Date: Sun, 02 Jan 2000 22:12:49 -0500 From: Rachel Lewis Subject: Choices 10 and 11 Hi everyone. Can I start off by saying I'm sorry? I know I promised to be more prompt with this, but the holiday break turned out to be a little more jam packed with stuff to do then I had planned for. Unfortunately, writing did not play a part in that. But hey, I'm back at school now, so I hope to have more time to write. This one leaves off right at the end of the last section of Choices and also at the end of chapter 27 of Escape. What's going to happen now is a couple chapters of Choices with a small break in Escape. Aka, I am having a little trouble with the chapters of Escape I am working on. Choices is writing itself much easier. But trust me, it'll be worth it when I finally get it out. So without further ado: Choices Chapter 10 Chris pushed the door open slowly, not knowing what he was going to find. Joey was curled up on the bed sobbing loudly. Chris walked over to him and wrapped his arms around him. "I lost him Chris. I lost him." Joey buried his face in Chris' shoulder. "No you didn't. That's why I'm here. To give you Josh's message. He loves you Joey. He's not mad." Joey looked up at Chris in disbelief. "What?" "Josh isn't mad. He just wants to talk to Kimmie. He loves you Joey. God you'd have to be blind not to see that." "He's not mad?" Chris rolled his eyes. "Do I have to spell it out for you? He's not mad. He loves you." Joey jumped up. "I gotta go find Kimmie and Josh!" "Kimmie will you please stop?" JC bent over and tried to catch his breath. He noticed that she had stopped, but only because the bodyguards wouldn't let her on the elevator. JC grabbed Kimmie's arm and pulled her down the hall towards his room. He pulled her inside as she fought him the whole way. "Let go of me Joshua Chasez. I never want to see you again." "Kimmie, I'm sorry. I thought Joey had told you." She turned to JC with her eyes blazing. "You thought Joey had told me? Did you think to ask if he had told his girlfriend that he was fucking you at the same time he was dating me? Do you have any idea what that feels like JC? To see your boyfriend kissing someone else?" "Actually I do Kimmie. And I know how much it hurts. That's why I am here talking to you instead of comforting him." "Why does that scumbag need comforting?" "Kimmie he's not a scumbag. Until a few minutes ago, you loved Joey. Just like I love Joey." Kimmie looked at him again. "Do you really love him JC? Or are you just using him to get your kicks?" "I can't believe you could even think that. I love Joey. I don't know why or how it happened, but it did. And I don't want to lose him. So if you want to fight for him, I'm willing to fight. Be prepared to lose." JC and Kimmie stared at each other, eyes locked. Justin and Lance watched as the two of them faced off. "Kimmie come here." Joey pushed past Lance and Justin to get into the room. Chris was right behind him. Joey wrapped his arms around Kimmie tightly, pulling her to his chest. JC turned away, his eyes glistening with tears. Chris pulled him out of the room, motioning for Justin and Lance to follow them. "He loves you Josh. He just wants to talk to Kimmie on his own." JC smiled happily, trying not to giggle. He pulled Justin into a hug. "He loves me!" "We know goofball. Let me go." Justin grinned at him. Lance turned and looked at Jean-Michel. "How did Kimmie get here?" Jean-Michel dropped his eyes. "I am pretty sure it was Britney. Joshua said it was her and I tend to believe him." "Go get her." "Fuck you Joseph Fatone! Go fuck JC for all I care. I hate you!" Kimmie pushed past them and rushed down the hall. She stopped and screamed loudly, falling to the ground crying. Chris rushed over to her, hugging her. "Where am I going Chris?" He stood her up. "We are going to go to my room and you are going to go to sleep. Tomorrow everything will look a little clearer." "No it won't Chris. Tomorrow my boyfriend will still be fucking another man. That's not going to change." Chris sighed. "No it won't. But tomorrow you will wake up and move on with your life." Kimmie dropped her head and looked at the ground. "Can I get out of the hall now?" Chris led her down the hall to his room. He looked back at the guys grouped in the hall. Chris shut the door behind them. "Group meeting in five minutes in my room. Britney will be there." Lance unlocked his door and walked inside, leaving the other three in the hall. "I'm going to go tell Casey that I'm going to be gone for a bit. What should I tell the other guys?" "That we have a Britney issue and we will fill them in later." Jean-Michel turned away and headed down the hall to the elevator. JC walked back into the hotel room and saw Joey standing in the middle of the room, staring into space. "Hello." Joey blinked and turned to him. "Hi Josh." Joey smiled timidly, almost expecting JC to blow up at him. "We're having a group meeting in a few minutes with Britney. I know she is responsible for this. She'll pay Joey. I promise." JC walked over to him and gently stroked Joey's cheek with his hand. "I love you Joey." Joey smiled happily now. "I'd almost thought that Chris had told me you weren't mad as a ploy to get me to talk to Kimmie. I'm glad that's not true." JC frowned slightly. "I wouldn't do that. Neither would Chris. I love you too much to fuck with your mind like that." He wrapped his arms around Joey, holding him tightly. Joey pressed his body against JC's, relishing the