Intimate Stranger III: The More Things Change
By Diana
Author's Notes: Sorry for the extended delay, but I've been recuperating from a minor accident on top of a major workload at work, and haven't had much free time. Anyway, this is the series' finale. I'm guessing six to seven chapters (not including the prologue). This story is preceeded by "Intimate Stranger", "Kidnapped" and "Shattered" (in that order), and for the benefit of new readers, the prologue will serve as a recap from JC's POV.
My comments on the VMA 2000: I was actually able to attend in person (didn't exactly have the best seat in the house, but I brought binoculars with me grin), and here's what I thought (of course, if you're just interested in the story, skip down a few paragraphs).
Macy Gray was hilarious, Jim Carrey was his usual delightful self, Robert DeNiro should try memorizing the script next time, and in all honesty, the Waylon brothers were kinda weak. MTV should have made Chris Rock host again. If it ain't broke, don't fix it! I was surprised to see Britney and Christina on the same stage, but I didn't start screaming and cheering until Whitney made her grand entrance.
As for the performances... I have to say right now that Britney Spears was absolutely hideous. The fact that she ripped her clothes off was no big surprise (let's face it, it's the only way she can divert attention from her helium-enhanced voice), but her mockery of "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" really steamed me. Girl, put your clothes back on and stick with "Lucky". You're no Rolling Stone.
(And while we're on the topic of Britney, if she's really with Justin, then all the best to them. But to quote one of my best e-mail buds, "I won't believe the bitch till my Curly says so himself!" wink)
On the flip side, Christina Aguilera was simply amazing. Sure, she showed some skin too, but at least she didn't look like a two-dollar prostitute on 5th Avenue. I was blown away when Fred Durst came on stage, but ended up kind of disappointed that they didn't perform an actual SONG together. They would've brought the roof down.
And last but not least (in any way), N'Sync. It started out well enough (and I was glad to see Justin finally cut his hair, 'cause the 'fro just wasn't doing it for him), but I kinda got lost after they dropped the monitors down. Sure, it was impressive, but too distracting. It was like 70% dance and effects, and 30% singing.
shrug Well, that was Diana Martin's review of the VMA '00. I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming. ;)
Disclaimer: I'm not going to apologize for thinking JC and Justin have a certain chemistry... truth is I think they're about the cutest-looking twosome on TV. I'm also not going to proclaim that N'Sync is an entirely heterosexual group, 'cause I don't know that for a fact. So let's just say that this story is fiction and the events depicted within didn't happen. Whether I'm on the mark about their sexualities or not, we'll probably never know. Personally, I think it's better that way... knowing for sure would take all the fun out of writing fanfics, wouldn't it?
Prologue
Joshua Scott Chasez would later look back on this day and remember it as the day he learned some of life's cruelest lessons. Like the fact that all the things he KNEW, all the things he took for granted, could disappear in a matter of seconds. And no matter how bad his life seemed at the moment, there would always be something worse waiting in the wings.
In all fairness, his life hadn't exactly been ideal lately. It had, in fact, been a bunch of highs and lows clustered together, with no respite. The insanity had begun five months ago, upon discovering that Justin Timberlake, his best friend, had fallen in love with a man. A man who was jealous, abusive and manipulative. A man named Jack Matthews, who was forcing Justin to pull away from his life with N'Sync.
JC had always known he was a survivor; he could lose his fans, his bandmates and even his family, and still go on. But he had never once considered the possibility of losing Justin. Their friendship was supposed to be forever; it had outlived the Mickey Mouse Club, and would outlive N'Sync as well.
But Justin was fading away, slipping through JC's fingers like sand. The older teen fought to reclaim his friend, driven by an unknown, unnamed urge that became clear one night, after falsely (or so he thought) propositioning the volatile blonde.
Their relationship was based on one simple fact: Physically and mentally, they were polar opposites. JC had grown up with a close, loving family; Justin's parents had engaged in a Cold War for years until finally divorcing. JC had had an adult's mindset at 16; Justin, nearly twenty, was still prone to childish outbursts. JC was a workaholic; Justin hated getting up before noon. The only thing they shared was a love of music.
Thus, they complemented each other perfectly; JC provided his friend with emotional stability, and Justin still remembered how to have fun. They'd been inseparable for almost a decade, through thick and thin, always together. They were soulmates. It was the perfect love story, with one catch: Their gender.
Justin had come to terms with his own sexuality long ago. But it had taken JC eight years to accept his attraction to his best friend. Once he did, everything else fell into place. Soon he and Justin were making love, sweat-slick bodies covered in rose petals. Their friendship had ended that night, replaced, for better or worse, by love. A love that only grew stronger with tiem. A love that was cemented by marriage (clandestine, but a marriage nonetheless).
