The Legends Meet 'NSync: Part 3a
Legal Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to imply anything about any of the celebrities mentioned. If you are under 18, offended by homosexual material, or it is illegal in your nation, state, or municipality to view this material, you should leave now. Otherwise, please enjoy the story.
Author's Note: To reduce confusion, I will stick to the following conventions: Joseph Varona of the Legends will be called "Joseph", and Joseph Fatone of 'NSync will be called "Joey". Also, this part is going to be a little short because I wanted to get it posted up on the site. Now that that's all out of the way, I would like to present part 3 of The Legends Meet 'Nsync.
Chapter 12: Past Loves
"Ummm... Hi Lance." was all that Alex could say. He had a look of surprise on his face as he looked at each member of the group. When his eyes met with JC's the look of surprise suddenly became a look of terror. "Guys, I just remembered. I have something back home that I have to do."
"Please, feel free to stay. We're all friends here." JC said to Alex, closing the door. "We have a lot of catching up to do."
"You guys know each other?" I asked, trying not to reveal the fact that we overheard the conversation between Alex and Jay.
"Alfred, what do you mean? Don't you remember when I leaned back..." was all that Shaun could say before I interrupted.
"Yes, I do. That was funny. Guys, remember when Shaun leaned back and almost fell from the second floor down to here? Good thing I was there to catch him." I said, indicating to the group to confirm my little cover-up. At the same time, I gave Shaun a light elbow. Not too hard, but just hard enough to get the message. Even though Joseph and Brad were laughing, Shaun still didn't catch on.
"You must be confused. I'm talking about when I accidentally leaned back into the intercom button and we heard Alex telling Jay about his relationship with Lance." At that moment, everybody just fell silent. Alex had a look of fear on his face, Lance a look of embarrassment, and JC a look of anger.
"Oh Alex?" JC said, putting on a false look of calmness.
"Uh... Yes JC?" Alex answered, with fear in his voice.
"Have you been spreading rumors about us?"
"JC, stop it!" Lance barked. "We might as well tell them the entire story. I trust that you guys can keep a secret?"
"Yes." We all said in unison. Lance spent the next few minutes explaining his previous relationship with Alex.
"Alex was my first boyfriend. I loved him more than anything. Unfortunately, I didn't show it. I was young at the time, and was still under the control of my hormones. I guess what I'm trying to say is that Alex caught me with another guy. Alex caught me with Justin."
"Is it just me, or are there a lot of gay guys in boy bands?" Shaun asked, sarcastically.
"Why do you ask?" Lance replied.
"Well, in our group, we have 3 gay guys, and one guy whose bi. I'm the only straight guy in the group."
Justin responded. "Well, in 'NSync, we have 2 gay guys. Lance, and myself."
"Are you single?" Brad said, smiling. Lance jumped in to answer Brad's question.
"I'm with Justin. Well, kinda. This is hard. Justin and I have fun with each other."
"Actually, Lance and I aren't really together. We're really just friend who satisfy each other's needs. And trust me, with Lance, he has a LOT of those needs." Justin said, laughing.
"He's still a little horn dog, huh?" Alex asked, trying to hold back a smile.
"You could say that. Alex, I just want you to know that I'm sorry for causing you guys to break up."
"Justin, don't worry. I'm not mad at you. I'm not even mad at Lance. Things happen." Alex gave Justin a hug, which Justin returned.
"What about me?" Lance asked, giving Alex sad puppy-dawg eyes.
"Yep, same ol' Lance." Alex said, smiling, then giving Lance a hug.
"What about me?" Joseph asked, trying to imitate Lance, but he kept having trouble hiding the smile.
"I'll give you an A for effort." I answered.
"No kiss?" He asked, finally getting the face right.
"You know, if you were a little taller, you might be able to replace Lance." Joey said, laughing. "What's your range?"
"I'm a baritone." Joseph answered.
"You know, he would be a perfect replacement for you, Joey." Lance answered, smiling. "He even has the name." Both groups laughed in response.
"You know, I think we'll all get along just fine." I said.
"You guys absolutely love each other." Jason responded.
