Date: 8 Aug 00 17:58:21 MDT From: Starfire Subject: Me and Joey Chapter 6 This story is completely fictional, and in no way is meant to say anything about the sexuality of the members of Nsync. All characters in this story are fictional, except for the members of Nsync. If you are not at least 18 years old, or are offended by homosexuality, then DO NOT read this story. Thank you. Me and Joey Chapter 6 "Sweetie, time to get up," Joey whispered, into my ear. "Ugh, go away, sleep, too early." I mumbled, pulling the cover over my head. "Honey, you have to get up now." He said, pulling the covers off me. "I don't wanna get up. I wanna sleep." I said, curling up into a fetal position, and hugging my pillow tight. "Sweetie, are you sure you don't want to get up now?" He questioned. "No, I want to sleep." I answered. "Well, I guess I'll have to leave you here, while I'm gone on tour with the guys." He said, causing my eyes to immediately open. "That's today?" I asked, looking at Joey in disbelief. "Yes honey, it is. Now get up, we have to get ready, pack, and be at the bus by 5 this afternoon." He said, telling me what was expected. "Honey, I don't have anything ready to go." I told him. "Neither do I, that's why we have to get up now." He responded. "I hate mornings." I said, in a grouchy tone. "Well, you should be in a better mood then, because it's noon." He said, smacking me on the butt. "It's what?" I asked, in surprise. "It's noon grumpy head. Now get up, we have a lot to do, before we leave." He said, laughing at me. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," I mumbled, forcing myself to get out of bed. "Have you eaten yet?" "No, I haven't been up that long myself." He said, wrapping his arms around me. "OK, I'll go start breakfast, or lunch, or whatever it is." I said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. "That's all I get?" He asked, giving me a small pout. "It is until I brush my teeth." I said, heading for the bathroom. "Fine, be that way." He said, with a mocked hurt expression on his face. "I think I will." I said, smiling at him. I did my bathroom business. Then, I headed for the kitchen. On the way, I ran into Joey, as he was getting a few things together to take on the road. I walked to him, wrapping my arms around his waist. I leaned in, giving him a deep, long lasting kiss. "Mmm, that was worth the wait." He said, holding me near him. "I'm glad you liked it." I said, running my hand up and down his back. "Do you want anything special to eat?" "Nah, surprise me." He said, pulling away from me. "Oh, I can do that." I said, giving him a sly grin. "That's not what I meant." He said, smacking my butt again. "Ya know, if you keep that up I might start to like it." I said, as I walked away. "I'll remember that." He called, from behind me. I smiled to myself as I made my way to the kitchen. I decided to just go with breakfast, instead of lunch. I made toast, eggs, bacon, a few fruit slices, and a pot of coffee. I figured, it was probably best to go light, being pressed for time. Joey joined me, and we had a nice brunch, I guess you could call it. We finished our meal, and I began the process of cleaning the kitchen. I didn't want to leave things in a mess. After I finished with the kitchen, I decided to get together my clothes, and personal things to take with me. Joey was in our room doing the same thing. "Man, it's been a long time since I've been on the road." I said, reminiscing a bit in my mind. "Well, at least you've done this before, so you know what to expect." He said. "And, it will be more fun for me, now that you're going to be there." I turned and smiled at him. It was true. I knew how touring could be. However, I was sure that touring with Joey, and Nsync, was going to be different from anything I had ever experienced. Joey and I managed to get everything done, by 4pm. We had all our clothes, personal items, and whatever else we thought we might need packed, and in the car. Making a second check, to be sure we had everything, we headed for the compound to meet the other guys. On our way, we talked about the different things that we could do, while we were on the road together. I made a mental note to spend some personal time with the other guys as well, if time permitted. We pulled into the compound, around 4:40pm. Lance and Chris were already there, but no sign of Justin and JC. Joey and I got our luggage from the car and put our stuff on the bus. Once we had our things safely put away, we headed in to join the others. As we walked in, I could hear Lance and Chris having a friendly little dispute about something they had just seen on television. "Hey guys." Joey said, making our arrival known to them. "Hey," Lance said. "Hi