Now or Never by Robin Smithson
Disclaimer: If you are committing any laws by reading this piece of fiction, please go elsewhere. You must be 18 or 21 years old depending on your location. Like I said before, this is a piece of fiction. I have never met 'N Sync, therefore, I do not have any idea what their sexualities are.
Hey all!!!!!! :) Okay, I'm sorry this one was later than usual, but I had a damn good excuse! I SAW 'N SYNC IN CONCERT THIS PAST THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OH MY GOD THEY WERE FRIGGIN' AWESOME! Talk about lookin' HOT! There were enough pelvic thrusts in that one show to make even the most heterosexual male swoon. ;) I can die happy now! And that's all I gotta say about that. :)
Thanks to my faithful emailers! Y'all make me so happy! :) I gotta say "What's up?!" to Aphrodite, the author of 'A Tale of Two Boybands.' You go girl! :)
Previously on Now or Never
The police are here." With that little piece of information, Justin's heart dropped a little. A small knot of butterflies appeared in his stomach and he glanced at Lance worriedly.
"Okay," Lance called out to JC. Once they heard the door close behind JC, Lance smiled at Justin reassuringly, hoping to provide his young companion with some small amount of comfort. Justin returned the smile weakly before exiting the stall. Lance followed behind him closely, his smile turning into a worried frown as soon as his lover's back was turned, belying his confidence. He was just as nervous as Justin was about facing the police.
And now here's Chapter 8 of Now or Never
Justin stepped through the door to the waiting room only to stop abruptly as he took in the scene laid out before him. Lance had been following Justin closely and he wasn't able to stop in time. He bumped into the younger man hard enough for a loud "Uff" to escape his lips. He stood on his tiptoes, trying to see over Justin's broad shoulders, but Justin was simply too tall. He placed his hands on Justin's back and pushed slightly causing the taller man to stumble further into the room. Justin shot Lance a disgruntled frown over his shoulder and Lance simply shrugged his shoulders in reply.
Remembering the situation they were faced with, both young men faced forward and surveyed the room before them. The room was glaringly bright and the white walls and white tiled floors didn't do much to ease the glare. Only a few of the many chairs that lined the walls were taken. Two groups occupied the room, facing each other, both on opposing sides. Their positions made the room look something like a battlefield, the police ready to attack with their questions and the lawyers ready to defend their clients. Two fully uniformed police officers stood against the wall to Justin and Lance's right. Across the room to the duo's left, Chris and JC sat side by side, flanked by Johnny standing beside JC and Jive's lawyers beside Chris. The lawyers were imposing in their $600 suits, but unfortunately, not nearly as imposing as the two police officers.
Justin gulped loudly and Lance gently nudged him with his elbow. Justin turned his head slightly to look down at his lover. Lance nodded slightly, his eyes showing love and support. Justin, fortified by Lance's gaze, straightened up and faced the police with confidence. He stepped forward and greeted the police officers.
"I'm Justin Timberlake and this is Lance Bass," he said as he gestured to Lance, "we're..."
"Yes, Mr. Timberlake, we are well aware of who you are," one of the officers interrupted. "If you and Mr. Bass would please take a seat, we can get started right away." Justin, unaccustomed to being interrupted, felt a moments resentment against the policemen. Lance's nudge to his side got him moving and he took a seat next to JC. Lance followed, but instead of sitting beside his lover, he sat next to Chris, hoping to provide the older man support.
"Alright. For now we will question you as a group, but if we have any further questions, we will contact you on an individual basis," the police officer to the group's right said. His nametag read "Bartlett." Before Bartlett could continue, one of Jive's lawyers raised his hand to stop him.
"Officer, I have to warn you right now, if you even think about questioning one of these gentlemen without one of their lawyers present, I will have both of your badges," he said seriously. Lance could have sworn that he saw Bartlett's partner roll his eyes. Evidently he was use to lawyers that took their jobs a little too seriously.
"Don't get your friggin' panties in a bunch," Henson, Bartlett's partner, mumbled underneath his breath. The lawyer obviously heard Henson's words and he scowled at the officer. Henson smiled innocently in return and Lance had a hard time keeping the smirk off his own face.
"Yes, Mr....?"
"Mackenzie."
"Yes, Mr. Mackenzie, we'll be sure to keep your, um, threat in mind," Barlett said, throwing his partner an exasperated look. Mr. Mackenzie had the grace to look a little embarrassed. "Anyway, back to the questioning..." Henson took a small notebook and ink pen from his front pocket and readied them to take notes.
'This is just like a scene out of a stupid murder mystery,' Lance thought to himself in disbelief.
"...Who wants to tell us about the events of last night?" Lance turned to look at Chris; it was his responsibility after all. Unexpectedly though, Lance turned to find all of his band mates staring at him. Chris's eyes pleaded silently with Lance and JC and Justin were looking at Lance hopefully. They both felt that Lance would be the best person to deal with the situation. Since they couldn't very well have a mini-conference right there in the room, Lance frowned in defeat and turned to face the police.
"Well...last night my friends, Chris and Joey, decided that they were going to a local club, to unwind a little," Lance started but was interrupted by Bartlett.
