Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2003 19:31:46 -0700
From: dkstories@cox.net
Subject: Phone Call

Legal Stuff: I don't know NSYNC or any other celebrity mentioned.  While
real people are the basis of characters, they are characters here and do
not represent the real lives, thoughts, or feelings of the real people.
Again, these are characters based on them, not the real people themselves.
If you are too young, or live in a location where it is illegal to read
stories that include love between men, read no further!  Like that would
have ever stopped me...

Author's Note: By popular demand, here is the continuation of Phone
Call. This begins immediately after the end of Phone Call.  I hope you
enjoy it and please don't hesitate to tell me what you think!

It's Never Easy -- Chapter 1

Here I was, the man I loved had just proposed to me, and I had accepted.
The pain of the last few days, the last few weeks, had disappeared as James
Lance Bass gave his speech and proposal.  This kiss that we shared was
long, and full of passion.

Unfortunately, life just had to intrude.  The knock on the door was loud
and demanded our attention.  James was still dressed in casual jeans and a
t-shirt, while I was wearing the pants and button down shirt I had put on
back in LA yesterday.  I stank, and my hair was a mess.  I didn't want to
let James up, but a second knock, louder than the first pulled him
inexorably off the couch.  I stood up, unfolding my 6'3" frame from the
sitting position and headed upstairs while James opened the door.  I looked
at the master bedroom door for a moment, but I couldn't go in there.  The
image of the last time I opened that door was just too much for me.
Instead, I went into the guest bathroom to take a shower.

I could hear voices downstairs, but they weren't yelling so I turned on the
shower, making it a hot one, and stepped inside.  As the hot water washed
away the grime and sweat of last night and this morning, I let myself
relax.  That was when doubt began to creep inside.

Would something like this happen again?  Could I really trust James?  He'd
be on tour with Josh for months.  Would they fall back into bed again?
Just how much did he mean what he said?  Would he run again when things got
rough?

I knew that I was unable to answer these questions right now.  There was
only one way to tell if James could be trusted to keep the commitments he
had just made.  I would have to trust him, just as he would have to trust
me.  We either based our relationship on trust and communication, or we
would doom ourselves to a miserable marriage.

Yes, I said marriage.  Marriage is older than the United States and it's
laws.  At its core, marriage is a promise between people.  It is a
commitment to live their lives together, to become partners in facing
whatever life set before them.  Marriage in these modern times had become
more about finances and tax breaks than about commitment.  Although we had
not yet set a date for our marriage, James and I would one day exchange
vows binding us together, as a team, forever.  It didn't matter to me
whether the law recognized our commitment or didn't.  What mattered is that
we will have made that commitment before each other, before witnesses, and
before God.

Yes, I said God.  I don't trust organized religion.  Organized religion is
led by men (and women).  As much as we might like to believe otherwise,
these leaders are just as prone to mistakes and human passions as anyone
else.  Over the centuries, too many of them let their greed and personal
ambitions rule their teachings.  I believed in God, but I did not believe
in most of the men and women who tried to speak for him.

If God doesn't like my opinion, he'll tell me when I die and see him.  He's
the only one whose opinions I really worry about when it comes to the
status of my soul.  I live my life the way I hope he'd want me to live.
I've made it a point to leave this world a slightly better place than it
was when I was born.  No, I'm not going to bring about world peace, stop
genocide single handedly, or feed every hungry person in the world.  What I
can do, though, I do act upon.

All this went through my mind as I took my shower.  Thank God James has a
big hot water heater, because I was using hot water like crazy.  I was in
there for maybe thirty or forty minutes before I felt ready to go back into
the house.  I stepped out and found a large towel sitting on the counter.
James must have been in here.  I smiled as I picked up and saw a fresh
change of clothes underneath.  There was a note on top of them.

- Dave --

    I can understand why you chose to use the guest shower. I thought I'd
bring some clothes out for you so you wouldn't have to go in there.  That
was Johnny at the door and he's going to be staying here to talk to you.
Manuel & Nathan are supposed to be flying in soon so I've gone to the
airport to pick them up.  I love you -- James

So, Johnny Wright was downstairs. I sighed heavily as I finished drying and
got dressed.  I used the deodorant, tooth brush, and razor that James had
also left on the sink.  Sooner than I wished, I was ready to go downstairs
and face the music. Sure, James and I had settled our issues, but that
doesn't mean the world, or our friends, were settled.  As much as I'd
prefer to ignore the problems of the last few days, I doubted very many
people would let that happen.

I left the guest bathroom and headed downstairs.  Sure enough, Johnny was
still here, dressed in a suit.  He was standing in front of the mantle,
holding the picture of James and I at the Grand Canyon.  I smiled again at
the memory and cleared my throat. Johnny turned around and gave me an
appraising glance as he set the picture back in its spot.

"I see you're done with your shower." He said slowly.

"Yes, I needed it pretty bad." I replied. Okay, how long was the small talk
going to take place?

"James tells me that you and he worked out the...uh...problems of the last
few days." He half asked/half stated.

"We've cleared the air." I answered.  "Now we have to work on rebuilding
our relationship."

"So you're committed to making your relationship work despite the recent
setbacks?"

