(December 30, 2000 NYC)
"It is Happy Place Productions, Lance Bass’ new enterprise that will put on the BIG shindig at Roseland in cooperation with Z100 this New Year’s Eve. If you didn’t get your tickets by now...you’re out of luck. Unless, that is, you keep listening to New York’s BEST new music station...Z100"
Mercedes felt Lance stretch and yawn beside her.
What’s not to love about staying at the Plaza Hotel in NYC...but Lance regretted having to drag Mercedes away from Mississippi, just when she was starting to "nest"...the baby’s playroom was really shaping up great!
Lance’s Granny had suggested Mercedes remain at home in Mississippi, but Mercedes wouldn’t hear of it! "Ring in the New Year APART? Are you CRAZY, Be?"
Granny just said she’d feel better if ‘baby boy’s sweetie pie’ was safe at home instead of in that big city where people push and shove!
Granny knew nothing about the threats or the FBI. She was so used to seeing Wes around that it was just taken as common place anymore. Guys ‘as big as trucks’ hung around with Lance and his friends from the band all the time! She just felt that women ‘in Mercedes’ condition’ needed to stay all quiet and pampered at home.
Lance wanted Mercedes to be with him. It wouldn’t be right to celebrate in NYC without his wife. He promised his Granny that he would take extra good care of the ‘mommy-to-be’. But even the morning that they went to the airport his mother told Lance that Granny Bass had a terrible dream the night before. She worried about the baby, Diane said. It was, after all, her first great-grandchild.
"Hold her hand crossing the street and make sure you help her on the stairs!" Granny had told him. Lance was a dutiful grandson and took her concerns seriously. But, he was also aware that his grandmother had no concept of what their long weekend in NYC was going to be like. Door men, limos, and room service were not the stuff of nightmares! There’d be no crossing the street. There would be people being held back by barricades and security personal and NYC cops. Most likely, not a lot of pushing and shoving! Red carpet. First class. Plaza Hotel. Not roughing it by any means.
"Please don’t worry, Granny. I promise to be extra watchful!" Lance told her. "I’m NOT going to let anything bad happen to Mercedes or your great- grandchild!"
Lance reached over and pulled up the blanket over her shoulder. "Good morning, Be." She said with a smile in her voice. With some difficulty she shifted her tush and managed to turn over to where she could see his face smiling at her.
"Good morning...I love you." He kissed his wife. Next he leaned over and spoke to the baby, "Good morning, baby. I love you, too." He kissed Mercedes’ stomach before he jumped out of bed.
"What was it you said about a meeting this morning?" Mercedes asked.
"With Derek...just details about the club. I want you to see the location the real estate people came up with." Lance stares out the hotel window. "That is, if we can get anywhere today. It is really SNOWING!"
Mercedes giggles. Lance lays back down next to her and nuzzles her neck, "What’s so funny, Darlin’?"
"After all the times you’ve been anxious for me to shop for the baby’s room, I kind of made plans to do that with Gwen. I was kind of planning on shopping while you were at the meeting. How bad is it out there?!" She asked.
"Baby, it‘s a good thing we flew in yesterday. I better check with everyone to make sure they’re all in town. If you’re going to get a chance to go shopping, I’d say earlier is better than later. Could you meet up with me at the site? I’d really love to have your input. That is, if you’re not stuck in some snow bank. " Lance said to her with a boyish grin on his face.
"If you promise me a hot chocolate, I’ll be there!" Mercedes placed the palms of her hands on the bed, lifted up and met his face for a kiss.
"Oh, you drive a hard bargain!" Lance kissed her again. "Now, don’t forget Roz and Lonnie!" Lance reminded her. "You let them know where you and Gwen plan on shopping. If nothing else, Lonnie can help carry the packages. And shovel a path to the door." Lance grinned widely. Even if Mother Nature fails to cooperate, Lance was determined to make this a FUN weekend!
"Oh Ah!" Mercedes hips felt lately like they were totally out of alignment. "I guess I need to stretch some more."
"Come here, let me help." Lance took her hand and removed the covers as she slid her legs over to the side of the bed. He helped her circulation by rubbing her legs. "I wish I hadn’t told MTV I was going to do this thing way back in August. Was it you that said that I have a tendency to say ‘yes’ to a project first and then figure out whether I can fit it in the schedule second?"