guys," Chris said, throwing his hand up towards us, from the couch. "Where are Justin and JC?" I asked. "Well, you know JC. That boy will be late for his own funeral." Chris said, shaking his head. "You got that right." Lance agreed. "So, how goes it Billy boy?" He asked, giving me a hug. "It's going, Scoop." I answered, returning his hug. "So, are you ready to climb on board the Nsync monster?" Chris asked. "Yeah, I think I can handle it." I said, with a small laugh. "Sweetie, I'm going to get something off the bus, I'll be right back." I said, giving Joey a quick kiss. "OK baby, I'll be right here." He said, smiling at me. "My God, they're even worse than JC and Justin. I think I feel a cavity coming on, from all this Sweetie stuff." Chris said, causing Lance to laugh. "See a dentist." I said, "Cause it's only going to get worse." "Oh boy, thanks for the warning." Chris yelled, as I left the room. I headed out to the bus, at a quick pace. Evidently, it was a quicker pace than I should have used, because I brought some unwanted attention to myself. I rounded the corner of the bus, only to find myself being grabbed and thrown over someone's shoulder. "What the hell?" I yelled. "And just where do you think you're going buddy." I heard, from somewhere below me. "I, I was, I was just," I stammered, trying to put a complete sentence together. "Lonnie, put the poor guy down. He probably needs to go change his pants now." I heard JC say, from beside me. "Do you know him?" Lonnie asked. "That's Billy, the guy who will be touring with us." JC said, as he and Justin began to laugh. "Oh I'm sorry Mr. Prescott. I thought you were an intruder." Lonnie said, as he lowered me back to the ground. "That's alright," I said, adjusting my clothes. "Billy, meet Lonnie, He's part of our security team." Justin said, introducing me. "Nice to meet you sir." Lonnie said, extending his hand. "I'm sorry for grabbing you like that. You'd be amazed at some of things people will do to get to my boys here." "It's OK Lonnie, I understand, and please call me Billy." I said, shaking his hand. "Billy it is. Welcome aboard." He said, patting me on the shoulder. "Thanks," I said, rubbing my shoulder. I headed inside with Justin and JC, after they had put their things on the bus. "Hey guys, we're here," Justin said, getting everyone's attention. "Well it's about time." Lance said. "Yeah, yeah, So, are we all ready?" JC asked. "Yeah I think so." Joey responded. "Billy went to get something off the bus. He'll be here in a sec." "I'm here Joey." I said, making my presence known to him. "Oh, OK, did you get what you needed?" He asked, as JC and Justin started to laugh. "What's so funny?" Joey asked. "Well, I changed my mind, when I ran into that walking building you call security. I didn't even make it to the bus." I said, causing a nice round of laughter at my expense. "Ah ha, you met Lonnie did ya?" Lance asked. "Met is probably not the word here Lance, more like being ambushed." I said, bringing another round of laughter. "Ok, everybody have your stuff on the bus?" Lance asked, taking charge. "Yes," everyone said, in unison. "OK then, let's hit the road." Lance said, as we headed out the door. We piled on the bus, and headed down the road. Everyone found their spot, and started talking. Chris and Lance remained in the front, while JC, Justin, Joey, and me, made our way to the back lounge. Joey showed me where my bunk was, not that I would use it much. As we got to the back Joey popped in a video. "What's the movie?" I asked. "Titanic." He replied. "Have you seen it?" "Oh yeah, that's one of my favorite movies." I said, as I sat on one of the couches. "Really? Mine too." He said, smiling at me. "It is good. I've lost track of how many times we've seen it." JC said. "Oh I don't know about a million now, I guess." Justin said, earning a smack from JC. "Hey! What was that for?" Justin asked, looking over to JC. "Like you don't know." JC said, smiling back at him. Joey came over with me on the couch, rearranging us so that he was behind me, and pulled me to his chest. I noticed that JC and Justin were in a similar position. I began to wonder just how much of this movie we were actually going to see. Before I knew it the movie had ended, and it was getting close to bed time. Chris and Lance had made a brief visit to the back, just long enough to watch a little bit of the movie and then headed back up front. Chris had his little dog 'Busta' with him, so I knew he was going to be busy. It was really the first time I had seen the dog. I guess, he was a relief, of sorts, for Chris. See, Chris is kind of fidgety, or maybe hyper is a better word. He always has to be doing something. As long as he's moving he's alright. Time