Date: Tue, 26 Oct 1999 16:13:39 EDT
From: BrwyMilo@aol.com
Subject: "Nick and Justin" part 28 A
Welcome to part 28. It took a little longer than expected, but it's
finally done. The section that is, not the series. :o) There are a lot of
people to thank, but all of you know who you are. Within this section there
is a song which was written by a friend of mine by the name of Jesse. Hope
you like it! RJ is my partner in crime in the series "Lost and Found", so
give that a look see if you get a chance. If you have any comments,
suggestions, criticisms, etc, please send them to Mike at BrwyMilo@aol.com.
Thanks for reading and I hope you like it!
Everything contained within this story is fictional and is not meant to
imply anything about the sexuality or beliefs of anyone involved. That said,
enjoy the story!
*****
"Why do you look so jumpy," Fatima asked as she approached Devon. "And
why are you dressed like that?"
Beads of sweat were formed on Devon's brow. His face was contorted with
an odd combination on confusion, pain, fear, and dread. Despite all this
however, he did look very good. He was dressed in a slim fitting black suit
with a black silk t-shirt underneath. Fatima looked down at her own garb
which consisted of a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. She looked back up at
him and saw him frowning.
"Would you believe nerves," he asked, his brow furrowed.
Fatima laughed loudly. "Devon, you've never been nervous before in your
life," she said.
"I've never done this before either! How was I supposed to know not to
dress like this? You could've told me! I've been in ballet companies all my
life for christ's sake! This is how you dress the night of a show."
"My God," Fatima said as she laughed. "You're a wreck! OK, listen, from
now on, it's jeans and t-shirts. Save this for awards shows and appearances.
And Devon, you've seen the guys rehearse. They know the steps perfectly.
You said so yourself this afternoon!"
"But what if they forget a step," Devon said, a knot growing in his
stomach.
"Devon," Joey said as he approached cautiously.
"Yea Joe," Devon said as he paced around in place, one hand on his
forehead.
"Can you show me that first combination again. I can't remember if it's
step left turn or step right turn kick."
"Oh my God," Devon said as he threw his hands up.
Fatima was now rolling with laughter as she watched. She looked over at
Joey. "Step right turn kick."
"Is he alright," Joey asked as he glanced over at Devon, who was now
leaning against a wall for support.
"Yea, he's just a little nervous," she replied with a grin.
"Hey Devon, don't worry. We've done this a million times," Joey said.
Devon gave a weak nod. "He's not gonna throw up on someone is he? Because I
remember this one time, Chris got so nervous-"
"I don't think he needs to hear this right now," Fatima said as she
clamped one hand over Joey's mouth. "He'll be fine. You guys go and have a
great show." Fatima walked over to where Devon stood and sighed loudly. "Now
will you calm down! Christ, you were never this nervous when you were
performing!"
"I know, that's the whole thing. I could control what happened when I
performed. If I made a mistake I knew how to cover it. I have no control
over what goes on out there right now."
"I know, but you've gotta put your trust in other people right now. Look
at me!" Fatima grinned loudly and motioned back and forth between the two of
them.
Devon smiled and began to giggle. "Yea, I guess you're right," he said
with a sigh. "Ok, I'll be fine."
"Devon I have a problem," Britney said as she walked over slowly.
"I need to sit down," Devon said as he grabbed the nearest seat. He
looked up at Britney and tried to manage a weak smile, failing miserably.
"What is it Britney?"
"One of my dancers pulled a muscle in his leg."
"Ouch," Devon said as his face contorted.
"Yea, I know. But that's not the only problem. Remember that dance you
choreographed for all of us?"
"The one with you and N'Sync and Backstreet Boys all together," Devon
asked.
"Yea," Britney replied. "He was the one that was going to be doing most
of the partner stuff with me." She looked down at the ground and back up at
him.
"Doesn't anyone else besides him know it," Devon asked as he got more
panicked.
"Actually, yea. One other person knows the dance really well."
"Oh thank God," Devon said with a sigh. "So tell him to warm up and get
into costume."
