Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 15:33:05 -0800 (PST) From: Drew Thomas Subject: Slayer's Legacy- Chapter 2 Disclaimer: All situations of this story are fictional. I do not claim to know any of the members of *NSYNC or any other celebrities that may be mentioned. Nor do I know their sexual orientations. Any similarities to actual living people and actual situations are purely coincidental. All fictional characters and fictional situations portrayed in this work remains the property of Drew Thomas, unless otherwise noted. Republishing of this work of fiction is strictly forbidden unless the author has given permission. Permission granted to Nifty Archives for the sole purpose of posting on the Boy Bands section of the Archives. Permission may be obtained by e-mailing Drew Thomas at Slayers_Legacy@yahoo.com. Constructive Comments and advice are welcome also. Be sure to include the story title in the subject line. Slayer's Legacy- Chapter 2 REALITY BITES Lance woke the next morning completely exhausted. What a night of make-up sex he and JC must have had, but he could only remember bits and pieces. Walking into the bedroom to look for JB, discovering Josh in his place waiting to surprise him, and the intense make-out session that began their night of passion. Everything else was a blur. Oh well, all that mattered was that they had made up and everything was right with the world again. Sitting up in bed now he only just realized he was alone, his neck was extremely stiff too. Getting up, he decided to go out on the balcony and enjoy the beautiful sunrise that was peeking through the curtains. Pulling them back however the light became so intense that it nearly blinded him and caused him to have a horrendous headache. Maybe he needed a bit more sleep. He wondered now where JC had gone off to. It was not like him to just take off without a word, and certainly not at this time of the day. JC valued his sleep more than anyone Lance had ever known. He decided to crawl back under the covers and wait for his love to return from wherever he had gone. Maybe he was surprising him with a special breakfast to make up for the fight they had, had? He was always doing little things like that for Lance whenever they had fought in the past. Though Lance thought smiling, that last night's activities had more than made up for it. He soon found his eyelids becoming heavy as he again fell fast asleep. Meanwhile in Justin's room... JC stirred, it was way to early but his internal alarm clock told him it was time to get up so here he was. He reached across the bed to his lover, only to find that he had gone almost bald in the middle of the night, than the memories of last night's events came back to him. Lance had betrayed him and their love for a few moments of pleasure. He had slept with JB, a total stranger who had entered their lives only last night. But who's presence would be felt for a long time to come. JC wasn't sure if his love was strong enough to survive Lance's betrayal, or even if Lance wanted it to. JC got up and went to his CD case. Whenever he had troubles this was one place he turned to for solace. After searching a bit he found the CD he was looking for and cued up the song. It was the perfect fit to how he was feeling, he was trying his best to get over a lost love but no matter what he told himself Lance was still there in his heart. I don't need to fall at your feet Just 'cause you cut me to the bone And I won't miss the way that you kiss me We were never carved in stone If I don't listen to the talk of the town Then maybe I can fool myself.. I'll get over you.. I know I will I'll pretend my ship's not sinking And I'll tell myself I'm over you 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking I am the king of wishful thinking I refuse to give in to my blues That's not how it's going to be And I deny the tears in my eyes I don't want to let you see.. no That you have made a hole in my heart And now I've got to fool myself.. I'll get over you.. I know I will I'll pretend my ship's not sinking And I'll tell myself I'm over you 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking.. I'll get over you.. I know I will I'll pretend my ship's not sinking And I'll tell myself I'm over you 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking I will never, never shed a tear for you I'll get over you If I don't listen to the talk of the town Then maybe I can fool myself.. I'll get over you.. I know I will I'll pretend my ship's not sinking And I'll tell myself I'm over you 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking I'm the king of wishful thinking I'll get over you.. I know I will You made a hole in my heart But I won't shed a tear for you I'll be the king of wishful thinking I'll get over you.. I'll pretend my heart's still beating 'cause I've got no more tears for you I'm the king of wishful thinking.. I'll get over you.. I know I will You made a hole in my heart And I'll tell myself I'm over you 'cause I'm the king of wishful thinking He put the song on repeat, and with each time through he sank deeper