Twist of Fate

*I'M ALIVE!! Believe it or not, YES it's another chapter of Twist of Fate. Here's a few words:

(1) If you've NEVER seen my story before, don't let 17 chapters scare ya. They're not too bad, and you might actually like the story! (2) If you're a former reader, you probably don't remember where the story left off... fair 'nuf. I've included a bit of chapter 16 below, but you might want to zip through the last chapter again so you're up to speed. Don't want you to be confused!

*I've been totally battered by school and schtuff, thus my pitiful excuse for not writing emerges. However, vacation is allowing me to get some writing done, and I hope to get a bunch of chapters done. We'll see! Thanks for still reading the story...

*Thanks to all my friends and proofers, I dare not try to name them all, lest I forget someone... all I WILL say is... JLS.

*This story is pure fiction, and should not be taken as a statement about the happenings or sexualities of any member of NSYNC. If it's not legal for you to read this stuff... how'd you get this far to begin with??

*I'd appreciate any comments you might have about the chapter. I KNOW, I might be a little rusty. Drop me a line, especially if you've not written in a while. ~Jeff kaiser_goof@hotmail.com

• • • • • • • • PREVIOUSLY ON E.R.... (wait, no, try "Twist of Fate"...)

"You know what, JC? You're right... about one thing, at least. Billy IS gay. I'll give you that. This I've known for a while." Lance continued, but with more force in his voice. "But I WILL tell you that Billy hasn't turned this tour into a perverted queer orgy. This much I know. I'm sorry to disappoint you, but not every gay person adheres to these stereotypes that you seem to hold so dear." Surprised at Lance's change in attitude, JC seemed inquisitive as to why.

"I knew it! Okay, he's gay. So how have you suddenly become so in touch with Billy's mindset? Who's 'feminine side' did you recently get in touch with to get this knowledge?" JC's response only elicited a calmer answer from Lance.

"You don't need to be 'in touch with your feminine side' to understand people, JC. You just need to know them. You need to get deep down and see their heart. Honestly, I thought I knew you, JC. But apparently there's something that I missed in all those years of talks we've had. I thought you were a little more open-minded than this. Billy? He's someone I've gotten to know well. Billy is a very special person whom I've grown to admire a lot. He's smart, creative, ambitious, and he makes me laugh. I've found a great friend... and more in him." Lance paused to check the reactions of his bandmates, and he received visual support from Justin, Joey, and even a little from a confused Chris. JC simply stared and wondered if Lance's speech could end up where he was thinking it might... and hoping it wouldn't. Lance continued.

"No, Billy isn't having any orgies, he's not hopping into bed with every guy he meets, and he's not here to turn this tour into a 'queer' bath house. At least, I hope not! I think his boyfriend would have a pretty good insight on that." JC's bubble had been burst, and all he could whisper was,

"What did you just say?" Lance took a deep breath while closing his eyes, and laid it all out on the line. Now was the moment of truth, and he was embracing it. Lance opened his eyes and looked at JC.

"I love Billy very much, and Billy is my boyfriend..." Lance took another deep breath. "and I.........am gay."

• • • • • • Chapter 17

I woke up with a start. The room was pretty dark, and I wasn't aware of where I was at first. I knew it was early Saturday morning, but that's about it. The hum from what seemed to be a single air conditioner filled the room, and I could tell that I wasn't wearing a shirt by the chilliness of the air against my bare chest. The need to use the restroom became very evident, and I finally convinced myself to slide out from under the covers and walk to the facilities. The location of the restroom indicated to me that I was in a hotel room, and I tried to get my thoughts together as I took care of my business. The tile underfoot was really cold, the air was chilly against my bare skin, and the light of the bathroom was nearly blinding. I gave up on the thought processes as I flushed, wanting only to get back in bed.

Sliding back into bed, I snuggled back down under the covers and felt warmth once again. Glancing to my right, I saw Lance's bare shoulder poking itself through the blanket. He was facing away from me, but a light snoring emanating from his direction indicated to me that his mind was in the land of the fairies. Wait, poor choice of words. Geez, well, he was asleep. I leaned over and kissed him gently on his shoulder, making sure I didn't wake him. It felt really good having my lips against his skin, but I knew that sleep was more important for my guy. I gave the blankets a gentle tug and buried myself underneath them. I snuggled my right side against Lance's back, feeling even more warmth from the skin to skin contact. My goodness, Lance was like a human furnace! There I was, clad only in boxers, lying quite comfortably next to my sleeping boyfriend. However, I wasn't at peace.

