Date: Thu, 29 May 2003 18:45:49 -0700
From: Dan Kirk <dkstories@cox.net>
Subject: Phone Call -It's Never Easy 14

Legal Stuff: I don't know NSYNC or any other celebrity mentioned.  While
real people are the basis of characters, they are characters here and do
not represent the real lives, thoughts, or feelings of the real people.
Again, these are characters based on them, not the real people themselves.
If you are too young, or live in a location where it is illegal to read
stories that include love between men, read no further!  Like that would
have ever stopped me...


It's Never Easy -- Chapter 14


I woke from the tangle of arms and legs and couldn't help but smile.  My
legs still ached, and a pit in my stomach announced that my body was
demanding food.  The morning routine of waking the younger kids, getting
them dressed, and eating room service breakfast consumed several hours.  We
were soon joined by Nanny and Grandma, as well as the guys and I had to
admit being surrounded by all of them made things a lot easier.

I was still jumpy though.  A loud noise from the hallway sent my flying to
the floor, looking around frantically for signs of trouble.  This scared
the kids, and we took some time calming them down.  Around mid-morning, the
phone began ringing.

A call from England changed our plans to fly home.  We'd be making a stop
in London for a day.  Korvan Studios called as well, assuring me that
things there were under control.  JMS had dropped some work on Jeremiah to
help make sure Ganymede post-production continued without a hitch.  Manuel
was working on some things from a laptop here in Russia as well, helping to
make sure the programs were ready for airing on time.

It was both a relief and worrisome.  I wondered if they would realize I
wasn't necessary and fire me.  James saw the look on my face, got me to
admit what was wrong and then laughed.  His laughter helped me realize how
stupid that thought was and I continued on with helping Tyler get packed.
We would be leaving later this evening.

James accompanied me on my trip to the hospital to see Sergei.  We talked
for an hour or so, and he apologized for not being quick enough to stop the
kidnapping.  I apologized for him being shot.  James made us stop repeating
our apologies and we instead talked about the beautiful nurse Sergei had
met while being a patient.  She had even accepted his offer of a date after
he was released.

That was much more pleasant.

We returned to the hotel with our motorcade and military escort.  I was
surprised that they were still assigned to us and idly wandered if they
would be there when we returned sometime in the future.  If it's one thing
the Russians take seriously, it is their national pride.  For now, my
safety while I was there was an issue of pride for them.

By mid-afternoon, we were checked out of the hotel, and I was surprised
that the government had paid the bill in full.  I knew better than to argue
with them about that, so I shrugged it off.  The motorcade to the airport
was quick for us.  Of course they'd blocked off several streets as we
passed through them so it was a nightmare for the Moscow motorists.

We were driven directly onto the tarmac and boarded the Aeroflot plane from
a mobile stair unit.  When we were boarded, the airline stewards (they were
all male) prepared us for departure. It was then that I learned Aeroflot
had chartered the flight for just us, no other passengers at no extra
cost. Okay, there was extra cost, but the government of Russia picked up
the tab.

I could get use to this red carpet treatment.

The flight to London was long, but relaxing.  We landed well after dark in
the British Capital, and were met once more by a motorcade of cars.  Our
baggage was offloaded and installed in the vehicles while we got into the
limos.  A half-hour later, we were pulling into the palace amidst a barrage
of camera flashes and Prince Charles himself greeted us at the door.

"David, it is good to see you safe." He told me, shaking my hand formally.

"Thank you, sir." I said smiling.  Then I introduced him to the family
members he had not yet met.  Harry met us halfway through the hallway and
he soon disappeared with Nathan.  I assumed Nathan would be telling him all
about Misha, and about my promise that his Russian boyfriend could visit
for a few weeks before and after the wedding in August.  I figured that was
long enough apart for them to realize if they still felt so strongly about
each other, but not so long as to kill a possibly good relationship.  We
were shown to rooms that had been prepared for us, and after making sure we
didn't need anything, we were left to get some sleep.

I woke up at four in the morning screaming my head off.  Security agents
flooded the room, but James shooed them out, telling them it was just a
nightmare.  Then he held me as I cried into his arms.  The dream had been
horrible.  It involved a bomb and a car with my family in it and that's all
I'm going to say.

"You should see someone when we get home." James whispered after the crying
had stopped.

"You're right, love." I whispered back to him. He smiled.

"Of course I am." He said softly, getting me to chuckle.  "Now, let's get
back to sleep."

Morning saw us having breakfast with the Queen, Prince Charles, and Prince
Harry.  I was very pleased with my younger kids as they exhibited
absolutely perfect table manners.  Nanny and Grandma both sat near the
Queen and the three of them were becoming fast friends.

It didn't help that they were having a contest to see who could come up
with the most ghastly stories about errant grandchildren, and both Grandma
and Nanny were winning with stories about me.  There should be a law
against that.

I was watching Prince Charles' face when Tyler started telling him about
how William was such a nice guy and even played hide and go seek with them
all the time.  Jordan piped in saying "Wills is the best horsey!"  I was a
little relieved when he smiled at the information and said he was glad that
William was enjoying himself so much.

After breakfast, we split into groups. Nanny and Grandma went with the
Queen to some meetings she was holding.  Harry took Nathan, the kids, and
the guys (with Manuel and Kelly) around the palace on a tour.  Prince
Charles took James and I into his private office for a friendly chat.  It
started with me telling him the details of my kidnapping, my imprisonment,
and my escape.  After I was done, he leaned back in his chair and just
stared at me for a moment.

"It seems to me that many people have a habit of underestimating you." He
said at last.

"I honestly can't believe I survived." I said.  "I was very lucky that they
were so inept and easy to manipulate."