and deeper into depression. He was so caught up in his misery he was unaware that Justin had been trying to talk to him. He jump when Justin touched his shoulder to get his attention. " Sorry, I guess you couldn't hear me with your headphones on. What's going on JC? What happened last night? I thought you and Lance were going to talk." " So did I Just, but I guess Lance had other ideas." JC sighed heavily, staring off into space. "What are you talking about? What happened damn it!" He wanted to help JC, but how was he supposed to do that if he had no idea what was going on? "He cheated on me Justin. One fight and he goes running into the arms of a total stranger. He slept with that asshole JB." "What? No way Jayce, that's nuts! I see the way he looks at you when he thinks no one is watching. He is totally in love with you." "Then why, when I came back to the room last night, did I find him sleeping in JB's arms? He was supposed to be waiting up for me so we could work things out." "Just because they slept together it doesn't mean they 'slept' together and you know it. Lance was probably upset and JB was holding him and they fell asleep. Go talk to him JC and get this whole mess worked out." Justin got up and opened the door. "Go, before I kick your ass." JC did as he was told but before he left he gave Justin a hug. He looked at his friend and brother and for the first time a smile played across his lips. "Thanks Justin." "Anytime, now get outta here so I can get some beauty sleep. Not that I need it." He smiled. JC rolled his eyes at his friends antics, Justin may come off as a bit stuck up sometimes but JC, and anyone else close to him knew that was total crap. JC turned and walked down towards his and Lance's room, dreading what he might find when he got there. What if JB was still around? He knew if he came face to face with him he would not be able to control his anger and any hope of reconciliation with Lance would be gone. Walking into the suite now he noticed that all the curtains were still tightly drawn. Going back to the bedroom he found Lance curled up in a ball and completely covered with the blankets. "Lance?" "Josh, is that you?" "What are you doing under there?" JC tried to pull the covers back but when he did Lance screamed. "Shut the curtains! Shut the curtains!" JC quickly got up and did as he was told, not sure what had caused Lance's sudden outburst but knowing by his tone he was serious. Once that was done he moved back over to his love and slowly lifted the covers away while speaking to Lance in a calming voice. "It's okay now James. What happened baby? What's going on?" Lance needed him and his feelings of hurt and betrayal were instantly diminished. They still lingered but Lance's well-being came first before anything. That is what being in love is about. He looked down into his love's eyes and saw the fear there. The sparkle that he had always found was gone. "James, What's going on? Are you sick? Where's JB?" The mention of the man's name caused Lance to flinch, this caused JC anger to start growing. 'If he's done anything to him I'll...' he let the thought drop as Lance began to shake uncontrollably "I'm so cold Josh." Lance had managed to whisper in between the shakes. JC climbed into the bed now and wrapped his arms tightly around Lances chest, trying to use his own body heat to warm him. "What's wrong with me Josh? Last night with you was so wonderful and now I feel like shit." JC just lay there as Lance's words sank in. He thought he had been with him last night? But how is that even possible? He didn't have time to contemplate it further as Lance's shakes increased. Somehow he needed to get him warmed up, fast. "James, can you stand up at all? We need to get you into the shower to warm you up." He tried to get Lance to sit up, but without much success. He went into the bathroom and decided that it would be easier just to run a hot bath, so he proceeded to run the water and get it just the right temperature. Then he undressed Lance and carried him into the bathroom setting him down slowly to let his body get used to the water. Eventually his body began to relax and his temperature seemed to come up. JC bent down and gently smoothed back the hair off his forehead, giving it a kiss. "I'm gonna go talk to the guys and let them know what's up. Will you be ok for bit?" "I think so yeah, I love you Josh." The sincerity of Lance's words caught JC off guard but he quickly recovered. "I love you too sweetie. Now just sit there and relax, I'll be right back." Once he was out of the suite he quickly made his way back down to Justin's room. They had all talked last night about meeting up there for breakfast in the morning so he knew that's where they'd all be now. The minute he walked in he was greeted by one of Chris's smartass comments. "Jeez JC what happened to you? Did Lance keep you busy last night? You look like shit." He then noticed the worried expression on JC's face and immediately kicked into father mode. He had gotten used to the roll as group dad being the oldest, especially where Justin and Lance were