"Yes.  We love each other.  That will help us get past...recent events." I
said a lot more confidently than I felt.

"It's a start." He said, then tapped his ample chin with his right
hand. "You do realize there are 290 million people in this country, and
more around the world, who are hearing a lot of stories about you and Rob
Thomas right now?  That's not going to go away."

"I know." I told him.  "I'll have to get a press release together and maybe
do an interview or two."

"Rob Thomas' people sent over a draft release. Would you be willing to look
it over?" Johnny asked me as he pulled a folded piece of paper out of his
jacket pocket.  He handed it to me and I opened it, reading through it
quickly.

"This is close enough to the truth that I can live with it." I told him.
"I do want to change some of this wording though."

"Go ahead, we'll clear it with them and have them release it immediately.
Most major networks, including MTV have not yet run the story, waiting for
some confirmation.  We'll also release a statement from James.  It might be
good to head up to New York and do a joint appearance, the two of you
together."

"Sounds good, and also provides a nice transition to something I want to
ask you."

"Go ahead." He said cautiously, taking the paper with my written
alterations and putting it back in his jacket pocket.

"How long of a break do the guys have for the holidays?"

"January 2nd they are due back in Orlando for rehearsals.  I might be able
to stretch that out a few days if you need James for something."

"I do need him." I said with a lump in my throat.  "Since we started our
relationship, we've spent more time apart than we have together.  I
understand that with our careers that isn't going to change anytime soon.
I also realize that we haven't spent more than four days in a row together
with just us.  I want to change that, go somewhere with just the two of
us."

"I actually think that is a good idea, but what about Nathan?" Johnny said,
surprising me.

"I'll ask if any of the guys can watch him. He's almost sixteen so he's
fairly independent, but he still needs adult supervision.  I'd ask Manuel
and Josh...but I think they will need some time for themselves as well."

"Would you mind if I asked Lynn?" Johnny asked, surprising me again.  I
hope this wasn't going to be a regular occurrence.

"That would be nice.  He and Justin get along like brothers."

"Good, I'll ask her later today.  If she can't, he's more than welcome to
stay at my place.  When you do you think you two will leave, how long will
you be gone, and where will you go?"

"I want this to be nice, and I want to get away totally from anyplace that
we have been together.  If James agrees, we'll stay here with Nathan for
Christmas.  We'll leave the day after Christmas.  I'm thinking Europe if
James has a current passport."

"He does." Johnny said smiling.  "It's in my office at the moment.  I'll
have it delivered later today.  I also think some parts of Europe would be
good, but I don't recommend Germany.  NSYNC is extremely big there and he
might be easily recognized."

"I was thinking London and Belgium.  I've got a few friends I met in London
my last trip over the pond and I know this nice, secluded hotel on the
outskirts of Brussels."

"It's going to be cold this time of year."

"Not that bad." I said.  "I usually travel to Europe in December.  A lot
cheaper."

"What airline do you think you'll fly?"

"British Airways.  I was thinking of making it a special trip.  The
Concorde stops flying in a few months and I've always wanted to fly on that
plane.  It'll probably be my last chance."

"You know James love flying...and space?" Johnny asked with a big smile.

"Yes." I said, also smiling.  It was another thing we had in common.

"He tried talking me into paying for a Concorde flight for them when they
begin their tour of Europe.  He gave the same reasons you just did.  I
suggest you don't tell him until you get to the airport.  He'll love the
surprise."

"That's my plan." I said softly, already imagining how James' face would
look.  "I'll get a flight out of here to New York so we can make our
connection there."

"Since you'll be in New York, do you think you might be able to do a quick
interview with MTV?"

"As long as we have the time, I think we should." I agreed.

"Good, that's the plan then.  Have James back by 9:00 a.m. on January 6th.
He'll need to make up the time in rehearsals, but your relationship is
important."

"Why?" I asked.  "Why are you being so supportive of our relationship?"

"Because of NSYNC's image." Johnny stated honestly.  "We've always tried to
portray them as wholesome, American boys.  James is gay, but having him in
a committed, monogamous relationship sends a positive message to young gay
men.  It also makes a positive impact on their parents, and the teen girls
flip out about how romantic it all is.  I swear if it wasn't so
`unwholesome' I'd be talking the two of you into doing a porno and selling
it.  Straight women would probably buy it by the thousands.  If they can't
have him, giving them a good romance story is almost as good.  Make sure to
take lots of pictures by the way.  I think it'll look good on the website."

"All of a sudden I feel so used." I mumbled, and Johnny laughed.

"It's part of being James' lover.  Just wait until we start planning your
wedding.  I'm seeing big media event here."

"Ah, crap.  I wanted a small ceremony." I sighed.

"Really?"

"No." I answered honestly.  I knew I had a sappy smile on my face.  "I want
everyone in the god damned world to see how much I love my man.  I want to
put every other celebrity wedding to shame.  I want to scream from the
highest mountaintop that I love him and that he is MINE!" I said all in a
rush.  Yes, that really is how I feel.

"Then we'll just have to have the biggest wedding of the 21st Century!"
James wonderful voice boomed from behind me. I spun around and smiled as he
walked in and hugged me.  Nathan was right behind him and made it a
three-way hug.  Manuel stood smiling in the doorway.

