Date: Thu, 20 Feb 2003 14:24:56 -0600
From: Cameron Writer <cameronwriter@hotmail.com>
Subject: A Light in the Tunnel chapter 11

Alright everyone! I didn't get this done as quickly as I had hoped, but here
is the next chapter of A Light in the Tunnel. I think I'm sufficiently
recovered from my Valentine's Day ailment. I hope it was a fantastic day for
all of you!

I'd like to add a special thank you to Josh, author of Graduation Present.
He mentioned this story in one of his chapters. His story has a lot of
potential, so I'd like to suggest you go check it out and tell him what you
think!

As always, I do not know NSYNC, anyone affiliated with them, or any other
celebrities in this story. Therefore I have no knowledge of their sexual
orientations/habits or personalities. This is a fiction story dealing with
relationships between men. If such topics offend you or you are too young to
be here, I think the Disney homepage is just for you!

I hope you all enjoy!

A Light in the Tunnel

Chapter 11


	Stuck in that fuzzy, awkward space between sleep and wakefulness, Burke's
dreams became strange, drawing in elements of reality and blending them with
slumbering visions. He was floating in a pool, warmed and relaxed by the
unclouded sun and rippling water.  Rolling off his raft, he paddled to the
edge, climbing out and wrapping a towel around his slim waist. Only taking a
few steps toward the house, the ground trembled beneath him, shaking
violently. Heaving, Burke's eyes snapped open, and he launched himself from
the bed, shrieking about an earthquake. It took only a moment for him to
realize that Florida did not suffer from such a blight, and that there was
hyena-like cackling from across the room. Gathering his wits, he looked
over, scowling as Justin hopped up and down on the mattress.
	Only barely amused by the wake-up call, Burke charged the older man,
tackling him. "You scared the hell out of me, Justin!" Not giving him the
chance to get away, Burke drove his fingers into Justin's ribs, hoping that
he was even mildly ticklish.
	Gasping for breath between painful giggles, Justin tried to push the boy
away. "Sorry! I'm sorry! Stop before you make me piss my pants!" Burke
jumped away, trying to get out of the reach of Justin's long arms. The
singer thumped his chest as he struggled to breathe normally. "Good morning,
Burkey!"
	"Watch it, or I'll make sure the whole world knows that Mr. Justin
Timberlake, heartthrob extraordinaire, isn't potty trained." Justin
snickered at Burke's threat. "What are you doing here so early, and why did
you wake me up?"
	"For one, it's nine. I woke you up so you could tell me all about last
night. I asked Chris, but he just laughed, told me to ask you, and to remind
you about what happened when you got home." Burke blushed, remembering his
interrupted first kiss, his father opening the door right before Josh's lips
touched his. "Ooh! This has got to be good! Where did you eat? What movie
did you see? Did Josh put the moves on you?"
	"Ugh! Not so many questions when I just woke up! Let me at least get some
coffee poured down my throat." Justin drilled the boy as they made their way
downstairs. Chris winked as they passed him, earning a thump on the head
from his grumpy son. Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Burke sat at the
table. "We had a picnic at this place outside of town. A wildlife refuge or
something."
	"Oh! I've been there. It's really pretty. I guess you all didn't go down to
the lake because of the gator thing." Burke shook his head. "Was it a fancy
picnic, or just your normal chips and sandwiches thing?" Burke opened his
mouth to reply, but was cut off. "Duh! It was Josh, so he tried to impress
you. He didn't try to cook for you, did he? I hope not since he's just
barely a step above burning water. I guess he had something catered. That
sounds more like him anyway."
	"Justin!" The singer shut his mouth. "Do you want me to tell you what
happened or are you just going to figure everything out yourself?"
	"Sorry, Bro. I'm just a little excited since it was your first date and
all. Plus, you went on it with my best friend in the whole world. Go ahead."
	Burke waited a moment to see if Justin was going to start another barrage
of questions. "Alright. Like I said, we had a picnic at this park place.
Josh had the food brought in. And he even gave me my first taste of
champagne, non-alcoholic of course. It was alright. We just talked, and ate,
