My New Life chapter 66
Stories by James
on Nifty
This is the story of the last concert in *Nsync's No Strings Attached Summer Tour. And what happens when they meet one of their fans, late that night in the hotels hot tub. This story pairs Joey with one of their fans.
Is our history written in stone? What would happen if one thing in a person's life could be changed. See what happens when the Backstreet Boys take a ski trip that change their lives, for ever.
My New Life
by James
Disclaimer:
This story is the sole property of its author and may not be copied in whole or in part without the permission of the author. The posting of this story on any web site must be with the author's prior knowledge and permission.
This story deals with the fictional relationship between the members of the musical groups *Nsync, Backstreet Boys (And who ever else shows up in the story.) and a male fan. The sexual orientation of the members of *Nsync or the Backstreet Boys are not known by the author and what is depicted in the story came from the imagination of the author.
If you are not 18 years old or it is illegal in your area to view such material please read something else.
These stories can also be found on my web site
Boy Band Fan Fiction
More stories
This ia a story that spans the generations. Lance finds love and romance with someone he feels he has known all his life.
This is my newest short story I posted just before Christmas. Lance has returned home after not being able to complete his life long dream, going into space. He feels his life has no meaning and he struggles to regain his self worth. He finds what he is looking for in the form of an abused little boy and his friend Ethan
Hi, all.
I’m sorry this chapter has taken so long. Sometimes life gets in the way of finding time to write. I ask your forgiveness for this being so late. I hope you will find this chapter enlightening. For those of you who have never been able to figure out who Angel is; Marc, cyber friend, the answer is found in this chapter.
Till next time.
James
Last Time:
“Davy, why didn’t Boo remember?”
“It wasn’t the right time, Ryan.”
“But he had the key.”
“No. He only had part of it. There is another part to the key and until the two come together Boo won’t remember.”
Ryan let out a long sigh. Looking at his big brother he asked. “How is your assignment getting along?”
“He’s doing okay.”
“Ah! Are we comparing notes again?” came the voice next to them.
“Sorry, Mr. Urial,” the boys said together.
“I understand you find waiting, hard. Everything will come together in time.”
“But when will that be?” Ryan asked.
“Soon, very soon,” Mr. Urial said as he watched the plane take off. Turning to Davy he asked, “Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?”
“Yes, sir.” Davy gave Ryan a quick kiss before he vanished.
“Are you sure it will be soon?” Ryan asked once again.
“Yes, little one,” Mr. Urial chuckled.
“Are you going to New York?” Ryan asked.
“No. I have another assignments to look in on. But I will be checking in on your brother from time to time.”
“Is it okay if I keep an eye on him for you?” Ryan asked.
“Only if you promise not to interfere and come get me if something happens.”
“Oh, I will,” Ryan promised.
Chapter 66
After tipping the bellhop Marc closed and locked the door. Turning he surveyed his home for the next three weeks. He knew the hotel; it was the same one they had stayed in on tour. It was even on the same floor they had stayed on, just on the other end of the hall. Glancing around the room he had to smile to himself. “Sweet,” he said to the room. His one bedroom suite had a small kitchen and dining room off to the right. The bedroom was off to the left. The main room was large and tastefully furnished with two couches on either side of a fireplace. With several comfortable chairs forming a conversational sitting area. At the far end of the room a wall of windows looked our over the city. In front of the windows was a Baby Grand Piano.
Taking his backpack with him into the bedroom Marc decided to unpack before he started making calls. After he had put everything away he looked around the room then sighed as he gazed at the large bed. It had been quite a while since he had a bed to himself. “I just hope I can get some rest in you,” Marc said to the bed. “Okay, this is a great start. I’m talking to the furniture.” Marc was saved from any more conversation with the furniture when the phone rang.
Picking up the bedside phone Marc answered, “Hello.”
“Hi, handsome,” a bubbly female voiced said. “Welcome to New York.”
Marc was puzzled for a moment until he recognized the voice. “Hi, Rosie.”
“How was your trip?”
“The flight was great.”
“Are you ready for this?”
Marc let out a large sigh, “I hope I’m ready. I just hope I haven’t taken on to much.”
“You’ll do just fine. What plans do you have for tonight?”
“Nothing really. Just have something to eat here at the hotel.”
“That sounds boring,” Rosie laughed. “I have a idea.”
“What would that be?” Marc chuckled.
“I need an escort tonight. Would you like to accompany me to the Broadhurst Theater.”
“Ah, sure. What’s playing there?”
“Fosse.”
“Fosse! No way! I’ve wanted to see that show.”
“Well here’s your chance,” Rosie laughed. “Are you still interested?”
“Yes! Yes, I’m interested.”
“I’ll pick you up in front of your hotel at six-thirty. That will give us plenty of time to get to the theater. Oh! We have dinner reservations after the show.”
Marc had a couple hours to get ready. He called down to ask to have someone stop by to pick up his suit to have the wrinkles from travel removed. He also ordered a light snack to tide him over till dinner after the theater.
