Chapter 3

Joey acted all chummy in front of Justin, not knowing Justin knew about the relationship he and Lance had. Walking up to Lance, he put his arm around his friends' shoulder. "It's so good of you to come take care of me with my hangover and all."

Smiling, though he knew what was coming, Lance waved bye to Justin, the turned to Joey, "Well, it was kind of my fault you got drunk anyways..." His voice was a low whisper, so as not to let any of the people passing them hear.

Knowing that the grin was forced, Lance just lowered his eyes to the ground. "Joey, I'm really sorry about all this," he said when Joey turned to lead him back up to the room. Lance figured he'd try and apologize as much as he could, maybe that would lighten the beating.

"My ass you are..." Joey hissed through gritted teeth and a fake smile. "If you were, you would've listened to me in the first place."

"I...I'm sorry..." Lance said, taking in a choppy breath, passing it off as a cough, or at least attempting to.

As a giggling fan walked by, Joey smiled towards her, causing her to laugh more. She had no idea what was going on between the two band mates. "Don't waste your breath," he whispered harshly. "You're going to need it later."

Lance smiled slightly to the fan, but remained silent, continuing to prepair himself. "I should have listened to him. Why didn't I listen? Why did I have to go with Justin to the charity event? I should have just stayed in the room like he told me to do..."

Once they reached their room, Joey pulled out the key from his back pocket and inserted it into the door, then twisted the handle.

"Joey..." Lance started, this being his last chance to make amends. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to make you mad...please, you got to believe me..."

Opening the door, Joey gestured for Lance to walk in first. When he did, the older man ordered, "Go sit down, I'll be right back. Do NOT leave this room."

Lance obeyed, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes lowered. "Where...where are you going?" he managed to asked hesitantly.

Replying through gritted teeth, Joey replied, "I'm going to get a bottle of Vodka. If I have to deal with you, I might as well be drunk."

"And being with Just...I mean doing charity work makes me feel good," Lance replied, hoping Joey didn't catch his slip of words. Joey heard the slip of words, but chose to ignore them. Closing the door behind him, he headed straight down to the bar he had retreated to the night before.

The new bartender, a girl, recognized Joey immeditatly. Her flustered expression was also obvious. "Hi...um...what can I get you today Joey...I mean, Mr. Fatone," she asked, her voice raising to a school-girl tone.

Turnig his voice into the sophicated tone, mixed with his trademark flirtyness, he leaned over the bar and batted his big brown puppy dog eyes at her. "I need a bottle of Vodka to go, pretty lady."

The girl did all she could to not faint, right there in front of him. "Um...sure, let me get a fresh bottle for you out of the back room. I'll be right back..." Joey took a seat, waiting for her to be right back.

A minute later, the girl returned, a fresh bottle of vodka in hand. "Here you go. Do you want me to add it your room tab?"

Giggling like Britney, the girl handed him the bottle and wrote down his room number, without him telling her what it was. "Okay, $5.00 to room 1822."

Turning around, speaking over his shoulder, Joey called, "I might be seeing you later," and winked before heading back to his room.

Lance stood by the window, looking down towards the street. People walking this way and that covered the sidewalk, unaware of the now 4 pop stars that were within the building they passed. His arms were crossed in front of him, his eyes bloodshot from the tears that escaped, his cheeks stained.

When the door slammed opened, Lance turned around to see Joey entering the room, taking a swig from the bottle of vodka.

"Um...hi..." the blond stuttered, quickly wiping away a defient tear. Joey was still furious, so he ignored Lance. He only walked over to the bed and propped himself up, taking another swig from the bottle. Gulping, Lance stood there, not sure if Joey would lash out at him or not. Playing with the hem of his shirt, he didn't make any eye contact with his boyfriend.

Reaching for the remote that lay on the bedside stand, Joey continued to ignore Lance. Flipping channels, he searched for something worth watching.

"Jo...Joey?" Lance asked timidly, hating the cold shoulder he was receiving. "I...I didn't mean to...to make you mad."

Taking hold of the blanket, Lance didn't venture to tell Joey that it was still day time, early morning actually. An idea was beginning to form within his mind. Spreading the blanket on the floor, Lance walked over to his side of the bed and timidly took a pillow. Returning to the blanket, he laid down and whispered, "Good night Joey."

"Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, get to sleep." Rolling over, he pulled a pillow over his head so he wouldn't have to hear Lance or the tv blairing.

