Forty-eight hours later found Mercedes and Lance in Orlando at the Courthouse. As they arrived, the press started taking photos and the crowd craned their necks to get a glimpse. It reminded Lance and Mercedes of the insanity that surrounded the court case with Trans Con and Lou Pearlman. They had been together then in spirit, today they were united in every way.
Trans Con already had a huge PR task in front of them, Norm Conroy had worked for THEM during the time Liam accumulated the documents in that file Mercedes torched. Conroy had just been arrested by the FBI for trying to blackmail *N SYNC. They were NOT going to stand in the way of having the charges dismissed against Mercedes, on the contrary, they wanted everything behind them and forgotten. Wes, Lonnie, Matt and Roz accompanied the couple into the Courthouse with some members of the State and Local Police also visible.
All the way over in the SUV with the tinted windows, Lance nervously fidgeted with the ring on Mercedes hand, rubbing the palms of her hand with his own ring. Occasionally kissing the top of her head. For some reason, Lance’s nervousness had a calming affect on Mercedes. He was definitely nervous enough for both of them.
The Judge listened to the two legal teams, and seeing that Trans Con didn’t wish to pursue the matter any further, he immediately dismissed the case.
Richard Allen walked them to their SUV. Mercedes thanked him for all his help, then slyly asked if he had seen Gwen. With the words just barely out of her mouth, Lance leaned and whispered, "Speak of the devil." Mercedes looked behind Richard and saw Gwen approaching. She had managed to get through the crowds and the Press with the help of Mike who remembered her.
As they hugged, Gwen said, "I see you got your bracelet back." Lance seemed to blush, but everyone laughed with him. Richard nervously asked Gwen how she’d been. Gwen congratulated him on doing a superb job on the legal front. Mercedes suggested they all have dinner together that night. Richard looked at Gwen and gave her a smile, "Would that be alright with you, Gwen?" She nodded. Mercedes squeezed Lance’s hand. He knew this reunion pleased her. She was quite the matchmaker!
Lance and Mercedes departed from the Courthouse and held the Press Conference in a small banquet room at the Peabody Hotel in Orlando. After a last minute hug from Mercedes, Johnny gave Lance a stern warning about his statement, "No deviating from the text. We DO NOT want to give Victoria any reason to be any more of a threat than she already is."
Lance entered the room escorted by Wes and Matt and sat at the table on the riser in front of the Press Corp assembled.
"Good Afternoon, Ladies and Gentlemen. I have a statement to read and if you have any questions after that I will try to answer them today.
This morning my wife, Mercedes McKenzie Bass, had all charges against her that stemmed from a minor fire at Trans Con dropped. Mercedes and I, want to extend our love and thanks to Johnny Wright, and many hard working people at WEG, including their legal department. We want to give a special love and thanks to Chris, J.C., Justin and Joey and our other family members who, along with us, call Mississippi HOME.
When I received a phone call from Justin Timberlake to audition to join the group that became *N SYNC in 1995, none of us really had any idea how big this would grow to become, or how far reaching the implications of fame in the Music Business really were.
There will always be a lot of rumors and gossip that circulate about people in the entertainment business. Sometimes the business itself helps to perpetuate the gossip because it makes news and helps promote a movie or a CD. That hasn’t been the cast with *N SYNC, and it never will be. The rumors and gossip I want to address first involves my personal relationship with Mercedes and some of it has been hurtful and malicious.
Yes, Mercedes and I have known each other for a long time. I lived in the house she shared with her husband for a few months back in 1995. I was 16, and her husband was an executive for Trans Con. We were all friends. There was never at any time anything inappropriate in the friendship that developed between Mercedes and myself. We began dating in May of this year.
Yes, Mercedes did spend a period of time in a Mental Hospital after the miscarriage of her baby and her husband’s tragic auto accident. From what we now know, it was the misdiagnosis of her illness and the medication the doctors gave her in error that caused her health to deteriorate to the point that she needed to spend a brief amount of time in the hospital. Mercedes is fully recovered now and is not taking any medication at all.
Yes, I married Mercedes McKenzie last month in Colorado. If you think I should apologize to the *N SYNC fans for having kept it from them, well, maybe I should...I don’t really know. I’ve always been very upfront about my relationships, but for once, I really wanted to keep my personal life PRIVATE. It was just a time for US. There is so much of our lives that we live in front of an audience, being able to keep a part of mine strictly between my wife and myself and a few close friends meant the world to me.
