Stories by James 
on Nifty

Route 66 Rocks!!!

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.
 

A Step out of Time

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
 

Infinite Love

This ia a story that spans the generations.  Lance finds love and romance with   someone he feels he has known all his life.

Lance, Mikey, & a

Angel named Ethan

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

Last Time:

The drive back to the cabin was a quiet one.  Lance knew having to say good-bye to Nana and Shawn was harder on Marc than he let on.  They just held hands most of the drive home.

As they drove through town Marc pulled into the Dairy Queen go get a bite to eat before going out to the cabin.

It was just before sunset when they arrived at the cabin.  There was no lights on in the cabin, the guys flown out earlier that afternoon.   Grabbing their bags they dropped them in the living room before heading out the patio door, to the lake.

They stood at the end of the dock.  Lance stood in front of Marc, wrapped in his strong arms gazing across the lake at the setting sun.

“That was awesome,” Lance said as he snuggled against Marc.

“Sunsets over the lake are always spectacular,” Marc said before nuzzling Lance’s neck.

Marc stopped nuzzling when a thought struck him.  “Damn!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I just realized.  We’re alone.”

“Yeah!”  Lance said in wonder.  “How long has it been?”

“It feels like it’s been weeks,” Marc said as he pull Lance tighter against him.

A smile spread across Lance’s face when he felt Marc’s hard on pressing against his butt.  “Hello, someone is awake.”  Lance rubbed against Marc making him moan.

“Boo, you up for a walk along the beach?” 

“I’m up.  But not for a walk.  I want you James.  I want you so bad.”

Lance turned around in Marc’s arms.  Their lips met and the world around them melted away.



“Come on son, it’s time we leave them alone.”

Ryan looked up at Mr. Uriel, “Do we have to?”

Mr. Uriel sighed, “I’m afraid so.”   Mr. Uriel and Ryan turned to walk down the beach.

“We always leave when it’s starting to get good,” Ryan complained.

Mr. Uriel just laughed as they stepped into the mist.





Chapter 71

Lance stretched his arms over his head as he yawned.  His left arm came down on a empty bed.  The sheets were cool to the touch, meaning Marc had been up for a while.  A shaft of light shown in where the drapes met in the middle of the window.  ‘I thought we left those open,’ Lance thought.  

Lance smiled when he heard the shower come on.  ‘He’s back from his run.’   Lance snuggled into his pillow intending to doze a little longer.  Suddenly setting up in bed he realized, his man was in the shower.



“Hey stud, can I wash your back?”  Lance said as he slipped into the shower with Marc.

Marc turned and wrapped Lance in his arms before leaning in for a deep kiss.  “You can wash anything you like,” Marc whispered into Lance’s ear.



Somehow they managed to finish their shower before the hot water ran out.  Despite the pleasuring they gave each other.

After dressing the two of them worked together to put together a breakfast.  After they had eaten Lance offered to do the dishes while Marc made a few phone calls.  When Lance joined Marc in his study after finishing the dishes, he found Marc hard at work at his laptop.  “What are you working on?” 

“Your mom wanted pictures of Shawn.  I’ve downloaded my camera and are printing off the best of them.”

There was a dozen or so photographs laying on the desk next to Marc’s laptop.  Picking them up he smiled as he examined them.  “These are great.”

Marc reached over to the printer, removing an eight by ten photograph.  He handed it to Lance and watched his face.

“How?  How could you take this?”  Lance asked as he looked at the picture of Marc and himself standing side by side with Shawn and Bobby standing in front of them.

“A little magic,” Marc laughed.  “I had the picture of you and Bobby from when he visited us in Orlando.  You just happen to wear the same outfit when Sara took the picture of Shawn with the two of us.  I was able to morph the two pictures together.”

“Mom is going to love this picture,” Lance said.

Marc smiled as he closed down his computer.  “Let’s get moving if we’re going to catch our flight.”


  
Diane looked up from the magazine she was reading when the boys flight was announced.  In less then five minutes, the door to the jet way opened and passengers started to file out.  The boys were the first ones out the door.

“Hey, Mama,” Lance said as he hugged his mom.

“Hey, baby.  How was your trip?”

“It was a good flight,” Lance said as he stepped aside.

Marc stepped into Diane’s open arms.  “Hi, Mom.”

“Hay, baby.  Did you bring pictures?”

Marc laughed as he nodded.



As they pulled into the driveway another car pulled in next to them.  Lance hurried over to the other car as the driver got out.  “Hey, Dad.”

“Hey son,” Jim said as he hugged his son.

Marc retrieved their bags from the trunk as Lance greeted his dad.

“And what do you think you are doing young man?”  Jim asked Marc. 

Marc grinned as Jim opened his arms.  “Hey, Dad,” Marc said as the two of them hugged.