Because of the hangover Joey was experiencing, he was out within a few minutes. Lance then slowly stood and walked over to Joeys' side. Leaning down, he slowly kissed his sleep boyfriends' lips before walking out of the room and down the hall to the pay phones. Inserting 35 cents, he dialed Justins' cell phone number and waited for him to pick up.

"Justin, it's Lance. Do you have time to turn around and pick me up, or should I just catch a cab to the charity hall?" Looking down the hall to the closed door of his room, he kept his voice down to a dull whisper, even though he knew Joey was passed out on the bed.

Looking down at his watch, Justin replied, "Sure, we're already late. I'll just call them and tell them we'll be a little later then planned."

"Okay, thanks man. I owe you. I'll be waiting outside," Lance answered, breathing a sigh of reliefe. He did want to spend time with Joey, but not while he was in the drunken state.

Justin hung up his cell phone, then asked the limo driver to turn around, Justin asked him to go back to the hotel and pick up Lance; that there had been a change in plans.

Lance too hung up the black receiver when Justin did. Walking quietly down the empty hall, he let out the breath he was unconciously holding as he walked passed the room he shared with his boyfriend. Making his way down to the lobby, Lance waited for the limo to pull up; every once in a while turning to look over his shoulder to make sure that Joey wasn't there. Every time he caught glimpse of brown hair with red tips, his heart skipped a beat. He was always conviced it was Joey on a rampage coming to beat the living shit out of him.

A few minutes later, finally the limo pulled up and Justin opened the door from inside. Scooting over to make room for his friend in the large plush limo, Justin asked, "So what happened? If you don't my asking."

"Nothing..." Lance said, closing the door, semi-saddly. "He didn't even talk to me that much, just went down to the bar, ordered a bottle of vodka, drank half of it on his way back to the room, and is now passed out on the bed. He didn't even yell at me...he did nothing..."

"Not when he usually hits me after I don't listen to him," Lance thought before shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess so." Turning to look out the window as the buildings whizzed by, Lance could hear Joey shouting at him, just as he had done on the phone. His harsh voice echoed in his mind, ringing over and over and over again.

"Yeah...I told him last night about the charity thing, and he said I couldn't go...he's kind of protective over me." Lance knew it was a lie, about Joey being overly protective of him. He just didn't know exactly how to tell anyone about the stuff he was going through without lying to them.

"Sometimes, he gets a little *too* protective of me. I know he cares and all, but sometimes he just...I don't know."

"Well, I'll make sure to let you go off somewhere on your own today," Justin said, smiling that perfect smile of his.

Smiling slightly, Lance turned to face Justin. "Thanks man. You have no idea how much I need a break from Joey. Just...don't tell him that I said that okay?"

The remainder of the drive to the charity event was filled with little chit chat between the two friends. Lance still had not, and decided that he would not, tell Justin, or Chris and JC about the stuff Joey put him through on a constant basis. It was his problem, therefore he would work through it alone.

When they arrived at the charity event, Justin, being the over eager, second hyper one of the group, didn't wait for the driver to open the door for them. He jumped across the seat and reached for the door handle, pulling it towards him and quickly compossing himself before the door completly opened.

"And I thought Chris was the hyper one," Lance teased, making his way out of the limo like the southern gentleman the press portrayed him to be.

"You smart ass," the older blond answered. Walking off towards the main room that the charity event would be held in, Lance left the younger singer bouncing in place. "You can keep bouncing there if you want Justy," Lance said, again not catching himself using the nickname that, until that time, only female used in reference to Justin.

Boucing towards Lance, Justin followed his friend into the conference hall. Once they were inside the room, the two of them smiled and both made their way towards their assigned seats. While they were waiting for the event to start, Justin and Lance spotted a group of girls looking and giggling in their direction. Smiling, the two boys waved to the girls, talking to them for a few minutes.

"This will defenitly be something I can use to get my mind off Joey," Lance whispered to Justin just as the spokesperson took the podeum.

Once Joey woke up a few hours later, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Looking around the room for Lance, he realized that his boyfriend wasn't in the room. Getting shakily off the bed, he walked over to the door, remembered the key in his pocket. Reaching for the door knob, he didn't have to go far to find Lance; he was walking down the hallway with Justin at his side.

"That was so awesome, I can't believe we were able to do so much in that short amount of time," Lance was saying, his face beaming brightly. "And you were awesome too."

