Date: Thu, 20 Jan 2000 00:17:17 PST
From: Jeff Kaiser <kaiser_goof@hotmail.com>
Subject: twist of fate ch 13

*After a short break, the story is back!  Thanks for your patience... Yes,
Billy is FINALLY on tour.
*A BIG thank you to Andrew, Molly, Flip, Ad., CrazyStar, and... anyone else
I sent this DARN thing to for proofing.  This chapter has gone through the
mill a few times, and I think I wound up with what I started with... hehe,
funny.  Anyway, thanks everybody.  LOVE YA!
*Hey Chris (YOU know who you are...) I got your email.  I really want to
write you, but... you know why I haven't.  Perhaps I'll drop ya a line soon.
  You've still got a friend, though.
*MERI!  I love your page!  Everyone else, take a look at Meri's page at:
http://www.crosswinds.net/~meri/main.html

*As always, this is a romantic story involving two guys.  If you are
offended by such material or it is illegal for you to read it, then GO AWAY.
  Everyone else?  Peruse on...

*Any comments can be sent to... ME!
Kaiser_goof@hotmail.com
~Jeff


Previously on Twist of Fate...

"Billy, I am so much going to be looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.  I
miss you so much, and love you so much, it's going to be so awesome to see
you and hug you... The day is ours.  It will be OUR day."

"Oh Lance, that sounds great.  I can't wait to see you!"

"Sleep well, and I'll be praying for you tomorrow.  Nite nite, sleep tight,
don't let the boyfriends bite..."

"Awww... please?"  We both laughed.  "G'nite, Goof.  I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Goodnight Billy."

CLICK.

******************
Chapter 13

"Good afternoon everyone, this is Captain Ormsbee from the flight deck.
We've begun our descent, so I've illuminated the fasten seatbelt sign.
Estimated arrival time into Minneapolis is 1:03pm local time."

I love the window seat.  Whenever my family would travel, I'd always beg,
fight, claw for the window.  I loved looking out and seeing the ground zoom
by below us, and try to peek as far ahead of the airplane to see where we
were going.  Today, however, I wanted nothing more than to get off the
plane-and see Lance.  We had not seen each other for almost two months, and
I was really missing him.  I mean, SURE we'd chat on the phone, and we sent
a BUNCH of emails back and forth, but it's obviously not the same.  It's not
the same to see that smile, or the unspoken change in his eyes when he gets
an inside joke between only us.  I had hugged Scotty, and mom and dad at the
airport.  My friends Sara and Ryan even came down, and they both got big
bear hugs.  However, they were nothing like the hug I was looking forward to
giving my boyfriend.  No, I was planning on running off that plane, grabbing
that boy, and squeezing his guts out.  Okay, so maybe that's a bit dramatic.
  Point is, I was really looking forward to seeing him today!

BUMP BUMP.  My head jerked around, only to find that we had actually touched
down.  Wow!  So much for wanting the window seat!  I guess I had totally
spaced out through the whole descent.  Oh well.  I was now closer to seeing
my guy!

I love how all the passengers on an airplane react once the plane hits the
gate.  As soon as the plane stops, everybody hops up, opens the overhead
bins, grabs their stuff and... WAITS.  Dum de dum.  Me, being the smart
person I was, just hung out in my seat.  I could wait a few more minutes.
Yup, that's me, just being patient.  I'll just sit right here in the
seat...... and wait even longer to start my job.. with Lance.  AW CRAP.  I
wanted to see Lance!  I hopped up and grabbed my stuff, and joined the herd,
pushing my way to exit the plane.  I finally got off the airplane and raced
down the entryway, frantically and excitedly searching for a familiar face.
No one.  Well, maybe they're around the corner.  Nope.  Well, how 'bout over
there?  Nope.

I had been waiting and wandering around the gate area for about five minutes
with no luck.  'Could they have forgotten about me?  Nah.  Could they be at
the wrong gate?  Maybe...'  In an effort to find my welcoming committee, I
turned to my right to walk down to the next gate when... OOOOOF!

I ran full-tilt into... some poor girl walking the opposite direction as
myself.  I nearly flattened her to the ground!  "Sorry!  I'm sorry!" I said
as I regained my balance, and helped her regain hers.  She shook her head
and replied,

"No no, it's my fault.  I was the one rushing.  I'm sorry!"  She was
carrying a clipboard and dragging a luggage cart, and I thought how much I
could have hurt her if I had pushed her over the cart!  Knowing she was
okay, I nodded and departed, heading down the terminal.  I searched out
three more gates, with no luck of finding anyone I knew.  I didn't even know
what I should do!  I didn't know the airport, I didn't know how to get ahold
of anyone on the tour, and I was supposed to go to the show tonight!
Defeated, I walked back my original arrival gate to see if I had strangely
missed something.  I did a scan of all the faces in the seats, and saw no
one familiar... except... HA!  Except that girl I had nearly toppled 10
minutes earlier.  She was sitting on the end of the row, her cart to the
side, holding up the clipboard, looking as if she was desperately trying to
find somebody.  Poor girl.  I hope she finds who she's looking for.  Just
for fun, I decided to take a peek at the name on the clipboard:

BILLY WILSON.