feeling of JC's arms holding him. The warmth and comfort was undeniable. If he had any reservations about choosing JC, they were all gone now. He knew JC was the one he loved. Britney grinned as she rummaged through Kevin's bag looking for anything incriminating. She had gotten to Joey and JC and now she was looking towards everyone else. Kevin and AJ were an easy target as well. Her eyes narrowed as she thought about what she was going to do to Justin. She was saving him for last. And Casey was just going to have to pay because she took Britney's place. She wanted to make a list of who to get. Nick and Allison had to pay. They introduced Casey and Justin. Britney would have to play her cards carefully with that one. Allison's family was a wild card. Britney was actually intimidated by Marilyn Manson. Britney began to giggle as she flipped through a book at the bottom of Kevin's bag. Perfect! Taking one last look in the bag, she moved on to AJ's stuff. What was this? This was better then Kevin's journal! And she could hurt all five of those simpering Backstreet Boys with this. Better keep the journal too. She never knew when she would have to hold something over Kevin's head. "Go get her!" Britney heard Lance shout. Uh-oh. That meant Jean- Michel was going to come looking for her. Britney listened carefully as Kimmie screamed and then she heard nothing. She slid the books under her shirt and opened the door a crack. No one was around. The hall had cleared out quickly. Britney sprinted down the hallway and pushed open the door for the stairs. One of her bodyguards was standing there waiting for her. The two of them raced up the steps. Britney pushed open the door to her floor and ran down the hall. The elevator buzzed and opened just as she shut her door behind her. Her bodyguard watched her as she shoved the books under the mattress. "I've been here all evening okay. You saw nothing." "Of course Ms. Spears. Have I ever let you down before?" Britney walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Of course you haven't Rodney. You would never let me down." He wrapped his arms around her and the two of them kissed passionately. Rodney was the only person she still trusted. He had been with her for the past three years and had taken care of the unpleasantness that Kelly Bale had caused. Naturally she had taken care of him very well for that little favor. There was a knock on the door and Britney let go of Rodney. She straightened her hair and sat on the bed. Crossing her legs, she nodded to Rodney. He opened the door for her. "Britney Jean Spears! You have gone too far. Come with me now." Jean-Michel grabbed her arm and pulled her off the bed. Rodney placed his hand on Jean's shoulder menacingly. "Rodney. Do not do this. She must come with me." Britney pulled away from him and stood next to Rodney. "Jean I don't have to do anything you say. I am my own person." Jean-Michel glared at her. "If you want a career after tonight, I seriously suggest joining me." Britney exchanged glances with Rodney. "I'll only go if Rodney can come too." "Fine. Just come with me now." Britney followed Jean-Michel down the hall with Rodney close behind. "But what's going on Justin? You guys ran out of here with no explanation." Nick slurred his words together as he took another drink of his beer. "We're just having some Britney problems. I'll tell you tomorrow. Have another beer Nick." Justin handed Nick a beer and pulled Casey aside. "I'll be back soon. I promise. Are you staying with me tonight?" "Of course I am Justin. Can I have the key?" He handed her the key and gave her a kiss. "See you later." Kevin grabbed Justin as he tried to leave. "What did she do to Joey and JC?" "How did you know it was them?" "Everyone else was in here when Jean-Michel rushed in." Justin looked around him and leaned in. "Kimmie's here. Joey never told her." Kevin let out a small gasp. "Do you need me?" Justin shook his head. "Lance has everything under control. We'll see you at breakfast." Kevin nodded and let Justin leave. "Okay. I'll be there." Chris shut the door softly, turning back to Kimmie. "There's a meeting in a few minutes. I need to be there." She nodded. Chris handed Kimmie a T-shirt and a pair of boxers. She clutched them tightly, still crying softly. He turned his back as she undressed and changed into his clothes. "Can I use the phone Chris?" Her voice quivered slightly as she hugged her knees to her chest. Chris stared down at the broken creature in front of him. His heart went out to her. "Of course you can. I have to go to the meeting anyway. Are you going to be okay?" Kimmie shook her head. "No, but like you said. Tomorrow I will wake up and go on with my life. Will Dani be awake if I call now?" Chris looked at the clock. "Most likely. Give her my love." He kissed Kimmie's forehead softly like he did to his daughters when they were crying. Kimmie closed her eyes and held back tears, wishing her own father was there with her. Chris left the room, shutting the door softly behind him. He watched as Britney stalked past him, her head held high as she was led to the slaughter by Jean-Michel. Her personal bodyguard Rodney followed her closely. Chris shivered slightly. Rodney scared him. He followed them down the hall, being joined by Justin. The two of them shut the door behind them, closing the eight of them in the room together. JC and Joey sat on the couch holding hands. Lance stood by a chair, his arms crossed and his