"That is a component of your success, but a large part of it came from how
you handled yourself." Charles said, and James voiced his agreement.

"Thank you." I replied, not really agreeing with him, but not feeling
strongly enough to disagree.

"The Queen and I have discussed this and other matters." He continued after
a moment.  "We were wondering how you would respond to being knighted."

"I am honored by the offer, sir." I told him honestly, my head swimming a
bit.  "I'm not sure if it is appropriate, and I know that as an American it
would only be honorary."

"Naturally," He replied.  "It is also very appropriate.  The ceremony will
be in September and I hope that I can tell my mother that you will be
here."

"Yes," I said at last.  One does not just refuse such things lightly.
"However, don't we have to get approval for it from the US government?"

"Let us worry about that.  Just make sure you bring your passport with
you." He said, getting a good belly laugh from both James and I.

"I have a feeling I am never going to hear the end of that." I murmured,
and he chuckled as well.  We talked for a long time more about William.
His grades were going good, and Prince Charles was very pleased with his
stay at our home.  William would be returning in June to serve his month of
sea duty with the Royal Navy, and then spend another month with the family.
He'd be returning in time for our wedding.

Then that was the topic of discussion as afternoon tea was served.  He was
amused at the grand plans Nanny and Grandma had been coming up with, and
the price tag that was fast approaching half a million dollars.  Of course
it was all our money, which meant they had no problem spending it.  Oh
well, we could always make more.

That was when he dropped another bombshell on us and told us that his
mother had decided she would attend our wedding.  He would still sign as a
witness, as would the Canadian Prime Minister, but she wanted to be seated
prominently in the family section.  Her attendance had also engendered the
attendance of the Australian Prime Minister.  So now there would be three
Heads of State at our wedding. James just shook his head.  Prince Charles
remark about the US President not attending had us all in stitches.

I don't think we'd have wanted him there even if he would upset his
conservative voting block by going.

After the tea, we continued talking about security arrangements.  Both he
and James ganged up on me about hiring our own security guards at least for
the next year.  I didn't like it, but finally agreed that they were right.
We rejoined the rest of the group for lunch and I got to hear all about the
things the kids saw during the morning.

During the afternoon, James and I took the kids to various locations around
London for sightseeing.  They really enjoyed the Eye of London.  Security
guards at the insistence of the Queen surrounded us.  I for one was not
going to argue with that formidable woman.  Nanny and Grandma joined us of
course, and they marveled at the Westminster Abbey.

Nanny had said long ago that she would never visit London only because she
hated flying.  I couldn't help but tease her that I'd dragged her here
anyway.  She punched me in the arm for that comment.

By evening, the kids were tired, and to be honest I was too.  Dinner was a
semi-formal affair with several other guests, including Elton and David.
After dinner we all sat in a parlor and talked over glasses of wine.  The
kids were off with Harry and Nathan enjoying a movie and so it was just the
adults.  It was a fun evening, and very relaxing for me.

By bedtime, I was nearly exhausted, but not so tired that James was
ignored.  We made slow, sweet love that night, relishing each other's
company and the pleasure we were giving each other.  I didn't have a
nightmare that night.

The next day was spent touring around London some more.  Everywhere we went
we drew crowds.  James wanted to do some shopping but we nearly caused a
riot when we tried to enter a department store at Oxford Circus.  The
security agents wisely advised us to head somewhere else.  We ended up
shopping at a much more exclusive district downtown.  There were fewer
crowds here, and much more privacy, but we paid for it when we gave them
our credit cards.

Oh, well.  It's only money.

Drew was living it up, and we spent a lot of time talking while Chris and
James were joining Justin, Josh, and Joey in ransacking one of the stores.
We caught up on events over the last ten years, and he told me that he
thought Chris was `the one' for him.  I couldn't help but tease him about
being a gold digger.

It is a private joke between us.

We ate lunch out on the town, and continued our sight seeing tour
throughout the day.  We visited St. Paul's (but didn't climb the stairs
since Nanny and Grandma were with us).  Nanny loved the WWII memorial in
the back of the chapel and ran her hands lovingly through the book of those
Americans who had died.  She pointed out people she had known to us, and I
heard her tell us stories about the war that she had never shared before.

It was a precious moment.

The kids loved the old bomb shelter that had become a museum south of Tower
Bridge.  They especially loved the Tower of London (we were escorted
through as a special group and had our very own docent leading us).  Tyler
set off the alarm when he tried to touch one of the guns on display there,
causing James and I to laugh at good memories of our first trip together.

We returned to the palace, ignoring the clamoring reporters and had dinner
with the Queen.  This time, the Prime Minister joined us and I can now say
that I've had dinner with some of the most powerful people in the world.
Later that night, as James and I were alone in our room I told him how much
he'd changed my life since I met him.

He took it the wrong way so we had to have make-up sex.

The next morning, we said our farewells to the Queen, Prince Charles and
Harry.  A motorcade took us to the airport and we boarded a British Airways
jet.  Once again, it was a private charter just for us (this time paid for
by the Royal family).  The long flight home was spent playing games with
the kids, who loved the idea of hide and seek on the nearly empty plane.
The meals provided for us during the trip were spectacular, actually.

Our return to LA was almost anti-climactic.  A customs agent boarded the
plane, stamped our passports for re-entry, and left immediately.  We
climbed down the mobile stairs and headed for several limos that were
waiting nearby.  Baggage handlers were just finishing loading our luggage
by the time we were ready to drive off.

We pulled up to the house a short while later, and the drivers unloaded our
luggage.  Everyone grabbed their bags and followed James and I inside.  I
stopped in surprise at the large "Welcome Home" banner, and the forty or so
people who began clapping.  William was standing next to Tom from Korvan,
and a few other people I knew as well.  Hell, even Johnny Wright was there!

