"Hello?," answered Lance Bass.

"Lance! Where are you, man? We're all at the studio, waiting!" Justin Timberlake's voiced exclaimed into the phone.

Lance sighed and looked at the digital numbers on the clock. 'Ten in the morning, great.' He thought silently. He answered Justin, "I'll be there in a few. Don't worry." Before Justin could reply, Lance had hung up. Lance looked at the body, beside him, and rolled his eyes. He shook her bare shoulder and said, "Hey. Get up." She just mumbled in her sleep. 'What is her name? Julie...no...Jane....no...Tara? That's it!' He shook her, a little more roughly, and said, "Tara! Tara!"

She rolled over and opened her eyes. Smiling, she said, "Hey."

He had to restrain himself from rolling his eyes, and said, "Get up. I'm leaving and it's time for you to do the same."

Her smile turned into a frown and she asked, "Well...um....when will I hear from you again?"

He shook his head, "That wouldn't be such a good idea. I'm busy and away so much..."

She nodded and he could see tears brimming her eyes. She hurridly got up and got dressed. As she rushed around, Lance could see the humiliation, in her eyes, as she realized that she had just been a one night lay for him. He started to feel a little guilty, but pushed it away. 'These groupies should know what they're getting into,' he bitterly thought.

"Ummm....bye..., " Tara nervously said as she rushed out of the room.

*At The Studio*

"Well, where is he?" Chris Kirkpatrick asked as Justin hung up his cellphone.

Justin sighed, "He's at his house. He said he'd be here in a few."

Joey shook his head, "I thought I used to be bad. Drinking, parting, sleeping around...." Joey Fatone sadly replied.

"Mabey he just overslept," JC Chasez said.

"Yeah, overslept with a hangover. And, you know he had a lady over." Chris said.

"We don't know...," Justin started.

Chris stood up with exasperation, "Yes we do! Justin, he's been doing this for months, ever since his space dream got cut. And, I'm sorry about it, but he needs to cut it out! He's not only hurting himself but the group and everyone that cares about him."

"Mabey he'll quit...., " said JC.

"It took Kelly and me having a baby before I changed my ways."

"So, you think that he should get someone pregnant?," Justin asked with shock.

Joey shook his head, "No! No, I'm just saying that it's going to take something drastic to change his ways. He's too far gone, guys."

"Shhh, guys. I hear someone comming, " JC said.

A few minutes later Lance walked into the room and said, "Hey."

The others all looked at each other and Justin said, "Hi."

"Have a nice night last night, Lance?," asked Chris.

Lance looked at him through his sunglasses and nodded his head, "Yep. Why?"

"Did you at least remember her name this time?," Chris bitterly asked.

Lance's face showed no facial expression. He took off his sunglasses and they could all see the glare directed at Chris. "My sex life isn't any of your buissness, Kirkpatrick. And, to answer your question, yes I did."

"Lance, man, we're just worried...," started Joey.

Lance held up a hand, cutting him off, "Yeah, yeah, I know. You're just worried about me, about the group, about everything. You don't need to worry about me, I'm fine. Those groupies know exactly what they are getting into when they go to my house or my motel room. I've never promised them anything other than a night of sex." The other four all looked at him in surprise.

"What happened to you, Lance? You never used to be so cold, you became like this after your space trip was cancelled." Said a worried JC.

Lance shook his head, "That's where you're wrong. After my space trip was shot down, I became a workaholic. It hurt and it was depressing but I've been the same Lance for years. Guess you guys just never took the time to notice."

"Lance," Justin began, "you need to quit this. All of this. All of the drinking, the one night stands, everything. We want the old Lance back."

"And, what Lance would that be?"

"The Lance we met when you auditioned. The sweet, down to earth, Lance."

Lance laughed, "I am the same Lance that you've known for years. I just grew up from that shy boy that you met. I did what you have to do in this buissness."

