Hello everyone! Thank you so much for all the incredible support about the last chapter. I know many of you were waiting for Beverly to die, and I hope I haven't alienated you by keeping her alive. I figured it was much more fitting for Burke to turn the tables, to assert his independence and strength. I hope you all agree.
Not much to say this time around, so I'll get right to the story, which, I assume, is why you're here in the first place.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. I have no knowledge of NSYNC (though I wish I did), anyone affiliated with them, or any other celebrities that may appear within these pages. If you are offended by stories detailing relationships between men, or are too young to legally read them, I suggest you go elsewhere for your entertainment.
A Light in the Tunnel
Chapter 16
Quivering slightly, Chris' nostrils flared, the heady aroma of coffee beckoning him from the land of dreams. His eyelids fluttered slowly open, the last vestiges of sleep being wiped away as he felt, rather than saw, a pressure on the end of the mattress. Rolling over while sitting up with a groan, he found his son perched at the end of the bed, a silly smile on his face and a cup of coffee in his hand. "Is that for me, or are you just teasing me with it?"
Burke chuckled, handing the mug to his father. "Good morning, dad!"
"Morning, Burkey boy." Chris sighed as he gingerly sipped the scalding liquid. "What are you up and about so early for? And why are you so happy?"
"I'm up because it's morning! You know what today is?" Chris shook his head, a sly grin on his face. "Humph! Old age setting in."
"It's Christmas, right?"
"Dad!"
"I know what today is, son. I'm just trying to pretend that I've got more time."
"But aren't you excited? I could hardly sleep last night, then I was out of bed at the crack of dawn--"
"Which was how long ago, exactly? The sun's barely up." Burke frowned, worried his was going to be in trouble. "Stop pouting. Yes, I'm excited, but I'm not looking forward to living on a bus for two months. And, as soon as the novelty wears off, you will be counting the days until we get to come home."
"No way! I'm going to love this!" Burke hopped to his feet, entertaining Chris with another round of how great he thought it was going to be while on tour. Having heard it all before, Chris' attention drifted. Despite all the turmoil of the past two days, his son was giddy. Being kidnapped and then writing his mother off had not put a damper on the boy's spirits, something he had expected and prepared for. But the scared, quiet, tentative Burke he anticipated was nowhere to be found. Instead there was a vivacious teenager standing at the window, his arms waving madly as he described what he had planned for while on the road. Chris smiled, happy his son was relatively unmarred by everything, that he was living life to the fullest despite the burdens he had carried. Chris let himself daydream, picturing a future of watching Burke grow and learn. Perhaps, in several years, he would have the pleasure of walking the young man down the aisle, maybe grandkids, though he had no idea where they would come from. Snapping fingers made him blink and return to reality. "Dad, you ok?"
"Yeah, just lost in space for a minute. Have you finished packing your stuff?"
"Yep, all except my pajamas. I haven't gotten dressed yet, but I'm going to in a couple of minutes. Oh, and the rest of the stuff in the bathroom. I have to use it first."
Chris laid his hand on Burke's shoulder, slowing the rapid barrage of words shooting out. "Settle down, Burke. You're going to wear yourself out!"
"Sorry. It's just that I've never gotten to do anything like this before. I'm excited. How does everything work again? Today, I mean."
"Someone will be by to pick up our bags, then we drive to the arena for the opening show. After that, it's to the bus and off we go. Lance is rounding people up, and Joe's brother will take the Suburban back to Lance's house."
