Chapter 40

Our "little moment" was interrupted by (surprise!) Lance's phone. I swear to God, he might as well just attach one to his ear, he's on it so much. He looked at me apologetically and I nodded for him to get it.

"Hello? Oh, hey Johnny...what?! Wait...who...well then why couldn't HE tell me?" he asked, obviously exasperated. "Well, that's true. But why-- I get it. We're not THAT big, Johnny...I know...Uh huh. Thanks. Yeah. Bye." Lance hung up the phone, looked at me, and sighed. "This is nuts. Guess who's got a ticket to California?"

He smiled wryly and nodded. "Yeah, with her," he sighed. "I don't know how much more of this I can take...it's not like we're actually a huge relationship out there right now, and the press isn't really following us as much."

"Finally...I'm SO exhausted," Lance said, stepping off the plane and into the Orlando airport. "Now where are the guys?" He looked around and rolled his eyes. Then he saw them and jogged over to a group of four guys dressed like bikers. Except they weren't very scary looking. "Nice disguises," he said.

"You know, it would've been really funny if we were real bikers and you said that. It would've been so funny and I would have laughed my ass off at you," Chris said dryly.

"Hilarious," Lance yawned. He had taken another late-night flight. It was then that the other four saw the dark circles under his eyes. "Hey, you all right? You look exhausted," Justin said.

"Fine," he said. "It's just that I've gotten about 20 total hours...for five nights I was there." He rubbed his eyes.

"Really? That's like, four hours a night...how come?" Joey asked, worried.

"Did JC tell you that they have us on a schedule?" Lance asked, disregarding the question completely and walking towards the baggage area. "We have to be certain places where there were definitely reporters at certain times...we got mobbed two or three times..." he continued distractedly, grabbing his bag off the conveyor belt. "Or four or five or six..." he coughed.

"Fine," Lance replied absently. "I think I just caught the little cold or bug or whatever it was Danielle has."

"Lou called a meeting while you were gone," Chris said, changing the direction of the conversation entirely. "He said he noticed that he'd been hard on us and was going to slow it down a bit."

"He called a meeting without me?" Lance murmured. The other guys had thought of that too; Lance was the one that always went to the meetings and got things straight, especially with the schedule. "That's weird."

"Very," JC said with a nod. "But maybe he wanted to get it off his chest and let us know about it, so he just did it without you, and he'll tell you later." He looked at Lance worriedly. He looked completely exhausted.

"First...you're not taking care of yourself. You're not resting nearly enough, or eating. If you don't, bad things will happen."

"You have to, James. Look at yourself. You look horrible and you picked up Danielle's illness. There are bags under your eyes. If this continues, you're going to get REALLY sick. Your body IS human enough to do that. And with the shield we have up, you don't have as much energy as you did before. You must try to take care of yourself."

That one word told Lance the real reason Nikolas had come to visit. He winced. "Um...well..."

"What do you think you're doing? Kissing him...you KNOW you're not supposed to fall in love!"

"I'm NOT in love! We've kissed! There's nothing wrong with kisses. They don't mean I'm in love."

"No I'm not!" Lance said defensively. "I'm not doing anything wrong...I'm not in love. Maybe I...like him a little bit, but that doesn't mean anything. And maybe he likes me a little back. Tell me where you see something wrong there!"

"So what if it does? Sow we get together. Who cares? I've never had someone care about me like that; in fact, everyone used to hate me. Doesn't mean I'm in love. Things aren't like they used to be...you can be with someone without loving them."

"Okay, maybe we're not together. But still, there's nothing wrong with liking each other and kissing!" Lance said, sort of realizing he sounded a lot younger than he was.

"James, listen to me." Lance looked at him. "I understand where you're coming from. Believe me, I do. And you're right. But you have to understand. Love is always a possibility, and if you do...become a couple, then there's the potential there."

"I understand that," Lance said. "But I don't like being reprimanded when I'm really not breaking any rules."

Nikolas looked at him. Lance looked like he really believed what he was saying. He sighed. "Use your judgment, James. I trust you'll make the right decision."