"Ummm... Jason, in case you don't remember, I'm not gay." Chris stated with a concerned look in his face.
"Don't mind Chris. He's never been completely there."
"Am too!"
"Are not!" As Jason and Chris continued their playful argument, I went to talk to Lance.
"What really happened between you and Alex?" I asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I could tell that you were hiding something." I said, looking him straight in the eyes.
"Is it really important?"
"It is if it has the potential of affecting not only a member of the Legends, but a member who is a long-time friend of mine, as well."
"You really care for him, don't you?"
"You're damned right."
"I barely know you, but I can already tell that your group is going to be going places. Do you have someplace where we can be alone? I don't want to say anything that could harm what Alex and Jay have apparently built."
"The garage. Every other room has an intercom unit. Before we go, though, there is one other person that I think should hear this. Joseph."
"Why?"
"I don't hide anything from him, just like he never hides anything from me."
"OK." After hearing Lance's answer, I walked over to Joseph, who was laughing at the scene that Jason and Chris were putting on. Lance entered the garage, and waited for us.
"Joseph, I was just talking to Lance. There is something that he would like to share with both of us. He's in the garage waiting for us." Joseph got up, and walked with me into the garage.
"OK, guys. You have to promise not to tell anyone this. Not for my sake, but for Jay's."
"We promise." Lance told Joseph and myself about his breakup with Alex. He told us about how Alex was worried about Lance leaving him for one of the fans, about how he wanted Lance to leave 'NSync for him.
"That's how it happened." Lance said, finishing his story. "I just hope he trusts Jay more than he trusted me. I didn't want to say anything in there in front of Jay."
"Thanks for trying to protect Jay. I can tell that we're going to get along just fine." "Just one question. Why did JC seem so upset? Are you..."
"No, we're not. It's just that JC has always been protective of us. Sometimes over-protective." At that point, Lance flashed one of his famous smiles.
"Damn, looks even better in person." Joseph said. We all laughed, then went back into the house.
By the time we entered, Jason and Chris were on the floor wrestling each other.
"Are they always like this?" I asked Lance.
"You'd be surprised." Was all that Lance said. I looked back over at Jason, who had Chris pinned to the floor. Finally, Joey tapped out. When they finally got up, they were all sweaty. Jason went over to Lance, and gave him a high five. Then Justin walked over to Lance, and welcomed him back with a kiss.
"Jason, I need to speak with you." Brad said.
"While we're on the topic, I need to speak with both of you." I said.
"Sure thing, guys." The three is us went into the garage.
"You guys could talk first." Jason said.
"OK. Brad, why didn't you tell me that he knew 'NSync?" I asked.
"Because I didn't know, either." Brad said, with a confused look. "Now I'm wondering, why didn't you tell me that you knew 'NSync, Jason."
"Well, you never asked me."
"Good point. Well, how long have you known them?"
"Well, I met Lance in Mississippi in his pre-'NSync days. Things just went from there."
"Are they your connections to RCA Records?" I asked.
"Yes, they are."
"Well, as usual, you've helped us in more than we could have possibly imagined. Thanks." Brad said, giving Jason a hug. All three of us walked back into the house.
Meanwhile, in Houston, 2 members of a boy-band currently on tour were questioning the future of their relationship.
"Brian, do you ever wonder if we're doing the right thing?" Nick asked.
"What do you mean?" Brian answered.
"I mean, for the group. I love you and all, but is it worth risking the group?"
"Are you having doubts about us?"
"I don't know what I'm having. I just don't want to destroy their lives because of my feelings."
"Your feelings? What about my feelings?"
"You know what I mean, Brian."
"Are you trying to tell me that it's over between us? Is that what this is?!?"
"Damn it, Brian, will you just listen to what I'm saying?!?" By this time, Nick and Brian's conversation had become an argument, and had woken up the rest of the guys. There was a knock at the door.
"What?!?" Both Nick and Brian yelled. Brian stormed over to the door and opened it.
"Guys, it's 11 PM. Some of us are trying to get some sleep. What the hell are you two doing?" AJ asked, groggily. At about the same time, both Kevin and Howie arrived.