finally came for bed. I knew I was tired. Chris and Lance had already turned in for the night. "Sweetie, I think it's time for me to hit the hay." I said. "Ok, I'll come with you." Joey responded. "Oh there's a surprise." JC said, smiling at us. "Ah shuddup." I said, smiling back at him. "Night guys." Justin said, as he and JC waved to us. "Night," Joey and I said, together. We got into Joey's bunk, and snuggled up close to each other, ending up in a spoon position. I loved it when he held me like that. I felt so warm, and safe. We didn't say much that night we just held each other, and drifted off to sleep. The first few shows were amazing. I could not believe the energy, and creativity these guys had. I've seen a few concerts in my time, but these five guys were phenomenal, at least they were to me. Things were going very good until we hit Chicago, Illinois. We were sitting in the hotel room, when Lance came in all bent out of shape. I was sitting with Joey. Chris and Justin were playing some kind of video game, and JC was catching a nap. "Guys, we have a problem." Lance said, getting everyone's attention. Justin woke JC up, and we sat there, waiting for Lance to finish his thought. "What do you mean we have a problem?" Chris asked. "I mean, we have a problem. Billy, fell in the parking lot of the stadium and broke his arm. He's going to be out for the rest of the tour. That means we don't have a drummer, and that means we can't do the show." Lance said, becoming irritated with the situation. "Can't we get another drummer, we have two days?" JC asked, with sleep still in his voice. "No, even if we did get another guy, he'd have to learn all the songs in two days. I don't think that we will be able to do that." Lance said, in a disappointed tone. "Well, what if we got somebody, that already knows the songs." Justin said. "That would be great but who....." Lance started, but then stopped. I looked up to see all the guys looking in my direction and smiling. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" I asked, as it dawned on me what they were thinking. "Oh no, don't even think about it, not me." I said, shaking my head at them. Joey put his arm around me and began his work. "Sweetie, you can do this. I've seen you play." He said. "When did you see me play?" I asked, being very surprised at that information. "I bought one of your old group videos, with you on it." He said, smiling at me. "You did what? When did you do that?" I asked, being further surprised. "It's not important. What is important is that I know you can do this." He said. All the guys sat there staring at me. I felt as if I were in a no win situation. If I didn't do it, or at least try, then Joey would be hurt. If I did, and couldn't do it, then I would let the group down. I knew that I did at least know the songs. I knew the counts and when to do what, or at least I thought I did. The very thought of playing for Nsync sent my stomach into an unknown dimension of nervousness. "Billy, if you can do this, it would really pull us out of a hard spot. At least try, and if you don't think you can do it, then we'll understand." Lance said, putting his hand on my shoulder. "Guys I don't know. I've never played in front of that many people before, what if I screwed it up?" I asked, looking at them. "Listen Sweetie, we have a rehearsal tonight. The show is not for two more days. Just give it a shot, and if you're not comfortable with it, then we'll understand, really." Joey said. "But this is something you've always wanted to do, and now you have a chance to do it. It's your dream baby. Now you have the chance to make that dream come true, and I know you can do it. I believe in you." "So do I." JC said. "Me too." Lance seconded. "You've got my vote." Justin added. "Well, you ain't much, but I think you can handle it." Chris said, with a smile on his face. "Guys, I'm really honored that you would say that, but what if I destroy your show." I asked, looking at each of them. "At least try, for me." Joey said, giving me his best sad puppy dog look. I looked at him, and the rest of the guys, and gave a soft sigh. "Where's Billy?" I asked, looking at Lance. "He's in his room, why?" Lance asked. "Let me go talk to him. If he will stay with me for at least the first two shows, and work with me the next two days, to make sure I've got the songs down, then I'll do it." I said, causing the guys to give a slight cheer. "Hang on, I'll call his room and see what he thinks, but I know it won't be a problem." Lance said, smiling at me. Lance made the arrangements, Billy agreed, and it was on. I had two days to get everything down, the way Billy did it, to the best of my ability. I was pretty sure I could do the songs. The only