DISCLAIMER: Fiction, everything is fiction. Celebrities are used as fictional characters. This story is a romantic story between men. Don't remove from this site without permission from the author. That would be me.

NOTES: Congratulations to Lincoln who won the contest due to his ability to blind someone with a credit card. He will be featured in an upcoming chapter. Thanks to everyone who entered the contest and for the continued support of BR.

Until further notice I will be having my friend post this story for me due to some unforeseen problems with my computer. Until I correct the mistake I will be unable to answer any emails that you might send. I apologize for this in advance and I only hope continued support for this story. Roguewolf

Scott shut the door behind him. A trail of cigarette smoke followed him down the hall. What Gabriel didn't know wouldn't hurt him he thought as he waited for the elevator. But he had to have some real food.

Gabriel followed a strict diet and Scott couldn't find anything to eat in the apartment. He figured while Gabriel was at that benefit, he could slip out and get some food more to his liking. Cursing that he still couldn't figure out what was wrong with his phone, he hoped that Gabriel wouldn't call while he was out.

After taking the elevator down, he walked to his car. Pulling out of the parking garage, he headed towards his favorite restaurant. Tsia, an authentic Korean restaurant off of second street in downtown Harrisburg a favorite haunt of his for two years. He knew the owners well and they always cooked him special dishes that weren't on the menu.

The one trouble was finding parking within walking distance of the popular restaurant. He cruised around downtown for half an hour before finding a space three blocks away. Checking to make sure he has his gun, he locked the car and made his way down an alley.

Harrisburg was a relatively safe town to walk in. Two years earlier, after major renovations of the area, a person could walk safely all hours of the night. He felt comfortable, as it was not even dark yet.

The alley was cloaked in shadow; the fading light blocked by the tall buildings. After only walking twenty yards down the alley, he heard a noise behind him. A sound like footsteps following him. He reached for his pistol and started to turn around. Then everything went black and he fell to the pavement with a thud.

A figure knelt down and checked the body for a pulse. Putting away the powerful stun gun, he rifled through the chubby man's clothes. After retrieving Scott's keys along with his wallet and other valuables, he shoved the unconscious man in a dumpster.

With luck he would not wake up for hours and when he did he would attribute the attack as a random mugging. That would give the man plenty of time to search Gabriel's apartment.

The man walked out of the alley whistling, twirling Scott's keys around his finger. He had some surprises to set up for Gabriel.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Jc rushed over into Lance's room, a smile plastered on his face. After talking to Justin, things suddenly fell into place. All his petty fears fell away. For the first time in months he was thinking straight. He had decided to tell Lance the truth, all of it.

Without knocking, Jc rushed into the room. Stopping suddenly, he turned red. Lance was sitting on the edge of the couch, his pants around his ankles while some brunet knelt in front of him. The brunet was dressed in the uniform of the hotel and had his face buried in Lance's crotch.

Jc managed to mumble, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company."

Lance felt embarrassed but there wasn't much he could do at the moment. When the bellboy brought him fresh bottles of water, Lance noticed the way the boy was drooling over him. Still excited from the mental picture of Jc jerking off that morning in the bathroom he asked the boy if he wanted to blow him.

While the boy was servicing him, he fantasized that it was really Jc's warm mouth. Now with the twink on his dick and Jc staring at him with hurt in his eyes, he was stunned. Unable to say anything, he watched Jc back out of the room. His face an unreadable mask of emotion.

Fuck he silently cursed the sensations from the boy's mouth engulfing him. The twink was talented and Lance lost himself in the moment, his disappointment fading as he caressed the boy's head.

Jc shut the door and leaned against it. Tears came to his eyes, unstoppable like the crashing of the tide. Trying to pull himself together he berated himself mercilessly. After all these months Lance had grown tired of waiting. Now when Jc was ready to take things to a higher level, Lance was selfishly fucking anything that moved.

He needed some time to be alone he thought frantically. Somewhere where no one could find him a feat hard to accomplish while he was trapped in a hotel with security guards everywhere. Running down the hall, he entered the stairwell. Still crying he ran up the stairs, not caring where it might lead. The door to the roof had a safety bar on it that he crashed into causing the door to fly open.

Numbly he ran blindly onto the roof. The roof was covered with tiny stones and was uneven, partly due to the air-conditioning units that dotted the roof. Each unit was raised on a platform, uniformly placed like sentries, guarding the guests from the onslaught of the heat.

