"Dream of a Guardian Angel: After the Dream" By: Phantom Writer
Legal Stuff: This material is not meant to be read by anyone under 18. If you're offended by literature with homosexual themes, step off! If not, read on. This is a work of FICTION. Therefore, the author makes no claims as to the sexual orientation of any member of *N Sync. All characteristics about Jase are used with his permission.
Side Note: Here's part 7 I promised this weekend. (I've got to say this, so I apologize to my faithful readers who are 'up to speed' with "Dream...") Please read the previous installments of "Dream of a Guardian Angel" before continuing any further - it will make much more sense. As always, for anyone who would like to send comments or suggestions, please do so. (phantomwriter73@hotmail.com)
Special Thanks: To Dave for posting this story, Muchisimas Gracias! And my thanks to all who have replied with comments (here goes): Jamie (Gotcha!), Clive (You can count on it, BABY!), Matt, Matthew, Derek, Raymond, John, Jason, CJ, Adam (where are you?), Drew, Khiem, K, "Pilot", and Justin. If your name isn't here, you were the victim of a lovely little PURGE of my e-mail. (Don't ask!)
Now, without further ado...
(Previously...from "Dream of a Guardian Angel: You Too?")
I don't know who picked the movie, but 'Eyes Wide Shut' would NOT have been my choice. After the opening credits, Lance laid his head in my lap. I looked around the room and saw JC lying on top of Justin, his head on Justin's chest. They both seemed to be drifting off to sleep. Chris had propped pillows behind his back so he could slide down and allow the back of his head to rest on the seat cushion of the chair Joey was sitting in. I whispered to Lance who then looked at what I had seen. Joey ways idly messing with Chris's hair, evidently not conscious of his actions. Chris sat there with a content smile on his face. I slouched down in the couch and got comfortable as Lance repositioned his head in my lap. Sleep soon overtook me.
And now, "Revenge"
One thing about being a deep sleeper, the world around you can change without you being aware of it. Sirens can go off, bells ring, people can get up and prepare revenge on you without leaving the room, etc. (Side note: Cold water is a deep sleeper's worst enemy. Not because of the cold, but the shock of being taken from deep sleep.)
While I slept, I had repositioned myself behind Lance, who was on his side. My head rested on his side, just above his hip. My left arm was wrapped around his butt and holding the back of his right thigh. And my right arm was draped across his lower chest with my hand resting at his waist. Lance's head had fallen off my lap and was resting on the cushion. Our bodies were kept together only by my grasp, since by laying down behind Lance had pushed him to the edge of the couch. If anyone startled me, Lance was sure to fall in the floor. And startled I was.
"HOLY SHIT!" I jumped up when the cold water hit my body. Lance was thrown to the floor and yelled in fright.
"What! What happened!" Lance was in shock at finding himself thrown to the floor.
Finally, both Lance and I registered the hysterical laughter around us. Both Justin and Chris were rolling in the floor. JC was holding a now EMPTY glass and sitting on the love seat. Joey sat in the chair, holding his stomach and laughing loudly.
"See, what did I tell you. You don't want these four to seek revenge on you. It's always unpleasant." Lance scowled at me. I, on the other hand, started laughing.
"Lance, I'm sorry you ended up in the floor, but at least you weren't hit with freezing cold water. I'd say a 18-inch fall to the floor isn't that much to pay for being 'Guilty by Association,' as JC said earlier."
"Maybe not for you, but I was having a really good dream, and the next thing I know, I'm in the floor!" Lance had gotten up and plopped down on the couch.
"Good dream, huh. Wonder who it was about?" Justin was pulling his innocent look as he said this and stared at me.
"Wouldn't YOU like to know." Lance just closed his eyes and asked what time it was.
"It's almost 11PM. Why do you ask?" Justin looked puzzled at Lance's question.
"I just wanted to know how much time I had to plot my revenge." Lance never opened his eyes while speaking.
