Chapter 16: New Beginnings & The Gift Of The Magi
As the guys departed the gate, they were met by hordes of
screaming fans...and Lou Pearlman. Justin and Lance gasped
as they looked up and saw the rotund man waiting for them,
with a rather irate look in his eyes.
"Where the HELL have you boys been? You can't take off
like that for a week! What were you think...",
Lou statement was cut off as Mike swung his right fist, connecting
hard with Lou's jaw, and dropping him to the floor like a
proverbial ton of bricks.
"They were singing at my lover's funeral. I believe
the two of you met a little over a month ago....his name was
Patrick. He was dying of AIDS, and you made light of it.",
Mike said angrily.
"You...you...you hit me!!", Lou stammered as he
looked up at the younger man, "I'll have you arrested!"
"Try it you sick molesting "boylover"",
Mike said as Justin and Lance gasped, "I know all about
you now. And let me tell you something. These boys are no
longer your concern. Keep your distance from them. If you
ever come near them again...we'll tell the world your dirty
little secret. The next time your skin will touch a younger
guy will be when someone puts you in your coffin. GOT IT?!?!"
Lou turned pale white and began to shake as he nodded.
"Now get the hell out of here....you make me SICK!",
Mike spat down at Lou.
Lou got up and quickly, turned and headed towards the exit
of the airport.
Mike sighed and began to sob, "Man...I'll never say
my old boss was a dick again....that man has him beaten out
in spades."
JC chuckled as he put his arm around Mike for support.
Mike turned and looked at Justin and Lance, who were still
shaken by the confrontation.
"Guys...I am sorry....that was un-cool. But I think
he might have had an idea that you had told Patrick and me,
I think he suspected from your newfound disobedience."
Lance nodded absently and Justin replied, "No problem
Mike. I've never seen anyone take him on like that. You were
madder than Patrick was when they went at it."
Mike's face went blank at the mention of his dead lover,
then he began to smile. "I bet he'd rather have dealt
with Patrick. It would have taken a lot more to get him to
swing than it took me."
Chris and Joey laughed and JC and Justin grinned. Lance just
got a sad look on his face and he picked up his bags and began
to walk towards the exit.
Mike sighed as he watched the blond bass pass and he shook
his head. 'Lance is taking this as badly as I am, I just had
months of practice and experience covering it up."
Mike grabbed his bags and nodded to the other guys and then
caught up with Lance.
"Hey Lance", Mike said as he put his free arm around
Lance's shoulder, "I am here if you wanna talk. I promised
Patrick I'd look out for you while JC and the other guys looked
out for me. Patrick loved you a lot. That's why he wanted
to try to get you to open up in your feelings for Justin so
that you wouldn't be so upset when he died. It's hard to not
love him....especially now that he's not here, huh?"
Lance looked over to Mike and saw for the first time in his
eyes how much he missed Patrick.
"You were so lucky. You lived with him for years. I
wish I could have known him longer.", Lance sighed.
'He was a good man. I'll miss all the little things he did
that made me love him more every day I knew him...from the
way he breathed when he slept, to the way he sang to me when
he thought I was asleep.", Mike said as a tear fell down
his cheek. "But he made me promise that I wouldn't remember
him and get sad. He said that those were the kind of memories
of him that he didn't want me to keep. He wanted me to let
those ones go and hang onto the happy memories...like that
day riding roller coasters...and how happy I remember him
when he was with you guys at the wedding. He told me to keep
those memories in my heart and remember him that way. He wanted
me to take a chance on starting a new life with JC. I am going
to honor him that way...I am going to pick up all the little
pieces my heart broke into when he died and try to live again.
I just hope I can."
Lance swallowed hard and sniffed. "I just need some
time I guess."
The next few weeks were hectic as the guys finally banded
together enough evidence of Lou's misappropriation of their
funds from their albums. They announced that they were leaving
their label and heading towards Jive Records. Lou was livid,
but wisely kept his distance from the guys. He was, however,
lying to the public, telling them how they were all on good
terms and that everything would be resolved.
A few days later, TransCon and Lou brought in the heavy guns,
suing the boys for $150 million dollars. The boys lawyers
strategically counter-sued, stating that they had been duped,
used by this man who claimed to be their father figure, while
all the time picking their pockets. Justin and Lance told
the lawyers about the "other matter" between them
and Lou, asking them to keep it secret, making it a last resort
means of attacking Lou's credibility.
