Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2000 02:57:47 -0500 (EST)
From: Mirage and Rowan Taranthia <yougottaloveus@loveable.com>
Subject: End Of Innocence - 7
Disclaimer: If you're reading this installment, you don't necessarily need a
disclaimer, but just in case: We don't claim to know anything about Nsync, BSB,
Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Philleppe...yadda yadda..or to imply anything about
their sexuality. Uhm..Oh! If you're under 18 (who listens to that anyway?) and
are offended (What ya doing here, then?) by homosexual, bisexual, and straight
themes..uhm..bye bye bye?
(Yes, bad joke)
People: I, Rowan, would like to give a shout out to the following people:
Kelly: for always making me laugh.
Barbara: For urging me to write.
And for Terry: I still love you...
People: Now, I, Mirage, would like to give a shout out:
Fred: For always making me smile, I love ya bro!
Kaylee: Stay strong, Sweetie.
Gary: Keep those curls!
Also: This installment is very..I guess emotional. It deals with drug
abuse. ::shrugs:: read at your own peril, I guess. Email us, you know, let
us know what you think...we like fan mail.
Yes. We do.
yougottaloveus@loveable.com (Yes, it's a real email address, we got it at
www.mail.com)
Take care,
End of Innocence
By
Mirage and Rowan
End of Innocence
Chapter 7
"What's wrong, Rome?" Brian asked as he wrapped his arms around his
lover.
"Nothing," Cesar sniffed, wiping a tear from his eye. "Just happy
memories."
"Happy memories don't usually make you cry, Babe." Brian pointed
out. Cesar chuckled.
"These do." Cesar watched Brian stand up, stretch, and leave the
room, saying he'll be back in a moment.
Brian came back with two glasses of champagne. He handed one to
Cesar and made himself comfortable next to his lover.
"Here you go, Sweetie."
Sighing, Cesar took a sip and then went back to the sketch pad once
again. "You know, it's gotten hard to sketch this. Maybe I can write it,"
Cesar sighed and took the sketch he was doing and tossed it on the floor
with the other twenty.
"Having trouble, Sweets?" Brian asked softly.
Cesar nodded, frowning slightly. "Yeah," He reached to his left for
the picture frame and traced the faces. So many memories, so many happy
memories.
He sighed. "I love it here."
--
"I want a house!" Justin grumbled as he pouted on a sofa in the
tour bus. The rest of the guys sat around playing cards or eating, Chris
looked up at him.
"You're too young to own a house," Chris told him as he took a bite
of a sandwich.
"Humph," was Justin's retort.
--
"I was thinking about what Justin said earlier," Josh whispered to
Chris as they lay in their bunk, arms draped across each other.
"And?" Chris asked.
"What if the 5 of us got a house?" JC asked quickly, looking at
Chris.
"All five of us?" Chris raised an eyebrow at his lover, wondering
if he was serious.
"I'm serious! It would be like, tour 24/7 except...without the
moving," Josh beamed, quite proud of his epiphany.
"Do you think we could stand each other?"
"Sure!" JC said quickly, hoping he was right.
"We'll talk about it tomorrow," Chris said and yawned. JC nodded
and rested his head on Chris' chest.
"Tomorrow."
--
Lance's mouth fell open.
"Joey! It's beautiful!" Lance exclaimed and wrapped his arms around
him as they gazed up at the huge house.
"I knew you'd love it. Come on," he led Lance inside and into a
large foyer.
"Oh my," was all he could squeak out. Joey opened a door on the
bottom floor.
"Guestroom, for when relatives come to visit," he pulled him across
the entire length of the mansion. "And here," he smiled proudly. "Here is
the family room." It was what Lance had asked him to get. A large family
room with a fireplace.
"It's absolutely amazing," he breathed. "Show me the rest." Joey
laughed.
"This kitchen is next to the family room, dining room next to
that." He pulled him up the stairs. "Our bedroom," he opened the biggest
room with a connected bathroom. "There are five other bedrooms. I figure
for when the guys come over and when people visit and stuff."
"It's perfect, Joey! Absolutely perfect! Do you think we're ready
to move in together, though?"
"James, we've been living together for years, now. This is just
making it official," Joey beamed and kissed his cheek.
"You're right. When do we move in?"
"As soon as the tour is over. Next week."
"I can't wait," Lance grinned as they left the house, hand in hand.
--
"It's over," Justin sighed and flopped down as the bus pulled away
from the last venue.
"I'm exhausted," JC yawned. He put his head in Chris' lap. Chris
mindlessly whirled his fingers around his hair. Lance hugged Joey.
"I'm so glad we bought the house early," he grinned.
"Me too."
"Hey, since we're in New York, why don't we just have 'em drop us
all off there and we can relax for a week or two before the rest of you go
home," Lance suggested.
"Are there beds there?" JC asked.
"Lots."
"I'm game." He said immediately. Lance smiled.
"Great," he skipped up to the front of the bus and gave the driver
directions.
--
They all fumbled and bumbled off the bus and up the sidewalk to the
door. Joey unlocked it and pushed it open.
"Follow us," Lance beamed in his tired state.
"More stairs?" Justin pouted.
"There's a room downstairs if you want," Joey pointed to the
downstairs guestroom.
"G'nite," he smiled and ran to the door, quickly disappearing. They
chuckled and walked up the spiral staircase to the landing.
"Behold the hall of doors," Lance laughed. "Yoou can have any
room." Chris helped JC to the nearest one, who was already half asleep.
"Night." Joey and Lance soon found the way to their room in the
dark. The light of the moon streamed through the window and onto the plush
carpet.
"Joey?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lance heard him nod in the
dark.