"Well, now that we've settled what type of wedding it's going to be, I need
to get this press release rolling." Johnny said, shaking our hands as he
left.  He stopped at Manuel and looked him up and down.  That was when I
realized that he'd only met Manuel briefly a few months ago.  "Manuel, walk
with me out to my car, please."

Manuel followed him outside, a look of terror on his face.  I had no idea
what Johnny wanted with him, but I knew I'd hear about it eventually.
Meanwhile, Nathan needed my attention, and James'. We sat on the couch with
the fifteen-year old boy between us.  He had his arms around each of us and
was hugging us tightly.

"I love you, both of you." Nathan said after a moment.  "I was so scared
the last few days.  I don't want to lose either of you.  I've already lost
my first set of parents, and I can't tell you how scared I was that I might
lose either of you.  I love you both, Dadda and Poppa."

"What did you call us?" I asked, astounded at his words.  I didn't fully
realize just how much of an impact the recent events would have on him.

"I'm sick and tired of calling you by your names.  I know you're younger
than my first parents, but I...I think of you as my parents now.  My mom
loved me like you two do, but she's gone.  Dave, I think of you as Dadda,
and James, you're my Poppa.  Can't I just call you by those names?"

"Nathan, I'd never, ever stop you from calling me your Dadda." I said
softly while James also affirmed his approval.  "I'm sorry for what you've
been through in the last few days. James and I have some things we need to
work on, but as you heard, we ARE going to get married."

"How can you?" Nathan asked, his face showing confusion.  "It's not legal
for two guys to get married."

"We're not getting married for the legal recognition." James said softly.
As he continued I was surprised how much our thinking was the same without
ever having really discussed what this marriage would mean.  "We are
getting married before God and as many witnesses as we can fit into the
biggest building we can find.  Hopefully, that will be thousands.  When we
get married, we are saying that we are committing ourselves to each other,
forever."

"What about divorce?" Nathan asked.

"When I say `I do' before God, it'll be forever.  There will never be
anyone but your Dadda for me."

"And I will be making the same commitment." I added.

"Good, then." Nathan said, smiling.  "How soon are you going to get
married?  Next week?"

"Not quite that fast." James laughed.  Manuel came in the door at that
moment with his and Nathan's luggage.  He took them upstairs, giving us
some more family time.

"It'll probably be in six months or so." I added.  "It'll take that long to
make all the arrangements."

"Cool." Nathan said softly. I almost asked him to be my best man, but I
knew that Manuel was the only person I could see in that position.  I
wondered who James would pick, and I felt a pang when I realized it would
probably be Josh.  The wound was still too fresh.  Hopefully by the time of
the wedding, it would be healed.

"Nathan, I have something I need to ask both you and James." I said, hoping
Manuel would stay upstairs a little longer.  He didn't, but he entered the
living room unobtrusively and sat down in an arm chair.  He just nodded at
me.

"Go ahead." James said softly, looking curious.

"Nathan, ever since James and I met, we haven't spent a lot of time
together."

"Tell me about it!" Nathan snorted.  "It seems like one or the other of you
is always busy with something!"

"Exactly." I said smiling.  He was a good kid. I just wish Jean was still
alive to see him. She'd be so proud of him.  "Well, the only thing I have
going on with my television show right now is some effects work.  I don't
need to be back until we resume shooting on the 8th of January.  I talked
to Johnny and he said James could be spared until the 6th.  I'd like the
two of us to go away on a trip together.  Just the two of us. Would you be
okay with that?"

"Yes!" Nathan shouted, almost jumping up and down on the couch.  "You two
need to get away together.  Um, what about me?"

"We'll do something as a family as soon as we both have a break." I
promised him.  "In fact, if you get your GPA up another couple of points, I
might be tempted to take you to EuroDisney in France.  But, you have to
really work hard if you want that."

"I PROMISE" Nathan shouted. This time he did jump up. "I'll be good, I
won't get in trouble, I won't do anything wrong!"

"That's the right attitude." I laughed.  James was laughing as well.  "Now,
while we're gone, I'm making arrangements for you to stay with Justin's
mom.  If she isn't able to help, Johnny said you can stay with him."

"Why can't I just stay with Justin?" Nathan asked.

"Because he might want to do things that a fifteen year old young man is
not allowed. Plus, well, it will look better if you're in the care of an
older adult." I answered. I almost said Justin was too immature, but I
caught myself in time.

"Can I still call Evan?" He asked, referring to his boyfriend.

"Of course, just use your cell phone." James answered. Oh yes, we're both
his parents if you couldn't tell. I was the mother hen though.

"I'm glad you approve. Just remember, that whoever you're staying with, I
expect you to follow their house rules as well as ours.  If they conflict,
you follow their rules.  I also don't want to hear that you pulled the old
`but THEY let me do that' routine.  If I hear that you even tried it, or
something like it, you can consider EuroDisney a pipe dream. Get me?"

"Got ya." Nathan said. "Don't worry, I ain't going to mess this up.  You
two have fun wherever you are going."

"We will." James said.  "Now, since we're going to be having dinner here,
and the fridge is empty, why don't you and I go shopping?"