concerned. Justin was only fourteen and Lance sixteen when they had joined the group and on the road Chris was the closest thing to father they had. "What going on JC? Where's Lance? Is he ok? What's going on?" "Chris, chill! Let him talk." Joey turned to back JC. "Well?" "Lance is sick. I think JB might have done something to him." Justin went to protest but JC stopped him with a look that said he didn't want to hear it. "I thought he had cheated on me with JB last night so I stayed with Justin. I went back this morning to talk to him and found him in bed hiding under the covers. When I tried to get him to come out he screamed at me to shut the curtains, it was if he thought he'd burst into flame if he let the light touch him. When I finally got him out he said he didn't know what was wrong and that last night had been so wonderful cause we'd made up. But I hadn't talked to him since he left the bar. I think JB might have drugged him and seduced him. I think that's why he's sick and I think he remembers some of it. You should have seen the look on his face when I asked him where JB was, I thought he'd burst into tears. I have him soaking in the tub now cause he was starting to have the shakes." Once he had relayed the morning's events he collapsed back into the chair and began to sob. Justin immediately went to him and wrapped him up in his arms. "If I find out that bastard did anything to him, there won't be a piece of left to identify." "You'd better leave some for the rest of us too Jayce." Joey spoke up again. Over the years they had become more than bandmates, they were family. Nobody screwed with a member of their family or they had four others to contend with. Justin could attest to that when he had broken up with Britney Spears and the media went into a feeding frenzy trying to get the dirt on them. The others were constantly asked about what had happened to break them up. What went on behind closed doors however, remained behind closed doors. "I'd better go back and check on him. I'll see you guys later, unless something changes." Joey stopped him before he left. "I'll come too. You might need help getting him out of the tub if he isn't feeling any stronger yet." "Thanks, Joe" "No problem. I don't think Lance will mind either. Its not like I haven't seen it all before myself, right?" When the guys had first gotten together all those years ago Lance and Joey had instantly bonded, and they were the first ones to come out to each other too. So, it seemed natural that they should try dating. After a while though they realized that they were much better off as friends, but they were much more than that. They had the kind of friendship that only one could have with an ex-lover. It was more intimate then most friendships, but without being sexual. They stepped into the suite and looked around. JC hadn't noticed it until now but the room looked completely trashed, as if there had been some sort of struggle. JC made his way to the bathroom while Joey tried to straiten up the mess. Peeking his head in he JC found Lance passed out and saw just how exhausted he looked. " James, baby? I'm back." he shook Lance's shoulder but got no response from him. "James? Wake up, we gotta get you out of the tub." Lance's stirred a bit and JC caught sight of the huge bruise that graced his loves throat, and the two small puncture wounds that they surrounded. The reality of what Lance had undergone hit him now as tears once again invaded his eyes, but these were tears of guilt. If he had not had a fight with Lance then he wouldn't have been left alone with that monster JB, and been forced to undergo this torture. He got up and went to find Joey to show him the wounds he had found. "Joe? Come in here will ya? I need to show something." Joey quickly hurried to the bathroom and when he got there he couldn't believe what he was seeing. He stood there in total shock taking in the shape his friends body was now in. It wasn't just the bruises but he looked so thin too, like he was malnourished. He swore that if JB dared to show his face ever again he would not hesitate to beat the crap out of him. Looking closer now he too noticed the puncture wounds. "What kind of sick bastard does this to another human being? What are those do you think? They look too big to be from a needle. He looks like he was bit. This guy must have been some sort of nutcase that took himself to be a vampire. I just hope he didn't give him anything, maybe we should get him checked out. Don't you think?" "But where can we take him without it getting out to the press? How do you think the reaction is gonna be if its discovered that Lance Bass of *NSYNC was brutally attacked by some strange guy staying in his hotel room?" " Maybe we should call Johnny?" "Yeah, that's a good idea actually. He'll need to be told about this eventually anyway. Better to have it come from us directly. Can you watch him while I go call?" "Sure. Of course" As Jc went to retrieve his cell there was an urgent knock at the door. Opening it, he discovered his parents looking very worried. "Mom? Dad? What are you guys