"Arrugh?"  NO WAY.  I grunted, and I quickly realized what was going on.  I
quickly walked over to her.  "You're not going to believe this... I'm Billy
Wilson!"  She looked up, paused with a confused look on her face, and said,

"You... you're Billy Wilson?  You?  With the tour?  No way... Oh, I'm so
glad you're here.  I thought I had totally missed you!"  She extended a hand
and introduced herself.  "My name is Jessica, and I'm a production assistant
with 'NSync.  I'm here to take you on tour.  It's nice to meet you!"  I
accepted the greeting and introduced myself.

"Billy Wilson.  I'm the medical technician for the tour.  Nice to meet you,
Jessica.  I'm glad we... bumped into each other."  This broke the ice as we
enjoyed a giggle over that one.  King of cheese, YES I AM.  However, another
thought occurred to me, and I inquired to Jessica.  "So, um, are you alone
to pick me up?  Did Peter come, or......any of the guys?"  I was hopeful.
Maybe I'd see Lance!  Jessica looked at me funny and replied,

"Oh no... they're totally busy getting ready for the show tonight.  That's
what PA's like me are for... airport shuttles and stuff!"  I frowned on the
inside, but realized that my dreams of seeing Lance in the terminal were
absolutely unreasonable.  Yeah right, like he'd just waltz through a busy
airport to meet me!  I'd see him soon enough, though.  Just a little bit
longer, Billy!

Jessica and I bantered back and forth all the way from the gate to the
luggage carousel, and I discovered that she was 24 years old, and had just
recently joined the tour.  She had begun as a production intern with a
record label somewhere or other, and was given the opportunity to work with
'NSync.  Peter was her boss a few rungs up on the ladder--Peter had sent her
to come pick me up because he couldn't get away, considering he had a show
that night!  Considering she WAS doing the grunt work for the tour, she had
a great attitude and seemed totally nice, and I was hoping she and I could
become friends!

"Here we are..." I said, as I scanned the carousels for my flight number.
Hmmmm.... "There it is!"  She and I rolled over to the correct carousel and
looked for my luggage.  Garment bag.  CHECK.  Big bulky leather thing filled
with crap.  CHECK.  Duffel bag.  CHECK.  Suitcase... suitcase... suitcase...
Hmmmmmm...  "THERE IT IS!" I said as I saw my black, hard case Samsonite
rolling down the conveyor belt.  Picking it up off the track, all the
memories of how integral this luggage was in getting Lance and I together
flashed through my mind, and I smiled.

I don't know why, but I leaned down and kissed that suitcase, thanking it
for all it had done.  Jessica didn't know why I had kissed it, either.  She
was looking at me like I was straight from the loony bin.  "Uehrm, uh,
you're probably wondering why I just did that," I said, and she curiously
nodded.  "Uh, it's a LONG story, and it's one of those 'you had to be there'
explanations."  I bit my lower lip, and she shrugged her shoulders,
seemingly content with that answer.  Phew.

*   *   *   *

"Lance!  Are you with us this afternoon?"  The soundman's voice came booming
over the monitor system, and the music for "Everything I Own" came to a
screeching halt.  The guys all swiveled over on their stools to look at
Lance, who had this total 'Oops!  I just chewed up your favorite pair of
shoes' puppy dog look on his face.

"Dude, what's up Scoop?  You missed your part," JC inquired.

"I dunno, man.  I... I thought we were at a different part in the song."
Lance talked a good talk, but the look in his eyes told the others that he
was somewhere else besides that sound check.  JC and Chris where clueless
about what was going on in Lance's head, but a look between Justin and Joey
confirmed that they knew precisely where he was.  Lance just shook his head
and spoke into his wireless microphone to the soundman.

"I'm sorry Reuben.  I'm just kinda tired. I'll be okay if we run it again."
At that point, Peter made an appearance on stage, talking into his radio as
he walked towards the guys.

"Hold up, Reuben.  I think the guys are fine.  We've got about 30 minutes of
slop in a few hours, and we'll run it again."  Turning to the guys, he said,
"Hey guys, why don't you all take a break.  You've earned it."  A collective
sigh of relief came up from the guys, followed by a barrage of praises of
Peter as if he were Mahatma Ghandi incarnate.  The band dispersed quickly
though, in fear that Ghandi might change his benevolent mind and pull them
all into slavery again.

"Wait up, Lance!"  Joey called.  Joey caught up and put an arm around his
friend's shoulder as they walked.  "What's your rush, huh?"  Joey was
teasing, and Lance had a hard time averting the blush reflex.

"Aw, nothin' dude.  I'm just want to lie down for a minute in the dressing
room."

"Ah, now that's interesting, because the dressing room is THAT way," Joey
said as he pointed the opposite direction, grinning the whole time.  "Why
are you coming WAY over to the access door?  It's completely out of your
way!"  Lance, getting a bit tired of the teasing, decided to give Joey some
of his own medicine and play some reverse psychology.