face set in stone. "Sit Britney." She tossed her hair and sat down in the chair next to him with a annoyed look on her face. "I was taking a nap. Why am I being interrupted for whatever this is?" She glared at each of them, trying not to show how upset she was that Joey and JC were still holding hands. Chris and Justin flanked the ends of the couch, making Britney swallow slightly as she realized it was six against two. At least she had Rodney on her side. "It didn't work Britney. All you've managed to do it hurt Kimmie." Joey said softly, not even looking at her as he spoke. "What are you talking about? What didn't work? Why would I hurt Kimmie? How could I hurt Kimmie? She's in Florida." "No Britney, she's in my room crying because you called her up to supposedly surprise her boyfriend on his birthday, knowing full well that Joey was with JC. How you knew that she didn't know is beyond us." Britney rolled her eyes. "Tell me why I would go to all that trouble to hurt two people I care nothing about?" "Because you're mad at all of us for what has happened to your career. And you are mad because you lost Justin." "I wouldn't spend my time worrying about losing Justin. And my career will be fine. Lance promised me that." The guys all glanced over at Lance, signaling that it was time for him to speak up. "Britney. I promised I wouldn't let the guys ruin your career. And they haven't. You have. Tomorrow morning you will be flying back to the US. You are released from your contract at FreeLance. Have a nice life." Britney jumped up, her eyes blazing. She smacked Lance across the face, leaving a red mark on his pale skin. Jean-Michel restrained himself as he saw the look of shock cross Lance's face. Lance reached up and placed the palm of his hand against his cheek. "You can't do this to me. I'll sue you for everything you're worth you little bastard." Lance crossed his arms, never losing his cool as he faced the furious woman. "I'd like to see you try. You breached your contract Britney. You can't sue me." "How did I breach my contract?" "Three days ago, you participated in an unauthorized interview with a British paper, thereby breaching the gag order as well as your contract which clearly states that all interviews will be set up by FreeLance." Britney's mouth opened and closed as she realized that Lance was right. Her face turned bright red and she looked around at the smug faces of the men in the room with her. Her anger just rose. "How the fuck did you find out about the interview?" "You tell tales Britney and they eventually come back to haunt you. The office was contacted to corroborate some of the things you said. You made your bed Britney. Now lie in it like an adult." Britney and Lance glared at each other, neither of them moving, daring the other person to back off. Britney had no plans to actually lose to Lance. Lance stared at the woman in front of him, thinking back to all the good times they had with Britney and how much she had changed. His eyes lost focus, making it easier for him to stare. Britney growled slightly and turned away from Lance. "I don't need to take this shit. I am BRITNEY SPEARS!" She shouted as loud as she could. No one moved. "Yes I did call Kimmie and bring her here. And I would do it again in a second. Only this time I would make sure that little bitch didn't fuck up." "Don't call Kimmie a bitch Britney." Joey looked up at her, his eyes blazing. "Aww, how cute. He's protecting his ex-girlfriend. But shouldn't his new little girlfriend be jealous? JC aren't you upset that your man is protecting another woman?" JC held himself back, not wanting to give Britney the satisfaction of antagonizing him. He squeezed Joey's hand tightly knowing that by nature Joey would fight back, only making things worse for all of them. "Britney shouldn't you be leaving now? I'm sure you and Rodney would much rather be fucking now, just like you have for the past two years." Justin asked her smoothly, causing any semblance of restraint Britney had inside her to crumble. "You are all going to pay for this. Just you wait." Britney turned on her heel and stalked out of the room, Rodney following close behind. The six of them collapsed, not knowing what they had just brought on themselves. There was a knock on the door. Kimmie pushed it open and slowly walked in, watching the six guys movements. "Is it okay if I come in?" She asked them softly. Chris jumped up and walked over to her, putting his arms around her and directing her to an open chair. Kimmie lowered her eyes, twisting her hands together, looking small and vulnerable in the chair, wearing Chris' clothes. "Joey, Josh. I'm sorry for the way I acted. I don't hate you two. I'm sorry I said that you were just using Joey for sex Josh. And I'm sorry I told you to go fuck yourself Joey." Kimmie took a deep breath before continuing. No one said anything. "I wish I had never taken Britney up on the offer to fly me over here. I could have gone on believing that you loved me Joey and I wouldn't have to be facing this right now." "I do love you Kimmie. I'm just not in love you. I'm in love with Josh." Kimmie shut her eyes tightly, holding back tears. She sniffled loudly, opening her eyes. "I know that. And I can respect that and move on. I just need to know one thing before I put this all behind me." "What?" "Why didn't you tell me?" Joey was quiet. He looked around at the six other people in the room. They were his best friends, all of them, even