Date: Tue, 24 Oct 2000 04:11:25 +0000
From: Angel1313@att.net
Subject: Devotion ch.25

Devotion
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Mother Dearest

Disclaimer: Sorry this is so late! I just had such a hard time writing it,
and I don't even know why! I had ideas, but they just weren't coming out!
Anyway, it's finally here, and I hope it was worth the wait! Oh yeah, and I
don't know *NSYNC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Chapter Twenty-Five:
Mother Dearest

	RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING!!!!!!!!!!!!!
	"Hello? Hello?" Justin called frantically into the phone, having
been jolted awake from his light sleep.
	"Mr. Justin Chasez, this is your seven AM wake-up call, have a nice
day!" A friendly voice informed the muddled teen.
	"Thanks," Justin managed to mumble, before he hung up the phone. He
glanced at his best friend, who had rolled away some time during the night,
and who had, somehow, not heard the phone. Then again, Justin *was*
sleeping right next to the damned thing.
	"Justin... Chasez," the blonde repeated to himself, his eyes still
on the older man, watching as his well-toned chest rose and fell with each
breath the twenty-four year-old took.
	Stretching, Justin pushed himself out of bed. "You know," he smiled
happily to himself. "If you've got to get up early, that is *definitely*
the way to do it. Justin Chasez," he repeated, walking into the bathroom to
get ready to head to the airport.

	Yawning, JC sat up in bed. Looking around for Justin, he was
momentarily concerned when he didn't see the teen. Then everything started
coming back to him, as he woke up.
	"Oh, that's right," he said to the empty room. "He should be at the
airport picking up his *date.*" JC spat the last word, as if that would
change the fact that Justin was involved with someone else.
	Sighing, the twenty-four year-old got out of bed and headed into
the kitchen, where he saw a bowl and spoon in the sink. There was also a
note lying on the table. Smiling, JC walked over and picked it up.
	"`Josh,'" he read. "`I should be on my way home by the time you
read this, I know there's no way you'll be up before nine. Thanks for
getting the wake-up call, I had completely forgotten! Oh, and did you have
them call me `Justin Chasez' on purpose? That sure woke me up! I'll be back
soon, and thanks a thousand times for the cereal. You're
amazing. -Justin.'"
	Despite the fact that he was alone, JC began to
blush. "Justin... Chasez?" he repeated, as his best friend had done
earlier. "Oh," he softly exclaimed as the phone call the night before came
back to him. "So when they asked for my last name... I can't believe I did
that."
	Shaking his head, JC made his way into the bathroom to take a
shower. He figured he might as well appear presentable to Justin's date
when she arrived, since she was obviously someone the younger man cared for
a great deal.

	"Coming!" JC called, as he walked out of the bathroom, wrapping a
towel around his waist. As he went to answer the door, he hoped that it
wasn't Justin and his date yet, as the twenty-four year-old hadn't had time
to get dressed, let alone make himself presentable.
	"Hey, Jace," Lance said as the brunette opened the door.
	"Hey, Scoop," JC replied, greeting his fellow bandmate. "C'mon in."
	"Thanks," Lance smiled, entering the room. "I hope you don't mind
that I came over early, but we're all going to meet in here again when the
stylists come back and bring our stuff."
	"No problem. Joey still in the shower?" JC casually inquired, not
wanting to pry too much into what happened between the two.
	"Yeah," Lance replied sadly.
	Sighing, JC gently placed a hand on his friend's shoulders. "You
all right, Scoop? I don't really know what's going on between you and Joey,
but if you need to talk to anyone, you know I'm here for you, right?"
	Lance smiled ruefully. "Don't worry about me, JC. Nothing happened
that wasn't going to sooner or later. I wanted commitment, Joey's not ready
yet. We decided to just back off for a bit. Joey already met someone- a
girl from the club last night that he's taking as his date tonight."
	"What about you?" JC asked softly.
