***CELEBRITY***

***Please Note: This story contains scenes depicting sexual acts between members of the same sex. If you are under the age of 18, or if it is illegal for you to read such material in your state, please do not read further. If you are offended by this type of material, again, please do not read further.

This story is completely a work of fiction. The characters and situations in the story exist solely in the author's imagination. Any reference to the sexual identity of real people is completely fiction. If you have questions, comments or suggestions regarding this story, please email me. Flames ignored.

For a list of my other stories, and info about me, go to my Website.

Many celebrities are mentioned in this story, and some of them are even characters in the story. I am in no way trying to say that I know anything about their personal sexualities by putting them in this story. Although this story is mainly about a fictional celebrity, I wanted to say that I do not know any of the actual celebrities mentioned in this story. I am simply borrowing their persona.

"Secrets Of The Morning" is a novel by V.C. Andrews®. It is not a television show. The show is only part of this story. Several liberties will be taken with this story, and although I'll try to stick to the true timeline of events in the careers of *Nsync and Backstreet Boys as well as various other stars, I don't see how I can keep up with that kind of research and continue to work at my day job. The personalities of the celebrities in this story may be quite different than what you're used to. I'm not concerned with their professional images.

I hope that everyone enjoys the story and realizes that this is only a story. I don't know any of the stars mentioned in this story personally, and their sexuality, although sometimes under scrutiny, is never anyone's business than their own. If, on an odd chance, this story reflects actual events at all, that is completely coincidental. I'm not a spy, and I would never stalk a star. :)

Eric Draven®

all lyrics in the story are also under copyright...please remember that

any lyrics borrowed from other artists will be credited at the bottom of the chapter

Last Time:

"Lance supports Chad's decision to tour, of course," said Skyler. "And you just try and talk Chad out of going on tour. He'll bite your head off."

"Skyler," said JC's voice, and Skyler didn't know if was going to be angry at him or happy to see him.

"Hello, Josh," said Skyler, standing up and turning to face his lover.

"Why didn't you call me?" asked JC, smiling at him. "I'd have picked you up."

"I tried," replied Skyler. "Your cell phone is off, and Chad answered the phone here."

"Oh," said JC still smiling at him. "I was at the compound, working on the album."

"How's that going?" asked Skyler.

"Its almost done," replied JC. The same answer he gave every time Skyler asked that question. "So, you're going over your tour information?"

"Yeah, I leave in two weeks," he said, noting that the stiff smile was still frozen on JC's face.

"Where to?" asked JC.

"Japan," replied Skyler.

==IN THE NEWS==

"Skyler and Chad Thomas kicked off the European leg of their 'Thomas Brothers' Tour last night, and MTV was there. Parts of the show were broadcast on MTV, and the show was awesome! Skyler Thomas is at his best. Chad Thomas is following in his brother's foot steps quickly!"

Carson Daly: MTV's TRL

"Cassandra Thomas is now trying her hand at a vocal career. She is filling in for Skyler Thomas's regular back up singer, Niki Harris. With a modeling career in full throttle, this bold move may indicate that the entire Thomas family will be taking the world by storm, together, very soon. The Thomas siblings, currently touring Europe, were unavailable for comment."

Julia Sar: The Rag

"Skyler Thomas is in the news again today. A man in Colorado claims to be the father of the Thomas siblings. 51 year old Ben Thomas says that Skyler has ignored his letters and won't take his phone calls. Skyler Thomas could not be reached for a comment, but Madonna issued a statement from England today, stating that Skyler Thomas has never been contacted by this man. Could this be the long lost father Skyler mentioned a year ago when he was interviewed by Kurt Loder for MTV?"

Jamie Beckham: Entertainment Tonight

*Celebrity*

Chapter 15

"Are you sure its my father?" asked Skyler when Madonna called to warn him about Ben Thomas.

"I have no idea," she replied. "It could be a very resourceful man whose trying to stir up the press and get money from you."

