Chapter 20

Inner Reflection | home

"Nice job, guys. MTV Live loved your performance," Lou said. The guys had just finished their first MTV spot, on the show MTV Live. There was an interview and they sang "I Want You Back."

"I still don't get why my hair has to be this color. And if you say it's because I act like a blonde again, I swear I'll..."

"Because you LOOK like a blonde."

Lance made a face. "But isn't this overdoing it just a tad?"

"Not my fault if she got bleach-happy."

"Right," Lance said. Lou's phone rang and he went out to take the call.

"Maybe I should try that with my hair," Justin said thoughtfully.

"Whatever floats your boat," Lance shrugged. "I don't like it."

"It doesn't look that bad," JC said. Lance gave him a look. "Well, it could be worse?" he asked timidly.

"LANCE!" they heard Lou call. "COME HERE PLEASE!"

"Uh oh," Lance said, leaving the room.

"At least he said please," Justin said.

"Wonder what he wants?" JC wondered.

Suddenly Lance came running back into the room. "We just got a call...Backstreet backed out of Disney, I don't know why...but they're giving it to us!"

"We have a special! There's a meeting on Saturday to explain it all," Lance said, eyes shining.

"Justin, who did that to your hair?" Lou asked.

"Yourself! You should've asked! Who knows what people with think when they see that you've bleached your hair..."

Justin stood up, suddenly finding himself angry. "Lou, I'm seventeen years old, not twelve. Stop lecturing. I think I can decide what I do or don't want done with my hair. Look at Chris, dammit! He's braided!"

"Leave me out of this," Chris said. Justin stood up and left the room.

JC sighed and followed him. "He's been like this all day. I'll go talk to him." JC left as well.

"He'll be dying that back," Lou said absently as he flipped through his papers.

"Why?" Lance asked suddenly. "I think it looks fine."

"How do you know that? He just got it done!" Chris and Joey exchanged glances. Lance was never this outspoken during meetings. He'd offer his opinion, sure, but then he'd keep quiet.

"Because I know that--"

"Are we going to have this discussion AGAIN?" Lance asked. Lou glared at him and Lance reddened a little. He coughed. "Besides," he said, leaning forward a little bit, "It's a known fact that girls love guys with blonde hair and blue eyes. With hair that's been attacked by peroxide, he'll be irresistible." Joey snorted and Chris hid a grin.

Lou looked at them, but then back at Lance. "It doesn't seem to be working for you, though, care to explain why not?"

"You mean, why don't I have millions of girls chasing after me, if that's my theory?" He paused, and leaned forward a little more. "Well, for one, my eyes aren't blue. They're green. And my hair isn't blonde, it's white." Joey snorted again and Lou turned to glare at him.

Lance had fallen silent, but then Joey heard him mutter something that sounded like "Sorry." He wondered if someone had been talking to him. Then Lance spoke out loud with a sigh. "Sorry Lou. But think about it." Just then, JC came back in with Justin. Justin muttered an apology and sat down. JC looked at Lou and Lance, who were still glaring at each other. He looked back and forth between them before taking his place next to Joey.

"What happened?" he whispered to Joey.

Joey leaned over. "Lance and Lou just had it out over Justin's hair," he whispered back.

JC's eyebrows shot up, then he furrowed his brow. "Lance!?" he whispered. Joey shrugged.

"All right," Lou said, still glaring. "We'll see how they like the hair after Disney. But if they don't..."

"Got it," Justin grinned. Lance settled back in his seat with a satisfied smirk that wasn't lost on anyone. Then he made a move as if he wanted to scratch his face, and the smirk disappeared.

Lou cleared his throat. "So anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we'll definitely be doing I Want You Back, Tearin' Up My Heart, and God Must Have Spent -- your next single, in case no one told you yet." Lou continued, but JC began to tune his voice out after a little while. It was nothing they hadn't heard before anyway.

He looked at Chris, who was playing with a pencil and as usual, was fidgeting restlessly. Joey was paying attention, but his eyes kept straying around the room. Justin looked deep in thought. JC smirked. The seventeen year old had his eyes on Lou, but it was obvious to everyone in the room -- save for Lou -- that the words were all going unheard. JC wondered what he was thinking about. Knowing Justin, it was probably basketball, but he wondered all the same. JC turned his attention to Lance. Lance, as usual, was giving the speaker, in this case Lou, all of his attention. Lance didn't seem to like Lou very much, for whatever reason, but he respected him all the same. He had felt oddly proud of the younger man when Joey told him how he had argued with Lou. He watched Lance elbow Justin without even looking, who snapped to attention just as Lou looked over.