As the weeks passed, Mike and JC grew closer, and Mike let
JC know of his interest in slowly starting out in a relationship.
JC was thrilled, having already fallen for the Mike as Patrick
had foreseen. Lance, however, was a different matter entirely.
Instead of moving on in his life as Mike was attempting to
do, Lance's life stalled, depressed over the loss of his beloved
friend Patrick. Justin tried to help break through to Lance,
but Lance would put up walls and isolate himself. As the holidays
neared, Lance retreated more and more into a shell, coming
out to only to perform and speak publicly.
On the evening of December 23rd, all the guys from NSYNC
and BSB met at Lynn's house for a small dinner party before
the guys headed to their homes for the holidays. JC and Mike
sat together on the couch talking quietly when the door swung
open and Lance walked in alone. Justin looked up and smiled
at Lance, tho his smile was met with a blank expression.
Mike got up and walked over to Lance, smiling slightly as
he saw the blond carried a guitar with him.
'I didn't know that you played guitar Lance.", Mike
said as he led Lance into the living room and sat down beside
him on the couch in front of the fireplace.
"I have been teaching myself a few songs.", Lance
said quietly.
"Hmmm", Mike smiled, "Know any good Christmas
songs?"
"That's what I have been practicing.", Lance said
with a small smile. "I was practicing some songs that
Patrick told me he loved to hear at Christmas Time."
"Really?", Mike replied with a grin, "Which
ones?"
"Country songs mostly...and traditional ones.",
Lance shrugged.
"I remember his favorite song", Mike said as the
smile fell away from his face, "It was called..."
"White Christmas Makes Me Blue by Randy Travis",
Lance said, finishing Mikes sentence.
Mike nodded. "Will you play it for us. I missed hearing
it this year."
"It won't sound very good if I sing it.", Lance
said shyly
"With your deep voice, it'll sound beautiful.",
Mike said softly
Lance nodded as tears formed in his eyes, and he picked up
the guitar out of its case. The rest of the guys gathered
around Lance and Lynn took a position behind her son, who
stood staring intently at Lance.
Lance struck the first chords, a very sad sound and tears
began to roll down both his and Mike's faces.
(White Christmas Makes Me Blue,
By Randy Travis)
I sent out Season's Greetings to
all our same old friends
The tree is trimmed and in your favorite place
I decked the boughs with holly built a snowman in the lane
I sang jingle bells in a one horse open sleigh
But White Christmas makes me blue
Every time I hear it played I think of you
I remember all the good times we knew
Now White Christmas makes me blue
I'm tryin to be happy I know you'd
want me to
Cause being sad at Christmastime ain't right
I'm keeping the traditions wishing you were here
On Christmas Eve I still sing Silent Night
But White Christmas makes me blue
Every time I hear it played I think of you
I remember all the good times we knew
Now White Christmas makes me blue
Oh...White Christmas makes me blue
As the sound of the last chord died away Mike sighed and
pulled Lance into a huge hug. As they hugged the lights in
the room began to dim slightly and the fire roared brightly.
The guys looked over in time to see the light pulse and coalesce,
spiraling and finally attaining the human form of their departed
friend.
"That was so beautiful, Lance", Patrick said as
he walked over to the sofa. Lance's eyes widened and he shook
his head.
"Thank you for playing my song."
"Patrick? Is that really you?", he whispered.
Patrick shook his head and leaned over, embracing Lance and
Mike.
"How", Mike asked, "you died."
"Lance's Christmas wish was to see me...just once more.
And...anything is possible at Christmas.", Patrick's
spirit said with a smile. "The greater spirits have requested
my assistance on Christmas Eve and so I was granted some time
here with you all tonite, to make Lance's wish come true.
You see...in life, I got to know all of you, and I knew there
was a purpose behind it. This purpose is to help someone in
your lives take a second look at life, and the choices that
have been made. I have been given the opportunity to repay
the debt I owed you all in life for helping me through my
last days."
Lance's face was covered in tears as he looked up to Patrick.
"You never woke up...I was there...you broke your promise...and
faced death alone."