and talked some more. He told me all about you all, his family, and stuff
like that. But we didn't end up going to the movies."
	"Why not? Did you all get *side tracked*?" Justin asked, bobbing his
eyebrows.
	Burke blushed, which made his friend cackle. "Yes, but not that way, and
even if we did, do you really think I'd tell you with Chris sitting in the
other room?"
	"I guess not, but what happened?"
	"The sun started to set, and we sat there, watched it go down, the waiting
for the stars to come out."
	Justin giggled like a schoolgirl. "That's so romantic."
	"Uh huh. Especially how we were sitting while we were watching everything.
I decided to get comfortable, so I laid down and put my head in his lap. I
didn't even think about what it might have looked like. We just sat there
for the longest time. After a while, Josh started messing with my hair. But
then we realized how late it was, and he brought me home." Throughout his
little spiel, Burke's eyes glazed over, remembering how it felt to lay next
to Josh, the warmth and security washing over him as the man's finger's
stroked his head and neck. "We held hands all the way back. Then he dropped
me off."
	"Did you all kiss or anything?"
	"I think we were about to, but Chris turned on the front porch light and
came outside. Josh got really nervous or something, and he left pretty
quickly after that."
	"That sounds like Chris. But you have to tell me. If he hadn't come along,
would you have kissed JC?" Not wanting Chris to hear since he didn't want to
be teased ruthlessly, Burke nodded his head. "Sweet! So, are you two going
to go out again?"
	Burke shrugged. "I don't know."
	"Why not? It sounds like you had a great time, and, by the goofy look on
your face, you'd love to go out again."
	"I don't have a goofy look on my face. And, yes, I'd go on another date
with Josh, but we didn't talk about it last night." Justin looked pleased
and relieved, sighing happily as he relaxed in his chair. "There's just one
thing I'm a little worried about." Justin content smile melted away. "How
will all this affect you all? I mean, is it going to be weird if this turns
into something more?"
	"Hell no! As long as both of you are happy, so are we. And as long as Josh
doesn't start keeping you all to himself. I'll whoop his ass if he thinks
he's taking my shopping buddy away!" They laughed together, Burke wondering
if Justin would actually hurt his band mate. "So, are you ready to meet the
parents today?"
	"Umm-"
	"Don't worry about it. Karen and Roy are really cool, and Tyler is a blast
to hang out with. Besides, from what I've heard, they're here to see you as
much as they are to see us. Just play it cool. Oh, and don't argue with
Karen about things. She's as bad as Phyllis when it comes to some things.
You'll never win, so it's easier to let her have her way."
	"Thanks for the warning, Just."
	"No prob. Well, I'm outta here. I have to pick up some stuff for mom. We're
hosting the get together tonight. You're gonna be there, right?"
	"I guess so."
	"Great! See ya later, bro!" With a small hug and a moment to ruffle Burke's
wild bed head, Justin was gone, leaving the house suitably quiet for the
early hour.
	Burke poured himself another cup of coffee, and wandered into the living
room, sitting on the couch beside Chris. The man wrapped an arm around his
son. "Sounds like you had a good time last night."
	Burke leaned his head onto Chris' shoulder. "It could've been better if
someone hadn't interrupted."
	Chris snickered. "Hey, I was just doing my job. I'm happy everything went
well."
	"It did. Oh, I told Josh that I would cook him dinner sometime. Is that
alright?"
	"Of course. Just give me a little warning so I can run to the grocery
store."
	"I was kinda hoping it could just be the two of us."
	"I don't think so."
	Burke pulled away, stunned as he looked at his father. "Why not?"
	"I'm not leaving my seventeen year old son in a house all alone with a
twenty-six year old man. I trust the both of you completely, but I don't
want either of you in the position where things can get out of hand quickly.
You're both in the prime of your lives, and I know how things work."
	Burke's cheeks blazed when he realized what was being said. "Dad, I'm
talking about dinner, not having sex with him."
	"I know, but things start happening. Dinner turns to cuddling on the couch,
which turns into a kiss, then another, then making out, and, before you know
it, you to the point of no return. You are a teenage guy and Josh, to the
