Legal disclaimer: this is fiction. I'm not trying to make any assumptions about the members of NSync, in any way. If you're too young or you can't handle m/m-situations, go away.
Author's note: read and enjoy. Tell me if you like it. Love and looneytunes from Kat.
- Chapter four -
When Lance woke up this time, he felt a lot better. Curiously he sensed that he was laying very close to a warm, strong body, and that someone else had draped their arm over his back. Opening his eyes a little, he made out three other sleeping figures on the bed, not counting himself. Four. That would mean... No. Closing his eyes again, Lance crawled closer to the vampire he knew as Joey and sighed relieved when the other held him close. He couldn't believe that Justin was sleeping so near him. Only held back by his new found protector.
Behind him, JC turned over some, managing to put his arm around both Lance and Joey. Lance remembered Joey's words. JC was Joey's boyfriend. The little sting of jealousy passed and was gone, Lance just let himself be comforted by the safety and warmth he found himself surrounded with. Still, he couldn't forget the sight of Justin, snuggled up tightly to Joey's back, arms wrapped around his waist, one cheek pressed against his broad back.
JC woke when he felt movement next to him, sleepily he reached over to pull Joey closer. After realising that they weren't alone he sat up. Justin still slept. Seeing the way he held on to Joey, JC knew Justin was afraid. They were all he had, and JC also knew that Justin sometimes felt left out. He could understand Justin's desire to have someone to himself, but still JC didn't trust Justin's feelings. The young vampire had a mean streak that sometimes refused to be pushed back. The bond between maker and the turned was usually very strong, but in this case, Lance seemed to choose Joey over Justin. Now Justin had two reasons to be jealous. The one he had chosen didn't want him, and instead he had turned to Joey. When it came to both JC and Joey's attention and affection, Justin didn't tolerate any rivals.
It was a total and complete mess. The young blonde who was still sleeping, it appeared, had to be scared out of his mind. That was why JC wasn't even the least bit jealous at the sight of his boyfriend sleeping, hugging another man in his arms. As far as he could see, their newest family-member saw Joey as a safe harbour, not a love-interest.
"Hey," a quiet voice said. "Hey, love," JC smiled and leaned over to kiss Joey. "I seem to be surrounded by huggly creatures tonight," Joey commented. "That's what happens when you're so damn nice," JC laughed. Joey tried to sit up some, but had to give up as two set of arms held him too tightly.
Lance made a displeased face at all the moving and talking, he was tired. Rolling over a little, he felt a hand touching his shoulder. "It's time to get up," a voice told him. "The sun has settled." "Don't wanna," he answered. In the meantime Joey had managed to untangle himself from Justin's grip. Carefully he woke Justin. He had to smile when Justin sat up, sleepily rubbing his eyes. Justin looked so young sometimes...
For a moment it all felt like usual. All of them throtting about, getting ready for the night. Then Lance sat up, looking around him with wide, frightened eyes. And the image of the comforting normality shattered in a thousand pieces. Joey sighed. "Come here everybody, we have to talk."
Piling together on the bed again, Joey spoke first. "Justin, what you did was wrong, but unfortunelately we can't change it. I can either punish you like I'm supposed to do, or we can try to work this out. Lance, I know it helps very little, but I'm truly sorry for what has happend to you." Hearing Joey's words, Justin felt anger flaring up in him. Punishment. He knew what the punishment for doing something like this was. If this got out he would be shunned. An outcast. He might even be killed. The vampire society may be small, but no one dared question the rules.
Silently planning what he needed to do, Justin listened to Joey explain to Lance what his new life most likely would be like. Again he felt the anger. He was the one supposed to tell Lance this. Why did the blonde coward have to be so scared and look so betrayed? It wasn't like he had lost something. Being a mortal could never compete with this. You were stronger after you had turned; mightier. No one could hurt you. Not ever again. So why the hell did he have to look like he was about to cry?
"What about my family?" Lance asked, "or my friends? Will I be able to see them again?" The question made Joey hesitate a little. "Maybe, Lance, sometimes it's better not to." "So I should just disappear, leaving them to worry?" Lance answered, bitterness coating his voice. "I am not going to do that." "It's your choice," Joey said, "but bear in mind that they might not understand. They may be afraid of you." "They're my family,» Lance said, very sadly, "how can they be afraid of me?" "Because you are different now," Joey explained, "mortals fear what is different, what they can't understand."
