Disclaimer: All situations of this story are fictional. I do not claim to know any of the members of *NSYNC or any other celebritiesthat may be mentioned. Nor do I know their sexual orientations. Any similarities to actual living people and actual situations are purely coincidental. All fictional characters and fictional situations portrayed in this work remain the property of Drew Thomas, unless otherwise noted. Republishing of this work of fiction is strictly forbidden unless the author has given permission.
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Slayer's Legacy Chapter 5
SECRETS AND LIES
"I think about you baby. But you're still with me in my dreams"-3 Doors Down
JC woke in a cold sweat. It had been a week now since they had arrived in France and gone to JB's ancestral home, in hopes of finding Lance or a clue to his whereabouts. Lance had run off to find JB in an attempt to get him to return him to normal. They had arrived at JB's chateau and discovered it completely deserted. They had a brief run-in with another vampire but since then it had been very quiet.
Not knowing what their next move should be Joss had suggested that they set up base there in hopes that JB, Lance or both of them would show up. JC had protested at first, but the other guys had told him it seemed like the best idea, since there was no way of telling where Lance was. He reluctantly agreed. So here they sat and waited.
Since then JC had been going nuts. He had been having strange dreams over the past week and he felt as if Lance was trying to reach out to him. It was another one of those dreams that had him sitting up in bed now. Lance was in trouble, he knew that much. But he still didn't know where he could be. The problem was he could never remember the dreams when he woke up. Only the feeling he got that Lance was in danger. He had not told the others about the dreams because he had dismissed them as nothing but his imagination working over time. But he decided that maybe if he told them, they might be able to help him figure them out.
In another room of the chateau Justin also lay awake, reading. While exploring the chateau they had come upon JB's extensive library. Justin had always been intrigued by the subject of vampiers but in the last few years it had become an obsession. Of course the rest of the guys had no idea, not even his best friend JC. Now that JC was a vampire hunter, he certainly wasn't going to tell them how he in some way envied Lance. How amazing it would be to have all that power! Also unbeknownst to the other guys, this was not Justin's first contact with vampires.
After his break up with Britney he had turned to his friends for comfort. It was one of those friends who turned out to be a vampire and the man who helped Justin discover his bisexuality. He became one of the great loves of Justin's life and he never forgot him. Justin had hoped to be with him forever but he had made the mistake of leaving when he discovered his love's secret. He just couldn't deal with it and so he left. By the time he realized his mistake it was too late, the man had moved on. Now Justin longed to be with him again and for his love to make him one of his kind, a vampire. Thoughts of his love were running through his mind as he drifted off to sleep. Someday, he swore, his love would come back to him and they would be together again for all eternity.
Somewhere in the States:
Lance's head was killing him. He had not been able to feed in almost two days and it was making him extremely sick. Where was Josh? He had beentrying for days now to reach out to him psychically without any success. It was only two days after he had left the others that he had finally caught up to JB, actually JB had found Lance. Now he was being held prisoner in a cage of pure silver. You see silver is lethal to a pure vampire, or vampire who has yet to take a human life, so Lance was trapped. He was being used as bait for the Hunter.
Of course Lance was unaware that it was JB who had trapped him there, so of course he had thought of nothing of reaching out to Josh for help. He had no way of knowing if it was working or not. But he prayed it was. He heard a loud click of the dead bolt on the outside door and came face to face with his kidnapper. He looked like something straight out of a movie, dressed all in black and wearing a ski mask. When he spoke his voice was distorted.
"Feeding time freak! Bon Appetite," the man taunted him as he tossed a dead rat into his cage.
"Why are you doing this? Please let me go," Lance pleaded.
"Let you go? Hell! I'm just getting started freak! You're not going anywhere!" the man shouted at him.
"What do you want?" Lance pleaded.