	Sighing, the blonde replied. "I saw one of artists that's signed on
to FreeLance at the club, and I asked her. She's really nice, a friend of
mine, so it's exactly what I need for tonight."
	"Good," JC said with a smile. "I'm glad. Who is she, just out of
curiosity. Anyone I know?"
	"Yeah," Lance replied. "You met her once I think. Her name's
Meredith Edwards."
	"Huh," the brunette mused. "Sounds familiar."
	"Say," Lance said, hoping to change the subject. "Where's Justin?"
	JC turned away and walked over to the dresser. "He's picking up his
date," the twenty-four year-old finally replied, his voice emotionless.
	"Oh, right," Lance mumbled. "Sorry, I'd forgotten." He hadn't meant
to bring up that subject with his bandmate.
	Forcing a laugh, JC said lightly, "Nothing to be sorry about,
Scoop. He should be back soon, actually."
	"Then you'd better get dressed," Lance advised, walking to the
door. "I'll go get Joey and Chris and tell them to meet over here in about
five minutes. That'll give you enough time, right?"
	"Yep," JC smiled, picking out some clothing. "Thanks, Scoop. See
you in a few!"
	"Later," the blonde called, walking out the door.

	Everyone but Justin was now gathered in JC's room, dressed in
sweats, awaiting their stylists' arrival. Suddenly there was a knock at the
door.
	As Chris, who was walking by, opened it, he heard Justin saying,
"...and I still don't have a key since Lance is afraid that one day JC and
I will just decide to sleep through a photo shoot."
	The nineteen year-old's comment was followed by the sound of a
woman laughing, and Chris opened the door wider to let the two in. Justin
walked in first, carrying a single duffel bag. Following him was a small
woman in a blouse and khakis, whose tanned body was topped by a mop of
blonde curly hair.
	"Lynn!" Chris exclaimed, pulling the older woman into a hug. "I
didn't know you were Justin's date."
	"Well," Mrs. Timberlake replied, smiling warmly. "JC already had a
ticket, so he didn't really know who to ask."
	Chris, Lance, Joey, and Lynn all laughed, but Justin
blushed. "Mom!" he whined.
	"Sorry, sweetie," the blonde apologized, but she was still smiling.
	JC, who had been in the bathroom, walked out saying, "So who was at
the door?"
	"Hi, Joshua," Lynn said, waving to the twenty-four year-old.
	"Lynn!" he exclaimed, walking over to Mrs. Timberlake and her
son. He pulled the older woman into a hug as he greeted, "How are you? I
haven't seen you in ages! What are you doing here?"
	"She's my date, dumbass," Justin laughed, punching the brunette
playfully in the arm.
	Relief flooded over Joshua Chasez as he realized that Justin
*wasn't* involved with someone seriously. Releasing the woman in his arms,
he turned and pulled her son to him. Immediately, Justin slid his arms
around the older man's neck.
	"Miss me?" Justin teased, smiling happily at JC.
	"You know it!" the twenty-four year-old replied, smiling as well.
	Lynn raised her eyebrow at the two young men. The other three
people in the room did as well.
	Laughing Chris teased, "You two haven't seen each other in... what?
Two hours?"
	"Hey, leave us alone!" Justin commanded. As JC pulled away, keeping
one arm around the younger man's waist, Justin added, "I think you're just
jealous, Chris."
	Rolling his eyes, the oldest member of *NSYNC replied
sarcastically, "Oh, right, I'm jealous of you and *JC.* Honestly, Justin,
think about what you're saying there."
	"Hmm, good point," Justin joked.
	"Hey!" JC protested.
	"I'm just kidding," the nineteen year-old assured his best friend.
	JC wasn't convinced. Pouting, he whined, "You don't wuv me!"
	Justin laughed, and was going to respond, when his mother cut him
off. "Joshua Scott!" She scolded. "How can you doubt my boy's love for you?
All he did was talk about you on the way over here. I haven't seen him in a
month, and all I hear is `Josh this' and `JC that.' He's got it bad."