"OK, I'll go do that." Britney turned around and then spun back to face
him. "Devon get warmed up and get into costume."
"What," Devon yelled.
"You're the only other person that knows that section. It's a brand new
dance remember?"
Devon threw a look over at Fatima who was laughing wildly in the corner.
He shook her head at her and groaned. "So, I'm doing the dance with you?"
"Unless you want to cut it," Britney said with a frown, not wanting to
see the dance cut.
"No, we won't cut it," Devon replied. "I'll go get changed and warmed
up." He glanced over at Fatima. "Guess it's a t-shirt and jeans night after
all."
*****
The music blared through the speakers on the stage as Britney took her
positioned behind a narrow wall at center stage. She took a deep breath and
hopped out as the beats began to play.
Oh baby baby how was I supposed to know
That something wasn't right here.
She began to sing the title track off her debut album, improvising and
showing off her skills. As she reached the chorus, the music stopped and was
replaced a constant beat. From either side of the stage, her dancers
entered, marching in precise rhythm to the beats. Devon walked out in the
front and stood just right of center, leaving room for Britney to hop down.
"These are some of my friends," she said into her mic. With that, a remix of
her song began to play. From behind the wall she had just stood behind
appeared Kevin and Howie, the rest of the guys behind them. As she walked
down to the center, they followed, walking with her down the stairs until
Britney was at center stage, Devon just to her left. The music got faster as
all went into their dance. First, Kevin, Nick, Justin and JC hopped towards
the front dancing to the fast paced overlying melody as everyone else danced
to the more subtle base line. Devon couldn't help but throw occasional looks
in their direction from the corner of his eyes, but for the most part, he
kept his eyes focused on the audience. 'Thank God they're not screwing up,'
he said to himself as he smiled widely.
Soon, Britney took center with her regular dancers, with Devon filling in
for the one injured one. As she took the front, the music stopped suddenly,
all freezing in place. She looked from side to side and then gave a kick as
the music started up again just as suddenly. They performed the precise
movements with ease, including a brief lift between her and Devon. As soon
as that was over Devon gave a sigh of relief. 'Thank God,' he said as he
continued the movements easily. The music drawing to a close, everyone
joined in, finishing in a frozen pose. The audience screamed loudly as
everyone waved and ran quickly off the stage. As soon as he was in the wings,
he stopped and walked over to Fatima.
"Well," he said as his brow furrowed. This was a ritual of theirs.
Everytime Devon knew that Fatima was watching him perform, he would approach
her afterwards and say "Well?" For the most part, he was met with praises,
but every now and again, Fatima would pick up some small nuance that no one
else had, except Devon.
"Amazing," she said with a wide smile. "Honestly. Whoever said you can
only dance ballet was insane."
Devon turned bright red and wiped some of the sweat from his brow.
"Thanks," he said with a wide smile as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.
With that he turned and ran off towards the dressing rooms.
Fatima stood where she was and glanced out at the empty stage. The crew
had already begun to take apart the equipment and pack it for the next
location. She turned and saw Devon's back running down the hall. She looked
away from him and frowned. "How long can he stay away from all this," she
asked herself quietly. She took a final glance out, watching as the crowd
struggled to hurry out. With a sigh she turned and walked towards her boys.
*****
"I think we should all thank Devon for stepping in for Jonathan tonight,"
Kevin said as he smiled in Devon's direction. There were some claps as Devon
looked down and turned red. "And also for filling in for Jonathan the next
couple of shows until Jon's leg heals." Devon looked up quickly and laughed
at Kevin.
"Oh yea, I guess have to do that again, huh?" Devon laughed to himself
and looked around the crowded tour bus.
"How can you guys travel like this," Devon asked.
"Well it's not so bad with Britney and the other dancers in the other
bus," JC said. "Plus with a few people sharing bunks in here there's
actually plenty of room."
Devon shrugged and looked over to Lance. He got up and walked over,
sitting down very close to him. He leaned in close and whispered into his
ear, "You did great tonight." Lance smiled happily and placed one hand
behind his back where it met Devon's. It had become something of a secret
code for them. This way, they could still be able to touch each other
without the other members of the band knowing.