"Lance, when did you become so cold? You never show emotions, we never know what you're thinking. You have so many different personalities that it's not even funny. One minute, you're Mr. Hollywood and socializing with all the buissness people. The next minute, you're Party Boy, going out and getting drunk and partying until the break of dawn. Every once in a while, you're the Lance that we met and love. My best friend," Joey said.

Lance could see how sad Joey was, how sad they all were, and felt guilty for all the crap that he had put them through. But he just couldn't stop playing the parts, playing who everybody expected them to be.

"What about your spirituality, Lance? Do you know how much this is hurting your parents, your sister? It's like you've turned your back on everything."

Lance's eyes flashed with anger and he, flatly, said, "I have not. I still believe in God but I do what I have to do. My family is just fine and is none of your buissness." With that said, Lance slid his sunglasses back on and left the room.

Chris cursed, "Great! There goes today's recording session."

Justin sighed and sat down, "I'm sorry guys. I should not have said what I did."

"It's okay, JuJu. You're just worried, we all are."

Chapter 2

"Those jerks! Who do they think they are, they're so freaking hypocritical!" Lance ranted as he entered his house. He fell down onto his couch, staring at the wall. He sighed and his shoulders slumped and he knew that he shouldn'tve blown up like he had. 'Guilt, that's an emotion I could do without,' he silently thought. "Mabey I should call and apologize," he mused. Before he had time to ponder the thought, his phone rang. "Hello?," he answered.

"Hey, Lance, you wanna go to a party tonight?" One of his party buddies, Paul, asked.

Before Lance thought, he answered, "Yeah. What time?"

Paul answered, "It's at eight. I'll swing by and get ya, it's at a friend's house.

"Okay, see ya then, " Lance said and then hung up. He decided that the talk he wanted to have with the others could wait. He went up to his room and laid down.

Lance woke up and looked at the clock, realizing that he had slept for five hours. It was six and he needed to get up and get ready. He took a shower and got dressed. When he was finished, he looked in the mirror and took in his black jeans, green silk shirt, and black boots. He ran his hands through his spiky hair and smiled, "Oh yeah, I'll be getting some tonight." Half-an-hour later, Paul showed up. When they were on the road, Lance asked, "Where's this party at?"

"At Tim's, he's an old friend from college."

"Cool, there'll be hot babes, right?"
Paul laughed, "Defiantly! What's a party without beer, hot chicks, and rock and roll?"

Launce chuckled, "Ya know it!"

"Here we are, " Paul announced twenty minutes later.

Lance got a beer and was standing by the kitchen doorway, when he heard, "Hey there." Lance smirked and thought, 'Ten minutes before getting picked up. That's a record.' He put on a charming smile and turned around. He saw a woman with a blue dress that might as well have been a second skin, long auborn hair, and stormy gray eyes.

"Well, hello. I'm Lance."

She smiled and said, "Lana. Wanna dance?"

Lance nodded, "Let's." They grinded for a couple of songs and had a few more beers. At eleven, Lance leaned in and whispered, "How about we go get a room?"

"Lana smiled, "Okay." Lance took Lana's hand and walked over to Paul.

"Hey, Paul. Are there any rooms?" Lance asked as he raised an eyebrow.

Paul instantly knew what he meant and said, "Yeah. Down the hall. Just keep trying until you find one that's opened."

"Thanks." Him and Lana walked down the hallway and he tried door after door. On the seventh one, the knob turned and Lance pushed the door opened. After him and Lara had entered the room, he shut the door and locked it. There was a little light shining through the window, so he left the lamp off.

Lance walked over to Lara, who smiled a 'come hither' smile at him. They didn't waste time with pleasentries. Lance started kissing her neck as she moaned. Five minutes later they were naked, while their clothes were thrown all over the room. Lance pulled away from Lara and reached for his wallet. He opened it up and grabbed a foil wrapped package. He tore it open and then rolled the condom over his erection. As soon as he was through, he entered Lara. After a few thrusts, they were both screaming as their orgasams hit them. When they had both come down, Lance withdrew from Lara and took off the condom. He got up and threw it in a small trashcan. Lara laid in the bed, watching as he got dressed, and said, "That was fun."