doing here?" "We need to talk to you Joshua, Where's James?" "He's in the tub Dad, he's sick. What's going on?" "It's JB, he called us last night. I don't know how he managed to track you down but he did and now we have to deal with it. He said he had spent the night with you. I guess that was just to scare us since you seem to be ok." "What are you talking about? How do you know JB? He did spend the night here last night and he attacked James. It looks like he bit him. What the hell is going on!" JC was in a panic trying to take in all that had just happened. It ws all starting to get to be too much for him. By this time Joey had joined them after hearing the loud voices. "This is going to sound totally insane, but JB is a vampire Josh. A 400 year old vampire that killed your birth mother, and now he's come back for you. Its looks as though he tried to get to you through Lance but when that failed he disappeared again." "Have you completely lost your mind? A vampire, like on that TV show 'Buffy'?" "I'm afraid that was more than just a TV show." JC turned to the man now standing in the doorway. "Who the hell are you?" "Joss Whedon, JC. I created 'Buffy', both the show and the movie before it. The names may be different but a lot of what you see actually happened. I should know I was there, and so was your mother." It was the last thing JC heard before he passed out from the shock. ____________ JC slowly rose from the bed, beside him he saw his love resting peacefully. Thank God all that craziness had been a dream. But how did he get here? He remebered leaning over to wake Lance from his sleep, he must have passed out from the emotional exhaustion and Joey had put them both to bed. he'd have to thank him later. He noticed it was dark out and went into the other room to call room service to send up some food. He was not expecting what he found when he got there. His parents, the guys and Joss Whedon were sitting in various places talking quietly amongst themselves. Justin noticed JC enter and all attention was drawn over to him, standing there taking in the scene. So it had not been a dream after all. This insanity was real. JB had attacked Lance as retribution for some grudge he had against JC, a man he hardly knew. He slowly made his way over to his parents where Chris got up to let him sit. "So, I guess my parents have told all of you this insane story of JB the vampire. Let's just assume for the moment I actually belived all this. What exactly am I supposd to do about it? Hunt him down and put a stake through his heart?" "That is the plan, yeah." JC looked at Joss with total disgust. "Are you the one that fed this crap to my parents?" "Your parents have known since the day they adopted you. Your mother hoped that by giving you up you'd be safe from all of this. She wasn't aware of the prophecy though. None of us were until recently." "Prophecy? Oh this just gets better and better." JC rolled his eyes in disbelief. "What is this 'prophecy' supposed to say?" JC crossed his arms over his chest daring this lunatic to come up with a good excuse on the spot. Joss stood and walked to a small backpack he had brought with him. Reaching in he pulled out a small but very old looking book. Flipping through the pages he came to the spot and looked at JC before speaking. "This is an old volume of writings by Michel de Nostredame, or more commonly known as Nostradamus. Perhaps you've heard of him?" JC nodded for him to continue. " It was only recently that a part of the manuscript was decoded and this is what was found." Joss retrived his glasses and began to read. " 'When the Chosen One shall breathe her last, The Hunter will be revealed and he will come to claim his birthright at last.' This refers to you JC. It was destined that you were adopted the Chasezs. You are The Hunter and your mother was the Chosen One." "Wait, isn't that what Buffy was called, the Chosen One?" "That's right Chris, I see you're a fan. Buffy was based on a high school friend of mine, JC's mother. You're mother was the last of her kind, a slayer. Somehow, you aquired her abilities while she carried you. As you may know historically slayers were always female, but you're altogether something new." JB's words to JC at the club now came into his mind. 'Chasez I believe is French is it not? It means "hunter".' He knew then who JC was and he ws testing him. Once he saw that there was no recognition he was free to get to Lance. Once he had finally accepted the truth his mind was turned to a new problem. What was he to do about Lance? His heart sank, as the realization of his duty to protect mankind from vampire-kind caused him to make the hardest decision of his life. If Lance had indeed been turned he would have no choice but to release him from his curse. He prayed that he would have the strength to do the impossible, to take the life of his one true love... __________ Well thats all for now. Don't you just hate cliff hangers? Will JC do his duty? Will love conquer all? Write me and tell me what you think. Thanks to all the people who wrote in support of this story. You guys rock!