Sitting in the kitchen, munching on a spoonful of cereal, Burke went over the lists he had made, scared of forgetting something important. Even his school books, which he wanted to *accidentally* leave behind, were packed, stowed away in his backpack for easy retrieval. He had gotten dressed, putting on something comfortable, but laying out something a little fancier than normal so he would look nice for the concert later. He crossed off items he had already taken care of. The dozen rolls of film he had bought were sitting in a dresser drawer, left behind after Lynn and Phyllis had presented him with a digital camera, a going away present. Satisfied his possessions would make it to their destinations, Burke sat the well handled piece of paper down and started in on the morning paper's crossword puzzle. At a little after nine, the front door burst open, and Justin came running through. "It's today! It's today!" he shouted through the house, looking for Chris and Burke. It was the boy he met first. "It's today!" he cackled, grabbing Burke around the waist and swinging him around in circles. Chris rolled his eyes as the two overexcited kids giggled and hollered, watching them do a happy dance across the living room floor. Curious as to his friend's presence, he was smart enough to hold his tongue until they fell, panting, onto the couch. "Just, what are you doing here?" "I'm too excited to just sit at home, so I came over here." "What if we'd still been in bed?" "Nah. You get up at a decent hour, so does my little bro. But I did wait just a little before coming over." He snickered, then mock whispered to Burke, "I've already been to Lance's house!" Burke cackled, then went skipping off with Justin in tow, saying something about wanting to make sure he packed the right things. Chris sighed, thankful there was too much to do on tour for them to have that kind of energy all the time. While listening to his son and friend making a ruckus upstairs, Chris went to his office, sitting down at the oak desk and flipping through some papers. He had pressed himself to get all the loose ends tied up before they left, so he didn't have to worry about being overwhelmed with extra work. While double checking to make sure nothing had escaped his attention, the phone rang. Looking at the caller id before answering, he saw that it was from Johnny, their manager. "Hi Johnny, what's going on?" "Nothing much, really. I just wanted to talk to you real quick." "'K, business or personal?" "A little of both actually. Something unexpected has happened down here, and we're not quite sure what to do about it." Chris had picked up a pencil and was doodling on a piece of paper, but stopped at the uncertainty in Johnny's voice, something unusual and a tiny bit frightening. "Alright. What can I do to help you out?" "Well, after the thing at the airport, there have been some deliveries here, fans and stuff, and we don't know what to do with them." "What kind of deliveries? I thought all the fan mail and stuff went through a certain department or something." "It does, but this isn't fan mail, not really. It's all for Burke." Chris' pencil clattered against the wood desk as it fell from his hand. "For Burke? What do you mean?" "A few people have dropped off letters and stuff for him. I was standing there when one girls came by, and she said she was sorry he had to go through that, and she wanted him to know she would be praying for him. She didn't use his name, but talked about Chris' son." Chris grinned, his opinion of having the best fans in the world proved beyond any doubt. "How much stuff are we talking about, Johnny?" "Not a whole lot. A few cards and stuff, and a couple of stuffed animals. I even saw a t-shirt someone had made." "Um, ok. Burke and I will come by and get what's there. We'll have to decided what to do with anything else while we're gone. Maybe Lynn or Phyllis could check in once a week or something." "Sounds like a plan to me. That's all I needed, so I'll let you get back to relaxing before tonight." Without thinking first, Chris' mouth opened, "Johnny, I have something I wanted to talk to you about. If you have the time, that is." "Sure, Chris. What's on your mind?" "Something I've been thinking about for a while now, and I've decided to go ahead and do it." Chris launched into his proposal, hoping everything could be done smoothly.Just after a company van had come by to pick up their luggage, Chris and Burke left, heading for the Jive offices downtown. Burke had blanched when Chris first mentioned their destination. "Am I in trouble or something? Do I have to sign some kind of form? I bet people have to do that so there aren't leaks from personnel. I'll do it too, just so no one thinks I'll say anything. And I wouldn't do that, 'cause you're my family and I love you all."
"Burke," Chris snickered, "you're babbling."
"Sorry. I'm just worried that I did something to get you in trouble."
"It's definitely not that, and I don't think you have to sign any forms. Besides, you already did that, remember? This is a good surprise."
Burke's tense shoulders dropped. "Really? What?"
Chris winked at his son as he pulled off the freeway. "You'll just have to wait and see." He laughed as Burke's lower lip stuck out.