"What should I do?" he asked.

"Do you want to know if it is your father?" she asked.

"I don't know," he replied.

"Well, for right now, I can say that you are still in Europe, and you don't know about this yet," she said.

* * *

"TOKYO!" screamed Skyler to a sold out audience. "ARE YOU READY?" The crowd was on its feet.

"SKY-LER! SKY-LER!" they cheered.

"Let's go!" he cried as the music for Get Up started, making the crowd roar.

"Come on let's go people
GET UP! and move your feet to
The music in your soul
How far will you go

In the clubs the beat gets under your skin
Dancers shake there bodies letting the music in
Let's GET UP! and do this
Show me where your soul is
I know that I can make you move
I know just what I have to do

Come on let's go people
GET UP! and move your feet to
The music in your soul
Feel the beat and just let go," he sang, and then nine dancers joined him and Cassie on the stage. The two of them joined the band of dancers and performed the choreographed moves perfectly, making the crowd cheer.

"When the music gets inside you
Your feet know just what to do
Let the rhythm move your body
GET UP! and start this party
Rock your body, move your feet
Let your body feel the beat

Come on let's go people
GET UP! and move your feet to
The music in your soul
How far will you go

Come on let's go people
GET UP! you know what to do
Let the music fill your soul
GET UP! and lets go

I know you hear this music
GET UP! and just prove it
Move your body to the beat
And soon you'll feel the heat
Just move with you feet with me
Don't worry soon you'll see

Come on let's go people
GET UP! and move your feet to
The music in your soul
Feel the beet and just let go

Come on let's go people
GET UP! you know what to do
Let the music fill your soul
GET UP! and let's go

GET UP!

Come on let's go people
GET UP! and move your feet to
The music in your soul
How far will you go," and the music stopped as the crowd screamed for him.

* * *

"I had no idea how good it felt to be on stage with all of them screaming like that," cried Cassie as they flew over the ocean and back to North America.

"Its a feeling you'll never forget," sighed Skyler, leaning his head back and falling asleep.

Skyler had been working himself to exhaustion. Cassie and Chad were very worried about their brother. When, in a last ditch attempt, Chad had called the house in Orlando, there had been no answer. JC's cell phone had been disconnected, and he didn't like the thoughts that came to his mind when he'd listened to the message telling him that the cell number he had dialed was no longer in use.

Cassie had put in several calls to Madonna, and the two had discussed ways to get Skyler to stop pushing himself so hard, but so far, none of them had worked. JC hadn't called in more than two weeks. This was a fact that drove Skyler crazy. She didn't know how much longer she could watch him slip inside himself and lose himself in his work.

* * *

"What do you mean, he's gone?" demanded Skyler when he called Orlando to find JC.

"I mean that no one has seen him, and his mother has called three times to see if we've heard anything," said Joey.

"Has anyone been to the house?" asked Skyler almost frantic.

"The house is locked up tight, Sky," said Joey. "The only one with a key is Lance, and he's off with Meredith."

"What if he's hurt, Joe," said Skyler in tears. "What if you guys can't get into the house, and Josh is in there, needing help?"

"Sky, calm down," said Joey. "He's not hurt. His car isn't there, either."

"Well, where did he go?" he asked.

"Skyler, I don't know."

* * *

"Skyler Thomas," said Jeff Timmons, placing his hand on his arm.

"Hello, Jeff," sighed Skyler. He was on his way up to his room to get some much needed sleep.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked Jeff, looking concerned.

That's how Skyler found himself sitting in the hotel bar, talking to Jeff Timmons about his problems. Jeff was silent and let Skyler get it all out. By the time he was finished talking, he was even more exhausted than ever. He hadn't actually mentioned JC by name, and he'd tried to keep the information on a non sexual identifying basis, but he didn't know if he'd succeeded.