Turning to the nineteen year-old in question, she added, "Britney was
right."
	"What?! Geeze, could this get any worse?" the blonde muttered.
	"I'm afraid your mom's gonna hurt me," JC whispered to the nineteen
year-old. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it!"
	Giggling, Justin whispered back, "I love you, Josh."
	"I love you, too, Curly."
	"Justin!"
	"Huh?" Justin replied, looking around, trying to find Chris. "What
did you say, Chris?"
	"Listen to your mom when she's talking to you!" He chided the
youngest member of *NSYNC. "You can flirt with JC later!"
	Blushing brightly, Justin turned back to Lynn. "Sorry, Mom. You say
something?"
	"Never mind, sweetie," Mrs. Timberlake replied, a small smile on
her lips. "You go back to sweet talking Joshua. I'm sure he'll come
around."
	"MOM!"
	"Sorry, won't happen again. Lance? Do you mind if I make a phone
call in your room? I need to let my husband know I made it in okay."
	"Sure," Lance replied, eager to help. "Go ahead. Here's the key,"
he said, handing a copy of his room key to the older woman. "It's Joey's
copy so feel free to break and/or lose it."
	"What?!" Joey laughed. "Damn, I never should've given that to you!"
	"I know what you mean," JC muttered, glaring at Lance, who was
smiling smugly.
	"I even have a key to Chris' room," he smugly stated.
	"What? Since when?" the twenty-eight year-old questioned.
	"Since we got here," Lance explained. "Justin got two copies for
the room, but I just never gave him one of them. Then it became your room."
	Lynn, who hadn't left yet, turned to face the group. "When was
Justin by himself? He and Joshua always share."
	Sighing in exasperation, Justin said, "We got in a fight, and Josh
didn't want to stay with me."
	"Hey!" JC exclaimed. "That's not fair! You didn't want to be around
me, either."
	"What?" This time it was Justin's turn to yell. Turning to face the
older man, the blonde folded his arms across his chest as he retorted, "I
asked you to be my roommate but you said that you'd room with anyone
*except* me."
	Looking away, JC mumbled, "Oh. Yeah. Forgot about that."
	"Joshua Scott Chasez!" Lynn scolded the twenty-four year-old. "I
can't believe you said that to my baby!"
	"MOM!" Justin whined, before his best friend could defend
himself. "I'm not your baby!"
	"Oh, that's right," Lance said seriously, trying to hide a
grin. "You said you were JC's baby."
	Blushing a deep crimson, Justin muttered, "Shut-up."
	"Aw, did we embarrass JC's baby?" Joey teased.
	"Boys, be kind to my son while I'm on the phone," Lynn told the
members of *NSYNC. "I don't want to come back in here and see him crying,
understood?"
	"Yes, Mrs. Timberlake," Lance, Joey, and Chris answered in unison,
each trying his best to look innocent.
	"I'll take care of him," JC promised, as Lynn rolled her eyes at
the other three.
	Smiling, the blonde replied, "I'm sure you will, Joshua," as she
walked out the door.
	As soon as the door closed, Justin threw his arms around JC's neck,
burying his head in the brunette's chest. "Why me?" he moaned, his voice
muffled.
	Laughing lightly, JC gently stroked the younger man's back, his
arms coming to encircle the blonde's slim waist. "Sweetie," he whispered,
leaning down to rest his cheek against Justin's. "I know you were up late,
and that you had to get up early. We've probably got a bit until the
stylists arrive. Do you want to take a nap? I could get everyone out of
here."
	Looking up, Justin smiled. "You're too good to me, Josh."
	JC simply returned the younger man's smile before leaning down to
gently kiss the blonde's cheek. He was going to say something, but Chris
stepped in.
	"So, if you two are done groping each other, can we talk about when
everyone's date is coming, and when the stylists are going to arrive. Oh,
and when are we leaving?" The twenty-eight year-old asked.