"What the fuck are you guys doing? It's late. Can't you guys wait 'till morning?" Kevin asked.
"No. This has to be settled right now." Nick insisted. "Brian thinks that I want to dump him."
"Brian, what the fuck would give you that idea?"
"Well, we were talking, and Nick mentioned something about our relationship being a possible risk for the group."
"Brian, you know he's right. Howie and AJ can tell you from experience."
"Your cousin's right, Bri. When Howie and I were together, even though we both cared for each other, we still worried that it would pose a problem for the group if we ever broke up on bad terms." AJ said, moving closer to Howie and holding his hand.
"Brian, I still care for you. I'm just not sure if we should be in a committed relationship. Not while we're working together." Nick said, holding Brian's hand.
"So, best friends?" Brian asked.
"Best friends."
"Now that that's settled, can we all get some sleep?" Howie asked.
"Sure thing." Everybody moved off to their rooms. Even though they had been separated for the past six months, AJ and Howie still shared a room, not only to save money and because they were friends, but also because they were still fuck-buddies. Brian closed the door.
"Nick, you can take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor." Brian said.
"You don't have to. We can share the bed."
"Are you sure you're OK with that?"
"Yes, I am. Best friends share beds all the time. I mean, look at AJ and Howie." Just at that moment, some soft moaning could be heard from AJ and Howie's room. "On second thought, you take the bed." Nick grabbed his pillow and a few blankets, and slept on the floor.
"So, guys, have you thought about whether you actually WANT to be under a professional record label?" Lance asked. The Legends turned to him and gave him a look of confusion.
"Why would we NOT want to be under a professional record label?" Brad replied. "I mean, without a professional label, how would we be heard? How would our music be sold?"
"Your point may have been true in the past, Brad, but things have changed. Guys, I'm not saying for you not to pursue your dream. I'm just saying that there are other ways besides being under a label. Then, of course, we haven't had the best experiences with record companies, either. A lot of them will take your music and group name, and copyright them as their own. That's why I was glad to hear from your manager that you guys copyrighted your name yourselves."
"What's a good alternative, then?" Shaun asked.
Jason responded to Shaun's question. "The best thing for you to do, if you don't want to be under a professional label, it to be self-labeled. Seeing the reception you guys received at Millennium in San Fran, I'd say that you guys have a good chance of making it self-labeled, and may even get some outside groups wanting to be under your label in time."
"I don't know. We'll have to talk about this as a group." The Legends discussed the idea of being self-labeled. They discussed it the rest of the night. After about an hour, JC suggested that they sleep on it. By that time, it was past midnight.
"I guess you're right. It is getting pretty late." I said.
"Let's see... Tomorrow's Thursday. We have a concert in Oakland on Friday, and another in San Jose on Monday. Why don't you guys come to one of the concerts?"
"We'd love to. I mean, you guys are coming to Millennium on Saturday, right?"
"We wouldn't dream of missing it. That's the night you guys are performing, right?" Justin asked enthusiastically.
"That would be correct. It's gonna be kinda weird. I mean, a complete role-reversal." We all laughed.
"Well, guys, it's time we got going. We'll see you guys tomorrow." As 'NSync walked out the door, Lance and Alex looked at each other one last time. While nobody else noticed, there seemed to be some sort of a re-ignition of their former passions.
Chapter 13: Harmony Records
The next day, I woke up to the sound of people talking and laughing downstairs. I turned to give Joseph a kiss, only to notice he wasn't there. After getting up and changing out of my pajamas, I went downstairs. 'NSync had already arrived, and was eating breakfast with the guys.
"Good morning guys." I said.
Justin looked towards me and responded. "Hey, look who finally decided to wake up!"
Joseph looked up from what he was doing. "I would have woken you up, but you looked so cute laying there, Alfred."
"Don't worry about it." I replied. "At least I'm well rested. So, what's going on, guys?"
"We're discussing you guys starting your own record label. You actually didn't miss much. We've only been here for like 10 minutes." Lance answered.
"Ahhh... So, what's for breakfast?"