"Justin, you listening to me?"

Lou frowned but turned back to his papers and continued. "Now, as I was saying..."

Justin flashed Lance a grateful smile before zoning out again, and it was all JC could do to hold his grin. Lance looked at Justin for a second, then flashed JC a smile before flicking his eyes up to the ceiling. Then he turned his eyes back to Lou while JC tried to hold his giggle in. He looked at Chris, which proved to be a mistake. Chris appeared to be lecturing the pencil in his hand, using the same gestures that Lou kept using. JC tried to hide the laugh with a cough now. He pounded his chest with his fist in an effort to make it look authentic.

Lance looked at him and stifled his own giggles when Joey pounded him on the back. That only made it worse, and Lou stopped talking to look at the singer with a slight glare. There was no way JC could have known that he started coughing when Lou had talked about how big the load they had to carry was, and they should try to keep it all light...

"JC? You okay?" Lou asked, slightly irritated. Lance was turning a little red with the effort of holding in his laughter.

Finally under control, JC blushed. "Sorry, Lou, I'm fine, I just um...swallowed the wrong way, I guess."

"Swallowed WHAT?" Justin asked, bewildered.

That did it for Lance, and he burst out laughing. He bit his lip to try and stop when everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry."

JC snorted and Lou looked back at him now. Lance stuck out his tongue from behind Lou, and Joey caught it and chuckled.

That set off Lance and JC again. When everyone finally calmed down, Lou glared at the still grinning, red-faced pair. "Might I continue?"

"Go ahead!" JC said brightly. Lance bit his lip.

"What was so funny?" Justin asked, confused again.

"Nothing," JC said, putting an arm on the table and covering his mouth with the palm of his hand. Lance ducked his head and his teeth clamped down on his lip.

Lou cleared his throat to begin again, but never got the chance. The pencil Chris had been playing with -- and lecturing -- suddenly flew out his hand and sailed across the table, hitting Lou on the arm. Lou looked at the arm, then at the pencil, now on the ground, then at Chris, who was turning pink with the effort of trying not to giggle. JC looked everywhere but at Lou.

Unfortunately, his gaze landed on Lance. Lance was behind Lou, and was sternly waggling his finger at a now red Chris. Lou spun his head and Lance pretended to be scratching his head, though everyone (but Lou) knew what was going on. Lou turned back to Chris and began a lecture on how he could've poked someone's eyes out.

"Now, Chris," Lance mocked silently, taking out the finger again. "You're 26...no sharp objects, remember?" he mouthed, clearly enough for everyone to see.

The guys had no idea why Lance was acting like this, but they loved it. Chris burst out laughing in the middle of Lou's lecture. Lou spun around and looked at Lance, who was sitting demurely. JC crossed his eyes at Lance behind Lou's back while Justin and Joey hid grins as best as the could. Lou spun his head back around. Just in time to see JC uncross his eyes.

Lance started to laugh, unable to hold it in anymore. Lou glared at him, then JC. "If you two can't behave yourselves, why don't you go and get composed," Lou said, pointing a pudgy finger at the door. Red with laughter and a twinge of embarrassment, the two pushed away from the table and stood up. They grinned at their bandmates before opening the door. "Honestly, I would expect it from one of these three, but never you two!"

That remark earned an indignant "Hey!" from the three at the table, and another laughing fit from Lance and JC, who hurriedly shut the door and walked down the hall, their laughter ringing out through the studio.

"That's not fair," Justin pouted.

"Well we need to finish, and if they can't handle it, then..."

"Lance and JC not being able to handle a meeting?" Joey asked in disbelief.

"Right. Now, let me continue and you guys can pass the information onto them..."

*~*Two hours later*~*

"I can't believe they actually left the studio! And left us with TWO HOURS!" Justin complained loudly.

"If we had the chance we would've left too," Chris reasoned. "But that doesn't mean they ain't gonna get a beatdown."

"I'm all for a beatdown, but look at 'em! They're so cute!" Lance was curled against the corner of the couch. JC's head was lying across his lap, and both appeared to be asleep.

"JC's not gay, is he?" Chris asked.

"I don't know! But be quiet!" Joey hissed.

"I'm awake," they heard Lance say. "He's just sleeping."

"Why is he...like THAT?" Chris asked.

"We were talking about...stuff, and he fell asleep," Lance said. "Do you have a problem with that, Chris?"