"Let me at least give them a call," Lance asked. "To tell them that I'm allright. To tell them that...I won't be coming back." "Of course," Joey told him. "I must ask one thing of you though, that you don't reveal any of us, or where you are." Simply nodding, Lance acknowledged Joey's request. Wandering off to be in privacy Lance left to make the call. JC saw after him. "Do you think he will be ok?" "I hope so," Joey answered, "but he's taking this much too calmly. I expect there'll be some anger down the line, after he gets things sorted out a bit."
Justin, who had kept quiet during the whole conversation, pouted. "I'm hungry," he complained. "We're not done here yet, Justin," Joey said, and Justin went quiet again. He had too much respect for Joey to press the issue. At least they weren't kicking him out. "We will go out tonight," Joey continued. "You can come with us, Justin, but you cannot leave this house again unless JC or I go with you, is that understood?" "Yes," Justin mumbled. "I'm going to be miserable." "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Justin," Joey said, getting out of bed. "You are to do as you are told. Now go get ready."
Still mumbling to himself Justin left to go to his own room. Seeing Joey's frown, JC asked: "Are we doing the right thing here, love? Keeping them both here? Lance is afraid of Justin." "He has ever right to be," Joey answered, "and he probably should be too." Sighing a little, he turned to JC. "I can't kick Justin out, Josh, and Lance needs us. This is the best I can come up with for the moment. We are just going to have to watch them both." "I know," JC said, going over to Joey and pulling him close in a hug. "I know."
They all went to hunt together. Justin still sulking over being grounded and Lance distatched from everyone. JC wondered how the phonecall had gone. He decided that he was going to talk to Lance after they had returned to the house.
"Why are we here?" Lance asked, and pulled his jacket closer around him. It looked like he was cold, but Joey assumed it was more the atmosphere that made him do it. Of the many things a vampire could get, cold wasn't among them. At least not in a physical sense. "It's a good place to hunt," he then answered and took a quick look around. They're were downtown, on a street filled with strip clubs and liquor stores. Some shady bars filled out the rest of the block. All bathed in dull neon lights.
Small groups of women, and a few men had gathered along the sides of the road. Some were just standing there, looking like they had been there for so long, they had become a permanent part of the surroundings. Other talked, sharing a cigarette. And yet others were calling to cars passing by, some slowing down, some not. Bouncers guarded the entries to the bars and clubs, some stray people seemed to wander around, not sure where to go.
"It's creepy here," Lance said timidly, "you actually...feed...on these people?" "Some of them," JC answered, "relax, you won't have to participate tonight. Just watch, you'll get to try yourself soon enough." A silvertoned car stopped not many feet from them and a young girl got out. Her face was white in the harsh light, and her eyes large, empty wells. "Now there is a natural choice," JC's voice was low, he lowered his mouth to Lance's ear. "The girl?" Lance asked, "she can't be a day over fifteen!" "Not her!" JC said, "the man inside the car. See how Joey is looking at him? He has made up his mind." Now JC smiled. "This is going to be fun."
Joey strolled over to them, taking JC's hand. "Wait here, Lance," he said, pausing to stroke his hand over Lance's short hair. Then he dragged JC with him in out in the middle of the road, pulling him in for a deep, passionate kiss. The silver-coloured car skidded to a full stop. The driver honked the horn repeatedly, but the two men in front of the car pretended not to notice.
The middle-aged man inside the car, thought about just flooring the gas pedal, thus getting rid of the barrier in his way. But that would probably give his car some nasty scrapes so he got out. "Hey you two!" he yelled. "Get your fairy asses out of the way!" "A clever one!" Joey mused, letting the tip of his tongue lick JC's ear, making the other giggle.
Kissing JC one last time, Joey looked scowling over at the man. "Hey, you're calling me a fairy??" "You bet I am," the man yelled back. "Get you and your boy-toy out of the fucking way!" Joey looked back at JC. "Boy-toy? I kinda liked that one..." Letting his hand slide up under Joey's shirt, JC kissed his cheek tenderly. "Yeah, I bet you did." "Move!!" the man hollered, honking the car's horn again. Now almost everone of the people on the street was looking at them. "Time for dinner," JC murmured, "let's go, baby, I'm hungry." "Come make us move!" Joey yelled back, his eyes lighting up.