Shaun responded in his best French accent, "This morning, we have a delicious choice of whatever they're serving at McDonalds."
"OK, so, we're going out for breakfast?"
"Yep, we sure are." JC responded.
"Is that really a good idea? I mean, you all remember the famed Stoneridge Incident with us. How much worse will it be with you guys going out to McDonalds?"
"Alfred, Alfred, Alfred... You still have a lot to learn." Brad said, laughing. "In my days of performing, while I wasn't actually that big, I did learn from some friends that when you go out in public and you don't want to be seen, you use a disguise. Nothing too fancy, just a hat, different style of clothes, stuff like that."
"OK, so how are we going to hide human torch here?" I said, smiling and looking at Joey, his hair it's usual bright-red color.
Joey looked back at me, stunned, and at the same time smiling. "I may be a torch, but at least I don't have bed head. You look like you just came out of a tornado." We all got a good laugh out of the whole thing, then left for McDonalds.
Upon arriving at McDonalds, 'NSync all put on their disguises. Not even we could recognize them. We discussed our label over breakfast. Lance contributed the most information regarding starting our own label. After breakfast, we returned to the house. We had al finally decided that our own label was probably the best way to go. Now we had to come up with a name. Again, Lance was a gold mine of knowledge.
"When choosing a name, you want something that attracts attention and is easy to remember." After several minutes of thinking and submitting names that we just didn't sound right, Shaun made his suggestion.
"How about Harmony Records? It's easy to remember, and it describes our style of music."
"Shaun, you're a genius!" I exclaimed.
"Well, I wouldn't say that. So, what do you guys thing?" Everybody agreed, it was a great name.
"So, it describes your style of music? We'll see tonight." Chris said, smirking. We looked at Chris, confused, when finally Joseph said something.
"Oh, shit! We completely forgot about tonight! We have to get ready and head to San Francisco!" We all ran upstairs, and changed into something a bit more suitable. While we were upstairs, the doorbell rung.
"I'll get it, guys!" Justin yelled. Justin opened the door. It was Alex. "Hey, Alex." Lance turned to look.
"Hi guys, hi Lance."
"Ummm... Hi, Alex." Lance seemed a little nervous. Justin invited Alex in. At about the same time, we all came running downstairs.
"Jay, sweetie, you look wonderful!" Alex said, running up to Jay and giving him a kiss. Jay blushed.
"Awww... Thanks, hun. Hey, wanna come with us to San Francisco? Tonight's our weekly performance at Millennium."
"I'd love to."
"Great. OK, guys, I think we should get going now. You know San Francisco traffic." We got into Shaun's car. 'NSync all got into their rental, an SUV. We arrived at Millennium an hour later. John, who seemed a little nervous, greeted us at the back door.
"Hey John. What's wrong?" Brad asked.
"Just a little nervous. I mean, tonight's the big night when you guys are performing in front of 'NSync. Well, at least that's what I thought. They still haven't arrived."
"Oh, they're right behind us." At the same time we said that, JC, Lance, and Justin walked up. "Hey guys. Where are Joey and Chris?"
"Oh, they're trying to park. This city is impossible to park in."
"You know these guys?" John asked us.
"Oh, yeah. Old friends." Lance responded, laughing.
"If you guys want, you can park here in the back lot."
"That would be great." Just then, Joey and Chris came running. "Never mind."
"Sorry we're late." Chris said, trying to catch his breath. Just then, a stagehand came up behind John.
"Guys, you're on in 10 minutes. Your equipments already ready, and is just waiting for you."
"Thanks. Well, guys, let's get going. The club's waiting." I said. "Oh, wait, one more thing. Guys, can we introduce you while we're on stage? I mean, just thank you and whatever?"
"Well, it's your performance. You're the center of attention while you're up there." JC answered.
"I know, but still, we owe a lot to you. Actually, better idea. How about a duet, if it's not too much trouble. I mean, I know this is like a break between shows, but it would be fun."
"That would be a great idea." JC said. We discussed what song we sould perform. After we decided, walked into the club. 'NSync got to the dance floor through the bar. Jay gave Alex one last kiss, then we all got in position. Alex stood off to the side and watched us from there. A few minutes later, the stage lights dimmed, and the club music faded.