"I'll call the realtor tomorrow," Joey said before crawling under
the covers.
"Thanks, Sweetie."
--
Lance yawned as he fished through the cabinets finding enough mugs
for everyone's coffee. Joey was on the phone with the realtor. A room door
slammed and Justin sat down at the table with a thud.
"You'll have to have doughnuts instead of cereal, J," Lance told
him. Justin made a grunting noise before devouring 3 of the
pastries. Lance eyed the other two boxes in the corner, moved in front of
them and silently thanked God he remembered to get more.
"It's all set," Joey smiled and kissed Lance's cheek.
"What's all set?" Chris and JC asked as they joined Justin at the
table and started eating. Lance brought out the coffee.
"How do you guys like it here?" Joey asked.
"It's great! There's so much room! I thought all five of us would
be cramped in here but you could have seven more people and you'd hardly
notice!" Chris exclaimed.
"I agree with Chris. You just need to do some major decorating and
get some more furniture. I bet Christina and Britney would love to help
buy furniture for this place," Justin put in as he swallowed his sixth
doughnut. Lance laughed and brought out the other two boxes that were
welcomed with open arms.
"Well, what would you say if I told you I just called the realtor
and we could put all our names on the deed and all own this house. It
would be ours," Joey grinned.
"Are you sure?" JC asked, sipping his coffee.
"Yeah! Justin wanted to have a house, here's his chance," Lance
said.
"Wait. You're doing this just because I wanted a house? Guys I
can't let you do that!" Justin protested.
"Come on, Justin. Who do you have the most fun with?" JC said,
urging Justin to say 'Yes.'
"You guys." Was Justin's reply.
"So what's the problem?" Chris asked, hoping to get him to say
'Yes.' as well.
"You guys are giving up your privacy."
"We have our own room, don't we? We want you guys here." Joey said
nodding his head with a grin on his face.
"You're sure?"
"Positive!"
"Okay," Justin beamed and hugged Lance and Joey. "This is so cool!
I have a great idea for how I want my room to look." He ran up the stairs
to find one that suited him.
"I'm gonna call Britney," Lance shook his head, pulled out his cell
phone and dialed the familiar number.
"Hello?"
"Christina?"
"Lance! How are you?"
"Great! You staying with Britney?"
"Yeah just for the last few dates of her tour. Guess what?"
"What?"
"I got a record deal!"
"Chrissy that's great! Guys, Christina got a record deal!"
"I thought you guys were off now?"
"We are! We got a house. All of us!" Lance beamed.
"Seriously? That's great! We'll have to see it next time we're in
Florida."
"It's not in Florida. We're in New York."
"We're in New York tomorrow! Let me get Britty." Lance heard her
mumbling in the background.
"Lance!" Britney's familiar, tinny voice rang through the phone.
"Hey!"
"What's this I heard about a house?"
"We bought a house and we need some people to help buy furniture."
"Buy? Oooh, you called the right people! My tour ends tomorrow so
we'll be right over. Oh, is it okay if we bring two more people?"
"Absolutely! Who are they?"
"You'll see. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
"All right. Bye, Britney. Give Chrissy a kiss for me."
"You know I will. Bye Lance." He broke the connection.
"Christina, Britney, and two guests are coming tomorrow to help us
buy furniture for this place," Lance told the remaining kitchen dwellers.
"Great!" They all replied in unison.
--
Christina opened the door to the house.
"Helllllllllllo?" Britney called holding the hand of one of the
visitors.
"Are you sure it was okay for me to come?" they whispered dragging
the second guest behind.
"We're positive!"
"Christina! Britney!" Justin yelled from the top of the stairs and
came bounding down before stopping dead in his tracks. "H-Hi," he stumbled
upon seeing the Adonis in front of him. Short, blonde curls and clear blue
eyes hid behind a pair of dark sunglasses.
"Justy, this is Ryan Phillippe and Reese Witherspoon." Britney and
Christina winked at each other, their plan was going into action. Soon the
rest of the house crowded around the new arrivals and the introductions
were made.
"Christina and I have an announcement," Britney beamed and kissed
the top of Christina's hand.
"Oh is there a ring? Are you two getting married?" Chris asked,
inspecting both sets of fingers.
"No. Actually, our little family has grown," They grinned at each
other.
"You're pregnant?" Lance guessed.
"No. Let us finish."
"Sorry."
"As I said, we've had an addition to the family. Reese," Britney
beamed and pulled her between them.
"Wait. You two, or, three are a couple?" Justin clarified. They
all nodded. "That's great! But I thought Reese and Ryan were..."
"No," Ryan laughed from next to him. "It's a publicity thing. She's
dating those two and I'm gay." Justin felt his heart skip a few more
beats.
"Wow what a coincidence!" Josh grinned and nudged Justin.
"Shut up," Justin muttered through clenched teeth.
"What's a coincidence?" Ryan asked.
"Nothing," Justin jumped in.
"So, can we get the tour of this place? We wanna see what kind of
damage we get to cause?" Christina asked excitedly.
"What have we gotten ourselves into?" Joey laughed and began the
tour of the downstairs before getting to the bedrooms. Justin's was first.
"We have to put in blue since it's Justin's favorite color,"
Britney analyzed.
"Really? That's your favorite color? Mine too," Ryan smiled. Justin
blushed and nodded.
"Ever since I was little."
"You know? I would put a large book shelf in that corner by the
window, king sized waterbed with a blue and maroon bedspread..." Ryan
started.
"Dark blue carpet and white curtains," Justin finished.
"Exactly." Ryan said grinning. "You read my mind."
All three girls looked at each other and smiled. Mission Completed.