Kimmie. He couldn't lie his way out of this. "I was afraid. I didn't know how things were going to turn out with Josh and I didn't want to be alone if they went bad. I didn't want to break up with you in case I needed to go back to you." JC gasped in shock. The other guys just watched in silence as Kimmie's face turned pale white. "So I was your back-up. Thank you for telling me the truth Joey. I'm going to go to bed now. Maybe I will see you guys when you get back. Josh, best of luck. I hope he doesn't find anyone that makes you be his back-up." Kimmie shut the door behind her, leaving the six men alone together. No one said anything for a moment. "That slap fucking hurt." Lance touched his cheek again. Jean- Michel quickly got him a cold washcloth and pressed it against his cheek. "How did you know she's been sleeping with Rodney Justin?" Chris asked him as he flopped back onto the couch again. "I didn't know while I was with her. I only found out a couple months ago from Christina. Apparently Britney had bragged repeatedly to her about how she was pulling a fast one on me." "Bitch." Chris laughed at the word. It just wasn't powerful enough to describe Britney in all her glory. "What do you think she meant by punishing us?" Lance sat down on the couch next to Chris. Jean-Michel took the chair Kimmie had been in. "Well she tried to break up Joey and JC. I doubt she'll go after them again since she didn't succeed." Joey turned away from JC, ashamed of what he had done. Justin noticed that and the cold look on JC's face. "She didn't succeed did she?" He asked them both, his voice filled with concern and a hint of fear. Both Joey and JC were quiet for a moment. The other four guys awaited the answer with trepidation. Finally JC opened his mouth. "No she didn't." Everyone in the room, including Joey, breathed a collective sigh of relief. "We can't let her win, ever. If she wins then she has something to hold on to. We can't let that happen." Justin said seriously. Lance stood up. "Everyone stand." The other five obliged and stood up as well. Lance put his hand out, palm down. No one moved for a moment and then finally, Joey put his hand on top of Lance's. Everyone else quickly followed. "We all promise to fight Britney every step of the way. For our family, for our friends, and for our careers." The others all murmured their agreements. They stood still for a moment and then Lance removed his hand from the bottom of the pile and stepped back. "We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow. It's time for bed." "I'm going to go say our good-byes at the party and get Casey." Justin left the room. "I'm tired and I should go see how Kimmie is." Chris excused himself, leaving the two couples alone. "Are you two okay?" Lance asked them with concern. They were both so quiet. Joey looked up at him. "I'm drained." JC nodded in agreement. Lance sat back down. "Okay. We'll see you guys in the morning. Sleep well." Lance yawned and leaned back. Joey and JC walked out of Lance and Jean-Michel's room, heading for their own. They both stopped just inside the door. "I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight." JC said quietly, not looking at Joey. Joey's eyes filled with tears. He bit his lip, trying to hold them back. "Please don't Josh. I need you with me, especially tonight." JC lifted his head and looked deeply into Joey's eyes. "I love you and I'm not going to stop loving you, but I need to sleep on the couch tonight. I can't hold you in my arms right now." Joey let out a quiet sob. He nodded his head and walked into the bedroom, leaving JC alone in the living room. He curled up on the couch, hugging his knees to his chest and began to cry softly. Joey stretched out on the bed, letting the tears run down his face as he thought of what he still might lose. Chapter 11 "What do you mean by that?" Justin glared at Brian as the two of them drank their coffee. The rest of the guys were milling around Kevin and AJ's living room eating as well. "I just meant that maybe you should stop using the CD player. Use the microdisc system then you won't have so much trouble finding new stuff on CD." "I like CD's Brian. They sound better." Howie snorted in laughter. "That is not a good reason to listen to CD's. Microdisc's capture much more of the sound. The quality is just not there with CD's Justin." Justin glared over at Howie now. "Well at least I don't listen to tapes anymore." Chris looked up from his plate. "What do you mean by that?" He said defensively. "I just said at least I don't listen to tapes anymore. It's not my fault that you still do Chris. It wasn't directed at you." "Well okay then." Chris continued eating without missing a beat. Kevin walked back into the living room holding his empty cup of coffee. He and AJ were on the phone with Denise in the bedroom trying to get some wedding plans straightened out. "Hey Kev!" Kevin jumped slightly, but turned towards the voice that shouted his name. "You got a minute Kevin?" JC asked him as he and Joey headed over to him. "Actually AJ and I are on the phone with Denise. Can we talk later?" He filled his coffee mug again, adding a little cream and a spoonful of sugar. "Okay, that's cool. But we really need to talk to you." Kevin nodded, taking a sip of the steaming coffee. He closed his eyes, relishing the taste. Joey and JC watched as a blissful expression passed over Kevin's face. "Ok, now I can face more of Denise and AJ plotting against me. He is