He was just finishing drying his hair when his cell phone rang. It was Lance returning his call. They talked for almost an hour before Marc had to dress for his night at the theater. Marc promised to call Lance after he returned from his night out.
After he had dressed Marc gave Bobby a call to see how his trip went and how his grandmother was doing.
Exiting the hotel Marc approached a waiting limousine. The driver held out his hand to stop Marc from approaching. “I’m sorry, sir. Please step back.”
“I’m Marc Newman. I was told this limo was sent by Ms. O ’Donnell.”
The rear window lowered and a voice called out, “It’s all right Peter. Mr. Newman will be joining us.”
The driver opened the door. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t recognize you.”
“I understand, Peter. Thank you.”
As Marc took his seat Rosie looked him over. “I must say, I like the new look. No wonder Peter didn’t recognize you.” Rosie held out her arms, “Come and give me a hug.”
Marc gave Rosie a bear hug. As they pulled back Rosie’s hands came up to Marc’s face stroking Marc’s beard. “It’s really soft,” Rosie giggled. Marc’s only response was to blush which made Rosie roar with laughter.
Lance crawled into bed after a tiring day. After seeing Bobby and Marc off, he returned home to find Chris and Joey waiting for him. They were on a mission; to keep Lance from moping around the rest of the day, missing Marc.
They spent the afternoon at a paint ball park, venting their built up energy. Then they met up with Justin and JC at the mall. After a worldwind shopping spree, they headed back to Lance’s to hang out at the pool and have a cookout.
Shortly after arriving home Lance checked his messages to find Marc had called. Marc hadn’t left his hotel number so he gave Marc’s cell a try. Marc had filled him in on his trip and was surprised that he had plans to go out for the evening. After getting Marc’s promise to call later to let him know how his night went.
Justin found Lance sitting in his study staring into space. “Hey, buddy. Did you connect with Marc?”
“Yea.”
“How is he doing?”
“He seems to be doing great,” Lance sighed. “He’s got himself a date for tonight.”
“What! Who is he going out with?”
The edge of Lance’s mouth slowly started to turn up into a grin. “It seems Rosie needs an escort for the theater, so she asked Marc.”
Justin broke into a grin. “I hear escorts make good money in New York.”
“He’s not that kind of escort,” Lance said as he gave Justin a punch in the arm.
When they joined the others at the pool Joey already had burgers on the grill. JC was in the studio working on a song and Chris was on his cell talking to someone. Lance and Justin went into the kitchen to put together the rest of their meal.
Bobby called just after they had finished eating. After everyone got to say hi, Lance had a long talk with Bobby. Bobby was still hyper from his visit. Lance grinned the whole time they talked. When he hung up he had a good feeling deep down inside.
Howie showed up a little later joining everyone in the pool.
It was getting late when Lance decided to call it a night. Joey and Howie were still sitting by the pool talking. Lance gave them a wave as he headed across the yard to the house.
Now sitting up in bed trying to get into his new novel, he had his phone sitting next to him. Whenever he turned a page he would glance at the phone.
Lance jumped when the phone rang. “Hello,” he excitedly answered.
A soft laugh came from the other end.
“What were you doing? You answered before I heard the first ring.”
“I was waiting for your call,” Lance said as he slid down into his bed. “How was your evening?”
“Fantastic! We had third row center seats. Fosse was so much better than I ever imagined. Fosse was a genius when it comes to dance. The little things, like a shoulder shrug, can convey so much.”
Lance started to laugh at Marc’s enthusiasm.
“What?”
“You sound so much like Bobby. When we talked tonight he sounded as keyed up as you do now.”
There was a long silence from Marc. “The show was really, really good,” Marc said softly.
Lance could hear the pout in Marc’s voice. “Do you think I would enjoy it?”
“Yeah, you’ll love it. Would you want to see it?”
“I would if someone would take me,” Lance coyly said.
“James, would you be my date to the theater?”
“Oh, my. This is so unexpected.”
“Would you like some time to think it over?” Marc chuckled.
“Well. . . . . “I’d love to.”
“It’s a date then. We just have to figure out when.”
“I hope to know something Monday afternoon,” Lance said.
“Is that when you meet with Lou?”
“Yeah, and it’s going to be a long meeting. He has the tour results and our schedule for recording and shows.”
“You going to tour again?”
“No. The awards show season is coming up.”
“When will they start?” Marc inquired.
“In a few weeks. I think the MTV awards are coming up in a couple weeks.”
“That will be here in New York. Won’t it?”
“Yeah, we’re nominated for a few awards.”
“Will you guys perform?”
“I don’t know. We’ll know more after meeting with Lou.”
“I hope we can work something out,” Marc said while mentally going over his schedule.
“What else happened tonight? You said something about going out for dinner after the show.”
“Ah, yeah. Rosie had reservations Balthazar.”
“Oh, that a great place,” Lance said excitedly. “We’ve been there several times.”
“It does seem to be a place to go to if you want to see celebrities.”