"I'm sorry that this is causing you so much pain, Skyler," said Jeff. "I know we don't know each other very well, but if you need a friend, you can always call me."

"Thanks, Jeff," said Skyler, smiling for the first time since he'd run into him. "I think I'd like that."

"And, Skyler," said Jeff. "If JC is too blind to see that he has the greatest man on Earth, that's his problem."

"I never . . ."

"Relax," replied Jeff. "I know all about you guys. I always have."

"But how?" asked Skyler almost in a panic.

"You can calm down, Sky," he said. "If I was going to out either of you, I'm sure that JC would out me, too."

"I didn't know about you," said Skyler, relaxing a bit.

"Thank you," said Jeff, smiling. "I've tried to keep a lower profile than you have."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, your little war with the tabloids was a bit further than I would every have had the balls to go," laughed Jeff. "Keeping the world guessing is something you seem to be very good at."

"Yeah," he said. "But I think that's part of JC's problem."

* * *

"Actions speak louder than words
That's what they say
Some words can be absurd
I hear them every day
Hate is more than just emotion
I wanna run away
Learned and taught just like devotion
Don't know what else to say," sang Skyler, and the crowd roared. They really did love this song.

"Do you hate me just because of who I am
You know that I am human but you don't give a damn
Why do you care about the life I lead
Is it because you are afraid of me," he and Cassie sang together, holding hands.

"This is a hate crime
Just like last time
This is a hate crime," they sang with each of the dancers joining in.

"Your actions tell me all about you
You can't hide what you are
You don't like me because of what I do
You know you'll never get far
If this is the way the world bill be
I said you'll never get far
Then this isn't the place for me
No you'll never get far," sang Skyler alone.

"Do you hate me just because of who I am
You know that I am human but you don't give a damn
Why do you care about the life I lead
Is it because you are afraid of me," sang Skyler and Cassie.

"This is a hate crime
Just like every time
This is a hate crime," they all sang together.

"Broken bones and bruised skin tell me why
People like you will never see don't you realize
I'm better than that, because I know who I am
Look at you hating me you don't give a damn," sang Skyler and Cassie.

"This is a hate crime
I hope you do the time
This is a hate crime
Just like last time
This is a hate crime
Just like every time
This is a hate crime," they all sang together.

"Next time it just might be you who pays the price
This is a hate crime
I know you hear me, better take my advice
This is a hate crime
Every time you walk outside your door you roll the dice
This is a hate crime," sang Skyler and Cassie.

"This is a hate crime
Just like last time
This is a hate crime
I hope you do the time
This is a hate crime
This is a hate crime
This is a hate crime," they all sang together. The crowd was literally deafening as the song came to an end.

"Thank you San Fran Cisco!" cried Skyler. "Good night!"

The dancers, one by one bowed and went off the stage as the ending music to Hate Crime played over and over. Cassie kissed her fingers and waved them at the audience, turned to kiss Skyler on the cheek, making the crowd scream, and then she left the stage, leaving Skyler alone with the bad as the lights got lower and lower.

"This is a hate crime," he sang, and the music stopped, and the lights went out.

The crowd still cheered, but their cheering got louder as the music to Dangerous Emotions started playing. Skyler was seated on a stool in the center of the stage, dressed in white running pants and a white pull-over jacket, and a hand held microphone was in his hand.

"In my heart I know that this is wrong
But I've been in love with you so long
Now my heart belongs to another
I shouldn't make this offer
But I'm blinded by the love in your eyes
So I know that somehow I'm going to try

These are dangerous emotions
Dividing my devotions
Deciding who to hurt
Pretending this can work
If you would give me back my sanity
These emotions would stop plaguing me

Stolen moments in hotel rooms
Lying just to see you
In my heart I know this is wrong
I can't stay with you too long
Secrets kept can destroy you
And I know just what I should do
But your eyes tell me to stay
I can't find the right way