The welcome home party lasted most of the rest of the day and stretched out
long past dinner.  By eight, we were putting the kids to bed and people
began filtering out.  By ten, I was back in bed with James, totally asleep.

I was woken up the next morning by Tyler telling me he was hungry and
wanted breakfast. I told him to hold on and went into the bathroom before
heading downstairs with him.  He was talking a mile a minute about
everything he wanted to do that day and I just kept making busy noises at
the right moments as I fixed him some cereal.

It wasn't until James joined us that I realized something was odd about my
conversation with Tyler.  It had been all in Russian.  That announced a
trend over the next few weeks as Tyler began to speak to me only in
Russian.  He spoke to Carmen (our cook/maid) in Spanish only, and English
to everyone else.  After about a month, I noticed that he was also speaking
Portuguese to Manuel.  I talked to his Principal at the private school and
arranged private tutoring for him in those languages after his regular
classes.

Tyler definitely had a flair for languages, and since he loved it, I
planned to give him everything he needed to make a career out of his
abilities. I even went so far as to hire a tutor for me to improve my
Russian and to relearn French since that was another language Tyler would
probably learn someday.

One day at the studio, Kali had accompanied me since her school had a
half-day (Tyler was with his Portuguese tutor).  A producer from a show
that Korvan was just starting saw her with me at the marketing office and
immediately set about trying to get me to let her read for a role in his
show.  I resisted until my 6-year-old daughter told me she wanted to do it.
She was given the part and I had to spend a lot of time negotiating for a
good deal, and had her signed through Free Lance.  If the series lasted for
more than a year, her trust fund for college would be more than enough
without any help from us.

May 4th came around again, and it was time for our birthdays.  Yes, James
and I shared the same birthday.  Our first birthday together, he had not
let me know that in order to throw a surprise party for me.  Our second he
was on tour.  This time we had a huge joint birthday party at the house.
Chris and Drew had moved out into an apartment together.  Justin was still
living with us whenever he was in LA, but everyone showed up for this
event.

I can't ever remember having a more wonderful party.  All the kids gave me
hand-made gifts that I put on my desk in the home office.  James and I also
got to spend the night alone together in a hotel.  His gift to me was a
replacement ankle bracelet.  The first one he had given me was taken when I
was kidnapped and never recovered.  I got him a necklace with the most
beautiful amber stone setting I'd ever seen.

I wondered how many people, even in Hollywood, received happy birthday
calls from the Queen and Prince of England (not to mention both Wills and
Harry were there for the party), the Prime Minister of England, and the
President of Russia.  My head was swelling before we got to the hotel, but
the puddle of water I stepped in on the way inside provided relief for my
swelling head.

James laughed the entire elevator ride up to the room we had for the night.
My pants were soaked with muddy water, and he took great pleasure in
stripping them off of me and pushing me into the shower.  Let's just say
the time alone in that hotel room was greatly enjoyed by both of us.

Waking up without having to worry about getting the kids up for the day was
even better.

"I miss this." James said after letting the room service cart in the room
for breakfast.

"It seems like we have so little time for just us." I agreed with him as he
fed me a chocolate strawberry.

"I had no idea things would get so...hectic with kids." He murmured into my
ear.  We were sitting on couch in the hotel room, with him in my lap.

"I'm sorry." I apologized, not sure what he was feeling.

"No need to be sorry." He said, lifting my chin and planting a kiss on my
lips.  I hugged him in tighter to me.  "I always wanted to be a parent, but
I thought I'd never get the chance because of being gay.  You've given me
that, as well as your love.  I don't remember ever having been so happy
before."

"You mean that?" I asked, letting the insecurities of the last few weeks
well up inside me.  "I was wondering if you might be having second
thoughts.  I mean the drama we've had the last year.  Hell, we've had drama
ever since we met.  I've been wondering why the hell you stay with me
sometimes."

"Because I love you, you love me, and we are a family." James whispered,
smiling again.  I stared into his gorgeous face for a long time before
leaning in to kiss him.

"I'm the luckiest guy on the planet." I whispered.  "I've got the best
husband in the world, and a great family."

"Let's just leave mine out of the equation." James murmured, a flash of
pain showing in his eyes.

"What's the matter?" I asked, worried.  He squirmed for a moment before
sighing deeply.

"I've heard back from the investigator I hired to look at my mother's
activities." He said, looking down at my chest and idly toying with the
robe I was wearing.

"I take it you didn't like what they had to report?" I asked, hugging him
closer to me.

"No." He murmured, and I could see the tears in his eyes. I kissed him
softly.

"Let it out, love." I said softly.  "Nothing that woman had done is going
to convince me to break up with you."

"That's just it" James nearly shouted, standing up and facing me.  "She's
been behind most of the shit over the last year!  She found those people to
file those lawsuits against you and even hired their lawyers.  She put
Nathan's uncle in touch with that damn religious group and PAID him to take
you to court and send him away!  She thought she could break us up if there
was so much drama!"

"It didn't work, love." I said, standing up and taking him again into my
arms.  "We're still together and everything we've been through has just
made our relationship stronger."

"Has it?" He said, with doubt in his voice.

"I think it has." I said slowly, rocking gently with him in my arms.
"Instead of pulling apart when the shit hit the fan, we pulled together.
We kept talking to each other, we communicated with each other, and the
tragedies we've been through have allowed us to support each other more
than we would have otherwise.  I think she's actually been more help than a
hindrance.  She's forced us to either grow together or give up, and we
chose not to give up on each other."

"You're right." He said softly, resting his head on my shoulder.  "It's
just that it hurts that she would do this to me, to us."