really stuck on the magenta and fluorescent green color scheme." Kevin shuddered at the thought. "Give 'em hell Kevin." JC patted his shoulder reassuringly. Kevin gave him a withering look. "I will succeed in having a nice tasteful wedding no matter what my fianc says." Kevin walked back into the bedroom. Joey sat down on the couch next to Lance and Jean-Michel. "So how are you two feeling?" Lance looked over at him, blinked once and shut his eyes again. "Why didn't you two stay in bed?" "Tony called really early this morning regarding Britney and some details about her release. Things aren't going well. Since we were up, we just stayed up." "Do you want anything to eat?" JC asked them both. "No way. The last thing I ate barely touched my throat before I puked it back up." "Pleasant image James. What about you Jean?" JC wrinkled his nose slightly. "No thank you Joshua. I am not hungry at all." "We'll leave you two alone to nap as long as possible." Joey stood back up, motioning for JC to follow him. Joey wrapped his hand around JC's, squeezing softly. "Love you Blondie." "Love you too Scruffy." Joey grinned at the stupid nickname JC had come up for him. They had been laying in bed the other night and JC had rolled over and looked at him. "Can I call you Scruffy?" Joey was slightly taken aback. "Why would you want to call me Scruffy?" "Because you always look a little scruffy no matter how much time you have spent in the makeup chair or shaving. I think it's sexy." Joey shrugged. "Well in that case I guess you can call me Scruffy all you want, Blondie." JC giggled. "Now where did you ever come up with such an original nickname like Blondie?" Joey tickled him. "Just watch that sarcasm Blondie. Or I'll turn you over to Nick in a moment." "What are you two giggling at?" Nick looked up from his coffee, his eyes still bleary and his short hair sticking straight up. "Nothing Nick. Just drink your coffee like a good boy." JC grinned at him. "Oh shut up. If I wasn't so tired I would beat your ass for calling me a good boy." "We all know Nicky isn't a good boy." Howie grinned from across the way. Nick stuck his tongue out at him, sending Howie into a fit of laughter. "Come on Nick. If you were a good boy, would you have a hangover right now?" "Okay no fair picking on the guy with the hangover." Joey and JC slid out of the room without anyone noticing. "Hmmm...now whatever are we going to do until we have to get back on the bus?" Joey grinned at JC slyly. "I don't know about you, but I could really use a shower." Joey leaned over and sniffed JC. "Phew...you are getting a little ripe babe." JC laughed and smacked Joey lightly. "Just for that you don't get to shower with me." "Well in that case you smell like roses. Can I shower with you now?" Joey grinned at him. JC couldn't resist his goofy grin. He grabbed his arm and dragged him into their room. "Of course you can shower with me. How can I ever say no to you?" Joey leaned over and kissed him softly. "I'll have to remember that." "I'm going to check the messages, then we can hop into the shower." JC walked over to the phone and hit the message button. "You have one message." The automated voice droned loudly. "Hey it sounds like Justin in the morning." JC grinned and waited for the message to begin. "Buttons, it's Mom. I was hoping to catch you or Joey before you went to breakfast. Oh well. I wanted to know when you two were coming to visit. Grandma and Poppy want to meet Joey so I have to let them know when you are coming. Call me later if you get the chance. I love you honey. Give Joey a hug for me. Bye sweetie." JC grinned as he listened to his mother's voice. He had called her up the very next day after he and Joey began dating and told her. She had always been very comfortable with his relationships and had been thrilled for both of them. "It's weird to know that your mom is totally cool with this." Joey sat on the bed next to JC. "Why is it weird? Mom's been cool with everyone I've dated. Why should you be any different?" "It's not weird that she is cool with it being me. It's weird that she is cool with you dating guys at all." Joey was quiet as he looked down at his hands. "Honey, I promise you that your family will be fine with everything. Your parents are great." Joey nodded. "I guess you're right. It's just they were all so thrilled that I had settled down with a nice girl like Kimmie." "And now you've settled down with a nice guy like me. They are just going to be glad that you are happy Joey. Trust me." JC hugged Joey tightly. "Let's go shower. Last one in has to sleep with Chris!" Joey grinned and jumped up, following JC into the bathroom, stripping on the way, leaving a trail of clothing behind him. JC had waited to get undressed until he was in the bathroom. Joey jumped into the shower and turned it on. JC jumped in right behind him. "Chris snores by the way." Joey said as he reached for the shampoo. "I was just joking about sleeping with Chris." Joey wagged his finger at JC. "Oh no you don't. If I had lost you would have made me sleep with Chris. It's only fair that I make sure you keep your word." JC pouted. "But Joey honey, if I sleep with Chris, you'll have to sleep in the big, cold bed alone." "I can rough it for a night babe." JC pouted some more. "Okay well hand me the shampoo then. I'll ask him in the limo." Joey handed him the shampoo, laughing in his mind. He was going to let JC pout for a few minutes because he thought it was really