These are dangerous emotions
And I'm going through the motions
Pretending that my heart is right
Tossing and turning every night
I know that you can feel it too
The pain caused by what we do

Happiness now is a temporary thing
Forgetting now and faltering
Stumbling home before the sun
To make her think she's still the one
Breaking her heart is not my intention
So I tell her things that are invention
Trying to cover myself and spare her pain
Don't want to be the cause for tears like rain

These are dangerous emotions
Dividing my devotions
Splitting my heart in two
I don't know what to do
I know my secret will be uncovered
And we will both be discovered

These are dangerous emotions
Going through the motions
Hiding here and there
Pretending to still care," sang Skyler, and he got up and went to the edge of the stage, bending down to touch the hands of the people in the front row. He went back to his stool, but didn't sit down.

"These are dangerous emotions," he sang, turning back to the crowd, and the music stopped.

* * *

"I still haven't heard from him, Sky," said Joey when Skyler called Orlando again. "I don't know where he is. Lance went to the house and made sure everything was ok there."

"I have three weeks off now," said Skyler. "The concert hall in LA was burned pretty badly, so the three shows I had there are canceled. I'm coming home."

"Karen wants you to call her when you get here," said Joey.

* * *

"Skyler!" called the reporters as soon as he walked out of the airport. "What do you think about Ben Thomas's claims that he is your father, and you have done nothing to contact him in sixteen years?"

"What?" asked Cassie, stopping dead in her tracks.

"I don't know anything about this man," Skyler said to one reporter. "This is the first I've even heard of this story. I can assure you, though, Ben Thomas has made no effort to contact me. I will find out if this man is my father, though."

"What was she talking about, Skyler?" asked Chad when they were safely in Joey's Blazer. "Dad's been trying to find us?"

"I don't know," he lied. He hated lying to Cassie and Chad about this, but he had no choice. What Madonna said was probably true. This could be just some guy who was trying to get money. "We'll find out more when we get home."

"Is JC there?" asked Cassie.

"No, I don't think so," he replied sadly.

"Lance said he wasn't there as of yesterday," said Joey.

"Where is Lance?" asked Skyler. "I tried to call him four times today."

"He's with Meredith in New York," said Joey as they pulled into the circle drive of Skyler and JC's house.

"Thank you for picking us up, Joey," said Skyler.

"You going to be alright?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," said Skyler, forcing a smile. "I'll be just fine."

They walked into the house, and Skyler sat his luggage down in the foyer. He grabbed the mail off the table, and was shocked to see that all of it was for either him, Chad or Cassie. None of JC's mail was in the stack. The light was blinking on the answering machine, so he pressed the button, playing back the messages.

Karen had called four times and left messages. The last was for Skyler to call her as soon as he got in. Lance, Joey, Chris and Justin had called each a few times to see if JC had come home yet. Britney, Christina, Kristy and Niki had each called for the same reason.

Skyler picked up his two suitcases and went up the stairs to his room. As soon as he switched on the light, he knew something wasn't right. A strange feeling swept over him, and he dropped his suitcases and went to JC's closet. Opening the door, he found exactly what he'd been expecting to find. No hangers hung from the rod, and the closet was completely empty.

Looking around the room, everything that had belonged to JC was gone. Skyler walked over to the bed and sat down. When he saw the house keys sitting on the table, he put his head in his hands and started to sob.

* * *

"Josh, what in the Hell are you doing?" demanded Justin. He was standing just inside the open front door of JC's old house. JC had never sold the house after moving into the new house, and now, Justin knew why.

"I'm watering my plants," said JC. "What does it look like?"

That's what he was currently doing. He was holding a water bottle in his hand, and the plants were all glistening from being sprayed. Justin stood there for a few minutes, staring at his best friend. He couldn't believe it. For weeks, everyone had been worried about him, and he'd been here all along.

"Everyone is worried sick about you, Josh," said Justin after a few long moments.

"Well, you found me, so everyone can stop worrying," snapped JC, walking into the living room.