At his boyfriends' words, Joey walked out, totally angry. Taking Lance roughly by the arm, he greeted his band mate. "Hi Justin." And before the young blond could say anything, Joey had drug Lance back into the room.

When Joey finally shut the door, he didn't let go of Lances' arm. "Uh...hi Joey?" he managed to stutter, his prior fears now rushing back to him full force.

At his words, Joey lost it totally. Throwing Lance hard into the wall, he bellowed, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING SCREWING AROUND WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!??"

Shaking his head, Lance tried to get up, only Joey pushed him right back down. "What...what are you talking about? I...I wasn't doing anything..."

"I am telling you the truth!" Lance said, laying on his side, looking up towards Joey. "We were able to raise close to $25,000 dollars today for the childrens' hosptial. Publishers are going to help us get books to donate to them. Honest Joey..."

Looking away from him, Lance realized he had said too much. "Yes...I'm sorry...it...it won't happen again...I swear it won't..."

Lances' natural reaction was to curl up into a tight ball, bringing his legs up as close to his chest as possible. Moving his arms to encircle his head, he tucked his chin against his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. He knew this was coming, but the few hours he had spent with Justin helped him forget just how angry Joey could get with him at times, and he didn't have time to mentally prepair himself for this, so...needless to say, it came as quiet a shock.

Joey still wasn't thinking straight as he continued to throw punches. The smaller Lance tried to make himself, the harder Joeys' hits seemed to be.

"I'm sorry!" Lance pleaded, tears now again coming. "I'm sorry! Please Joey, it won't happen again! I promise! I'll listen to whatever you say! Please, just stop hitting me!"

"I'm done for now...just go to bed," Joey hissed, stopping the onslot of punches. "Just go to bed. And forget talking to Justin."

Lance looked up towards the window to see the stars hanging high in the sky. Slowly standing to his feet, Lance held his side and cautiously walked over to the bed, looking over at Joey for permission.

Climbing into the soft bed, Lance whimpered as the mattress conformed to his bruised body. Looking up at Joey, he asked, "Are...are you going to come to bed? Or, are you still mad at me?"

Closing his eyes, Lance nodded before leaning over and giving his boyfriend a small kiss on the cheek. Pulling back, his eyes were wide with fear. "I...I...good night Joey..."

"That's what I thought." Rolling over, Joey said nothing more onto his side, his back to Lance, pulling the covers up over his shoulders.