"Oh you'll find out soon enough. See ya later Freak," the man laughed at him as the door slammed shut. Lance tried to stand but he was in too much of a weakened state and he collapsed, crying softly. Where was Josh? Maybe he had given up on Lance? He was after all supposed to be hunting vampires. Not falling in love with one. No, he knew Josh loved him and would not intentionally desert him. He just had find a way to contact him. To do that he had to keep up his strength. He sank his fangs into the freshly killed rat and began to feed. It wasn't much but it would have to sustain him for now. He wasn't sure when he next meal would be.
Then he began to formulate a plan. Somehow he had to find out where he was being held and psychically relay that to JC. If only he hadn't been knocked unconscious by whoever was doing this to him. That was another question he had. Who was this psycho who had been taunting him these last few days? As far as he knew JB and guys were the only ones who know of his recent change. This guy was definitely not JB, that much was certain. And what about Cameron? The poor kid must have given up on him days ago. As soon as he could he would get back to New York and track Cam down.
Back at JB's Chateau:
JC laid it all out for his friends. Everything he could remember about the dreams he'd been having. Joss told him that his feelings were probably correct and that Lance was in some kind of trouble. His mother had similar dreams of Joss when he had run into trouble in the past.
"So what do we do now? We can't just sit around here waiting anymore. We have to find him," JC said urgently.
"I agree with JC. Enough of this shit. I'm tired of sitting around here," Joey spoke up now. During their time at the chateau Joey and Chris hadbeen training along with JC for the inevitable fight ahead. Joey was itching to try out his new found talents on some unsuspecting Vamps. Especially JB.
"I'm tired of this too guys, but how are we supposed to save Lance when we have no clue where he is?" Joss defended himself.
"Easy Joss, we do a locator spell. I've been reading up on Wicca while we've been here and I think I can manage a simple enough spell. If you'll let me try." Chris surprised them with this bit of information. In fact he had done some study of Wicca before, but with JB's books he had been able to delve deeper into the subject.
Joss shook his head no. "I don't think that's a good idea Chris. You're not used to the kind of power it takes to cast a spell like that."
"What other choice do we have Joss? If you have a better idea I'd like to hear it," JC asked glaring at Joss. He was starting to get tired of the run around game that Joss was seeming to play.
"I'm with JC," Justin spoke up.
"Me too. let's do this thing!" Joey agreed.
"Well it looks as if I'm out-voted. Okay let's get what we need together," Joss sighed. As the others ran around gathering up what they needed to cast the spell Joss pulled Chris aside.
"Please be careful Chris. I just found you. I don't want to lose you." Joss gently placed his hand on Chris's face as they stared into each other's eyes. Not a word was spoken but their eyes spoke volumes. Joss released Chris and went to find the others as Chris mentally prepared himself for the task ahead. In truth he wasn't sure he could pull this off either. But he had to do something. He hoped this would work.
Later at JB's hideout:
Lance was awakened by an extremely bright light shining down on him from above as a booming voice spoke. "Wake up!"
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Lance demanded as he shielded his eyes from the bright light.
"Shut up freak! I'm the one who talks. You listen. Where is the Hunter?" the disembodied voice demanded.
"Who?" Lance yelped out.
"Don't' play dumb with me Freak! Where the hell is JC?" the voice boomed out.
"I don't know!" Lance answered truthfully.
"Liar! Where is he?" the voice demanded again.
"I don't know damn it! Let me go!" Lance demanded.
"If you decide to cooperate I might consider it! For now enjoy your new home. You might be in it for quite a while!" With that Lance was once again plunged into darkness.
"No! Wait, please! Let me go!" Lance's pleas were met with silence. What did they want with JC? Lance couldn't guess. Maybe JB was somehow behind this after all? It seemed to be the only thing that made sense, but why had Lance not felt his presence? Lance had felt him from thousands of miles away before he had been trapped here. Then a realization hit him. The whole thing had been a setup in order for JB to draw out Josh, and Lance was the bait. With everything he had in him he reached out again. Warning Josh not come to him. He hoped he wasn't too late.