--
"I think we can make some real progress with this place," Christina
confirmed as she sipped a cup of tea.
"We'll start shopping for furniture tomorrow," Reese smiled.
"Hey, I've been meaning to ask. How'd you guys decide to become a
couple?" Justin inquired as he drank from Ryan's mug of coffee. The two
had quickly become connected at the hip.
"Well Christina and I were at a promo for my tour."
"And Cesar and I were there for a friend."
"Basically Britty and I looked at each other and than at Reese and
we all just..."
"Knew," the three said together.
"That's sweet," Lance grinned and laid his head on Joey's shoulder.
"Whose Cesar?" Justin asked.
"My cousin. He's awesome," Reese explained. "Which reminds me. I
need to call him." She flipped open her cell phone and made the proper
connection. "Hey Cuz!" Reese said as she walked over and leaned on the
doorframe.
"We really don't see each other enough," Chris thought aloud. "I
mean us, and you guys. Our schedules are always so out there."
"Especially when Chrissy starts recording," Britney sighed and
stroked Christina's short blonde hair.
"Britty we'll still see each other," Christina tried to smile.
Both had tears in their eyes. Britney pulled Christina into her lap and
the two sat holding each other tightly.
"Where are you going to be recording?" Lance asked, an idea boiling
inside his brain.
"New York City I think. Why?"
"How long do you have off, Britney?" he continued.
"The rest of this month and next month but there's still some
promotion and I'm gonna be recording again soon."
"In New York?"
"I don't know. I haven't talked to management yet. What are you
getting at Lansten?" Britney inquired. He smiled and stood up, starting to
walk around the table of friends.
"It just so happens, we have a house in New York, plenty of extra
bedrooms, and lots of friendly faces."
"No. Lance, we can't do that to you guys. We can't impose like
that," Christina protested, her head resting on Britney's
shoulder. "Besides, Albany is miles from New York City. Practically five
hours each way."
"I'd rather be a five hour drive away than a four hour plane trip
from you and Reese," Britney whispered stroking her love's cheek. "And we
would be able to see each other a lot more often."
"And if you were recording near to each other, you could have lunch
together everyday," JC pointed out from his own spot in Chris' lap.
"Are you sure it wouldn't be a problem?" Britney asked, looking at
each individual who all nodded emphatically, absolutely loving Lance's
epiphany. "We need to talk to Reese first."
"Talk to Reese about what?" She asked, reappearing after her
conversation with Cesar.
"The guys suggested that we move in here for awhile while we're
recording in New York," Christina relayed the plan.
"What about Cesar? I can't leave him in California!" She
exclaimed. She was not about to leave him.
The group of men all looked at each other.
"There's enough space," Chris said.
"I'm okay with it. Just let me call Cesar." Once again she left the
room with the cell phone connected to her ear.
"Let's go pick out a room," Christina grinned and hopped off
Britney's lap. The two ran upstairs in a fit of giggles.
"Let's give them our room," Joey suggested. "It's the biggest and
it has it's own bathroom."
"My thoughts exactly," Lance smiled and kissed his cheek. "Girls!"
"Yes?"
"You can have our room!" There was a squeal of glee before
pounding down the stairs. They each jumped onto one of the boys.
"Thank you!" They said together before running back up the stairs.
"Britty? Chrissy?" Reese appeared. "He's...where'd they go?"
"Upstairs to look at your new room." Reese laughed.
"I need to fly out to California to pick up some things and Cesar.
Probably won't take too long."
"Okay. Well your girls are waiting upstairs. I suggest you go help
decorate or they'll do something drastic," Justin grinned. Reese chuckled.
"See you guys later." She ran up the stairs.
"Just follow the squeals," Chris yelled. --
Christina, Britney, Ryan, and Justin were all standing in the
airport with disguises covering their features. They impatiently waited
for Reese and Cesar to arrive from California.
"Hurry up!" Britney whined, hoping from one foot to the other.
"Baby, calm down," Christina giggled. "Come on, sit down." Britney
did. Christina sat next to her and started braiding her hair. "I needed
something to busy my hands."
"Flight 731 from Los Angeles to Albany has now arrived at Gate
15C."
"That's them!" Britney jumped up and ran to the gate with Christina
not far behind. Ryan and Justin chuckled before following them, their
pinkies locked together in an inconspicuous motion.
"Look! There they are! Rome! Rezzy!" Christina yelled and grinned
as an extremely tall, extremely handsome Italian man waved. Reese ran up
and hugged each of them one by one.
Christina ran to Cesar and jumped on him, knocking him to the
ground. Laughing, she placed a big kiss on his cheek and stood up. As soon
as she was a foot away, he jumped up, grabbed her and hefted her over his
shoulder.
"I missed you too." Cesar said as Christina squealed and pounded
his back to let her go.
He swirled around and looked at Britney. "Brit!" He exclaimed,
taking her in. "New implants I see, they almost look real." he laughed.
"Funny, Knucklehead. Let's get your guys' stuff and go. The
furniture is arriving today." Cesar inclined his head and carried Christina
off to luggage claim.
--
Reese looked deeply at the picture in her hands. She traced around
the silhouette of the bodies. So precious were their memories. At the same
time she smiled knowing of the new ones they would be making. Her serene
moment was interrupted upon hearing a loud cry from upstairs. She picked
herself up and wandered into the living room.
"Guys?" she called and looked around. JC came running down the
stairs, anger seething through him. "Are you okay?" she stopped him dead
in his tracks. He pushed past her and into the kitchen. She looked at
Cesar worriedly before following JC.
He was pouring something white down the garbage disposal. He
flipped the switch as the grinding noise filled the room. Christina soon
came running after.