The first raised platforms he cleared perfectly, but as the tears fell, his vision was blurred more and more. Misjudging a step, he tripped on the edge of the platform. Getting his hands up in the nick of time, he crashed against the side of the air-conditioning unit, his head bouncing off the side with a thud.

"Oh fuck." He muttered, his head aching from where he'd smashed into the metal. Rolling over on the hot roof, he groaned. Lying on his back, he looked up at the sky. Cotton candy clouds floated lazily in the afternoon sun, the sky a gentle blue. The irony of the scene entrancing him, mocking him in his sadness.

The mixture of his running, along with the heat reflected off the surface of the roof caused him to sweat profusely, the water dripping down his face and pooling at the nape of his neck. As the pain subsided in his head, a new sensation assaulted his awareness.

Bringing his hands to face, he grimaced. The stones had cut his hands in numerous places and they were bleeding badly. Sitting up, he looked at them. He could feel a small stone embedded in his right palm. Wincing as he tried to dig it out, he screamed.

The pain was too much; he needed someone else to pull it out. Feeling stupid, he stood up wobbly. He was still a bit disorientated from his fall and it took him a moment to feel comfortable enough to attempt walking.

It took him several minutes to find the door again; everything blurred together on the roof. When he did find the door, he noticed that there was no handle on the outside. His hands had finally faded to a dull ache and most of the wounds had stopped bleeding.

Resting against the hot door, he kicked it several times calling out for help. This was about the stupidest thing I've ever done, he chastised himself. He had seen Lance with other people before and it had never bothered him. Why, this time, did it have such an effect on him?

Lance was free; he didn't owe anything to Jc. If Lance wanted to fuck everything then so be it. He could control his emotions; he had gotten good at that the last few months. He had waited so long and Lance was tired of waiting. Totally understandable, why wait on a possibility forever? He had moved on and it was time for Jc to do the same.

He was stupid in thinking that he could be with Lance anyway. For a while he really believed in Justin's words. But now, the sun beating down on him and his hands aching, he realized that it was God's way of showing him the error of his actions. Now if only someone would open the door, he could move on with his life.

He had stuck his hands underneath his armpits in an attempt to stop the bleeding. Now he was leaning on the door, one foot steadily kicking the metal object. Sooner or later they would know he was missing, no one saw him leave the floor and all exits were covered, they would think of the roof eventually and find him. It was only a matter of time.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ten minutes after Jc had left; Lance finished with the bellhop. He dismissed him offhandedly and freshened up in the bathroom before searching for Jc. By the look on Jc's face, he had wanted something important from Lance and he was determined to find out.

He ran into Justin in the hall and asked, "Have you seen Josh?"

Justin had a lopsided grin on his face as he replied, "Yep, he was looking for you."

"I know, he found me." Lance stated matter-of-factly, his eyes a bit wild.

Justin read the look on his friend's face and knew something was wrong. "What happened?"

"He barged into my room like ten minutes ago and saw me getting head from this bellboy." Lance explained with a red face.

"You stupid fuck." Justin exclaimed, his breath exploding loudly. "Of all the times you had to get laid you picked today of all days."

"What? I didn't know..."

"That's right you fucking moron, you didn't know." Justin continued in an angry tone. "Can't you keep your dick in your pants for one fucking day."

Lance couldn't control his anger. For one Justin never talked to him like that and he would not allow him to start, "Fuck you Justin. It's none of your business what I do."

"That's not the point." Justin growled, pushing the man inside his room. "Sit down." He ordered his face contorted with rage.

Lance shut his mouth, shocked at Justin's reaction. He stared at his friend, confused and a bit hurt by his words.

Justin shut his eyes and tried to calm down. After all these month, he had finally convinced Josh to admit his feelings and accept what he was. And Lance had ruined it in a single instant.

Breathing out, he stated calmly, "I'm sorry I yelled. But you don't understand what's going on."

"Why don't you tell me?" Lance asked, his anger draining away. "What did I do wrong?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Justin answered him calmly. His mind was racing, how could he fix this? Luckily Lance had run into him before he told the guys about it. That would've been embarrassing.

"Lance—James, you need to find Josh and talk to him." Justin ordered. "If he ever needed you he needs you now."

"Why? What happened?" Lanced asked, suddenly concerned for his friend.

"Where did he go?" Justin asked ignoring the question.

"I don't know, he left. I was just going to find him." Lance stated evenly.

