Date: Mon, 7 Jan 2002 18:44:25 +0000 (GMT)
From: nick-shafer@another.com
Subject: Never Had A Dream Come True - Chapters 1-2  (New Version)

FIRSTLY, I'd just like to say that there aren't nearly enough S Club
stories out their, and I believe that this is the only serial story. Get
Writing!

SECONDLY, Hi, I'm Nick Shafer, and you might have seen this story before,
but I'm re-realising this ammended version, cause basically it fits in with
the whole story better. I hope to release as much of the story that I have
on Nifty pretty soon (Upto about Chapters 11-12).

HOWEVER, If you like the story. And Please Please email me if you do
(s4shafer@hotmail.com) - Cause I Love to hear From All of You, - then visit
my website http://nickshafer.tripod.com .  This has the whole story so far
plus loads of other cool stuff.

ALL I've left to say is that I hope you enjoy it, oh and this...

DISCLAIMER: This story is complete fiction and these events only took place
in my head, NOT in real life. Officially and as far as I know Paul
Cattermole and S Club 7 are real live heterosexuals. This story contains
adult material. So if you're not 18. get out of here!!!

Later days...Nick


Never Had A Dream Come True
By Nick Shafer Copyright 2001

CHAPTER 1

   The angry exit of Bradley Macintosh had been a devastating blow for
Fuller (19) Management, and its effect on the band, S Club 7, had been
profound. Since the tragic argument almost six months before whilst
shooting Phoenix7 - the latest series in the TV Bands highly successful
docu-soap - the band had neither acted nor sung. Morale was low in the S
Club Camp, it was simply devastating for all the members, they weren't S
Club 6, they were S Club 7! A bond held them together. With Bradley gone,
it was like a part of them was missing. No one hurt more than Paul, the
oldest boy of the band, who considered himself a father figure for the
others, and blamed himself personallyfor Bradley leaving. Since then he'd
absorbed himself away from Jon and the girls.

   Bradley's departure had another profound affect, on the bank balance of
Simon Fuller!  With the band not performing, his primary income was
gone. Seeing the state of the group, he decided to act quickly. So it was,
that in July, a full 9 months after Bradley's death, the final auditions
for the new member of S Club 7 took place. They had, in a 'popsatrish' way,
whittled down over 2000 applicants to the lucky boy who would take up the
post. It would be a morning none of the band, or a certain young man would
ever forget.

   Lee Burton walked onto what should have been the sun-drenched terrace of
Fuller Management in the London suburbs. It was however raining, no, he
thought, that was an understatement. It was pouring! How he hated these
summer storms, you never got them in Jersey. Spots of rain began to hit his
sleeveless white T-shirt and he shivered, pulling his arms around his
18-year-old body. He was well built, not fat, but with enough muscle to
betray the fact he worked out occasionally. His hair, long and curly, had a
habit of changing depending on his mood. Now, it hung limp and dark,
dripping with the falling rain. His eyes, usually a vibrant bright brown,
tingeing on yellow, were dark as the sky above. His eyelids we red, and for
anyone close enough, you could see, that in the pouring rain, his tears
were falling too.

   "No" screamed Jo, "I wont let it happen, you can't betray Bradley like
this" she screamed at Fuller. A mug flew through the air, smashing a
picture of the group set on the wall. "No one can ever replace him". She
turned on Paul. "This is all your fault," she hissed, before turning and
running from the room, tears forming in her eyes. Tina and Hannah raced
after her. Whilst Jon, and Rachael stood to comfort Paul.  He hadn't
blinked, hadn't moved, since Jo had screamed at him. "Don't listen Paul,
you know what she's like" said Rachael. "Yeah man, we know its not your
fault, Joe's having trouble realising we have to move on" added Jon. "
Bradley wasn't happy with us any more". "No Jon, she's right, it was all my
fault," whispered Paul, so faintly you could hardly hear. He turned and ran
from the room. "No Paul wait!" but Jon was too late.

   Paul ran through the deserted halls of Fuller Management, ignoring the
stereotypical "happy" pictures of the Club smiling and singing that covered
the walls, accompanied by many of the bands platinum selling singles. He
ran for solitude where he could hide his tears. Tears blurred his eyes. He
didn't know where he was. Air, he needed air. He threw open the doors to
the terrace and ran through, smack bang into the looming blur that turned
out to be Lee, knocking him to the ground.