I was yanked from my sleep for a purpose, and my sudden insomnia seemed to indicate that the visit to the restroom wasn't the only reason. Staring at the ceiling, I realized that I wasn't going to get back to sleep. I grabbed a pillow and tried to bury my face in it, but I gave up after a few minutes.

I slowly slipped back out of the bed, searching for my shirt on the floor.

I slid into my shirt as I reached for the OFF switch on the air conditioner. Boy, was it cold! 'Laptop, laptop... it's got to be around here somewhere...', I thought to myself as I shuffled through Lance's stuff.

'There it is!'

I opened up Lance's computer on the coffee table and ran the phone cord to the nearby phone plug. The Windows 98 start-up chime was really loud, and I reached quickly to the volume control. Glancing around, I noted that Lance was still sleeping. PHEW! I proceeded to go online to check my email. There were 14 spam messages, one from cdnow.com, and one from... my mom! I smiled as I clicked on the message and read what my mom had to say:

********************* Subject: How are you? Date: 24 September 20:54:37 PST From: "Deb Wilson" <d_wilson@.com> To: "Billy Wilson" <b_wilson@.com>

Hi honey! How are you? I hope you're doing well on tour. We all miss you here at home. Dad says hi, and Scotty insists on getting an autographed poster. I told him that I'd relay the message to you. You could really charge an arm and a leg for those commodities, you know? Just kidding.

Well, Frasier is almost on, and you know I can't miss that! Call us when you can, okay? I know you're busy, but we still miss hearing from you. I love you,

Mom

I re-read mom's email a few times, but decided I didn't want to talk with my family... not right now, not with everything that happened yesterday. I decided simply to write my mom back on email:

******************* Subject: re: How are you? Date: 28 September 07:17:19 EST From: "Billy Wilson" <b_wilson@.com> To: "Deb Wilson" <d_wilson@.com>

Hi mom... sorry it took me so long to get back to you. Yeah, we've been pretty busy lately. We started in Minnesota, and we've worked our way South, then East. We're in Charleston SC right now, and we finally get a few days off... that's why I have the chance to email you. I'd call you, but it's even EARLIER there in San Diego, so I'm just writing you back.

Everything is really cool here, and I'm having a blast. I'll try to call you soon. Give dad a hug, and give Scotty a punch in the arm. :)

I love you too,

Billy* ********************

After sending the email, I couldn't help thinking that I had totally lied to my mom. Things were not fine, I wasn't having a blast, and it wasn't 'cool'... at least not after what happened the day before. I swiveled my chair so I could look at Lance, who was still deeply sleeping in bed. What a beautiful guy he was! I leaned back in the chair, started chewing on a hotel pen sitting on the table, and did my best to recall and make sense of the events from the last day...

"Heigh ho, heigh ho..." I was quite the whistling fool, wasn't I? I was really looking forward to going out for a Friday night on the town with the guys, especially since we had the entire WEEKEND off! Yeah, ever since JC, Joey, and all the guys invited me out, I was feeling pretty good. It's not every day that the guys from `NSYNC invite you out to spend a night hitting the party scene! Also, it didn't hurt that I only had to work with Victor for a few more days!

I had just dropped a load off at the van, and was starting to head back in. Each time I tore down the show, I got a little faster and a little more efficient. I was walking back in the door, trying to calculate how many more trips I'd have, when... OOOF!

Jessica came walking quickly out the door and collided with me.

"Ohmigosh, I'm so sorry!!! Are you okay?" I had managed to grab the railing when we crashed, and was able to stay upright. I had actually grabbed her out of reflex to keep HER from falling over! I couldn't help but smile, seeing as I was totally fine, and it wasn't that big of a deal. I helped her back on her feet and dusted off my hands.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jessica continued.

I nodded and assured her. "Don't worry, I'm fine. What's the hurry?"

Jessica rolled her eyes and sighed a frustrated breath, telling me that something was wrong. "I'm glad I found you," she said. "I just came from the dressing room and..." She paused, twisted her mouth, and continued. "...well, Victor's in the dressing room and he's saying some nasty stuff about you."

Growing a bit interested but concerned, I asked, "Like what?"

"Well, he's saying that you're some big party animal, and that you might get carried away tonight, and that the guys shouldn't take you out when they go out..." Jessica's voice trailed off.

"Why would he say something like that? Why shouldn't they take me out?" I had a sinking feeling in my stomach with this revelation, but still didn't know if Victor had shared anything compromising about me.