"So you weren't with them?" he questioned. A grimace pasted over Lance's face, but was quickly replaced with a neutral expression.
"Oh, well...no, I wasn't. I was at home," Lance explained. Bartlett and Henson shared an exasperated glance.
"In that case, I'm going to need Chris to tell us about last night's events." Chris stiffened beside Lance and glanced at his friends. Lance, sensing Chris's panic, laid his left hand on his friend's back in a gesture of comfort. Chris looked at Lance and the younger man's expression was full of support. Chris sighed heavily and faced the police.
"Well, like Lance said, Joey and I went to a club to chill for the night..."
"Which club?" Henson asked quickly.
"Um...it was the Howling Monkey."
"Okay, please continue," Bartlett urged.
"We were partying pretty hard, so I don't remember a whole lot. We got pretty drunk and we were both dancin' out on the floor. We left our drinks and stuff at our table, like we usually do. Joe left to go to the bathroom and then went straight back to our table. I saw him there downing drinks and I went to go sit with him...it was after that that he started acting really weird. He was spacing out and stuff. I got really worried and all the sudden, he passed out cold. I think he even knocked his head on the table on his way down. I don't know what happened after that; it was a huge blur. I think I put him in the car and took him to Lance's house. Lance took him on to the hospital from there," Chris finished. Henson was busy scribbling on his notepad and Bartlett looked at Chris questioningly.
"You said that after Mr. Fatone went to the restroom, he came back to the table and was drinking heavily?"
"Yes, officer," Chris replied.
"Does Mr. Fatone have a record of heavy drinking?"
"Just at parties, sir. I don't think I've ever seen Joey drink unless he was at a party."
"What about drugs? Had you ever seen Mr. Fatone take any drugs before?"
"No, sir," Chris replied adamantly. Chris's reply was a little too quick for Lance and he noticed, with no small amount of concern, the quick glance Bartlett and Henson exchanged.
"So you don't know the exact moment Mr. Fatone ingested the drugs?"
"No, sir, I don't."
"Okay, then. I think that's enough questions for now. If we have any further questions, we'll contact you," Bartlett quickly before exiting the room, Henson close on his heels. The room remained silent for a moment after their hasty departure before Chris spoke up.
"That was it?" he asked a little shell-shocked. He had expected much more.
"No, Mr. Kirkpatrick. That's what they want you to think. This questioning was only the beginning," one of the lawyers spoke up.
"Oh," was Chris's intelligent reply.
"Look, I don't want you guys to worry about anything, okay?" Johnny spoke up. "We're going to take care of everything." Chris nodded quickly, relieved that someone would be willing to take the responsibility of this situation from him. The others nodded, showing their faith in Johnny. "What Mackenzie said earlier is completely valid, okay? If either of those policemen come up to any of you and start asking you questions, call me immediately. They can't talk to you without your lawyers." Everyone nodded their understanding and Johnny excused himself and the lawyers from the room. Once again, an uncomfortable silence reigned the room, even though it contained best friends. Lance wondered if things would ever smooth out. JC, full of nervous energy, got up and started pacing the room. Justin simply sat slumped in his chair, silently counting the number of tiles on the floor. Chris sat staring straight-ahead, not making eye contact with any of his band mates.
"Are you guys going to hate me forever?" Chris said softly a few minutes later, breaking the silence of the white room. JC stopped pacing abruptly and Justin sat up straight in his chair. Chris looked like a little child, wishing for acceptance.
"No, Chris," Lance replied gently. He looked warningly at JC when he noticed the older singer's frown. JC wiped the frown from his face and sighed. It would take a while, but JC would come to forgive Chris eventually, as long as Joey was okay.
"No, Chris, we won't hate you forever," Justin said. JC echoed his friend's statement. The relief that overwhelmed Chris at their forgiveness rendered him speechless and his friends looked on as tears filled Chris's brown eyes and spilled over his cheeks. The impending tender moment was ruined as Joey's doctor entered the room.
"How's everybody holding up?" she asked with concern.
"Fine," Chris managed to choke out through his tears. Lance threw his left arm around Chris's shoulders and drew him close in a supportive hug. She gave them a small smile filled with understanding.
"Good, good. Well now, I have some really good news for you guys."
"Really? That's great!" JC exclaimed.
"Mr. Fatone is going to be just fine. He maybe a little out of it for the next few days, but..."
"What's new?" Justin interrupted with a grin. The others smiled as they recalled Joey's happy-go-lucky, puppy dog personality.
"...But he's going to be just fine," she finished. "I can't let anyone in to see him right now because visiting hours are over, but if you gentlemen would like t come back tomorrow morning, you can see him first thing."
"That's great, Dr....?" Lance paused hoping for some help.
"Jenkins, it's Jenkins," she supplied.
"Thank you so much Dr. Jenkins," JC said, his voice heavy with gratitude. The rest of the guys echoed his statement.