"Are you doing ok Justin," Howie asked as he looked at how uncomfortable
Justin seemed to be. He kept squirming around on the couch. Justin looked up
quickly and stopped his motion.
"Yea, I'm fine. Guess I'm still a little uncomfortable on these things
after the accident." He looked around nervously searching for...
Nick suddenly appeared with a large blanket. He wrapped it around the
two of them, taking Justin into his arms. He pulled him in close and kissed
him gently on the cheek. "You looked cold," he said with a smile. Justin
smiled back at him and leaned his head against Nick's shoulder. "So, what's
going on?"
"Nothing. We're gonna be driving all night, so be sure to get some
rest," Kevin instructed. He took a look at Justin and Nick cuddling and
sighed. "Are you feeling better Justin?"
"Yea, I'm doing alright," Justin said with just a hint of sadness in his
voice. "Maybe I'm just a little tired or something."
"Well then let's go to bed," Nick said. Justin nodded and allowed Nick
to pull him up. They walked together towards their bunk, disappearing behind
the curtain.
"He's still upset about the letters and everything isn't he," Joey said
as he recalled the scene in Kevin's hotel room a few days ago.
"I guess so," JC replied. "He'll be alright though. He's a fighter.
And this isn't the first time a lunatic fell for him," he laughed as he
looked over at Lance.
"Will you shut up," Lance said as he tossed a couch cushion at JC's head.
"Wait a second," Devon said as he noticed. "You had a thing for Justin?"
Lance turned bright red and nodded slowly. Devon started laughing
loudly. "What are you laughing at," Lance asked as he tried to stifle a
giggle.
"JC's right," Devon said as he kept his eyes shut in his laughter. "He
already had one lunatic going after him."
Lance smacked Devon playfully on the arm, but gave his hand a squeeze
behind his back. 'This feels so wonderful,' he thought to himself.
JC took a look at Brian who nodded his head. "Devon, mind if I talk to
you for a second?"
"Um, sure," Devon said, looking up surprised. He followed JC to the back
of the lounge area and waited. When JC didn't speak Devon began to hum.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"Well, um..." JC began, not able to find the right words. "Lance told
me about the two of you and I think it's great."
Devon's mouth dropped for a moment. "Lance told you about us?"
"Yea," JC said nervously, unsure if he had made a mistake or not. "Was I
definitely not supposed to know," he asked slowly.
"Huh...oh no, it's not that," Devon said. "It's just that I thought we
were gonna keep it on the DL for a little while. Heck, that was even his
idea!"
"Oh, he didn't mean to tell me," JC said with a laugh. "I said keep you
hands off my boyfriend and he said only if you keep yours off mine. He
didn't mean to tell me...it just kind of slipped out."
Devon stared at him unsure for a moment then began to laugh. "You know
this is so stupid. Why don't we just tell everybody?"
"Huh," JC said, surprised by Devon's change in demeanor.
"Well, I mean who cares. Everyone's accepted you and Brian and Nick and
Justin. I don' think anyone would have a problem with me and Lance." He
looked over at JC carefully, scrutinizingly. "Tell me truthfully...are we
actually fooling anybody anyway?"
"What do you mean," JC asked innocently.
"I mean, is there anyone at all who doesn't know or at least suspect that
Lance and I are going out?" Devon watched JC carefully and laughed to
himself at his nervousness.
"Well actually..."
Devon laughed loudly. "I thought not. OK. That settles it." Devon
walked out of the lounge quickly and over to where Lance was sitting with AJ,
Howie, Chris, Joey, Kevin, and Brian. He marched right over to Lance and
smiled down at him. "Um, can you stand up one second," Devon said with a
grin.
