbeat he was gone.  I didn't cry.  I went on with
business.  I knew we would be together again.

	Infiniti finally hit the road.  It was pretty wicked.  We ended up
opening for Hole.  Courtney Love was a major bitch.  But she had a crush on
me so I used her for all it was worth.  I got all the good stuff, special
treatment, good food in the bus, and big hotel rooms.  Stellara and I
basically became the parents on the tour, since we were used to tour life.
Kat, Skyler, Jane, and Jonas complained nonstop, but finally became
accustomed to it.

	Halfway through the tour I got a call from our label.  We were
asked to do a special song with a few other well-known artists.  I asked
who they were and it turned out to be Devon and `NSYNC.  The song was
called "You Can't Undo Yesterday".  I immediately accepted for the whole
group without even consulting them.  But when I did they accepted.  This
song was supposed to bridge the gap between rock and pop.

	The recording process was a blast.  I got to see all my old friends
and we got to sing together.  I knew that this song was gonna be a great
hit, partially because of the artists involved and mostly because it had so
much meaning.  And a hit it was.  This meant Infiniti got invited to tour
on the Class of 2000.  Life was great.  Friends were great.  Justin and I
were great.  Pinch me.


Looking back through distant past, The present seems to fade away.  You
can't reverse what has been done, But you can cherish today.

You Can't Undo Yesterday, The memories are here to stay.  The past has been
laid, For a future to be made.

The End.

	
	Thank You.  You guys have been the best readers and responders.
I'm sorry I had to cut it so soon but life has been getting pretty hectic.
I will continue writing but maybe not in the recent future.  I'd like to
say thanks again to everybody because all of you were the best. I can't
stop thanking you guys enough.  To all the other author's: Keep up that
great work.  I'll continue reading.  Forever.

River <groundwriter@hotmail.com>