Jessica looked at me, twisted her mouth again, and went on. "Well, he was saying some really stupid stuff, like you had...... I don't know, like you had been gettin' it on with some of crew, and that...............that you were gay." I guess that pretty much solidified what Victor had told them. I remained silent for a moment, thinking of the ramifications of JC and Chris found out the truth.

"He was saying that?!?" I said, trying to be surprised at the revelation. Jessica nodded, and I asked, "Who all was there?"

"Uhm, it was me, Victor, Justin, Chris, Joey, and JC."

"Where was Lance??" I asked, REALLY wondering what had gone on and what each of them knew.

"He had to go to wardrobe. I don't think he knows..."

"Knows what?" I asked.

"Knows that you're..." Jessica paused and reconsidered her statement. ".........knows that Victor was saying these things about you..." There was a long pause. I looked at the ground, and I can only assume Jessica was looking at me. I then heard her very concerned, caring voice. "Hey Billy, correct me if I'm wrong, but...... if you didn't agree with what Victor said, you'd have probably argued against it by now." Another pause. "Is there some truth to what Victor said?" I looked up to Jessica, ready to put on the 'straight' facade. But I didn't. All of my life, to anyone that asked or questioned my sexuality, I had given the "that's ridiculous!" response and played the 'straight' part. But not now. I felt safe here. I felt that Jessica was more friend than enemy, and I felt that if Jessica knew the truth, that my life would be a touch easier.

A slow nodding of my head marked the very first time I had ever told anyone else, besides Lance, that I was gay.

Jessica's nods were more exuberant than mine. The smile storming her face was contagious, and I was soon smiling the first smile that conversation. "It's fine! That's fine, Billy. That's totally cool. I'm okay with it. There's nothing wrong with being gay! It's okay!" Her reassuring words made me feel so much better.

"You're the first person I've ever told, Jessica." Her eyes got big.

"Are you serious? You've never told anyone else?" She looked disbelieving.

"Well, the only person that I've told directly like this. A few other people know, but not by my telling." She still looked confused.

"Well, how did Victor find out?" VICTOR! I had completely forgotten HOW Jessica found out, and his name sparked a new surge of anxiety in me.

"I don't know, I sure didn't tell him."

"Well, he said something else pretty bad about you... and I don't know if it's true, but... He said you were sleeping with some other guy here on tour."

"HE SAID THAT?! What the hell is his problem?" Jessica just shook her head, and replied.

"I don't know. But he was about to tell the guys who it was before I left the dressing room." LANCE! I had to tell Lance!

"Jessica, I'm sorry, but I have to go," I said as I started walking away briskly. "I need to fix this thing with Victor right now. Thanks for telling me, and being cool with this stuff. We'll talk again later." She nodded her okay, and I turned to start running to the wardrobe room.

"Just watch out for Lance. He doesn't know yet!" Jessica called out as I ran. 'Oh,' I thought, 'he knows.'

I arrived at wardrobe a bit out of breath, so it took a few seconds for me to get the air to say, "Is Lance here?". The wardrobe staff shook their heads, causing my heart to jump. Lance had probably returned to the dressing room! I took off from wardrobe and made a beeline to the dressing room, not paying attention to much of anything in my path. I needed to get to Lance and tell him! I rounded a corner, jumped over some wiring, and ran flat into... OOOF!

Victor. However, Victor had no handrail to grab, he had no leverage, and he had no chance of staying upright after our collision. The impact absolutely flattened Victor and I to the floor; Victor landed with a hard thud on the concrete, but conveniently absorbed the majority of the shock from my body coming down on him.

It took me a second to piece things together after the collision. However, once I realized that I had absolutely floored Victor and knocked the wind out of him, I rolled over so I was laying next to him. I sat up, and lifted his shoulders and head a few inches off the ground.

"Bastard......you bastard." I said, glaring him in the face and shaking my head slowly. "You deserve this." Victor, however, couldn't respond. All he could do was gasp for air. I released his shoulders, letting his head hit the concrete with a thud. Having NO care or concern for Victor's well being at this point, I got right back up and continued my run for Lance. I didn't look back, I didn't care. Thankfully, those were the last words I would ever have to say to Victor.

Out of breath again, I finally arrived at the dressing room. My heart jumped when I didn't find Lance, meaning one of two things: Lance was somewhere else, or he was inside the dressing room talking about who-knows-what. Normally, I would have bolted right in to the room. However, the situation was a bit more delicate, and I had to be careful. I pressed my ear against the door crack, and tried to make out the conversation. I could hear JC's voice, and he was speaking loudly...