Burke kept an eye open as they walked through the bright foyer of Jive's building, wondering if someone famous might be passing by. No faces stuck out to him as they entered the elevator and took it up to the fifteenth floor. Chris led the way down the wide halls, entering into the posh outer room of Johnny Wright's office. "Hey Belinda," Chris smiled. "Burke, this is Belinda, Johnny's assistant. Belinda, this is my son Burke."
"It's nice to meet you, Burke. I'm very sorry."
The boy's face fell. "Sorry? What for?"
"For having this loser as a father!" she chuckled.
The inner door opened and a man came out. "Chris! How are ya?"
"Great, Johnny. You?" he asked as they hugged.
"Fantastic." He turned to the young man. "And this must be Burke. It's wonderful to finally meet you. I'm Johnny."
"Nice to meet you sir," Burke replied, politely sticking out his hand.
Johnny pretended to be mortally offended. "A handshake? Christopher, haven't you explained how things work around here?" Before Chris could answer, Johnny grabbed Burke into a hug. "Welcome to the family, young man."
"Thanks, Mr. Wright."
"I didn't say my name was Mr. Wright. Call me Johnny or I might get mad at ya!"
"Sure, Johnny!"
"Good boy. Now, to the matter at hand." Johnny pointed to two paper boxes sitting in the corner. "Those are them."
"I thought you said there wasn't that much."
"The larger items took up room. There really isn't a lot. Do you want to take them with you or look at it here?"
Chris thought about it, deciding that Burke might get overwhelmed. He wanted to say his son that embarrassment. "I think we'll just take them home."
"Sure thing. Well, I've got a few more things to do today. Oh, by the way, I'm having your request processed as quickly as possible. I'm thinking it'll be done by the end of the week."
Chris' face lit up as if a spotlight was shining on him. "Great! Thanks a lot, Johnny!"
"No problem. I'll see you all later, okay? Burke, it was great to meet you."
"You too Mr. Wri--er--Johnny. See you tonight!" Chris and Burke each took a box, neither of them very heavy, and left. "What's in here?" Burke asked. "Something for the tour?"
"Nope, just wait until we get home, then we'll take a look."
Burke and Chris plopped down on the living room floor, the boxes between them. Before a lid could be taken off, Chris took his son's hand. "Burke, this is stuff that was delivered to the offices. It's good things, but you might want to take a couple of breaths."
"You're scaring me, dad."
"I'm sorry. It's just that you might get a little emotional, and I want you to be prepared for that. The same goes for me. Go ahead and open one." Burke gently pulled the lid off the box closest to him, hoping there wasn't anything horrible inside.
"Stuffed animals? What's this about?" He dug through the box, arranging the toys in an arc beside him. "That's it in this one." Chris slid the other over, and he repeated the process, only this time discovering letters and cards in the bottom.
"Son, some of our fans brought these things to the office after what happened at the airport. All of this is for you." He watched Burke's eyes mist up as he worked his way through the notes, taking the time to read each one. By the time he put the last one down, tears were rolling freely down his ruddy cheeks. "Burke?"
"Oh, dad! This is so nice! These people--" His voice was choked by hiccups. His searched through the small stack, pulling out a card with a sun on the cover. "This one is from a girl named Tiffany. She says that she's happy I'm living with wonderful people like you and the guys, and that I'm safe. They're all like that." Burke ran his fingers over the pile. "But they don't even know me."
"No, they don't, but our fans are good people. They know how much family means to us, and they are showing care and compassion after something bad has happened."
"Look at this shirt. It's so cool." Burke held the t-shirt up to his chest. Someone had taken a picture of the group, and spliced in one of the tabloid pictures of Burke. Below the group, in red block print, read: NSYNC FAMILY "I'm going to wear this tomorrow. Do you think anyone will mind?"