"I bet it does." I told him.  "What do you want to do about her?"

"Nothing for now, although they told me she might be planning something
soon." James said.  "She's been making a lot of phone calls to different
people."

"Well, we'll handle whatever she throws at us as a team." I said, and he
smiled.

"Have you heard the latest on the wedding plans?" He asked me.

"No, I've been busy with work." I answered, and we sat down again.  While
we fed each other breakfast, he told me the latest plans Nanny and Grandma
had come up with for our wedding.  I groaned as he went on in agonizing
detail about the Boys Choir singing a hymn as they preceded us down the
aisle.  I shuddered at the image going out on television.

Oh, yeah.  Have I mentioned that the whole thing is going to be televised?
BBC was covering the entire ceremony live, as were a number of Canadian and
Australian stations.  Not to be outdone, American stations were getting
involved now.  Hell, the number of interview requests that had been coming
in was tremendous.  When they discovered that Nanny and Grandma were the
primary planners, a couple of those cable shows that do episodes on wedding
planning and on celebrities started calling them directly to get interviews
with them.  Both ladies now had camera crews following them every time they
met with wedding planners or did anything related to the wedding.

They were eating it up.  Nanny and Grandma both were at the beauty parlor
twice a week now to make sure they looked good, and the new clothes they
were wearing were absolutely awesome.  They were even featured last week on
the cover of the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons) magazine.
I don't ever remember seeing the two of them so happy, or getting along so
well. I had asked Nanny years ago how she stayed so healthy at her age.
She had laughed and told me that she was too damn busy to grow old.  At
this rate she'd be around at 180.

"No boys choir." I said firmly.  James just laughed.

"I got them to compromise." James told me after laughing.

"Oh?" I asked, raising my eyebrows.

"Boys choir stays in the choir alcove.  Two soloists precede us down the
aisle.  That was the best I could do." James said with a chuckle.

"It'll have to do." I sighed, then perked up.  "How about we elope?"

"Nice try." James said, tapping me on the nose.  "You promised me a big
wedding and I want a big one!  I want the history books to mention us as
one of the weddings of the century!"

"I thought you were sick and tired of being in the limelight." I teased
him.

"Not when it comes to our wedding." He said fiercely.  "I want the entire
world to know that you are MINE and no one stands a chance of getting you
away from me."

"I like that." I said, hugging him with passion.  He kissed me, and the
passion in his lips destroyed any more thoughts of wedding plans, food, or
anything but making love to him.



Over the next few weeks, we settled into our Hollywood lifestyle much
easier than we had before.  The brief respite of our birthdays seemed to
have settled us down, and we were able to focus on work, as well as our
family.  Tyler had found a Russian Youth Center in town, and he spent a lot
of time there with Nathan practicing their Russian.  Nathan was furiously
devoted to learning more Russian and constantly practicing with long
distance phone calls to Misha.

When the phone bill came that month I realized it would be cheaper to have
Misha living with us.

Kaliann was now working steadily on the sitcom as a regular.  At 6, her
poise and manners were exquisite, and when she smiled at someone, their
knees would melt.  She was going to be a real killer when she hit puberty
and I was expecting a long line of weak-kneed boys panting around the house
doing her bidding.

It'd be kind of fun to watch, and if anyone treated her wrong, I'd get to
kill them.

Jordan's birthday was the week after ours, and we celebrated at Disneyland.
The party was huge, with lots of kids (even the grown-up kids of NSYNC were
there).  Justin was even spotted leading a herd of teenage and younger boys
onto Space Mountain.

The requests for interviews kept coming in, and getting more and more
insistent.  Our silence was just generating more and more speculation on
various topics so we finally gave in and scheduled an interview for
mid-June with Oprah.  We'd missed her episode on gay parents, but she
decided she'd do one on just our family.

We even managed to keep it a secret before the filming of the episode.

The month before the interview passed quickly. I was in pre-production for
Season 3 of Ganymede.  A special three-hour television movie was being
filmed.  It would air in the middle of September as a challenge to the
premier season starters of our biggest competitors.  I got a nice chuck of
cash in advance for the script of that episode.  Negotiations were
completed for a script on a 2.5-hour theatre movie that would be filmed and
released the following year.

I was to write the script, for which I received a $2.5 million payment, and
serve as Executive Producer.  If the movie made over $200 million, the
royalties I would receive could put me over the $50 million mark on my bank
account.  What was even better, James would have a role in the film as
would Nathan.  Of course that meant that next year, when shooting began, my
life would become a living hell.

The price of fame and money.

Free Lance was really taking off as well.  James was spending a lot of time
at Hollywood parties, schmoozing with Studio Execs.  I accompanied him
whenever possible and our combined star power resulted in several
successful deals for him.  In fact, one of his talents had just signed a
multi-million dollar deal and was bringing in a lot of money.

After much discussion, James added me to the ownership of Free Lance, and
gave me a Vice-President title.  I didn't do much, but he insisted on it
and I gave him what he wanted.  On the advice of several people, I had
formed my own production company and called it YB Productions.  YB
Productions had an executive board of three people.  Nathan Young (he'd
changed his name legally in the last few weeks) was a non-voting member
until he reached 18, while James and I rounded out the board.  James
protested, but I begged him and reminded I had taken the position on Free
Lance.

You guess where `YB' came from.  It shouldn't be too difficult.

I even hired Carl away from Free Lance to be my personal assistant.  I
rented a set of offices in the Korvan building and he worked out of there.
It cost me about $5k more than he made at Free Lance to get him to do the
switch, but it was worth it.  James got pissed that I'd hire away his
talent and forced me to have make-up sex with him over the matter.