“Did you bring pictures?”  Jim asked as they broke their embrace.

The boys broke up.  “Yes, we’ve got pictures,” Marc said.  “Come on, I’ll show you.”  



The pictures were a big hit.  Diane loved the pictures especially Marc’s magic picture of the four of them.  Diane wanted to have that one framed right away.  Lance shot Marc a concerned look.

“It wouldn’t be a good idea to take that picture in to be framed,” Marc pointed out.  “How about you use this on of Shawn and me.”

“When you bring it home you can just switch the pictures,” Lance added.

It dawned on Diane that the picture could cause her son some problems.  “I understand.  And I know just where I’m going to hang it.”

“Where is that dear?”  Jim asked.

“In our room, over the dresser.”



Stacy stopped by early the next morning on her way into work.  Marc felt a diffident chill in the air when she came in.  Marc couldn’t put his figure on it but something had changed.  Marc got the impression that Stacy didn’t want to be there.  As she sat down at the table with a cup of coffee she glared at her brother and Marc.

Diane laid the stack of photos in front of Stacy.  When she finally glanced down at the first picture her expression softened.  Slowly she picked up the stack and began to leaf threw them.  “He’s a doll,” she said softly.

“And he can’t wait until he meets his Aunt Stacy,” Marc said with a smile.



The rest of their visit went well.  The boys found out Stacy’s bad mood was because Ford had been pressuring her to start a family.  When Diane and Jim returned from Orlando after meeting Bobby, Ford could see how happy they were with the idea of a grandson.  Stacy knew that Ford’s pressuring would last only a few days before it was forgotten.  But Marc’s call informing them of another grandson had set Ford off again. 

Stacy had her mind set that she wasn’t going to have anything to do with Marc’s and her brothers growing family.  That was until she saw the pictures of Shawn.  Her resolve quickly melted away.
 
                  
Later that evening Diane managed to find some time to talk with the boys.  “How are you two holding up?”

Lance looked to Marc before he answered.  “The last few weeks have been a real roller coaster ride.  With ending the tour and settling into our life together, it seems to be going well.  Well until we decided to leave Lou.”

“How is that going?”  Diane inquired.

Lance let out a large sigh.  “When we exercised our option to get out of our contract, we knew he wouldn’t be happy about us leaving.  We just didn’t expect him to fight our leaving.”

“Has there been any progress to end all this, son?” Jim asked.

“Not much.  It’s in the hands of the lawyers.  Until this is cleared up there’s not much we can do.  We can’t release the new album or start a tour until this thing with Lou is cleared up.”

“Are you going to be able to finish the album?”  Marc asked.

Lance nodded, “We go back into the studio next week.”

“In a way that may work out for you guys,” Marc said.  “I saw the schedule Lou had you on for recording.  This way you all will have more time to do the music your way.”

“Josh has been working on new arrangements of the songs we’ve already recorded.  We’ll try them out next week.”

“What about the dates Lou already had you all scheduled?”  Diane inquired.

“The suites said we have to honor them.  We can’t do anything about the tour but we’ll have to do everything else.”

“How far ahead are you all committed?”  Diane asked.

“The New Years concerts was the last the Lou had us committed to.”

Diane turned to Marc, “How are you holding up baby?”

“I think, I’m doing all right. . . . The hard part is yet to come.”

“What hard parts?”  Diane inquired.

“Both of my boys are about to loose the one person closes to them.  Their worlds are going to shatter around them and I have to be the one to pick up the pieces.”

Reaching out, Lance touched Marc’s arm.  “We’ll both be there to help the boys.” 

“You can count on Jim and my support and I’m sure you’ll have Tom and Sara’s.”

“I know you all will be there for us and that’s one of the reasons I feel we will make it through what is to come.  Bobby already knows what to expect and he knows when the time comes we’ll be there for him.  Shawn is another story.  He is going to take his mothers death hard.”

“When the time comes, Shawn will have his family there for him,” Lance said. 

“What are your plans for the boys?”  Diane asked.

“Right now we’ll have to play it by ear.  After the Japan tour, I’ll be free until summer.    I’ve asked Lynn not to schedule anything outside the Orlando area.  “I’ve asked Nana if it would be all right to have Bobby stay with her and Shawn when the time comes.”

“Did she agree?”  Diane inquired.

“Yes, she agreed the boys will need some time to bond.  After the tour is over I’ll bring them all to Orlando.   They can finish the reminder of the school year there.”

“How does Nana feel about losing Shawn?”

Marc smiled, “Actually she has agreed to come down for the rest of the winter.”

“She said she could only stay until the end of March,” Lance laughed.  “She wanted to be back in time to take care of her gardens.”

“She could help take care of the boys until she heads north,” Diane pointed out.

“I don’t want to do that to her,” Marc said.  “She’ll be our guest when she visits.  So we’ll need to find a housekeeper or nanny by the first of the year.”