"Where is it?" she asked, a fire in her eyes. JC just pointed down
the drain. She fell to the floor. Reese ran to her side.
"What's going on, Cesar?" she demanded. Christina looked up and
opened her arms to him. He picked her up as she wrapped her legs around
his waist and arms around his neck.
"I'm sorry," she whimpered.
"Shh, it's okay honey," he tried to soothe her. Cesar carried her
to the bedroom as everyone accumulated around the room from the noise.
"What's going on?" Britney asked Reese. She simply shook her head
and shrugged.
"I'm worried," she whispered. Britney wrapped her arms around
Reese and kissed the top of her head.
"Everything will be okay, whatever it is."
--
Cesar had just entered the shower, hoping to wash away the thoughts
that had been plaguing him for the last few moments.
--
"Cessie!" A young voice called, a young, prepubescent
voice. "What's going on? Why ya crying?"
"You wouldn't understand, Tommy." Cesar turned and looked in the
mirror, sniffling as he wrestled with the conflicting emotions.
"C'mon," Tommy said urging Cesar to tell him. "You can tell
me. Like I'd tell mommy and daddy." Cesar sniffled and looked in his
younger brother's eyes.
"I'm gay, Tommy." Cesar said throwing himself against the wall.
A silence befell the two. "So?" Tommy said blinking up at his
brother. Their eyes caught and spoke of a silent understanding.
--
"How could I fail you?" Cesar screamed at the foggy mirror, hoping
to chase away the thoughts.
--
The bare white walls of the hospital loomed in gloomy thoughts as
Cesar sat on the hard, gray couch in the waiting room. A doctor, wearing a
white jacket in usual doctor's apparel.
"So?" The young Cesar said, hoping for the best.
"There were some complications," The young doctor started, Cesar
tensed. "He drank quite a bit of the Tide with Bleach..." The doctor read
from his clipboard. "And the amount of sleeping pills, undigested, found in
his stomach equaled about three bottles..."
"Doc." Cesar said.
"And so we pumped his stomach, but the damage was..."
"Doc." Cesar interrupted again.
"Yes, young man?"
"Just tell me. Is...is he dead?" Cesar choked out.
The doctor's eyes fell. Eyes that were usually laughing, smiling,
were now dull, unresponsive.
"Yes." He whispered.
--
"How...how could you?" Cesar wiped the tears off his cheeks in pure
futile. Cesar tied the robe around his waist and stared at the unblinking
reflection in the mirror. The eyes, laughing eyes, the hair, white hair...
'So much.' Cesar thought
'So much what?' He thought back.
'Pain.'
Pain...
Agony.
Release.
Cesar reached for the knife to start making the incision.
JC chose at that moment to come barging in.
"Cesar!" JC yelled! Running for his friend and engulfing him in a
hug. Cesar stood, dropped the knife and in a daze, looked at JC.
"Joshua?" Cesar blinked up in confusion.
"Oh, Rome." Josh said as he hugged his friend closer, stroking his
back. "Gods, Rome. Didn't you hear me calling?"
Cesar shook his head against JC's chest. "No. I was...too caught up
in my thoughts."
Josh pushed Cesar on the toilet and sat him down. Wordlessly, he
turned off the shower and walked Cesar to the bedroom. "C'mon, Romey. Let's
get you in bed."
Cesar shook his head and hugged Josh. "How...could I have failed
her? Like ... like I failed him?"
"You didn't fail anyone." JC said softly, stroking Cesar's back as
they sat on the bed. "You didn't."
"But...she was killing herself. So was Tommy, and I didn't catch
any of them."
"You caught her before she did anything." Josh hugged Cesar
closer. "You never failed, Cesar. There was nothing to fail at."
"I was a role model..."
"You were a friend. You did everything a friend should and
more. It's not your fault."
"But, Chrissy..." Cesar sniffled.
"Shh." Josh hugged Cesar. "It'll be okay."
After a few moments of rocking, Cesar sniffled lightly and wiped
his eyes.
"You okay?" Josh asked Cesar one more time.
"I'm fine, I'm sorry, I was just..." Cesar shook his head. "Dazed."
Cesar sighed and looked at JC. "How are you handling it?"
"Better than most, but not too great. You and Reese, I expect, are
going to have the hardest time with it all."
Cesar nodded, he didn't say anything.
"You didn't fail, Cesar." JC assured him. "You never failed. You
were a friend, remember that? You...went above and beyond. It's nott your
fault, it was probably stress or something. Don't...don't
worry. Everything's gonna turn out all right in the end."
"I hope so." Cesar said softly. "I really do."
"You need a rock, Cesar." JC said, nodding. "I mean, Christina has
you, Reese, and Britney. Reese has Ryan, Britney has Justin. You...have
Brian. But there are some things you just can't talk about with lovers, you
know? There are some things..." Josh's eyes started to tear up. "Some
things you can't even talk about with..." Josh started to cry
openly. "yourself."
Josh's crying soon turned into sobbing and it was Cesar's turn to
be the rock, to help everyone. "Shh," Cesar said softly as JC started
mumbling words over and over again. "Shh, it's okay, it'll be alright."
Josh sat up, looked deep in Cesar's eyes and said, "Will Chris ever
forgive me?"
Cesar hugged Josh. "There's only one way to find out. Only one
way." Josh and Cesar nodded, wiped their eyes, and went downstairs.
--
Everyone sat in the living room, save Cesar, Christina, Ryan, and
Justin.
"What do you suppose was wrong with Christina?" Lance asked as
Joey hugged him.
"I don't know but it must be bad for Christina to be clinging to
him like that," Chris analyzed.
"Does anyone know?" Britney sniffled, holding onto Reese.