"Hey Joey, come here," Lance said as he stopped and waved his hand at him.
Joey came close and Lance whispered, in a deliberately slow, explanatory,
jokingly patronizing tone,  "I'm rushing because I'm waiting for my
boyfriend... Billy.  When he gets here, we are going to hug...... and
kiss... FRENCH kiss.  Two guys KISSING.  With OUR TONGUES.  TONGUE TONGUE
TONGUE."  As open-minded as Joey was, he still wasn't used to the mental
image of his buddy Lance swappin' spit with a guy.  Joey got the point,
contorted his face around, smiled, and said,

"Okay okay OKAY *OKAY*!!... Gotcha gotcha.  Point made.  Haha.  TMI, Scoop.
TMI.  WHOA.  I'll leave you two lovebirds alone.  Don't do anything I
wouldn't do!"  Lance got a quick punch in the arm before his buddy took off
towards the dressing room.

"Hey, has Jessica returned with Bil... the new EMT yet?"  Lance asked one of
the security guards.

"Nope, not yet Lance.  She signed out with a production van about 45 minutes
ago, but there's no projected return time listed here," the guard said,
pointing to a clipboard.

"Okay, well, could you have Jessica bring him to the dressing room when they
get back?"

"Will do."  A bit bummed, Lance walked slowly back to the dressing room.  He
had been waiting for this day for so long.  He had hardly slept the night
before, nervous and excited about the next day.  It was only after a good
heart-to-heart with Justin at around 4am that he finally found the
relaxation to get to sleep.  Here it was, his chance to finally spend time
with his guy... with his boyfriend... with his BEST friend... with Billy.  A
smile came to his face as he thought about seeing Billy soon, and it was
that smile that his fellow bandmates saw as he walked into the dressing
room.

"'Sup Scoop?"  JC was the first to notice Lance coming in, and he also
noticed the mood change.  "You get some caffeine or something?  You look a
little perkier."

"Nah, just went on a walk to get some fresh air."  Lance hopped on a couch,
trying hard not to make eye contact with the guys, especially Justin and
Joey.  Man, they could really have gotten him in trouble!  Of course, Justin
being the troublemaker that he was...

"It'll be really cool to see Billy today..."  Justin just left it at that,
but it was enough to get the other band members jumping, and get a wide-eyed
rousing look from Lance.

"That's right, he should be here soon, shouldn't he?" Chris spoke up with a
slow grin on his face.

"What time does he get here, Scoop?"  Justin verbally prodded, as if Lance
was Billy's personal secretary or something.  Justin got daggers from
Lance's eyes.

"Oh, I dunno.  This afternoon sometime.  I heard something about him being
here for the show tonight."  If Lance had never done any stage or film work
before, this was proof that he could act!  "I'm not sure, you could probably
ask Peter.  I think he's in charge of getting him from the airport."  By
this point, Justin and Joey were close to death by repressed laughter.
Lance?  He just pretended to brush it off by brewing an instant cup of tea
and sitting down on the couch to play a game of Solitaire.  Boy oh boy,
would Joey and Justin get it later!

*   *   *   *

"Wow, I was really scared at the gate.  I thought I had missed you!  I could
just imagine you wandering around the airport aimlessly, and me trying to
find you!" Jessica said as we exited the parking structure.  "It's not
usually a good idea to be late picking up VIPs or touring staff from the
airport, especially if it's your first month and you're still trying to
impress the boss."

"Am I a VIP or touring staff?"  I asked jokingly.  Jessica laughed at my
question.

"Well, depends on who you ask.  According to Peter and Roger, you're touring
staff.  But the band all talks about you like you're a VIP!"  I blushed a
little bit, but I was still curious what they meant.

"What do you mean?  The band?"

"Oh I don't know, they just seem like they're really looking forward to
having you on tour.  Do you know them or something?"  I thought for a
second, and responded.

"Yeah, we're all friends.  I've got some pretty special friendships with the
guys."

"That's neat.  I wish I could say the same.  They all seem like great guys
offstage, but I'm either too scared or there aren't any opportunities to
socialize and get to know each other.  Besides, I wouldn't want to
jeopardize my position!"

"Oh, I think you'd find them all to be great guys... and great friends."  I
smiled, thinking about the great friendships I had formed-with one of them,
especially.  The van was silent for a moment, until Jessica spoke up.

"Okay, well, back to business.  I'm supposed to take you to Peter as soon as
we get to the arena.  He said he's got a stack of paperwork for ya.  Then
I'll make an ID badge for you so you won't get stopped at every security
checkpoint.  You'd be in trouble if you don't have one, especially if nobody
knows you yet.  Then, I guess, Peter will take it from there."

"So we're going to the arena right now?"  To this, Jessica nodded.  "Will we
go to the hotel before or after the show then?"  I asked, assuming I'd need
to drop my bags off.  Although she was driving, Jessica turned to me,
looked, and raised one eyebrow before she said,

"Honey, we won't get to a hotel until about 5am tomorrow morning.  After the
show we all hop on the busses, get a shower if we need it, then either play
cards, watch TV, or try to get some sleep while we're on the road.  We have
another show in Wisconsin tomorrow night."  I was a bit shocked at the
reality of what Jessica was saying, but I didn't let on.  Lance wasn't
kidding about touring being stressful!  Wow!

"Oh, so wherever you stayed last night is already cleared out?"

"Well, where we stayed THIS MORNING.  Yeah, we usually get the hotel from
about 3 or 4am until about 10am or so.  Production staff is at the venue
from the moment the semis roll up, though.  I usually work from about noon
until we get on the bus at strike.  Roger is always on the phone at the
crack of dawn, and Peter usually shows up at the venue just before I do.
The guys don't usually have sound check until 2 or 3pm, so they can sleep or
do whatever they do."