“Do you know what kind of person you want?”

“I’m open to most anything,” Marc said.  “It doesn’t matter if it male or female.  I just need someone who can handle the boys and is gay friendly.”

“And can cook,” Lance added.


  
The next morning Diane took the boys back to the airport. 

Lance went to the ticket counter to check in.  After a few moments he joined his mom and Marc.  “My flight should be boarding soon.”

Diane scanned the departure board and noticed the next flight to L. A. wasn’t for another two hours.  “Marc, honey, when is your flight?”

“I’m not sure.  My attorney is flying in from Wisconsin.  We’re going to fly out to L. A. together to finalize Bobby’s legal status.”

The announcement of Lance’s flight ended any more conversation as they moved toward the gate.

“Good-bye Mom,” Lance said as he hugged his mom.  “I love you.”

“I love you too son.  Have a good flight.”

Lance turned to Marc and hesitated, not sure what to do.  Marc pulled him into a manly hug.  “Love you James,” Marc whispered.  “See you in a couple days.”

“Love you Boo,” Lance whispered back.

“It’s been nice seeing you again cousin,” Marc said a little louder.  “Let’s get together again sometime.”

“It’s been nice seeing you too, Marc,” Lance said with a smile.  “Give me a call some time.”

The boarding call came over the speaker.  Lance picked up his bag and headed up the jet way.

Diane and Marc watched out the window as the jet way pulled back from aircraft.  They could feel the rumble of the jets engines as it slowly pulled back from the airport.

“How long before your attorney shows up?”  Diane inquired.

Marc shrugged as they turned away from the window.

“Mr. Morgan?”  A young man in a blue blazer asked as he approached.

“Yes.”

The young man handed Marc a note.  After quickly glancing at the note he thanked the young man.

Diane gave Marc a questioning look.

“My transportation has been arranged.”

“Have a good trip baby,” Diane said as she gave Marc a hug.  “And give Bobby my love.”

“I will,” Marc said.  “Love you mom.”

Marc picked up his bag and followed the young man.



Lance looked out his window as his plane approached the end of taxi way.  He let out a long sigh when he saw the long line of planes waiting to take off. 



A car was waiting for him when he exited the terminal.  A five minute drive brought him to the terminal used for private flights.  Another young man escorted him through the terminal and out a door to an awaiting private jet.

Climbing the stairs Marc handed his bag to the awaiting attendant.  “Welcome aboard Mr. Morgan.”

“Thank you Jill.  Is everyone here?”

“Yes sir.  If you will take a seat we are ready to leave.”

As Marc buckled his seat belt Jill was securing the planes hatch.
 


Lance watched as the plane in front of them made the turn onto the end of the runway.  He knew his plane would be next and the uneasy feeling he always gets at take off started to grow.  He was able to watch as the plane ahead of them rolled down the runway, gaining speed until it leapt into the air. 

Lance focused his attention on the seat in front of him; preparing himself for the take off.  He waited for his plane to start moving.  And he waited.  For some reason his plane wasn’t moving into the runway.  When he glanced out his window he saw why they haven’t moved.  A sleek mid-size private jet was heading down the runway.  What Lance failed to see was the markings on the tail of the jet.  He failed to see the symbol of the Phoenix.



Marc watched through the window as his plane broke through the cloud cover.  It was only moments before they had leveled off and Jill appeared.  “You can move about now.”

“Thanks, Jill.  I take it everyone is in the back?”

“Yes, in the conference room.”

Marc stood and headed toward the door.

“Can I bring you anything?”  Jill asked.

“Ice tea would be nice,” Marc replied.  “Thank you.”



Marc moved to the aft compartment looking for his attorney. 

Knocking lightly on the conference room door, Marc heard a “come in.”

“Eric, what’s with the foundations jet?  Does the board know about this. . . ” Marc said, coming to a stop when he saw the six other people sitting around the table.

Eric Andrews, Marc’s attorney, quickly stood up to greet him.  “Hi Marc.  Ah, I think you know everyone.”

Marc nodded at the people around the table.  “I don’t remember there being a meeting of the Phoenix Foundation.”

“With what’s developed in the last week the board felt this meeting was needed,” Eric explained, as he gestured to the seat at the head of the table.

Marc got an unease feeling as he sat down.  “What developments?”

Eric nodded to Dr. Phyllis Dryer, head of the Performing Arts Department, at the University of Wisconsin, and senior board member.  “What Eric is referring to is the changes in your life over the last two weeks.  Mainly the fact that you have found your family.”

“Is finding my family going to affect my foundation grant?”  Marc asked.

“Yes, and no,” Dr. Dryer answered.