Yes, it is true that Mercedes had filed for divorce earlier this month. However, it didn't have anything to do with the state of our relationship. Instead, it had to do with lies and innuendoes created by out side forces designed to make every attempt to pull us apart and pull *N SYNC down with it.
Mercedes was frightened into taking the actions she did and took those actions for the sole purpose of trying to protect me. I know it is a difficult thing for ya’ll to understand. I certainly didn't understand it myself for weeks, but, I know now that there have been death threats made against my wife and myself."
Lance looked across the room at the cameras and Press there. His anger and distain for having to share his private life so publicly was directed at the one person he really blamed for everything. Victoria. He went ahead and did what Johnny warned him not to do.
"I am taking this opportunity to put this out there to the perpetrators of those threats: You didn't succeed in pulling us apart. Any one who tries to harm Mercedes has to get through me first. We are on to your schemes. If you ever show your face around us, you will be sorry! It’s your turn to be scared now."
Lance then looked out of the corner of his eye at Johnny and Mercedes. He put his hand to his heart and continued with the text.
"The agreement we reached this morning at the Courthouse makes it impossible for me to discuss every carefully laid booby trap or strategically placed whisper about my wife and I or the guys in *N SYNC. But, as you know there has been one arrest in the blackmail case and we hope other arrests will soon follow.
Needless to say, the more successful you become the more someone somewhere wants to bring you down. And if we don’t address every single rumor you may hear about, or read about concerning Mercedes and I or any of the guys in *N SYNC, it’s because that would be virtually impossible. All we can do is live our lives as faithfully as we can. If we know ourselves, and try to follow a good path, we have to let a lot of that other stuff just roll off of us. It isn’t easy..."
Lance sighs, "That’s about all I wanted to say today. I want to thank you all for listening. I want to thank our fans for making this current tour such a blast, but also I want to thank those of you who have met Mercedes and made her feel like she actually had some friends out there. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate that. Especially now.
There’s something wonderful in my life that I want to share with our friends and fans this afternoon. Mercedes and I just recently found out that we are expecting our first child next year. This news is a source of great joy for us. Thank you, once again, for listening."
As soon as Lance looked up from the last sheet of paper, there was a sea of hands waving to ask questions. Lance asked if Mercedes would like to sit beside him during the question and answer part of the Press Conference and he got up as she approached the riser, being the southern gentleman that he is.
"How do you feel, Mrs. Bass? Kelly Zoleleski, Miami Herald."
Mercedes smiled at Lance and he squeezed her hand. "I feel great about having the legal issues resolved today. I just feel great, in general." They chuckled.
"Mr. Bass it seems that you know who is behind these death threats? Are you going to share that with us?" The loudest reporter bellowed.
Lance looked over to Johnny and the members of his legal team. Johnny was obviously already fuming because Lance had put in a warning to Mercedes’ sister even after Johnny asked him not to. He sternly shook his head, ‘NO’.
"I am sorry, we do have our suspicions, but I am not at liberty to disclose that information because the FBI and local police departments are still gathering evidence."
"Who is this Norm Conroy the FBI arrested?" A reporter yelled out from the back of the room.
"He worked for Trans Con when *N SYNC was with them, and other than that you’ll have to be patient with us, I’m not sure how much I can elaborate on that."
"Lance, Sheryl Campbell of the Orlando Sentinal. First of all, congratulations on the upcoming birth of your first child."
Lance smiled and, it seemed, he actually blushed. "Thank you."
"Where and when do you expect this child will be born? Do you know if it‘s a boy or a girl?"
Lance face had this wide ‘busting-out-all-over’ grin on it. He brought Mercedes hand up to his lips and kissed it. He asked her quietly, if she’d like to answer that one. She said, ’okay’ and Lance motioned for her to go ahead.
"Thanks Sheryl, We hope that our baby will be born near our home in Mississippi sometime in February. Our puppy is having babies, too, but they‘ll be born in Massachusetts."
Lance started to chuckle, "We don’t want to know until birth if it’s a boy or a girl. I guess we’re old-fashioned. Now, that was an easy one. Y’all being kind." A reference, perhaps, to how much they had been dreading this portion of the Press Conference.
"Mr. Bass, Tom McDonough, Daily News, How long were you planning to keep this marriage of yours a secret?"