"Oh Lance", Patrick said as a tear fell from his
eye, "I knew you were there, you holding my right hand,
and Nicky there was holding my left. I couldn't wake up to
tell you how much I loved you before I died. I wanted to so
bad, but I just couldn't get awake."
Lance began to sob, his small body racked with shakes. Patrick
sat beside him and pulled his chin up to face him, "I
love you still....you know...I'll never stop. But you promised
me something too...", Patrick and Lance looked over at
Justin who face was red and puffy. "Hey Curly...c'mere."
Justin smiled and walked over, sitting down between Lance
and Patrick.
"...you promised me that you would give your love with
Justin a chance. He loves you so much...and it hurts him to
see you sad and in pain.", Patrick finished
"I love you, Lansten", Justin said quietly, "please
don't shut me out."
Lance's closed his eyes for a second, and as he opened them
and looked into Justin's eyes, he realized how much love Justin
had for him down in his heart. Lance knew he was wrong in
shutting out his friends and his hope for love with Justin
because of Patrick's death, and knew now that his life would
move forward and that he would be able to let go.
"I love you too, Justin", Lance said quietly, "I
just never realized how much til now."
Patrick smiled at the two young men as they held each other
and then he looked over at Mike and JC.
"Hey JC...is Mike keepin' ya straight?", Patrick
grinned and the whole room burst into laughter as JC blushed.
"Nope", JC chuckled, still blushing furiously,
"He's making me very happy tho. I love him...like you
said I would."
Patrick smiled and nodded, "I am glad of it. Be true
to each other and everything will be fine for you two."
Nick walked over to Patrick then and threw his arms around
him, "I miss you so much....but I can feel that you're
with me sometimes...ya know?"
Patrick smiled and kissed Nick lightly on the lips, "I
am only as far away as inside your heart. And I keep an eye
out on all of you."
"Speaking of that....Nice 'stick and move' at the airport,
Mike. Man....Lou never saw it comin'! You beat him like a
rented mule! Whoo I was totally impressed. That wasn't one
that I taught you, was it?"
Mike grinned and blushed scarlet as the guys began to chuckle
then he rolled his eyes in his head, "I knew you wouldn't
let that one go by. Yeah. You taught me that move. He.....got
what he deserved."
"Well..", Patrick said under his breath, "He's
gonna get more than that sooner than he knows."
The clock rang then and Patrick looked over, and sighed seeing
the time.
"I am almost out of time, guys", Patrick said sadly,
"there's time for one last dance."
Mike and JC smiled as Lance looked away from Justin and stared
sadly at Patrick.
Patrick got up and waved his hands in the air, and a song
began to play on the speakers. He then walked over to Justin
and Lance.
"Curly, do you mind if I have Lance for this dance?",
Patrick asked quietly.
Justin smiled and nodded and Lance got up and began to slow
dance with Patrick.
("This Winter's Night....by
Sarah McLaughlin)
The lamp is burning low upon my
table top
Snow is softly falling
The air is still in the silence of my room
I hear your voice softly calling
If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
On this winters night with you
The smoke is rising in the shadows
overhead
My glass is almost empty
I read again between the lines upon each page
The words of love you send me
If I could know within my heart
That you were lonely too
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
On this winters night with you
The fire is dying...my lamp is growing
dim
The shades of night are lifting
The morning light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are drifting
If I could only have you near
To breathe a sigh or two
I would be happy just to hold the hands I love
On this winters night with you
And to be once again with you...
Lance swayed with Patrick and smiled as he realized Patrick
was singing the song softly to him like Mike had said he used
to do. As Patrick sang the last verse, Lance began to cry,
realizing that Patrick's time to fulfill his wish was done
and that it was time for him to leave. As the last strains
of the song ended, Lance felt another set of arms circle his
waist, and realized it was Justin. Lance then looked up, and
saw Patrick's face stained with tears as his body began to
dissolve.
"I'll always love you Lance. You and Justin take care
of each other.", Patrick said and a slight smile came
to his face.
"See ya around you guys", Patrick said to the room
and the guys smiled through their tears.
"Patrick....", Lance cried sadly as he watched
Patrick's light dissipate.
"No goodbye's Lance....I'll see ya around.", Patrick
voice said and then he was gone.
Lance looked up and nodded his head, "See ya around
Patrick."
-The End-
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