Marc slumped back in his seat.  “How bad?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  I didn’t intend for it to sound negative,” Dr. Dryer said.  “Your grant isn’t being taken away.  But there is going to be a few changes in it.”

“What kind of changes?”

“First of all the board wants to congratulate you on finding your family.  We are so happy for you.”

“Thank you.  But it was my family that found me.  If it wasn’t for my grandmother seeing me on television, I would still not know anything about my past.”

“We understand that.  We also would like to congratulate you on your new status of fatherhood.”

“Thank you,” Marc said a little embarrassed.

“When Dr. Long named you to succeed him as the head of the Phoenix Foundation, he left instructions that you be given limited knowledge of the workings of the Foundation.  His main concern was what impact your past would have on the foundation.”

“I can understand that,” Marc said.  “It wouldn’t be very good to have a serial murderer or rapist on the board.”

Dr. Dryer chuckled at Marc’s comment.  “Precisely.  We needed to know your background.”

“So, did I pass?”

“With flying colors,” Dr. Dryer replied.  “And with that out of the way we feel it’s time to bring you up to speed.”

Eric handed Marc a large folder.  “We’ve prepared an overview of the foundation for you.”

Marc lifted the folder, estimating it to weigh around about four pounds.

“When we first discussed the workings of the foundation after Marcus’ funeral we under reported the actual net worth of the foundation.”

“You told me the foundation was worth around eighty million.  How far under was that?”

“The eighty million was about twenty percent of the net worth,” Eric said as he watched Marc do the math.

“Four hundred million?”

“Closer to five hundred,” Dr. Dryer corrected.

“And in the last five years, with good investments, we’ve managed to almost double that amount,” Eric said proudly.



Marc sat stunned as the board members worked their way through the file.  As the shock wore off he began to absorb the information being presented to him.  Near the end he was asking questions regarding the holdings of the foundation. 

The meeting broke up as their flight was making it’s approach to LAX.   Several cars were waiting for them upon leaving their plane.  The board members had made reservations for the night, planing to have a night of the town before returning to Madison.

Marc loaded his bag and Eric’s into the trunk of his rental.  Before going to see Bobby he had another meeting to attend.  A meeting with a private investigator.



Marc finished looking over the reports, a smile on his face.  “So, Lou met a woman in Los Vegas.  How much time did they spend together?”

The investigator, Bud Jackson, glance at his notes, “Mr. Pearlman’s guest, a Liz Hathaway, is a CPA from Boston.  She spent four days in Mr. Pearlman’s room.”

Marc gave a surprise,  “Oh!”

“About ten hours each day.  They would leave the room together to go out for dinner then she would return to her room.  The strange thing was Mr. Pearlman spent most of the day in the Casinos.”

“A CPA,” Marc said softly to himself.  “I wonder what was going on?”

“One night while they were at dinner, one of my guys managed to get into Mr. Pearlman’s room.”

“What did your man find?”  Marc asked.

“She was creating a second set of books.”

“Really?  Do we have any proof?”
     


Bobby was sitting on the bottom step of the front porch, adjusting the chain on his bike when a car pulled into the driveway.  He didn’t recognize the car but he quickly recognized the driver.  “Dad!” he shouted as he jumped up.

Marc managed to get completely out of the car before Bobby flung himself into Marc’s arms.

“You’re here!” he shouted into his dads chest.

“Yea, I’m here,” Marc chuckled as he wrapped his arms around his son, giving him a kiss on the top of his head.  They enjoyed their embrace for a minute before pulling back.  Concern spread across Marc’s face when he saw Bobby’s red rimmed eyes.   “What’s wrong son?”

“Nothing,” Bobby mumbled, looking at his feet.

Placing a finger under the boys chin Marc brought his head up to look into his eyes.  “Is something bothering you son?  What to tell me about it?”  

Bobby turned away from Marc, “I didn’t think I would see you again.”

Marc pulled the boy back against him.  “Why would you think that?”

“You, you found your real, son,” Bobby whimpered.

Marc tightened his embrace on the boy. 

“Your not going to want me now.  You have a real son.”

“Hey!  We need to get something straight.  You are, my son.”

“But.”

“There’s no buts about it.  You are my son and I’m you dad.  Unless you don’t want me to be your dad.”

Marc could feel the boy stiffen in his arms.  “I, I have a choice?”

Turning the boy around Marc saw his frighten face.  “The reason I’m here is because we have to going see a judge tomorrow.”

“A judge!  I didn’t do anything.  Really dad, I didn’t do anything.”

“I know you didn’t do anything son.  We are meeting with the judge to finalize your guardianship.”

Bobby had a perplexed look on his face.

“When we meet with the judge he will ask you a couple questions.”  

“What kind of questions?”

“One will be if you want me to be your guardian.   The other is if you want to be adopted by me.”

“You’re going to adopt me?”