"You've done it, you know," said Justin hotly. "You broke his fucking heart, Josh. I hope you're happy with yourself now."

* * *

"He's gone for good, M," said Skyler when he called Madonna. "His clothes, everything that's his, all gone."

"Do you know where he is?" she asked.

"He moved back into his old house," said Skyler. "Can you believe he didn't sell it when we moved into this one?"

"Well, maybe it just hadn't sold yet," said Madonna, knowing what Skyler was thinking.

"No," he said. "I checked. It was never on the market."

"Skyler, I'm so sorry," she breathed. "Are you ok?"

"I wasn't at first," he said. "But I am now. I talked to Karen this morning, and she knew."

"I can't believe she didn't contact you," said Madonna, and Skyler could hear the anger in her voice.

"She said she didn't want to ruin my performance," he said with a little too much sarcasm. "How could he do this to me?"

"Baby, I know what you're going through," she said. "Do you want me to fly to Orlando?"

"No," he replied. "I won't be here."

"What do you mean?" she asked quickly. "You have three weeks."

"I'm going to New York," he said. "I'm going back to my apartment. I don't want anything to do with this house."

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Sky," said Mark, hugging Skyler when he walked into the apartment in New York.

"I'm alright," said Skyler. "It doesn't matter anymore."

"What do you mean?" asked Mark, looking at him as if he were talking like a crazy man.

"Well, it isn't like I couldn't see the signs, Mark," he said. "JC just doesn't love me anymore. I guess I was ready for it. It just really hurt me that he left like that. No word, nothing."

"Well, the bastard sure knew how to get to you," said Mark.

For the next few days, Skyler made arrangements to have everything shipped to New York. Joey and Justin were taking care of packing for him, and Lance was making sure that nothing got broke. Lance called him every day, but Skyler assured him that he was just fine.

Howie was very supportive. He offered to fly to New York and keep Skyler company for a few days, but Skyler turned him down. He said that he was just going to relax for a while until it was time to head for Sacramento. He couldn't wait to get back on the road again. Working would take up all of his time, and he would put everything he had into each and every show.

Jeff, however, wouldn't take no for an answer. Skyler picked him up at the airport, and the two of them stopped at a diner to eat lunch before going on to the apartment. Skyler had to admit that it was nice to have someone, other than Mark, to talk to. Mark only wanted to down JC, and Skyler didn't want any part of that. If JC didn't want to be a part of his life anymore, then Skyler wasn't going to waste any more time talking about him.

"How are you holding up?" asked Jeff.

"I'll be just fine," said Skyler. "It isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I mean, it isn't like this was sudden or anything. There were clues for a long time."

"Yeah," was all that Jeff said.

"I'll just concentrate on the tour," said Skyler. "When I'm not on stage, giving an interview, meeting fans or having my picture taken, I'll write songs for my new album."

"Gung ho, huh?" said Jeff.

"Absolutely," he replied. "I may as well turn this into something good."

"If you need any help with anything on your album," said Jeff. "Please let me know."

"How are you doing?" asked Skyler.

"Well, I guess you can see that I needed to be with someone as much as you did," laughed Jeff. "Things have definitely been better for me."

"What's wrong?" asked Skyler.

"Well, I don't know if you knew about this or not, but I've been with Jordan Knight for a few years now," he said. "Well, I was with Jordan for a few years. Its over."

"We can start our own Broken Hearts Club," said Skyler sympathetically. "I'm sorry, Jeff."

"Don't be," said Jeff. "It was my decision. Jordan just couldn't be faithful, and I couldn't remain in a relationship that was so one sided."

"Now, I'm even more sorry," said Skyler.

Jeff and Skyler did many things together for the rest of Skyler's time off. They went to plays, movies, dinner, anything they could to keep their minds off what was going on in their lives. Skyler found Jeff easy to be with, and the two were rapidly getting close. Justin and Lance called just about every day, but Skyler kept assuring them that he was fine. He told Lance that he would not be moving back into the house in Orlando, and that it would remain empty for a while. He hadn't decided what to do with it.