"All right, you guys, nice job, now what do you say we try it once more from the..." Darren was interrupted by a coughing Lance. "You all right?"

"You sure? Maybe you should take a break," Darren said doubtfully. Lance shook his head and got back into the formation. "Uh uh. No breaks for me. I missed enough rehearsals last week when I was with Danielle. I'm all right."

"Apparently you caught her cold too," Darren said, somewhat amused. "You sure you're all right?"

Darren laughed. "Yes sir. But by the time we're through, you'll never want to say THAT again."

"Nope," JC said, staring longingly at Lance's door. "I think it's more than a cold." The others looked curiously at him. "I mean, I think maybe he's got a bug or something. He's always tired and he never goes out with us anymore."

"You're right," Justin said, looking at JC thoughtfully. "Maybe one of us should stay here and make sure he's all right?"

"I'll stay," JC said quickly. The other three exchanged knowing glances. They all remembered the drunken kiss between the two of them. Well, Justin didn't, but Chris and Joey had been sure to describe it in great detail, much to the dismay of JC and Lance. JC said goodbye to the others and walked back to Lance's room.

"I thought you guys were going out?" Lance asked, hanging up his phone. JC noticed he looked upset about something.

JC looked over at him worriedly. "You okay, Scoop?" he asked, noticing Lance's unfocused look.

"You sure?" JC asked. "Because if there's something bothering you, then..."

"But you're not even her real boyfriend!" JC exclaimed, completely confused.

"I know," Lance said sadly. "And apparently, she chose me. I tried to tell her that this isn't even real, that I'm not going to become straight just because she's my girlfriend, but she wouldn't listen. She's really confused right now and I don't think she knows what she really wants..."

"I know. But she ended up having to make the choice between her career and her boyfriend, and she chose her career. I tried to 'break up' with her, but she said she'd still tell the press we were together if I tried." He looked abruptly. "I don't really wanna talk about this right now."

"Okay," JC said uncomfortably, because he didn't exactly want to talk about it either. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Umm..." JC looked over their choices. "How about..." he pursed his lips. "What Dreams May Come?"

"Um...A guy's two kids die...and then he dies...and he goes to Heaven...and his wife is left all alone. Supposed to have good special effects."

Somehow during the movie, Lance and JC managed to snuggle closer together. "That part is so sad," Lance commented.

JC nodded in agreement. "Are you cold?" he asked, noticing the way Lance was shaking.

JC got up anyway, and got an extra blanket, surrounding the two of them. A little further into the movie, JC noticed that Lance was sweating a little now. He frowned and put a hand against his friend's forehead. "Oh my God, you're burning up," he said.

"No you're not. You've got a fever. I knew you had something worse than a cold."

"I'm fine," Lance said. "Let's just watch the movie, it's almost over." Lance was enjoying it, even though Hollywood hadn't exactly been right with a few of its ideas. But that was Hollywood. The movie came to a close and Lance looked over at JC. He was sleeping, and Lance sighed. "I don't feel like getting up," he said, turning the TV back on and flipping through.

"We're so happy together," he heard a familiar voice say. He groaned. "I don't think this will ever--" he shut off the TV.

"Don't wanna hear this crap," he muttered. "My goodness, can't she just go back to Jordan and leave me alone? I'm sick of this!"