"What... will my schedule be like?"  I asked, scared about what the answer
might be.  Things like this had never really been discussed with me!

"I don't know, you'd have to ask Peter.  As a matter of fact, you'll be able
to do that in just a minute... there's the arena," Jessica said as she
pointed to a large circular building with a dome roof coming into view down
the road.  I was beginning to wonder--and worry--about what kind of time I'd
be able to spend with Lance if we wound up working opposite shifts!

*   *   *   *

KNOCK KNOCK.  "'NSync sound check in 5," the stage manager yelled through
the dressing room door as he walked through the hall.  All but Justin were
awake, but none were quick to their feet.

"Didn't we just have one?" JC asked.

"Remember, we took a break.  I think they ran our openers, then came back to
us.  Pete told us about this," Chris said, and JC nodded in rememberance.
Lance left his half-completed game of Solitaire and his tea on the table and
got up, glancing over at Justin, slumbering like a baby.  Evil grin in
place, naughty thoughts a'brewin in his head, Lance crept over to his
napping buddy to seek some revenge.  He leaned over his head and started to
poke and prod and Justin's head, tugging on some curls now and then.

"It is NOT a bald spot!" Lance said loudly; loudly enough for his fellow
bandmates AND Justin to hear.  "See, I told you guys, it's just thinning
right there on JUSTIN'S head.  There's nothing wrong a receding hair line!
Justin probably just has early male-pattern baldness.  But it's NOT A BALD
SPOT ON JUSTIN'S HEAD!"  The other guys started laughing, especially as
Justin woke up to see his friend Lance, upside down, prodding his head and
hair, saying something about 'BALD SPOTS'.

"Wha no wha you huh talkin' about?"  Justin garbled as he swatted Lance's
hands away and made a frenzied dash to the mirror on the door.  There he
sat, his eye 2 inches from the mirror, searching out the slightest sign of a
bald spot on his head.  This earned him a chorus of hoots and hollers from
his bandmates, and earned Lance some high-fives.  Knowing he'd been had,
Justin slumped his head on the mirror, leaving a small greasy spot where his
forehead made contact.

"Not cool, Scoop."  Justin said to Lance, smiling.  Lance walked up to
Justin on the way out the door and said,

"On the contrary, my dear balding friend.  It's called revenge, and I think
you know for what."  Lance proceeded out the door, but doubled back to add
one more comment to Justin. "Oh by the way, I've got one word for ya...
Rogaine!"  Lance slapped Justin lightly on the cheek and then hightailed it
out to the stage, with Justin closely behind him.

*   *   *   *

"Hello Jessica," the security guard said as we walked up.  "Is this a new
intern?"

"No, actually this is Billy, the new EMT."  Jessica turned to me and said,
"Billy, this is Steve, assistant head of security."  We shook hands, and
Jessica continued. "He's here to see Peter."

"Ah, yes.  The EMT.  Hey, doc, it hurts when I do this," Steve said to me as
he moved his elbow around.  I could tell this was a sense of humor, so I
played along.

"It hurts when you do that?  Hmmm... well then, don't do that."  Steve
laughed.

"Okay, he's funny.  He's hired."  Steve stuck out a hand and I received the
most powerful handshake I had ever experienced.  I thought I'd need to do
first aid on MYSELF for broken fingers!  "It's nice to meet you, Billy.
Welcome to the tour."

"Thanks, Steve.  It's nice to meet you, too!"

"Hey Steve, could we get Billy's bags to the production staff bus?"  He
nodded, and we were on our way to see Peter.

"Oh hey, Jessica..." Steve called to us.  "Lance wanted to see you two when
you got in.  He said go to the dressing room."  Jessica nodded.  I melted.
For the past 30 minutes, I had been completely distracted from my OTHER
reason for being here.  That little comment brought it all back.  My heart
beat shot up, my hands became sweaty, and I'm sure my face looked excited.
Jessica didn't seem to notice, though.  She simply changed directions and
dragged me though the maze of the backstage towards the guy's dressing room.
  I'm almost there, Lance!  I'm almost there!!

KNOCK KNOCK.  Nothing.  KNOCK KNOCK.  Nothing.

"That's odd.  HELLO?"  Jessica tried to get somebody's attention, but no one
responded.  Jessica opened the door to find... an empty room, a bunch of
clothes tossed everywhere, cards scattered on the table, and a half-consumed
cup of tea, still steaming.  My heart sunk, and my head started to spin.
*SIGH*  "They must be at a sound check or something.  But that would be odd,
because they're usually done by now," Jessica said as he checked her watch.
"Oh well.  We'll catch 'em later.  We need to find Peter."  She reached into
her bag to retrieve a radio.  Turning it on, she spoke, "126 to 103..."  The
radio crackled for a second, then came to life.

"103 by the sound booth."  I could tell it was Peter.

"Hi Pete, I've got Billy here.  Where do you want him?"

"Billy?  Great.  Bring him to the production trailer in five.  Meet ya
there. 103 clear."