“Where there any celebrities there?” Lance asked.
They talked for over an hour. Marc telling him about the restaurant and all the friends of Rosie’s that stopped by their table.
Lance had a good laugh when Marc told him about when he went to the rest room he had been hit on by two guys and a couple of women.
It was getting late so they said their goodbyes and their love for each other.
Even though it was Sunday, Marc had a lunch meeting with the producers of Angels new CD and that evening he got together with some of Rosie’s band to jam at a small club.
Monday Marc started the day on a run. Though the first show wasn’t until Tuesday he had meetings first thing with the shows producers and the director. Afterward he met with the band to work out the arrangements for the next show and a couple hours of rehearsals. Finishing up with meeting with wardrobe and makeup.
Catching a quick bite to eat at a genuine New York Deli Marc rushed to Lincoln Center for his first meeting with the symphony. To Marc’s delight Lynn was waiting for him.
“I didn’t expect to see you here,” Marc said as he gave Lynn a hug.
“I wanted to make sure everything was going smoothly,” she said. “My flight was delayed or I would have been here for Rosie. How did it go?”
‘It went real smooth. We actually got everything set up for this week.”
“How many shows this week?”
“Only four. They reran a show from last April today. We’ll have a show tomorrow, Wednesday and two shows on Thursday. Friday we meet to plan the next week's shows with only a rehearsal on Friday.”
“That gives you the weekend off,” Lynn commented.
“Sort of. They’ve scheduled a rehearsal with the symphony early Saturday. “
“And Sunday?”
“I’ll be in the studio working on the new CD. We have to get the basic tracks down so when Angel arrives we’re ready to go.”
“Honey, are you sure you’re not taking on too much?”
“It’s not too bad. If everything goes as planned I should be done with Angel by the weekend after next. That gives me only one week with Rosie in the morning and the symphony in the afternoon. I’ll be finished with Rosie almost five days before the symphony concerts.”
As Marc checked in with Lincoln Center security he was given a note.
“What’s up?” Lynn inquired.
Marc read the note. “It seems there had been a sprinkler problem in the rehearsal hall. Rehearsal has been moved to Avery Hall.”
Lynn and Marc entered from the back of the theater. They could see that the symphony was all set up and the musicians were standing around waiting for them.
Lynn took a seat about ten rows from the stage while Marc walked onto stage. He dropped his backpack just off stage. Before crossing the stage he overheard some of the musicians talking. Unfortunately, the comments were about Marc himself. It seems they weren’t too happy to be working with some "snot nose hick from Wisconsin."
Marc was a little shaken by the comments. Hoping not all the musicians felt that way he strolled to the podium.
“Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Marc Newman.”
Everyone seemed to ignore Marc and just kept talking with their neighbor.
“Hello!” Marc said raising his voice. “I’m ready to start rehearsal. Will everyone please take your seats.”
Still Marc was ignored. Turning he looked to Lynn for some guidance. She had pulled papers out of her briefcase, scanning them. Jumping down from the stage Marc went to Lynn.
“What the hell's going on?” Lynn asked. “Your contract states this is the day and time for your rehearsal.”
“It seems the musicians resent having some hick from Wisconsin coming in to conduct them.”
“What do you mean?”
“I overheard some of the musicians talking.”
“What are you going to do?”
Marc thought for a moment. “I have them for three hours. Don’t I?”
“Yes. That’s what’s in the contract. What are you going to do?”
“Rehearse.”
“But if they don’t cooperate, what will you do?”
“I have three hours of rehearsal time. It doesn’t say I have to rehearse with them,” Marc said as he turned back to the stage with a devilish glint in his eye.
Marc approached the stage but instead of returning to it he jumped down into the orchestra pit. Some of the musicians looked on with slight interest when they saw the “kid” disappear from sight.
Marc sat down at the organ console, waiting for the instrument to come to full power. Engaging the hydraulic lifts Marc started to play as the console rose from the pit.
“Well that got their attention,” Lynn laughed at the shocked faces of the musicians on stage.
Marc played several classical pieces. After an hour and a half he paused. Looking deep within he started to play once again. This time the music came from within. The music of his heart.
The theater was so quiet when Marc finished playing he thought everyone had left. But when he stood up he saw all the musicians were looking at him with their mouths open. Going back to the podium he swept his gaze over the musicians. “Not that I have gotten your attention. I’m Marc Newman and this, . . ” Marc said holding up the score to Winters Night. “. . . is why I’m here. I don’t give a damn what you think of me. I have a contract to present this in a little over three weeks. And I intend to do it. With or without you.”
Glancing at his watch Marc continued, “Since today’s time is about up I will see those of you who will are willing to work, tomorrow.”
As he left the stage Marc picked up his backpack. Lynn was standing in the aisle waiting for him. “What now?” Lynn asked.
“We’ll see how it goes tomorrow. For now, what are your plans for dinner?”
“Hey, Boo, how was your day?” Lance asked.
“I’ve had better.”
“What went wrong?”