Lance watched as the man of his life, the one that held his heart, fell into a deep sleep next to him. Rolling over so that he was right behind Joey, Lance carefully pressed his body against Joeys, drapping his arm over Joeys' waist, finding his fingers and lacing them together. Squeezing closer to him, he lightly kissed his shoulder blades, then sighed. Even though Joey could be abusive to him at times, Lance found that he did love him with all his heart. At least that was what his heart was telling him; his mind was screaming a whole different thing.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to When Love Hurts Chapter 3 Joey acted all chummy in front of Justin, not knowing Justin knew about the relationship he and Lance had. Walking up to Lance, he put his arm around his friends' shoulder. "It's so good of you to come take care of me with my hangover and all." Smiling, though he knew what was coming, Lance waved bye to Justin, the turned to Joey, "Well, it was kind of my fault you got drunk anyways..." His voice was a low whisper, so as not to let any of the people passing them hear. "No it's not...I just wanted to drink," Joey replied, a big grin plastered on his face. Knowing that the grin was forced, Lance just lowered his eyes to the ground. "Joey, I'm really sorry about all this," he said when Joey turned to lead him back up to the room. Lance figured he'd try and apologize as much as he could, maybe that would lighten the beating. "My ass you are..." Joey hissed through gritted teeth and a fake smile. "If you were, you would've listened to me in the first place." "I am Joey...I really truely am..." Lance whispered back, his voice again becoming choked. Looking down at him, Joey again hissed, "Don't cry wuss..." "I...I'm sorry..." Lance said, taking in a choppy breath, passing it off as a cough, or at least attempting to. As a giggling fan walked by, Joey smiled towards her, causing her to laugh more. She had no idea what was going on between the two band mates. "Don't waste your breath," he whispered harshly. "You're going to need it later." Lance smiled slightly to the fan, but remained silent, continuing to prepair himself. "I should have listened to him. Why didn't I listen? Why did I have to go with Justin to the charity event? I should have just stayed in the room like he told me to do..." Once they reached their room, Joey pulled out the key from his back pocket and inserted it into the door, then twisted the handle. "Joey..." Lance started, this being his last chance to make amends. "I'm sorry, I really am. I didn't mean to make you mad...please, you got to believe me..." Opening the door, Joey gestured for Lance to walk in first. When he did, the older man ordered, "Go sit down, I'll be right back. Do NOT leave this room." Lance obeyed, walking over to the bed and sitting on the edge of it, his hands folded in front of him, his eyes lowered. "Where...where are you going?" he managed to asked hesitantly. Replying through gritted teeth, Joey replied, "I'm going to get a bottle of Vodka. If I have to deal with you, I might as well be drunk." "Drinking doesn't solve all your problems Joey." "It might not, but it sure makes me feel good." "And being with Just...I mean doing charity work makes me feel good," Lance replied, hoping Joey didn't catch his slip of words. Joey heard the slip of words, but chose to ignore them. Closing the door behind him, he headed straight down to the bar he had retreated to the night before. The new bartender, a girl, recognized Joey immeditatly. Her flustered expression was also obvious. "Hi...um...what can I get you today Joey...I mean, Mr. Fatone," she asked, her voice raising to a school-girl tone. Turnig his voice into the sophicated tone, mixed with his trademark flirtyness, he leaned over the bar and batted his big brown puppy dog eyes at her. "I need a bottle of Vodka to go, pretty lady." The girl did all she could to not faint, right there in front of him. "Um...sure, let me get a fresh bottle for you out of the back room. I'll be right back..." Joey took a seat, waiting for her to be right back. A minute later, the girl returned, a fresh bottle of vodka in hand. "Here you go. Do you want me to add it your room tab?" Batting his eyes again, Joey replied, "Sure, why not?" Giggling like Britney, the girl handed him the bottle and wrote down his room number, without him telling her what it was. "Okay, $5.00 to room 1822." Turning around, speaking over his shoulder, Joey called, "I might be seeing you later," and winked before heading back to his room. "I get off work in 3 hours," she called back before turning to another customer. "Hi, what can I get you sir?" ----- Lance stood by the window, looking down towards the street. People walking this way and that covered the sidewalk, unaware of the now 4 pop stars that were within the building they passed. His arms were crossed in front of him, his eyes bloodshot from the tears that escaped, his cheeks stained. When the door slammed opened, Lance turned around to see Joey entering the room, taking a swig from the bottle of vodka. "Um...hi..." the blond stuttered, quickly wiping away a defient tear. Joey was still furious, so he ignored Lance. He only walked over to the bed and propped himself up, taking another swig from the bottle. Gulping, Lance stood there, not sure if Joey would lash out at him or not. Playing with the hem of his shirt, he didn't make any eye contact with his boyfriend. Reaching for the remote that lay on the bedside stand, Joey continued to ignore Lance. Flipping channels, he searched for something worth watching. "Jo...Joey?" Lance asked timidly, hating the cold shoulder he was receiving. "I...I didn't mean to...to make you mad." Not even making