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 40 ~JC POV~ Our "little moment" was interrupted by (surprise!) Lance's phone. I swear to God, he might as well just attach one to his ear, he's on it so much. He looked at me apologetically and I nodded for him to get it. "Hello? Oh, hey Johnny...what?! Wait...who...well then why couldn't HE tell me?" he asked, obviously exasperated. "Well, that's true. But why-- I get it. We're not THAT big, Johnny...I know...Uh huh. Thanks. Yeah. Bye." Lance hung up the phone, looked at me, and sighed. "This is nuts. Guess who's got a ticket to California?" "You're leaving AGAIN?" I asked incredulously. He smiled wryly and nodded. "Yeah, with her," he sighed. "I don't know how much more of this I can take...it's not like we're actually a huge relationship out there right now, and the press isn't really following us as much." "I don't get it," I told him, and he nodded his agreement. **~Two weeks later~ "Finally...I'm SO exhausted," Lance said, stepping off the plane and into the Orlando airport. "Now where are the guys?" He looked around and rolled his eyes. Then he saw them and jogged over to a group of four guys dressed like bikers. Except they weren't very scary looking. "Nice disguises," he said. "You know, it would've been really funny if we were real bikers and you said that. It would've been so funny and I would have laughed my ass off at you," Chris said dryly. "Hilarious," Lance yawned. He had taken another late-night flight. It was then that the other four saw the dark circles under his eyes. "Hey, you all right? You look exhausted," Justin said. "Fine," he said. "It's just that I've gotten about 20 total hours...for five nights I was there." He rubbed his eyes. "Really? That's like, four hours a night...how come?" Joey asked, worried. "Did JC tell you that they have us on a schedule?" Lance asked, disregarding the question completely and walking towards the baggage area. "We have to be certain places where there were definitely reporters at certain times...we got mobbed two or three times..." he continued distractedly, grabbing his bag off the conveyor belt. "Or four or five or six..." he coughed. The others exchanged worried looks. "You all right?" Joey asked. "Fine," Lance replied absently. "I think I just caught the little cold or bug or whatever it was Danielle has." "Lou called a meeting while you were gone," Chris said, changing the direction of the conversation entirely. "He said he noticed that he'd been hard on us and was going to slow it down a bit." "He called a meeting without me?" Lance murmured. The other guys had thought of that too; Lance was the one that always went to the meetings and got things straight, especially with the schedule. "That's weird." "Very," JC said with a nod. "But maybe he wanted to get it off his chest and let us know about it, so he just did it without you, and he'll tell you later." He looked at Lance worriedly. He looked completely exhausted. "Maybe," Lance said doubtfully. Somehow, no one really believed JC's explanation. "I need to talk to you James. About two things." "Shoot," Lance replied absently. "This is serious." "So am I." "First...you're not taking care of yourself. You're not resting nearly enough, or eating. If you don't, bad things will happen." "It's not my fault though, Nikolas! I can't help it if..." "You have to, James. Look at yourself. You look horrible and you picked up Danielle's illness. There are bags under your eyes. If this continues, you're going to get REALLY sick. Your body IS human enough to do that. And with the shield we have up, you don't have as much energy as you did before. You must try to take care of yourself." Lance looked down and sighed. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises." "Good enough for now. Second. Joshua." That one word told Lance the real reason Nikolas had come to visit. He winced. "Um...well..." "What do you think you're doing? Kissing him...you KNOW you're not supposed to fall in love!" "I'm NOT in love! We've kissed! There's nothing wrong with kisses. They don't mean I'm in love." "Then you're leading him on, James." "No I'm not!" Lance said defensively. "I'm not doing anything wrong...I'm not in love. Maybe I...like him a little bit, but that doesn't mean anything. And maybe he likes me a little back. Tell me where you see something wrong there!" "Well, it could easily become something more..." "So what if it does? Sow we get together. Who cares? I've never had someone care about me like that; in fact, everyone used to hate me. Doesn't mean I'm in love. Things aren't like they used to be...you can be with someone without loving them." "Who said anything about being with anyone?" "Okay, maybe we're not together. But still, there's nothing wrong with liking each other and kissing!" Lance said, sort of realizing he sounded a lot younger than he was. "James, listen to me." Lance looked at him. "I understand where you're coming from. Believe me, I do. And you're right. But you have to