Author: Angel
Email: NikkaWhat@Hotmail.com
Pairing: Lance & JC (of course!)
Disclaimer: Umm duh, of course I don't know (or own, too bad though) N'sync, (or any other boy bands I might happen to mention throughout the rest of the story) if I did I'd be out with them, trying to make sure they fall in love with me, (or at least desire me) not sitting here! So no I'm not implying anything and no I don't know anything either.
Message from the Author: Ok I know I promised everybody that this chapter would be posted like two days ago but then I had to do the crappy yard work and then go school clothes shopping cus that's coming up and I needed some new stuff and it's just been like a whole hell of a lot of crazy days, I promise that this time the next part will be out within the next few days cus I know everybody hates waiting and I hate making you wait!
Last time on Mistaken Dreams (still soap opera but still fun all the same,)
Joey came to the park after about 10 minutes of meandering along the sidewalk, going as slowly as he could without actually coming to a complete stop. When the park came into view he left the sidewalk and cut across the grass onto the cement path, looking around for Lance. When he didn't see him after a minute or so he started to get worried.
`Oh god,' he thought, 'what if I was wrong? What if he is doing something crazy? What did JC say to him?! I should have found out before I left.' He reached into his pocket for his cell phone and realized it was still on the dresser at the hotel. `Dammit! Why did I just assume I was right? Why didn't I plan this out better!?!?!?!' But in the middle of berating himself he reached the top of the little hill the cement path went up and saw blonde hair peeking out from under the hood of the man sitting still on the swing set, looking at his feet.
`Thank God,' he thought, and started down the hill.
Chapter 4
Mistaken Dreams: Lance n' JC.....
Lance felt someone sit down on the empty swing beside him. He didn't look up, he didn't care, he didn't want to talk to anyone anyway.
"Hey," the voice said softly. He looked up, but it was only Joey, not JC.
"Oh, hey, it's you, " Lance replied.
"Wow, thanks for not sounding bummed about it or anything."
Lance smiled, good ol' Joey, always trying to cheer him up.
"That's not how I meant it and you know it, I just...just thought it might be someone else..." Lance words got quieter and softer until he trailed off into silence. He still hadn't looked at the man beside him.
"Someone like Josh?" Joey questioned, getting off the swing to kneel down on the hard blacktop in front of Lance so he could see the blonde's face.
"How'd you know?" Lance asked, not surprised that Joey did. He seemed to know pretty much everything that went on these days.
"It wasn't very hard to figure out, you ran out of your room like Britney Spears was in there trying to convince you to get it on with her and JC was the only one in there, so...."
Lance laughed at the thought of that. Britney was a good friend to all the guys in the band but screwing her was pretty far down on Lance's list of to do's.
"Yeah, I guess your right, it wouldn't have been hard to figure it out at all, but how did you know I would come here?"
Joey started to tick off the reasons on his fingers.
"One: you always try to go somewhere peaceful when something bad happens. Two: you commented on how beautiful it was last night. Three: I was pretty sure you didn't have your wallet with you so you couldn`t pay for anything. And finally: Where else would you go?" Joey asked. Lance found himself smiling again.
"Where are the other guys?"
"I sent Justin and Chris to the airport and told JC to stay put at the hotel in case you came back."
"Ok, well I get how it was smart to leave someone at the hotel just in case but why the airport?" Lance questioned, curious.
"Well mostly I just wanted to get them out of my hair cus I was pretty sure I would find you here but also I wanted to make sure that you weren't trying to hop a plane or something crazy like that."
"Hop a plane?"
"Yeah, I didn't know just how flipped out you really were so I figured it would be best if I didn't leave anything to chance,"
"Oh, that was probably smart...." Lance trailed off again, not knowing what else to say.
"Lance, what did he do that made you leave like that?" Joey asked, curious, but at the same time dreading the answer.
"It, it wasn't anything he did, it was something he said...."
That both relieved Joey and stressed him out even more. `He's not being put through the same cycle as he was with Brian, that's something at least,' he thought.
"What did he say?"
"He, he, asked wh-who Brian was, is......." the memories were still painful for him, even just speaking the name was.
Joey's face darkened as he heard Lance's words.