Gee, what a drag that was.

After two weeks of working 18 hour days, I had a long talk with the
management at the Studio.  They reluctantly agreed to hire another Producer
and I was bumped `up' to Executive Producer.  JMS and Luke were now
involved in another project and they didn't renew their contracts with
Ganymede.  It was an amiable separation and I threw a party to thank them
for their help and support up to that point.

I ended up hiring Jason Priestly as the new Producer.  Although we'd never
been as close friends as Luke and I, he'd always been friendly.  Over the
past two years, we'd built a stronger friendship and he was over the house
for a barbeque at least once a month.  He had been out of work for a while
at that point and was looking to get behind the scenes more.  It turned out
to be a good decision because my workload dropped tremendously and I was
only putting in eight to twelve hours a day, six days a week as we went
into full production mode.

That gave me much more time to spend with the kids, and with James.  Justin
was spending most of his time back east by this point.  He'd started up a
relationship with a model and they seemed to be getting serious.  I
couldn't help but be glad for him.  Chris and Drew wound up on the front
page of a tabloid after a trip to Orlando so it was now known that he was
bi-sexual.  Their relationship continued to go good.

Josh and Manuel?  I still couldn't keep track of if they were boyfriends,
fuck-buddies, or friends.  It seemed to change each week depending on if
someone recognized Manuel or they were in the paper.  Anything like that
happening, sent Manuel into a tizzy and he broke up with Josh.  I despaired
of them ever getting together permanently.  In fact, I almost told Josh to
just end it with Manuel, but he was so in love with my best friend.

The week before the Oprah show was taped, I asked Manuel to be my best man
at the wedding.  We were sitting on the back porch sipping on sodas and
watching the kids play in the pool.  He and Josh had gotten back together
the night before, so naturally he came over to give me the sordid details
on their latest round of make-up sex.

"Manuel, I've got a favor to ask you." I said after hearing about the mess
they made on their kitchen counter.

"What is it, Davey?" He asked me, smiling still.  Yes, Manuel was smiling.

"You're my best friend.  The best friend I've ever had in my life.  I'd
like you to be my best man at the wedding." I said.

"No." He said immediately.

"No?" I asked. I'd feared this, but thought he'd consider it longer.

"Sorry, Davey, but I'm not going to stand next to you in front of thousands
of people and cameras."

"But, Manuel." I said, nearly whining.  "There's no one else who deserves
that spot the way you do.  Please, think about it."

"Well." He drawled out after a moment. "Are there going to be any
bridesmaids I can take as a date?"

"Bridesmaids?" I said confused for a moment.  "What about Josh?"

"He'll need a date too." Manuel said, nodding his head.

"Uh, wouldn't the two of you go together?" I asked.

"Not with cameras and other people there." He said firmly.

"Manuel, it's not like people don't know about the two of you." I groaned.

"I don't care.  I just don't feel comfortable acknowledging things that
way." He said, shifting nervously and frowning.

"God I have no idea why I put up with you!" I said, exasperated.

"Because you're hopelessly in love with me." He said, and I couldn't help
but laugh.

Our argument continued for another week before we finally talked him into
being my best man.  Even more amazingly, Josh talked him into going with
him openly since Josh was going to be James' Best Man.  I think it involved
tight leather pants, butt shaking, and a lot of sex, but Josh managed to
get Manuel's promise.

That's one thing about Manuel.  You get him to make a promise and he keeps
it, no matter how much he hates it.  Josh waited until Manuel was ready to
fuck him, then said he didn't want to be fucked unless Manuel agreed to be
my Best Man and his date.  Manuel threw a fit and almost left, but some
stroking by Josh changed his mind again.  Josh said he finally made the
promise after they had sex.

Got to love Josh sometimes.  He was learning how to handle Manuel very
well.  Of course his constant visits and long conversations with me didn't
hurt either.  I wanted to see them finally commit to each other and was
determined to help Josh maneuver Manuel in that direction.

Of course if Manuel ever found out about that, he'd throw a major fit.

The time finally arrived for the Oprah episode to be filmed, and the entire
clan flew out with us.  Yes, I said clan.  We just weren't a family now, we
were practically our own clan.  Let's see if I can list everyone on the
flight: Nathan, Tyler, Kaliann, Jordan, Cindy, Nanny, Grandma, Chris, Drew,
Joey, Kelly, Briana, Justin, Tabitha (the model), Josh, Manuel (who was
going, but refused to appear in front of the camera), James, and I.

We filled up the entire first-class section and had several of the kids in
our laps.  Luckily the flight wasn't a long one and we were climbing into
the limos at O'Hare airport soon enough.  Oprah had put us up in a very
nice hotel. She joined us for dinner that night at a local restaurant and
we all had a great time.

The next morning we were up early, making sure everyone was well-dressed
and groomed.  The girls had brand new dresses, and the boys were dressed in
new slacks and dress shirts as well.  We were going for a business casual
look with the guys, all of us wearing dark slacks, but different colored
shirts.  It was quite interesting when we climbed out of the various limos.
We looked like rainbows with all the different colored shirts.

Oprah's green room was well appointed and had plenty of snacks to keep the
kids occupied.  The audience thought they were seeing a show about cooking
and were going to have a big surprise.  As taping began, James and I
watched the monitor avidly.  Oprah made her typical entrance and began
speaking when the audience calmed down.  Her assistant came and put us in
position at that point.

"I know that most of you were expecting a show on cooking today, but we've
had a change of plans.  An opportunity presented itself to have one of the
more famous Hollywood families here with us and we just couldn't turn down
this chance to talk with one of the most controversial families in America.
Since we learned of their relationship two years ago, this couple has been
through some very hard times, most of it in the public eye.  Despite that,
they are still together, and raising a family.  Today I want to find out
what their secret to staying together is, and just how that might help all
of you out there.  So, please welcome Lance Bass and David Young!"