The two of them both left a few minutes later, with James giving me a kiss.
He knew I wanted to be alone with Manuel.  I needed to talk to my best
friend, and from his face I knew he wanted to talk to me.  James was
perceptive and I was so happy that we were working things out.  As soon as
they left, I sat back on the couch and looked at Manuel.  His face was a
study of contrasts until he was ready to speak.  As soon as he was ready, I
got the usual Manuel directness.

"I can't stand it anymore, Dave.  I'm in love with him." Manuel said,
surprising me.

"Josh?" I asked, wanting to make sure.

"Yes." He said, hanging his head.  "I didn't want to get serious, but I
can't deny what I felt when he told me what happened between him and James.
I'm glad you two worked that out, by the way.  You belong together."

"Thanks, Manuel." I said softly.  "If you love him, you have to tell him."

"What if he doesn't feel the same way?  What if I ruin what I have with him
now?  It's better than nothing."

"Is it?"

"Of course." Manuel said, then stopped. I could see his face move as he
argued with himself.  I knew that look very well.

"No it's not." I stated for him.  He sighed and gave me a dirty look.

"No, it's not."  He agreed after a minute or two.  "I just don't want to
lose him.  I never thought I'd find someone I can care about just as much
as I care about myself.  Josh is that person.  I love his wit, his humor.
I love his music, and the sex..."

"Please don't take me there." I moaned.

"Oh, yeah, sorry." He said, chuckling a little.  "What if he doesn't feel
like I do?  I could lose everything."

"Or gain everything." I reminded him.

"Always the optimist."

"Always the pessimist."

"Okay, okay.  I'll talk about it with him tonight." Manuel said.

"Why don't you two eat here, please?" I asked.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes.  I have to start trying to rebuild my friendship with him as well.
The longer I wait, the harder it will be.  I might as well tackle it now."

"That's my Dave." Manuel said with a slight smile.  "Always tackling his
problems head on."

"Get lost." I told him.  "I have plans to make."

"Where you taking him?" Manuel asked.

"London and Belgium." I answered.

"Bastard.  You promised to take me."

"Next time.  Play your cards right, maybe you and Josh can go with us."

"That'd be good.  I'm going to work on my laptop. There's this slave driver
of a producer hounding me for his new ship designs." Manuel said, ragging
me.  He worked for the effects company that did most of the work for my
show.  It was nice keeping stuff like this in the family.

I picked up the phone and started my phone calls.  An hour later I was
done.  We left at 5:30 a.m. and flew to New York on the 26th.  We had a
noon flight on the Concorde to London that would take three and a half
hours. We'd land at Heathrow at 7:30 p.m. local time.  That was well after
dark there, but a decent time. I picked one of the most expensive hotels in
London and got us a suite. During the off season it was only $750 a night.
Then there was a British Airways flight to Brussels four days later.  My
favorite hotel there had a very nice room available.  That was only $89 a
night.  We had a rental car for Brussels, and would stay there for four
days.  Then it was back to London for a day before flying back the day
after.  It should be a nice little trip.  By the time I was done, a runner
had delivered James passport.  Luckily, Manuel had brought mine with him
since I always kept it packed in my travel kit and he'd brought that.  All
the tickets were being rushed to us and would arrive on Christmas morning.
I was quite please with myself when James and Nathan returned with
groceries.

It was time to start cooking.

Christmas Eve has to be my favorite part of the whole holiday.  Growing up,
we spent the day getting last minutes shopping done, and in the evening
having dinner at our grandmothers' homes (yes, plural.  They live right
around the corner from each other).  We'd get our gifts from them that
night, then the next morning was our gifts within the family.  There was
also a large "family" dinner of our extended relatives, usually held in
some big hall in town. Most of those relatives I only saw during that big
dinner, and rarely heard about unless there was a marriage, divorce, death,
conviction, or appointment to some government office.  Yes, we have a
pretty diverse set of extended relations.

This year, our first year with Nathan, was going to be a little different.
We'd originally planned to be in LA for this, just the four of us (Manuel
was supposed to be with us).  However, events had changed that, and we were
now invited over to Lynn Harliss' for a big meal tomorrow.  Tonight would
be the four of us though, since Josh was going to visit his family (or so
James informed me).

As I put groceries away, I was cussing about having left without any of the
presents.  Manuel smiled and calmly told me that he had them all upstairs.
I let out a sigh of relief.  That was when James came in the kitchen and
declared the house did not look `Christmasy" enough.  He was going with
Nathan to get a tree and decorations. I smiled and nodded my approval.
It'd keep them busy while I cooked, and I wouldn't have to take them down.
I'd tell Lynn (or Johnny) to have Nathan come over and do that job.  He
probably wouldn't even complain based on the recent lure of Euro Disney.
Okay, that was very manipulative of me to do, throwing that out there for
him, but more than likely he'd get to go.  I swear the kid was turning into
a total Disney nut.

Manuel stood there in the doorway to the kitchen all morning as I started
to get things ready.  I eventually put him to work making a list of things
I still needed and actually sent him off to get them.  He wasn't amused.
Wasn't my concern though. He came with about twice as much as I'd ordered,
and just smirked when he returned my ATM card to me (yes, he knew the PIN
code.  I'd never changed it after we broke up and split the joint account).