Flashback:
Most of the guys had wanted to go out clubbing after the show, but Lance had opted to stay in, and Joey, normally a party animal, had decided to go back to the hotel as well. So Justin, JC, and Chris had said their goodbyes to the other two members of the band after the show and headed to a club JC had heard about and wanted to check out.
Joey closed his hotel room door and went into the bathroom to start the shower. He was staying in for a reason. There was something bothering Lance and Joey had decided that he would find out what it was, tonight. But it was only 10:30 and he desperately wanted to have a shower before going across the hall to confront Lance, he knew Lance would be awake until late into the night doing paperwork anyway.
`He' been working way too much lately' Joey thought, as the warm water began to run over his body. He soaped himself up and rinsed off before lathering up his hair. After about 15 minutes he turned off the shower and got out.
`Not bad,' he thought, looking at his dripping wet body in the mirror. He'd been working out lately and it was starting to show, even their choreographer had noticed and commented on his increased stamina during their concerts and practices. He stopped admiring himself, dried off and hung the towel up on the rack before walking out naked into his room, where Lance was sitting on the bed.
"LANCE! What are you doing here!?!?" Joey yelled, quickly trying to cover up his private parts. Lance looked up from his magazine.
"Oh, sorry Joe, I just came by to see if you wanted to watch a movie and maybe order a pizza or something, and the door was kinda unlocked so I just walked in and decided to wait, and I, uh, didn't realize you were gonna come out completely naked," Lance said, kinda smirking, while his friend just stood there dumbfounded. Then he started to blush, a full body blush, because it was true that he didn't come out into a room without a towel around his waist very often. It had just been that, well, he had been feeling very proud of his body at that moment and had thought that since he would have some time before he had to go over and talk to Lance that he might......... well, spend some extra time on himself tonight.
Lance was still smiling when Joey looked up.
"Wow, Joe, you're really looking great," he said, noticing the definition in Joey's abs and pecks. "Why did I just say that?' he thought. 'He doesn't want to hear that from me.'
But by then Joey had turned around to get something out of a drawer, 'Wow, nice butt,' Lance thought. Then 'Why am I thinking like this, it`s Joey for god sakes.' Joey slipped up his boxer briefs, feeling Lance's eyes on him.
`I wonder if he likes the view?'
Joey thought. `Where the hell did that come from? I don't care if Lance likes how I look.' Joey turned back to Lance, who was still lying on the bed flipping through a magazine."Thanks, I've been really trying hard to work out more often lately," He said, in answer to Lance's compliment.
"It shows." Lance replied.
"So, pizza and a movie?"
"Yeah, I was thinking that would be cool, that is if you don't have any other plans,"
`Well, actually,' he thought, but said: "Naw, no plans, I was just gonna get dressed and come talk to you, actually."
"Oh ok, cool, what about?"
"Oh, umm, nothing really important, we can talk about it later,"
"All right, well why don't you see what movies there are while I order the pizza." Lance said and grabbed the phonebook out of the bedside table.
"Cool," Joey replied and slipped an old t-shirt on over his head before flipping on the television and finding the Pay-Per-View channel. After Lance got off the phone Joey reclined beside him on the bed.
"What movie are we watching?" Lance asked.
"I'm not really sure, I just ordered something that had an interesting title."
"Sounds good to me," They both leaned back to wait for the pizza to get there and the movie to come on.
After about an hour they were both seated comfortably on the floor eating pizza and pretty much ignoring the movie that was playing on the TV screen.
"Joey, what was it that you wanted to talk with me about?" Lance asked after they had finished their dinner and were once again on the bed.
"Well, ok Lance, it's just that, lately, I mean, I've noticed, that, y'know, you've been kinda distant lately and a little, like troubled about something and I just wanted to know if there was something that you wanted to like tell me or talk to me about?" `God, why did it take me so long to get that out, why didn't I just come out and say what I wanted to?' He thought.
Meanwhile Lance was thinking:
`Oh god, does he know? Does he know?! Ok Lance, just calm down, he probably isn't sure what exactly is wrong with you, just avoid answering him,'
"I, umm, don't know what you're talking about," he lied.
"Lance, your a horrible liar, it comes from growing up in Mississippi where everyone is compulsively honest, I think. Now, what's really bothering you?"
"I, uhh, can't say,"
"Can't say like you don't know or can't say like you won't tell me?" Joey asked.