"Hey, we were just payin' you and Jase back for the pranks y'all pulled on the plane last night. Don't start getting' PISSY about it." Justin rolled his eyes.
"I'm not planning revenge on you, I'm planning my revenge on JASE!" Lance opened his eyes and patted me on the knee while smiling.
"Revenge on ME? What'd I do?" I leaned over to the other side of the couch.
"Well, if I'm 'Guilty by Association,' then I just got thrown in the floor because I was associated with you. Therefore..." Lance was silenced as I threw a pillow at his head.
"Therefore, you're gonna try to get me back because of your itty bitty fall to the ground." I did my best childlike impression and got a laugh out of everyone but Lance.
"Damn skippy!" Lance just grinned, stood up and stretched.
"Guys, I'm beat! Why don't we continue this entertaining discussion tomorrow after the press conference." Chris stood and yawned.
"I have a stupid question." I was confused about something.
"Shoot." Justin sat back down as he said this.
"I know I've only been here a day, but do all of you live here, or do you have your own places?" I raised my eyebrows and waited for a response.
"Well, Lance has his own apartment and Joey and Chris share an apartment. JC stays here. Actually, everyone has their own closet in this house since we usually crash here if it gets late or we have meetings that we can't miss. It's easier for the limo to pick us up at one place. My family is hardly ever here with mom traveling so much. Generally, we have the house to ourselves." Justin was falling back to sleep as he told me this.
"Well ain't this cozy! I'm staying in a Boy Band Love Shack!" I started laughing and closed my eyes not knowing five pillows were seconds away from hitting me.
After another ten minutes of messing around, we all decided to head to bed. I grabbed a blanket and a pillow and plopped down on the couch. Justin walked over and pulled off the blanket, grabbed my hand and pulled me back upright. You're not gonna sleep on this lumpy couch. You can sleep in JC's bed.
"Is that right! Gee, you're so generous with your new boyfriend." I started giggling when I said this. Justin slapped me up side the head.
"You wish! JC will be sleeping with me tonight." Justin blushed as he said this.
"Is THAT right! What do you take me for, a gigolo or something?" JC acted hurt.
"NO! I said SLEEPING, not screwin' for money, smart-ass. Besides, this is still very new to me, and I've seen what your packin' in the shower one too many times to take that 'thang' on the first night we're together."
"That's more information than I needed to know." I held my hand over my ears and followed Joey, Chris and Lance upstairs as JC and Justin followed. I stopped at the top of the stairs.
"What's wrong?" Justin asked from behind me.
"I don't know which room is JC's? No one ever showed me around if you don't remember." I looked over my shoulder at Justin.
"Lance, why don't you make Jason comfortable in JC's room. Justin and I need our beauty sleep for tomorrow." JC said this with a laugh as both Justin and JC moved down the hall and into Justin's room.
Lance waved me down the hallway until I stood next to him. I looked into his eyes and could see the questions buzzing around his head. He stared at me without saying a word. I grabbed his hand and walked into JC's room and closed the door. I moved Lance over to the edge of the bed and sat beside him.
"Do you want to talk about it?" I put my arm over his shoulder.
"It's just all happenin' so fast. I admitted to myself that I was gay over a year ago and have been so afraid of anyone findin' out. Now, with the tabloids and then comin' out to you and the guys, I'm just a little confused. I'm happy, but still confused. How am I going to tell my parents I'm gay? They won't take it well and I can't image not having my parents in my life." Lance began to sob quietly. I hugged him.
"Lance, I don't have all the answers. I knew I was gay for ten years but couldn't even admit it to myself until I graduated college. I've only ever tried to have one relationship, and that was with a girl."
"What? I thought you said you were gay?" Lance looked hurt.