“The symphony went on a mini work stoppage.”
“What?”
“It seems some of the musicians felt it was beneath their position to have some hick from Wisconsin to come in to their world.”
“Oh, what did you do?”
“Rehearsal was in Avery Fisher Hall. When no one wanted to rehearse I went and rehearsed on my own.”
“How?” Lance asked, puzzled as to what Marc meant.
“They have a super organ there.”
Lance had to laugh. He knew Marc’s passion for a great organ, pipe organ that is.
As they talked Marc detected an edginess to Lance’s voice.
“How did your meeting with Lou go?”
“That fat ass hole!”
Marc was surprised by Lance’s outburst. “What did he do now?”
“He’s ruined our holidays.”
“I thought you guys were going to be able to spend the holidays with your families.”
“That was the plan until he dropped the bomb. He’s scheduled three Millennium concerts.”
“What?”
“Millennium Concerts. To ring in the new Millennium Lou has scheduled three concerts. They are scheduled on December 29, 30, and New Years Eve.”
“That’s not so bad. What’s the problem?”
“The concerts are in Hawaii.”
“Wow!” Marc said. “That’s great.”
“Not when we need to leave for Hawaii the day before Christmas.”
“Ouch! That sucks.”
“Yeah, tell me. We were all looking forward to finally spending the holidays with our families.”
“How far has the planning gone?” Marc asked.
“I think they have just started. I got the feeling Johnny didn’t know anything about it until Lou told us.”
“Can I make a suggestion?”
“Sure,” Lance said hoping for a miracle.
“I’m sure you guys were vocal about messing up your Christmas. So Lou has a good idea how you guys feel.”
Lance chuckled, “That’s an understatement.”
“Since Lou is taking you away from your families why not take your families with you?”
“To Hawaii?”
“Sure, why not. Have everyone fly in two or three days before Christmas and have everyone plan to stay until a few days after the New Year. You all get to spend the holidays with your families. And they can be there with you all; to welcome in the new Millennium.”
“That just might work,” Lance said thoughtfully. “How will it affect our plans?”
“It will work out great for me. Tokyo to Honolulu is half the distance than from Tokyo to Orlando.”
“So we can still spend the holidays together,” Lance said with some relief.
The next day Marc arrived at Rosie’s studio carrying a suitcase. During the morning meeting Marc’s suitcase was brought up. He explained that it was just some change of clothes he needed to keep in his dressing room. He had decided to resume his early morning running regiment and he would run to the studio each morning.
His rehearsal with the symphony went much better than the day before. He did get weary looks when he set his trumpet down next to the podium. During a break he was asked about the trumpet. Needless to say Marc ended up in an impromptu jam session with some of the musicians.
Lance had an early morning meeting with the guys and he told them about Marc’s suggestion. They loved the idea and called Johnny and told him about the idea. He agreed it sounded like a good idea but pointed out they had to sell Lou on the idea. Their next call was to set up a meeting with Lou.
Marc had just returned to his hotel room when his phone started to ring.
“Hello,” Marc said.
“Oh good. I finally got you. Marc, I need your help,” a somewhat recognizable female voice said.
“Brit?”
“Oh! Sorry. I forget my manners at times. Let me try this again. Hello, Marc. This is Britney. I need your help. Do you have any plans for tonight?”
Marc started to laugh as a feeling of deja vu set in. “What can I do for you?”
“I need an escort. Justin had planned to fly up for this but Lou has them working in the studio and he can’t get free.”
“Where am I escorting you to tonight?” Marc asked.
The guys had started working on the new album. They got Lou to agree to the Hawaii trips if they would agree to start the new album right away. They agreed to start right away only if they could take their lunch break during the time Rosie’s show was on.
Rosie and Marc worked well together. Rosie spent a good deal of time in her opening remarks talking with Marc and talked again with him after each break.
It was on Thursday when everyone gathered for their morning meeting when Joey came in carrying a newspaper.
Glancing nervously between Justin and Lance he cleared his throat. “Ah, Justin, have you talked to Britney lately?”
“No. Not in a couple days. I think she is still in New York. Why?”
“Ah, she made the press,” Joey said as he slid the paper to Justin.
Justin and Lance were sitting next to each other so Lance glanced at the paper with Justin.
“Cool!,” Justin said with a grin. “She found a date to the dinner.”
The picture was of Britney and Marc dancing at a club. The caption under the picture read, “Pop starlet kicks up her heels with a mysterious gentleman friend.”
“Marc’s going to love that,” Lance said with a grin. “Mysterious gentleman friend.”
“You both knew about it?” Joey asked.
Both Justin and Lance nodded.
“I couldn’t get away,” Justin said. “So I suggested she try to get a hold of Marc.”
“Marc told me about it that night when we talked,” Lance added.
The next week the guys started noticing some changes in Marc’s appearance. The full beard had been reduced to a goatee and mustache. And the following week it was just the mustache.
When Lance was asked about Marc’s disappearing facial hair he just shrugged and said, “The publicity photos for the symphonic concert had Marc clean shaven.”