eye contact with Lance, Joey replied, "Go sleep in the tub." "But it's cold..." the blond complained. "Please, I said I'm sorry..." Tossing him a blanket, Joey then hissed, "Then sleep on the floor and shut up." Taking hold of the blanket, Lance didn't venture to tell Joey that it was still day time, early morning actually. An idea was beginning to form within his mind. Spreading the blanket on the floor, Lance walked over to his side of the bed and timidly took a pillow. Returning to the blanket, he laid down and whispered, "Good night Joey." "Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, get to sleep." Rolling over, he pulled a pillow over his head so he wouldn't have to hear Lance or the tv blairing. Because of the hangover Joey was experiencing, he was out within a few minutes. Lance then slowly stood and walked over to Joeys' side. Leaning down, he slowly kissed his sleep boyfriends' lips before walking out of the room and down the hall to the pay phones. Inserting 35 cents, he dialed Justins' cell phone number and waited for him to pick up. "You got Justin, what do you want?" the other blond answered just after one ring. "Justin, it's Lance. Do you have time to turn around and pick me up, or should I just catch a cab to the charity hall?" Looking down the hall to the closed door of his room, he kept his voice down to a dull whisper, even though he knew Joey was passed out on the bed. Looking down at his watch, Justin replied, "Sure, we're already late. I'll just call them and tell them we'll be a little later then planned." "Okay, thanks man. I owe you. I'll be waiting outside," Lance answered, breathing a sigh of reliefe. He did want to spend time with Joey, but not while he was in the drunken state. Justin hung up his cell phone, then asked the limo driver to turn around, Justin asked him to go back to the hotel and pick up Lance; that there had been a change in plans. Lance too hung up the black receiver when Justin did. Walking quietly down the empty hall, he let out the breath he was unconciously holding as he walked passed the room he shared with his boyfriend. Making his way down to the lobby, Lance waited for the limo to pull up; every once in a while turning to look over his shoulder to make sure that Joey wasn't there. Every time he caught glimpse of brown hair with red tips, his heart skipped a beat. He was always conviced it was Joey on a rampage coming to beat the living shit out of him. A few minutes later, finally the limo pulled up and Justin opened the door from inside. Scooting over to make room for his friend in the large plush limo, Justin asked, "So what happened? If you don't my asking." "Nothing..." Lance said, closing the door, semi-saddly. "He didn't even talk to me that much, just went down to the bar, ordered a bottle of vodka, drank half of it on his way back to the room, and is now passed out on the bed. He didn't even yell at me...he did nothing..." Breathing a sigh of reliefe, Justin asked, "Well, that's good right?" "Not when he usually hits me after I don't listen to him," Lance thought before shrugging his shoulders. "Yeah, I guess so." Turning to look out the window as the buildings whizzed by, Lance could hear Joey shouting at him, just as he had done on the phone. His harsh voice echoed in his mind, ringing over and over and over again. "Well, at least you get to go, right?" "Joey doesn't know I'm going." "Well, but I might be wrong with this, but in a relationship, don't you tell the other someone everything?" "Yeah...I told him last night about the charity thing, and he said I couldn't go...he's kind of protective over me." Lance knew it was a lie, about Joey being overly protective of him. He just didn't know exactly how to tell anyone about the stuff he was going through without lying to them. "Well, at least that's a sign that he cares," Justin replied, trying to soften the mood. "Yeah, I guess so..." "Don't guess. It is good," Justin said. "Over protectivness shows caring." "Sometimes, he gets a little too protective of me. I know he cares and all, but sometimes he just...I don't know." "You mean, he's so over protective that it gets to the point of being annoying?" "Exacly." "I have those types before," Justin explained. "Where it makes you think you can't do anything on your own." "Or he won't let me do anything on my own," Lance whispered to himself, still looking out the window. "Well, I'll make sure to let you go off somewhere on your own today," Justin said, smiling that perfect smile of his. Smiling slightly, Lance turned to face Justin. "Thanks man. You have no idea how much I need a break from Joey. Just...don't tell him that I said that okay?" "No problem," Justin replied. "Can do, but won't do." Meaning that Justin would comply with Lances' favor. The remainder of the drive to the charity event was filled with little chit chat between the two friends. Lance still had not, and decided that he would not, tell Justin, or Chris and JC about the stuff Joey put him through on a constant basis. It was his problem, therefore he would work through it alone. ----- When they arrived at the charity event, Justin, being the over eager, second hyper one of the group, didn't wait for the driver to open the door for them. He jumped across the seat and reached for the door handle, pulling it towards him and quickly compossing himself before the door completly opened. "And I thought Chris was the hyper one," Lance teased, making his way out of the limo like the southern gentleman the press portrayed him to be. Shrugging innocently, Justin only shrugged, "What??" Shaking his head and smiling, Lance replied, "Never mind. Just don't bounce off anywhere Bounce." Starting to bounce in place, Justin had a smart ass grin on