understand. Love is always a possibility, and if you do...become a couple, then there's the potential there." "I understand that," Lance said. "But I don't like being reprimanded when I'm really not breaking any rules." Nikolas looked at him. Lance looked like he really believed what he was saying. He sighed. "Use your judgment, James. I trust you'll make the right decision." "All right, you guys, nice job, now what do you say we try it once more from the..." Darren was interrupted by a coughing Lance. "You all right?" "Fine," Lance said, jumping to the side and taking a sip of his water. "You sure? Maybe you should take a break," Darren said doubtfully. Lance shook his head and got back into the formation. "Uh uh. No breaks for me. I missed enough rehearsals last week when I was with Danielle. I'm all right." "Apparently you caught her cold too," Darren said, somewhat amused. "You sure you're all right?" "Fine," Lance said again, rolling his eyes. "Can we start now?" Darren laughed. "Yes sir. But by the time we're through, you'll never want to say THAT again." ** "Are you coming with us tonight?" JC asked Lance. Lance shook his head. "Nah, I'm just gonna rest for tonight." "You sure?" JC pressed. "Positive." JC sighed but left him alone. "He coming?" Joey asked. "Nope," JC said, staring longingly at Lance's door. "I think it's more than a cold." The others looked curiously at him. "I mean, I think maybe he's got a bug or something. He's always tired and he never goes out with us anymore." "You're right," Justin said, looking at JC thoughtfully. "Maybe one of us should stay here and make sure he's all right?" "I'll stay," JC said quickly. The other three exchanged knowing glances. They all remembered the drunken kiss between the two of them. Well, Justin didn't, but Chris and Joey had been sure to describe it in great detail, much to the dismay of JC and Lance. JC said goodbye to the others and walked back to Lance's room. "I thought you guys were going out?" Lance asked, hanging up his phone. JC noticed he looked upset about something. "Yeah, but I opted to stay in. Hang out with you, if that's all right." "Fine," Lance said distractedly. JC looked over at him worriedly. "You okay, Scoop?" he asked, noticing Lance's unfocused look. "I'm fine," Lance said, snapping his head over to look at JC. "Fine." "You sure?" JC asked. "Because if there's something bothering you, then..." "Danielle broke up with Jordan." JC shut up. "What?" "She dumped him because he wanted her to choose between him and me." "But you're not even her real boyfriend!" JC exclaimed, completely confused. "I know," Lance said sadly. "And apparently, she chose me. I tried to tell her that this isn't even real, that I'm not going to become straight just because she's my girlfriend, but she wouldn't listen. She's really confused right now and I don't think she knows what she really wants..." "But that's no excuse," JC said firmly. "I know. But she ended up having to make the choice between her career and her boyfriend, and she chose her career. I tried to 'break up' with her, but she said she'd still tell the press we were together if I tried." He looked abruptly. "I don't really wanna talk about this right now." "Okay," JC said uncomfortably, because he didn't exactly want to talk about it either. "Wanna watch a movie?" Lance shrugged agreeably. "Sure. What do you wanna watch?" "Umm..." JC looked over their choices. "How about..." he pursed his lips. "What Dreams May Come?" "Sure. What's it about?" "Um...A guy's two kids die...and then he dies...and he goes to Heaven...and his wife is left all alone. Supposed to have good special effects." Lance thought for a second. This could be interesting. "All right." JC smiled and ordered it. "Good." Somehow during the movie, Lance and JC managed to snuggle closer together. "That part is so sad," Lance commented. JC nodded in agreement. "Are you cold?" he asked, noticing the way Lance was shaking. Lance nodded his head. "A little. But that's okay." JC got up anyway, and got an extra blanket, surrounding the two of them. A little further into the movie, JC noticed that Lance was sweating a little now. He frowned and put a hand against his friend's forehead. "Oh my God, you're burning up," he said. Lance looked at him. "But I'm still a little cold," he complained. "No you're not. You've got a fever. I knew you had something worse than a cold." "I'm fine," Lance said. "Let's just watch the movie, it's almost over." Lance was enjoying it, even though Hollywood hadn't exactly been right with a few of its ideas. But that was Hollywood. The movie came to a close and Lance looked over at JC. He was sleeping, and Lance sighed. "I don't feel like getting up," he said, turning the TV back on and flipping through. "We're so happy together," he heard a familiar voice say. He groaned. "I don't think this will ever--" he shut off the TV. "Don't wanna hear this crap," he muttered. "My goodness, can't she just go back to Jordan and leave me alone? I'm sick of this!"