"I know," JC whispered. All of them stared at him. He had kept it
from them!
"What is it?" Joey demanded.
"Chrissy is on heroine," he said softly.
--
Ryan watched Justin as he played basketball with Richard Phillippe.
He smiled, as he sipped his lemonade.
"Are you two going to stay for Thanksgiving?" Susan Phillippe
inquired.
"I don't know," Ryan replied, smiling at seeing the twinkle back in
Justin's eyes. "Juj..Justin expressed some interest in going back to New
York. Cesar called earlier and said there was an emergency with the
girls." Susan nodded in understanding as Ryan's cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Matthew?" Reese only called him that when it was a real
emergency.
"Laura?" he returned the sentiment.
"We need you guys. I need you and Britney needs Justin."
"What's going on?"
"Christina," she let out a sob. "She's - she's been doing heroine."
Ryan dropped the phone. Justin looked up and saw Ryan's face. He jogged
over.
"Angel? What's wrong? Baby?" Ryan was unable to repeat what he
had just heard. Justin picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Justin?"
"Reese? What's going on? Why does Ryan look like he just saw a
ghost?" There was a sniffle.
"Here's Britney."
"Hey Justy."
"Britty, what's going on?"
"Ryan didn't tell you?"
"No," Justin glanced worriedly at his lover who was still standing
still. His eyelashes barely moved.
"Chrissy has been doing," she sniffed. "heroine." Justin felt his
lip quiver.
"W-why?"
"I don't know," Britney sobbed openly. "I don't know Justin.
Please come home." He nodded wildly.
"We'll be on the next plane, I promise," he choked back his own
sobs.
"Thank you. I love you, Justin."
"I love you, too, Britney." Justin closed the phone and dropped it
into Ryan's pocket. "Come on, Angel," he shook his shoulder lightly.
"We're going home." Ryan simply moved his gaze from the outside to
Justin's face. He nodded as if he were a feeble child. They walked up the
stairs to pack their bags.
--
"Chriiiiissssyyyyy," 12 year old, Justin Timberlake walked through
the backstage hallways of the Mickey Mouse Club set. "I know you're back
here!" He and Christina were playing hide and go seek. He heard giggling
from one of the rooms. Slowly, he opened it and peeked inside.
"Hey Justin," Britney called as she played Go Fish with Josh and
Tony. He waved and closed the door again. She had to be around here
somewhere. A smile spread across his lips as he heard the familiar squeal.
JC came galloping down the hallway with Christina on his back.
"Hi Justin!" JC called and set Christina down. Justin tagged her.
"You're it," he grinned.
"No fair!" she declared.
"It is so fair! You were gone for half an hour!"
"Was not!"
"Was too!"
"Was not!"
--
Justin and Ryan ran off of the plane to baggage claim and hailed a
taxi. They gave the driver the address and waited impatiently for their
house to come into view.
"There!" Justin pointed. Ryan paid the driver as Justin ran out
and up to the door as it opened. Britney stood with puffy red eyes. He
held her tightly as she sobbed. Ryan soon ran up and embraced Reese as she
emptied her ducts as well.
"It's okay," Ryan whispered.
"I'm so scared," Reese cried.
"Let's go inside," Justin suggested. They guided the two women
into the house and shut the door. None of them noticed the blue eyes
watching them from the guest bedroom.
"I can't believe we didn't notice," Britney looked up at Justin
through tear-filled eyes.
"None of us noticed."
"We should've," Reese demanded. "We're her lovers! We love her
a-and we didn't even notice she was killing herself."
--
Christina shut the guestroom door. She felt the pain in Britney
and Reese's voices. She was ashamed of the charade that she had carried on
for so long. Constantly trying to slip away to have a few minutes of
bliss. Her chest ached as she sat in the rocking chair and wept. Wept for
her best friends, wept for her lovers, but most of all for herself. The
thought of killing herself made a brief appearance in her mind before she
dismissed it. No, she wouldn't do that. She wouldn't lose. She refused
to lose.
Her clear eyes wandered around the room. It felt impersonal. It
wasn't like the room they had made their own upstairs in the large waterbed
with the vanity and shelves filled with books. Contrary to popular belief,
the three often indulged themselves with such novels by Anne Bishop and
J.R.R. Tolkien. Christina imaged what the bedroom would look like this
late in the day. The covers would be tussled on the bed, clothes thrown
everywhere after Britney's adventure to try and find clothing that fit her
mood, Reese would be soaking in the bathtub to relieve the pain in her
feet.
She sighed and pulled her knees to her tiny waist. She wouldn't
lose.
--
Joshua took a deep breath and knocked on the door. A moment later,
he heard a muffled 'Come in.'
Josh opened the door slightly and stepped through, closing the door
ever so slowly and smiled at the form. "Hi." He looked down at his feet.
"Hi." Chris said softly as he looked up from his bed. "How are
you?"
"Feel like shit, worried about Cesar and Christina." Josh said
softly, avoiding Chris' eyes.
Chris frowned a moment. "Josh, sit down." He moved his legs and sat
up, allowing room on the bed for Josh to sit. "Look, this is probably hard
as hell on you. It is on me, and...I hope we can be civil to each other
with no tension throughout this. They don't need our problems intermixed
with their own. We just need to be there for them, okay?"
Joshua nodded, his heart still broken. "All right, Christopher."
Josh stood up, walked to the door, and turned around. "Look,
Chris..."
Chris shook his head. "I need more time before I can talk about it,
okay?"
Josh nodded and smiled lightly. "You take care, Chris."
Chris smiled, the tears were about to spill. "You too, Josh." He
managed to squeak out, but not until after Josh had left.