"No Lance, I think it's pretty pathetic that YOU'VE known this guy the longest, YOU'RE the one that ...with him, and you YOUR fault that he's here . He's turned this tour into a gay brothel!"

My eyes bugged out. Gay brothel? First of all, who uses the word 'brothel'? That's a 'grandpa' word! Secondly, what was JC accusing me of? How could he even say something like that? Did Victor tell him that? Well, I guess I knew what JC's opinion was. I then heard Lance say something, but it was really muffled. At least I knew where Lance was! Listening closer, it actually sounded like Lance was standing up for me! Unfortunately, I couldn't make out the words, so I just sat and strained to hear what was going on.

This went on for a minute or so, and I wanted so desperately to know what was being said. THEN, nothing. Silence. A complete lack of discussion. I didn't even hear a peep coming from behind the doors. This went on for about another minute before my ear and the left side of my face hurt so bad, I had to pull off and step to the side. It killed me that I couldn't be in there for Lance, or stand up for him like he stood up for me... I mean, it killed me just not knowing what they were talking about! If only I could see Lance and know everything was okay.

CLICK. My head jerked to my right as I heard the dressing room door open. Lance walked out the door, followed closely by Justin. His emergence and my presence caught us equally by surprise, and we both jumped a bit.

"Lance!"

"Billy!"

"Is everything okay?" I asked. Lance seemed to think for a second, he glanced back to Justin, and looked to me.

"Ye..ah, it's okay. It's been better, but it's been worse. Come on..." Lance seemed to be in a mild state of shock, but a happy sort of shock... if that means anything. I still don't know what had happened in that room, but knowing that Lance was now close to me really helped. Lance gave me a deep look with his eyes, and I knew whatever had happened was BIG. We didn't discuss it, but I was content in knowing that Lance would be able to tell me everything that happened, we'd be able to discuss it, and I'd be able to comfort him if needed.

The 30 minutes following the encounter are now a haze to me. I know that Justin contacted Peter and got room assignments for us. They talked for a while, and I know that the result of the conversation was a taxi call to pick up the three of us from the venue and take us to the hotel. Incognito, Justin arranged for the key at the hotel, and we all shuffled up an elevator to a room, sans big luggage. During the entire trip to the hotel, however, we never discussed the happenings in the dressing room. We talked occasionally about that evening's performance, but were quiet for a great majority of the trip.

THUD. Lance and Justin both dropped their travel bags on the floor, and I locked the hotel room door behind me. Lance laid down on the bed, Justin sat in a chair, and I sat down on the edge of the mattress, looking at Lance.

"So, what happened?" I asked after a moment of silence. Lance and Justin shared another glance, and Lance finally spoke up.

"Well...... everyone knows about you." A small frown appeared and disappeared from my face, and I nodded.

"Figured."

"And...... everyone knows about me." This was more of a shock, seeing as I didn't get that impression at ALL from listening to the door.

"Excuse me???" Lance nodded slowly, and continued.

"And............ everyone now knows about... ... us."

Justin and Lance began to fill me and each other in on the events that had taken place in the dressing room. Justin was pretty much the keynote speaker, though, seeing as he had been there the whole time and had heard the whole conversation. We all fumed about Victor's behavior and lies, and griped about how JC had responded. We talked about how it could affect the group, and what steps now needed to be taken to ensure the truth remained under wraps. We were all talking for a while, and didn't really pay attention to the clock.

I watched Lance a lot during the conversation, even while Justin was telling his tale. Lance looked a little dazed, but peaceful. While I wanted him to be as content as he looked, I only feared that I had done some real damage to his career and his future.

"Lance, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," I said as I looked at him. He looked back with a very confused face.

"Sorry? Sorry about what?"

I took a deep breath, sighed, and answered. "Lance, none of this would have happened if I didn't come on this tour. You'd still be safe, your bandmates wouldn't know about you, and you'd be able to go on with your life as usual."

Lance looked at me with frustrated eyes and said, "What makes you think I don't want my bandmates to know about me? I KNOW you know how hard it is to be one way and try to act the opposite just because it's more socially acceptable. I KNOW you know how much I've wanted to tell other people so I can be honest and real. Yeah, JC might not be too thrilled about it... he'll probably fume for a while. I don't think it'll change our friendship, although I didn't expect the reaction I got tonight... It's just the chance I had to take. I needed to stand up for what was right. In this case, telling the truth about myself... and you... and US... that's what was right." Both Lance and I were sitting on the bed, while Justin was sitting on an adjacent chair. I wanted nothing more than to hug my guy at that very moment, and that's what I did! A quick lean in, and I had my arms wrapped around the guy I loved. Who cared that Justin was there? Lance and I were in a new phase of our relationship-we were OUT! Lance had been very brave tonight, and I wanted to show him how much it meant to me.