best of my knowledge, hasn't had any in a long time. People can only resist
so much temptation." Burke's eyes lowered, his lip trembling. "Hey, look at
me. I'm not saying that I don't trust you, son. It's just that I don't want
your feelings to get the best of you. I know Josh won't take advantage of
you or anything, but sometimes things get carried away, and then you're in a
place you can't, or won't, back down from."
	"Then why did you let us go out in the first place? Something could have
happened at any moment last night."
	"Because I trust you, Burke. Look at it like this. I can take you to a
restaurant that serves alcohol and there's no problem, but if I sit a bottle
in front of you, sooner or later you're going to take a drink. You and Josh
can go out, but if you go somewhere that has a bedroom a few feet away,
sooner or later you'll end up there. Understand?"
	"Yeah."
	"If you want to invite him over and make dinner, I'll make myself scarce,
but I'm not leaving you alone." Burke nodded. "This is one of those times
when I have to be a parent instead of your friend. I hope you understand
that."
	To prove that he did, Burke snuggled close to Chris. "I understand, dad."
	"Good." They settled down and watched a few cartoons, looking like a true
father and son. Every once in a while, Chris would lean down and kiss the
top of Burke's head. The boy would smile, and squeeze him tighter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"Hi sweetheart!" Lynn chirped when Burke walked through the kitchen door,
his arms laden with bowls. She came over and took a few, kissing his
forehead in the process.
	"Hi, Lynn. This is the stuff you asked me and dad to bring."
	"Great! Let's set it in the fridge until it's time to eat."
	"You have to taste the potato salad, Lynn. It's the most amazing thing
you'll ever taste," Chris bragged as he moved a case of soda into the cooler
they had brought. Burke rolled his eyes, and Chris smirked.
	Lynn grabbed a spoon from the counter, and took a small bite. "Oh my God!
This is wonderful! Did you make this, Burke?"
	"Yeah," he blushed.
	"You'll have to give me the recipe."
	"I don't think he can, Lynn. From where I was sitting, he made it up as he
went along."
	"Well then, I appoint Burke for being in charge of the potato salad anytime
we have a barbecue!" Smiling shyly, the boy finished putting food away. Lynn
poked her head out the window and yelled for JC. He dashed through the door,
grinning when he saw Burke standing there. "Take him outside and introduce
him to everyone, Joshua."
	"Sure thing. C'mon Burke, let's go meet my parents." Emboldened by the
previous night, Josh took Burke's hand and led him outside. They strode
across the backyard, and approached a group of people. "Mom, dad, this is
Burke. Burke, these are my parents, Roy and Karen. Tyler is over there with
Justin and the kids."
	"It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Chasez," Burke said, sticking his hand
out.
	"Finally, a young man with manners! It's wonderful to finally meet you,
Burke. And please, call me Karen." Instead of a handshake, the woman pulled
him into a hug.
	"And don't 'Mr. Chasez' me, son. That's my father. Just call me Roy."
	"Yes sir."
	"He hasn't spent enough time around you all yet," a new voice said, "he
still talks that a normal human."
	Josh thumped the young man on the head. "This is my brother, Tyler. Don't
worry about him, the doctors dropped him when he was born, repeatedly."
	Burke shook the guy's hand, realizing there were only slight similarities
between the Chasez sons. As he was studying Tyler, he noticed Tyler studying
him. "So, you're the young gold-digger that kept Josh up all night and made
him late coming to the airport."
	Burke gulped, not sure of how to respond. No one was jumping to his
defense, something he thought Josh or Chris would do. In fact, they looked
interested in what he would say in reply. Figuring he had very little to
lose, Burke licked his lips and took a deep breath. "So, you're the
unpopular, only mildly handsome, untalented, jealous brother."
	They stared at each other for a moment, neither flinching or backing down.
Tyler, his smile bright like Josh's, broke the contest of wills, pulling
Burke into a chummy embrace. "I like him!" Everyone laughed as Burke sighed,
deciding he had passed this friendly little test.
	"Good one, Burke," Josh complimented.
	"That's my boy!" Chris seconded.
	Burke made the rounds as everyone fell into talking, joining each little