“If you want, but you have to understand that if I adopt you, I will be your dad forever.” 

“Forever?”

“Yep.  Once the judge signs the papers you’re mine.  And the judge has a no return policy.”

“Even if I screw up?”

“Even if you screw up,” Marc confirmed.  “But remember if you do screw up, you will be punished.”

“What kind of punishment?”

“It depends on how bad you screw up,” Marc said.  “It could be the lost of privileges, to grounding.”

Bobby relaxed some.

“Or I could just throw you in the lake,” Marc added with a grin.



After tucking Bobby into bed for the night, Marc was relaxing on his bed looking over the foundation file he received earlier.  His long day was catching up with him and he was about to turn in when his cell rang.

Assuming it was Lance calling Marc answered, “Hey sexy, boy am I missing you.”

There was a long silence from the other end of the line.  Then nervous laughter.  “I miss you too.”

“Joey?”

“Yeah, do you still think I’m sexy?”

“Yeah,” Marc chuckled.  “You’re near the top of my list of the ten sexiest men I know.”

“Damn, my ego needed that.  Thanks bro.”

“What’s going on?  What’s my man doing?”

“Were just getting ready to head back to the hotel.  Lance, J. C. and Justin are finishing up an interview.”

“It sounds like the evening went well,” Marc said.

“Well, kind a.  This shit with Lou is overshadowing everything.  The press only wanted to talk about our problems with Lou, not the real reason we were here tonight.”

“Is that really surprising?” Marc inquired.

“No, I guess not,” Joey said softly.  “I just wish we could get past this and get back to work.”

“Hey Joe, this will be all behind you soon, and you guys can get back to making millions of teenage girls wet their pants.  And a lot of guys cream their pants,” Marc added.

Joey could only laugh.

“Talking about guys that make you cream you pants.  What’s happening with Howie?” Marc asked.

“Not all that much.  We’re still talking every day.  And we managed to go out to dinner the other night.”

“Ah, a date?”

“Yeah, I guess it was a date,” Joey chuckled. 

“We’ll have to see if we can get you two together more,” Marc said.  “Maybe if we plan a cookout and ask Backstreet.  That will give you guys a reason to spend time together.”

“That should work,” Joey said his voice sounded lighter.  “Thanks bro.”

“Now, if you could just hook me up with my guy,” Marc hinted.

“Hold on,” Joey laughed.  “They’re coming out to the limo now.”



The next morning Bobby and Marc went to the courthouse to meet with Judge Porter.  Waiting outside the judges chamber was Mr. Bloom; Bobby’s grandmothers attorney, and Marc’s attorney, Mr. Andrews.

“Good morning Bobby,” Mr. Bloom greeted.  “Are you ready for this?”

Bobby looked at Marc for a moment before answering, “Yes sir.”

“Son, this is Mr. Andrews, my attorney,” Marc said in way of introductions.

“Hello sir,” Bobby said as he offered his hand.

“I’m glad to meet you Bobby,” Mr. Andrews said shaking the boys hand.  “Marc has told me so much about you.”

The door opened and a bailiff called them in.



In less then an hour Marc became Bobby’s legal guardian and the judge ordered his adoption fast tracked and for them to return in thirty days for the judges final decree.

Returning home from the courthouse they found an unknown car in the driveway.  Entering the house they found Helen and her guest in the kitchen, visiting over coffee.

“Grams, were back,” Bobby called out as they came in.

“We’re in the kitchen dear,” Helen answered.

Bobby came bounding into the kitchen followed by Marc.

“Joy, this is my grandson, Bobby.  And his guardian Marc Morgan.”

“This is my new friend, Joy Roberts.”

“Hello, Ms. Roberts,” Bobby said shyly.

“Hello, Bobby, I’m glad to meet you,” Ms. Roberts said.  “Mr. Morgan, it a pleasure to see you again.”

Bobby shot his dad a questioning look.

“Son, Ms. Roberts will be living here for a while,” Marc said.  “She’s here to help your grandmother.”

“But I’m helping Grams,” Bobby protested.

“I know you are.  And you are doing a great job.  But you also have to go to school and you have track after school.  That’s a long time when Grams is home alone.”

“I don’t have to do track.  And maybe I don’t have to go to school.”

Marc pulled the boy back against him, wrapping his arms around him.  “You are going to do no such thing.  Ms. Roberts is also a nurse and I’ve hired her to help take care of Grams.

“I’m here to make sure your grandmother takes all of her medication and she eats right,” Joy said.  “But the biggest part of my job is to just be a friend.”

Bobby still had is doubts.

“I can only be successful in my job if I have your help,” Joy added.

“What kind of help?”  Bobby asked.

Joy smiled, she knew she had the boys interest.  What only Marc knew was, she was also a counselor hired to help Helen and Bobby through the trying time that was yet to come.