"I don’t think it was me. It sounds like something I might think though." She laughed. "Ahhh"
"Sorry did that hurt?"
"I’m not complaining, really. I appreciate it."
"Only another month, baby." Mercedes looks at him with disbelief. "Well, ok 6 weeks."
"6 weeks until our DUE date. You know what the doctor said about first babies."
"Do you like Dr. Bob? I know my Mom really liked his Father as an OBGYN."
"He’s great. There’s history there, I like that his Dad delivered you and Stace."
"And now, in about 6 weeks...or so, his son will be delivering OUR baby. Whoa, are we going to be ready for this, Darlin’? Do you have a list with you for your shopping trip so we have everything we need for the baby’s room?"
"Oh. You didn’t say ‘her’ room or ‘she’ you actually just called the baby ‘the baby’!! It’s a breakthrough!" Mercedes laughed.
Lance looked embarrassed. "I really don’t care whether or not it’s a boy or a girl...honestly, Mercedes. My sister kind of mentioned that perhaps I was putting a little pressure on you....I’d feel TERRIBLE if at delivery you were upset thinking I was upset over whether or not it was a girl. I love you both too much for that." Lance leaned over and placed his hands on Mercedes’ tummy, "Do you hear me Baby Bass? Whatever you are...I love you!"
"Thank you, Be." Mercedes giggled.
"And just think...we might have one of those rare first babies that are actually born close to their due date!" Lance said.
Mercedes opened her arms to Lance. "God willing!" Lance grinned as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Mercedes murmured her thanks for the leg rub. "You have so many talents." She giggled.
Lance pretended to chew on her ear, "You’re asking for it, woman!"
"And you’re just the man to give it to me!" Mercedes said seductively.
"Hey, you’re looking HOT babe!" Justin said as Lance and Mercedes stroll in from the limo. Lance nods over at his wife, and smiles an ’I-told-you-so!’ smile. Mercedes may be 7 months along, but Lance still can’t keep his hands off of her!
"Thanks, J. " Mercedes said.
"Thanks for coming to the party, man! Glad you could make it!" Lance gave him a half-hug/hand shake. "Did y‘all bring your snowshoes?" They laughed.
"What‘s wrong with us that we aren‘t all on some tropical island rather than this iceberg?!" Justin kidded him. Britney looking very chic, comments to Mercedes how good she was looking.
"When’s this baby due?" She asked. "Cause sweetie, you aren’t showing that much yet." Mercedes smiled at her gratefully. Lance hugged his wife, twisted his papers nervously, and said that they should go inside. Wes, and Lonnie were standing by the doorway looking the crowd over. Roz and Matt were right beside them, pretending to be a part of the invited VIP crowd.
It was a WILD night. Lance arranged special VIP passes for Gwen and Richard who were visiting NYC together. They seemed capable of giving their relationship one more try.
Lance also brought Darren and Kerri up from Mississippi for New Year’s...neither one of them had ever been in New York in the winter. They both spent most of their time exploring on their own. Ice skating at Rockefeller Plaza was a highlight for them. For a brief moment Lance and Mercedes considered going along, and Mercedes could watch Lance and his friends enjoy the ice. But in the end, Lance knew he’d never be able to get away with it. If there was to be any pushing and shoving it would’ve been there...remembering the promise to his Granny, Lance decided to nix the idea.
After MTV left and the show at Roseland packed it in around 2 am. Justin, Brit, Lance, Mercedes, Joey, Gwen, Richard, Darren and Kerri among many others carried on at a private party. Lance hadn’t drank at all since Mercedes was back in his life, but when Carson Daly and his fiance Tara showed up they had some champagne together. Lance was so happy and relieved that everything had gone off without a hitch.
Lance was happy to finally be able to relax and enjoy the evening without stressing over the details. As soon as the music slowed a little, he asked his wife to dance. It felt so good to hold her close. Well, pretty close. It was sort of like dancing with that Cat In The Hat doll between them in the bedroom at his house in Orlando. But, better. Much, much better.
Around 4 am, Lance decided he and his beautiful wife needed to get home to bed. The rest of their friends wanted to stay on, and even Mercedes suggested that Lance should remain with his friends.
But, he wouldn’t let her leave without him.
Mercedes remembers the two-way was in her purse. "Lance, did I give you the walkie-talkie?"