Lance looked at the others and shrugged his shoulders. As soon as he was
standing, Devon had his arms around him and was kissing him passionately on
the lips. Lance stood frozen, his eyes wide open and his body stiff as a
board before he finally let himself go. His body became more limber as he
stayed in Devon's arm, kissing him back with everything he had. Finally they
pulled away from each other. Lance panted loudly as Devon stared him in the
eyes. He looked over to the guys who were watching them, their jaws dropping
down to the floor. "By the way, Lance and I are going out," he said as he
walked away from them. As he left, he heard loud applause. He smiled to
himself and climbed into his bunk, waiting for Lance.
Kevin stared at Lance for a moment after Devon left. Lance saw him
staring and threw him a funny look. Kevin realized he was staring and shook
his head, giving a smile. Lance looked at him a moment longer before
returning the smile and nodding at him. He sighed happily as looked over to
AJ.
"So, our little Lance is all grown up now," he said in a motherly tone.
"I think it may be time for the birds and bees speech."
"If you go anywhere near that subject I'm gonna be sick," Lance said,
laughing loudly.
Brian merely sat and looked at the table. "I'm happy for you," he said,
finally glancing up at Lance. Lance looked at him for a moment, surprised by
the sadness in his voice.
"Thank you Brian," Lance said with a hint of concern.
"Why don't we head to bed Brian," JC said as he stood. Brian glanced up
at him and nodded. He said goodnight to everyone and headed off to his bunk,
following JC.
'What's the matter with him,' Lance asked himself as he sat there. He was
snapped back into reality by AJ and Howie laughing.
"So Lance, dancers are really flexible," AJ said with a grin.
"I warned you," Lance said as he began to make gagging noises. Then he
sat up. "Besides, you would know. Britney's a dancer too isn't she," Lance
said. AJ turned bright red and looked down at the table.
"You know we haven't-"
"Yes I know," Lance said with a laugh. "I was only teasing you! God some
people can dish it out but they just can't take it," Lance said with a big
smile.
AJ looked up at him and smiled warmly. "Why don't you head off to bed?
I'm sure Devon's waiting for you?"
Lance smiled warmly. "Thank god we don't have to hide this anymore,"
Lance said with a grin. He got up and slowly walked away from the table.
'Thank God,' Kevin repeated to himself as he put his head down on the
table for some rest.
*****
It was dark, save for a single candle standing in an ancient silver
candelabra. The wax, already dripping, had began to fall down the polished
finish and harden. Through the large picture window, one could only see the
gnarled branches of a long ago dead tree, having shed it's leaves centuries
before. The bed was enormous, with a canopy that more resmebled a tent than
anything else. The heavy drapes were dusty and heavy, throwing a light film
over anything they brushed up against. There was a step stool at the side of
the bed. It was necessary to use this small ladder to climb up as the
mattress sat up so high. The rest of the furniture in the room was covered
with white sheets. Hung on one wall was a painting, faded and even torn in
some places. It was of a woman, stunning in a scarlet red dress with her
hair swept up on top of her head. In the doorway stood a figure.
Justin entered the room slowly and looked around nervously, unsure of
what he was looking for. With each step he took, he could feel his heart
beat louder in his chest. He quickly walked over to one of the covered
sheets and tore the blanket off, causing a cloud of dust to rise into the
air. He coughed loudly and covered his mouth and nostrils. He continued to
walk around the room, tearing sheets from the various couches and beds as he
walked. With a sigh he glanced around.
"Do you like it," a voice behind him said.
Justin jumped a bit and threw a look over his shoulder. He smiled
warmly. "I love it," he said with a grin. "It's a little creepy right now,
but I think with some more light it will be amazing."
"I'm glad," Nick said with a wide smile as he approached. Justin took a
step back and walked over to the bed. One of the boards in the floor
creaked, causing Justin to jump back. As he did he fell into one of the
posts of the canopy.
"Ouch," he cried out as he clutched his back. He swore under his breath
and took a step forward.
Something grabbed his foot. Justin let out a yelp as he felt the grip on
his ankle tighten and pull him down. He tried to stand, but the iron grip on
his leg wouldn't let go. He looked up, but Nick was no where in site. He
looked back towards his leg as a figure emerged from under the bed.