"I am. I had a very hard time admitting I was gay. I was raised that homosexuality is an abomination in the eyes of God. I couldn't understand why God made me the way I was only to condemn me. So, I tried desperately to love my best friend and develop true feelings for her. After months of seeing each other, I told her I was in love with her and wanted to go steady. She said no, that I was saying I loved her as a cover up. She KNEW I was gay. I just hadn't admitted it to myself. I won't lie to you Lance. It's a difficult road to walk being gay, even in the more open-minded world we live in. I haven't even been in a real relationship with another man. I've had sex, but that's not a real relationship. And I don't want to make things worse, but you being a celebrity will make it very hard. BUT, you have five best friends who love you, will do anything for you, and will keep you as happy and safe as possible." Lance looked up at me as the tears clouded his beautiful green eyes.
"Five? You consider me a best friend? We've only known each other for a day?" Lance had a longing look in his eyes.
"Call me a good judge of character. Besides, the five of you are the only friends I have left in this world, except for my boss, Leslie. But she can never be a true best friend because I wouldn't feel comfortable working for her. That leaves you five GOONS as my posse." I got misty-eyed as I looked back at Lance. Lance pulled me into a hug.
"I guess everything will work out. I just hope the press conference tomorrow cleans up our image, my image." Lance looked at the floor and was about to get up when I pulled him back to the bed.
"When I was growin' up, I used to get upset when I was little and it would keep me up at night. I always remember my parents comin' into my room and getting' into bed with me and holdin' me through the night. I think you need someone to hold you, and if you aren't bothered by it being me, I would like to be the one to do it." I looked deep into Lance's eyes and waited for his response.
I sighed when Lance stood up, but he relieved my disappointment immediately.
He slowly undid his pants, kicked off his shoes, and before long, stood before me in nothing but his boxers. I stood and undressed leaving only my boxer briefs on. Lance turned out the lights and stumbled back toward the bed. He tripped and fell into me, knocking us both onto the bed. Suddenly, the door opened.
"What the...sorry, I wanted to make sure you were OK, and I see that you are." JC grinned at Lance and me, both of us with guilty expressions on our faces.
"I'm fine. Lance, you OK. JC, we're both fine. Goodnight. And next time, could you knock?" I was kidding of course, but in a way I wasn't.
"This IS my room. But, next time, I will knock." JC shut the door and we could hear him laughing, and then Justin laughing.
"I didn't embarrass you, did I?" Lance said this looking away from me.
"Never! Now, last I remembered, one of my friends was in need of being held through the night. So, pick a side buster, so we can get some sleep. I'm not as pretty as you guys, so I need to get my beauty sleep." I chuckled as I said this, and soon both Lance and I were lying down beside each other in bed.
"How does this work?" Lance asked timidly.
"Oh stop it. It's just like you would hold anyone. Get your mind out of the gutter and give me a hug. That's all it takes!" I couldn't understand Lance's nervousness until 'Little Lance' brushed against my leg. (Little my foot, I think Lance's daddy was a horse!) I hugged him full to my body and he eventually relaxed.
"Thank you...thanks for everything." Lance didn't know that he was doing me a favor as well. Feeling someone close beside me made facing my bad memories a little more bearable.
"Goodnight, Jase!"
"Goodnight, Boo!" Lance was asleep before I finished speaking.
I slept peacefully for the first time in weeks. As I opened my eyes to the early morning light, I suddenly remembered I wasn't alone. Lance was spooning me from behind with his arm tightly holding my chest. Lance may not have been awake, but 'Little Lance' wanted to come out and play. I got tickled when Lance ground his crotch into my ass in his sleep. I knew he would be SO embarrassed and would blush fiercely if he knew what he was doing. Then again, I didn't mind. I would have stayed like that with Lance all day, were it not for the Press Conference. I moved his arm away from my chest and slipped out of bed. He sighed and rolled over, never waking.
I looked at the clock. It was a little before 7AM. I decided to go downstairs and make a pot of coffee. I grabbed a t-shirt and proceeded down to the kitchen. After the coffee brewed, Lance emerged with a silly grin on his face. I smiled and poured him a cup of coffee and sat down by him at the table. I intentionally brushed my leg up to his.