"I found him!" Chris called out from the room where he had been casting his spell. It had taken him several hours of concentration but he had succeeded. "He's in Orlando guys. All this time he's been back home!"
"Why would he be calling out to me that he's in trouble if he's gone home?" JC wracked his brain trying to guess where he might be. Joey interrupted his thoughts.
"Well at least we know what city he's in. Let's get back there so we can regroup and figure out what to do next."
"All right, Let's get packed. I'll call and get us on the first flight back to the states." Justin proceeded to dial as the others went to get ready to return home. They would be bringing a few volumes from JB's library, and a few weapons they had discovered there with them too.
"Hello? Hey, it's Justin. We need your help. It's Lance, he's been turned. Some guy called JB. You know of him? Well before you agree to help there's more I need to tell you. All right, we're headed back to Orlando now. We think Lance is being held there. Though we aren't exactly sure where. Ok, talk to you later then and thanks. I know, I know. Alright, bye." Justin hung up the phone. He hoped he had not made a huge mistake by calling this man from his past. And he hoped the others would understand about him keeping this secret. He picked up the phone again and called the airline to reserve five first class tickets for the next available flight. They had several hours yet before they had to leave for the airport. Justin left to tell the others the news and pack himself. Just then the room was filled with a thick fog, signaling the return of Jean-Baptiste to his ancestral home.
"So my dear Justin has an ex-lover who is a vampire. This information could prove to be very useful. I must discover who this vampire is. If Justin is determined to become one of our kind then perhaps I could be of some assistance to him. Yes this could prove to be very interesting indeed." His form once again disapated as the guys returned.
JC stopped suddenly and looked around the room as a cold chill ran up his spine. Glancing at Joss, he nodded in confirmation. JB had been there. He could still feel him in the room. It was part of his training for him to become more aware of his surroundings, and he proved to be just as talented with his new abilities as he was as a musician. If JB knew they were here, and he was aware of their plans to return to Orlando, it could put Lance in more danger.
"Are we ready to go guys?" JC asked
"Yeah all set Jayce," Justin said nodding.
"Good, let's get out of here," JC said shuddering.
"The plane's not leaving for a few hours. What's the rush?" Justin asked.
"JB's been here. I can feel his presence. We need to leave now! Joey call around and see if we can charter a flight. Chris, call Johnny and give him an update of the situation. Justin call my folks and let them know what's up and let them know I'll call them. Joss we need to talk." Seeing JC take charge like this was definitely not what the guys expected, and their shock was quite evident as they stood not moving.
"Come on guys! Move, move, move!" The guys jumped to their feet and set about making calls. JC pulled Joss into another room and sat him down in a chair. He then proceeded to pace back and forth. Joss watched him for a few minutes before jumping up and stopping him.
"What's up JC? You needed to talk to me about something?" He sat JC down, waiting for him to talk.
"Yeah, it's about JB. I need to know what I'm up against. I need you to tell me about how my mother died," JC demanded. Joss looked into JC's eyes and saw that there was no putting off this painful story any longer.
Joss stood and walked over towards one of the large etched glass windows that surrounded the room on two sides. He should have seen this coming. Of course JC would want to know where he had come from. But to have to relive his mother's last moments was almost too much for Joss. He had suffered from survivor's guilt for years. If JC knew the truth, he was afraid that he would blame him just as he had done to himself for so long. Joss sighed heavily. As much as he wanted to avoid this, JC had the right to know.
"All right, I'll tell you what you want to know. I have to back up a bit and explain how JB came into our lives. We had been tracking a vampire known as Gabriella..."
Flashback 1983:
Joss looked at his dejected friend. Barbara Mason had been distant over the last few days. She always was around this time of year and when Joss would ask her about it she would manage to change the subject. Finally Joss stopped asking. It was obviously too painful for her to talk about and he respected her wishes. They sat in Joss's old Chevy, just outside of the hideout of a female vampire that had been terrorizing the DC area for several weeks now. Her name, they had learned was Gabriella. A nearly 300-year-old vampire who was as beautiful as she was deadly. The plan was simple, get in, locate her coffin where she now laid, stake her, get out.