Their future had been so promising, so bright, that it had blinded them to another sudden change. Their friend, James Lansten Bass, had always been a bit of an enigma; none of his bandmates could figure him out. On one hand, he was a perfect Southern gentleman and a good Christian to boot, believing in hard work and discipline. But on the other hand, this was a man who could outlast Chris at any bar, and his idea of a good time would make Joey cringe. There was always a sense of duplicity about him, as though he only let them see what he wanted them to see.
After JC and Justin got together, Lance started to show a different side of himself. He grew colder, more distant, almost aggressive. At first they'd all been sure he was just adjusting; after all, he'd been raised to believe that homosexuality was a sin against God. And he wasn't hostile or anything like that; in fact, he'd ignored the relationship entirely. In the public eye, he was nothing but professional, and in private he just kept to himself.
But he was, in fact, a ticking time bomb. Despite his beliefs, despite his religion, Lance was also infatuated with a man. Specifically, Justin's man. Lance grew to resent his curly-haired bandmate, blaming Justin for his own loneliness. And slowly but surely, the resentment blossomed into hate.
When Lance finally cracked, when his emotional meltdown finally came to pass, all hell broke loose. Obsessed with JC, the jade-eyed blonde tracked down an emaciated, insane Jack Matthews and struck a deal with him: Lance would lead Jack straight to his ex-boyfriend, and all Jack had to do in return was make sure Justin would never return to N'Sync again. Unfortunately, Jack's violent nature got the better of him and he resorted to kidnapping, holding Justin hostage in an abandoned warehouse and torturing him. Though Lance had been displeased at first, he eventually went along with it.
Ultimately, their plot had failed. Lance had gotten careless, leaving behind a clue that helped JC figure it out. Dragging his traitor bandmate with him, JC had gone to rescue Justin.
His memories of what happened next were still a little blurry; he'd been knocked out after setting foot in the warehouse. But the end result was clear as crystal: Lance had been shot and injured, Justin had somehow lapsed into catatonia, and Jack... Jack had committed suicide. The bastard was probably still lying on a slab in some LA morgue, covered with a sheet. Bagged and tagged and that was it.
Jack's death should have changed something; it was over, they were free. He would never hurt them again. But another adversary quickly rose to take Jack Matthews' place: his own mother-in-law, Lynn Harliss, became convinced JC had betrayed her son. Swooping in, she whisked the comatose Justin away to Orlando.
JC and his bandmates had followed her to Florida, staying aboard the tour bus for fear Lynn would do something rash to keep them away. Help finally came in the form of Britney Spears, who convinced Lynn of JC's innocence. The elder woman grudgingly invited JC to help take care of Justin, and JC immediately took the offer.
And here he was, standing at the Harliss' front door with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Things were at last starting to look up: Lance had confessed to his crimes, thus clearing JC of all suspicion. Jack was gone, and now Lynn was on his side again. Soon Justin would be on his feet again, and they'd finally have the happiness they'd been denied.
Taking a deep breath, JC knocked on the door and immediately came face-to-face with a tired-looking Britney Spears. Her face brightened slightly as he smiled at her and pulled her into a hug.
"I'm glad you're here." she whispered.
"How is he?" JC asked, stepping into the house and dropping his backpack on the floor.
Britney closed the door behind him and shrugged, pulling her hair back behind her shoulders. "No change." Her lips perked upwards again. "But now that you're here..."
Before she could finish that sentence, an alarmed cry came from upstairs, followed by the sound of breaking glass. Both teens jumped, startled, and JC's eyes widened in panic as he realized the sound had come from Justin's room.
Without a second thought, he leapt up the stairs, dashing towards Justin's room at breakneck speed. For a moment it seemed he would plow right through the door, but instead he skidded to a halt and swung the door open before stopping dead in his tracks.
Sitting in bed before him was Justin Timberlake-Chasez, with his arms around his sobbing mother. Coffee was splattered on the floor, along with bits of glass.
The sight of his husband finally awake flooded JC with relief and joy. This was a sign, he knew it; they could at last start over and know the peace they were always meant to have together.
Justin's sapphire eyes fell on his husband's form, and he gently pulled away from his mother, locking his gaze on JC's face. JC smiled slightly, taking a step forward to embrace his man.
And three words, a sentence, halted his advance. A question, asked in a tone of confusion and unfamiliarity.
"Who are you?"
To be continued...
Afterword: Yeah, I know, "so what's new?" Well, nothing, that was the point of the prologue. The REAL fun starts in Chapter 1, the rough draft of which is already complete. Ladies and gentleman, Diana Martin is out of traction and back in action! ;)