*****
Justin shot up in his bunk, panting heavily and dripping with sweat. He
looked quickly form side to side, disoriented. "The bus. I'm on the bus,"
he said to himself. He put one hand against his chest and felt his racing
heartbeat. He took several deep breaths, trying desperately to calm it down.
Nick was still asleep next to him, one arm thrown over Justin's leg. Justin
looked down at Nick's sleeping face and sighed heavily. "Don't wake him,"
Justin said to himself. He carefully lifted Nick's arm from his leg and
threw his legs over the side of the bunk. He put his hands down at his sides
and pushed off the bed, landing a couple of feet from the gap under the bunk.
'Why take chances,' he thought to himself. He stood there for a moment
before shaking his head and walking towards the kitchen with a sigh. Joey
sat at the table drinking a glass of hot chocolate from a mug.
"What are you doing up curly," Joey asked as he emptied some more of the
whipped cream bottle into his cocoa.
"Nightmare," Justin said as he walked towards the small refrigerator. He
pulled out the milk and then reached up and grabbed a bowl and box of cereal.
"Isn't it a little early for cereal," Joey asked with a laugh.
"Hey, it's never to early for cereal," Justin replied. Joey took a look
at Justin and started to bust out laughing. "Why are you laughing at me?"
"You're wearing a Nick Carter BSB t-shirt," Joey said through his tears.
Justin looked down and saw Nick's face across his chest. He let out a loud
laugh and sat down in a chair across from Joey.
"You don't think he's hot," Justin asked in his most feminine voice. He
let out another laugh before diving into his cereal.
"So, what was your dream about," Joey asked as he took another sip of
cocoa.
"Ugh, I'd rather not talk about it. I feel dumb." Justin never looked
up while he spoke, instead staring intently into his bowl of cheeri-o's
"You'd feel better," Joey said with a smile.
Justin looked up and shrugged. "Short version? I was in a creepy house
and something under the bed grabbed me. End of story, I feel like I'm five
years old and afraid of the boogie-man again."
Joey let out a little giggle before shaking his head. "No, that does
sound like a creepy dream. Did Nick say anything?"
"I wasn't gonna wake him up for a stupid nightmare," Justin said as he
took another spoon of cereal. "Besides, you're up. I can whine to you."
Justin smiled warmly and sighed. "So, how's your love life Joe?"
Joey laughed loudly. "What love life?" He shook his head yawned
slightly. "I haven't even been on a date in months."
"Well, it's kind of hard to hold down a relationship while you're touring
all the time." Justin's face perked up a bit. "What about one of the
dancers? Some of them are pretty hot."
"Yea, and a lot of them are taken. Besides, a lot of them just sign up
to perform for half the tour or whatever. Then that would be the end of it."
Justin sighed. "Ah, the trials and tribulations of being a teenage
heart-throb!" Joey squirted some whipped cream at him. Justin shrugged and
picked it up with his finger, licking it off erotically.
"Save it for Nick," Joey said with a laugh. Justin turned bright red and
wiped his finger off, giving a weak smile.
"Ok, I will," Justin said. He glanced up at Joey and saw him staring at
him. He looked Joey in the eye, trying to decipher what he was thinking.
His expression couldn't be read, and finally Justin lowered his eyes to the
table. "What's up Joe?"
Joey shook his head and looked away. "I was just trying to figure out if
you're doing ok," he said with a weak grin. "You haven't been the same
since...you know."
Justin nodded his head and looked around the area. With a sigh he stood
up and brought his bowl over to the sink. Joey got up with him. "Are you
alright Justin," he asked, a bit more concern in his voice.
Justin turned to face him, his eyes downcast. "I've been getting
better," he said unsurely. "I mean, you have to admit the whole situation
with Robert and then finding the pictures and those papers was a bit too
much. I'm doing pretty good now though. Nothing but a couple of nightmares,
and those are only dreams," he said. 'Only dreams,' he repeated over and
over again in his head.