"Well, Mr. McDonough, we were never trying to pull the wool over any one’s eyes...we just wanted some alone time. It was important to me that our wedding be private and personal. Then, we really never discussed a time table."
Lance stole a glance over to her as he continued. "Mercedes and I agreed that if anyone asked me, I would tell them straight out that I was married."
"A follow up if I may?"
Lance nodded his head, "Sure."
"Where did the wedding take place and who attended?"
"Lance and I were married in Breckenridge, Colorado at the vacation home of my sister." Mercedes jumped right in and Lance was impressed. She didn’t seem to flinch when Victoria was mentioned. The Press was still clueless.
"Immediate family members were present, a minister and a priest. And, much to our surprise and happiness each of the guys from *N SYNC were able to find a way to get there, as well. It was a very special day."
"Are you going to release any photos?" Tom McDonough yelled.
"That’s more than one follow up." Johnny commented.
Lance smiled again, "That’s ok. Yes, we thought about it and we will make some available if you‘d like. But, in exchange we‘d like a donation to Challenge For Children, *N SYNC‘s charity."
"Mr. Bass, were there any blackmail demands relating to the lies and threats you referred to in your statement? Shanna Allmann MTV News."
"Hey, Shanna." Lance said. "Yes, there have been blackmail demands. But, I will not be able to comment on those. I’m sorry."
"Will there be charges brought against the perpetrators of the extortion or death threats after the FBI and local police finish gathering their evidence? Gwen Douglass, LA Times" Lance had begun to nod his head even before Gwen finished her question.
"Absolutely. We’re counting on it!"
Johnny said, "Lance only has time for one last question."
Lance called on Sheryl again, "Lance, were you and your wife able to get a honeymoon in with all this happening? Or will you wait until the tour is over?" Lance blushed and leaned his head over closer to Mercedes. They both positively radiated happiness! He whispered something to her and then it was her turn to blush.
"Sheryl, you do this to me every time you ask me a question!" Lance partially covered his face. The audience laughed. "Ok. Mercedes and I went home to Mississippi after the wedding. And even though we only had less than 24 hours it was wonderful. Of course, we like to think of living our lives together as one big honeymoon."
"What did he say to you to make you blush!" Sheryl inquired.
Mercedes shook her head, Lance brought an arm around her. They really started to share a laugh. "I can’t say!"
"Now, it’s gonna sound like it’s something REALLY bad." Lance said.
Mercedes looked at him and she raised her eyebrows. They had won over the majority of the press corp in a very big way with the genuine, loving way they treated each other.
"I asked you not to do that!" Johnny yelled in the car en route back to the airport. Mercedes held tightly to Lance’s arm.
"I know, I know! I am sorry, but damn it, she can’t get away with this!" Lance said looking at Mercedes reassuringly.
"Lance...forget it, I’m not getting into this with you." Johnny said.
Then, as if he was dismissing his earlier statement, he yelled, "Why can’t you let the FBI take care of it. We don’t need to worry about her taking action against you."
"I’m not scared of her." Lance said to Johnny.
"Well, Bully for you. I’m scared of anyone I cannot control who may have it in for one of you guys."
(July 23 Foxboro, MA)
"If I didn’t know any better I’d say we were on the Vineyard." Lance told her in the comfort of her arms from the tour bus. "Nice rolling hills and lovely scenery. I’m sorry we can’t go visit the Farm this time through."
"I understand. The whole idea of telling the Press I was working on a project in LA, to throw Victoria off our trail, would be completely wasted if we were seen at high season on the Vineyard right now. Besides, you promised me I’d be held captive in the hotel room for the remainder of this tour." Mercedes smiled as Lance half straddled her in the berth on the tour bus.
"Will the tour bus do for the time being?" Lance asked confidently.
The guys were preparing for a photo shoot/interview with TV GUIDE and Lance had wanted Mercedes to come along for her opinion on the outfit they had picked out for him. "You know I’m no good at this. You have better fashion sense than I do."
Mercedes laughed and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Darling, I’m headed off for my afternoon nap. Tell Justin the coat’s a little much."
Lance glanced over at his friend and had to agree. "Have a good nap, Darlin‘." Lance kissed her and returned to the job at hand.
"Lance, Matt and Tim want to talk with you." Chris said watching Joey get his shave, cleaning up his beard.