group for a few minutes before moving on. He played with Justin's little
brothers, getting tired as he pushed them on their swing set. Lance led
everyone in prayer before they sat down to eat, thanking God for the food
and gathering of family and friends. Burke managed to keep himself composed
as they gushed over his potato salad. "I normally hate this stuff," Paul,
Lynn's husband mumbled through a full mouth, "but this is fantastic!"
	"Thanks, it's just a little bit of this, and a little bit of that."
	More talking followed supper, Burke corralled by Karen. She asked him all
about himself, though she had heard most everything from her son and Lynn.
Burke, acting on Justin's advice, didn't say a word when she started fussing
over how the guys must be treating him, making plans to take him out in the
afternoon. "Mom," Josh sighed, coming to Burke's rescue, "you're going to
spoil the boy."
	"That's the plan!"
	"Yeah, but then you'll go home and we'll have to keep it up. Constant
shopping sprees at the mall, trips around the world, a petting zoo. When
will it ever end?" Burke giggled at Josh's melodramatic tirade on how Burke
would get used to being treated like a king. "Besides, then Chris will have
to buy a new house to keep all the stuff in, and we all know how much he
loves the one he has now."
	"My son the ham," Karen groaned, rolling her eyes. "I *am* going to take
Burke shopping. I won't have a reason to get him anything until Christmas,
so this will have to do. Burke, I'll be by your house at eleven tomorrow.
And don't worry about lunch, we'll get a bite to eat along the way."
	"Yes, ma'am."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	"So, what did you think of everyone?" Chris asked as he and Burke relaxed
before bed.
	"Karen and Roy are really wonderful people, and Tyler is just too funny.
Did you know he was going to do that to me?"
	"I had an idea."
	"I didn't know what to do, so I just opened my mouth and let something come
out."
	"You were hilarious. Tyler likes to tease people, and he loves when someone
thinks they can get him right back. Your smart mouth has made you a friend
for life. You're lucky though. You were talking to Joey when they were
discussing your date." Burke grimaced, happy he hadn't been there. "Tyler
was giving Josh a hard time about being a dirty old man."
	"And, of course, you weren't helping matters any."
	Chris pretended to be shocked. "Me?"
	"Yes you."
	"Josh is a big boy, he can handle himself. Besides, it wouldn't have been
so funny if it weren't true."
	"He isn't a dirty old man!"
	Chris ached his eyebrow. "Really? Seventeen year old boy, and a twenty-six
year old man?"
	Burke smiled. "True, but think about this. Me and you, a thirty year old.
That looks and sounds worse. Sounds like a mid-life crisis thing to me!"
	"Go to bed, smart ass, before I show you mid-life crisis!"
	Burke hugged his father. "Watch those hands, old man."
	Chris guffawed and swatted Burke's butt. "Good night, Burke."
	"Night dad. See ya in the morning."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	After shopping with both Justin and Josh, Burke was surprised that he had a
hard time keeping up with Karen. She fluttered in and out of stores,
seemingly able to see, within seconds, if there was anything on the racks
that Burke would like. Though he wanted to protest, Burke followed dutifully
behind, he arms draped in growing numbers of bags. Seeing that he was
dragging, they made a trip back to the rental car, stuffing things in the
trunk before heading back for another round. Karen made it her personal
quest to make sure he had every kind of outfit for school and the weather
anyplace they would go while on tour, even going as far as trying to find a
winter coat, in the middle of August in Florida, for cold spells in New York
and other northern cities. "Have you met your teacher yet, honey?" she asked
while poking through a display of corduroy cargo pants.
	"Yes. Her name is Amelia Rossini. She's not the one I wanted, but Chris and
I compromised."
	She winked at him. "I heard about your discussion about tutors. Joshua
found the whole thing quite amusing."
	"Mr. Spencer would have been a great teacher!" Burke moaned, knowing he
would be forever teased about it.
	"I'm sure, honey, but you are supposed to get an education, not spend all
your time ogling the teacher. No, which do you like better? The khaki or the
black?" Burke was thankful that the subject was dropped, turning back to the
task at hand.