"He's probably in his room. Go and talk to him." Justin stated more forcibly then he intended. "Now."

Lance stood up and left the room. As he walked to Jc's room, he started feeling nervous. He had never seen Justin take control of anything and it amazed him. When Justin barked at him he followed immediately. That was a side that he never saw before.

Knocking on Jc's door, he waited patiently. After no answer, he opened the door with his key card. Searching the room, he started to panic. He picked up the phone and called Tommy, the bodyguard who was watching the lobby.

Tommy answered, "Yeah."

"Tommy did Jc pass by you?" Lance asked, keeping his voice neutral. Under the circumstances he thought he did pretty well.

"No. Haven't seen anyone." Tommy reported perfectly.

"Who's on the back stairway?" Lance asked.

"Mike is for now."

"Thanks." Lance said as he hung up the phone. Dialing Mike's number, he waited for the man to answer.

"Mike."

"Mike, did Jc pass you in the last twenty minutes?" Lance asked.

"No, all's quiet." Mike reported. "Anything wrong."

"I don't think so. Just looking for Jc." Lance lied smoothly. Until he was sure, Lance would not tell them anything. Already their movements were so controlled; if Jc managed to slip out they would be restricted even more.

Lance went back to Justin and they both searched all the rooms. Now with Joey and Chris in tow, they checked with Lonnie.

After hearing the story, Lonnie called the guards again. Still no word from Jc, he thought for a minute. "The roof, it's the only other place he could go."

Lance headed for the door but Lonnie stopped him, "You four stay here. I'll go and check it out."

Lonnie left them grumbling in the room while he headed for the stairs. When he entered the stairwell, he heard a slight knocking noise. Taking the last stairs two at a time, he pushed against the door.

Feeling resistance, he shouted through the door, "Josh, is that you?"

"Yes. I got locked out." Jc replied calmly, bottling up his emotions tightly.

Lonnie tried the door again and this time it opened smoothly. He studied Jc, looking for any signs of danger and making sure he was okay. Noticing Jc's hands tucked under his arms he asked, "What happened?"

Jc smiled wanly, his face dripping with sweat. Walking into the cooler stairwell, he explained, "I wanted to see if I could see Hershey Park from the roof. I didn't stop to think that I couldn't get back in."

Holding out his hands so the big black man could see, he stated, "I tripped and cut up my hands a bit."

Lonnie looked over the hands carefully. He saw a stone buried in the skin and the wounds needed cleaning but it wasn't anything serious. "Come with me. I'll clean up your hands."

Jc followed the big man back to the room where he was met with his fellow bandmates. Lonnie quickly explained the situation, stressing the fact that it was an accident that he got locked out.

Lonnie opened up the first aid kit he always had handy and motioned for Jc to sit across from him. "Come on, we have to clean this."

Jc smiled and joked with the guys, hiding his pain every time he looked at Lance. "It's not really that bad Joey."

Joey shook his head and looked away as Lonnie dug out the small stone. "I can't watch this. You know what blood does to me."

"Yeah, it makes your dick hard." Chris shot out, following Joey from the room.

From the hallway they heard, "It's not my fault that I get lightheaded every time I get an erection."

Laughing, the three friends watched as Lonnie expertly cleaned and bandaged the wounds. Justin could see through the mask that Jc was wearing. Seeing the man he loved, after months of denying it, receiving a blowjob affected him more than he let on. He still talked to Lance but there was uneasiness in his voice. A fact that Lance did not see.

Lance hovered over his friend, one arm resting on Jc's shoulders. "Does it hurt bad?"

"Not really. Just stings a bit." Jc answered with a grin. "I'll be good as new in no time."

"Good." Lance replied absently.

Justin felt like he had been kicked. The feeling of elation that had washed over him faded with the realization that Jc was back in his shell, hiding from himself and Lance. Why couldn't Lance control his urges for one day?

Giving Lance a glare, he excused himself. There was not much time left before they had to put in an appearance at the benefit. Forgetting about his friends, he went to prepare himself for his reunion with Gabriel. At least this was something he could control completely.

When he entered his room all thoughts were focused on the nights activities. His tuxedo was freshly pressed and hanging in the wardrobe. Everything was laid out for him, his shoes and belt along with his socks. Rummaging through his luggage, he grabbed a pair of boxers and entered the bathroom.