--
Christina sat in the counseling office. A pair of sunglasses
sheilded her from the 'bright' lights.
"So how long have you had this addiction?" the counselor asked, a
clipboard on her lap.
"Only 2 months. Everything was just so hard. I needed to have
control over something."
The counselor nodded and jotted down a few notes. "How many times
a week do you feel the need to inject?"
"Well," Christina thought back. "I've only done it 5 or 6 times. I
haven't even gone through a whole bag. I only do it when everything is
really out of control."
Again, the counselor made a few notes. "Well, we'd still like you
to stay here and go through de-tox. If what you say is correct, it will
only take a maximum of two weeks to complete the cleansing."
Christina nodded and got up. "Can someone stay with me?"
The counselor nodded. "One person. We don't usually but we'll
treat this as a special case."
"Thank you," Christina left the room and fetched Cesar. "I want
you to stay with me."
Cesar nodded his understanding and took hold of Christina's hand.
"Everything is going to be okay. I know it," he told her and kissed her
cheek.
"I hope you're right," Christina sighed. "God I hope you're right."
--
Britney sat on the bed in the guestroom, a pair of reeading glasses
perched on her nose. She hated wearing them but Reese and Christina
insisted that she did.
"Sweetie?" Reese waddled into the room. "Wanna go to a movie or
something? I'm dying to get out of the house."
"You read my mind." The two put on baggy clothes, sunglasses,
hats, and their jackets. "What do you wanna see?" Britney inquired as
they left.
"You," Reese said and kissed her cheek. Britney blushed and took
Reese's hand into hers. They laced fingers and drove away in one of the
many SUV's.
--
Justin was pacing back and forth in the bedroom. His mind was
spinning in so many different directions. He had heard nothing from his
family, Christina was in the hospital, JC and Chris weren't talking to each
other. It was all a mess. He stopped when JC appeared in the doorway.
"Wanna go for a drive?" It was something they often did when
things needed to be discussed. It kept either of them from leaving the
confines of the car and they were able to talk much more openly.
"Sure." They grabbed their jackets and left.
--
Chris was in the kitchen routing through the refrigerator trying to
find something to eat. He wasn't really hungry but he needed to eat
something to calm his nerves.
"Hey Chris," Ryan smiled, coming in and taking a coke from the
fridge.
"Hey Ry. Dammit, there's nothing to eat." He slammed the door
shut and pouted. Ryan looked inside as well.
"We really need to go shopping. This is the last soda."
"Well, let's go. I'm sick of being stuck in this damn house."
Ryan shrugged. "Sure." He had nothing to do. Justin left to
reconnect with JC. Besides, he needed to bond with Chris. The two didn't
really know each other that well, despite the fact they'd been living
together for the last 2 years. Following the example of Britney and Reese,
they got into Chris's SUV and drove away.
--
Joey looked up as Ryan and Chris left. Lifting an eyebrow, he got
up from the couch and did a perimeter check. Grinning he called, "Ooohhh
Jammmmes."
Lance stuck his head out of the bedroom and yawned. His hair was
mussed more than usual and he had a cute, sleepy grin on his face. "Yes?"
Joey took his hand and pulled him down to the living room. "Guess
what?" he asked, pushing Lance down onto the sofa and kissing him
vigorously.
"What?" Lance giggled, pulling of Joey's shirt. Joey followed suit
and they were soon roaming their hands over each other.
"We're the only ones home," Joey growled and nipped his ear
lightly.
"Are you serious?" Lance exclaimed.
Joey nodded and started taking off Lance's pants. Lance sucked and
licked on Joey's neck and tried to unzip his slacks at the same time.
Soon, both sets of pants were crumpled on the floor and their boxers were
quickly going to follow.
"Make love to me," Lance whispered in Joey's ear. Joey almost
melted at the tender breath on his skin. He kissed Lance's pouty lips and
down his stomach. He positioned himself at Lance's base and was about to
make the penetration when the door flew open.
Phyllis and Joseph Fatone Sr. walked into the house.
"Hey kids!" Joseph called with a laugh. Lance screamed and
grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the sofa.
Phyllis looked at his son and Lance and back to Joseph. "Oops! It
seems we've done it again, dear."
Joseph laughed and hugged his wife. "Nice one."
Joey and Lance frantically tried to find all their discarded
clothing without flashing either adult. When they were decent, they
invited the couple farther into the house. "Mom! Pop!" Joey chuckled as
he blushed. "I guess the 'coming out' talk really won't be necessary,
huh?"
"Oh Pish! We've already gone through one this week, why not
another," Phyllis joked.
Joey and Lance both looked very confused.
"You're brother, Joey. Seems we barged in on him and Tim the same
way," Joseph laughed.
"Steve is..."
"Gay," Phyllis finished. "Seems you are too. Both of you."
Lance shook his head. "I'm gay. Joey has the advantage of both
courts."
"Anyone else we should know about?" Joseph questioned.
Joey and Lance exchanged a look before smiling. "You have no idea."
And proceeded to tell about the house situation and give the grand tour.
--
Phyllis and Joseph Sr. left after an early dinner and a long talk
in front of the fire. Britney and Reese entered not long after. Pink
nosed and rosey cheeked.
"Have fun?" Lance chuckled.
"Very much," Britney giggled. "Seems we look a lot like Jennifer
Aniston and Taylor Hanson."
Lance burst into a fit of laughter. "Jennifer and Taylor? They'll
get a hoot out of that one!"
"Only you, my dear," Joey said, wrapping his arms around Lance's
waist. "Would say 'hoot'."
Lance faked a scowl before Joey tossed him onto the couch.
"We'll continue what we started, later."
