Affairs of the Heart
Written by Jayson Colin Vascardi
Legal Disclaimer: This story is completely fictional and not meant to reflect upon or imply anything about any of the celebrities mentioned herein. If you are offended by material of a homosexual nature, or if such material is illegal to view in your area, then you should be leaving now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story!
My email: JCVascardi@yahoo.com or JCVascardi@bsbnsync.com
Please include "Affairs" in the email subject line. All emails will be answered.
ICQ: 53886549
AIM: JCVascardi


Previously

The Smith family, Scott and the Hall twins have a very unpleasant meeting with the family attorney, Jonas Kensington. He insists that it's imperative that the late Donald Smith's will be read immediately, before he's even in the grave.  He says that this is necessary not only so that Smith Industries doesn't suffer financially, but also that it's necessary from a legal standpoint. At this point Diana disagrees with him, knowing of no legal reason as to why it is so imperative that the will be read before Donald is buried. Diana is of course at this point two weeks away from obtaining a PhD in Law from Harvard Law School. But, Jonas Kensington, the chauvinistic idiot of a man that he is, tells Diana to stop waiving fake degrees in his face and to go back to the kitchen where she belongs. At one point he even says that it is the will of God for women to remain in the kitchen barefoot, cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Suffice it to say, that Diana is not one bit pleased with Jonas at the moment, which is only proven when she fires him from the service of both the Smith family, and Smith Industries, and has the security guards remove him from the property.

Nick and Brian handle the press in a press conference at the Plaza Hotel. Obviously by this point word of the drive-by shooting had gotten out, and someone needed to make a statement. Nick and Brian tell the press that Kevin is to distraught and in mourning having just lost his wife, otherwise he would have been at the press conference. The fact that Kristin was pregnant at the time of her death did somehow get out, and Nick and Brian confirm that Kevin is now indeed a single parent.

The Smith family, Scott, and the Hall twins have a conversation while eating breakfast, and then after awhile Zachary gets up and leaves for the high school. At the high school, Zachary passes on to his students his immense displeasure with them, considering that everyone failed the midterm exam. He then introduces the class to his choice for substitute teacher, Mrs. Agatha Bradshaw, who is known among the students as Lady Hitler. She is probably one of the meanest and most strict substitute teachers in the world.

Diana, Scott, and Bruce talk, and then Mrs. Lansbury comes in with a phone. Diana in turn speaks with Kevin on the phone while they exchange information about the funerals of Donald Smith and Kristin Willits-Richardson. Meanwhile, Scott makes love to Kerr.

Later, in Donald Smith's bedroom, Mrs. Lansbury is cleaning and accidentally finds a prescription bottle belonging to the late Donald Smith. The prescription is for Glyceryl Trinitrate, aka Nitroglycerin, which is used for chronic angina or heart disease. She is totally shocked, because she certainly never knew that Donald Smith had any heart problems, as he had always seemed to be the picture of perfect health. Seth and Diana are both more then a little shocked about it as well, though Diana replies that it does explain why Donald had suffered a massive heart attack and died. Up until now she hadn't been able to figure out why he had had one.

Two days later, Kristin's funeral takes place in Lexington. She's wearing a very beautiful white silk and lace dress that makes her look almost like an angel. Around her neck is an antique locket with pictures of Kevin, Jeremy, and Jordan in it. Ashley lets it slip that he's only been in love once, though if he had lost either of them, he wouldn't have known what to do. Kevin asks if that was a contradiction, and Ashley tells him he'll explain later. Kevin thanks Ashley for saving his life again, and once again kisses Ashley on the lips, taking a moment to lick Ashley's lower lip with his tongue. A few days later, everyone is standing around at the family burial plot, as Donald Smith's coffin is lowered into his grave, next to his beloved Katherine. The Smith family all symbolically lay Donald to rest by throwing handfuls of earth down onto his coffin.

Chapter 11

Two days have passed since the funeral of Donald Preston Smith. Most of the members of the Backstreet Boys and *NSYNC have headed back to Orlando, and Kevin's family back to Lexington. However, Kevin, Jordan, Jeremy, Brian, and Lance have stayed at the Smith mansion. Brian stayed because he feels that it is necessary for him to be at Kevin's side right now, what with Kristin's passing. Lance because he would never go anywhere without Brian. And Kevin, well, he tries to deny it to himself, but the reason he stayed, is because he wants to be near Ashley.

Kerr, Diana, Ashley, Zachary, Seth, Bruce, and Scott all sit around the table in the library, with the new family lawyer at the head of the table. The new lawyer, Brad Winthrop, is someone whom all the Smiths felt that they could trust implicitly, and get along with much better then any of them ever did with Jonas Kensington, mainly because Brad Winthrop is the late Katherine Winthrop-Smith's younger brother. Donald Smith hadn't hired Brad Winthrop originally, because he was only 10 years old when he and Katherine married, and hence was not old enough to be a lawyer when Donald hired Jonas Kensington. But now, at 28 years old, he has graduated from law school, and has become a rather successful attorney.

"Alright, Brad, let's get this over with," replies Ashley. Ashley and Zachary have never referred to Brad as 'Uncle Brad' because since there's only 2 years between them, they grew up more like brothers then uncle and nephews.