thing that worried me, was a little thing in the middle of the show that Justin and Billy did together. They called it the battle. Justin would come out and do his human b-bop thing, and he and Billy would battle so to speak against each other. That part I didn't know if I could pull off. I mean, Billy and Justin were comfortable with each other, they knew what they were doing. I hoped I was good enough. I didn't want to let the guys down. Billy introduced me to the rest of the band. Some of them I had already met, but I hadn't met the others. I spent the rest of the day, and most of the next one getting the songs together. As it turned out, it wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Then again, I hadn't stepped on stage yet. They fitted Billy and me with a transmitter or monitor kind of thing, that would allow me to hear the music, vocals, and Kevin the band director, plus allow Billy to talk to me from off stage. I had a chance to go through Justin's b-bop routine, but I still wasn't comfortable with it. Billy told me not to worry, that he would count me in, for each time I was supposed to play my part against Justin. I guess it was just a matter of doing it a few times to get used to it. The day finally arrived. This was to be my first live performance with the guys. I knew I had to try to get over the nervousness I was feeling. However, I couldn't help thinking. In a matter of hours, I was going to be on stage, in front of over 30,000 screaming fans. I had played stadiums before, with my group, but not with the kind of fans these guys had. The volume itself was enough to blow you right off stage sometimes. We arrived at the stadium a few hours before show time. The guys did another run through with me, just to make sure I was ok with everything. Then, we all headed off to our dressing rooms, to chill before the show. I went with Joey and the guys, to hang out for a while. I hadn't gotten to spend much time with him or the guys the last few days. We just sat in the play room watching TV for a while and talking. The guys reassured me that I would do fine, and that they had confidence in me. I wish I felt the same way. To be honest, my stomach was doing terrible things to me. Joey knew I was having a hard time, so he held me and talked into my ear to calm me a bit. "Are you alright?" Joey asked, looking at me with concern. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I'm just nervous, that's all." I answered. "Sweetie, you're gonna do great. I've seen you at rehearsals. Besides, Kevin and Billy both say this will not be a problem for you." He said. "I know I can do it, Sweetie. I just don't want to get out there and get stage fright, or something." I said, being as honest with him as I could. "Baby, just go out there and have fun. That's what this show is all about." He said, giving me his best smile. "I will Joey." I said, giving him a short kiss. The guys got ready and went to do their meet and greet, while I stayed behind and got dressed. I went over everything in my mind once more. 'I can do this,' I kept telling myself. I was all dressed and ready to go, when the guys came back. I had gone over everything, and said a little prayer to the man upstairs. It was all in his hands now. I sat in the dressing room with the guys for a while, when someone knocked on the door. JC answered it, and opened the door for Billy. "We need to be on stage in ten minutes." Billy said. "So, give the man a quick kiss and let's hit it." "Look," Chris said, standing between Billy and me. "This is my brother Billy, and this is my other brother Billy." He finished, laughing at his own little joke. Unfortunately, he only got a round of groans from the rest of us. "I'll walk you guys out." Joey said, standing with me. We made our way to the stage, walking side by side. I could hear the fans screaming already. We slipped into the side stage area, and I began to feel those butterflies wreaking havoc on my stomach. "Are you OK?" Joey asked, taking my hand in his. "Yeah honey." I said, trying to convince myself as well as Joey. "You'll do fine." He said, squeezing my hand. "You go out there and knock 'em dead Sweetie." Joey gave me a quick kiss, and then headed back to the dressing room to join the guys for a quick game of hackey sac. Billy helped me with my monitor, and led me to the drums. The band did a final monitor check with me to make sure everything was working right, and that I could hear both Kevin and Billy perfectly. Billy walked off stage, and took his place, where I could see him. I looked over and saw the guys being fitted with their harnesses for the start of the show. They each gave me a quick smile and a thumbs up before they were raised to the ceiling. 