cute. Then he was going to turn and kiss him, a lot. JC squeezed the shampoo and began to wash his platinum hair. Whenever it was wet it turned a golden color, which he liked even more then the platinum. If only Justin could get it to stay that color. JC watched Joey's back as the muscles rippled while he washed his hair. JC gulped. He turned away, hoping his little problem would go down by the time Joey turned around. Joey turned around and saw JC facing away from him. He reached out and lightly slid his finger down JC's wet skin. JC shivered slightly. He turned around to face Joey, smiling slightly. "How long do we have before we need to get on the bus again?" JC whispered as he wiped shampoo off of Joey's cheek. "Two hours." Joey's voice shook from JC's touch. "Plenty of time." JC leaned in and softly kissed Joey on the lips, placing his other hand behind Joey's neck, pulling him closer. Joey's hand slid down JC's back, resting softly on the small of his back. Their tongues met and dipped softly in each other's mouths. JC pulled back slightly. "Wait. Do you want to do this now?" Since the disaster with Kimmie and Britney on Joey's birthday, neither Joey or JC had pushed the other to have sex. It had taken a few days for JC to fully accept what had happened and that Joey had really been keeping Kimmie as a backup while he was telling JC that he loved him. JC had slept on the couch that first night, unaware that Joey had sat in a chair across from him and watched him sleep all night. JC had woken up while he was in the shower. JC had taken Joey's superman t- shirt and curled up in bed with it, enjoying the scent of Joey that lingered on the shirt. The day after the party, everyone had been loaded onto the tour bus and set off for Greece. Jean-Michel had stayed behind to make sure that all of Britney's dancers, sets, and Britney herself were loaded onto a plane back to the US. Britney had thrown a fit, hitting Jean-Michel when he tried to usher her onto the plane. Finally, he restrained her and strapped her into a seat with Rodney's reluctant help. He ended up flying back with her to make sure she didn't do anything stupid. Lance and Chris had spent the morning filling the Backstreet Boys in on what had happened, warning all of them that Britney wanted revenge against everyone. Once the meeting was done, Joey and JC had locked themselves into the office in the back and talked for hours. Joey had promised JC that he wouldn't fuck with JC the way he Kimmie. In return JC had promised not to push Joey away like he did with everyone he had ever dated. Already Joey had broken through a number of JC's barriers that prevented him from having a successful relationship. It was easy for him to promise to talk to Joey instead of closing him out. But in the days that passed, neither of them had made a sexual move on the other past kissing. JC wanted to make sure that this was what Joey wanted. Joey brushed JC's hair back and looked deeply into his eyes. "Yes Josh. I do want this now." JC leaned in and kissed Joey's nose. "Then I suggest we get out of this shower and head to the bedroom." Joey shook his head. "I think we should stay right here a little longer." JC grinned as they kissed. "Mmm...I can agree to that." His hands softly rubbed Joey's head, pulling him closer to him. Joey's hands explored JC's back, kneading the hard muscles as he pulled him closer. They pulled back slightly, each of them breathing heavily. Joey pulled JC back into the kiss, crushing his lips against JC's with passion. JC did his best to please Joey. His hand slid down Joey's stomach, reaching his hard cock. JC grasped it lightly with his hand, causing Joey to moan into the kiss, his eyes fluttering. "Oh Josh." He whispered softly, his voice heavy with lust. JC slowly ran his hand up and down the length of Joey's penis. JC dropped his head slightly and began to kiss Joey's neck, sucking on his adam's apple. Joey ran his hand through JC's hair as JC tenderly kissed his way to his chest. JC nipped lightly at Joey's left nipple causing him to moan loudly. JC continued his light stroking on Joey's cock as he sucked on his nipple. Joey's body quivered in anticipation as JC stooped slightly to kiss his way to Joey's stomach. He backed Joey up so he was leaning against the wall as JC began to kiss his pubic bones. "Please Josh. Please." Joey moaned softly, his voice begging JC to take him. JC complied. JC lightly licked the head of Joey's cock, swirling his tongue around it. He licked up and down the sides, getting to know the length and girth he was about to take in. With one hand, JC held Joey's penis gently and with his other hand, he steadied Joey. He slowly took all of Joey into his mouth, getting a loud groan as his reward. Letting go of Joey's cock, he began to lightly brush his balls with his fingertips, pleased as Joey shuddered in response. Joey shut his eyes as he let himself get lost in the sensations JC was causing. He ran his fingers through JC's blond hair, urging him on with gentle pressure. JC backed off. Joey opened his eyes and looked down at his boyfriend. JC was looking up at him with a grin on his face. Joey groaned. "Don't stop please." To his utter disappointment, JC stood up. He took Joey hand and stepped out of the shower, leaving it running as he led Joey back to the bed. They were both soaking wet as they laid down on the still messy bed that they had vacated only an hour or so earlier. Joey pulled JC to him, kissing