Brad nods to Ashley, and begins to read the Last Will and Testament of Donald Preston Smith.

He reads:

I, Donald P. Smith, of the city of Middlebury, County of Addison, State of Vermont, being of sound mind, memory and understanding, and mindful of the uncertainties of life, do hereby make, publish, and declare this to be my Last Will and Testament, hereby revoking any other wills or codicils by me made.

Article 1.
It is my will and I direct that my funeral expenses and expenses of administration of my estate, be paid by the Executor of my Will, hereinafter named, before any other distribution is named.

Article 2.
All of the rest, residue and remainder of my estate, I herewith will, devise, and bequeath as follows:

a) To my son, Ashley Smith, the sum of $15,000,000, 5% of Smith Industries, Incorporated, and 25% ownership of the family home in Middlebury, Vermont, if he survives me.
b) To my son, Zachary Smith, the sum of $15,000,000, 5% of Smith Industries, Incorporated, and 25% ownership of the family home in Middlebury, Vermont, if he survives me.
c) To my daughter, Diana Smith, the sum of $10,000,000, 51% of Smith Industries, Incorporated, and 25% ownership of the family home in Middlebury, Vermont, if she survives me.
d) To my nephew, Kerr Smith, the sum of $10,000,000, and 25% ownership of the family home in Middlebury, Vermont, if he survives me.
e) To Seth Hall, the sum of $10,000,000, if he survives me.
f) To Bruce Hall, the sum of $10,000,000, if he survives me.
g) To Scott Foley, the sum of $10,000,000, if he survives me.
h) To my brother-in-law, Brad Winthrop, the sum of $10,000,000, if he survives me.
i) To the Association for Children and the Enforcement of Support, the sum of $75,000,000, in addition to 2% of the yearly profits of Smith Industries, Inc for the next 25 years.
j) To the St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, the sum of $75,000,000, in addition to 2% of the yearly profits of Smith Industries, Inc for the next 25 years.
k) To Middlebury College, the sum of $75,000,000, in addition to 2% of the yearly profits of Smith Industries, Inc for the next 25 years to create and maintain the Katherine Winthrop-Smith Memorial Scholarship.
l) If any monetary portion of my estate devised and bequeathed in sub-paragraphs 'a' through 'h' above be undisposed of, by way of lapsed legacy or otherwise, then I give, devise, and bequeath such portion to the beneficiaries mentioned in sub-paragraphs 'i' through 'k' inclusive, in proportion to their respective legacies.
m) If any other portion of my estate devised and bequeathed in sub-paragraphs 'a' through 'h' above be undisposed of, by way of lapsed legacy or otherwise, then I give, devise, and bequeath such portion to the other beneficiaries mentioned in sub-paragraphs 'a' through 'h' inclusive, in proportion to their respective legacies.

----

Meanwhile, upstairs at the Smith Mansion, Brian sits alone with Kevin, the two of them having a rather serious discussion.

"Kevin what is going on with you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I think you know what I mean, Kev."

"No, I don't, Bri, enlighten me."

"There's something going on between you and Ashley isn't there?"

"Me and Ashley? Brian, of course not. Where on Earth would you get an idea like that?"

"Hmm, perhaps because I happened to walk by the door of the viewing room at the funeral parlor and see you kissing Ashley on the lips?"

Kevin looks at Brian, with a look that makes it quite clear that he was not only caught of guard, but is now speechless.

"Answer me, Kevin."

"What do you want me to say?"

"Well for starters, do you have feelings for Ashley?"

Just as Kevin as about to say something, Jordan starts crying, followed shortly after by Jeremy, and Kevin quickly gets up and leaves the room, to go and check on his sons.

Brian sits in the room alone now, and thinks to himself, "He won't admit it, but I can see it when he looks at him. Kevin likes Ashley. If I didn't know any better, I'd almost have to say that Kevin is falling for him. But that can't be, can it? I mean Kevin is straight, isn't he?"

----

Later that night, the midnight bells of the local church ring, cutting through the eerie silence of the cemetery. Soon, the sound of footsteps on one of the gravel walkways can be heard, as a person approaches the still fresh grave of Donald Preston Smith. The cemetery groundskeeper has yet to put the sod over the dirt, as it needs to settle a bit first.

The person is dressed in black from head to toe. More accurately, the woman, is dressed in a flowing black silk dress and heavy black hooded cloak, which is pulled down over her face, casting it into a shadow. In her hands, she holds a single red rose. As she stops at the grave of Donald Smith, another sound fills the air. That of the intense and very painful wail of immense sadness. The woman falls to her knees at the foot of the grave, and raises her hands to her face as she begins to sob like there was no tomorrow.

The woman doesn't speak, but simply remains at the grave for over an hour, just sobbing. Finally she stands up, places the rose on top of the grave, and turns away. She looks upward towards the full moon, and then off towards the west, where the twin towers of the replica of Notre Dame part of the Smith Mansion, and softly mumbles two words, "I'm back..."

----

To be continued...

Who is the mysterious woman in black? If you think you know, let me know, and I'll tell you if you're right or not. Until next time, stay *NSYNC.

My email: JCVascardi@yahoo.com or JCVascardi@bsbnsync.com
Please include "Affairs" in the email subject line. All emails will be answered.
ICQ: 53886549
AIM: JCVascardi