Summary: What happened after the BMG exec told NSYNC to change their name and lose Lance if they wanted a record deal? What if it were a commercial?

Family: The Taster's Choice Remix, by Mercutio (mercutio@europa.com)


[Voiceover:  "We've replaced our regular boyband member with a gay
man.  Let's see if Lance can tell the difference."]


"It's a business decision," Johnny said.  "Nothing else.  Lance
isn't pulling his weight in the group.  That's what the people from
BMG think, and if you want them to come to the table, they want him
to go.  That's it."  He spared a look for Lance.

Lance couldn't tell if it was pity.  He didn't think so.  To him,
it looked more like regret that they'd made such a stupid decision
to bring him on in the first place.  That they'd wasted time they
could have spent bringing a real dancer/singer up to speed.

Johnny shrugged.  "They don't think he's up to the level of the
rest of the group.  And, well, I think we all know they're right,
however little we want to admit it."

"Yeah."  Lance nodded.  There was a haze in front of his vision. 
Tears maybe.  Anger.  He didn't know.  He was choking, trying to
keep from breaking down right here.  "Sorry.  You-- I'm gonna get
out of your way."

He got it out without breaking down, and that was as much as he
could hope for.  Turned around, broke past the others, out the
door, heading for the bathroom.

The held-back tears were finding their way out now.  Coming up and
out, and Lance hit the door to the bathroom just in time to break
down, but he wasn't crying, it wasn't tears now, it was something
else, and he staggered into one of the stalls, and fell to his
knees just in time to vomit into it instead of on the floor.

Vomiting, and he'd just finished flushing the toilet when he heard
the door to the bathroom open.

He closed his eyes; the last thing he wanted now was someone
finding him, please not one of the guys, here to lie to him about
how they thought he was good enough when he knew he wasn't, when
they knew he wasn't either, when he was just ruining everyone's
chances.

Anything but that.

Behind him, a voice sang, "Why are there so many songs about
rainbows, and what's on the other side?"

Lance blinked.  Grabbed a handful of toilet paper and wiped off his
mouth.

"Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the
dreamers and me."

He was pretty sure that was JC singing.  He couldn't really mistake
JC's voice, not after all the time they'd spent together.  He could
pick out JC's voice in five-part harmony, for God's sake, much less
solo in a nearly empty room.

It was just.  Really unexpected.

"Who said that every wish would be heard and answered, when wished
on the morning star?  Somebody thought of that and somebody
believed it.  Look what it's done so far."

"Um..." Lance said, standing up and coming out, because he could
maybe take them hating him, but he really couldn't take any more of
'The Rainbow Connection'.

JC smiled radiantly at him.  "Lance!"

Lance nodded and moved over to the sink to get a paper towel to wet
and wipe off his face.  Leaned over the sink and took a quick
mouthful of water, spitting it back into the sink.

JC came up behind him and put his hands on Lance's shoulders,
looking into the mirror from behind him.  "You shouldn't cry.  It
spoils your complexion, which is really rather lovely, you know? 
But delicate.  You need to be careful of it."

Lance rolled his eyes.  "Um, why?  It's not like it matters.  And. 
You know, when I go back to school, they aren't going to be going,
'Wow, Lance, you really have beautiful skin tone'.  They're gonna
say that I'm a loser who couldn't cut it.  And they'll be right."

JC reached around from behind him as Lance watched him in the
mirror.  Reached out and brushed his fingers across Lance's cheek,
wiping away the tears.  "But it's true," he said simply.

Lance shuddered under JC's fingers.  Tried to tell himself it was
because he was trembling in reaction to what Johnny had said, to
the vomiting, but he knew he was lying.

It was in response to JC touching him.

"It still doesn't matter.  I'm going home.  I know it.  You know
it.  I'm not good enough and I'm holding y'all back and."  He
closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice from cracking under the
stress of tears.  Trying to keep from throwing up again.  "And
y'all find someone else, so.  Don't worry about stuff.  I'm sure
y'all be great.  Better without me, definitely.  I'm gonna."  He
wanted to say that he'd watch how they did, buy their albums, be
their biggest fans, but he was about to cry, and he didn't want to
do that again, not with JC there.

JC wrapped his arms around Lance, hugging him.  "You're going to be
there with us.  In Germany and everywhere after that.  Without you,
we're nothing."

"Without me, you're better off."

"Never."

And Lance could swear he felt JC placing a kiss in his hair.

He looked up.  JC was smiling at him over his head.  Holding onto
him from behind, watching him in the mirror.  "I love you, Lance. 
We all love you.  Together, we're a family.  Okay, so maybe a
slightly incestuous family who tends to play grabass.  But a
family."

"Grabass?" Lance squeaked.

JC grinned at him, and demonstrated.

Lance squeaked again and gave JC a shocked look.  "Uh, JC?"

"Yeah?"  JC hadn't let go of Lance's ass.  In fact, he seemed to be
enjoying how it felt in his hand, squeezing and stroking it.

"You're g-gay."

JC nodded happily.  "Yes!  Why?  Aren't you, too?"

"Uh..."  This was not how he'd planned on coming out.  In fact, he
wasn't sure he'd ever *planned* on it.

"I knew it!  We can shop together and talk about cute boys together
and, oh yes," JC said, pulling on Lance's shoulder, turning Lance
gently to face him.  "We can have lots and lots of sex.  If you
want."

"Uh..."  JC had one hand on Lance's shoulder, the other on his
waist.  Lance reached out to him, almost involuntarily, hands going
to JC's waist.  Stroking the silky blue blouse JC was wearing.

"If you stay," JC added.  "Because you need to stay so we can see
each other."

There were arguments.  Lance was sure of that.  There had been
arguments.  But he couldn't remember any of them.  All he wanted to
do was kiss JC.  Be kissed by JC.  He turned his face up to JC's.

JC smiled at him and dropped a light kiss on his lips.  "Will you
stay?"

It was only a brief kiss, over before it had begun, but he wanted
it.  Wanted more of it, more than that.  What JC's hands were
promising, what his words were promising.  "Okay," he said softly.

"Good," JC said smiling.  He pulled back and Lance trembled, but JC
only pulled away for a moment, only long enough to take Lance's
hand and thread his fingers through Lance's.  "Let's go back to the
others and let them know that you aren't going anywhere."

Lance nodded dumbly.  He wasn't going anywhere except with JC.

And with NSYNC.  He was going home, all right, but with his adopted
family.  Where he belonged, as long as they wanted him.


[Voiceover:  We'd confront Lance and let him know that we replaced
his regular boyband member with a gay man, but we're fairly sure he
noticed and that he prefers the gay version.  Congratulations,
Lance, on making the switch to the gay lifestyle!  We don't think
you'll ever look back.]