*****
Lance lay curled up in Devon's arms, a smile painted across his face. He
sighed happily in his sleep, snuggling as close as he could to his lover's
body. Devon lay awake, looking over at Lance's sleeping form. He smiled
happily to himself and pulled Lance in tighter. He felt Lance's breath, slow
and soft against his neck and closed his eyes. He felt Lance shift in his
arms and looked down. He watched as Lance's eyes fluttered open.
"Good morning," Lance said with a sleepy smile.
"It's not really morning yet," Devon said as he saw his pager by the bed.
"It's only 4 in the morning. We won't be there til around nine or so."
"Nine," Lance asked as he sat up a bit. Devon nodded and watched as
Lance removed his shirt. Lance noticed him watching and flexed his arm. He
gave a laugh. "Yea right." Devon smiled widely and ran his hand over
Lance's bare torso. He looked up at Lance from the top of his eyes and then
laid back down. Lance smiled widely and crawled in top of Devon, pressing
into him. Devon lifted his head up and brought his lips to Lance's. With
one arm around Lance's back, he pulled him down close to him. Their lips met
as Lance felt himself go a bit limp in Devon's arms. Devon lifted his hips
slightly and began grinding into Lance. Lance let a moan escape from between
their lips as he felt how hard Devon was getting. He parted his lips a bit,
allowing Devon's tongue to slip inside. Lance felt Devon in him and could
barely control himself. He brought his hands down to Devon's waist and
pulled at the elastic to his navy blue boxers briefs. Devon lifted his hips
more, allowing Lance to slip them down. He moved his legs a bit and soon
they were off his body. Lance pulled away from their kiss and pushed himself
up, his hands on either side of Devon's face.
"Would you make love to me," Lance asked, a hint of pleading in his eyes.
Devon looked at him for a moment. "Are you sure," he asked. Lance
nodded and gave a wide smile. Devon smiled back. "If that's what you want
then of course I will."
He watched as Lance produced a condom and bottle of lube from a small bag
hanging inside the bunk. He carefully slipped the condom onto Devon's erect
cock, watching as Devon's face contorted a bit, a wave of pleasure sweeping
over him as he felt Lance feeling him. Lance then took some of the lube and
spread some onto Devon, as well as the entrance to his hole. He lay down on
his back and turned his head towards Devon, giving a little nod. Devon
smiled warmly at him, finally crawling on top of Lance's form. "You're sure,
right," Devon asked with concern. Lance nodded and gave him the warmest
smile he could. Devon leaned in and whispered 'I love you' just as he began
to push into Lance. Lance gasped suddenly and clamped his eyes down tight.
He relaxed a bit as Devon pushed in a bit more. "Are you alright," he asked
as he stopped pushing. Lance nodded.
"Keep going," he whispered in reply. Devon pushed in a little more,
going as slow as he could, much slower than he ever had before. Lance moaned
out in pleasure as Devon struggled to catch his breath. As soon as he was
all the way, he began to pull out, equally as slow until only the head was
left in. Lance looked up at him with longing in his eyes. Devon stared back
at him, entering once again. His pumping began to increase in speed as he
threw his head back, breathing harder and harder. Lance let out an audible
moan as he stared up at Devon and licked his lips. Devon brought his head
down and kissed Lance pssionately on the lips as he kept his steady motion.
Finally, Devon pulled away from the kiss as he began to moan louder. Lance
threw his head back as he came between them. Devon kept up his pumping until
finally he let out a brief yell, exploding inside Lance. He collapsed on top
of him. He brought his nose down so that it touched Lance'' and stared right
in his eyes. "I love you," he whispered.
Lance stared up at him, a huge smile across his face. He kissed him
lightly on the cheek. "I love you too," he whispered back. He saw a yawn
escape from Devon's mouth. He pulled him close to his body, wrapping his
arms around him and began to hum.
"That's pretty," Devon said sleepily. "What are the words?"
"Well let's see," Lance said as he leaned back into his pillow. He began
to sing lightly.
>From the first day I saw you
I knew you were the one
I took my first glance at you
it was love at first sight.
Daydreaming is all that i can do.
All I ever do is daydream about u!