They had done this same routine a thousand times now and Barbara had become restless. She swore, as she had many times before, that this was it. No more slaying. It was time for her to settle down into a more normal life. This job had cost her far too much already, she said. Joss had heard it all before so he just smiled at her as she rattled on. Soon it was time to go.
Everything seemed be going according to plan but there was an unforeseen hitch. Gabriella had taken a lover. The commotion caused by staking her awakened him and he went on the attack. Joss tried to intervene and a fight insued. The vampire proved to be too strong for him as he was thrown across the room and knocked unconscious. When he awoke he discovered Barbara near death, laying in a pool of blood. Going to her she was only able to whisper a few short words.
"Josh, find Josh. Protect him." They were the last words she spoke. It was only after her death that Joss discovered she had a son she had given up for adoption. He learned later that the vampire who killed her, Jean-Baptiste, had sworn to destroy any family or descendants of the Slayer who had taken the life of Gabriella. He would not rest until they were all destroyed.
End Flashback:
"I found out why your mother had been so depressed during that time too. It was on August 8, 1983, your seventh birthday. All those years she had never forgotten you and you were the last thing she thought of before she died. She loved you very much and she knew she couldn't keep you safe while she was The Slayer. She gave you up to protect you." Joss paused for a moment to let this information sink in. JC nodded for him to continue. "Using the skills I had aquired while working with Barbara I was able track you down and warn your parents about JB. But as the years went by they too began to let their guard down. Even as your fame began to rise. It seems that was a mistake."
"Thank you for telling me all this Joss. I remember that birthday actually. I had woken up screaming from a bad dream and my parents tried for hours to get me to go back to sleep. Now I know what scared me so much, my mother had died. Even back then my abilities were showing themselves," JC said, shaking himself from the disturbing memory. " And I already told you I don't blame you or my parents for any of this. It was obviously inevitable that this would happen. This is my true destiny." A knock came from the other room and Joey stuck his head in.
"We're all set JC. I got a chartered flight for us but we have to leave in a few."
"Alright, Joss and I are done here. Let's go get Lance," JC said with a new authority that he didn't have before. Two hours later they were in the air, all praying they would get to Lance in time. JC stretched out on a couch and concentrated on Lance in his mind. He hope he could reach out just as Lance had. He wanted him to know he was on his way to him.
In Orlando:
Lance sat up with a start. Could it be true? "Oh, no JC!" Lance whimpered aloud. "Please love, stay away!"
"So my plan has finally worked has it?" JB's soft silky voice drifted over Lance like a wet blanket as he stepped out from the darkness.
"I won't let you hurt Josh JB. I'll kill you myself before I let you hurt him!" Lance hissed at JB allowing his Vampire form to take over.
"My Lance, what a thing to say to someone you declared your love for not so long ago," JB said sadly to him.
"I thought you were Josh you asshole! You screwed with my mind. I could never love a monster like you!" Lance screamed at him. Lance allowed the vampire blood to overtake his emotions. He thrilled at the feeling of power flowing through his veins. He licked his lips in anticipation of ripping into JB. JB's eyes grew red with fury at Lance's words. But his plan had to be carried out so he calmed himself.
"You may say that now but you will change your mind soon enough. You will learn to care for me as you do him," JB said in his usual silky voice.
Lance screamed a primal scream and lunged at JB. But as soon as he hit the side of the cage he was instantly burned and screamed out in pain. JB just chuckled to himself as he turned and left, leaving Lance alone in the dark once again. "Oh Josh," Lance whimpered out. "What have I done? How can I fix this?" Then JB's words from moments ago came back to him. He knew what he had to do.
TBC- Chapter 6 coming very soon. I promise.