Seconds later the man barged against them. He was a tall, large-built man and at the sight of the scars and broken brigde of his nose, he was no stranger to fights. Quickly JC stepped out of the way as the man grabbed hold of Joey's jacket. "I told you to move," he growled, "now I'm gonna have to teach you some manors, boy." "I don't think so," Joey answered, smiling. Easily removing the man's hands from his jacket, he took hold of him by the neck.
"Now we're going to take a little trip. If you make as much as one noise, I'll break your neck. Just walk with me over to the alley over there" "I'll give you money," the man stuttered, now the anger was replaced with fear in his voice, "if you are after money, I'll give it to you." "Shut up," Joey said, leading the man into the alley. Throwing the man to the street, he looked around for the rest. JC was soon at his side, Justin was leaning against a wall. Lance kept to the back, his heart pounding wildly. Most of all he wanted to turn and run.
The man on the ground looked up at them. JC snaked his arm around Joey's waist and kissed him gently on the neck, just below the jaw-line. "That was no fun!" Justin whined, "I don't like to watch, I want to hunt too!" "Oh allright, Justin!" Joey gave in. "You can go, but I want you back here in half an hour, you got that? And don't think I won't find you if you don't." "I'll be back! Thanks, Joey!" Justin said, grinning wildly. Then he was gone.
From where he stood Lance watched how the two men in front of him changed from being the sweetest, loving couple to predators. JC was the most eager one, and it seemed like Joey enjoyed watching him pull the man up and press him up aganist the wall. The shimmer in Joey's normally warm brown eyes scared him. Backing away step by step he saw how JC let his fangs, longer than Lance's own, sink into his victim's throat, a clear red drop of blood spilling down his chin. As Joey joined his lover, Lance fled.
He could hear his own, raspy breaths. He felt cold, scruffy concrete against his fingers. The world kept spinning until Lance thought he was going to pass out. "I can't take this," he decided, nearing hysteria. "I can't kill people like that, I..." Somebody was there, Lance felt more than he saw the man behind him. "I haven't seen you here before," a voice as slick as oil said. A hand trailed down his back. "I'm not..." Lance started and turned around. A tall man stood in front of him. About thirtyish with a lusty leer in his eyes. "I like'em young and fresh," he said, leaning in over Lance. "How much?" "What?" Lance asked, not getting what the man was asking about in his state of emotional turmoil. "You think I'm...?" Pushing Lance up against the wall, the taller man answered him: "I asked you how much you cost."
He was so close, Lance's senses was filled with an intoxicating sweet scent. Even if his mind didn't recognize the smell, his senses did. Tentatively he placed his lips on the damp skin. Pearls of sweat were forming on his forehead, the hunger came trashing down on him. A rough hand were fumbling with his clothes. Lance hardly noticed, all he could feel was the pulsing of the blood just underneath the skin of the faceless man in front of him. "Turn around," the man grunted. "And loose those pants." Unable to restrict him self anymore, Lance bit.
At first he just bruised the skin. Then he bit down again, harder. "What the hell are you doing?" the man got out. The taste of the warm blood was enthrilling, acting on instict Lance held his victim still and kept his mouth tightly locked on his neck. The flow of blood made him feel euphoric, he had never felt so alive before. When he had tasted Joey's blood he had been to weary and confused to do more than still the hunger. Now he felt like he was the mightiest man in the world, like everything was curling around him in bright colours and enchanting sensations.
His victim went limp in his arms, a little out of breath Lance threw his head back, letting the man slide out of his arms. Lance felt dizzy, still dazed by the fresh blood in his system. The sight of the dead man on the ground before his feet, seemed surreal. Breathing hard, Lance tried to grasp what he had just done. At that moment he heard a soft voice not far away.
"I didn't think you had it in you, Lance. Yet you go and hunt alone your first time... Was it sweet? The first taste is always the best." Justin moved closer to him. "Now don't look so afraid, Lance, I'm not going to hurt you." The blue eyes of Lance's maker contrasted the warmth of his voice. There was something in them that held a warning for Lance. "Why did you do it?" he wanted to ask Justin. "Why me?" But in the end he didn't dare.
"Come," Justin told him. "We have to get back. They are probably looking for you." Throwing one last look back at the figure laying on the asphalt Lance let Justin lead him back.