Date: Tue, 5 Sep 2000 06:10:32 -0700 (PDT)
From: Robin <nsajscgirl@yahoo.com>
Subject: Chapter 12, Now or Never, Boy-bands, Celebrity, Gay

Disclaimer: I do not know `N Sync or their sexual preferences.  This is a
piece of fiction, which means that it is not real.  The story contains
homosexual content.  If you are underage or this is illegal where you live,
please leave.

Thanks!

Hey everyone!  I know it's been a long time and I'm sorry about that.  What
can I say though?  School's a bitch!  Hope you like this next chapter of
Now or Never and please, please let me know what you think!  :) Email me at
nsajscgirl@yahoo.com

Oh, and another huge thank you goes out to Cele, `cause she's awesome like
that!  :)

-----------

Previously on Now or Never...

	As Lance reached around Chris to pull the door open, he came to a
quick stop causing a domino effect.  Justin bumped into Lance, causing the
closest bodyguard to bump roughly into Justin.
	"Lance!  Wha...oh," Justin sputtered once he spotted the cause of
Lance's immobility.  He would have turned and ran the other way if he
thought it would have done any good.  Officers Bartlett and Henson stood in
front of Chris and Lance, stern frowns covering their faces.
	"Um, hello officers.  How are you doing this afternoon?" Lance
managed to spit out.  There was a sick feeling growing in his stomach.  The
looks on their faces announced the fact that they weren't happy at the
moment.  "We were just about to leave for the day..."  "I'm sorry,
Mr. Bass.  We have a few more questions for all of you concerning the case.
If you could stay a few more minutes, it would be greatly appreciated,"
Officer Bartlett asked politely.  Both he and his partner stepped into the
room, forcing the exiting group to back up.  Henson shut the door behind
him and stood beside Bartlett.  Lance shared a concerned glance with
Johnny, unsure of what he should do.  Johnny simply shook his head,
indicating that Lance should go along with whatever the officers did.  He
was ready to holler for the closest lawyer if one of the officers did
something he didn't like.
	"Alright, Officer.  I'm sure we can stay a little longer," Lance
conceded, as though he actually had the choice.  Bartlett nodded and
crossed his arms.  He stared at the group in front of him for a moment,
allowing the silence to become unnerving.
	"Well, let's start with the fact that you have been lying to us..."