Lance nodded, "Yep." He was completely dressed and said, "Bye." And with that, he was out the door. It was midnight when he found Paul. "Hey man."

Paul turned, "Hey. Have a good time?"

Lance smiled, "You know it! Anyways, I'm going to take a cab back home."Lance shook his head, "No. We've both had way too much to drink for that. I'll see ya around."

Paul nodded and Lance went outside. He pulled his cellphone out of his pants pocket and dialed the cab company. Two hours later, he was at his house and sound asleep in his bed.

*One Week Later*

"Hello?, " Lance answered his phone.

"Hello? Is this Mr. Lance Bass?," a man's voice asked.

"Yes."

"Do you have a few minutes?"

"Well, I'm on my way out."

"Mr. Bass, this is extremley important."

Lance sighed and sat down on the couch, "Okay. Go ahead."

"Okay, Mr. Bass. I'm Doctor Sawyer and I'm calling from Orlando Health Clinic. A woman came in by the name of Lara Smith, about a week ago. She was sick, so we did some blood work and found out that she is HIV positive. We asked her to name all the people that she could remember sleeping with in the last three years. Your name was one of them."

Lance was in shock and it took him a few minutes to speak. "What? HIV?"

"Yes, sir. We would like for you to be tested."

"We used protection. I used a condom."

"She told us that, but we always like to be sure. Condoms are not one-hundred precent."

"Oh my God," Lance sighed out. "Okay. I'll go get tested this afternoon."

"That would be wise, Mr. Bass."

"Thanks for informing me," Lance said and then hung up. He sighed and called Justin's cellphone.

"Hello?" He heard Justin say.

"Justin, it's Lance. I'm not going to be able to make it to the studio today." Before Justin had a chance to reply, Lance hung up and left the house.

Lance drove to his Doctor and was taken straight back. A minute later Doctor Miller walked into the room.

"Hello, Lance. What can I do for you today."

Lance took a deep breath and said, "Not one word of this can be leaked out. It has to be kept strictly private, okay?"

Doctor Miller nodded and said, "You have my word."

Good. I need to be tested for HIV."

Doctor Miller looked aurprised for a second and then said, "Sure thing. Do you want my nurse or myself to take the blood?"

Lance answered immediatly, "You."

"Okay, I'll be right back." After what seemed like forever but in reality, was only five minutes, the Doctor returned. "Okay. Roll up your sleeve and make a fist." Lance did as he was told and Doctor Miller tied the band around Lance's left bicep. "This looks like a good vein, " he said as he untied the band. "Undo the fist." A couple minutes later, Doctor MIller has a vial of blood and said, "Okay. All done."

"Good. And, remember, use my fake name. John Stanton, right?"

The Doctor nodded, "I know. Don't worry, Lance, your secret's safe with me." Lance nodded and left, going out the backdoor to his car.

He didn't want to go home and he knew he couldn't go to any of the guys. 'How could I have let this happen to me?,' he angrily thought. He flipped the radio on and a song drifted out over the speakers.

He pulled his car over to the side of the road and sat there, listening to the song.

By the time that the song had finished, Lance was crying. For the first time in years Lance let himself break down and show emotion. To break down and cry. After a while of letting all his emotion out, he wiped his eyes. 'I know that I can go to the guys. We're like brothers. But I've hurt them so much, hurt my family so much, hurt myself so much. Would any of them really care what I tell them?,' Lance silently thought. He sighed and wondered, for the millionth time, how he had let his life get so screwed up. He made up his mind, started his car back up, and drove down the freeway. Three hours later, he saw a sign.

Chapter 3

One Week Later

"Where is he?!," Joey asked. Him, Justin, Chris and JC were at Lance's house.

