Chapter 43

Inner Reflection | home

"Lou! How high are you today?" Lance shouted. The others laughed. "Oh, whoops. My bad. I meant to say...'Hi, how are you today?'...I guess I got a little tongue-tied. Sorry."

Chris laughed harder and clapped his hand against Lance's shoulder. Lou glared. "I'm just fine, Princey."

Lance gave a disgusted smile. "Wanna tell me why you're here again?" He asked Lou. The others continued on their way to the stage. "I mean, you've never really had much interest in our concerts before, so..."

"I can come when I want to," Lou said. Lance raised an eyebrow, but then scampered off to do the soundcheck with the other guys. Lou glared at his back. "Little bastard..."

"Go away! We're plotting!" Chris yelled through the door.

"Tell meeee!" Lance whined.

"Uh uh," Justin said. "You'll see in two weeks. Bet you can't figure anything out!"

"Oh, let me see," Lance said, putting a finger up to his chin. "You're plotting something that's going on in two weeks and all FOUR of you know what's going on, but won't tell me. And..." Lance gasped as if he'd just made a big revelation. "Wow, my BIRTHDAY is in two weeks too! They're not related at all, noooo!"

"They're not!" Justin protested.

Lance beat his hand against the door. "Josh?" he begged pitifully. "Will you let me in?"

"Sit down JC," Chris said suddenly.

Lance grinned. "Pleeeeease Josh?" he whined again.

"Sit down, JC." It came from Joey this time.

Lance tried again. He sighed. "Pwease, Joshy? Lemme in?"

"Sit down, JC." Justin. That was three, Lance reasoned. JC was probably pissing them off now.

"But he sounds so cute!" Yup. Definitely working.

"SIT DOWN, JC. I don't care if Lance sounds like the most adorable thing on the planet, we're NOT letting him in," Justin snapped. Okay, so maybe it wasn't working.

"But he IS the most adorable thing on the planet," JC muttered.

My turn, Lance thought. "Jo-osh," he whined, "I haven't seen you all day! I miss you! Open the door, pleeeeease?" he begged.

There was the sound of a chair clattering to the floor. "JC! GET BACK HERE!" was heard from someone, and then Lance winced as he heard bodies falling to the ground.

"Get off of me!" JC was moaning.

"Aw, damn, we can do this without him then," Chris muttered from near the door. "Come here."

"Ow!" JC complained. "Let go!"

Lance saw the door open, and then he fell to the floor, having been hit with something -- no, someone. He heard Chris' distinct voice. "Thank you, come again." Then the door slammed.

"Not fair, using his weakness against him," Lance heard Joey yell from inside.

"It worked, didn't it?" Lance called back, standing up.

"Hey," a disgruntled JC said from the floor.

Lance looked down and grinned. "Hey sweetie." He bent down and gave JC a kiss on the nose. "I missed you." Lance had been called off for a radio interview, and then he was stuck on the phone with Danielle while the other guys were in bed.

"Then where are you going?" JC muttered softly, pulling Lance back down and kissing him fully on the lips.

Lance kissed him back before pulling away. "To eat lunch," he said. "I'm hungry. And I don't like eating by myself, so I figure, who better to bring with me than my boyfriend?" he asked, sticking his hand out.

JC smiled. "I'm hungry too," he said, taking Lance's hand and pulling himself up. They kept their hands linked.

"Are you guys done plotting yet or do I have to go away again?" Lance sighed. This was getting old. He knew what they were talking about; they knew he knew what they were talking about. "I don't want a party!"

"You're getting one anyway!"

"Joey, if you jump out of my birthday cake like you did to poor JC last year, I swear..." Lance threatened.

"I won't," Joey promised. "Besides, it's been done."

"Obviously," JC muttered, slapping Joey on the head.

"It's not a big deal," Lance tried. "I'm turning twenty...it's not like I'm eighteen or twenty-one or something!

"It's big enough!" Justin said, and Lance could hear the grin in his voice.

The worst part of it was that Lance knew it wasn't going to be anything special. They just did it to annoy him. He figured that it would be the same as the year before, just some people over, friends, some other artists, then it would be just the five of them being normal again. They were just looking for an excuse to party, and Lance's birthday was the excuse they were using...this time, anyway. "Let me in," he sighed wearily. "I know that the only things you've got in there are blank sheets of paper."

There was a rustling of paper and an indignant "NO!" that was just a little too loud.

He sighed. There had to be another way to get them out of that room...then he got it. He took his keys out of his pocket and jingled them. "Well, I'm going to get FOOD, so if anyone wants to join me...no? Oh, too bad." He opened and slammed the front door shut. "One...two...three," he counted to himself, then he heard a rush of footsteps. He really knew these guys too well.

"I want some! Don't leave!"

JC sauntered up to Lance and kissed him. "Good idea."

"Pure genius," Lance replied. "Shall we?" JC nodded and they followed their three bandmates out the door.

Lance glared into the eyes of the person behind the counter. Joey and Justin had wanted to go to McDonalds, so here they were at the Golden Arches. Lance wishing they'd wanted to go to Burger King. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly. The others were eating, and Lance had said that he needed a different soda.

"What do you think I'm doing?" the other sneered. "I'm serving food."

"Yeah, doing the only job you'd be able to GET if you were here now," Lance mocked.