As James and I walked out, hand in hand and waved, I was surprised at the
wild cheering from the audience of mostly women.  They were all clapping
their hands excitedly, and many of them were standing.  James and I
sauntered over to Oprah and hugged her before sitting down on a loveseat
that had been put on-stage.  There was a small round table next to it, and
a comfortable recliner for Oprah, who also sat down.  The audience quieted
down at that point.

"So, Lance, David, exactly how did the two of you meet, and when?" Oprah
asked.  We'd been asked this before and had the story down to one minute.
She smiled and said "Ahhh" when we finished.

"So, now it has been two years since the two of you met.  You've announced
a big wedding up in Canada next month, and you've got a family.  How has
that affected your relationship?" Oprah asked.

"It's made us a lot stronger." James said solidly, taking my hand in his.
"We had to face some hard choices whenever we were faced with problems, and
each time we chose to communicate with each other, and to work through the
problems together."

"So you credit communication with your successful relationship?"

"Absolutely." I said with no trace of doubt.  "If we didn't communicate
openly and honestly with each other, our relationship would have died a
year ago."

"It's not just saying "I love you' either." James added.  "It's saying `I'm
pissed off at you because you did...'  If we didn't give each other
feedback, negative and positive, we wouldn't know each other as well as we
do."

"That's an important point to remember." Oprah said.  Then she announced a
commercial break.  Make-up artists swarmed us for a few moments before they
began filming again.

"Welcome back." Oprah said pleasantly.  "If you're just joining us, we're
talking today with Lance Bass and David Young.  Lance has been a part of
the group NSYNC for years, and David is the creator of the hit show
`Ganymede'.  They're one of Hollywood's most dynamic couples and are here
today to talk about their lives together and their family. Now, Dave, we
all heard the reports of your kidnapping in Moscow.  What can you tell us
about how that has affected you?"

"It had a tremendous impact on my life." I answered as James gripped my
hand solidly.  I squeezed it lightly to thank him for his support.  This
was actually a tough question for me.

"I wish I could say it's all behind me." I continued.  "But it isn't.  I've
been suffering nightmares from it.  There's many nights I wake up screaming
and Lance has to comfort me.  I've been seeing a counselor who specializes
in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders and that has been helping a lot.  As has
the support of my family and friends.  The important thing to remember,
though, is that I'm not going to let it control my life.  I've been making
every effort to overcome it, and with their help I've been succeeding."

"It's certainly a lot to handle." Oprah said, nodding her head.  "I'm glad
to hear that you've been getting help with it.  So many people often forget
that they don't have to suffer through problems alone."

"I've been lucky." I said, smiling at James.  "I've had a lot of support,
and it's made a big difference."

"So, Lance." Oprah said to my man.  "What have you been up to since NSYNC
announced it wouldn't be touring anymore?"

"Well, Free Lance has been occupying much of my time." James said, smiling
at her.  "We've been very successful over the last year in finding new
talents and promoting them.  I've also been busy with Davey and the kids.
I must say I was surprised at just how much effort it has been to raise
them."

"So, raising a family is more than you expected?" She asked.

"Very much." James replied. "But, just as it's been hard, it's also been
tremendously rewarding. I never imagined that it could be so rewarding."

"Very well said." Oprah replied, smiling. "Now, after we return from break
we'll be meeting the family!"

During the short break, Oprah asked a few questions and apologized if her
question had upset me. I smiled and told her no.  We went over a few things
before they began filming again.  Her crew also changed the loveseat with a
larger couch.

"Okay, welcome back." Oprah said to the cameras.  "We're still here with
David Young and Lance Bass.  Now as I understand it, the two of you have
developed quite an extensive family."

"You might say that." James said with a chuckle.

"Some people even have referred to us a zoo." I said, laughing.

"So, who do you have living with you?" She asked with a smile.

"Well, first there's our adopted son Nathan." I said with a smile.  "He's
17 now.  Then we have my sister's kids who we adopted after her death.
Tyler's 7 now, Kaliann is 6, Jordan is 5, and Cindy turns 4 next week."

"Wow, that's quite a group right there." Oprah said, and the audience
laughed.

"We also have his grandmothers living with us." James said.  "Nanny is 85,
Grandma is 79. Then we also have some of my "NSYNC" family as well.  Justin
stays with us whenever he's on the West Coast.  Until recently, Chris was
staying with us as well and we also have a house guest who is a good friend
of the family."

"This house guest is Prince William, right?" Oprah said.

"Yes, but he gets so little privacy that we try to minimize his exposure as
much as possible." I said.

"Of course, so why don't we bring out your family?" Oprah said.  Nathan
came out then, holding Tyler's hand on one side and Kali's on the other.
He was followed by Nanny who was holding Jordan's hand, and Grandma with
Cindy's.  James and I got up and were immediately stampeded by the younger
kids.  It took a few moments to get everyone settled, and Cindy kept on
trying to pull on my microphone.  We took a moment introducing everyone,
then Oprah settled down to asking them some questions.

"So, Nathan," She said to our oldest.  "How would you describe life with
having Lance and David as parents?"

"A pain in the rear." Nathan said with a big smile.  I scowled at him, but
he laughed.  "But I wouldn't trade them for anyone in the world.  They're
strict, they expect a lot from all of us, but they also love us.  I know
that they'll always be there for me, and be supportive of me.  I know they
care and that they love me."

"You said they were strict.  What do you mean by that?" Oprah asked.