Lance gave her a pursed lip look with a crinkled up forehead that said, ‘do I look like you’d trust me with anything important in my current condition’? His eyes WERE a bit glazed over.
"Well, I bet Matt, Roz and Lonnie are stressing out about us. We went into that VIP inner lounge with J and Brit...Lonnie HAD been standing just outside the door, but when Brit and I returned from the bathroom, he wasn’t there. Do you think I lost that two-way?" Mercedes was rummaging through her bag.
Lance had a happy smile on his face, "I’m sorry babe, please don’t expect anything the least bit intelligent from me until sometime later today....or tomorrow." He grinned and put his hands to her face, kissing her.
They walked out to the car. The cold air and a few more snowflakes hit him, and Lance did have one clear thought. He WAS drunk. Okay, not the ‘I’m going to worship the porcelain toilet god ‘ or ‘I can’t stand up straight’ drunk, but ‘I have a definite buzz’ drunk. He was feeling pretty darn good, and knew he’d be paying for it later in the day. They approached their car, well it certainly LOOKED like the car they had come in, but there was no Matt, no Roz, no Lonnie...and Lance had already sent Wes home to be with his girlfriend. The driver was new.
"Excuse me, where’s the guy, Terry, who drove us here?" Mercedes asked.
"He was called away. The agency called me in. Hi, I’m Danny."
"Where’s Roz?" Asked Lance.
"I think she’s a few cars back with a crazy dude with bleached blonde hair." Lance and Mercedes smiled at one another, "Joey." They said at the same time.
They decided to give the other couple a few minutes privacy. They would either wait until another bodyguard showed up or Roz and Joey were through. For the moment they were enjoying the crisp, cold artic blast of air. It had been almost stifling hot inside. The cold, moist air increased Lance’s sense of smell and Mercedes’ perfume filled his head with sweet memories and erotic thoughts.
Lance leaned up against the limo holding his arms out for his wife. She leaned into him. "Baby, I think I had too much to drink tonight." He said.
They shared another in a series of laughs. Lance loved to watch the snowflakes fall on her hair, they glistened in the reflection of the lights on the street.
"You earned it, Be. You did a phenomenal job tonight. Producing it, MC ing it and just being adorable in it!" Mercedes told him.
"What would I do without my fan club...you and baby Bass?!" Lance started kissing his wife. As the kiss deepened, Mercedes could taste the alcohol.
"Does kissing you like this count as consuming alcohol?" She asked. Lance held her to him and chuckled. He noticed her shiver and opened his overcoat to wrap her up inside of it.
"Baby, when we get home I wanna take out that book you gave me for Christmas of all the positions..." Lance gave her a wide, toothy grin, "You know the one I’m talking about?"
Mercedes smiled, "If you’re awake when we get back to the Plaza...I’m going to take you up on that offer."
Lance began to kiss her neck, "What makes you think I’ll be ABLE to sleep without making love to you first?" he whispered in her ear. "Baby, you smell so good." She could feel his smile on her face as he kissed her cheek. "It was a good night wasn’t it? Did you have a good time?"
"You, Sir, know how to show a lady a GREAT time. NYC. New Year’s Eve. The hottest ticket in town..." Mercedes whispers in HIS ear, "The Hottest MAN in town..." His hands rub her tush and his mouth covers her lips again. "Are you SURE you wouldn’t rather stay and continue to celebrate?" Mercedes says to him quietly. "You’ve earned it, Be, and I really don’t mind."
"Oh, let’s see. Hang with my friends who are going to continue to drink too much until they puke...OR go home with my wife and make love...MAN! That’s a tough one." Lance jokes and laughs into her curls. He kisses her forehead.
Lance straightened up and knocks on the window of the car. "Hey, Danny. Can we leave, I don’t wanna wait for Roz or anybody." Lance turns his attention back to his wife. "Why don’t we warm up in the car? I’m afraid a crowd will form if I don’t make every effort to keep my hands to myself here, baby. I’m up to giving them quite a show."
Danny came around to open the door for them. "Danny, did you say why our driver needed you to take his place?" Mercedes asked.
"His girlfriend had a baby tonight. Happy New Year, huh?"
"That’s an omen, baby. What was it?" Lance smiled and hugged his wife.
"Boy."
"Yeah, it‘s an omen, Be!" Mercedes laughed.
"Name?" Lance asked Danny. Grabbing Mercedes’ tush playfully, Lance said, "Shh, you!"