Lance continued to speak as we hugged. "Besides, if you hadn't come on the tour, then I wouldn't be able to be around my wittle docky-poo." Immediately, I released.

"Your WHAT?"

"My wittle docky-poo! You know, you're the 'doc' to everyone else, but you're MY wittle docky-poo." Justin had started laughing, and his laughter only intensified when Lance started to pinch my cheeks.

"Get away from me, you bitch."

Lance raised an eyebrow and said sarcastically, "Oh yeah, THAT'S not stereotypical... a guy calling his boyfriend a 'bitch'."

"Oh, and I suppose calling me 'docky-poo' and pinching my cheeks is right on the STRAIGHT and narrow, eh?" We all started laughing, and I felt a layer of the tension in the room melt away. We all struggle with things in our lives... frustrations, stresses, fears. Many times, we can't attack them alone. But leaning and relying on TRUE friends can get us through ANYTHING.

RING RING. The sound of the phone caught us off guard, and we all quieted down. We looked at each other, wondering who should answer it. Justin, stepping into the role of PR representative to the newest outted gay couple, decided to take charge.

"Hello? Yeah, they're here............yeah, no problems at all......" Justin cupped the phone and moved it away from his mouth so he could speak to us. "It's Chris. They guys just got back to the hotel. He's just making sure that you guys are okay..." Justin, then distracted by the phone conversation, went back to the receiver. "well, obviously!......... No, not on such short notice........." Justin then paused, looked at Lance, then returned to his phone conversation. "...boxers, I think... but I'll ask later......" Both Lance and I raised both eyebrows. It's always interesting to hear only one side of a conversation!

KNOCK KNOCK. We all exchanged glances and turned towards the door, wondering who was on the other side. Justin signaled that he was stuck on the phone, so I decided to be second in command and head to greet our caller.

"Who is it?" I asked as I approached the door, listening for a response.

"It's Jessica... I just want to see if everyone's okay..." I looked back at Lance, and a nod from him indicated to him that he should open the door. Jessica walked in with a face of concern and care.

"Thanks Billy... Hey Justin... Lance... Billy, how are you doing? Are you okay?" She was so cool.

I smiled and responded, "Yeah, I'm okay, Jessica. Thank you. I mean, I've had better days, but I'll survive. THANK YOU. I really appreciate you coming by." "Hey, anything for a friend," she said as she smiled. "You've all been such good friends to me, and I just wanted to return the favor. Can I do anything for you?"

I thought for a moment, and answered, "Well, a backrub would be nice... I've got this tight muscle right... back......here..." I said as I reached around and pointed out an imaginary knot in my back.

Jessica laughed. "Well, I do backrubs, but it'll cost ya..." she said as she rubbed her fingers together.

"Well, I'd take ya up on that offer, but my boyfriend gives pretty good ones, and they're FREE!" I said this as I poked Lance in the arm with my elbow, and we exchanged a quick thoughtful glance. However, a glance back to Jessica's face showed a transformation from smile to confusion. An eyebrow raised, her lips formed the first syllable of "w...", and her finger began to point...

"W......ait a second... You two...... Lance?? I thought... but you said that... I mean, Victor was lying, right? About the... you know, 'boyfriend on tour' thing? You said......"

My jaw dropped as I realized Jessica was clueless about Lance, or about US. I totally assumed that she knew, since she was in the dressing room.

"Jessica, I thought you knew... You were in the dressing room... Lance and I... well, we're... Well, Victor was lying about me 'sleeping' with someone on tour, but Lance and I... we're... dating, together, whatever you want to call it........ Oh man... " I wasn't sure what else to say. The tension that had previously faded was back in full force. The conversation had suddenly become pretty uncomfortable, and no one knew what to say. However, Jessica decided to break the ice and speak up again.

"No, I didn't know... I mean, about you 'two'... WOW... that's quite the surprise... But it's OKAY with me. I left the dressing room after Victor started talking about you, and I didn't catch anything else. That's totally cool, though. I'm happy for you two!... BOY, is my niece going to be upset about THIS! She's ready to marry you, Lance... and she's only 9!" Nods, 'thank you's' laughs and smiles were shared for a few moments, then Jessica spoke up again. "Do the rest of the guys know?"