"See, what did I tell you. Having someone hold you through the night seems to make things a little better." I smiled and took a sip of coffee.
"You're right. I actually feel rested." Lance grinned and sipped his coffee.
I heard my cell phone ring in the den, so I ran and answered it. I returned to the kitchen and asked Lance where the Press Conference was being held. I decided it would be easier for Lance to explain to Gary directly, so I handed him the phone. After he finished talking to Gary, I took the phone back.
"When does your flight arrive?... Did you get in contact with the Jive contacts?... Good, I'll tell the guys to expect a meeting after the Press Conference... I don't know, it shouldn't take more than thirty minutes... you're leaving when?... well, if you can't stay, I'll have Joey send it to you... OK, see you at 10AM." I flipped my phone shut and returned to my coffee.
"You'll have Joey send what?" Lance asked quizzically.
"Gary is a big Super Man Memorabilia collector and has it in his mind that a photo of Joey wearing something with Super Man on it will become a collectors item. Gary's a brilliant lawyer, but he has some odd notions." I laughed and noticed two more sleepy heads emerging into the waking world.
"What's for breakfast?" Justin walked sleepily in front of JC.
"I don't know, you tell me! I'm having coffee." I sipped the last drop of coffee from my cup and stood up to get more.
"Look Justin, I think Lance got lucky last night. He's grinning from ear to ear!" JC didn't know I heard him and was sneaking up behind him. I reached around him and seductively rubbed my body up to his.
"Lance still has his innocence. I'm not that kind of guy." I added a little pelvic thrust for emphasis, let go of JC, and returned to the kitchen. JC stood there dazed.
"Hands off my boyfriend, bitch!" Justin mocked anger.
"Oh please, Justin. You know watchin' me rub up on JC turned you on! You're such a voyeur." I sat back down beside Lance and we both laughed at Justin and JC's expressions.
"As you can tell, they're not really morning people. Just ignore them until they get some food." Lance spoke with a matter-of-fact tone.
Soon after our morning pranks, Joey and Chris emerged showered and dressed. The rest of us showered and dressed and Lance called for a limo. I told them I would take a cab, since arriving at the Press Conference together would look odd. Everyone flat out refused. Who was I to argue?
"Ladies and gentlemen, this Press Conference will start with a statement from Mr. Bass." The PR rep from Jive left the stage and Lance took front-and-center.
"Yesterday, when I saw the tabloids, I became greatly concerned. Not concerned for the reasons the press may believe. I became concerned about my friend who was in the pictures the press so unscrupulously printed under false pretenses. He has had to suffer greatly over this ordeal because of my celebrity status, a status that often negates my right to privacy. However, making assumptions about my sexual orientation, based solely on a picture, troubles me even more deeply. If placing an arm around a friend to console them makes a man gay, then how many of the men in this room would be labeled gay? I regret that my fame has caused my friend to suffer. Now, I would now like to introduce my friend, Jason." Lance sat down and I walked up to the microphone.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I stand before you today in an attempt to rectify a wrong that has been done to me as well as my friends JC, Justin, Joey, Chris and Lance. To have my photo splashed over the front pages of your gossip rags infuriates me. But I digress. The purpose of this Press Conference is not to scold the press for making tasteless decisions by printing falsehoods about celebrities. The legal system has proven that a mute point. The purpose of this Press Conference is to inform the press of my intent to file a suit against each and every publisher who printed my photo and made defamatory remarks about my character. I, as a private citizen, have the right to congregate with the members of *N Sync without invasion of MY privacy. My attorney is prepared to file a libel suit unless the following terms are met: One, a front-page retraction will be published in the next edition of each of the publications that ran the story. Two, a formal written letter of apology will be sent to every member of *N Sync as well as myself. And three, the retraction clarifies the nature of my relationship with Mr. Bass and *N Sync. I'll take several questions now." I saw a young, male reporter in the front row raise his hand.