------------
Now or Never
Chapter 12

Lance drew in a deep breath and he quickly turned away from the officer's
penetrating gaze.  He knew this was going to happen.  He knew that the
doctor would share her findings with the police; he knew that they were
screwed.  Lance exchanged an angry glance with JC, the one who had given
the doctor the conflicting information.
	JC, in return, frowned at Lance and shrugged his shoulders
carelessly.  He wasn't the least bit remorseful about the fact that he had
told the doctor the truth.  He had been looking out for Joey and that was
more important to him at the time than trying to keep Chris's ass out of
trouble.
	Johnny stepped forward quickly; he already didn't like where this
was going.
	"Wait a goddamn minute!  You were warned about questioning the guys
without their lawyers.  Before this goes any further, I want Jive's lawyers
here for this ambush!" Johnny demanded.  Officer Bartlett nodded his
concession and his partner sighed.  Neither of them had expected to get
through this without the "sharks" being present.  Johnny flipped open his
cell phone, quickly dialed a familiar number, and waited impatiently for
someone to pick up.
	JC decided that he would be more comfortable sitting down during
the upcoming interrogation.  He backed up quickly and plopped down in the
first chair he came in contact with.  He lowered his head to avoid making
eye contact with his three band mates whose facial expressions ranged from
anger to disbelief at the situation they found themselves in.  The
bodyguards took up various positions around the room, each keeping a wary
eye on all of the occupants.
	Chris picked the chair farthest from JC and lowered himself into it
gently.  He figured that space was a good thing between JC and himself.
Chris rubbed his sweaty palms along the armrests of his chair just to give
him the feeling that he was moving, that he was doing something.  He had
been pretty sure that he was going to piss himself the moment he saw the
policemen in front of him earlier.  He was glad that he managed to control
the urge.  What he couldn't control, though, was his heartbeat, which was
currently racing at eighty miles an hour.  All he could do was stare at the
two imposing officers that blocked his only escape.
	Johnny barked a few orders into his phone and angrily slapped it
shut.  He took a quick look around the room and noted with interest that
while JC and Chris sat on opposite sides of the room, Lance and Justin had
taken two seats next to each other.  They seemed impossibly close, their
sides pressed together tightly.  Johnny watched the pair for a moment
before he saw Justin move his hand to Lance's thigh.  He wouldn't have
given the simple touch a second thought if he hadn't seen Lance's reaction.
Johnny would have simply assumed that Justin was trying to comfort his
older friend.  However, Lance's response told of an altogether different
story.  The young blonde blushed slightly and tilted his head towards
Justin, a loving smile playing at the corners of his mouth.  Justin mouthed
something to Lance, causing the older man's blush to deepen.  Lance moved
his hand down to cover Justin's and he gave it a quick squeeze.
	Johnny was more than a little shocked at the sweet exchange.  He
realized that neither of them had any idea that they were being watched and
he could feel the headache that he had woken up with magnify ten times.
This was the last thing he wanted to deal with.  As their manager, he would
be forced to tell them to hide whatever they were feeling or doing from the
public.  They had to make the little girls happy and they couldn't do that
if they were screwing each other.  Johnny honestly didn't care that they
were gay, just that they were going to make his job a living hell.
	He turned his attention from Lance and Justin in time to see
Bartlett staring at the couple.  Johnny cleared his throat, catching
Bartlett's attention.  He arched an eyebrow and glared at the officer,
getting a vague shrug in return.
	Johnny's throat clearing also got Justin's attention and once the
young man realized what was going on, he pulled away from Lance and stood
up quickly.  Justin moved across the room and took a seat directly facing
Lance.  If he couldn't be beside Lance, at least he could look at him
directly.  He didn't want to sit there, but he didn't want to draw anymore
unwanted attention to Lance and himself.  Justin met Lance's confused gaze
and gave him a reassuring smile, which seemed to satisfy Lance.  Justin
vowed to himself that he would do something special for Lance that night to
make up for the slight he had just given his lover.
	Justin's attention was drawn away from Lance when Mr. MacKenzie
burst into the room, putting the bodyguards on alert.  With a simple wave
of his hand, Johnny put the guards at ease and he moved forward to meet
Jive's lawyer.  They talked quietly in terse whispers for a moment before
separating and facing the rest of the room's occupants.
	"Officer Bartlett, you were warned about..." MacKenzie started only
to be interrupted by the exasperated officer.
	"Mr. MacKenzie, we didn't ask your `boys' anything and we did wait
for you to arrive before we questioned the group any further.  Can we
please stop wasting time and get on with the questioning?" Bartlett asked
sweetly, obviously trying to piss the lawyer off.  MacKenzie swallowed his
anger and nodded sharply.  "Thank you.  Like I said before, why don't we
start with the fact that you've lied to us," Bartlett said.  "During our
previous questioning we asked you if Mr.  Fatone had a record of drug use
and I believe Mr. Kirkpatrick replied with an emphatic `No'.  However, when
we talked with his doctor, she informed us that Mr. Chasez told her that
Mr. Fatone did in fact use drugs at parties.  He also told her that there
were a few parties a week which would constitute drug abuse in my book,
gentlemen."
	The room fell silent as Bartlett and Henson took a moment to survey
the group in front of them.  Eyes shuffled around the room, trying to avoid
the officers' gazes.  Chris found the floor pattern to be amazingly
interesting while JC picked at an imaginary piece of lint on his dark blue
T-shirt.  Since Lance and Justin sat across from one another, their gazes
focused on other.  As worried sea-green eyes met equally worried sky-blue
eyes, they found comfort in the fact that they weren't in this situation
alone.  A cleared throat caught everyone's attention and Lance was more
than a little surprised to find that it was Chris.
	"Officers, I didn't know that Joey used drugs," Chris stated.  He
felt a sharp knot of fear in his stomach as he waited for the police
officers to respond.  He had quickly decided that the only way to keep
himself and the group, but especially himself, out of trouble would be to
lie his ass off.  He just hoped that the police bought it.  "I thought I