“I see,” Chris said. “Getting back to the look his fans expect.”
Marc had settled into a routine. He ran in the morning then did the Rosie show, which was more fun than work. Had rehearsals with the symphony, which was coming right along. Then went to the recording studio to work into the night. Arriving back at his hotel room just before eleven. He would call Lance each night to discuss their days. As the days turned into weeks their nightly chats became shorter and shorter. Lance was spending long hours in the studio and Marc seemed to be running constantly. They were both exhausted each night. Their day's activities became less important. They spent their short time just telling each other how much they missed each other and how much they loved each other.
Near the end of the second week Marc had actually finished his work early. He gave Lance a call at home but only got the answering machine. He left a message that he had called. Marc knew Lance and the guys were in the studio working on the new album and had started rehearsal for the upcoming award show. He didn’t want to take a chance of disturbing them.
It was after midnight when Lance returned the call. Lance sounded exhausted so Marc cut their conversation short. “You sound like you need some rest.”
“I do. I’m about to fall asleep while I’m talking to you. I’m sorry.”
“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” Marc said. “You just get some sleep.”
“all right, Boo. I love you.”
“I love you, too,” Marc said softly. “I’ll see you in my dreams.”
“K, goodnight.”
“Sweet dreams, love,” Marc said before he hung up.
As Marc lay back in his bed he took several cleansing breaths before shutting his eyes. He wasn’t sure his idea would work but he needed to be with Lance. The vale of sleep descended over him. His room faded around him to be replaced by a soft warm breeze and the distinctive smell of the ocean. Slowly opening his eyes Marc smiled at the pristine white beach before him. The sound of laughter behind him caused Marc to turn around.
“You really have a thing for beaches,” the visitor said shaking his head.
“I’ve brought Lance here before,” Marc said as he walked to greet his friend. “How have you been, Matt?”
“Doing real good. What are you up to?”
“I’m in New York working for a few weeks.”
“Oh. And I take it Lance isn’t with you.”
“No,” Marc sighed.
“How long has it been?”
Kicking the sand with his foot Marc mumbled, “Almost two weeks.”
Matt laughed, “And I take it the only relief you’ve had is you right hand.”
Marc blushed as he began to grin.
“How do you handle it when your Joey is on the road?”
“The same way you are about to.”
“I wasn’t sure if the distance would be a factor,” Marc confessed.
“In here, distance has no effect. I’m not even from your reality and I’m here. You will find almost anything could happen in here.”
“I know. I’ve talked to my brothers in here.”
Matt was confused. He knew some of Marc’s background and he didn’t know of any brothers.
Marc saw Matt’s confusion. “My brothers were killed in a automobile accident.”
“If they're dead how could you bring them here?”
“I didn’t. They were sent by the big guy,” Marc said as he pointed to the sky.
“Wow! I’ve never had that happen to me. I mean I’ve never been visited by someone who’s dead.”
“I had only planned to show Lance what I remembered about my little brother.”
“You can create anything in here. But usually you control everything in here.”
“Yeah, he was only supposed to be an empty shell. I just wanted him to see the boy I was remembering.”
“But he turned out to be more than an empty shell,” Matt said with some understanding.
“A lot more.”
“Okay,” Matt sighed. “Is there a chance your brothers will show up tonight?”
“I never know when they will show up.”
“This is starting to freak me out,” Matt said as he looked around him.
“I don’t believe they will be showing up. At least I hope not with what I’ve got planned.”
Matt grinned, knowing what Marc was planning. “Well, then I think I should move on.”
“Well I was wondering if you would stick around for a little while. I’ve told Lance about you but I’m not sure if he believes me.”
After hanging up on Marc, Lance stumbled into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He was practically sleepwalking as he fell into bed. Pulling Marc’s pillow into a hug he inhaled deeply as he drift off.
Giving the pillow another hug he noticed a different feel. The pillow was no longer cool to the touch but warm. And the pillowcase was tickling his nose. And what was wrong with that damn alarm clock; the ticking was so loud. No it wasn’t ticking. It was a heartbeat. The pillow had a heartbeat. Wait! Pillows don’t have heartbeats. Taking a deep breath to clear his head a bolt of energy seemed to flow through him. Strong arms wrapped around him, holding him as the energy continued.
“James, relax, you’re safe,” Marc whispered.
“Marc?” Lance managed to mumble as the energy filled every fiber of his being.
“Yes, love,” Marc said as he gave Lance a kiss behind the ear.
The surge of energy ended and Lance managed to open his eyes. Looking up he saw Marc’s smiling face looking down at him. “This is a good dream. Is it yours or mine?”
Leaning back Lance was able to look around. “Ah! It’s one of your special dreams.”
“I couldn’t wait to be with you,” Marc said as he gave Lance a kiss.
Matt rolled his eyes, as the kiss between the couple in front of him seemed to go on forever.
Lance was really into the tongue action he was getting from Marc when he heard a cough.