"Ladies and gentlemen, Club Millennium would like to thank everybody for visiting us tonight. And now, we are proud to present tonight's performers, San Francisco Bay Area's very own, the Urban Legends!" The crowd cheered and the curtains opened. As we started our first song, a re-write of the Drifters very own "Under the Boardwalk", the stage lights came up. We completed our first song, and thanked the audience for their energetic welcome. At that point, we decided to say thank you to all those who made all this possible. Jay went first.
"Hello San Francisco!" The audience screamed and cheered loudly. "Before we continue, I would like to thank somebody who's been here for me, for us, since our first performance. He's somebody very special to me, somebody who I am proud to call a friend... Somebody who I have to say that I... Love. Thank you, Alex." Next, Brad went.
"Hi everybody!" Brad said, using his best Dr. Nick accent from The Simpson's.
The audience responded with an enthusiastic "Hi, Dr. Nick!" We all couldn't help but laugh.
"I see we have lots of fans of the Simpsons here." Brad said, trying to hold back his laughter. "Going on, I would like to thank somebody who's been here for the group, whose knowledge and experience made all this possible, somebody who I have known for many years. I would like to thank our manager, Jason Strauss." Brad then handed the mike off to Joseph.
"Good evening everybody. Tonight, I would like to thank the person who made all this possible. Without him, we would not be here tonight. Tonight, I wish to thank John Carter, owner of Club Millennium." After Joseph, it was my turn.
"How's everybody doing tonight?" I asked. The audience responded in a loud cheer. "Before we continue, I would like to take this time to thank some very special people. First, we would like to take the opportunity to thank a group of people very special to us. Without their guidance, their inspiration... their friendship, we would not be the group we are today. These inspirations to us, and to many, are 'NSync." The audience, once again responded with a loud cheer. I gave the floor to Shaun.
"Who's having fun tonight?" The audience screamed energetically. "Tonight, I would like to thank, on behalf of all of us here, those must important to us. I wish to thank the audience. Without you, we would be nothing. Thank you, everybody. And now, let's party!" The audience cheered as we continued into our next song. In all, we performed 8 songs that evening. At the end of our performance, we took a few moments to introduce a few people. We gave the floor to Jay.
"Before we go tonight, I would like to introduce some very special people. First, I would like to introduce my very close friend, Alex. Alex, come on out." Alex walked on stage from the side, waved to the audience, and stood by Jay. "And now, I would like to introduce some very close friends of ours. A group of friends who has helped make us the band we are today. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, 'NSync!" Justin, Chris, Joey, Lance, and JC walked on stage, greeted by the cheers of the audience. Jay gave the mike to JC.
"Thank you, Jay. Thank you everybody for that wonderful welcome. How's everybody doing this fine night?" The audience screamed in delight at the sight of 'NSync standing on the stage. "I guess you're all having a wonderful time. What do you think, Justin?" JC gave Justin the mike.
"Hmmm... I don't know. They don't seem too excited to see us here." The audience screamed even more enthusiastically. "What could we possibly do to get them more hyped?" At the same time he said that, music for one final song, an 'NSync song, began to play, too softly to be recognized, over the club sound system.
"How about we perform a song for them?" Justin asked, then giving the mike to JC.
"Ummm... I don't know. I mean, this is the Legends' performance, right?" JC responded, smiling. "How about a duet? What do you guys think?" JC handed the mike to Shaun.
"Sounds like a great idea. What do you guys think?" Shaun asked the audience. They responded with their most enthusiastic scream of the night. The background music got louder, until it was finally recognized by the audience as the song 'NSync and the Legends had agreed upon for the duet before the show: the extended version of "This I Promise You".
TBC...
Sorry about cutting things short in this part. I've been held up on the story because I've been working on a special treat for all of the readers: An new song written for the Urban Legends (Those of you who know me on IRC have probably already seen some of the lyrics). I'll get the next part up ASAP (This I Promise You). Until next time, keep an eye out for those Urban Legends. Never know what you might see.