It was while I was kneading the dough for the fresh rolls that he decided
to really give me a bad time.  He started teasing me about my cooking,
teased me about my car that was in the garage.  Then he started off on my
planned trip.  He really got me good from the outset.

"You do realize that your last trip to Europe only cost you $1,200 total?"
he began.  "Now, this trip...what $1,200 wouldn't get you two days in the
hotel room.  Let's see, your Concorde tickets were more than many families
make in a year.  How much has this cost you so far?"

"Um," I stalled.  I knew how much it cost. I was still in sticker shock.
But then James was worth every penny.  There were just a lot of them
pennies.  "Let's see.  Flight to New York was $1,600 for both us because
it's last minute first class.  The Concorde total was $21,860 again because
it was last minute.  We would have saved $6,000 by planning it out (yes,
Concorde flights are THAT expensive).  Hotel will come to $3,750 for London
and $356 for Brussels.  None of that includes spending money."

"So, you go spend over $27,000 for 10 days of fun and you don't think
you're spoiled by Hollywood?"

"I am spoiled." I admitted, giving him a big smile.  "You're just jealous
because I'm not taking you."

"Like I'd go if I had to fuck you." Manuel joked.

"Ah, you still want it and you know it.' I teased. It went downhill from
there.  I finally just threw a handful of flour at him. He sputtered for a
moment, then tackled me.  I couldn't help but laugh.  Manuel's got this
little growl when he wrestles people for fun. Every time I hear it, I bust
out laughing and he womps my butt.  Hmm...maybe that's why he does the
growl?

Well, James and Nathan get home at that point, carrying this big ass tree
inside.  It's a good thing the ceiling's vaulted or it would not have fit.
They heard us in the kitchen and went to investigate.  Somehow, one of us
had knocked over the flour bowl during our wrestling, so we were now
covered in flour as well.  Manuel had me pinned to the grin and was
growling at me as James and Nathan just started laughing.

No, James didn't get the wrong impression.  Instead he jumped on Manuel and
tried to wrestle him to the ground.  Nathan joined in at that point and the
two of them managed to pin Manuel down.  Barely.  I got up and started to
tickle him, forgetting how much he hates that.  That's when he threw all
three of us off of him, stood up, growled and then stomped off upstairs.

He wasn't really pissed.  He just wanted us to think that he was.

"How the hell does he do that?" James asked me as we were sitting on the
kitchen floor, breathing hard.

"It's called two brothers and four sisters." I answered.  It was time to
pick up the mess we had made, which took a good fifteen minutes.  Then I
went about continuing to fix a full baked ham dinner, with all the fixings.
While I worked in the kitchen, they all worked on Christmas decorations.
Within a few hours, the house looked absolutely Christmasy.

Chris, Joey, and Josh all called before they left town.  To say that they
were pleased was an understatement.  Johnny also called and said that Lynn
was more than happy to watch Nathan while we were gone.  He also said he'd
heard back on the press release and that it was approved by Rob's people.
It'd be going out later today.

We relaxed over dinner, just enjoying the company of each other.  Manuel
had recovered from the wrestling incident and was actually in a pretty good
mood.  After dinner, we all gathered in the Entertainment room and watched
several Christmas movies.  Lynn called to confirm she would take care of
Nathan while we were gone and to confirm when we would be over for
Christmas dinner.  Nathan had dozed off during the last movie, and I took
great pleasure in carrying him upstairs to his room.  Manuel headed off to
bed at the same time, and soon both James and I were yawning.

Manuel had put the Christmas presents in an unused room, so we dragged them
out and put them under the tree.  They had all been wrapped so it was
pretty easy to get them looking nice under the beautifully decorated tree.
Our time as Santa done, we turned and went upstairs, but stopped cold at
the door to the master bedroom.  We stared at it for the longest time.

"We have to get past this." James whispered softly.  "C'mon."

I took his lead after drawing a deep breath.  When he turned the light on,
I gasped.  The room was different.  He'd moved the bed around, put a new
comforter on it.  Basically he repositioned all the furniture, totally
changing the way the room looked.  His plan worked, the ghosts of the
previous night were dispelled and I felt comfortable as we undressed and
climbed into bed together.  We only hesitated for a millisecond before
moving towards the center and wrapping each other in our arms.  My last
memory before sleep took me was of our gentle, reassuring kissing.

What, you expected hot make-up sex?  Sorry, didn't happen that night.  No,
that happened when we woke up at 5:00 a.m.  Then it happened at 6:30 when
we climbed into the shower.  We even ignored Nathan banging on our door at
8:00.  He was begging us to get up and come out so he could open presents.
Manuel's voice pulled him away from our door and left us snuggled in bed
together.  It was ten o'clock before we came downstairs, smiling broadly.
Manuel and Nathan smiled as well. Fortunately, Manuel had been there when
the plane tickets were delivered (for the British Airways flight.  The
flight to New York would be at the counter in Orlando) and he gave them to
me before James could take a peek.