Marc broke the kiss and blushed. “I forgot we weren’t alone.”
A raised eyebrow was Lance’s first reaction. Slowly he turned to see a man standing about thirty yards down the beach watching them. The man smiled and gave a little wave.
“Ah, Boo. Who’s that?”
“Someone I wanted you to meet.”
Lance looked from the guy on the beach then to Marc. “That’s not your brother. Is it?”
“No,” Marc laughed. Taking Lance’s hand he lead him toward Matt. “Lance, I want you to meet your Uncle-in-law, Matt.”
Lance gave Marc a ‘you must be out of your mind,' look.
Matt had to laugh at Lance. “It’s good to meet you Lance. In a way Marc is right. In my reality you are married to my niece.”
A light went on in his head when he remembered Marc’s story about the dream walker he met. “Matt. Matt, you’re boyfriend is Joey. Right?”
“No, not quite. Joey is my husband, not my boyfriend.”
“He is? Wow! . . . . So in your reality there is a group, *Nsync?”
“Yes. In my reality and many others *Nsync is there.”
“There is no doubt about it James. *Nsync was meant to be,” Marc said softly into Lance’s ear.
They talked a little about the guys in Matt’s reality. Lance was surprised to find out that Matt and Joey was raising a family.
Marc’s pleading look gave Matt the hint it was time to go. After a quick good-bye Matt turned to walk up the beach, vanishing as if he had walked through a door.
Turning in Marc’s arms Lance said, “Finally alone. . . . We are alone? Aren’t we?”
“Yes. Just you and me and . . . “ Marc drew Lance’s attention to the big bed under the palm tree.
Chris and Joey slowly drug their tired bodies into the rehearsal hall. Between working on their new CD they had to prepare for their upcoming MTV award show. They were doing a number with Britney and were being put through their paces by Brit’s choreographer, Wade Robson.
“Good morning, all,” Lance sang as he quickly strolled into the rehearsal hall. The biggest grin plastered on his face.
Chris and Joey looked at each other. “What’s with him?” Chris asked.
Joey shrugged, “If I didn’t know better. I’d say he got laid.”
Chris gave Lance a weary eye. “No way,” they both said.
Marc was all smiles when he walked into Rosie’s morning production meeting. His mood was so good he failed to notice that the meeting that morning was unusually short. Rosie and Marc went through their now usual banter, Rosie taking notice of diminishing facial hair. He was now sporting only a mustache.
After taking her seat behind her desk Rosie deviated from this morning's planned topics.
“Marc, it seems you are getting quite a following out there.” Rosie started to pull out stack after stack of letters from under her desk.
Marc rolled his eyes as Rosie opened a couple fan letters and read them. They were the run of the mill letters from prepubescent teenage girls, stating how handsome they thought he was and asking if he had a girlfriend.
Marc managed to retain his composure and managed to answer the questions. It went on like this through several more letters.
Then Rosie picked up a letter. With a devilish grin she started to read;
Dear Rosie,
We are sending this to you because we want to set straight some common misconceptions about your guest bandleader, Marc Newman. He has come across as this sophisticated, handsome, talented, musician, composer, and director.
After spending some time with him, we think it is time to let the world know just how far off their thinking really is. As proof we are sending along a short video to prove what kind of guy he really is.
Rosie looked over to Marc. His face had lost most of its color. Chuckling she continued:
Marc, my friend. We are doing this not to hurt you but to help get your head out of the clouds and you feet back on the ground.
Your friends and former employers,
Chris, Justin, Lance, JC, and Joey
Marc managed to put a smile on his face.
Chuckling Rosie turned to the monitor, “Dan, will you roll the film?”
Marc held his breath as the film started. The film was made up of clips from Chris and Joey’s camcorders. They had put together a montage of clips they had taken while on tour. It wasn’t as bad as he had feared. There was a lot of clips of him just acting silly with the guys. It did get a little racy when they included some shots of him out running, showing more skin then he would have liked shown on network tv. This brought a lot of whistles and catcalls from the audience. Marc was sure that all the embarrassing clips had been shown. That was until the quality of the video greatly improved. A clip from the last show of the tour came on. Marc moaned when he saw himself dressed as the wild, longhaired drummer of the opening act. Thankfully they didn’t show the whole set just the parts showing him at his wildest.
Marc had to sit through another five minutes of good-nature ribbing from Rosie. Of particular interest was the many tattoos he displayed in the last clip.
Marc insisted the tattoos were fake but the audience wanted proof. Marc rolled up his sleeves to show he had no tattoos. The audience wanted more proof; they wanted him to take off his shirt.
After prodding from Rosie and the other members of the band Marc agreed to do it. He stood behind his keyboard and started to unbutton his shirt. Just as he started to undo the last two button the band started playing a bump and grind version of the stripper.
A death glare from Marc quickly ended the music. Marc removed his shirt accompanied by a drum roll. The catcalls and whistles gave Marc a major blush.
