AN: Sorry about the delay, hope ya'll enjoy it! This is definitely one of my longest fics, is going to be the longest *NSYNC one I've ever writeen period. Cool huh? Anyway, muchos gracias to everyone who has sent feedback. It makes me happy and happy writers write. *HINT HINT* LOL, just kidding, sort of. PS: This is NOT going to turn into a romance story. Especially one with Justin. ***************** Nightmare of a Lifetime: Chapter Thirteen ********************** So, they settled back into a routine. Laura spat with Justin and spent most of her time goofing around with Chris or letting herself be quiet with Lance and JC. Joey took her dancing when Malcom made her go out with the boys. Bill taped it all. Ratings continued to soar after “the arm incident’ as it had been dubbed. Episode five featured her reunion with the boys and a rather nasty incident with an overbearing teeny mother and Nicole at a concert in California. Nicole now had two restraining orders against her now, one for a Mrs. Blaque in Los Anglos and a Mr. Carson Daly. She had been on tour with *NSYNC for six long weeks. Exactly half of the show’s length. Nicole wasn’t sure what was weirder, that she had survived so far, or that she was surprised she had survived. She was used to beating the odds, but, boy bands usually had the cards stacked in their favor. There was no other way “Bye, Bye, Bye” could have been a number one hit. Obscene luck. Nicole wondered what devil they sold their souls too. Some days she wanted his business card because eternal damnation would still be easier than living without the phenomenal luck pop stars seemed to have. ************************************************************************************* “Did anyone ever tell you that you suck as an artist?” Perry demanded as Justin glowered at her and continued to draw determinedly on her cast. For some reason it was usually the focal point of attention for the boys, whether from guilt or morbid fascination she wasn’t quite sure. Nicole was heartily sick of the damn thing and was even more tired of turning around to find a smiling member of *NSYNC holding a sharpie marker. Sharpies meant she had to sit still long enough for their newest work of “art”. She was genuinely looking forward to when they finally, finally, filled the stupid cast up with signatures and inane doodles and she and her arm could retreat and heal in peace. She WAS going soft in her old age. She couldn’t think of any other explanation as to why she draped in the bunk of Justin’s bus, arm outstretched, as he busily drew on it. Nicole ignored him for a couple of minutes before he finally broke the silence. “How’s Sharon?” Perry sighed, deeply, and considered not answering but, as much as Justin annoyed the hell out of her with his arrogance and pretension, he was genuine in his respect for the Osbournes, especially Sharon. It would be a disservice to lie, or be flippant. “Doing as well as can be expected. I’m more worried about Ozzy. He nearly went off the deep end last time. I just hope he has people who can keep him sane around him, otherwise tour is not going to go well. “Kell and Jack are worried sick. Last time was hard on them, you know? And she tries to do so much. She hates being sick and helpless more than anything else in the world. Aunt Sharon’s one of the strongest people I know and vulnerability like that doesn’t suit her.” “Is she slowing down any?” “No,” Nicole replied bitterly, “and that kills everyone who cares about her. We just want her well and she’s bound and determined to prove to us that nothing’s wrong at all. She nearly ran herself into the ground last time, I don’t think she’s recovered enough to do it to herself again. I think that kills Jack and Kelly more than anything, especially now that they’re older.” They were silent again. “You know that I don’t particularly like you,” Justin started slowly. Perry rolled dark and darkly lined eyes. “No shit Sherlock, like I hadn’t figured that out and come to a mutual conclusion about you.” “But,” he continued doggedly as he continued to draw on her cast, “I respect you to an extent. Don’t let it go to that foul mouthed head of yours but, JC said it best, you have balls and you gotta admire a woman with balls. I still don’t like you, but you have integrity. Warped, twisted and barely recognized integrity, but integrity none the less.” “I really wish you hadn’t just said that.” Justin raised his brows. “Any particular reason why?” She squirmed. “Cause now I’m gonna feel a twinge of guilt every time I’m extra obnoxious to you. Just a twinge mind you, but I could have done without the damn twinge.” “Oh I think you won’t feel too twingey in a few moments. Okay, I’m done.” Nicole held her cast up to her face and squinted as Justin rocked back on his heels and smirked. She studied the crudely drawn figure for a moment before asking, voice deadpan, “Is that Britney Spears?” Smug now, Justin answered, “Yup.” Bill, who had been filming behind them, of course, snickered. Perry counted to ten, twice. “You drew your ex girlfriend on my arm?” Justin tried not to giggle. “Yup.” Nicole Perry counted to twenty, three times, and took a deep breath. “I have Britney Spears drawn on my cast with a permanent marker?” A single giggle escaped despite his supreme and manly efforts. “Looks like it.” Nicole sat up carefully in the bunk and glared at Justin, who was eye level with her in all his six footed obnoxious glory. She stared at his laughing face and smiled, lips curling into a dark, frightening expression that promised pain, much pain, especially for a certain Pop God. “You’re right JUSTINE, twinge is all gone. You’re SO freaking dead Timberlake!” Perry launched herself at her least favorite *NSYNC member with a scream of rage, all indications of emotional softness not evident as she proceeded to tackle Justin to the floor of the bus where she managed to get him in a