"Get a room!" Ryan shouted as he and Chris came in with bags of
groceries. "Or help us!"
"We'll take the room, thanks. We had a parental visit today.
That's more work than I'd like to deal with," Joey said, picking up Lance
and carrying him up the stairs.
"If I hear a line from 'Gone with the Wind' from them, I swear,
I'll shoot one of'em," Chris grumbled, putting down two bags and going out
to get more.
"Grumpy. Grumpy. Grumpy," Reese tsked as she sat down on the couch.
Britney sat next to her and began the task of massaging her swollen feet.
"We're home!" Justin announced as he and JC pulled into the
driveway. Even in the dead of winter, they refused to roll-up the windows.
"Good! Help us bring in groceries," Ryan said piling bags into his
lover's arms.
"Gee. I'm happy to see you too."
"Oh, did I say I was happy to see you? My mistake."
Justin scowled at him.
"I'm joking, Juju. I love you," Ryan kissed him on the
forehead. "Now scoot before Reese's ice cream melts," he ordered and
smacked Justin on the behind.
Justin rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Ice Cream is going to melt when it's
outside in 20 degree weather. Uh huh. I'm sure."
"Shush and take in the food."
Justin sighed dramatically and did as he was told with JC not far
behind with bags loading him down, as well. Chris shut the trunk as Ryan
took in the last couple of bags.
Another pair of headlights came up the driveway and Brian hopped
out. "Hey guys!" He smiled, removing his coat once inside.
Everyone exchanged nervous glances. Had Cesar forgotten to mention
that he would be gone until Christina was back? "Hey Bri," Britney called
from the couch.
"Is Cesar around?" he questioned.
"Um..no," Ryan told him as he busied himself with putting away the
groceries. "Do you have any cravings, Rez?"
"Mmmm I could go for some lemon yogurt and pickles."
" We have pickles but not lemon yogurt," Chris called.
"Where's Cesar?" Brian asked.
"Who wants to go get it, than?" Reese inquired.
"I'll go," JC said. "I'm still in my coat anyway. Anything else I
can get you?"
Reese thought for a long minute. "Did you guys get mangos and EZ
cheese?"
"Nope."
"Cesar is with Christina in the hospital. She's going through
de-tox," Joey informed Brian.
"Get those."
JC chuckled and grabbed his keys. "Will do. I'll be back in about
half an hour."
Brian didn't want to ask about Christina. "I hope she gets
better." He took a stab in the dark and it seemed to hit right on the
money.
"Thanks Bri Bri," Britney smiled at him.
"I guess I'll head back to the hotel than," he began to put his
coat back on.
"No way, man!" Ryan protested. "We're not sending you for another 3
hour drive! Stay the night. We'll take you to see Cesar tomorrow."
"Thanks," he smiled a genuine smiled. "I'm beat. I guess I'll head
off to bed than. Good night all."
"Good-night," they chorused back as he disappeared.
--
Cesar sat next to Chrissy. His Chrissy. His sister. Not really, but
in the heart. He reached for her hand and felt the lifelessness. She was
unconcious because of the de-tox and the doctors said there might be
complications. "Please," Cesar whispered. "I'll do anything for her to
come back. Even..." He sniffled and wiped his tearing eyes. "Even sing."
Cesar looked up at the clock and noted the time, hoping she'd come
awake sooner. With a small groan, he rested his head on her shoulder and
sniffled. He really missed her.
"Remember, when the days were long and rolled beneath a deep blue
sky? Didn't have a care in the world...with mommy and daddy standing by."
Hee began to sing louder. "When'happily ever after' fails and we've been
poisoned by these fairy tales...the lawyers dwell on small details since
daddy had to fly. But I know a place, where we can go.That's still
untouched by man. We'll sit and watch the clouds roll by, and the tall
grass wave in the wind." Cesar started to choke up, and had to squeeze the
rest of the song out. "Now we've come so far, so fast, but, somewhere back
there in the dust. That same small town in each of us, I need to remember
this."
Cesar stopped singing as the lump in his throat clogged him and he
started to gasp and shudder with sobs. Tears streamed down his face and
landed on Christina's arm. "Please, Christina, we need you."
A gasp, a smile, and a small word. A squeeze, a grip, and love set
right. Christina's hand squeezed around Cesar's, and he smiled
happily. "Chrissy!" He gasped, brought his other hand to his mouth and
wiped away the tears. "Oh, Chrissy."
--
JC entered with a plastic bag in his hands. "I swear it's getting
colder by the second!" he grumbled, and put the bag on the counter. "I got
your stuff, Rez!"
"Oh. Thanks Josh."
"One lemon yogurt and pickles coming up."
"Oh. Um..I don't really feel like it anymore. Thank you though."
JC's jaw hit the floor. "But..I..Ah.."
"I could totally go for some cheese and crackers though."
JC sighed and put away the last bag. He took out the EZ cheese and
the box of saltines. He made his way to the living room and set them down
next to Reese. "Here you go."
"Thanks Josh, you're a peach," she smiled and opened up a package.
"If that's all, I'm heading to bed."
"Good night," Reese and Britney smiled as he left. "Sure was nice
of him to go out and get all that stuff," Britney said and laid her head on
Reese's lap. Reese just nodded and continued to eat through her craving.
--
"Brian!" Britney shouted in the man's ear. "Wake your lazy ass up!"
Brian grumped and pulled Cesar's blanket over his head.
"If you don't get up in three seconds you're not going to see
Cesar!"
That did it. Up in a flash, Brian was dressed and at the door
before Britney had even said, 'One.'
"Well?" He said tapping his foot impatiently. "Let's go!"