The guys of *Nsync had taken their break so they could watch The Rosie Show. Most of them were rolling in their seats with laughter. The only one that wasn’t was Lance.
“That was so good,” Chris howled.
“Yeah,” Joey agreed. “It was the best yet.”
The laughter had died down and most everyone was finishing their lunch. All of a sudden Lance started to giggle.
The guys looked at him as though he had lost his mind.
“What’s with you, Scoop?” JC asked.
“You guys are so dead,” Lance chuckled. “I wouldn’t want to be in your shoes when Marc gets a hold of you two.”
Chris and Joey looked at each other. “Do you think he is pissed at us?” Chris asked.
“No. I don’t think he is pissed. But when it comes to revenge,” Lance shook his head. “I’m just glad I’m not you two.”
Later in the day Marc gave Lance a call.
“Hi, love. Can you talk?”
“Hey, Marc,” Lance said loud enough for the others to hear. “What are you up to?”
“I’m on my way to the studio. Just got finished with the symphony.”
“How are you?”
“I’m okay,” Marc said softly.
“I mean about this morning.”
“I’m fine. It was just another show.”
“All right,” Lance said knowing Marc’s calm demure hid his true feelings. “I got word today that you guys have been booked on Rosie’s show.”
“Yeah, we found out today also.”
“When are you guys coming?”
“They have us scheduled in the dance studio the rest of the week. We will be flying in on Monday.”
“Monday! I have to wait until Monday before I can hold you in my arms.”
“I’m sorry, Boo. It looks like you will have to wait.”
“I don’t want to wait,” Marc said in his bratty little boy voice.
Lance laughed, “I don’t want to either. But there is nothing I can do.”
Marc was quiet for a long time. Finally he heard a long sigh come from Marc’s end.
“I guess. There is always the beach.”
“Really?” Lance asked eagerly. “Maybe tonight?”
Marc chuckled, “It won’t work.”
“Why?”
“If you are anticipating the beach you won’t relax enough for me to bring you over.”
“So I’ll never know when we are going to meet.”
“That’s the way it works,” Marc said.
“That sucks,” Lance now was the bratty little boy.
“James, I have to go. I’ll see you on Monday when you get here.”
“Okay, Boo. I love you.”
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Marc was in the studio laying down the last of the instrumental tracks. It had been a grueling process but the end was in sight. Turning to the producer in the control booth Marc’s face broke into a wide grin.
“Angel!” Marc shouted as he dashed into the control booth. He scooped up the teenage girl into a hug. Her arms went around Marc’s neck as she was swung in a circle. The death glare coming from what had to be her manager made Marc loosen his hold on the girl.
“Sorry,” Marc said as he let go of his friend.
“Miss Church has had a long trip. We just stopped by to see if everything was ready for tomorrow?” the Manager asked.
“Yes, we’re all set,” the producer said.
“Are you done here?” asked Charlotte.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Come with us. I’ve been waiting so long to be able to talk with you in person.”
And talk they did. Until jet lag caught up with Charlotte. Marc’s hard work with the symphony had paid off allowing him to clear the next three days so he could be in the studio with Charlotte. Marc only had one show with Rosie the next morning then he was free till Monday. With luck Charlotte could lay down most all the tracks that weekend leaving the next week to polish it.
Late Friday afternoon the producer called a supper break after Charlotte had competed the last of her solo recordings.
“This has gone a lot smoother then I expected,” Marc said as he stretched his legs.
Charlotte came into the control booth and gave Marc a hug. “The music is perfect.”
“Thank you,” Marc replied giving her a hug.
“Now comes the fun part,” the producer chuckled.
“The duets? No one would tell me who is going to be singing with you.”
“Well, . . . . I was hoping you would do them with me,” Charlotte said shyly.
“Are you out of your mind? You need to get someone who is a singer.”
“You’re a singer,” Charlotte threw back at him. “I’ve heard you sing and I know you can do this.”
“You need someone who is known in the business.”
“Okay, let’s take a time out here,” the producer injected. “Let’s go have something to eat then the three of us come back here and let's run through the songs. You will never know if this would work or not until you try. If it doesn't work out we still have time to get someone else.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Charlotte said smugly.
“Well, . . . . . I guess it wouldn’t hurt to try,” Marc said as he rubbed his nick.
“Good, lets go eat,” Charlotte said.
Marc leaned in and whispered, “Watch it Angel, your hallow is starting to slip off those horns of yours.”
“Nana, I’m home,” the precocious six year old shouted as he came around the corner of the house.
“Over here, dear,” the frail white haired woman answered. She was kneeling beside one of her flower beds, battling pesky weeds.
The boy ran over to his grandmother throwing his arms around her neck and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
“How was school today?” she asked.
“It was fun. I like my new teacher. Ms. Carol is really neat.”
“That’s nice dear,” the old lady said as she struggled to get to her feet. The boy tried to help steady her but he was much too small to be of any real help.
“Nana, I can pull the weeds for you. You don’t have to do it. It’s too hard for you to get up.”