Three days before he had to leave for Sacramento and hook up with his dancers and band again, Kristy came over for breakfast. He was so happy to see her. It had been a while since the two of them had had the chance to get together. He'd missed her terribly.

"So tell me about Jeff," she said, smiling at him.

"He's a friend, Kris," he said. "Rapidly becoming a very good friend."

"When did he leave?" she asked.

"He hasn't yet," said Skyler, smiling at her. "He's in the guest room, sleeping."

"You have a guest room?" she asked.

"Well, not really," he laughed. "Chad went on to be with the band, so Jeff has been sleeping in his room. Mark moved into the spare when I came back."

"Mark is a really great guy," she said. "We love having him around the studio."

"He is a great guy," agreed Skyler. "One of my best friends in the world."

"He loves you very much, Skyler," said Kristy, peering at him over her coffee cup.

"We took a trip down that road a long time ago, Kris," he said. "It ended badly, and I won't repeat it. Besides, its too soon for anything like that with anyone."

"Good morning," said Jeff, coming into the kitchen. He smiled at Kristy, and then went to get a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Jeff," said Skyler. "Kristy, this is Jeff Timmons. Jeff, Kristy Swanson."

"Nice to meet you, Jeff," said Kristy, shaking his hand.

She smiled as she watched them. They were both so oblivious to the way the other cared. Skyler made Jeff a plate of pancakes, and Jeff refilled Skyler's coffee cup when he filled his own. When they sat back down at the table, Jeff picked up his butter knife, and Skyler handed him the butter. Then, Skyler handed him the syrup, and all of this was done with now words at all. It was like they'd been together for years.

Then she sat and listened to them talk back and forth. Jeff asked what Skyler planned to do about Ben Thomas, and Skyler told him he hadn't decided.

"He might just be your father, Sky," said Jeff as he cut his pancakes.

"All the more reason to make him wait," said Skyler.

"But if he's your father . . ."

"He left me when I was four," interrupted Skyler. "So he can stand to wait a little longer."

"Don't wait too long, Sky," said Jeff.

"Thank you for your advice," replied Skyler.

"Thank you for breakfast," said Jeff, getting up from the table to put his plate and cup in the sink. "I'll do the dishes as soon as I shower."

"Thank you," said Skyler.

* * *

"You call me if you need anything," said Jeff as Skyler was about to get on the plane to go back on tour. "No matter where you are."

"And you call me, just because it would be nice to hear from you," said Skyler.

"I'll see you in Chicago," said Jeff, hugging him.

Skyler got on the plane and sat beside his sister. He was sad to be leaving Jeff. He almost wished that he would come with him, but he knew that Jeff had been neglecting his responsibilities to spend time with him already. It had been so nice to spend time with Jeff. He was really going to miss him.

to be continued

Ok, there it is. A short chapter, and for that I'm sorry, but that seemed like the proper place to end it. Before any of you get mad at me over the break up of Skyler and JC, just remember that you knew it was coming. This wasn't sudden. And besides, celebrity couples rarely last. Get Up, Hate Crime and Dangerous Emotions were all songs written by me. Please remember that they are protected under the same copyright as the rest of the text in this story.

EricD.

My other stories on Nifty:

Incest:
Christopher's Story
Nicholas And Mark

Adult Youth:
Detahz
Boys Of Summer
Midnight Encounter

For a complete list of all of my stories, go to my website.

Stories That I Really Like On Nifty:

High School:
Matthew Figures It Out
Carrots And Celery

Incest:
Family Album
My Step-Brother, Jacob

College:
Working It Out

Prolific Nifty Authors That I REALLY Recommend:

Pfantazm
Greg Bowden
Eric Case
Justin Case (In Loving Memory)