his face. "Okay, where to now?" "You smart ass," the older blond answered. Walking off towards the main room that the charity event would be held in, Lance left the younger singer bouncing in place. "You can keep bouncing there if you want Justy," Lance said, again not catching himself using the nickname that, until that time, only female used in reference to Justin. Boucing towards Lance, Justin followed his friend into the conference hall. Once they were inside the room, the two of them smiled and both made their way towards their assigned seats. While they were waiting for the event to start, Justin and Lance spotted a group of girls looking and giggling in their direction. Smiling, the two boys waved to the girls, talking to them for a few minutes. "This will defenitly be something I can use to get my mind off Joey," Lance whispered to Justin just as the spokesperson took the podeum. ----- Once Joey woke up a few hours later, he rolled over and rubbed his eyes sleepily. Looking around the room for Lance, he realized that his boyfriend wasn't in the room. Getting shakily off the bed, he walked over to the door, remembered the key in his pocket. Reaching for the door knob, he didn't have to go far to find Lance; he was walking down the hallway with Justin at his side. "That was so awesome, I can't believe we were able to do so much in that short amount of time," Lance was saying, his face beaming brightly. "And you were awesome too." At his boyfriends' words, Joey walked out, totally angry. Taking Lance roughly by the arm, he greeted his band mate. "Hi Justin." And before the young blond could say anything, Joey had drug Lance back into the room. When Joey finally shut the door, he didn't let go of Lances' arm. "Uh...hi Joey?" he managed to stutter, his prior fears now rushing back to him full force. At his words, Joey lost it totally. Throwing Lance hard into the wall, he bellowed, "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING SCREWING AROUND WITH SOMEONE ELSE!!??" Shaking his head, Lance tried to get up, only Joey pushed him right back down. "What...what are you talking about? I...I wasn't doing anything..." "OH REALLY!? AND WHAT WAS THE 'I CAN'T BELIEVE WE COULD DO SO MUCH IN SO LITTLE TIME'? WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT!?" "What? That was nothing, I swear!" "MY ASS IT WASN'T! WHY DON'T YOU TRY ADMITTING THE TRUTH SOMETIME LANCE!" "I am telling you the truth!" Lance said, laying on his side, looking up towards Joey. "We were able to raise close to $25,000 dollars today for the childrens' hosptial. Publishers are going to help us get books to donate to them. Honest Joey..." "YOU MEAN TO TELL ME THAT YOU WENT SOMEWHERE AFTER I TOLD YOU YOU COULDN'T GO?!" Looking away from him, Lance realized he had said too much. "Yes...I'm sorry...it...it won't happen again...I swear it won't..." "YEAH RIGHT MY ASS!" Joey hissed, swinging his fist down, connecting with Lances' jaw. Lances' natural reaction was to curl up into a tight ball, bringing his legs up as close to his chest as possible. Moving his arms to encircle his head, he tucked his chin against his chest, trying to make himself as small as possible. He knew this was coming, but the few hours he had spent with Justin helped him forget just how angry Joey could get with him at times, and he didn't have time to mentally prepair himself for this, so...needless to say, it came as quiet a shock. Joey still wasn't thinking straight as he continued to throw punches. The smaller Lance tried to make himself, the harder Joeys' hits seemed to be. "Joey...please...I'm sorry, please..." Throwing one last punch, Joey hissed, "What the hell is wrong with you?!" "I'm sorry!" Lance pleaded, tears now again coming. "I'm sorry! Please Joey, it won't happen again! I promise! I'll listen to whatever you say! Please, just stop hitting me!" "I'm done for now...just go to bed," Joey hissed, stopping the onslot of punches. "Just go to bed. And forget talking to Justin." Lance looked up towards the window to see the stars hanging high in the sky. Slowly standing to his feet, Lance held his side and cautiously walked over to the bed, looking over at Joey for permission. Nodding his head, Joey answered, "Just get to be and go to sleep." Climbing into the soft bed, Lance whimpered as the mattress conformed to his bruised body. Looking up at Joey, he asked, "Are...are you going to come to bed? Or, are you still mad at me?" "I'm still mad. I'll come to be when I'm ready." "Please Joey...I said I was sorry." Holding his hand out, Lance asked, "Please...come to bed..." "Fine." Walking over to the oposite side of the bed, Joey lay down, ignoring Lances' hand. "Joey...what will I have to do to make you forgive me? I already said I was sorry numerous times." Rolling over to glare at Lance, Joey replied, "If you want me to forgive you, shut up and go to sleep." Closing his eyes, Lance nodded before leaning over and giving his boyfriend a small kiss on the cheek. Pulling back, his eyes were wide with fear. "I...I...good night Joey..." "That's what I thought." Rolling over, Joey said nothing more onto his side, his back to Lance, pulling the covers up over his shoulders. Lance watched as the man of his life, the one that held his heart, fell into a deep sleep next to him. Rolling over so that he was right behind Joey, Lance carefully pressed his body against Joeys, drapping his arm over Joeys' waist, finding his fingers and lacing them together. Squeezing closer to him, he lightly kissed his shoulder blades, then sighed. Even though Joey could be abusive to him at times, Lance found that he did love him with all his heart. At least that was what his heart was telling him; his mind was screaming a whole different thing.