Marc had a hour layover in Atlanta before his flight to Orlando boarded.  Entering the VIP lounge he scanned the room for a quiet place to rest.  A smile crossed Marc’s face when he spotted a friendly face grinning at him.

“Kevin,” Marc said greeting his friend.

“Marc.  You heading north or south?”

“South,” Marc laughed.  “And you?”

“The same,” Kevin said as he looked around.  “Are you alone?”

Marc nodded, “I was in L.A. spending some time with one of my sons.”

The shocked expression on Kevin’s face was priceless.

“I forget I’ve been out of town for the last couple weeks.”

“Did you say, sons?”

Reaching into his backpack he pulled out photos of the boys.
 


After collecting his bags Marc bid Kevin good-bye as he headed for the long term parking lot.  His van was just where he had left it two weeks ago.  Tossing his bags in the back he thought to himself, ‘I need to find a car wash.’  Evidently it had rained several times while he was away, the van showed water spotting and he could see where dust had accumulated and ran in streaks from the rain.

Pulling into the driveway he hit the garage door opener button.  The garage was empty, meaning Lance was out somewhere. 

Marc found a note on the kitchen counter telling him Lance had a meeting with their lawyers and would be back around four.  Since it was a little after one, he knew he had time for a run.  Taking his bags with him, he headed up to the bedroom to change.


              
Lance was a couple blocks from his house when something caught his eye.  A nearly naked man was running on the bicycle path that paralleled the road.  A big smile spread across his face as he recognized the muscular posterior, of his man.   A quick wave was exchanged as they passed, Lance increasing his speed, eager to get home.



Marc had slowed to a walk the last block to his house, cooling down.  Entering the house he called out, “James!”

“I’m on the phone,” Lance called from his study.

“K, I’m going to grab a quick shower,” Marc said as he passed Lance’s study.  Lance looked up as Marc passed the door and waved.

The hot water felt good cascading over Marc’s head and back.  As he shampooed his hair Marc half expected Lance to join him.  He could hear him moving around in their bedroom but as he finished his shower it became clear no one was going to join him.  As he dried himself Marc began to wonder if he was in trouble for something.  It was not like Lance to miss a chance to shower with him and fool around.

Marc froze when he came out of the bathroom.  A smile spreading across his face.  “Howdy, Cowboy,” Marc said as he gazed at his man, dressed in boots, chaps, vest, and cowboy hat, nothing else.

Lance nodded toward the bed, where Marc’s leathers were laid out.  Grinning Marc quickly dressed, now having some idea what was coming.



“Damn, I needed that,” Marc said as Lance rolled off top of him.  Lowering his legs Marc grabbed a towel to clean up the cooling come from his last orgasm.

“You’re a mess,” Lance observed.  “How many orgasms did you have?

“Twice that I’m sure of.  It gets kind of hazy after that.”

“You don’t know how many times you chummed?”  Lance asked with a laugh.

“All that I’m sure of is that you were hitting my sweet spot so often, I didn’t want you to stop,” Marc said pulling Lance closer.  “Cowboy, when you’re in the saddle all I care about is you riding it home.  And you sure rode me hard.”

Lance ran his hand through the still sticky hair on Marc’s chest.  Lance was glad to see Marc’s chest hair was growing back, and even as short as it was, he could still make swirling patterns in it.

“You know Cowboy, when you ride your mount as hard as you did, you need be sure he get cooled down and brushed properly.”

Lance grinned at Marc.  “How do I do that?  I forget.”

“First you need to take your mount, to his stall.”

“Stall?” Lance questioned.

“Shower, . . . use your imagination.  Work with me James,” Marc prodded.

“Oh!  I think I can figure out the rest,” Lance chuckled as he swung out of bed.

Marc rolled out the other side and both stood looking at the bed.

“What should we do with the sheets?”  Lance asked.

“Might as well throw them out,” Marc sighed.  “Boots are hard on sheets.”

“This could get expensive,” Lance said as he started pulling the torn sheets off the bed.

“I’ll check around and see if I can get a leather bed cover,” Marc said as he pulled out clean sheets.

“Do they make such a thing?”  Lance asked.

“I’ll ask Joey.  He said Josh was looking at a leather bedspread when they were fixing up their bedrooms at the studio.”

“When you ask Joey, please do it on the q t.  If Chris finds out about what we need he’ll razz us forever.”

“Yea,” Marc agreed.  “Asking Josh would be a bad idea, cause he can’t keep a secrete.”

After they finished making the bed, Lance took Marc’s hand and led him to the bathroom.

“I think I have a duty to do,” Lance said.  “You ready for your rub down?”

“If, you must,” Marc side with a sigh, his penis starting to thicken in hopes it would get rubbed.



Lance and Marc were having breakfast when they heard the front door open and slam shut.  Justin came strolling in.  Marc and Justin greeted each other with a hug.