was telling you the truth when I said Joey never used drugs and that was
simply because I didn't know any better.  It came as a huge shock to me
that Joey would take drugs."  As he finished, he glanced at his band mates
to see what their reactions to his explanation would be.
	He was somewhat satisfied to see the astonished look on his
friends' faces.  `At least they aren't angry...yet,' Chris thought to
himself as he returned his gaze to the officers.  Bartlett frowned at
Chris, but made no comment as he thought about Chris's explanation.  He
decided that for the moment he would turn his attention away from Chris.
	"How did you know about Joey's drug use, Mr. Chasez?" Bartlett
asked turning his interested gaze to the blue- eyed singer.  JC swallowed
uncomfortably as he thought of a suitable lie.  `Damn Chris for making me
lie,' JC thought to himself.  `This is all Chris's fault.'
	"I caught him one night at a party," JC answered as he shot Chris a
glare.
	"What was he doing?"  JC stared at the officers in incomprehension.
"I mean, what type of drug was he doing?"  Bartlett clarified himself.  JC
racked his brain, trying to remember one of the drugs Chris had mentioned
earlier.
	"Um...um...uppers I think.  I'm not sure," JC managed to spit out.
Bartlett and Henson exchanged unreadable glances with each other.
	"So you didn't feel the need to tell us this information when we
were questioning you earlier?"
	"Mr. Chasez, you don't have to answer that question," MacKenzie
pointed out.  JC stared at him for a moment before looking back at the
officers and replying.
	"You never asked me whether or not Joey used drugs.  You just asked
Chris," JC explained evasively.  Bartlett frowned at JC and he had to lower
his head to avoid the officer's gaze as he continued to lie.  "I didn't
really think it was that big a deal until the doctor said something about
it possibly effecting Joey's health.  I had only seen him do it a couple of
times, really."  Justin couldn't believe the words that had just come out
of his best friend's mouth.  He seemed to lie easily, but Justin could tell
from his slumped shoulders and bowed head, he was struggling with the fact
that he was forced to lie.  When JC raised his head, his eyes met Chris's
and the older man grimaced at the anger he saw smoldering in JC's azure
eyes.
	"Right..." Bartlett said slowly.  He thought briefly about
arresting JC for obstruction of justice, but he really didn't see the
point.  He was almost positive now that they were hiding something
important, but he wouldn't press it...yet.  Lance held his breath as he
watched the policeman scan the room with an inscrutable expression.
Bartlett exchanged glances with Henson once more before nodding at his
partner.  "I'm having a hard time believing you, Mr.  Chasez, but I can't
prove you wrong and it really doesn't matter how you knew.  So...I'm going
to take your word for right now.  We still have to question Mr. Fatone.  If
anything comes up, we'll be in touch," Bartlett finished before turning
abruptly and exiting the room with Henson following at his heels.  Lance
let go of his breath and slumped in his seat, happy that it was over for
the time being.  He heard echoing sighs of relief from the others sound
throughout the room and, for the most part, the tension dissipated.
	"Okay, guys.  That was it for now, I guess.  Chris, you can go home
now," Johnny said dismissively before turning to Justin, then Lance.
"Could I please speak to you two in private, please?" Chris looked at his
friends curiously before bolting from the room.  He didn't really care what
Johnny wanted to talk to Lance and Justin about; he just wanted to get out
of there.  JC left the room wordlessly right behind Chris; he was going to
try and find Joey's doctor.  He had seen most of the exchange between Lance
and Justin and he knew exactly what Johnny wanted to talk to them about.
Johnny motioned for the two remaining bodyguards and Mr. MacKenzie to leave
the room while he frowned at the two men sitting across from each other.
	The minute Johnny had asked to speak to them privately, Justin knew
what it was about and he also knew that he wasn't ready for it.  His
relationship with Lance was too new and too special to discuss with Johnny,
especially when they hadn't even told their friends.  Lance sighed,
catching Justin's attention, and Justin offered his lover a small,
reassuring smile.
	"Johnny..." Justin started only to be interrupted by a wave of
Johnny's hand.
	"Just listen, okay?  I'm just going to talk and I want you two to
listen," Johnny announced as he started pacing back and forth across the
room.  "I don't know what is going on between the two of you and, to tell
you the truth, I don't really want to know.  I just want to ask that you
keep it under wraps and away from the public eye.  You can do whatever you
want to in the privacy of your own houses, but whenever you are in public
you absolutely must keep this a secret.  If something about two of the
hottest members of `N Sync being gay got out, it would be a public
relations nightmare.  I'm telling you, as your manager, that it would be a
living hell for everyone involved to try to cover your asses."  Their
manager emphasized his words by jabbing his fingers at them.  Lance was
shocked to find out that Johnny had seen them earlier, but he had kept his
eyes on Justin throughout Johnny's speech and he didn't seemed surprised.
`At least that explains why Justin moved,' Lance mused.  He thought about
how easily they had been spotted and a sharp knot of fear twisted in his
stomach.  Lance knew that Johnny was right; that if it went public that he
and Justin were gay and in love, the shit would hit the fan.  There was no
telling what the fan reaction would be to those facts.  He had stayed
silent for six years for that very reason, to protect the group.  Now that
Lance was involved with Justin, he felt an even higher sense of
responsibility to keep their lives and relationship away from their fans'
prying eyes.
        "Do you both understand what I am saying?" Johnny questioned
sharply.
	"Yes," Lance answered softly.  He watched Justin as he replied and
it was obvious that Justin was having a hard time controlling his anger.
Lance shook his head at Justin to prevent him from saying something stupid.
	"Good.  That's all I have to say on the subject and I hope that it
was clear," Johnny said before turning on his heel and marching out of the
room.  The sound of the door slamming shut behind him echoed throughout the
walls of the private waiting room.
	"He's right.  You know that, Justin."  Justin swallowed hard and
nodded his head as he felt the beginnings of tears burn at the back of his
eyes.  Lance quickly got out of his chair and walked to his lover.  He
didn't know how they were going to get through this, but he did know that
he loved Justin with all of his heart.  Hopefully, it would be enough to
pull them through the rough times ahead.