'This is it,' I said to myself. The puppet song 'I got no strings' started to play, as the curtain dropped, and the guys were lowered. They hit the stage, as the band began the sound effects, for the guys to release their strings. They guys turned towards the crowd. "Baby your not the only one," the guys sang, in perfect harmony. The band continued with their sound affects as the guys stopped and released the other set of strings holding their arms. "You don't have to be afraid to fall in love," they sang, this time flying out towards the audience. "Get ready," Kevin said, watching the guys. Billy counted me in, and the show was under way. We went from one song to another at first. No Strings Attached, ended leading us into I Want You Back. So far everything was going smoothly. I had managed to make it through the songs. Now was the time I had been worrying about. However, I seemed to be a little bit more relaxed. It was at that moment I knew I would be alright for the rest of the show. Justin walked out to the scream of all his adoring fans. "Prepare yourself, it's the human B-Bop," Justin said, as he started his routine. "Piano hit me," he said, continuing his performance. "Bass hit me," he said, heading towards 'the battle.' Justin continued his routine, until Billy counted me in and I began to play. Justin stopped, looked at the crowd, then headed my way. He could see from my expression that I was way more relaxed. He gave me a wink and a smile. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking down at me. "I was B-Bopping and you interrupted me." He started, before I cut him off with a few drum rolls. "Are you calling me out?" He asked, as I made a few slashes at him with my drum sticks. I heard Billy in my monitor. "You're doing great man, keep it up." He said. "You're calling me out, in front of all these people. Now I gotta cut ya. So, you wanna battle." Justin said, looking back at me again, as he walked to the side. "OK 4, 3, 2 battle," Justin counted, as he started into our battle routine. Billy counted me in, when I was supposed to take over. Justin and I continued our little routine, finishing up with great approval from the crowd. Justin counted 2,3,4, and we were off on the next song, which happened to be 'It's Gonna Be Me.' "Great job, we're heading for the home stretch now." Billy said, into my ear monitor. I looked over at Kevin who was smiling at me. The concert progressed nicely. Then it was time for the band introductions. The guys all took their places, as JC started. "Now we'd like to introduce to you the Nsync band. Right here on electric guitar, give it up for Ruben." JC said. "Right here on keyboards, he knows how to shake his money maker. Give it up for my boy Dave." Justin yelled, to the crowd. I felt Joey place his hands on my shoulders, and give them a little squeeze. "And right here banging on the drums, I want you to make some noise for my main man, Billy Prescott." Joey said, patting me on the back as he left. "Right here on percussion we've got Paul Howards," I heard Lance say. "Over here on bass, give it up for Troy." Chris said. "And right over here we've got our band director, Mr. Kevin Antunes." He said finishing the introductions. "Make some noise for the Nsync band." JC yelled, once more to the crowd. We played for a while longer giving the guys a chance to get to the back and change for the final number. Before long an erie sound could be heard echoing through the arena, as five hooded beings, made their way on stage. These dark figures walked smoothly to the center of the stage, taking their positions. When throughout the arena the sounds of stringed instruments could be heard, as the guys took off their disguises. The crowd was going crazy as they heard Justin start. "Hey hey," Justin sang out. "Bye, bye, bye," they sang together. The song went over without a hitch. The guys ended the song, and began saying their good-byes to the crowd. JC once again introduced the band before they all made their exit. I was totally overwhelmed by what I was feeling. The rush of adrenaline was so powerful. I was sure the next month and a half was going to be pretty interesting. To Be Continued................ Well, that's it for now. This is my first time writing so let me know what you guys/gals think so far. Send mail starstories34@yahoo.com Special thanks to DLS, author of Brian and Me for inspiring me to do this, thanks for all your help D. I appreciate it. To Matt, author of Search and Rescue just for being you my friend. To my (((Angel))) you know who you are, thanks for the encouragement. To RandyM, author of Maverick, your kind words mean a lot..Thanks Mr. President.....LOL. To all my friends in the chat room, MUCH LUV TO YA! GOODNIGHT!