Nathan had been allowed to open his presents from Manuel and Josh (a
collection of his favorite CDs that he did not yet own.) as well as from
the guys.  As expected, they'd gotten Nathan some pretty cool gifts, and
had gotten James and I gag gifts.  I didn't expect to be using the
double-ended dildo Joey gave us, but you never know.  As we sat down on the
couch, Nathan tore into the presents from us.  He absolutely loved the XBOX
and ten games I got him, and drooled over the digital camcorder James got
him. He better, I was there when James bought it, and we'd argued. I
couldn't see getting a fifteen year old boy a $16,000 digital camcorder,
but James insisted on the best for our budding filmmaker.

Obviously, he won.

Now we had to deal with a fifteen year old kid running around the house
with a camcorder.  I delivered a fairly serious speech about security,
especially when the disks contained images of Manuel and Josh.  Manuel
jumped in at that point and let there be no doubt that he had no problem
destroying every disk if anything ever got leaked.  Then he offered to
bring Nathan into his work and `work-up' stuff that he'd shot using their
systems.  Actually a nice mix of warning and kindness, especially from
Manuel considering he'd never learned tact.

We cleaned up, and James fixed a wonderful southern breakfast, although I
made the chocolate gravy.  What?  You've never had chocolate gravy with
your biscuits & sausage?  You are missing out. Don't diss it.  Don't scream
`gross'.  Chocolate gravy is the best! The only thing is, it is so rich, so
sweet, that serving it at anything but special occasions (and I mean
SPECIAL occasions...not special because you want some) will result in
obesity.

Guaranteed.

Nathan was alternating between his camcorder and XBOX.  Manuel went to take
a shower and get dressed for the early afternoon party at Lynn's while
James and I picked up wrapping paper, did the dishes, and kicked Nathan out
of the kitchen after he started directing us in our cleaning efforts.

He was definitely going to be a filmmaker. The kid was good.

As the morning turned into afternoon, we all got ready to head to Lynn's.
We all traveled in James' RAV4 since my Mustang was too small for the four
of us plus the presents.  Smart boy James had gone shopping for everyone at
Lynn's for all of us while Nathan and he had been out yesterday.

You've heard about Lynn's parties haven't you?  Warm atmosphere, friendly
people, good food?  Well it's all true.  What you don't probably know about
is that Justin and Nathan spent a lot of time fighting over who was going
to use the camcorder. Lynn settled it easily by telling Justin he was the
cameraman and Nathan he was the director.

Yep, that meant they spent the rest of the day going around everywhere with
Justin holding the camera and Nathan telling him what to shoot, and giving
people stage directions.  It was funny the first few hours.  Fortunately,
James had only purchased twenty of the compact disks (or were they DVD?
Nathan knows...I don't).  They filled up those disks, then spent two hours
driving around town trying to find a store that was open and had the right
kind.  They came back after Lynn called Justin and totally chewed him out.
We started dinner as soon as the pulled into the driveway. They came in and
saw us starting to eat and were instantly at the table, piling plates high
with food.  The poor camera was dropped on the couch.

I resisted the urge to go pull the battery out.  They were out of
disks. That meant they were not going to be filming any more today.  Of
course, that was when I noticed the bag next to the camera with what looked
like a box of disks.  It figures that the great Justin Timberlake would
have succeeded in his mission...on Christmas Day even!

After dinner, I helped Lynn clean up, as did most of the other people
there.  She was so cheerful that I couldn't help but be in a good mood.
Round 2 (or was it 3) of presents began soon afterward.  Nathan made out
like a bandit, as did Justin and his younger siblings.  Lynn gave James and
I the most beautiful tea set.  Yes, I love tea even more than coffee.  I'm
just very, very particular and the only hot tea I drank was available in
England.  They didn't import it to the states.  I'd be getting a fresh
supply this trip.

You know, Nathan had such a great talk with us the other day, letting us
know how he felt about us, how he loved us and all that.  Well, guess what?
I felt like a regular parent when, as we prepared to leave he begged to
spend the night there with Justin (who was staying even though his own home
was nearby).  He just shrugged when we reminded him he was going to be
staying there for ten days.

He stayed.

That night was a flurry of activity for us. James wanted to pack all of our
clothes, trying to get hints at where we were going.  Since we were going
to New York I told him to New York, I told him to pack a few days worth of
cold weather clothes.  I insisted on taking a few days worth because I
planned on us spending the first day at our destination shopping.  His eyes
lit up.  He did love to shop. Okay, I did as well.

While he packed the bags, I e-mailed our itinerary and plans to everyone
who would need to know them.  I explained a lot more in the e-mail to JMS,
Tom Johnson of Korvan Studios, and to my family.  I included phone numbers
and emergency contacts for everyone, but especially for Lynn.  I also typed
a letter authorizing her to handle medical affairs and other issues during
my absence.  Manuel said he'd drop the letter along with some money we gave
him in the morning.  He was flying home to see his family tomorrow,
spending the week with them.

Then I called my family back in California.  Both grandmothers were
extremely pleased with the presents we got them, and we chatted for a
while.  Then I called my sister.  I know I've mentioned her before, but
just in case you forgot, I should explain.

I loved her, I really did.