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 20 "Nice job, guys. MTV Live loved your performance," Lou said. The guys had just finished their first MTV spot, on the show MTV Live. There was an interview and they sang "I Want You Back." "I still don't get why my hair has to be this color. And if you say it's because I act like a blonde again, I swear I'll..." "Because you LOOK like a blonde." Lance made a face. "But isn't this overdoing it just a tad?" "Not my fault if she got bleach-happy." "Right," Lance said. Lou's phone rang and he went out to take the call. "Maybe I should try that with my hair," Justin said thoughtfully. "Whatever floats your boat," Lance shrugged. "I don't like it." "It doesn't look that bad," JC said. Lance gave him a look. "Well, it could be worse?" he asked timidly. "Sure." "LANCE!" they heard Lou call. "COME HERE PLEASE!" "Uh oh," Lance said, leaving the room. "At least he said please," Justin said. "Wonder what he wants?" JC wondered. Suddenly Lance came running back into the room. "We just got a call...Backstreet backed out of Disney, I don't know why...but they're giving it to us!" "What?" "We have a special! There's a meeting on Saturday to explain it all," Lance said, eyes shining. "All right!" **** "Justin, who did that to your hair?" Lou asked. "Um...I did?" "Yourself! You should've asked! Who knows what people with think when they see that you've bleached your hair..." Justin stood up, suddenly finding himself angry. "Lou, I'm seventeen years old, not twelve. Stop lecturing. I think I can decide what I do or don't want done with my hair. Look at Chris, dammit! He's braided!" "Leave me out of this," Chris said. Justin stood up and left the room. JC sighed and followed him. "He's been like this all day. I'll go talk to him." JC left as well. "He'll be dying that back," Lou said absently as he flipped through his papers. "Why?" Lance asked suddenly. "I think it looks fine." "It's not him." "How do you know that? He just got it done!" Chris and Joey exchanged glances. Lance was never this outspoken during meetings. He'd offer his opinion, sure, but then he'd keep quiet. "Because I know that--" "Are we going to have this discussion AGAIN?" Lance asked. Lou glared at him and Lance reddened a little. He coughed. "Besides," he said, leaning forward a little bit, "It's a known fact that girls love guys with blonde hair and blue eyes. With hair that's been attacked by peroxide, he'll be irresistible." Joey snorted and Chris hid a grin. Lou looked at them, but then back at Lance. "It doesn't seem to be working for you, though, care to explain why not?" "You mean, why don't I have millions of girls chasing after me, if that's my theory?" He paused, and leaned forward a little more. "Well, for one, my eyes aren't blue. They're green. And my hair isn't blonde, it's white." Joey snorted again and Lou turned to glare at him. Lance had fallen silent, but then Joey heard him mutter something that sounded like "Sorry." He wondered if someone had been talking to him. Then Lance spoke out loud with a sigh. "Sorry Lou. But think about it." Just then, JC came back in with Justin. Justin muttered an apology and sat down. JC looked at Lou and Lance, who were still glaring at each other. He looked back and forth between them before taking his place next to Joey. "What happened?" he whispered to Joey. Joey leaned over. "Lance and Lou just had it out over Justin's hair," he whispered back. JC's eyebrows shot up, then he furrowed his brow. "Lance!?" he whispered. Joey shrugged. "All right," Lou said, still glaring. "We'll see how they like the hair after Disney. But if they don't..." "Got it," Justin grinned. Lance settled back in his seat with a satisfied smirk that wasn't lost on anyone. Then he made a move as if he wanted to scratch his face, and the smirk disappeared. Lou cleared his throat. "So anyway, I just wanted to tell you that we'll definitely be doing I Want You Back, Tearin' Up My Heart, and God Must Have Spent -- your next single, in case no one told you yet." Lou continued, but JC began to tune his voice out after a little while. It was nothing they hadn't heard before anyway. He looked at Chris, who was playing with a pencil and as usual, was fidgeting restlessly. Joey was paying attention, but his eyes kept straying around the room. Justin looked deep in thought. JC smirked. The seventeen year old had his eyes on Lou, but it was obvious to everyone in the room -- save for Lou -- that the words were all going unheard. JC wondered what he was thinking about. Knowing Justin, it was probably basketball, but he wondered all the same. JC turned his attention to Lance. Lance, as usual, was giving the speaker, in this case Lou, all of his attention. Lance didn't seem to like Lou very much, for whatever reason, but he respected him all the same. He had felt oddly proud of the younger man when Joey told him how he