Hi everyone...
I'm a bit nervous--so if people could please e-mail me at bwicub@hotmail.com--I'd really appreciate it. I love e-mail!!
DISCLAIMER: The names of the people are fictional (well, except for the members of the group). This is a fictional story that came right out of my own mind. I have no knowledge if any member of N Sync are gay or whatever. That being said, please enjoy the story and remember--write me!!! (Especially write me if you're a member of the group! GRIN)
Thanks guys and gals, Hope you like it.
Dale
--THE LOTTERY WINNER: A New Start. Chapter 2--
After kissing for what seemed an eternity, Joey pulled back. He clambered backwards until his back was against the railing of the deck.
"No, this can't be real. I've snapped. That must be it. You're dead. Lance saw you die. I WAS AT YOUR FUNERAL FOR FUCK'S SAKE!"
Everyone had been so proud of Joey for how he held up after the accident. The therapist he went to told him it was okay to cry, he had to grieve properly for what was lost. But he didn't do it. He just hunkered down and worked through the pain and misery.
Four years is a long time to bottle stuff up. It all came out. He couldn't stop himself from crying.
"Dad! What're you doing to my daddy?" The boy came running out of the house, wrapping his arms around Joey. He stood between Joey and the man he now thought of as a threat. "Leave him alone!"
Joey wrapped his arms around DJ (what he sometimes called Dale Joseph). "I thought I told you to stay in your room?"
The little boy turned to look at him. "I heard you crying. You said a bad word too."
Joey tried to smile at that, but he felt like puking. "I'm sorry sport. I was upset. Go back inside, I'm okay."
"Are you sure daddy?"
The other man spoke softly. "Go back inside son, we've got some things to discuss."
DJ broke away from Joey. "You're not my father, so don't call me son!" He ran into the house, slamming the glass door shut.
While Joey was trying to stop crying, he marveled at the boy he'd been raising. He was so much like Dale it hurt sometimes. Joey wiped his face with the back of his hand, then pulled himself into a standing position.
"It's really you isn't it? This isn't a dream." Joey gasped. "Oh my god, your mothers!"
Dale reached for Joey's hand, but Joey pulled his hand back. "Can we go inside Joey? I have a lot of explaining I guess."
"You guess? Really intelligent of you to think so. I bury the love of my life only to find out four years later that he wasn't dead? Yes asshole, you have some explaining to do!"
Dale sat stiffly on the couch. "Is this new furniture? When'd you get this?"
"A few months after I buried you." Joey was crying earlier, now he was just getting pissed.
Dale sighed. "Don't' do that to me Fatone. Even though it's been awhile I still can read you like a book."
"You wanted to talk, so talk. Fill me in why you put me through hell and tortured those who loved you."
"Ouch. You're not pulling any punches are you Joey?"
Joey shrugged. "No reason to yet. I'll know more once you tell me what in the world you were thinking. Was it the fame? Was it me? Please Dale, enlighten me why I've been tortured by someone who used to say he loved me?"
Dale fell silent, tears starting to fall. Finally, he started speaking. Life had become a lot easier with the winning of the lottery, but there had been some complications. Lonnie was a complication, even more so once he'd died. His family had decided that since there were no legal options for them to pursue they'd go for some illegal ones. They'd apparently contacted a local white power militia group and had sold a contract for Dale's life. They'd told the white supremacist group that Dale was a Jew who'd killed Lonnie, a nice and normal member of the Aryan Nation. They'd compiled a dossier of Dale's friends and family and would take out them if they weren't able to get to Dale.
When the FBI contacted Dale about this after hearing chatter through a wiretap, he'd laughed it off. They got Dale to see that it was deadly serious. They had a man in undercover, and decided that the best thing for do was for Dale to disappear. It had to look serious though, if he just stopped going to places he'd normally go then they'd assume he had moved and would then go to their plan B of attacking someone else to get info about him. So, the agents decided to make it look like a car accident.
Dale had work done on his car to reinforce the inside, and then they acted it out. It worked well, and they found that the contract had been called off. They then moved in and arrested Lonnie's sister and mom on multiple felonies.
The problem came when Dale asked to let people know he was okay. The agents were adamant... no outside contact. There had to be actual signs of grief on all parties, otherwise the killers would suspect something.
Dale'd been relocated to Chicago, and had lived there under the name of Michael. He'd put up with it for four years, and finally had enough. The indictments were in, so he was free to try and return to the life he'd known. When the whole thing happened, he'd set up a blind account to keep some of the lottery money in, so that way he'd be able to pick up living where he'd left off.
"The big question though Joey... what will my friends and family think? Will I be cast out for trying to protect people I love from harm?"
Joey sat silently for a few minutes. Finally he stirred. "Did you tell your moms?"
"Yes sir, I did. Flew to Montana and had a rather awkward reunion. They're still trying to understand just what happened. They don't like the fact that I did it, but they seem to know why." Dale stood and walked over to him. "Now, there's you. My Joey..."
Joey got up, putting space between himself and Dale. "Your Joey? Good god you've got some gall." He tried walking into the kitchen, but Dale grabbed his arm.
"Talk to me, please. You don't know what the past four years has been like."
Joey snorted. "Yeah, right. You were living in Chicago? There's great clubs up there. You probably had a boyfriend and spent your weekends going out.
Dale dropped his hand. "You know me better than that Joe. No, there was no one. I usually went to sleep thinking about you... remembering your scent on my skin and on my pillow... your taste on my lips." Dale closed his eyes briefly, then began pacing.
"How do you think it feels knowing that you did the right thing and managed to rip the heart out of someone you love? Let me be the first to say it, it fucking sucks. I not only hurt you, I hurt mom and Deb and then dad and his family." Dale let out a bitter laugh. "Nothing like dying to find out how many people care."
"Well, guess that's it. Goodbye Joey."
Joey ran to block the door.
"Joey. You obviously don't want me here. So why prolong this. I'll leave you to your new life." Dale stared at Joey. "Well, come on. Let me pass."
Joey just stared.
After a few minutes, Dale began fidgeting. "Joey, just let me go. I'll get out of your hair."
Joey just stared.
Dale charged him, thinking that Joey would move out of the way or something.
Joey didn't move. Just opened his arms. Dale ran right into them. He began crying as Joey closed his arms and held Dale tight.
Joey walked Dale over to the couch, the back of Dale's legs hit the couch causing him to sit. Joey went down on top of him. Joey just smiled as he looked into Dale's eyes.
"Let's make one thing perfectly clear and crystal Mister Dale... I never said I don't want you here. I want you so bad that I feel reborn knowing you're here. I've seen what my life's like without you, and gotta tell you... not so fun. There's more but I can't think of it right now because all I want to do is spend the next few hours kissing and cuddling with you."
Joey leaned close. "Now shut the hell up and kiss me like you mean it."
Dale obliged him. For the first time in awhile, he felt safe... he was home.