I just didn't approve of her choices in life.  She had four kids and a
really red-neck husband.  They lived in North Carolina and spent more time
and money on alcohol and drugs than they did their kids.  I did what I
could for them, but refused to send them money.  Instead I ordered clothes
for the kids from catalogs.  I paid their electric bill more than they did.
I paid the garage to fix their car.  The only reason I didn't go see them
more often was that I got extremely depressed every time I saw the poverty
my nieces and nephews lived in. I begged them to move out closer to me, but
her husband refused to leave North Carolina.  That's where is family was,
and that was all he cared about.

That and his drugs and booze.

My sister answered the phone. It was still working because I'd paid the
bill last month.  She was happy, and thankfully relatively sober. I spoke
to my nieces and nephews, crying silently.  James noticed. He knew what
these phone calls could do to me emotionally and moved to massage my
shoulders as I talked.  Believe me it helped.  After chatting with the
kids, my sister came back on the phone to talk.

"We all loved the presents you sent the kids." She said.  I was just
praying they wouldn't end up being sold like the presents I'd given last
year.

"Well, I hope they enjoy them.  Did you get the card I sent you and
Charlie?" I asked her.

"Yeah, but I don't understand it." She said.  "It's a picture of a house
and it has an address a few miles from here."

"That's the house I bought last month." I told her.

"You're moving out HERE?" she squealed excitedly.

"No." I answered, and she sighed.  She was out there without any family
around and I think that was part of her problem.  "But that's where I'll
stay when I visit.  Since I won't be there much, I was thinking of renting
it out."

"You're going to rent it out?" She asked, her voice excited.

"Yes, I'll rent it to you and Charlie for $1 a month, if you agree to
certain rules." I told her.

"What rules?" She said immediately suspicious.

"You and Charlie discuss them and tell me next week.  I'm going to be gone
for a little more than a week on vacation and I'll expect to hear back from
you then.  Basically the rules are pretty simple.  1) No drugs in the
house.  You do drugs, you do them OUTSIDE the house.  2) No police calls to
the home.  One visit by the police and you'll be told to move.  3) You will
pay the electric bill, cable and phone.  You're not paying any real rent
anymore so you should have enough. Finally, you will maintain that house
and keep it clean.  It doesn't have to be spotless, but it should stay
clean.  Think about these rules April, it's a good chance for the both of
you.

"Thank you, Davey." She whispered, crying.  We talked for a while more
before I hung up. I knew she could live with those rules, but could her
husband?  Only time would tell.  After that, it was time for bed.  We had
to be up at 4:00 since our flight left at 6:00.  Yes, we were immediately
wrapped in each others' arms and kissing.  However, like the night before
we were so exhausted we both fell asleep almost immediately.

I was surprised the next morning as we made it to the airport with no
trouble.  Manuel dropped us off before heading to Lynn's.  His flight was
later this morning.  We went through check-in rather easily, and boarded
right on time. The flight was full, and James spent the entire time bugging
me about where we were going.  He'd talked to Johnny about the interview
with MTV yesterday, so he was convinced we were spending the day in New
York.

We landed and got our baggage relatively easily.  A limo was waiting for us
from MTV and so we were soon loaded and on our way to the studio.  We
talked on the way about the interview, what we would say, what we wouldn't
say, and all the usual stuff.  We arrived right on time (no traffic
delays!) and were soon in make-up.  The interview was being taped and would
air later in the day.  I wasn't happy when we were told Carson Daly would
be doing the interview.  I'd never liked him, but I was now in the business
and knew how to smile like the best of them.

The interview took place in front of a window looking out over New York.
James and I sat next to each other, holding hands visibly between us.  We
were sitting on a couch together while Carson sat in an overstuffed
armchair.  The cameras all got their marks, the producer told us they were
ready, and Carson started as the cameras rolled.

"Welcome to a special MTV News interview with Lance Bass of NSYNC and his
partner Dave Young, creator of the hit series "Ganymede."  Welcome, guys."

"Thanks, Carson." James said with a smile. "I hope you had a good
Christmas."

"I did, thanks Lance." Carson said with his typical grin.  "Now, the reason
why you guys are here today is an article in the tabloids that has been
picked up by the media, isn't that right?"

"That's correct." I said, my expression as neutral as I could make it.
"Trying to make a relationship work in this business is hard enough as it
is without people believing the worst of you.  To be honest, that article
is about 90% truth.  It's the 10% that isn't true that creates the most
problems."

"In the article, you, Dave, are alleged to have gotten drunk at a holiday
party and hooked up with Rob Thomas.  The two of you were seen out on the
town, then checked into a hotel room where you stayed the night.  It hints
strongly that the two of you had sex that night.  What really happened?"
Carson asked, and I had to admit, he was very professional in his tone.  No
innuendo at all.

"Well, essentially, most of that is correct." I started, taking a deep
breath. I had to be careful on my wording, because I didn't want to lie,
and I didn't want the full scope of events to be public knowledge.  "I did
go to that party. Lance and I haven't been able to spend much time together
because of our careers, and I was feeling depressed. Like an idiot, I had
too much to drink, and started making a fool of myself.  I've met Rob a few
times before, and we hit it off pretty good.  He encouraged me to leave the
party before I pissed too many people off, and we headed to a club.