As Lance went looking for Tim, Matt caught up to him. "I figured you and Mercedes wanted to be alone for awhile, but we’re glad she went to take her nap. There’s something you need to be aware of."
Lance looked at him with a questioning glance, "What?"
"You received a baby gift." Tim Miller told him. "It was delivered early this afternoon."
"So?" Lance said impatiently. "We have received a LOT of baby gifts since the announcement."
"Trust me. Not like this one."
Lance followed Tim and Matt back to a secluded section of the backstage area. Wes was already there standing guard.
"What’s going on, Wes?" Lance asked him.
"You don’t wanna know, Scoop." Wes answered. "Mercedes here?"
"No. She went to take a nap."
"Good. You don’t want her to see this."
Lance approached the pile of gifts with caution. Obviously something has the guys in a tizzy. One large box stood open. The stench was noticeable long before Lance entered the room. He didn’t have a clue as to what it was before he looked into the box. He had never seen a dead dog before.
"Shit." Lance said, covering his eyes. "Mag-ster" Lance touched the dead animal, brushing her lovely coat.
"Please don’t tell me that this was Mercedes dog from Martha’s Vineyard." Wes said.
Lance shook his head. "Yes, it was. The one that was expecting puppies." Lance rubbed his eyes. "What the hell." Lance tilted his head and continued to stroke the animal’s fur. "Who would ever do such a thing, girl?"
"Lance, you mentioned that this dog was expecting puppies."
"Yes Matt." Lance said sadly. "She was."
"Well, that explains it then." Matt said to Wes.
"Explains what?" Lance asked. Wes and Matt looked at one another.
"EXPLAINS WHAT?" Lance said raising his voice.
"The dog has been gutted." Wes said.
After the photo shoot, Lance returned to the tour bus to find Mercedes sleeping in their berth. He watched her for a few minutes, leaning his forehead against the bottom of the upper berth, a hand touching the curtain, another in his pocket. He lovingly pulled the lightweight blanket up around her chin. Lance gently touched her hair. Then he went to join Dani and Chris at the table in the kitchenette.
"She just fell asleep. She got a call from her housekeeper on the Vineyard..." Dani told him, handing him a bottle of water.
"Maggie is missing isn’t she." Lance said in a monotone. He slumped in behind the table with his head leaned against the back of the bench and his eyes closed shut. Facing Chris and Dani, Lance had his back to the sleeping compartment area.
"How’d you know?" Dani asked.
Chris took her hand and sighed, "Lance and Mercedes received a disturbing baby gift. It was Mercedes dog."
"Her dog? But, how...?"
"What am I suppose to say to her?" Lance asked Chris. When he didn’t hear an answer right away, he opened his eyes.
Chris sadly looked at him and shrugged his shoulders.
"Are you telling me someone sent the dog as a gift? " Dani said not comprehending.
"She’ll probably tell you about her phone call when she gets up and we’ll scoot out of here so the two of you can talk." Chris said.
Lance made a deep sigh. "Sometimes I guess I have really failed to understand the seriousness of this whole situation. Johnny was right. I shouldn’t have tried so hard to push Victoria’s buttons. It was immature."
"Where the hell is Roz?" Lance said to Lonnie as the body guard came up into the tour bus.
"Lunch."
"Yeah, with Joey right?" Chris asked. Lonnie nodded his head. Chris looked over at Lance. "They’ve been spending a lot of time together."
"Where were you?" Lance asked angrily.
"I was watching the bus."
"Having a smoke." Lance accused him.
"That never bothered you before."
"Well, it bothers me now. No smoking around Mercedes."
"I wasn’t. I was smoking outside." Then, Lonnie sat next to Lance and said, "I heard about the baby gift. Matt is checking out where it was sent from and who delivered it. Lance, it’ll be alright."
Lance gave Lonnie a nasty look and raised his voice sarcastically . "Yeah? Is it? Sure, it’s gonna be fine. Only now, I have to tell Mercedes that some body killed her dog. No, didn’t just kill her dog, but gutted the animal to remove every trace of puppies waiting to be born. You don’t think there’s a message in there somewhere do you? But, hey it’ll be alright." Lance caught the look on Dani’s face as the words sunk in. She gasped. "Sorry, Dani. I shouldn’t have been so blunt." Lance said rubbing his face, then dragging his hands through his hair.
Chris’ head bopped up and his eyes gave Lance "the look".
Lance turned to find Mercedes standing behind him.