"Can you tell us why Mr. Bass had his arm around you in the airport?" All the reporters readied their pens as I prepared to answer.
"I don't feel it is anyone's right to know, but under the circumstances, I feel it necessary to reveal the situation." I never allowed my voice to waiver.
"You don't have to do this, Jase! Jase!" Lance whispered behind me.
"Two evenings ago, I was photographed, without my permission, while exiting my flight to Orlando. My friends, known collectively as *N Sync, were on that same flight. The reason Lance had his arm around me was to console me for a great loss I had recently endured. The gesture was one of friendship, not romantic affection. Next question."
"Yes, I'm Kate Edwards. Why was a Press Conference called with *N Sync appearing when you are the one threatening a law suit?"
"First, I am not threatening anything. I'm promising. Some may even say this is some sort of revenge, but I say this is justice. My attorney is present and has the legal papers prepared. Ms. Edwards, I'm sorry you feel that trying to make me look like the 'BAD GUY' is the only question you can ask. Next and final question."
"Sam Johnson, of the Globe. Since my publisher carried the first story, are you willing to tell the press what loss Lance was consoling you for?"
"Mr. Johnson. If that is what it will take for you and the other members of the press to understand, then you leave me no choice."
"Jase! You don't..." I cut Lance off as I continued to talk.
"Just over two weeks ago, I lost my entire family in a traffic accident. My mother, father, brother, sister-in-law, and two nieces were killed instantly. For those who want to verify this story, my attorney has legal documentation detailing the validity of what I have just stated. I am deeply saddened that I must reveal such a personal and tragic loss in a Press Conference simply to pacify the press. I can't believe that our Founding Fathers ever intended 'Freedom of the Press' to become such a malignancy in our great country. Upon leaving this conference, each of you will be handed an informational packet detailing the necessary information in order to rectify this great injustice. Thank you." I turned and walked off the stage.
"Ladies and gentlemen, that concludes this Press Conference. Thank you." The Jive PR rep escorted the guys into a second conference room and began the de-briefing of sorts.
I moved toward Gary and was surprised when someone touched my arm. It was Kate Edwards apologizing for having asked such a poor question and offering her condolences for my loss. A number of reporters came by to offer the same. I was surprised I had moved the press so deeply. I only hoped I had been strong enough to get the retractions printed. The Jive PR rep appeared and asked me to come to the second conference room. I turned to ask Gary if he had time to meet the guys, but he said he had to get back to the airport for his flight back to Dallas. I thanked him and went to see the guys.
"You were awesome! How did you do that." Lance spoke and suddenly became aware that I was quickly losing my battle with my emotions.
Lance looked at the others and rushed everyone out of the room, down the hall, and out the back entrance where the limo was waiting. We all got in and I fell apart. I had only been able to put my stone face on because I knew the press would not take my threat of a lawsuit seriously if I was an emotional wreck. I turned to Lance and cried on his shoulder the whole way back to Justin's house. Once the limo arrived, JC, Joey, Justin and Chris got out and left Lance and I alone for a minute.
"I said you didn't have to do this. Why did you, if it was gonna hurt so much?" Lance was concerned and even a little misty-eyed.
"I did it for...you and the guys. I couldn't let the press ruin your image, especially with 'No Strings Attached' due out on the street soon. After the label change and all, this would have hurt *N Sync tremendously. Besides, I have to confront my loss. Each time I do, it will become easier to handle. And hopefully, I can get back to a normal life again." Lance looked away from me when I mentioned getting back to a normal life.
"So..." Lance's voice faded.
"So where does that leave us? I predict very, VERY close friends. But who knows. I might just chuck the normal life and start over with something a little more INTERESTING." I grabbed Lance's hand, pulled him from the car, and we both walked into the house.
TBC...
Will Jase and Lance hook up? We'll see!