I swim, I dance, I lay, and I love
then I wake up from my daydream
and pray to the heavens above.
Without love the feeling is real bad
but this kind of love is one I never had.
But for a guy as sweet and as beautiful as you
i know you can make all my dreams come true
so.......
Daydreaming is all that I can do.
All I ever do is daydream about u!
I swim, I dance, I lay, and I love
then I wake up from my daydream
and pray to the heavens above.
I never knew that I can love someone
as much as I love you!
Without you my life is incomplete!
So as I lay in bed all I can do is daydream about you
Daydreaming is all that I can do.
All I ever do is daydream about u!
I swim, I dance, I lay, and I love
then I wake up from my daydream
and pray to the heavens above.
Lance looked down and saw Devon sleeping peacefully in his arms. A smile
spread slowly across his face as he leaned down and kissed him on his cheek.
"Goodnight Devon."
*****
Justin crawled back into his bunk, ignoring the noises that were coming
from Lance's. 'He must be happy,' Justin thought to himself. He looked down
and saw Nick, still sleeping angelically. Justin smiled in spite of himself
and shivered slightly as he felt a nip in the air. He pulled the covers over
him and snuggled close to Nick's warm body. He wrapped his arms close around
Nick and smiled. "I love you so much," he whispered. Nick groaned in his
sleep. Justin smiled wider and cuddled closer.
"Are you awake," Nick asked quietly, his eyes still shut. Justin was
a bit startled by the sudden speech, but didn't flinch.
"I was just getting back into bed," Justin said as he relaxed.
"I didn't know you had gotten up," Nick said with a smile as he opened
his eyes and looked over at Justin. "Is everything alright?"
"Um, yea I guess," Justin said unsurely.
Nick sat up on his elbows and yawned. "What was wrong," he asked as he
tried to read Justin's expression.
Justin thought a moment, trying to decide whether or not to discuss the
nightmare with Nick. "I was just a little jumpy," he finally said.
"Are you sure that's all," Nick asked.
"Yea, I'm sure," Justin said as he shut his eyes. Nick remained where he
was a moment longer.
"You'd tell me if something was wrong, wouldn't you," Nick asked
hopefully. He stared at Justin, searching for answers to questions he didn't
have.
Justin opened his eyes again. "Of course I would," he said weakly. "But
really, I'm fine. I was just a little jumpy. I got some cereal and made fun
of Joey, that's all."
"Ok," Nick said, still worried. He watched as Justin lay back down.
"Goodnight," he whispered lowly.
"Goodnight love," Justin replied.
*****
It was dark. There were trees all around. Far in the distant, there was
a single light glowing, leading him along a path. He could feel a pain in
his side as he walked, stopping every now and again to catch his breath. He
heard a noise behind him and spun quickly. No one there. He turned back and
continued his hike. He finally emerged form the wooded area and onto a long
stretch of road. Car after car drove by as he half ran, half stumbled along
his way, constantly keeping his eyes on the light in the distance. 'I'm
gonna make it there,' he thought to himself. He ran harder as the light grew
closer and closer.
*****
"So, what is the deal with you and AJ anyway," Fatima asked as she sat in
the lounge of the tour bus which was following the one the boys were on.
Britney giggled loudly. "AJ and I are seeing one another," she said
matter-of-factly.
"Oh I see," Fatima replied, taking a sip of her tea. "How do you find
time to...do stuff?"
Britney thought a moment, leaning back in her seat and looking into her
dish of ice cream. "Well, it is hard, I'll tell you that. We do find little
ways though. Like we'll go with each other to the studio on our days off.
When we have the night off or after a show, he takes me out to dinner. It's
cute."
Fatima listened to everything intently, making quiet noises as she
listened. Britney finally looked up at her. "Why, you're not thinking of
starting a relationship of your own are you," Britney asked with a huge smile.
Fatima turned bright red and took a sip of her tea. "No, I'm not. I'm
just wondering, that's all."
"Oh yea right. Out with it girl, who is he?" Britney leaned all the way
forward, pushing her face into Fatima's. Fatima backed up and laughed.