"No, but they may want to borrow it to get their own copy done. What do you think? All of us having one?" Wiping his eyes, Burke nodded enthusiastically. "We'll drop by a shop when we have some free time somewhere." Chris looked at the stuffed animals and reached for one. "Hello," he said in a squeaky voice, "I'm Reggie Two!"
"Dad! Leave poor Reggie alone! I have to leave him here since I don't think he'll survive the trip."
"Then take along this one. Or a couple of them."
"Did you see the bears? I'm going to take them, and the white tiger too." Burke held the small teddy bears out to his father. There were five, each a different color, red, gray, navy, baby blue, and purple.
"Aww, our favorite colors!"
"And they have your names stitched on them!"
"These are sweet, Burke. Let's take the rest of this stuff up to your room." As the filled the boxes and trod up the stairs, Burke asked about Johnny's mysterious remarks before they left. "Oh, he was talking about I project I thought of. He liked it, and is putting the specifics together." He hated lying to his son, but it was meant to be a surprise and he wanted to keep it that way.
Everyone was boisterous on the short ride to the arena, loud music blaring through the speakers of Lance's SUV and voices rising above it in laughing song. Clearing the security gate, they drove to the back entrance, and went inside. Johnny was already there, and introduced Burke to Richard, the road manager. Before they were allowed to go in, Johnny snapped a picture of Burke, explaining that he would have a security pass made immediately, one that would allow Burke free rein of the backstage area. Since they had played there on several occasions, the singers wound their way through the labyrinth of passages, stopping several times to say hello to people before finally reaching the green room. They didn't stay in that sanctum of peace long, dragging their brother onto the stage. Though they had explained the concept of the show, they again detailed everything, hands gesturing wildly at each concept. Burke was introduced to the band and dancers, the boy hoping no one would blame him for not remembering all of the names thrown at him. Johnny met up with them as they approached the security office, hanging a laminated tag around Burke's neck and warning him, until people got to know him, to wear it at all times. Several men and women sat in the office, going over papers, blueprints, and reports. A bank of television monitors sat against one wall, showing a dozen different pictures of the stadium, inside and out. A mammoth black man, bigger than anyone Burke had ever seen, was hunched over a table, talking to people gathered there. With a whoop, Justin launched himself through the air, landing on the man's back. "There seems to be a curly headed gnat bothering me," he chuckled in a voice deeper than Lance's. "Lonnie! Great to see ya, big guy!" Seeing the singers there, everyone took a momentary break to greet them, handshakes and hugs going around. As people drifted back to work, six big, muscular men stayed with them. "Burke," Chris said, "these are our personal guards. Whenever we go somewhere, they're with us. Left to right, that's Kevin, Dean, Lonnie, Mac, Warren, and Darius." Burke paid close attention, knowing these were important men he should know. "They're each assigned to one of us. Guys, this is my son, Burke." He smiled at them, slightly intimidated by the men who looked as if they could snap him in half without a second thought. "Codename?" Lonnie asked, his thick arms crossed over his chest. "Prez!" Justin shouted. The others looked at his grinning face. "Get it? Kennedy? President?" He smirked, looking very proud of himself. Burke shrugged when asked if he wanted something different. He and Chris had debated the idea of him having a guard, but he had lost the battle at every turn. "Burke, this is how the system works. You all are designated by code, and we are identified by that code plus shadow. For example, Justin is one, and that makes me shadow one. Got it?" Burke nodded. "The guys are put in order by how their names fall in NSYNC. Warren is assigned to you. Any questions?" In a small voice, Burke asked, "Do I have to call you shadow one all the time?" The man roared, a booming thunder rattling across the room. "No, just when it's an emergency." Lonnie clapped Burke on the back, nearly sending the unprepared boy tumbling to the floor. "I like him!" "Good," Lance smiled, "because we're keeping him!" "Sound checks, guys," Richard said as he poked his head in, "show in an hour." Joe sighed. "Time to go to work guys." Though he tried to sound serious or disappointed, there was an underlying current of glee in his voice and face. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Standing in the left wings, out of sight of the thousands of screaming fans, Burke felt the building electricity as the opening act made their way off stage. He hadn't stopped smiling since the lights went out, anticipating his first NSYNC concert. He had dreamed of that day for years, but never had expected to see it from backstage, or as a family member of the singers. His energy was peaking along with the cheering crowd, bouncing on the balls of his feet as the band took their places on the dark stage. If everything went according to plan, there would be an explosion of fireworks, and the guys would pop up from trapdoors in the floor. Burke looked on each side of him, framed by Lynn and Phyllis, his grandmothers for lack of a better term. They seemed to be just as excited as he was, twinkles dancing in their eyes. A long soulful note cut through the noise, soon joined by four more, wrapping around the first to create a chilling harmony. Goosebumps shivered down Burke's spine as the voices rose, caressing people from the giant loudspeakers. Fearing he would pass out from the bliss the chord caused, Burke jumped as the arena was rocked by a burst of white light. Without missing a beat, the crowd erupted, clapping hands and stomping feet thundering. The singers started their first number, a sea of disjointed voices joining in with the familiar tune. Though offered a chair several times, Burke found the idea of sitting revolting, his body swaying with every song and dance step. He clapped and cheered alongside the fans, even singing softly, afraid his voice would somehow be caught by a microphone. As the final song began, he almost started to cry, not ready for the amazing experience to end. Though it was impossible, he wanted the concert to go on and on. The guys left the stage, waited a few moments, then returned for an encore. "Burke, we need to go to the green room," Lynn said in his ear. "It's a madhouse around here when they finish." Though he wanted to savor every drop of the performance, he followed obediently. As pumped up as he was, Burke didn't expect the fervor of his friends as they burst through the door. Joey spun his mother around, Justin squeezing his. Josh and Lance did a crazed version of a dance around the room, and Burke was tackled to the carpeted floor by his giddy father. As they celebrated, the energy level staying the same for a while, Burke looked around. Though they had shared many good times since he had come to Orlando, nothing rivaled that moment of sheer joy. These men, who he loved with every fiber of his being, were doing exactly what they were born to do, and he was part of them, the little brother and son to the most incredible people he knew. Not wanting to ruin the moment with tears, even happy ones, he threw himself at Joey, being hoisted into one of the man's patented bear hugs. "Love you, Joe!" he squealed. "Love you too, little man!" "Did you like the show, Burke?" As if no other answer would do, he grabbed at Lance, dragging him into a feverish embrace. "Group hug!" Justin hollered, all of them pressing together. "Lord," Lance spoke from the middle of the huddle, "thank you for blessing us with dreams come true. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to do what we love, and people to share our joy with. Keep watch over everyone here as we start this tour. In the name of Jesus, amen." "Amen," they echoed. After everything had calmed down and the arena was clear, Richard dropped in to tell them that the buses were ready to head out. Burke's face glowed as they left the building, nearly running to the long, silver bus. He couldn't wait to see his home away from home, and get this adventure started. "The bus!" he giggled. Josh squeezed the back of his neck. "It's not that great. Wait until you see how cramped everything is." "It's great! Hurry up, I want to see it!" The men rolled their eyes, knowing they had been as bad when first starting out.That's it for now! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I wanted to take a break from the depressing stuff, and focus on some joy. I think Burke and NSYNC deserve it after everything. Isn't Burke cute when he's happy? LOL I know there wasn't a lot of Burke/JC interaction in this chapter, but that's ok. They'll be living on a bus for a while, and I'm sure there will be plenty of time for that! *wink wink
And I've given you a bit of a mystery. Hehehe! Chris is planning something. What could it be? And how much will Burke like the tour bus once he sees the inside?
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and opinions! You can reach me at cameronwriter@hotmail.com
Always,
Cameron
P.S. My heartfelt gratitude to all those who like this story enough to nominate it for the Boy Band Story Awards. I am deeply touched and honored. Love y'all!!