"10-4 126 clear."  Jessica whisked me away through the maze again, bumping
into people left and right, until we popped out in some big concourse area
with offices and rooms.  I was seriously starting to get a bit light-headed,
from not only the plane trip and the whirlwind tour, but also from neither
seeing nor knowing where Lance was.  We walked into one room, and Jessica
indicated that this was the production 'trailer'.  Moments later, Peter
walked in with a big smile on his face.

"Billy!  It's so good to see you!"  I got up to give him a handshake, but
Peter would have nothing less than a hug.  I think Jessica was rather
surprised, but I was flattered and appreciative that I had been so well
received.  Talk about a self esteem booster!  "Welcome to the tour.  I hope
you've been treated well so far."  I nodded.  "Good.  Well, the next 30
minutes will be the most painful of your entire existence with us.  It's
called PAPERWORK.  We've all had to do it, but I've tried to make it as
painless as possible."  Peter then went on to explain each of the 10 forms I
needed to fill out to be sure I was legally employed, covered in case of
decapitation from falling lighting rigs, blah blah blah.  If you could think
up a form, it was in this stack for sure.

Peter and Jessica left me alone in the room to work on the paperwork, but I
was totally numb.  All I could think about was Lance.  I KNEW I needed to
fill these things out, but the top page of paperwork forms had spontaneously
translated itself into Greek, and I suddenly forgot if I was right or left
handed.  If only I could see Lance, I'd be able to do the rest of my work!
I closed my eyes and held my breath, dreaming that somehow, someway, he
would magically appear in the room.  My heart stopped when I heard the door
open.  I opened my eyes, whipped my head to the doorway, only to find...

Jessica standing there.

"Hey Billy, how are you doing?  Do you have any questions about the forms?"
Bummer.

"No, thanks though.  I'm doing alright."

"Well if you need anything, just yell."

"Thanks."  At that point, I decided my telekinesis wasn't working, because I
couldn't WILL Lance into my presence, so I decided to do it the old-fashion
way and actually get the paperwork done!  I glanced and found the paperwork
all in English again, and I quickly remembered that I was left-handed.  I
was in business.  Fly pen, fly!  Go go go!  Like lightning, my hand raced
through the forms.  I knew that the prize awaited me at the bottom of this
stack.  The prize was named Lance.

"Jessica?  I'm done!"  I hollered down the hall to my new friend.  Jessica
came up and said,

"GREAT!  Well, Peter took back off to the sound booth, so I'm going to get
your ID card all set, then I'll take you up to meet him.  I have a gazillion
things to do after that, but we'll definitely see each other again today..
and tomorrow... and for the rest of our pathetic existences here on tour..."
  Jessica was so funny.  She had a sense of humor and personality very
similar to mine, and she made me feel good.  She was even pretty!  (Okay,
come on... put your teeth back in!  Just because I like guys doesn't mean I
don't know when a girl is pretty or not.)  But, alas, I was already
attached, so too bad.  Hehehe.  SNAP!  The flash was blinding, and I'm sure
my hair looked mutilated, as it always does in pictures.

"Hey, that's a good shot!" Jessica said as the Polaroid began to develop in
her hand.  She sliced and diced the picture, had me sign a card, filled in
some more information on the card, and ran it all through a laminator.
Snip, pop, slice, hole-punch, neck strap, BOOM!  I had my very own 'NSync
all access ID badge.  How many people would kill for this thing?!

*   *   *   *

"Okay guys, let's roll this again,"  The soundman said.  All the guys stood
where their stools would be, but they decided not to set them up since it
was only a sound check... the second one for this song, for that matter.
"Everything I Own" started rolling in the monitors and house, and the arena
came alive with wonderful harmonies.  Although sleep-deprived and
love-struck, Lance focused on his part and nailed his mini-solo spots and
speaking section.  When the song was over, the guys gave Lance a mock round
of applause, to which Lance simply blushed.  Reuben, the soundman, proceeded
to roll a few more tracks just to get the guys warmed up for the show that
night.  The guys sounded so great, it was hard to believe they could sound
better when pumped up by thousands of screaming fans!

*   *   *   *

"And here's where you need to show your..."  Jessica held up her badge to a
guard, and I mimicked her move.  "...sorry,  show your ID badge.  They
usually don't make a big fuss if it's just around your neck, though."  I
nodded and we moved on.  We had taken a left, then a right, and another
right, then we ducked and jumped under and over cables and stuff on our
journey to who-knows-where.  I didn't think I'd ever make it back to
anything that seemed familiar.  All my senses were on total overload.

But then, something familiar and constant caught my attention.  It was a
sound.  Music, specifically. Music that I knew.  'I've heard that before,' I
thought.  Could it be?  Could it... Yes!  IT IS!  It MUST be the guys doing
their sound check!  It must be... LANCE!

*   *   *   *

"Okay guys, that's a wrap.  You're off until your normal call.  Go get some
eats," Peter said over the talkback mic from the booth, and the guys
scattered.  A quick nap, a shower, a change of clothes, and some munchies
were all that was on their minds.  Well, except for one of them. That one
guy?  He didn't care about eating.  Showering sounded pretty good, and a nap
would be welcomed and refreshing--but only after seeing his boyfriend.
Lance paused for a few extra seconds, scanning over the backstage area to
his right, then scanning the empty arena for the remote possibility that
Billy might be standing there ready to greet him.  No such luck.  Lance's
shoulders and spirits dropped, and he headed off the stage to the left,
following the others towards the dressing rooms.