“Pshaw, I’m all right. I love working in my garden. And a little stiffness in the knees is nothing.”
The boy helped her to a nearby lawn chair. “Can I get you anything?” he asked.
“No dear, I just want to sit here and enjoy my garden.”
“Did mama call today?”
“Yes, she called during lunch.”
“How is she?”
“She is having a good day. She sends her love and can’t wait to see you on Sunday.”
“I wish tomorrow was Sunday,” the boy pouted.
“I know dear,” the old woman said taking the boy into her arms.
The boy enjoyed the snuggle for a couple minutes. “Isn’t Mama's birthday coming up soon?”
“Yes dear in five weeks. Why?”
“I was thinking about something special to get her,” the boy said.
The woman looked at the boy skeptically, “We don’t have a lot of money for a gift.”
“It’s not going to cost anything.”
“Then what is this gift you want to give your mama?”
“You know Mama likes to listen to her favorite musical group. I thought I could write them a letter and ask for their picture.”
The old lady smiled, “That would be the perfect present for your mama.”
“I just don’t know where to send the letter,” the boy admitted.
The old lady thought for a moment, “Maybe if we looked in one of your mother's magazines we can find the address.”
The old woman and the boy went into the house. After rummaging around on the coffee table the boy found what he was looking for. He sat with Nana at the kitchen table. Turning the pages he came to the one he was looking for. “There, that’s them.”
Looking at the page the boy was pointing at she chuckled. “My, what a strange name.”
The boy looked up at the woman. “That’s the ones she likes. That’s *Nsync.”
Marc crawled into his bed with his cell. Pushing the speed dial he waited for Lance to pick up.
“Hi, love,” Lance said softly.
“Oh, why can’t it be Monday?”
“Because it’s only Saturday,” Lance chuckled. “It’s only two more days and we will be together.”
Marc let out a big sigh. “I know it’s just been a ruff day. How are your rehearsals coming?”
“Man, Wade, our new choreographer, is working our butts off.”
“The question is, is it going to be worth it?” Marc asked.
“Oh yea! The number we are doing with Britney is so hot.”
“Then I’m looking forward to seeing this number in person.”
“Did you get tickets? I tried to get you a ticket but was told there were none available.”
“Rosie had it covered. She got tickets for me and Angel.”
“Angel? Should I be jealous?”
Marc laughed. “Even though I love her like a little sister. She is lacking certain physical traits I prefer in a lover. Not to mention she's jail bait.”
Marc heard a snicker from the other end of the phone.
“Boo, are you all right?”
“Yeah, why?”
“Your voice sounds raspy. You’re not coming down with anything? Are you?”
“No. Just tired.”
“I’ll let you get some rest.”
“Okay. I love you, James. And I’ll see you on Monday.”
“I love you, too. I’ll be seeing you soon. Bye love.”
“Bye, James.”
Lance cuddled his phone to his chest. “I’ll see you sooner then you think.”
Sunday turned out to not be as hectic as the previous few days. Marc was able to sleep in till a little after ten. After a leisurely brunch Marc took a walk through Central Park, enjoying the sunny day. At two he was back in the studio with Angel putting the finishing touches on the last track.
“Okay you two, that’s a wrap,” the producer said over his mike.
“Is that it?” Marc asked.
Angel nodded, “For now at least.”
Letting out a long sigh Marc said, “Just one more week of Rosie. My concerts that next week and I’m free for a month. I’m so ready for some time off.”
“Who you kidding?” Angel laughed.
The producer took Marc and Charlotte out to dinner to celebrate the new album. Marc saw Angel to her room then stepped back on the elevator to go up the two floors to his room. When the elevator doors opened he was met by a very large man.
“Hi, Frank. What are you doing here?” Marc asked of the security guard that had traveled with the *Nsync tour.
“Doing my job, Marc. Backstreet is staying on this floor.”
“Really? Are any of them in?”
“Howie is down the hall. Room 1523.”
“Thanks, I’ll go say hi.”
Marc knocked on the door of room 1523.
“Yes,” the voice from inside answered.
“Room Service.”
The door opened, “I didn’t order any room. . . . service. Marc!”
Kevin and Brian each had hold of their imbibed band mate as the rode the elevator up to their floor.
“Come on A.J., we’re almost there,” Kevin said as the elevator doors opened. As they turned down the hall they saw Howie hugging another man.
“It’s Marc,” Brian said as they neared their friends.
A.J. looked up and tried to focus on the two hugging men down the hall. “Damn, not another fucking faggot,” A.J. slurred.
The door at the end of the hall opened. Lance steeped out to check out the voices in the hall. He saw Howie and Marc in an embrace and Kevin, Brian, and A.J. approaching them. Just then he noticed A.J. pull his arm back.
“Marc! Look out!” Lance shouted.
Marc turned toward Lance’s voice; not aware of the fist flying toward him. The next instant everything went dark.
TBC
I know. I’m bad.
** Matt is a crossover character from my story Route 66 Rocks. If you haven't read it why not check it out.
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