him softly. "I love you Josh." "I love you too Joey." JC smiled shyly, suddenly self-conscious in the openness of his statement. "Josh, can we...can I...can, ummm...well." Joey blushed deeply. Understanding him completely, JC smiled and kissed him softly. "Of course we can." JC got up and went into his backpack, retrieving the condoms and lube that Kevin and AJ had bought them for the birthday evening. He climbed back into bed and straddled Joey's chest. Kissing him, he tore open a condom package and slowly rolled it onto Joey's erect cock. Joey groaned softly, knowing that he was going to get to make love to JC. JC massaged lube into Joey's condom-covered cock. Joey sat up and maneuvered JC onto his back, resting JC's legs on his shoulders. "Josh...is this okay?" Joey asked, unsure of what he was doing and concerned about hurting the man he loved. JC smiled. "Go slow." Joey nodded and placed the head of his penis on JC's asshole. Steeling himself, he pushed slightly, feeling the head of his penis enter JC a little bit. He groaned, already enjoying this more then he ever imagined. JC reached up and pushed Joey's back, forcing him in more. Joey slid in JC slowly, both of them enjoying the feeling. "Oh my god. Josh you feels so good." Joey said, not moving. "So do you." JC said slightly breathlessly as he awaited Joey's movements. He squeezed his ass slightly, letting Joey know he was ready. Joey picked up on the signal quickly and began to slowly slide back out again. Soon he built up a steady rhythm, causing both of them to moan in pleasure. JC moaned Joey's name softly as he ran his hands over Joey's chest. "Josh! I'm going to cum!" Joey shouted loudly, thrusting himself harder into JC, trying to capture every inch of JC in his mind as he writhed underneath him. Joey squeezed his eyes shut and arched his back slightly as he shot his load. JC came between the two of them, shouting Joey's name. Joey collapsed on top of JC, his cock still in JC's ass. JC softly rubbed Joey's neck. "Hey Scruffy you look sleepy." Joey raised himself up and looked deeply into JC's eyes. "That was fucking amazing. When can we do it again?" Joey sat up and pulled the condom off. Looking around, he grabbed a tissue and wrapped it up. JC laughed at him. "Why don't we rest a little? We can do it again on the bus." Joey looked at him weird. "On the bus? But won't everyone hear?" JC shook his head, sitting up as well. "Have you ever heard Lance and Jean-Michel or Kevin and AJ for that matter?" Joey shook his head. "It's all about controlling the shouting. If we can do that, we can have sex the whole way to Greece if you want." Joey grinned and kissed JC on the nose. "Cool. So I guess we should shower again and pack now?" "Yeah, but we should probably do separate showers or else we will never get packed." Joey pouted slightly but hopped off the bed. "You want to go first? You're a little messy honey." Joey pointed to JC's chest which had cum on it. JC looked down. "Maybe I should." Joey tied his robe around himself and began to put his clothes in a suitcase. JC watched him for a second and then went into the bathroom to shower. Justin poked Nick in the side. "Come on hurry up slowpoke. If we don't hurry we'll get the crappy bunks next to Lance and Jean-Michel" Lance stuck his head out of his room. "I heard that." Justin grinned. "Just kidding Scoopy. I love you." "Whatever Curly. Just make sure you have everything. I'm not calling hotels because you left Mr. Bunny behind again." Lance shut the door, leaving Justin alone in the hall with Nick, who was laughing. Justin turned crimson red at the mention of Mr. Bunny. Lance had promised that he wouldn't mention the fact that Justin still slept with his stuffed bunny. He had only told Lance because he had left him behind one time and really needed to find him. "Shut up Nick." Justin stalked down the hall. Nick shook his head and chased after him. "Wait up for a moment Justin." Nick reached into his backpack and pulled out a very worn teddy bear. "Meet Bruno. Only Kevin knows I have him. I left Bruno in a hotel in Australia and Kevin tracked him down for me." Justin smiled. "Thanks Nick." Nick hugged him tightly. "No problem man. Just don't tell anyone about Bruno and I won't mention Mr. Bunny." "Deal." They shook hands. "Now let's go claim our bunks." Chris looked around his hotel room with a dismayed look. He had done his best to clean up, but he knew that another trashed hotel room would be added to the bill. The room was a wreck. He'd had another bad night last night. He shut the door behind him and pulled his baseball cap down further, trying to block out the light and settle back into gloom. Brian came up behind without him noticing. "Sometimes it's easier to just numb your feelings." He looked at Chris over his sunglasses with a sad look. "I guess. Unfortunately I haven't really found out how to numb them. When I drink I seem to feel everything more." Chris laughed briefly, a harsh joyless laugh. "You would think that I would learn and stop drinking." Chris turned and walked away from Brian, heading for the elevator, carrying only his guitar and laptop. Everything else was already on the bus. He didn't know why he shut Brian out all the time. Brian had never been anything but nice to him. And if anyone understood how he was feeling right now it was probably Brian. At least Chris could talk to Dani on the phone. Brian had said once that he very rarely caught Shelley on a