Justin shrugged, "I dunno, man. The last call I got from him was to say that he couldn't make it to the studio. And, that was last week."

"I'm going to kill him!" Chris yelled in exasperation.

"What if something happened?," asked a worried JC. The other three remained silent, because they didn't know what to say.

"Well, we might as well get going. He's not here and it looks like he hasn't been for a while." Said Joey with saddness. They all said their goodbyes and headed off in different directions.

Lance knew the guys were probley ticked at him. Heck, he wouldn't blame them if they never wanted to speak to him again. He sighed and flipped the video camera on, smiling into the lens. He started what he intended to do. When he was finished, he packaged the video tape and the cassette tape up and headed to the postoffice.

The next day Joey was playing with Brianna in the playroom, when he heard the doorbell. "Hmmm...I'll be right back Bri." He handed her to Kelly and then went to answer the door.

"Mr. Fatone?," the man questioned.

Joey nodded and the man said, "I have a package for you. If you could just sign here." Joey took the clipboard and signed his name, handing it back. "Here you go, have a nice day."

"Thanks, you too."

He walked into the playroom and Kelly looked up. "Who was that at the door, sweetie?"

"UPS. I have a package....from Lance."

"Really? Wow."

Joey nodded and ripped it it open, pulling out the cassette and video. "There's a letter in here." He opened the folded up paper and started to read.

"Do you mind if I call the guys and have them come over?" Joey asked Kelly.

"God, of course not. I'll take Bri and go to the store. That way you all can have privacy."

Joey smiled and gave her a tender kiss, "Thanks, baby."

An hour later, all five guys were seated in Joey's family room, getting ready to watch the tape. Joey pushed play and Lance appeared on the screen. They all listened intently as Lance started talking.

"Hey guys. I know y'all probley hate me right now, I wouldn't blame you. I wouldn't blame you if you never wanted to see or talk to me ever again." Lance sighed and took a deep breath. "The thing is, I left that day that I called Justin. I just drove until I got where I was going. I had gotten some news that day. I got a call from the health clinic, telling me to get tested for HIV, because of a girl I slept with. That's why I didn't make it to the studio. I went straight to my Doctor and got tested. When I was done, I couldn't face any of you. So, I got in my car and started driving. That song, "Lean On Me," came on and I couldn't handle it. I broke down and started crying, wondering how I let my life get so screwed up." The other guys were all shocked to see tears running down Lance's face. Lance wiped at them and continued, "I knew right then that I had a problem, that I needed help. So, I kept driving until I got to a rehab center. I always denied being an alcoholic. But I couldn't go to a party, a club, anywhere without getting drunk. I just got good at hiding it. And, I always picked up a woman. That wasn't healthy. I'm still at the clinic and will be for a few more weeks. It's really helped, although the withdrawls have been monsters." Lance paused and took a breath, then started talking again. I sent a cassette also. I stayed up all day and night yesterday, laying down my vocals for the new album. I had the music with me and I didn't want to screw it up for you guys. Use them, if you can. Or, if you need to, tweak them until they're the way you want. I'm really sorry, and I can't aplogize enough about all the crap that I've put you all through. I've talked to my family and we're on our way to making amends. I've also talked to management and they're, needless to say, not very happy. Anyways, I've decided that I can't be in the group. At least, not right now. I can't be in that enviroment and I'm not going to be Mister Hollywood any longer. I hope you all can forgive me. If not now, hopefully oneday. I can't tell you all where I am right now. I need time to work through my problems. But I hope that when I finally am able to give you all a call that you won't shut me out. I also am going to do a song for you all. It's by Plus One but I think it states things clearly.

Lance sat down at a piano and started playing the melody. A minute later, his voice joined in.

When Lance was finished all the guys had tears running down their faces. Lance was wiping at his eyes. He looked back into the camera and said, "I love you all and miss you." With that said, the screen went black.

"Lean on Me" sung by Bill Withers and "My Friend" sung by plus One. No copyright infringement is intended.

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