"Well, I'm sure you heard about the trouble I get into at the beginning of
the year.  They came down on me pretty hard, but I'd messed up pretty bad.
I broke their trust.  But they didn't yell or scream at me, they just
talked with me about it and gave me my options for the punishment.  I mean,
I thought it was pretty harsh, but when I did the community service time at
a shelter, I learned just how much drugs and alcohol abuse can ruin
people's lives."

"So, their intervention with you worked?" Oprah asked.

"Yeah." He said.  "I haven't had any drugs since then, and the only drinks
I've had was in their company on special occasions.  I don't have any
desire to do drugs and I think anyone who does is stupid.  They're playing
with fire and it's only a matter of time till they get burned."

"That is a pretty strong statement.  Have you finished all your punishment
for what happened?" Oprah asked him.

"No." Nathan said with a frown.  "They still drug test me every so often,
although it's not every week now.  They just surprised me with one before
we flew out here. Plus my license is still suspended by the state for
another year."

"James, Dave, are you ever going to let up on the boy?" Oprah asked us with
a smile.

"Sure, when he moves out and is making money on his own." James said with a
smile.

"So long as he expects us to support him, he plays by our rules." I added.
"Like we told him, he lost our trust when all this happened.  He has to
gain it back now and that is not something that happens overnight.  It'll
probably take a few years. We've got four more kids that will eventually
hit their teenage years.  We want them to know that we mean what we say
when it comes to Drugs and Alcohol as well as when we set rules. James and
I do not use drugs, and only drink in moderation.  We want our kids to have
good examples growing up and that means that we have to set the standard
with our own behavior, and in our punishments.  All the kids know we will
punish them equally and fairly."

"Something all parents would do well to remember." Oprah said. Then she
turned to my grandmothers.  "I hear that you two are the wedding planners."

"Oh my, yes." Nanny said with a grin.

"Davey made a big mistake when he let us get control." Grandma said,
rubbing her hands together and showing a very evil smile.  The audience
laughed.  Five minutes were spent with them giving some of the details of
the wedding, then another break was called.  More couches were added and
the rest of the guys were brought out after the break.  Manuel had to be
dragged by Justin and Josh with Chris pushing him from behind.

The audience thought it was a joke, but we knew better.

Oprah chatted with them for a few minutes, catching up with their
activities and significant others.  The chat was amiable and I realized the
show was almost half over.  I sighed in relief and leaned back on the
couch, pushing Cindy's fingers away from the microphone for the tenth time.
I was kind of drifting and that's when Oprah caught all of us by surprise.

"Now, Lance," She said, and her tone raised the hairs on my arms.  "It's
been rumored that there was a split between you and your family after you
first got together with Dave.  Is that true?"

"Yes, it's true." James said, his face and tone guarded.  "I prefer not to
talk about it though.  It was very painful for me."

"I can understand that." Oprah said sympathetically.  "However, we have
someone backstage who would like to talk to you about it.  I don't normally
surprise my guests this way, and I have no idea what she wants to talk
about, but your mother approached me last week and begged me to let her
come on.  She told me a lot of things, and I told her I'd let you decide.
Would you be willing to have your mother come out here?"

"Davey?" James whispered to me, the one word asking my opinion.

"She's your mother, love." I said softly, knowing the microphone would
still pick it up.  "It's always worth the effort to have her in our life."

"Okay, Oprah." He said, turning back to Oprah.  A chair was brought out and
set next to Oprah and Dianne Bass walked out.  She was dressed in a
charcoal gray suit and looked surprisingly worn, even with the make-up that
had been put on her.  She took a step towards us like she was going to hug
James, but backed off at his look. She sat down in her chair next to Oprah
and let out a sigh."

"Hello, son." Was all she said at first.

"Hello, mother." James replied frostily.  "This is quite a way for you to
make an attempt at reaching out to me after almost two years."

"I'm sorry, son, but I think that what I'm about to say is something that
needs to be said irrevocably on television.  I owe you, and David, and
Nathan a huge apology.  I also want to make sure that there's no doubt
about that apology either for you or for anyone else."

"That's very nice, mother." James said, his voice still frosty.  "But I
already know about all your little tricks."

"You know?" She asked, surprised.  Oprah, and everyone else was looking
back and forth between the two.

"Yes, I know about your hiring attorneys for those lawsuits against Dave.
I know about you conspiring to have Nathan abducted.  I know about the
support you've been giving those groups that torture kids like Nathan, and
I know about your attempts to bribe Davey's family to prevent his getting
custody of the kids."

"Don't forget her helping Uncle Bill try and put Nanny in a rest home." I
murmured angrily.  Everyone around us was gazing at her angrily now, and
there were lots of in-drawn breaths from them.

"That's not all of it." She said, her head hanging down.  "I wasn't acting
alone.  I had the support of some influential people who wanted you two
embarrassed nationally for their causes.  I helped them hire and get into
position people to seduce both of you, but neither one of you ever took the
bait.  None of the lawsuits panned out and you both weren't cooperating by
abusing the kids so we made up stories for the tabloids.  Somehow you
defused those as well.  That was when my...accomplices...decided we would
go after Nathan."

"You didn't..." James began to say, but she cut him off.

"I'm afraid we did.  We hired that young friend of his to get him hooked on
drugs.  It took him a long time to even get Nathan to try them, but he
succeeded.  Then we arranged for him to get busted on New Year's Eve.  We
didn't expect you to respond the way you did though."

Rage washed through me at that point.  It was a rage so strong that I found
myself imaging her neck snapping under my hands.  It was only Nathan's hand
on my leg that calmed me down.  That and the look in his eyes of pain and
need.  Instead of killing James' mother, I wrapped my oldest child in my
arms and held him as he began to cry.  There was an angry murmur running
through the audience now, and even Oprah was staring at Dianne like she was
a monster.  Tears streamed quietly down her face as she took in all these
reactions.