*   *   *   *

"This is 'stage right', meaning as the performers face out from the 'stage',
this is on their right," Jessica explained.  I didn't hear a word of what
she said though, because we had just walked on stage and the music has
stopped about 15 seconds previously, much to my dismay.  Where were the
guys?!??  I frantically scanned the stage for Lance, or Justin, or ANYBODY,
but...... nothing.  I thought I had seen someone walk off the other side as
I walked into view, but I missed them, if in fact it was somebody.  I was
really starting to get depressed!  I thought to myself, 'I know I can't be
around him *ALL* the time, but... GEEZ!  I wish I could just see him for a
second... alone... TOGETHER!'  My inner monologue was shattered as Jessica
continued.

"...however, everything gets reversed when you're in the audience, or the
'house'.  Then, it's the audience's right, or 'house right', or audience's
left or 'house left'.  Does that make sense?"  I stared at her blankly,
trying to decipher what she had just told me.  I slowly nodded, indicating
that I sorta got it, and sorta wanted to end the tour for now.  "We can walk
right down around here, then jet up the aisle to the sound booth," Jessica
said as we took some restricted stairs that popped out at the side of the
stage, audience level.  After a quick walk, we were standing beside Peter
once again.

"Yeah, that'd be fine Reuben, go with the split on track 8 and 12, I'm not
sure how well the guy's voices are holding up.  They might need some help."
We walked up overhearing Peter's conversation, and Peter turned to us and
smiled.  "So how's the tour going?  Figuring everything out, are we?"

"Yep, his paperwork is all set, he's got an ID badge, and I've played tour
guide," Jessica spoke up, although I wasn't too sure how effective she was
as a tour guide!

"Great, well thanks Jess. You've got a lot to do, so I'll take Billy from
here."  Jessica nodded and stuck out a hand for me to shake.

"Pleasure meeting you Billy.  I'll see ya around."  After the handshake, she
was gone, and it was now Peter and I.

"Well here's the deal, I've got a grip of stuff to do, doors open in 3
hours, so maybe we'll get a chance to go over some stuff tonight on the bus,
or perhaps tomorrow.  I want you to meet our temp EMT and hang with him for
the evening.  Victor usually has his setup on stage right, so you'll
probably be with him there."  Peter was just flying through his little
speech at about the speed of light, and I wanted to raise my hand and put
him on hold for a moment.  'Give me a break here, people!  I'm going to fall
over if I have to absorb any more information!' I thought.  "103 to 175..."
Peter talked into his radio.  There was no answer, so Peter repeated his
call after a minute.  "103 to 175..."  Still nothing.  "Billy, I SWEAR, when
you come on and you are on duty, you had better respond to radio calls
immediately.  This is ridiculous!"  Peter was noticeably upset at the fact
that Victor wasn't responding, and I just nodded, showing Peter that I
wouldn't let him down.  I didn't really want to meet Victor, anyway.  I
wanted to see LANCE!

"175 here."

"Victor, please give your location when you respond.  That's radio
guidelines!"

"K, sorry.  I'm by the vans."

"Okay, I'm bringing out Billy, our new EMT.  I need you to show him around
for a bit."

"Alright, whatever.  He can help me get ready tonight."

"Meet you in 5.  103 clear."  Peter rolled his eyes, and began walking
towards the backstage area, waving me to his side with his hand.  "Hey
Billy, I don't know if I've said this, but I'm really glad you're here.
Victor is a great med technician, but... well, he's been a bit difficult to
work with.  He's been the third technician we've had on this tour because
we're usually only able to get EMTs that are on vacation that want to pick
up a little extra money by moonlighting.  They're not too happy about having
to work on vacation, and it shows in their attitude."  I figured I needed to
boost myself up in Peter's eyes, so...

"Don't worry, Peter.  I'm totally looking forward to this job, and I'll give
you nothing but a great attitude and hard work."  Peter turned to me and
smiled.

"That's what I like to hear.  Oh and by the way, feel free to call me Pete.
It's a little more friendly and personal."  A bit surprised by his gesture,
I nodded and agreed.

"Okay.  Pete it is."

*   *   *   *

"Have you guys seen Peter around anywhere?" Lance asked hopefully as he
walked into the dressing room.  He was answered with a collection of
shoulder shrugs, shaking heads, and mumbled 'idunnos'.  Lance sighed under
his breath.  This tour had been difficult on him, and the one thing that he
was hoping could rejuvenate him--Billy--was nowhere to be found.

"You guys got any asprin?" Lance asked.  Again, shrugs, shaking heads, and
'idunnos' were his answers.  In defeat, Lance flopped down on the couch,
closing his eyes, trying to will away the pain of his onsetting headache.
Moments later, he realized that he had a bottle of pain killers in the bus.
His eyes popped open and he said, "I'll be right back.  I'm gunna run and
get something from the bus, then run and try to find Peter!"  With that,
Lance was gone, hoping to find a cure for his ailment.

*   *   *   *

"Victor, this is Billy, Billy, Victor," Peter said as we shook hands.

"It's nice to meet you," I said with a big smile.  Victor was less than
enthusiastic.