“What are you up to?”  Marc inquired.

“Studio, most of the day,” Justin said.  “We’re almost finished with one of our new songs for the album.”

“You are?  Which one?”  Marc asked.

“It’s a new song J. C. came up with after the split with Lou.  It’s called No Strings Attached.”

“So you guys are finally going to do some of your own stuff?”

“J. C. has four songs we’re doing,” Lance said.  “Three of them looks like they may make the album.”

“I have one that looks good too,” Justin said with pride.

“Good for you bro,” Marc said giving Justin a pat on the back.  “When will I get to hear them?”

“Johnny has security clamped down so tight we don’t know when you’ll be able to hear them,” Justin said.

“I understand,” Marc said feeling a little disappointed.

Justin and Lance looked at each other.  “You know Lance, I think we’re not getting enough rehearsal time in.  Maybe we should schedule one for tonight.”

“Tonight!  But we were all coming back here for a cook out and some relaxing by the pool.”

“Yeah, that’s right.  We need the down time,” Justin agreed.  “Maybe, if Marc doesn’t mind.  After we eat maybe we could borrow his studio for awhile to rehearse.”

Lance finally caught on to what Justin meant, with a grin, he agreed.



Marc was laughing when he joined the guys in his studio.  “You guys have to make that one, your first single.  The kids will love it and it’ll drive the parents crazy.  I can hear it now.  “Bye, Bye, Bye” everyone will be singing “Bye, Bye, Bye.”

Joey nudged Chris with his elbow, holding out his hand.  Chris dug deep in his pocket then slapped a twenty dollar bill in Joey’s hand.

Marc gave the two of them a questioning look.

“Chris said you wouldn’t like the song and I bet him twenty you would,” Joey explained.

Shaking his head in disbelief, Marc asked.  “You should know me well enough by now to know there isn’t any of your music I wouldn’t like.  If you stay away from rap, I’d love anything you do.”

Everyone quickly glanced toward J. C.

“What?”  Marc asked.

“Ah, Ah,” Josh stammered.  “When we record Space Cowboy, I’ve asked a friend to contribute a little something.”

“A friend, who?”

“Lisa Lopes,” Josh said softly.

“Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes?”  Marc asked.

“Yeah, you know her?”  Josh asked with some surprise.

“No, we’ve never met,” Marc said shaking his head.  “But I’ve heard some of her stuff.”

“I didn’t think you would know her since you said you didn’t like rap,” Chris said.

“Traveling on a bus this last summer has opened up some new opportuneness to hear other kinds of music,” Marc said.  “You all listen to music in your bunks.  Josh likes to listen to TLC.”

“So you checked TLC out,” Justin smirked.

“Yeah, I checked them out.  The rap, I still don’t get.  But I can’t deny those girls can actually sing.  I just can’t see how she is going to rap to, Why-yi-yi-yippie-yi-yay-yippie-yi-yo-yippie-yi-yay.”

Every one laughed at Marc’s comment.



The next day the guys were back into the studio and Marc locked himself in his.  Pulling up the pictures taken by the Hubble telescope he arranged them in a slide show.  He planned to take a journey starting on the shore of Big Bear Lake as you would look up into the night sky.  Moving out through our own solar system, then out into the far reaches of space, all by way of his music.



“Man, that was a tough week,” Chris said as the guys entered the pool enclosure. 

“Wonder where Marc is?”  Joey asked.

Lance glanced at the studio door, “He’s still working.”

“How long has he been at it?”  Justin inquired.

“He’s been in there the last three days.”

“He hasn’t come out at all?”  Chris asked. 

“He’s been crawling into bed around one.  This morning we managed to have breakfast together.”

“At least he’s eating,” Josh pointed out.

“Talking about eating,” Joey said.  “Do you think we can get him out of there?

Lance shrugged, “I’ll go see if I can.  Joe, why don’t you get the grill going.”



Slowly opening the door to the studio Lance peered in.  Marc was leaning back in his chair with his eyes close.  At first Lance thought he may have been asleep but he had headphones on and the slight sway of Marc’s head told him he was engrossed in the music.

Slipping into the control booth Lance leaned in and lightly brushed Marc’s lips with his.  Marc’s eyes slowly opened as he leaned into the kiss.  For a long moment they enjoyed the contact of only their lips.  Marc sat back in his chair smiling up at Lance.  “You’re home,” Marc said as he removed his headphones.

“Yes, and so is the guys.  Do you remember we have guests coming?”

“Is it Saturday, all ready?”

“Yeah,” Lance laughed.  “And Backstreet will be here soon.”

“Do I have time for a shower?”

Lance sniffed the air around Marc.  “I think that would be a good idea.”

“Are you trying to tell me something?”

“You’ve been in here too long.  You need to freshen up.”