"I know that the words `I'm Sorry' won't mean much to any of you right now,
but I do mean." She said to us as a group.  "I saw something the other day
that made me realize just how wrong I had been to not be supportive, and
just how much I'd let myself be manipulated by people with their own
agendas.  That was when I decided to come here now and admit these acts and
to tell you who I was working with."

"What changed your mind?" James asked quietly.  Dianne held out a video
tape.

"This." She said simply, handing to Oprah. Oprah handed it to an assistant
and we were soon watching it on a monitor.  It was taped at Disneyland on
Jordan's birthday.  Several moments played and we were shown as a happy
family there.

"What about this scene changed your mind?" Oprah asked.

"The love you can see in their eyes, and the way that they smile at each
other and everyone." Dianne whispered.  "I've never seen a family so happy
as they are in the video.  That's when I realized that despite everything
they've been through, they've kept their love alive and their family
together.  So many other people would have quit, given up.  Not them
though.  They just kept trudging ahead.  That's when I realized that all
the religious bs I'd been basing my opinions on was wrong.

"My son and his partner are not evil.  I just hope that one day they might
let me back into their lives." Dianne's speech was long, but it moved me
and James both.  We looked deep into each other's eyes, talking with raised
eyebrows and small changes in our facial expressions.  We finished the
non-verbal conversation and I turned to face James' mother.

"What do you expect from us now, Dianne?" I asked her, my voice husky with
unshed tears.

"I hope you can find it in yourselves to forgive me." Dianne whispered.  "I
also pray that maybe one day you will let me be a part of your family."

"Only time will on that, mother." James said softly.  "But as for
forgiveness, that is given.  If Christ could forgive those who killed him,
then we can forgive you for the things you have done."

"Thank you." Dianne said through her tears.  Then she proceeded to name
names.  Her listing of the people who had helped her, guided her, funded
her attempts to break up our family was extensive and included some of the
biggest names in politics and religion.  Oprah closed her show with the
most eloquent words to describe the day.

"Today we have seen the true power of love, and a glimpse of a real family.
The Young-Bass household is anything but a traditional household, but it
has all the virtues that we strive for in our families.  The love between
these family members is so strong you can taste it when you're in the room
with them.  They provide a foundation for their children to build their own
lives on, and they lead by example.  Three generations live in their
household, working together to raise these children so that they can pursue
their own dreams.

"We have also seen what hatred and anger can do, and how it falls apart in
the face of love.  I am honored to have spent this time with Lance and
Dave, and am looking forward to attending their wedding next month.  Thank
you and have a good day."

After Oprah closed her show, she provided a room where James and I could
talk to Dianne in more detail.  She and James hugged by the time we were
done, and we had decided to cautiously begin allowing her into our lives.
There were still issues to be resolved, but we would approach them the way
we approached everything: Carefully and with love.

That night, Nathan crawled into bed with us and sobbed on our shoulders for
a long while.  He didn't stay long, though and went to his bed after he'd
cried himself out.  James lay awake in my arms for hours, shaking softly
with sobs as wounds from his mother were finally starting to close.

We returned to LA feeling like a weight had been lifted off our shoulders,
and our house had never looked so good.  After the Oprah episode aired the
next day, a national uproar occurred, and the press hounded us constantly.
We issued a two-sentence statement on the matter and solidly reinforced
that we would say nothing else, nor would we appear on any talk show to
discuss the matter.  What was the statement?  It was: The consequences of
the actions of Dianne Bass are between her and us alone.  As for the others
involved, we leave them to the American people to decide what should be
done.

I was very surprised when that statement pretty much calmed down any press
chasing after us.  I was also very pleased as several prominent people
resigned from their positions, and donations to certain televangelists
dropped so dramatically half were off the air within a week.  Instead we
focused on our work, our family, and on our upcoming wedding.  Time flew by
until it was a week before the wedding.  We were scheduled to go up to
Toronto that day and begin rehearsals.

I was so nervous getting on that plane that I almost turned around twice.
Nanny stopped me though.  She had a death grip on my arm.  James was doing
the same thing, almost turning around twice as well, but Grandma had his
arm in a strong vise grip as well.  Behind us, Manuel and Josh were
laughing at our nervousness.

It was going to be a very interesting week.

***

Ha!  How's this chapter for you?  I hope you enjoyed it.  I know I've been
dropping hints since Phone Call that Diane was a main mover behind some of
their problems, and a few of you picked up on them.  I hope the payoff here
was worth the wait!

There's one chapter left in this story, and yes it will be all about the
wedding.  James and Dave have had a very hard time throughout this story
and it's about damn time they get some payback for everything they've
endured. I hope that the next chapter will do an acceptable job of
providing that.

Don't expect any nasty surprises in that chapter either.  There won't be
any kidnapping, violence, or other nasty situations.  I promise.

Now, as for continuing this story...well I'm thinking about it.  As for
sheer drama, this story was far, far darker than any continuation would be.
I have a few ideas on what a continuation will be like, but they've now
proven that nothing will ever be able to break them apart.

"It's never easy to live life when people hate you, but I ask you: How many
easy things in life are ever worth having?  When does the sweet fruit of
victory taste better?  After it is handed to you on a silver platter or
after you have struggled for it with blood, sweat and tears?  While the
fruit on the platter is good, you are doomed to never taste it again unless
it is given once more.  If you have struggled for it, it can never be
denied to you again, because you know you have reached it before and can do
so again.

Sometimes it is not the end that is important, but rather the journey to
that end."  - dk