"You all are quite welcome. I'm glad we saved him. It would have been quite a loss," she replied. "There is one more thing I would like to discuss with you before you leave, if that's all right?" At Lance's nod, she continued. "Well, the amount of drugs in Mr. Fatone's system was astronomical. Does he have a history of drug use?" That simple question, identical to the police's, caused enough panic within the group to start World War III. With the police, they were protecting Joey and Chris by not telling them about his previous drug use. With the doctor however, what would be the purpose in lying to her? It may hinder her care of their friend. The only problem was, they hadn't talk about this. They hadn't decided how they were going to deal with the doctor. JC glanced around the room in alarm. Lance was staring at the floor in consternation, thinking things through as usual. Justin and Chris were both looking at Lance, waiting for his response. They were willing to let him make all the decisions.
"Yes." Lance looked up in shock as the simple word was uttered. He looked around frantically, searching for the person who had just made such a huge mistake. His eyes lighted on JC and he scowled at the older singer. At almost the exact second JC had spoken up, Lance had decided that it would be in the best interest of the group to lie about Joey's drug use. His thinking had been, 'What if the doctor tells the policemen what she found out?' He knew that if the police found out that they lied, they would be in deep shit. JC returned Lance's stared without remorse. He didn't feel that it was right to lie to the doctor too, not if it could possibly hurt Joey. "Yes, Joey's used drugs before. But to my knowledge, only at parties, not on a regular basis," JC finished his explanation.
"How often did Mr. Fatone attend parties?" she questioned. JC was silent for a moment before responding.
"A couple of times a week."
"I don't know about you guys, but I would consider that close to drug abuse. I would hope that you would consider talking your friend into getting some help," she said in concern. "I would like to think that Mr. Fatone wasn't attempting suicide, but you never know in these situations."
"Wait, you think Joey did this to himself?" Chris asked almost in disbelief. He never thought anyone would think Joey would try to kill himself. It made even more unbelievable considering the fact that Chris knew exactly what happened.
"Well, yes. That's just my conclusion. It would seem highly unlikely someone would want to drug him, I would think. But I don't know," she replied, shrugging her shoulders. "If he didn't take the drugs on purpose, the police are going to have a tough time trying to figure out who would do something like that. It just seems unusual. Anyway, thanks for your time. I hope you all get some rest tonight. I'm sure your friend will be happy to see you tomorrow. Good bye." With that, she turned around and opened the door. She paused when Lance spoke up, detaining her.
"Just out of curiosity Doctor, do you have to share all your finding with the police?" he asked quickly. He tried to make it seem as though he had no particular interest in the answer, just a small amount of curiosity and she didn't give it a second thought.
"Yes, of course. I would be breaking the law if I didn't," she replied with a helpful smile. Lance returned the smile, although his was completely fake.
"Of course," Lance responded. She once again she bid the group good bye and left the waiting room. The door hadn't been closed behind the doctor more than a second when Lance jumped up from his seat to face JC angrily. "What in the hell were you thinking?!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air for emphasis. JC wasn't about to back down from Lance's anger, so he stepped towards the younger man and replied in a controlled voice.
"I wasn't going to lie to her, Lance."
"What made you feel so damn honorable all the sudden, when everything depends on us telling everyone exactly the same thing, JC? Now she is going to tell the police what you said. What do you think they will do once they find out we lied to them? They'll think we have something to hide. We do dammit and we have to protect that at all cost!" Lance spat at the older man, as if JC had forgotten their predicament. JC shook his head in disbelief. Lance was only thinking about the group, he wasn't thinking about Joey or Joey's health.
"What if something had happened and Joey had died? What if that little piece of information could have saved his life?" JC asked. "I know I couldn't have lived with myself if I had not told her the truth. True, maybe nothing will happen, but what if it did?" Silence greeted his question and JC looked at his friends and band mates in disbelief. "I'm not sure I know you guys any more! First Chris does this to Joe, then you go all kamikaze management on us, and Justin is sitting back letting everyone else make the decisions. I feel like I'm in the freakin' Twilight Zone! Hopefully I'll just wake up from this damn dream!" JC shouted vehemently before stalking to the door, throwing it opened and exiting, leaving behind three dumbstruck young men. Lance shook his head in confusion.
"He's right, this is the Twilight Zone," the blond muttered before rubbing his face roughly with the palms of his hands. He slowly turned to face Justin and Chris. "I'm going home, I'll meet y'all back here tomorrow morning," he said before following JC's footsteps. The two remaining men looked at each other in bewilderment.
"They were our rides," Justin pointed out after a moment of silence.
"Oh, yeah," Chris replied, not sure what to do.
"Come on, man. I'll call us a cab," Justin said as he got to his feet and exited the room, Chris following closely behind the younger man.
All right there y'all go. I apologize for the lack of Justin/Lance romantic moments, but there wasn't room for them in this chapter. But if you're lucky there will be more than just a little kissing in the next chapter...if ya know what I mean! Hint, Hint!!!! :) Are the police gonna find out that Chris lied to them, or will it somehow escape their notice? Does this mean the end of 'N Sync?!?!? Who knows? :) Anywho, let me know what y'all think! Email me a nsajscgirl@yahoo.com. I really want to know what y'all think! Please, Please, Please! :) Catch y'all later! Robin :)