Taking his time, he showered. He let the semi-hot water soothe him, massaging his muscles and relieving all signs of stress. Drying himself off, he busied with his curls. After a while he had arranged them perfectly. Looking at himself in the mirror he sighed happily.

Perfect he thought, throwing the damp towel in a corner. Walking into his room naked, he quickly put on his boxers as he heard someone knocking on his door.

Opening the door, his body behind it, he grinned when he saw Lance standing there, fully dressed. Lance had chosen a trendy single-breasted black tuxedo with a red tie. As usual he was impeccably dressed, his bleached hair carefully combed to give it a wind blown effect.

"We have to be down there in twenty minutes." Lance informed him with a smile.

"I've just got to get dressed." Justin replied. He shut the door and headed back in the bedroom. Putting on his socks first, he sat down on the edge of the bed. His choice of suits had taken him almost an hour to decide. He wanted everything perfect and for once he did not want to employ his more obnoxious tastes.

He had settled on a black suit with a black shirt. Instead of a tie he had opted for a diamond stud that matched his cuff lengths and his diamond earrings.

Looking in the mirror, he studied himself. The suit hugged his body perfectly; snug in the right places yet comfortable enough to wear for an extended period of time. Satisfied that all was perfect, he headed towards Lances room.

"Finally." Joey exploded, for once not the last one ready. His choice in clothing mirrored his hair, colorful and flamboyant. The suit was dark green and he had chosen a red tie, the color scheme really not matching.

Chris was next him, a deep red suit with a diamond stud instead of a tie. Both of them had eager expressions on their faces.

Jc was stunning, dressed in a blue-black suit with a silk shirt and a black tie. His longer brown hair was wild and unkempt looking, a determined look on his soft face. Because of the bandages on his hands, he wore a pair of black leather gloves. Unconsciously he flexed his hands, his face masked of all emotion.

"Now that we're all ready." Lance stated and led the way into the hall where Lonnie, Mike, and Tommy greeted them, their escorts for the night.

In the elevator, Lance gave them last minute instructions. After making sure that Joey and Chris would be on their best behavior, he led the way into the lobby.

Most of the guests had already arrived and entered the safety of the Grand ballroom. But there were a few lingering about, making small talk with other guests. All the local news stations were present and reporters started shouting out questions at them as soon as they exited the elevator.

Lance mumbled something and headed towards the group of rabid reporters with Tommy close behind. The rest of them entered the ballroom and surveyed the scene.

The ballroom was decorated brightly, the gay flag prominent everywhere. Half of the room had tables and chairs set up, all facing the end where a large stage was erected. Each table could hold eight guests comfortably and each one had an arrangement of flowers done up in the colors of the rainbow.

The other end of the ballroom had a huge bar set up, and the two hundred guests had gathered there, mingling around and socializing. In the middle of the crowd was a huge ice sculpture of a swan. All around it a champagne waterfall cascaded down into thousands of glasses before being pumped back to the top only to start down again.

The seating was pre-arranged with the more important people up front where they could see the night's entertainment better. The members of Nsync knew their table was right in front, they did not need an escort to find it. But dutifully they followed a man dressed in the hotel's livery to their table.

Once at the table, Joey and Chris headed towards the bar. If they had to talk to these people, they needed some kind of insulation. Justin turned to speak to Jc but noticed that the singer was already busy talking to a group of ladies.

Sighing, he ambled towards the bar. Stopping every few feet to reply to numerous questions. Thank you. Yes I fully support gay rights. No, no one in Nsync is gay. Yes they've done a good job with the decorations.

Empty headed questions each of them. Justin knew that tomorrow one of those people would say, `I was talking to Justin from Nsync last night and he said', the things he had to put up with sometimes.

He finally made it to the bar and ordered a beer. Remembering where he was, he grabbed a glass and poured the beer into it. Smiling at everyone, he pretended to be interested in whatever insane babble he heard. Nodding at all the right places and interjecting something witty at the precise moment, he kept one eye out for Gabriel.

Many times he would catch a glimpse of one of his bandmates, they would convey things with their eyes momentarily before being sucked back in some inane conversation. But if it would help a good cause they would do their duty perfectly.

Justin had been cornered by a slightly heavyset woman in her forties when he saw him walk into the room. Dressed in a stylish black tuxedo with a black shirt. Instead of a tie he had a simple white collar that stood out from the ensemble like a lighthouse in the night. His long blond hair was loose and lay along his shoulders. Justin took a deep breath, he was gorgeous. "Excuse me?" Justin asked, looking back at the woman.