break. Chris stopped walking and turned around, looking for Brian. He was leaning against a wall, looking at a picture with a sad expression. Chris sighed and walked back over to him. "Who are you bunking with?" Brian shrugged. "I kind of figured I would just pick a bunk and let whoever was unlucky enough not to find someone else to bunk with join me. That seems to be the theme this tour." "Well, I'm not bunking with anyone. Justin's staying with Nick so there goes my bunking partner. What do you say? Care to join me?" Brian smiled at him weakly. "Thanks. But you don't know what you are getting yourself into Chris." "Well, I guess I'll take my chances. I could use someone to talk to actually and I was kind of hoping that you would do that for me." Brian smiled for real this time. "Actually I could use someone too. I've been feeling a little isolated lately." "Tell me about it." Kevin pounded loudly on Joey and JC's door. He hadn't expected to get this job again, but Lance was sick so he had agreed to make sure everyone was out. "Go away!" JC shouted from inside. "No luck JC. We all have to be on that bus in five minutes so get your asses out here now!" "Fine. Now leave us alone." "No way. I know that trick. I've used it a hundred times when I don't feel like leaving AJ's arms. All you two have to do is grab your stuff, ride downstairs, climb on the bus, and then climb back into bed." Joey opened the door and looked at Kevin. "Okay we really are coming now." JC walked out carrying his suitcase and a backpack. Joey followed him, carrying his stuff. Kevin watched them as Joey shut the door behind him. The three of them walked down the hall together. "So how did the talk with Denise go?" Kevin groaned. "Our wedding colors are blue and cream. But to get that, I had to agree to wear a blue and cream tux. I can't believe I am getting married in a blue and cream tux." "Quit complaining Kevin." AJ said from behind them. The three of them jumped at his voice, not expecting him there. "I'm not complaining. I'm telling Joey and JC what we decided in a very whiney voice. That's not complaining." AJ rolled his eyes and took Kevin's arm. "How old are you Kevin?" Kevin grinned and held up his middle finger. "I'm this many." Joey and JC began to laugh at the two of them as AJ stuck his tongue out at Kevin. "Oh like that's mature Alex." They continued to fake argue as they walked down the hall, leaving Joey and JC lagging behind. "Do you ever think we will be like that?" Joey shook his head. "I hope we are never like that. I would shoot myself if I looked like AJ." JC laughed. "That's not what I meant. Do you ever think our relationship will be like that?" "No, because we aren't Kevin and AJ. We're Joey and Josh. Someday our relationship will be that comfortable and secure, but it won't be the same as Kevin and AJ's because we're different people." JC kissed his hand. "I love you." Joey smiled. "I love you too." Lance looked around the small room trying to get his bearings. The bus rocked again and Lance quickly found the toilet, dry heaving violently since there was nothing in his stomach. "Hurry up Lance! There's a line out here." Lance opened the door, still sitting on the ground. "Can I just sit here please?" Howie looked down at him. "Sure, just move over. I'm going to be sick." With that, Lance watched as Howie turned green and threw up in the toilet as well. Great another one down. Brian had gotten sick earlier, but thankfully was asleep in his bunk now. Chris peered into the bathroom. "I think I'll just hold it for a bit. Do you two need anything?" Lance shook his head. Howie just continued vomiting in the toilet. Chris gulped as he walked away. He had never been able to help someone who was vomiting. It was just too much for him. Chris wandered into the kitchen and found Jean- Michel resting his head on the counter. "How are you feeling man?" Chris asked him as he grabbed a soda from the fridge. "Am I dead yet?" "Nope. Sorry. Want me to drag you back to the bunk?" "Thanks Chris but no. That is too far from the sink and since James has claimed the bathroom, I am stuck with the sink." "Well he and Howie are sharing now." "Howie's down too? How many does that make?" "You, Lance, Howie, and Brian." JC walked into the kitchen. "Joey's got it too. He just threw up all over our bunk. Where's the cleaning stuff?" Kevin walked into the kitchen. "Here. I just cleaned up after AJ and Brian." He handed JC a bucket and sat down on the counter. "How many days until our first show in Greece?" Chris asked. "Two days. You guys have two singers down and we've got three. This isn't going to be pretty." Jean-Michel propped his head up. "It gets worse. I had not told anyone yet, but James and I received some very bad news about Britney this morning." No one said anything as Jean-Michel coughed. "We cannot get her released from the label even though she breached her contract. She found a loophole and we have to keep her on for one more album. Plus she also found out that the gag order only pertained to while she was on tour." "Super." JC said dryly. "Well, I'm going to go clean up after my boyfriend. One of you guys can tell Justin and Nick. They're hiding in the back room with the Nintendo." ---There it is. If you want to know where to read next, it's chapter 28 and 29 of Escape. If not, don't fret. You'll still understand. If you didn't understand that, don't fret. I'm really tired and have no real idea of what I am typing right now. ?