"So you're my replacement?  Good luck.  Have fun.  It can be a jungle out
there."  And a hip hip hooray for you too, buddy.  Peter spoke up, saying,

"Victor, I'm going to leave Billy with you.  I've got to meet with the
management of the opening acts.  Call me if you need anything."

"All right Peter."  With that, Peter had passed off his human baton, and I
was now the charge of Victor, the happy little EMT of frumpiness.  "Well,
you can help me carry in my backboard and med pak.  We're headed to stage
right.  You... DO know where that is, right?"  Victor's last sentence was
spoken pretty sarcastically, and I knew right then that our relationship was
going to be strained at best.

"Yes, thank you.  I know my way around a stage."  I gave him my patented
'I'm grinning, but I don't like you' smile, and proceeded to assist in
carrying the stuff to the stage.  Once the med station was set up, Victor
gave me an extremely half-hearted tour and explanation of how this-and-that
goes on during the concert, and blah blah blah.  He was SO not fun to talk
to!  The amount of people traffic around us was increasing as stage hands,
lighting techs, members from other bands, and security personnel began their
nightly preparations for the show.

"Hey listen, you're not going to want to wear that for the show, so you
probably want to get changed."  I looked down at what I was wearing, and saw
a pair of brown suede shoes, jeans, and a sweater mom had gotten me for my
birthday.

"What's wrong with this?"  I asked, now concerned about what the dress code
was.

"Well for starters, your shoes are going to get scuffed, your jeans are too
light to be backstage, and your sweater is going to get snagged on
something.  Find some black shoes, dark cargos, and a dark T-shirt.  Then
you'll be in business."

"Okay, I just need to get to the bus.  That's where my stuff is.  How do I
get there?"  Victor used every form of body language short of rolling his
eyes to show me that I was bugging him by DARING to ask him where the bus
was.  TOUGH COOKIES, BUSTER.  He gave in and dragged me out to the receiving
door, only to stop there and give me verbal directions.

"Walk around the corner, hang a left, then go around the access booth.
Security is out there, and the busses are parked facing in, right in front
of the building."  I had only started to nod when he found the opportunity
to wash his hands of me and walk away.  WOW.  Although I had nodded, I was
clueless as to what he had said.  I guess I'd just have to do a little bit
of trailblazing!  Now let's see... walk around the corner and turn... right
or left?......

*   *   *   *

"Where ARE those things?" Lance muttered to himself as he dug through his
luggage, searching for his pain medication.  "Man, if only Billy were here,
I don't think I'd even have a headache."  Lance dug some more in the bag,
without success, and he could feel the adrenaline start to grow and his
heart begin to beat faster.  The frustration of having a headache and not
finding his medicine, coupled with his inability to find Billy AND the
exhaustion setting in from the tour began to culminate in his head.  SMACK!
"DAMMIT!"  SMACK!  SMACK!  Lance yelled as he punched the table with a
clenched fist.  He was furious with the whole situation, but the pain in his
hand and the realization that hitting things was not going to fix anything
set in.  He sunk down to the ground, leaning on the wall of the bus in
defeat.  He pulled his head up to rest on the wall, glancing around to make
sure no one was around to witness his little breakdown.  As he looked up,
however, he did notice something--there was a bottle of pills sitting in a
crevice under the table.  This piqued his curiosity, and he reached over to
grab the bottle, looking at the label.  It said,

JAMES BASS.  This was his medicine.  Lance shook his head and actually
smiled at the comedy of the situation.  He slowly stood up, and proceeded to
the bathroom of the bus where he could rinse his face, get a glass of water,
and try to put himself back together before anyone saw him.

*   *   *   *

"Over there?  On the right?"

"You got it," the security guard answered.  At least the guard was more
helpful than Victor!  I finally found my way to the secure parking, which
had all the semis, vans, busses, and blah blah blah from the tour.  I could
see into the arena parking lot, and it was evident that there was a 'boy
band' concert here tonight, based on the high concentration of teenage girls
already beginning to arrive.  I walked up to the busses, and realized I was
in big trouble... there were four of them!  They all looked the same, there
were no distinguishing marks, they were just busses.  Well, CRAP.  The guard
said 'on the right.'  Might as well start there!

It felt like I was walking into a stranger's house while they weren't home.
I almost expected someone to pop out with a shotgun and scare the snot out
of me!  I remember Jessica had said that the luggage would be delivered to
the bus, so I figured it would be in a pile somewhere.  However, a thorough
search of the floor and visible areas revealed nothing.  'Oh well, there ARE
three more to go!'

The second bus was a bit messier than the first, so it was harder to see if
my stuff was around.  The door was at the front, and there was a good deal
of luggage all around.  Hmmm... although there's a lot of luggage, none of
it was mine.  I kept walking back towards the back of the bus, past the
bathroom, past the bunks, until I came across another pile of bags.  Nope...
nope... nothing ye... WAIT.  YES!  There's my suitcase!  I picked up my
black Samsonite from the pile and propped it up on one of the empty bunks,
kneeling in front of it.  I reached up to release the latch...