"I was just saying how your music influences young children to have a more positive outlook on the world." She stated again, her eyes glowing.

"Yes, it also teaches them to dance and have a good time." Justin commented with a smile. He was having a hard time concentrating, her perfume was almost overwhelming and it made him slightly nauseous.

Taken slightly back at his comment, she continued, obviously with a speech that she had prepared earlier, "I admire the way you stick to your message and your morals. It's refreshing to see such a moral and clean cut person such as yourself. And not out there with the Hollywood crowd drinking and taking drugs."

Nodding, Justin took a drink of his beer and said with a smile, "Thank you. We do like to keep up appearances. Excuse me."

He left her with her mouth open, all alone by the bar. Handing his empty glass to the first person he saw, he searched the room for Gabriel. Cursing that he had not found out where the blond was sitting, he cruised the room quickly.

"Damnit." He said quietly, he could not find the man anywhere.

"What's up?"

Justin jumped. "Jesus Lance. Don't sneak up on me like that."

Laughing, Lance asked, "How can I sneak up on you? It's crowded in here."

Giving him a look, he went back to looking over the room. Lance asked innocently, "Who are you looking for?"

"Someone." Justin replied absently. How could a man disappear in such a small room? He was the only man with long hair for fucks sake.

Lance leaned in and whispered, "He's over there." And pointed to the end of the bar.

Justin gave him a questioning look that asked how did he know about Gabriel. Lance smiled mysteriously and walked over to where Jc had a small group of women laughing.

Justin straightened his suit while he walked over to the bar. Gabriel saw him and his face lit up. "Well, if it's not the disappearing Nsync member."

Justin returned the smile and shook the offered hand, "Gabriel, nice to see you again."

"Likewise. You look nice." Gabriel said softly, handing him a glass of beer that he had waiting.

"You too." Justin replied and took a drink. "I'm glad you could make it."
"Forget about it." Gabriel said offhandedly. "I love swanky dinners."

Rolling his eyes, Justin greeted the woman who came over to them, "Hi."

"Hello." The woman started. "I just wanted to say that I'm a huge fan and so is my daughter. Would you mind signing this for her? I hate to interrupt you but she would die."

Flashing her the smile that made him famous, he took the program and asked, "What's your daughters name?"

"It's Ellie." The woman actually gushed at him, a dopey smile on her aging face.

Justin wrote, "To my biggest fan Ellie. Thanks. Justin "Juju" Timberlake.

When the woman walked away, Gabriel snorted, "Juju. What the hell is that?"

"My nickname." Justin replied with a grin. "I know, hokey huh. But they expect it."

"Juju, I like it. Juju." Gabriel laughed.

"Only my close friends and fans can call me that." Justin stated boldly with a grin. "And you don't look like a fan to me."

Gabriel thought about it for a second before leaning over and whispering in his ear, "Well, unless you always fuck your friends and leave them in the middle of the night I'm neither."

Blushing slightly, Justin laughed loudly. "All right, then you can call me Justin."

"Justin it is." Gabriel intoned with a slight bow, his blue eyes sparkling brightly.

"Gabriel..." Justin was interrupted by a huge man saying, "Gabe, nice to see you."

"Hey Peter, what are you doing out of the house." Gabriel called out, after a slight pause. Damn it, how am I going to explain this one?

The big man took no notice of Justin as he continued in a loud voice, "The wife drug me away from the TV. You know, got to keep her happy and all."

"I know, how is Melissa doing?" Gabriel asked, glancing at Justin out of the corner of his eye.

"Fine, costing me a fortune but fine." Peter answered, laughing loudly at his one stupid joke. "She's over there you have to come and say hi. We were so worried when we heard about the fire. You weren't hurt were you?"

Fuck he screamed in his head. This was getting out of control fast. He had to do something to stop the big man from speaking. "I'm fine. I would love to see Melissa again."

Giving Justin a look that said he was sorry, he pulled the big man towards his wife who was in the middle of a group of ladies.

Justin watched him leave, a thoughtful expression on his face. Amused by the deer in the headlights look on Gabriel's face, he watched him closely. The web of lies that Gabriel had woven were slowly breaking apart and Justin took great pleasure at his discomfort. This was going to be a fun evening and dinner had not even started yet.

To Be Continued

Copyright©2002 Glacier Boy