   "Ow, oh shit" Paul grabbed his head in pain. "Oh my god, are you alright
mate," he said, his tears now overcome by concern. Lee let out a
grunt. Quickly Paul grabbed him from the floor, and cradling him like a
baby, carried Lee inside. It took several minutes before he came round.
Shocked as he was not to be on the patio, he was even more shocked to find
himself in the arms of one of pops best known, and best looking male
stars. "Shit man I'm sorry, I gave you quite a bump there. You O.K" asked
Paul. "Yeah I think so" sniffled Lee. "What were you doing out there man,
you're drenched" questioned Paul. It was only then that he noticed the boy
had been crying. He slowly let his gaze slip over the boy he was holding,
and he had to admit he was very cute. His long curly hair was knotted
against his face, and his tee which was see-through with all the rain left
little too the imagination. It was almost a turn on cradling him in his
lap. What am I thinking! Paul checked himself. He's cute...in a boy
way. But I can't fancy him. I'm not gay.  Definitely not.  "You sure your
ok." Paul trailed off. " I gave you quite a knock". He looked Lee over
again. "I'm sure I've seen you somewhere...." His brow furrowed in
momentary concentration.  "Oohmygod...I know you, you were that boy they
sent up to introduce to us as Brads replacement, but Jo slammed the door in
your face! Look I'm real real sorry, she's just cut up over his death
... they were close...real close...Anyway, lets get you back upstairs and
dried up. A member of ...' Paul put on a terrible American drawl " The S
Club 7 shouldn't be sitting, or laying for that matter, in the rain."  Paul
looked down at Lee again. "Lets go meet the band,you sure your ok...you
look a bit shaky"

   Lee looked into Paul's glimmering eyes, nearly in tears themselves. He
saw pain there, yet, he couldn't place why - he trusted him instantly too.
"I think I'm gonna be ok now. "

CHAPTER 2

   "Shit, Shit, Shit". A solitary figure ran down the hallway of Fuller
management, throwing open every door he passed; only to slam it shut
again. "Why did she have to say that? God if he's hurt himself!" Jon Lee
panted as he reached the door to the terrace lounge. He, the youngest boy
member of S Club at only 19, had grown up a lot in the last 9 months since
Bradley left. The baby-faced exuberant young man was now tired and
bedraggled by the events. Worse still, he knew the pain Paul was going
through, but Paul never let him close enough to him to help. Since that
night, Paul was completely emotionally secluded. Jon threw open the door to
the lounge, and the strangest sight greeted him. There was Paul, no longer
crying, but smiling, talking to a boy who, soaking wet, was cradled in his
lap.

   "Paul", gasped Jon, "thank god you're ok." "Oh, hi Jon" Paul said, "I'd
like you to meet Lee Burton". "What!" answered Jon. "I said I'd like you
too meet Lee!" Paul repeated. "Are you O.K Paul, I thought you'd done
something stupid! Listen you shouldn't pay any attention to Jo, you know
what she's like and...." His voice trailed off, Paul was staring deep into
Lee's eyes as if trying to remember something. "Are you even listening to
me?" demanded Jon. "Oh yeah Jon, don't panic man, I'm fine...come on Lee,
lets get you some dry clothes".  With that, he stood up, and Lee dropped
from his lap.  Paul giggled at the prostrate form in front of him, before
extending a hand and helping the smiling Lee up off the floor.  "See you
later Jon." With that, they left the room.  Jon stood for a few seconds
looking dumbfounded, before sighing and slumping down in an armchair.
Life, he thought, as he picked up an unopened coke from the table, just got
weirder and weirder.

   Paul led Lee through the maze of corridors that made up the Fuller
complex.  The only indication of their presence was a trail of darker wet
spots in the carpet where the soaked jeans and tee of Lee dripped in time
with his step. They reached a door at the far right end of one of the
corridors.  Paul reached into his pocket, and removing the key proceeded to
unlock the door.  Having done so, he pushed open the door, and called Lee
inside.  The room evidently seemed to be a bedroom/apartment for Paul,
which he used while the band was recording and, as he later told Lee, each
member had one.  The room was simple, with dark blue walls, and a small
oval wooden coffee table in the middle. To one side a single bed, also dark
blue, was neatly made. Facing this was a walk in wardrobe, and a set of
wooden drawers and shelves. Both shelves and drawers were littered with
photo frames filled with pictures of Paul's friends and family. There was
little else in the room, except a silver clock that hung on the wall, and
several coloured coat hangers hung on the wardrobe door. To the left of the
bed a second door led off into what Lee only assumed was the bathroom.