A noise from my left surprised me.  "WHA?!?!"  Glancing towards the front of
the bus, I discovered I wasn't alone.  The bathroom door handle turned, the
door opened, and somebody walked out.  The door opened out towards me,
however, so I couldn't tell who it was.  'OH PLEASE PLEASE just walk out of
the bus so you don't notice me here'.  I held my breath as I waited to see
what this person would do.  The door shut, and I got my first silhouetted
view of this person in the dark bus.  I assumed it was a he, and he walked
towards the door.  'YESSSSS!!'  However, he walked over and picked up a bag
from the table, and turned back around to walk towards me.  'NOOOO!!!!! CRAP
CRAP CRAP!!!!'  I heard a click as he flipped on the light switch, and was
instantly blinded by the lights.  I rubbed my eyes, and started to reopen
them, to see how much trouble I was in by being here.

"OHMYGOSH!" was all I heard before I was forcefully knocked to the floor off
my knees.  'This guy knocked me over!  Why the heck would he..'...... my
thought processes froze when I found myself in a suffocating embrace with
this person.  WAIT......... That voice.  That touch.  That hug.  That..
scent!  Tears filled my eyes as I immediately grabbed tightly to the man on
top of me.  I didn't even need to see him to know who he was.

We just sat there in a tight, silent embrace.  We didn't move, we didn't
speak.  The contact and closeness were enough for us.  I had been knocked on
my back, and Lance was laying on top of me.  My eyes were closed, which made
all my other senses much more acute.  Lance's back felt so good.  His arms
around me felt so comforting.  His smell... OH his smell.  Lance had a scent
that was completely unique.  There's no way to describe it.  I'd have to
actually bring Lance to you and stick your nose into his neck for you to
understand.  I can only say that it was intoxicating, and I was drunk!

Lance sniffled, and I was made aware that he was crying a little bit.  He
finally lifted his head up, and a few tears had rolled down his face.  One
even rolled off his cheek and splashed on my face, on my left cheek.  Out of
instinct, he tried to pull a hand free to wipe it off, but I wouldn't hear
of it.

"Oh no you don't," I said as I pulled him back into a hug.  We sat there for
another minute until I heard Lance whisper,

"Oh Billy... I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, Lance.  I've missed you, too,"  I whispered back.
Lance pulled up from the embrace again, and immediately leaned in for a
kiss.  Our lips came together, and completely froze at the initial contact.
Oh, the feeling of those lips--it had been two months!  I proceeded by
breaking the contact and reestablishing the smooch, this time prodding his
mouth gently with my tongue.  He welcomed me in with a silent cheer, and we
sat for a few minutes in a soft, gentle, deep French kiss.  We would have
probably keep the lip lock going for eternity had our teeth not clunked
together, causing us to break apart and start laughing.

"Hahaha owww, those were ooowwww, my teeth!" Lance said, releasing a hand to
rub his pearly whites.

"Your teeth?  What about mine?"  I said as I ran my tongue over my front
teeth, checking for any damage.  Lance just smiled and leaned in for another
quick kiss.  Okay, so it wasn't quick, but it was reasonable.  Finally
breaking the second kiss, Lance spoke up.

"I can't believe you're here!  How did you get on this bus?  When did you
get here?  Have you started work?  Did you see Peter?  Where's Jessica?  Why
did..." Lance rattled off about 10 questions all at once, and I had to
physically reach up and restrain his lips from moving so I would have a
fighting chance.

"Okay, STOP.  I got here about 2pm, I've been with Jessica, Peter, and
Victor the whole time. I needed to get changed, so I went searching for my
luggage.  Here it is!  I found it in that pile over there, and that's when
you came out of the bathroom."

"That's so funny.  Talk about coincidence!"

"I'm thinking more like fate."

"Yeah..." Lance nodded and thought.  "Wait a minute, YOUR luggage?"  Lance
had a suspicious look as he eyed the suitcase.

"Yeah, this is my Samsonite.  THE Samsonite."  Lance smiled and reached over
to turn over the luggage tag.  'LANSTEN' was written on the tag.

"Um, this is MY bus, and this is MY Samsonite."  I shook my head, amazed at
the similarity between his and my luggage.  I laughed.

"Well, let's go find your luggage and get you ready for your first night!"
We both walked towards the front of the bus holding hands.  I felt a sudden
energy grow inside me, and I was so excited to finally be here with Lance.
All the months of waiting, all the classes and ambulance ride-alongs, all
the effort and pain and happiness and laughter and tears... it all
culminated that day, right there in the bus.  I knew it was going to be a
challenge for us both, but I was ready to take it on!

A thought came to my mind, and I decided to start this tour off on the
'right foot' with Lance.  As we got towards the door, I yanked Lance back to
the back to tell him something important.

"Hey Lance, there's one thing I need to tell you... and you have to keep it
a secret.  It's important!"  Lance's eyes grew full of concern, and he was
ready to take on any challenge for me.  Boy, was he going to be mad when he
found out what it was!  I gently grabbed his face, looked into his
crystalline eyes, and quickly leaned in for a quick smacker on the lips.
"YOU'RE IT!"

*****************

*Yeah, I KNOW, Lance and Billy were barely together this chapter... Well,
that's reality for most busy couples!
*I'm still trying to keep up regular chapters, so be patient as I try to
balance writing and a heavy school load and a social life and a little sleep
now and then, and... SHEESH...
*See you all next chapter!

kaiser_goof@hotmail.com
~Jeff