had argued with Lou. He watched Lance elbow Justin without even looking, who snapped to attention just as Lou looked over. "Justin, you listening to me?" "Uh huh!" Lou frowned but turned back to his papers and continued. "Now, as I was saying..." Justin flashed Lance a grateful smile before zoning out again, and it was all JC could do to hold his grin. Lance looked at Justin for a second, then flashed JC a smile before flicking his eyes up to the ceiling. Then he turned his eyes back to Lou while JC tried to hold his giggle in. He looked at Chris, which proved to be a mistake. Chris appeared to be lecturing the pencil in his hand, using the same gestures that Lou kept using. JC tried to hide the laugh with a cough now. He pounded his chest with his fist in an effort to make it look authentic. Lance looked at him and stifled his own giggles when Joey pounded him on the back. That only made it worse, and Lou stopped talking to look at the singer with a slight glare. There was no way JC could have known that he started coughing when Lou had talked about how big the load they had to carry was, and they should try to keep it all light... "JC? You okay?" Lou asked, slightly irritated. Lance was turning a little red with the effort of holding in his laughter. Finally under control, JC blushed. "Sorry, Lou, I'm fine, I just um...swallowed the wrong way, I guess." "Swallowed WHAT?" Justin asked, bewildered. That did it for Lance, and he burst out laughing. He bit his lip to try and stop when everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry." JC snorted and Lou looked back at him now. Lance stuck out his tongue from behind Lou, and Joey caught it and chuckled. That set off Lance and JC again. When everyone finally calmed down, Lou glared at the still grinning, red-faced pair. "Might I continue?" "Go ahead!" JC said brightly. Lance bit his lip. "What was so funny?" Justin asked, confused again. "Nothing," JC said, putting an arm on the table and covering his mouth with the palm of his hand. Lance ducked his head and his teeth clamped down on his lip. Lou cleared his throat to begin again, but never got the chance. The pencil Chris had been playing with -- and lecturing -- suddenly flew out his hand and sailed across the table, hitting Lou on the arm. Lou looked at the arm, then at the pencil, now on the ground, then at Chris, who was turning pink with the effort of trying not to giggle. JC looked everywhere but at Lou. Unfortunately, his gaze landed on Lance. Lance was behind Lou, and was sternly waggling his finger at a now red Chris. Lou spun his head and Lance pretended to be scratching his head, though everyone (but Lou) knew what was going on. Lou turned back to Chris and began a lecture on how he could've poked someone's eyes out. "Now, Chris," Lance mocked silently, taking out the finger again. "You're 26...no sharp objects, remember?" he mouthed, clearly enough for everyone to see. The guys had no idea why Lance was acting like this, but they loved it. Chris burst out laughing in the middle of Lou's lecture. Lou spun around and looked at Lance, who was sitting demurely. JC crossed his eyes at Lance behind Lou's back while Justin and Joey hid grins as best as the could. Lou spun his head back around. Just in time to see JC uncross his eyes. Lance started to laugh, unable to hold it in anymore. Lou glared at him, then JC. "If you two can't behave yourselves, why don't you go and get composed," Lou said, pointing a pudgy finger at the door. Red with laughter and a twinge of embarrassment, the two pushed away from the table and stood up. They grinned at their bandmates before opening the door. "Honestly, I would expect it from one of these three, but never you two!" That remark earned an indignant "Hey!" from the three at the table, and another laughing fit from Lance and JC, who hurriedly shut the door and walked down the hall, their laughter ringing out through the studio. "That's not fair," Justin pouted. "Well we need to finish, and if they can't handle it, then..." "Lance and JC not being able to handle a meeting?" Joey asked in disbelief. "Right. Now, let me continue and you guys can pass the information onto them..." ~Two hours later~** "I can't believe they actually left the studio! And left us with TWO HOURS!" Justin complained loudly. "If we had the chance we would've left too," Chris reasoned. "But that doesn't mean they ain't gonna get a beatdown." "Shh!" Joey said. "What?" "I'm all for a beatdown, but look at 'em! They're so cute!" Lance was curled against the corner of the couch. JC's head was lying across his lap, and both appeared to be asleep. "JC's not gay, is he?" Chris asked. "I don't know! But be quiet!" Joey hissed. "I'm awake," they heard Lance say. "He's just sleeping." "Why is he...like THAT?" Chris asked. "We were talking about...stuff, and he fell asleep," Lance said. "Do you have a problem with that, Chris?"