Britney chuckled. "Go take a shower, stupid."
After Brian was showered and ready, he entered the kitchen with a
light grin on his face. "Hi." He said to Josh, who was sitting on the
counter.
Josh grunted as he took a sip of his coffee. "Hi."
Brian chuckled, as he had known Josh was never a conversationalist
before his morning coffee.
"Hey, Gang. Brian, ready to go?" Britney said as she waltzed
through the kitchen in a red miniskirt and a sapphire blue satin top that
really showed off her tits. (Yes, Rowan wrote that part. Typical male.)
"You're wearing that!" Brian exclaimed, keeping his voice low,
"Britney! We're going to a hospital. Not a fucking dance club."
Britney looked down at her dress and shrugged. "There's nothing
wrong with wanting to look your best. C'mon!" She grabbed Brian by the arm
and dragged him to the car.
--
"Oh Zhangon, Si, Mirina oum." The four figures chanted around the
large stone altar where a blonde female with large breasts and almost no
fat was chained.
A large man, dressed in a black cloak held a wickedly curved
dagger. His voice was deep, teeth were crooked, face scarred and hands
calloused. And as the four figures danced around the altar, he would cackle
when he was just above her head.
"Please! Don't!" She begged futilessly. "Don't kill me!" Tears
streamed down her face.
"Soon, my Princess," The man said with a seductively deep
voice. "You will be with GOD!"
Laughing, the man grasped the dagger with both hands and sought eye
contact with the blonde woman. "Soon, Britney, you...shall be a part of an
empire, that's bigger than the Earth has ever imagined!" He cackled loudly
and brought the dagger swiftly to the woman's chest.
Britney Spear's screams suddenly stopped, clogged by the blood
gurgling up her windpipe and into her mouth. Coughing, she spluttered and
tried to scream but her strength was waning, and she knew, she was dying.
"It's all over," The man cackled. "God!" He screamed, "I give you,
Britney Spears!"
A loud clackle of thunder raced across the souther sky north toward
the young woman who was just killed. The sound grew louder and filled the
figures with fear as they stumbled back to watch it strike and consume the
corpse.
As quickly as it came, it was gone. Leaving behind only a few
particles of dust.
"And the children, shall be safe, once again." The man said before
letting out a cackle. One that lasted deep, deep into the night.
A loud crackle of thunder raced across the southern sky north
toward the young woman who was just killed. The sound grew louder and
filled the figures with fear as they stumbled back to watch it strike and
consume the corpse.
As quickly as the corpse was consumed, it was returned. An
extremely loud boom of thunder shocked the four figures.
"TAKE. HER. BACK!" A voice boomed, and a feeling of dread
overwhelmed the four.
The sleek form of Christina Aguilera appeared in front of the
terrified men and the unconscious Britney. She wore a leather breastplate
with engraved arcane symbols. Her hand was on her sword, which was in a
scabbard attached to a leather baldric. She pulled it free, laughing
gleefully.
The four men scattered, trying to find weapons to protect
themselves.
"Foolish mortals," she laughed as she swung the sword and one of
the men toppled to the ground. His head soon followed and rolled a few
feet. Britney tried to rise to her feet. Christina speared another
through the heart. His scream consumed the night. She threw a ninja star
through the back of another, slicing his spinal cord in two.
"Get off me!" Britney screeched from behind her.
Christina turned to see the last man, with his arm around Britney's
waist, his other around her neck, holding a knife to her throat.
"One more step and she dies," the man threatened. Britney
whimpered and tried to move from his grasp. The only reward she got was
his arms tightening and the knife slicing into the first layer of skin. A
small stream of blood flowed down Britney's neck and over the top of her
breast.
Christina dropped her sword and placed her palms together. Her
eyes closed over her blue eyes as she chanted softly. Britney felt the
man's grip tighten and then become amazingly loose. She slid from his
grasp as he fell to the ground. His hands cupped his ears as he gritted
his teeth mercilessly. After a few minutes, his head exploded.
Britney shielded herself from the flying remains. "Gross!"
Christina laughed and scooped Britney into her arms.
"My hero," Britney giggled and wrapped her arms around Christina's
neck. They shared a long, passionate kiss.
Reese woke up, considerably confused. 'What an odd dream,' she
thought as she got up and pulled on a bathrobe. She looked at the bed and
figured Britney had already left to take Brian to see Cesar. Reese
would've gone with them but pregnant women weren't admitted into the
hospital unless they were patients.
--
"Cesar," Christina shook her friend. "Wake up."
Cesar grumbled against his folded arms. "Watch the silicone fly,"
he mumbled in his sleep.
Christina shook him harder. "Wake up, knucklehead."
He looked up and wiped the little bit of drool from his mouth. "Is
Britney dead?" he asked her.
"Not to my knowledge," Christina responded, quite confused.
Cesar swore just as Britney and Brian came into the room. "Brian!"
Cesar pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
"I missed you," Brian sighed, nuzzling Cesar's neck.
Britney sat down on Christina's bed. She laced her fingers with
Christina's. "I missed you," Britney whispered and kissed Christina
lightly.
"I'm sorry," Christina whispered back.
"Oh Sweetie." Britney pulled herself next to Christina and wrapped
her arms around her frame. "There's nothing to be sorry about. We'll get
through this. All of us."
Christina nodded and looked up into Britney's eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too, sweets."
*******
*Thanks guys for reading! We really appreciate it, hope you like it. We
know we enjoyed writing it.
It took so long to get out because it was a complex chapter...and we kind
of lost the whole thing twice. Once on Mirage's compy and once on my
own. So, email away! Yougottaloveus@loveable.com heh heh
Mirage and Rowan