"Connor" Danny said as he closed their door and went around to the driver’s seat.
"Huh? I hadn’t put that one on our list, Darlin’. Connor McKenzie Bass. Humm. Do you like that one? If so, I’ll put that one on there with Tyler McKenzie Bass, Jordan McKenzie Bass, James McKenzie Bass. I just have this gut feeling that it‘s going to be a girl. But, James McKenzie Bass is starting to grow on me...what do you think? We could call him, "MAC"!! The MAC ATTACK! Sounds like a football player!! Anyway, we already have our little girl‘s name." Lance leaned his head back and smiled, this happy face smile, "If not this time, then the next time."
"Next time?!" Mercedes said, giggling at the way Lance was rambling on.
Lance grinned at her, and drew her towards him. "Or the time after that."
They started kissing and Lance’s hands roamed a little. Between the alcohol and the general feeling of ‘wellness’ in their lives, Lance and Mercedes were enjoying the end of a fantastic evening in New York. Professionally and personally, it was a high.
"Baby, have we ever done it in a limo?" Lance asked and Mercedes began to giggle. Lance decided some tickling was in order. As she squirmed in his arms, he kissed her neck and collarbone. Lance was a little preoccupied between feeling the buzz and the anticipation of what lay ahead when they returned to the Plaza. It was too late by the time he noticed that the privacy window had come down. ‘Danny’ had a gun in his hands. The door next to Lance opened. Someone got in.
"What...?"
‘Who’d be getting in? Did Danny unlock the door?’
Lance yelled out in pain as the man hit him with a crow bar. Thud.
It seemed to him like it was happening in slow motion. But, in spite of the pain he was feeling, Lance grabbed a frightened Mercedes and he pushed her behind him. As he went to shield her with his body, he heard a shot fire out.
Lance turned back to the two people in the car. He tried to raise his arms to push them away. He was hit again with the crow bar. In the arm and, as he reacted to the blow, across the back. Thud. Thud. Lance lurched forward.
The pain was so sharp and intense, that he was afraid he was going to pass out. He heard voices.
"Move. I’ll just shoot him."
"No. I told you no."
Lance’s vision was blurry, but he turned his head towards the person beside him and blinked. Although it was dark, it looked like this person had purple hair. Didn’t somebody hear that gun shot?
Gun shot?
Lance turned his head back to Mercedes. Oh Dear God. Oh Dear God! Lance tried to lift her up and to open the door on the other side of Mercedes. He moved her but the door wouldn’t open. Lance pressed his head against hers. There was so much blood. Oh Dear God. No!
He was face-to-face with Mercedes. Her eyes were closed. Lance looked at them and as he screamed his voice choked with emotion, "WHY?"
He kept one arm around her, and with the other arm, he tried to hit the man beside him. But, it lay limp at his side. Lance couldn’t move that arm at all.
"Please. Call 911. Don’t let her die. Dear God, Please?!"
‘Danny’ laughed. Lance started to talk to his wife, "Mercedes. Baby, do you hear me? Dear God! Oh God!" She wasn’t responding, she wasn’t moving.
Lance made a noise that sounded like a wounded animal. Something that started up from the soul, a heart-wrenching wail. "NO!"
Then, he began to tremble. Not from fear, but from anger.
"Why don’t you shoot me too, damn it. Don’t leave me here without her!"
"Not a problem." ‘Danny’ said calmly, raising up his gun. As he fired it, the person seated beside Lance hit ‘Danny’s’ hand with the crow bar causing the gun to aim much lower and hit Lance in the chest. His head jerked back from the impact. A third shot rang out as ‘Danny’s’ hand dropped and the bullet hit Lance in the thigh. Lance slumped over his wife.
"Welcome to Orlando, Lance!" She said. Lance smiled nervously as Liam told him to make himself at home. "Have you ever been to Florida before?" She asked him, as she was tossing the salad. The sun streamed in the kitchen window.
He nodded slowly and mentioned that his family had taken a trip to DisneyWorld before. "Disney is GREAT, but there are lots of things to love about Florida. I hope that you’ll discover a whole new life opens up for you here...and that you find everything your heart desires. Good luck with the audition!" Mercedes said as she hugged him. She smelled so feminine. Those crazy curls, that warm, comforting smile.
It was like coming home.
A siren could be heard in the distance.