	All afternoon they shopped, patronizing almost every store in the three
level complex. Burke had clothes ranging from jeans and t-shirts to
sparkling things he could wear if they went to a club to a few dress shirts
and ties. The trunk and back seat crammed full, Burke's face paled. "Uh,
Karen. I think you overdid it. Not that I don't appreciate it, but this is a
lot of stuff."
	She glanced over her shoulder, looking into the back of the car. "You may
be right. Oh my!"
	"Maybe we should take some of it back," Burke offered.
	"No. It's a lot, but we did pretty good getting things that were on sale.
It could've been much worse. Let's get going before my husband calls a
search party for us."
	Chris shook his head in disbelief as the all carried bags up to Burke's
room, pointing out that the boy's closet would have to be enlarged to
accommodate everything. "Nonsense, Christopher. He can just use one of the
others for the stuff that isn't in season yet, then rotate them." Burke
stuck his tongue out at his father's chastisement. Karen, a little out of
breath after carrying a few loads up the stairs, took a look at her watch.
"I've got to get going. I think we're having supper at a restaurant in an
hour or so. We want everyone to come since everyone will be busy when we
leave tomorrow."
	"Of course we'll come," Chris answered.
	In the back room of a quiet restaurant, it was anything but quiet, people
talking loudly with each other. "Have a fun time playing little rich boy?"
Tyler joked as Burke stood next to him.
	"Yeah. Have fun pretending that you aren't always going to be second best
to 99.9 percent of the world?"
	Tyler patter him on the back, laughing. "Mom? Can we keep him?"
	Karen looked up from the sheets of paper she was pouring over with Lynn and
Phyllis. "Ask your brother, dear."
	Everyone that heard her, broke into hysterics, tears of laughter streaming
down their faces. Burke blushed as he giggled, seeing that Josh was doing
the same. "How about it, big brother?" Tyler cackled.
	Josh wiped his watering eyes. "Trust me, if I keep him, I certainly won't
be sharing!"
	"But Josh," Justin whined playfully, "even someone like Ty has to feel
special every now and then. And what about the rest of us?"
	"Hold on guys! I'm not a plaything to be passed around!"
	"Really, sweetheart?" Phyllis asked, joining in on the game. "If I remember
the news correctly, I thought you were NSYNC's boy toy. Isn't that what they
said, Lynn?"
	"I believe so, Phyllis."
	Burke shook his head. "Y'all ain't right in the head!"
	"He says that now, but wait until he meets Heather or Steve," Joey cackled.
"Those two will have you wishing you had a catheter!"
	A second table was loaded with food, and everyone walked down the line,
serving themselves buffet style. The humor and good spirits continued as
they ate. Burke found it funny that he, Justin, Tyler, and Justin's brothers
had their own table. It had been ages since he had had to sit with the other
kids. Despite being separated from the adults, the made the most of it,
almost having a food fight after Justin snatched something from Tyler's
plate.
	Just before dessert was served, Roy tapped his glass and stood. "As you all
know, our boys will be going back into the studio on Tuesday to start on
another album. Over the years, we have seen these young men flourish while
achieving their greatest dreams. I'd like to take a moment to wish them
continues success and greater blessings." Everyone cheered loudly for their
friends. "Not only have they been fortunate enough to reach stardom by doing
what they love, they have also given so much to the world and us. Thank
you." Another volley of applause went up. "This year, we are happy to have a
new member to our little family. Welcome Burke." Their cheering was turned
to him. "To a happy and bright future," Roy finished, lifting his glass.
	"To a happy and bright future," everyone echoed, clinking cups in a toast.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

	That's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. Nothing major happened
this time around, and for that I'm sorry, but I tried to keep it light and
humorous for you.

	If you like what you read, please let me know. You can reach me at
cameronwriter@hotmail.com  Everyone who writes will definitely hear back
from me! I love hearing your opinions and comments.

Always,

Cameron

P.S. For all of those who wish I posted quicker, you'll be happy to know
that I'm already writing chapter 12! Until then, thanks for reading!