`He's too perceptive by half,' Lance decided. "It's the second one," he admitted.
"Why?"
"I'm just, just not ready, please Joey, don't make me tell you, it's too painful," Lance said, starting to cry.
`Wow, this must be more serious than I thought,'
"It's all right Lance, it's ok, you don't have to tell me, but you know that if you ever need anything I'm here, to talk or just whatever, I'll be here, you know that right?"
"Yeah, yeah, I know,"
"All right, as long as you know," With that he lay back down on the bed and drew Lance down with him, putting his arm behind the younger boy's head for Lance to lay on.
"Thank you Joey," Lance said, already half-asleep in the comfort of Joey's arms.
"No prob," Joey said, as Lance snuggled up closer to him, falling asleep and shifting his head to Joey's chest.
`I wish he would tell me what's wrong, but if he's not ready I can hardly force him.' Joey thought. `But I guess he'll let me know when he's ready........He sure does feel nice snuggled up to me like this. This isn't half bad, not at all,' Joey thought, beginning to fall asleep himself from the heat and comfort generated by the boy lying in his arms.
End Flashback.
***********
Meanwhile, back at the hotel:
JC couldn't just sit there any longer. Lance was out there somewhere, alone, and JC was just sitting here, waiting. He couldn't take it any more, he had to go out looking, and hopefully Joey would understand why he had left his post. Oh well, Joey could beat him up as many times as he wanted as long as they got Lance back first. So he stood up and slipped on some shoes and a jacket before taking the elevator to the main floor of the hotel and walking out the front doors into the now pouring rain.
***********
Joey looked up at Lance, who was still just sitting there on the swings, looking lost, and then over his shoulder, where he could see a figure approaching out of the rain.
"I'll be right back" he said. He got up and walked towards the figure coming through the rain. As he had suspected it was JC.
"You need to apologize," he said as soon as they came face to face.
"I know, I shouldn't have just confronted him like that, how could I expect him to confess anything to me when he doesn't know anything about my secrets...."
"It's a good thing you realize it, now, go talk to him,"
"Do you think he still wants to talk to me?"
"Of course, just cus you did something stupid doesn't mean he doesn't love you anymore,"
"Lo-love, me?" JC almost choked.
Joey gave him a withering look.
"You know what I mean, now go talk to him, I'm heading back to the hotel." With that Joey started to walk away.
"Joe?"
"Yes?" Joey asked, turning back around.
"Thanks."
Joey just smiled.
"Your welcome Josh, now go talk to Lance and make things right between the two of you, otherwise I'll still kick your ass when you get back to the hotel."
JC laughed quietly and kept on walking towards the angel sitting on the swing set with his head down to the ground.
************
Chris and Justin were halfway through their mad dash to the ticket counter in the airport when Chris's cell started to ring. Still running, he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it.
"Hello?....Oh...Thank God....All right...ok, we'll see you there." Chris hung up the phone and caught Justin's arms to stop him from running, almost yanking them both off their feet in the process. Justin shot him a glare.
"They found Lance, JC is talking with him right now, Joey says to come back to the hotel."
"Thank God, I was so worried," Justin panted in ragged breaths. "But, now, let's get out of here, before we get mobbed."
Chris looked over in the direction that Justin was pointing and saw the mob of teenage girls who had started to point at them. `We aren't in disguise, and we didn't bring any of our bodyguards with us,' he suddenly realized.
"Let's go, now!" he said urgently as he grabbed Justin's arm and they took off running once more.
**********
Lance heard the sound of footsteps as someone came closer to him, but he thought it was just Joey returning from wherever he had gone.
"Hey..."
This voice was different though, it wasn't Joey's. He looked up, and saw JC's blue eyes staring back into his own, all apology and begged forgiveness.
Hey everyone, I hope you all liked it, I've been getting a lot of really great emails from everybody out there and I really enjoy them so keep 'me coming! Oh and a couple of peeps have asked if I would start sending out an email to everybody when the story is updated and I said I would so if anybody else wants to be on the list then just go ahead and let me know. Oh and just so you know I'm pretty sure that Lance and JC will be getting together within the next 2 or 3 chapters and I need your opinions, should they do the nasty right away when they get together or wait and make it special? Well, email me your thoughts at NikkaWhat@Hotmail.com.
-Angel