"He was really trying to be nice and keep me company.  By the time we left
the club, he was drunk as well.  Now, I have a 15-year old that I take care
of, and him seeing me drunk like that would not have been a good message to
send.  Rob and I talked and we decided to get a hotel room to sleep off the
alcohol.  Nathan was being taken care of by a close friend and was fine, so
I concentrated on getting myself back together.  Rob was really nice and
helped me out like a true friend.  I will tell you, I did not want to have
sex with Rob in that room. I've got a man who loves me very much and I have
no desire to be unfaithful to him."

"So, you didn't cheat on Lance with Rob Thomas? Carson asked, and I loved
his wording.  He had said it in such a way that I could answer honestly.

"That is correct, Carson." I said slowly and clearly. "I did not cheat on
Lance with Rob Thomas nor have I ever cheated on Lance.  I love him too
much to do that."

"Lance, what do you have to say about this?" Carson asked the beautiful man
next to me.

"I was crushed when I read the article, and couldn't believe that it would
be true." James said after a moment.  "What Dave and I have is very real,
and very permanent.  We're even looking forward to a wedding someday.  I
believe everything he has told me and harbor no doubt or suspicions.  Our
relationship is in good shape and in fact we're going to be going on
vacation as soon as we leave here."

"Wedding?" Carson asked, hopping on that immediately. "What about the law?
There isn't any state that recognizes gay weddings, so where will you have
the ceremony?"

"We haven't picked a location or date yet." I said. "James just asked me on
Christmas Eve, and I accepted."

"Marriage is so much more than a legal arrangement." James said after me.
"More importantly than the legal ramifications most married couples deal
with, marriage is a public affirmation, a public bond between two people.
By marrying each other, they commit themselves to each other publicly.
That is what our marriage will be, more importantly than any legal
sanction.  It will be our public affirmation of our intent to live our
lives together forever.."

"Amazing." Carson said with a smirk.  "Hollywood's hottest couple goes from
on the verge of break up to marriage in a single interview.  Good luck to
the both of you.  So, tell me, where are you going for your vacation?"

"I don't even know!" Lance wailed mockingly.  "This dufus won't tell me."

"It's a secret." I mock whispered to Carson, who laughed.

"Well, you guys enjoy your well-earned break, and we hope to see you when
you return. For now, this is Carson Daly signing off with this special MTV
News."

The cameras were turned off, and technicians came by to unhook us from the
microphones.  Carson was ecstatic with the big news scoop we'd given him.
A big gay wedding to announce on national television.  He thanked us a few
times and ran away with the producer for their editing.  James and I went
to the dressing room and got the make-up off our faces and headed out of
the studio.  Not surprisingly, there were a few hundred teenagers lined up
for the TRL show that would be filming in 2 and half hours and the went
crazy on seeing James.  He talked to some of them, signed autographs while
I got a bunch of dirty looks.  After a few minutes, James turned away from
them and joined me in getting into the limo.  Once again, there were no
traffic delays and so we found ourselves walking towards the British
Airways counter.

"Are we going overseas?" James was asking excitedly. I told him to wait.
The flight attendant took our tickets, still in the envelope so James
wouldn't see the Concorde symbol, and began the check-in process.  We
answered her questions and took our bags, weighing them. This plane had
very strict weight limits.  James turned pale when she handed us our
boarding passes and directed us to the Concorde terminal.  He stood there,
tears welling in his eyes as he kept looking at the pass, then back up at
me.

"Thank you." He finally whispered, giving me a hug right there.  We walked
hand in hand to the Concorde terminal where we were treated to the famous
first class service expected for those flying the over-priced supersonic
jet.  I actually knew two of the people gathering in the lounge from
Hollywood.  Everyone else was, well they were snobs plain and simple.

The plane was a lot narrower than I expected, and my 6'3" frame was a
little too tall for to walk upright.  The seats, however, were very
comfortable.  James grabbed my hand as we finished buckling our seat belts.
I tensed up at first, then smiled.  It was going to take some getting used
to, being able to make a public display of affection without worrying too
much about photographers.

You want to know the most interesting thing about the flight?  It was
noisier than I expected.  It was almost as noisy as a military transport
flight. Almost but not quite.  This plane was not as spacious as the 777
I'd flown to England, but the service was excellent and it took less time
than the flight from LA to Orlando.  We landed at London's Heathrow airport
and made our way through customs.  During the flight, I'd told James all
about out itinerary, and he was positively glowing.  He'd been to Europe
before, but that was on tour.  This was purely for fun.

I think I surprised him again when I led us to the train depot.  He was
probably expecting a cab or limo, but I loved London's public
transportation system.  He smiled as I paid for our tickets with a credit
card, then asked where we were going to change our money.  I told him not
to worry, just trust me.  He did.  The train was crowded, as usual, but the
run to Paddington Station was not too long.  From there we transferred onto
the Circle Line and rode the tube to Bayswater.  I led us above ground and
we were at our hotel in minutes.  Check-in went smoothly and we found
ourselves soon in our luxurious room.

Compared to my last room in London, this thing was huge.  The first thing I
had noticed as we went above ground at the tube station, was the drizzle.
Tomorrow would be shopping.  For now, though, we both undressed and climbed
into bed, falling asleep once more in each other's arms.


***

More to come!