"Down girl," Fatima laughed. "I'm not saying anything right now. Hell
who am I kidding, we both know I'm never going to say anything."
"It's not Devon is it," Britney asked.
Fatima stared at her open mouthed for a minute. "He's gay Britney."
"I know," Britney replied as she leaned back in her seat, staring at
Fatima intently.
"Listen Columbo, you're quite a bit off the mark on this one."
Britney frowned a bit and took another spoon of ice cream. "Oh well.
I'll find out eventually. You know I will."
"I know," Fatima replied. "And don't think I like that fact at all."
There was a noise behind them. Fatima jumped a bit, spilling some of her
tea on the table. She cursed under her breath and looked around. "Hello,"
she said impatiently. There was no more noise. She groaned and wiped up her
spilled tea with a nearby napkin. Britney laughed at her.
"A bit jumpy are we? Does the talk of relationships strike fear in the
heart of our steely choreographer," Britney asked with a grin.
Fatima gave her a blank stare. "Stick to singing, because god knows your
philosophy can use a lot of work." There was a sneeze, this time there both
jumped a spun around. "Amy, what are you doing up," Fatima asked as she saw
one of her dancers walk in.
"I have this horrible cold and I can't breathe, so that means I can't
sleep and I'm in a really bitchy mood right now," she said in one long nasal
tone. Fatima gave Britney a look and then reached for a box of kleenex.
"Here, enjoy with my blessings," Fatima said with a grin. Amy smiled and
gladly accepted the box. She sat down on the seat next to Fatima and leaned
her head back.
"Is it possible to suffocate from a clogged nose," she asked.
"No, that's another great reason for having a mouth," Britney replied.
She walked over to the stove and poured some boiling water into a cup. She
walked over and plopped a tea bag and a large table spoon of honey into the
mixture. "Drink this," she said. "It'll make the cold better."
Amy gladly took the mug and began to drink it quickly. She glanced at
the both of them and shrugged. "So why are you two divas up so late anyway,"
Amy asked with a smile.
"Talking about boys," Britney said with a laugh. Fatima rolled her eyes
and took another sip of her tea.
"We couldn't sleep either," she said with a grin.
Amy nodded and downed some more tea. "So, do we have tomorrow off," she
asked hopefully. Fatima gave off a loud laugh.
"You want a day off the second day of the tour? Get a grip."
Amy groaned and stood up. "In that case, I'm going to bed. Get some rest."
With that she disappeared into the back of the bus, mug of tea in hand.
Britney watched her as she walked. "She seems sweet," she said nonchalantly.
"Yea," Fatima agreed. "Real sweet."
*****
"Can you stop fidgeting," Brian said as he was shoved towards the wall by
JC's kicking. JC laughed a bit and pressed into Brian.
"Nope, got ants in my pants," JC said with a smile.
"You're not wearing any pants, remember," Brian replied with a laugh. JC
shot him a look and frowned. He lifted up the covers and pretended to be
amazed.
"My God, you're right," he said with a laugh. "This will be hard to
explain to everyone in the morning," he said with a grin.
Brian rolled his eyes and lay on his back. "Come on now, get to sleep,"
he said grumpily.
"Well fine," JC said, pouring on the attitude. He moved to as far away
form Brian as he could. When he was on the other side of the bunk, he threw
him a look. "Better?"
"No," Brian said. He reached out his arms and put them around JC,
pulling him in towards him. "Now this is much better."
JC smiled widely. "You are such a cornball, you know that," he said
with a grin.
"And you love it," Brian replied. "Now let's all get some sleep, ok?"
"Yes dad," JC said with a smile. "I love you."
Brian lay there for a second, his thoughts flying around his head. After
a minute he smiled and lay back. "I love you too."
*****
Well, that was part 28. Hope everyone enjoyed it. You can send any
questions, comments, criticisms, etc to Mike at BrwyMilo@aol.com. Thanks for
reading, and I'll see you on Halloween.
Somethings coming. Is everything as it seems? Halloween can be scary...