   "Its really...nice" Lee told Paul. Their conversation had been limited
if nothing during the walk to the room. "Yeah" replied Paul, "it kinda
reminds me of home. All these photos reminded me of what a great time I had
back there when I was young". He looked wistfully at the photos for a
moment before continuing. "So Lee, tell me a little about yourself." He
looked over at Lee, before finally realising again that he was still
standing in dripping wet clothes, and had, by that time, succeeded in
making a generous puddle on the floor.  "Oh sorry man, lets get you into
some dry clothes". "You could do with some yourself," retorted Lee, nodding
to Paul's trousers. Paul looked down; they were soaked from where Lee had
been cradled in his lap. He chuckled. "Yeah, I guess your right", and
walked toward the closet. "I think you might fit into some of my old
clothes" he told Lee, producing a pair of dark green trackie bottoms, a
cream t-shirt and a matching short sleeved green shirt. Then moved to the
draws, pulling out a new pair of jeans for himself and tossing Lee a pair
of faded black Boxers. "Hope they fit", he said, "They might be a bit
baggy". He walked to the adjoining door leading to the bathroom and went in
to fetch Lee a towel. On his return, the boy was changing, and now stood
looking sheepish in Paul's' loose fitting boxers.

   Paul couldn't help but admire Lee's body as he tossed him the towel, and
he began to dry his hair.  His eyes traced the boy's outline up from the
floor. Strong, well built legs, covered by a down of dark hair, a decent
bulge outlined the boxers, which Paul's eyes lingered on momentarily,
suggesting a substantial package. His torso was similarly well built, not
muscular with a six-pack, but nicely defined, as too was his chest and
arms, which flexed as he dried his hair. Lee's eye's were shielded by the
towel, and was totally oblivious to the show he was offering Paul. His
body, to Paul, seemed perfect; there wasn't one mark except he noticed, a
scar on the right of his abdomen. "Nice scar" commented Paul, "Yeah,"
remarked Lee "A gift from an old friend". By this time, he had finished
drying his hair, which seemed to have frizzed up. He looked up into Paul's
eyes. "I... I couldn't borrow a cap could I please?" he asked.  "Yeah yeah
of course" Paul stammered. Those eyes, they glowed, Paul was sure of it.

   Having returned his sheepish gaze to the floor, Lee finished changing,
and put on the cap, before turning back to Paul.  "I thought you were gonna
change your jeans?" Paul only realised then that he was still standing with
his pants soaked through. He quickly dropped the wet jeans and stepped out
of them.  It was he, this time that was putting on a show for Lee.  Lee
could only stare as the pop idle fumbled to put on the jeans, exposing
strong legs, and a pair of tight boxers that left little to the imagination
regarding his package. Lee blushed to himself. Paul, having finished
changing sat on the bed, and beckoned Lee to sit beside him.  "Oh, I'm
being really rude" he said. "Can I get you a drink or something?" "Yeah
please." Paul ran quickly into the bathroom, and returned in a flash with
two chilled cokes. He opened his and took a deep slurp before
continuing. "So", he said "you wanna be in S Club 7 then". Lee looked up,
"Yeah, more than anything in the whole world". "Well then", said Paul, "I
think you'd better meet the rest of them."

   For the second time that day, Lee Burton walked into studio 2 at Fuller
Management's Studios, but this time he wasn't alone. This time he would
meet S Club 7 with Paul behind him. He pushed the door open and stepped
inside. In front of him the three of the girl members of S Club, Rachael,
Hannah, Tina sat huddled on a sofa. Lounging on a seat next to them sat
Jon, a magazine in his hands. Jo was nowhere to be seen. Opposite them sat
Simon Fuller, their manager, looking exasperated. He jumped to his feet
when Lee walked into the room. "Ah Lee" he said, "glad to see you're all
right. Sorry about earlier. So, you've come to try again, I thought they'd
scared you off". On hearing Lee's name Jon dropped his magazine and looked
up. "Oh Hi again" he said "Sorry I didn't say hi earlier, I was just a bit
worried isn't that right PAUL!" "Oh yeah, sorry Jon" Paul said, walking
over after falling out of his daydream and ruffling Jon's hair. "I was a
bit out of it before, but I've calmed down now". "Glad to hear" said
Rachael. "Where's Jo" inquired Paul. "She's in her room!" Tina told
him. "Yeah, don't bother her," exclaimed Hannah, "she's just having a
rest". "I'm real sorry guys I didn't mean to" Paul was close to tears
again, and seeing this Jon stepped in. "Forget it, now you came here to
introduce us to our new band member didn't you?" Paul blinked back the
tears; he couldn't cry in front of Lee, he just couldn't. "Yeah" said
Rachael, "who is this devilishly handsome young man?" Lee blushed again,
"Hi, I'm Lee, Lee Burton".  "Hi Lee" the band mates chorused. "So take a
seat Lee", said Jon "and tell us all about yourself".  "Yeah", replied
Paul, "I never did get to find out!"

   Lee shyly sat down in the last available couch, and Paul jumped down
beside him, lazily placing his arm on the sofa behind Lee. "Well", said
Lee, "where to begin "