“I can take a hint,” Marc said as he shut down the control board.



Howie, Kevin, and Brian were the first to arrive.  Before Marc could get the front door closed an other car drove up with Nick and A.J.

“Are we early?”  Nick asked.

“No, everyone is here.  Their just parked in the other driveway.”

Nick looked out the window.  “What other driveway?”

“It’s easier to show you,” Marc said as he gestured toward the back of the house.

Going out onto the patio the guys glanced around.  A.J. looked at the empty pool, “I thought we were going to swim?”

“We are,” Marc said pointing across the yard.  “Everyone is waiting for us.”

As they crossed the yard Marc explained the second house.



After a quick tour of the studio everyone retired to the pool and hot tub to relax.   An hour later, Marc loaded the grill with steaks.  The smell of the cooking meat quickly emptied the pool.  Everyone pitched in to set the tables and start bringing out the other foods.  When the stakes were done everyone set down to an enjoyable meal.

After they finished eating, everyone set around talking.   The lights around the pool were turned on by the light sensor.  It was getting dark way too early for this time of the year.  A low rumble could be heard off in the distance.  Everyone was looking out at the darkening sky when the first flash of lightening could be seen.

“Looks like we’re in for a storm,” Brian said.

Marc got up walking toward the studio.

“Where you going?”  Lance asked.

“To isolate the studio.  An electrical storm can damage the equipment.”  Going to a panel near the studio door he opened it and threw a switch.

“Is that it?”  Lance asked.

Marc nodded.  “I switch everything to battery backup.”

“How long will that work?”  Kevin inquired.

“If everything was powered up, about two hours.  But with most everything powered down it should last ten hours.”

“If the storm last ten hours we’d better start building a ark,” Chris piped in.

The tables were cleared and things cleaned up as the intensity of the storm increased.  The lightening was putting on quite a show and the thunder seemed continues.  Most everyone was huddled in the kitchen looking out into the pool room.

“Anyone seen A.J.?” Nick asked.

“I think he’s out there with Marc,” Chris said.

Kevin spotted A.J.

“Damn!  Will you two get in here!” he shouted. 

Neither of them seemed to have heard Kevin’s shout.

“A.J. has this thing about thunder storms,” Nick said.  “He’ll stand and watch the storm until it passes.”

“Marc’s the same way,” Lance said.

“What do they see out there?”  Joey wondered.



Marc and A.J. stood at the windows watching the storm.  A quick series of lightening flashes made them both murmured, “Wow!”

They looked at each other grinning.

“You into thunder storms?”  Marc inquired.

A.J. nodded.  “It’s one of the best shows around.  There’s nothing produced by man. . . ”

“. . . that can compare to Gods spectacular display,” Marc finished the thought.

A.J.’s eyes locked onto Marc’s.  Looking deep into his dark eyes wondering how he could know what he was going to say.  A.J. had only shared that thought with one other person.

Marc looked at A.J. not sure why he had said what he did.  But some how he knew what A.J. was going to say.  The lightening flashed around them and Marc’s attention was drawn to the tattoos on A.J.’s right arm.  Reaching out he lightly touched one of the tattoos on his forearm.  Pulling his hand away he looked into A.J.’s questioning eyes.

Lance and Kevin had gone out into the pool area and was watching the strange interplay of their friends.

Marc cleared his throat, “Tell me about Johnny Noname.”

A.J. looked puzzled at the question.  “It’s just a name I use when I play some small clubs.”

“No.  Alex, tell me about Johnny Noname,” Marc said looking deeply into Alex’s eyes.



“What’s going on?”  Ryan asked.

Mr. Uriel was watching the two young men, backlit by the flashes of lightening.  Looking down at his young companion he smiled.  “Your brother has found the key.”

Ryan tilted his head as he thought about what Mr. Uriel had just said.  A smile spread across his face.  “You mean?”

Mr. Uriel nodded.



TBC


I’m sorry it has taken so long to get this one out.   If I was to give this chapter a title I think it could be called “Revelations”.  

Marc now has more ammunition to use against Lou. 

Marc’s role in the Phoenix foundation has taken on a new perspective.  The new wealth of the foundation could mean a change in Marc’s thinking.  With the increased wealth, comes increased responsibilities, and increased power.  What effect will that have on Marc? 

And what’s behind this leather fetish, Marc and Lance seems to be exploring?  It seems to have spiced up their sex lives.  How are they going to handle it when the boys move in?  Not to mention Nana.

Has Marc really found the key?  Ryan suspected A.J. was the key.  Why didn’t Marc’s memory return the last time he and A.J. met?  What is different with this meeting?  What’s the connection between the two, other then thunderstorms?  And what is Marc’s interest in A.J.’s alter ego?


Copyright ©2000-2005 Phoenix Publishing.