Later that night...Lance Bass's residence
	Lance was nervous.  Throughout the drive home from the hospital,
Justin had been silent.  Lance had tried his hardest to get Justin to open
up and talk to him.  After their little conference with Johnny, he was
feeling a little hopeless and unsure of what was to come and he knew that
Justin must have been feeling the same things.  Without a word, Justin had
dropped Lance off at his house and sped away.  Lance would have been really
worried if Justin hadn't called ten minutes later, asking him to be dressed
and ready to go at eight o'clock sharp.
	Lance took another look at his wristwatch before sighing and
picking at the hem of his suit jacket.  It was seven fifty-five according
to Lance watch, whereas the clock on his mantel said seven fifty-eight.
Lance fervently hoped that the later was the one Justin was running by
because he was dying with curiosity to know what this was all about.  He
slowly walked back to his bathroom and studied his appearance for what
seemed the millionth time that night.  His blonde-tipped spikes, frozen in
their haphazard positions, complemented his pale skin and he thought to
himself that he didn't look too bad.  He looked down at his watch again,
noting with interest that it was now seven fifty-eight.  He slowly walked
back towards the living room until he heard the doorbell ring, the pleasant
sound echoing throughout the house.
	Lance raced to the door, stopping just in time to keep from running
into the wood.  He smoothed down the front of his suit nervously and paused
a minute.  He laughed at himself silently for his nervousness.  `This is
Justin, you idiot!'  he chided himself.  He had never been this nervous
about Justin coming to get him.  But he knew the difference between then
and now, this was his Justin.  He grinned stupidly for a minute before the
doorbell sounded once again and a loud knock followed the chiming.
	Slowly, he opened the front door and he felt his heart melt all
over again.  In front of him stood Justin, hair perfectly placed, in a dark
blue suit and tie.  Once Justin caught sight of Lance, his full lips
transformed into the gorgeous smile that he was known for and along with
his smile, he offered up to Lance the single blood-red rose he held in his
hand.
	"Hey..." Justin drawled out as he stared at his lover.
	"Hey..." Lance replied, a grin spreading across his face.

-----------------------

Welp, there it is.  I hope everyone liked it and as you can see, we've
swept the police aside and it's on to the more...interesting stuff.  ;) I'm
not making any promises, but I'm going to try and get the next chapter out
as soon as possible.  Please let me know what you thought about it, okay?
I'm begging!  :) nsajscgirl@yahoo.com