	"Actually, since Justin's date is here, he's going to take a
nap. I'll fill him in on the rest of the stuff. Is it possible for us to
conduct the meeting in a different room?" JC replied.
	"No, it's okay," Justin said quickly. "I'd rather have you stay
here with me."
	Smiling, JC walked with his best friend over to his bed. "Mind if I
sit with you?"
	"Josh," the nineteen year-old giggled. "It's your bed. But of
course I want you to sit with me. You're much better to cuddle with then
any of these pillows."
	"He's more fun, too," Chris joked. JC glared at him, but Justin
smiled.
	"He is," the blonde agreed.
	As Justin and JC got settled on the bed, Joey went to sit down on
the other. "Say," the New Yorker remarked. "This bed's still made."
	Justin, who was laying in-between JC's legs, his head resting on
the older man's thigh, mumbled something unintelligible in response. JC
simply leaned back against the headboard and let out a sigh.
	Deciding to drop the subject, Lance said, "So, it's eleven now and
the stylists shouldn't be here until three. My date's coming around four,
and I know that Joey's is coming around five, right?" Joey nodded, so the
Mississippian continued. "Justin's date is already here, so that leaves us
with JC and Chris. What's going on with your dates?"
	Absently running a hand through Justin's curls, and consequently
sending the teen off to dream land, JC replied softly, "Bobbie shouldn't be
here until after four."
	"And Dani's not coming until five," Chris informed the group.
	"Wow," Lance commented. "We have a lot more time then I
anticipated. I think I'm going to make like Justin here and take a nap."
	"Yeah," Joey agreed. "I could use one, too."
	Chris nodded. "I was out *waaaay* too late last night. But," he
added, turning to JC. "What about Lynn?"
	"We have an extra bed in here," JC replied.
	Laughing, Chris teased, "Where? In the bathroom?"
	"Ha, ha," JC said sarcastically. "Justin and I-" JC paused, and
after a moment, he continued. "You know what? It's none of your
business. Right now, Justin is sleeping in my lap, so neither of us can
move. That leaves the other bed open for Lynn if she's tired after her
trip. Excuse me for being considerate."
	"I also excuse you for being defensive," Chris laughed. "I can tell
you had a long night," the twenty-eight year-old added, motioning to the
blonde in his bandmate's lap.
	"We watched a movie, it went late," JC hissed, willing himself to
stay in control, so as to not wake up Justin. "Now would you kindly all
*leave* before I have to get up and wake Justin?"
	"We're going, we're going!" Joey said, laughing along with
Chris. "Don't get your panties in a bunch, Jace, we'll be out of your face
in a moment. We just wanted to give Lynn enough time to finish her call."
	Looking down, JC replied softly, "I'm sorry. I just- well, things
have been a little hectic lately. I'm really sorry for being such a jerk."
	Watching as JC gently stroked Justin's cheek, Lance smiled
sadly. "It's fine, JC. We don't mind. We all get a little testy sometimes,"
he said sympathetically. "But don't worry, we'll be going now. Lynn will
probably be over in a couple minutes, so I'll give her my key."
	"No," Chris cut in. "You know what? I'm gonna hang out with Lance
and Joey. Lynn can stay in my room."
	Looking up to meet the twenty-eight year-old's smile, JC whispered,
"Thanks, Chris. I owe you one."
	"Think nothing of it," Chris replied. With that, he, Lance, and
Joey headed back over to their room to relax for a few hours.
	JC lifted Justin gently and scooted down next to the younger man so
that he could nap as well. In his sleep, Justin rolled up against the
brunette and wrapped his arms around his neck, his head coming to gently
rest against the older man's chest. JC smiled contentedly and pulled the
blonde closer, placing a whisper of a kiss against the nineteen year-old's
soft lips, before drifting off to sleep himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, I hope you liked it! At least it was a little longer then usual! I'll
try to be faster with chapter twenty-six. Oh, and feel free to send me
feedback! I love it! Thanks to those who do, you all make me very happy!
-Angel1313 ^_^