headlock. ************************************************************************************* When the arrived at their destination for the night Nicole sauntered off of Justin’s bus first, followed by Bill and his camera. Justin was last, and sporting a black eye. JC and Lance made noises of vague disapproval as Chris cursed and paid Joey fifty bucks. Joey always won bets when it came to who would deck who. He had a sixth sense about fighting. Malcom nearly had a heart attack until Justin assured the panicked MTV studios that Nicole’s violence was provoked and that he wouldn’t be pressing charges. Johnny, who had been livid about “the arm incident” and all parties involved, had, interestingly enough, found Justin’s black eye hysterical. He called MTV and recommended Nicole for a raise. Nicole was in a very good mood until it faded. Ratings continued to be astronomical and all six of them were featured on the cover of People. Ratings got better when Malcom sprung his surprise on her. And Timberlake, of course. ************************************************************************************* “Perry?” Nicole sighed and groaned as she threw herself down into an uncomfortable chair at the club she was stuck at until one of her dumb boy band members decided he wanted to go back. If Dan had come, he would have driven her back, but Dan was at the hotel running security checks and doing some paper work, so she was stuck, friendless, and in a pop club. Like that was SO her idea of a “good” time. And now Malcom was calling her. “What’d I do this time? Or what are you blaming me for… did your cat come down with a touch of kennel cough, have the big heads at MTV finally decided to remove the stick from their asses, cause I can recommend a guy or two who knows what they’re doing.” Malcom laughed. “Do you practice being bitchy or does it just come naturally?” “I think the real question Malcom, is why the hell do you put up with me?” He sobered quickly at the other end. “Because I like you Perry, respect you even and I don’t respect many people. I know my opinion means nothing to you but I don’t respect many people all the time, myself included. “You deserved this show, the fame, the connections, and the money that went with it. I would have given it to you if I thought you were the best but I was happy to recommend you for this. You deserve every good thing in your life Nicole.” She slammed her soda on the table she was sitting at and ignored Bill who was superstitiously taping her, damn him. “I don’t want your freaking pity Malcom. If I accepted charity or handouts I’d be at the Welfare office or mooching off the Osbournes. I take care of myself and my own by myself. “And my name is PERRY!” There was a deep breath taken and held on the other end of the phone before Malcom spoke again, voice low and angry and hard to make out over the din of the club. “God dammit Perry, do you always have to make everything so god damned hard?! You’ve earned everything you’ve done, and everything you’re doing. I don’t do charity, or pity, YOU know that! I was calling because I pulled some strings, sold my soul, and got MTV a deal of sort with the Osborunes and Ozz Fest.” “Ozzy wasn’t budging, even when you managed to sway Aunt Sharon to the studio’s side. He banned you all and he’s sticking to his guns, misguided though they may be.” “The deal is you Perry.” Nicole swallowed. “Excuse me?” she asked, demanded, as she sat up, suddenly erect and interested. He chuckled and the sound was tired. “You Perry. You and Bill and his camera get access to Ozz Fest for three days next week. You guys have a break in the same state as Ozz Fest is in. You’re getting driven out.” Nicole swallowed again. “You better not be shitting me Malcom or so help me…” “There’s a catch.” “Of course, of course there is, there always is. Let me have it.” “You have to bring Justin. Justin Timberlake.” Perry coughed. “You’re REALLY shitting me now, aren’t you?” “That was MTV’s deal to back off its coverage. You, Bill, and Justin Timberlake at Ozz Fest. Johnny already agreed, though you get to break the news to Justin.” There was a long silence before Nicole broke it with wicked laughter. “I’ll take it. Even with the obnoxious one.” Malcom tried to hide his shock. He didn’t succeed. “Really?! That’s it? Just, ‘I’ll take it’?” Nicole snorted. “I get to see half my second family, spend time with my ex boyfriend, and bring Justin freaking Timberlake to a hard rock concert without protection. It’ll be a blast. My life has gotten too complacent lately. Fax me the details.” And, annoyed because she had been talking so long, and nearly civil, to him, she hung up, just because she could. Joey waltzed up, flushed and sweating and very, very happy to be in a pop club where woman begged to dance with him and he could, and often did, take one, or two, or hell, sometimes a dozen, home. Unfortunately, when he was tired of the groupies, he had taken to finding her. Joey liked the challenge of winning her over. Nicole liked knowing she was firmly out of Joey’s reach. So she danced with him when he asked nicely, because it annoyed Chris for some unfathomable reason, and because she missed dancing. Nicole could have been a professional dancer if life hadn’t been so hard. She had the raw, untapped talent, just not the training or the drive. Dancing wouldn’t have helped her survive the streets or paid the bills. Her tattoos, personality, and ambition would. Nicole had come to that conclusion long ago. She didn’t get asked to dance often but she rarely turned people down when they managed to summon the guts to ask. Joey was one of the few to know this. He often took full advantage of the fact. “What’s up oh epitome of toughness?” Perry was grinning evilly from ear to ear. “Guess what?” Joey watched her with wary unease, suddenly rethinking asking her to dance. “What?” “Me and Justin are going to Ozz Fest!”