At this point, Justin and Lance (since they were actually there in the dressing room) gave Jessica a brief overview of the happenings earlier in the evening, after she had left. Jessica just shook her head and rolled her eyes, especially when JC and his reactions were mentioned.

"What a jerk. And to think I actually like him!" This came as a bit of a revelation to us all, and Jessica bit her tongue as soon as she said it. "Ooops... was that out loud?"

The three guys raised an eyebrow at her, and Justin spoke up. "You like JC?" Jessica's face got really red, and she bit her lower lip.

"Well, yeah, I guess... I mean, he's really good looking, he seems caring, he's spontaneous, I LOVE his eyes, he likes to make the most of life, he's got the greatest smile, he's talented, he's exciting, did I mention he's really good looking?..." Realizing she was gushing, she ended her montage with, "...but I guess someone's inner personality can really taint everything they have going for them on the outside." Silence befell our quartet once again, until Jessica changed the subject. "BUT enough about me... how are you guys doing?"

Not minding the change of subject, Lance and I talked about our feelings towards this new announcement to the band... the consequences, the benefits... Both Justin and Jessica joined the conversation, and we chatted about a lot of stuff for a good 45 minutes or so. Having the chance to talk to Jessica like this really helped me get to know her on a much more personal level. Sure, she was the production assistant to my boss on tour... but she was truly becoming a caring, understanding friend.

"Hey guys, it's getting late," Jessica concluded as she looked at her watch.

We all nodded and agreed, deciding to end our late night pow-wow.

"Jessica, thank you so much... for everything," Lance said as he stood up and reached for a hug. Jessica obliged Lance, followed by hugs from myself and even Justin.

"Guys, it's my pleasure... I'm just glad I've found some good friends here on tour. Besides, I LOVE to hang out with gay people! We can go shopping together, and do each other's nails, and try on sweaters, and exfoliate, and..." Jessica's verbal rampage was cut short with a few smacks from a near-by pillow, compliments of ME.

"Shut up!" Lance said as I swung and Justin laughed.

"Okay, sorry, sorry, SORRY!!" Jessica ducked out and headed towards the door. Lance and I sat back down on the bed, while Justin showed Jessica out. As soon as Justin returned, he spoke up.

"Hey you guys, I think I'm going to take off, too. It's been a long day, and I want to give you two some time alone. Besides, I need to feel the waters and see what the other guys are thinking about this whole thing." Lance got up and slapped Justin's hand in a hearty handshake, then pulled him into a hug.

"You're a good friend, Justin. Thanks for being there."

Justin pulled back and replied (in a pretty good Italian accent), "Eh, forgetaboutit!" I got up and also hugged Justin, then Lance walked him to the door. For the first time in a long time, Lance and I were together... and alone. As soon as the door closed, Lance slowly turned around, spying me standing near the foot of the bed.

"Come here, you," I said with my arms out wide. Lance smiled sheepishly, then sauntered over to me. Lance reached his arms out as well, and we were soon in a strong embrace. My arms were up and around his shoulders, while his arms were lower, around my waist. His head fit quite nicely on my shoulder next to my neck, and we swayed ever-so-slightly as we hugged. I could even feel his sweet, young breath against my skin. It felt so good to have my guy with me... touching him, holding him, showing him that I love him. The love I had for Lance was greater than anything I had ever felt for another person. The bond that held us together seemed stronger than family, friendship, or even self. The way Lance made my heart drop when he looked at me, my fingers tingle when he touched me, and my mind soar when he kissed me, it was nothing I had ever experienced before. How I could even think for a MOMENT that I deserved him or his love was sacrilege. I used to think that it was too good to last, that Lance would see that he had nothing in me worth keeping. I thought that, eventually, I'd get a phone call or an email or a note saying that he's found someone else, or that he simply didn't love me anymore. But after what he did today? How he stood up for me, defended me, and defended US? No, I KNOW there's a strong love there. More importantly, I know that the love is two-way. Standing there, hugging in that hotel room, Lance and I were becoming one--not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. Lance was mine, and I now truly knew that I was his... and if I had any say in the matter, that wasn't going to change for a long, long time.

*You need not worry, the next chapter is ALREADY written! As I said, I'm on vacation from school, and get to write a lot more. Expect a few more installments this season, the first of which will be coming out in, say, a week. *Please drop me a line if you have any comments about the story. Thanks. See ya next time! ~Jeff kaiser_goof@hotmail.com