The person behind the counter gave him a dirty look and pushed him his soda. Their fingers brushed, and he drew back his hand as if shocked. Lance laughed. "Oh, did I forget to mention? You can't touch me now. You can't hurt us. So leave us all alone." Lance grabbed his soda and walked back to the other guys.

"What was up over there?" JC asked, squeezing Lance's knee under the table.

"Nothing," Lance muttered, cramming a fry into his mouth. "Sales guy was just being a jerk, that's all." He swirled another fry around in a pool of ketchup.

"You gonna eat that or play with it all day?" JC asked.

Lance scowled. Leaning back, he looked at Joey. "Want those? I'm not really hungry."

JC gave him a worried frown and scratched his head. "You all right?"

"Fine, I just have a little headache...nothing big. I'm just not hungry, okay?" Lance said, glaring at JC. JC got the message and backed off with a shake of his head. Lance scratched the side of his face and pushed the fry box towards Joey. "Here."

Joey and Justin ended up sharing the fries and they were devoured within minutes. Lance shook his head in disbelief. "We ready?" JC asked.

"Uh huh," Joey said.

Justin finished chewing on a fry before answering. "Yup."

Chris and Lance both stood up. They all walked out, Lance and the man behind the counter giving each other significant glares. Joey hung back to talk to Lance. "Was that...?"

Lance nodded wryly. "Yeah, that was Benny."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 43 "Lou! How high are you today?" Lance shouted. The others laughed. "Oh, whoops. My bad. I meant to say...'Hi, how are you today?'...I guess I got a little tongue-tied. Sorry." Chris laughed harder and clapped his hand against Lance's shoulder. Lou glared. "I'm just fine, Princey." Lance gave a disgusted smile. "Wanna tell me why you're here again?" He asked Lou. The others continued on their way to the stage. "I mean, you've never really had much interest in our concerts before, so..." "I can come when I want to," Lou said. Lance raised an eyebrow, but then scampered off to do the soundcheck with the other guys. Lou glared at his back. "Little bastard..." ** "Go away! We're plotting!" Chris yelled through the door. "Tell meeee!" Lance whined. "Uh uh," Justin said. "You'll see in two weeks. Bet you can't figure anything out!" "Oh, let me see," Lance said, putting a finger up to his chin. "You're plotting something that's going on in two weeks and all FOUR of you know what's going on, but won't tell me. And..." Lance gasped as if he'd just made a big revelation. "Wow, my BIRTHDAY is in two weeks too! They're not related at all, noooo!" "They're not!" Justin protested. Lance beat his hand against the door. "Josh?" he begged pitifully. "Will you let me in?" "Sit down JC," Chris said suddenly. Lance grinned. "Pleeeeease Josh?" he whined again. "Sit down, JC." It came from Joey this time. Lance tried again. He sighed. "Pwease, Joshy? Lemme in?" "Sit down, JC." Justin. That was three, Lance reasoned. JC was probably pissing them off now. "But he sounds so cute!" Yup. Definitely working. "SIT DOWN, JC. I don't care if Lance sounds like the most adorable thing on the planet, we're NOT letting him in," Justin snapped. Okay, so maybe it wasn't working. "But he IS the most adorable thing on the planet," JC muttered. "Aww," Chris cooed. My turn, Lance thought. "Jo-osh," he whined, "I haven't seen you all day! I miss you! Open the door, pleeeeease?" he begged. There was the sound of a chair clattering to the floor. "JC! GET BACK HERE!" was heard from someone, and then Lance winced as he heard bodies falling to the ground. "Get off of me!" JC was moaning. "Aw, damn, we can do this without him then," Chris muttered from near the door. "Come here." "Ow!" JC complained. "Let go!" Lance saw the door open, and then he fell to the floor, having been hit with something -- no, someone. He heard Chris' distinct voice. "Thank you, come again." Then the door slammed. "Not fair, using his weakness against him," Lance heard Joey yell from inside. "It worked, didn't it?" Lance called back, standing up. "Hey," a disgruntled JC said from the floor. Lance looked down and grinned. "Hey sweetie." He bent down and gave JC a kiss on the nose. "I missed you." Lance had been called off for a radio interview, and then he was stuck on the phone with Danielle while the other guys were in bed. "Then where are you going?" JC muttered softly, pulling Lance back down and kissing him fully on the lips. Lance kissed him back before pulling away. "To eat lunch," he said. "I'm hungry. And I don't like eating by myself, so I figure, who better to bring with me than my boyfriend?" he asked, sticking his hand out. JC smiled. "I'm hungry too," he said, taking Lance's hand and pulling himself up. They kept their hands linked. ** "Are you guys done plotting yet or do I have to go away again?" Lance sighed. This was getting old. He knew what they were talking about; they knew he knew what they were talking about. "I don't want a party!" "TOO BAD!" "You're getting one anyway!" "Joey, if you jump out of my birthday cake like you did to poor JC last year, I swear..." Lance threatened. "I won't," Joey promised. "Besides, it's been done." "Obviously," JC muttered, slapping Joey on the head. "It's not a big deal," Lance tried. "I'm turning twenty...it's not like I'm eighteen or twenty-one or something! "It's big enough!" Justin said, and Lance could hear the grin in his voice. The worst part of it was that Lance knew it wasn't going to be anything special. They just did it to annoy him. He figured that it would be the same as the year before, just some people over, friends, some other artists, then it would be just the five of them being normal again. They were just looking for an excuse to party, and Lance's birthday was the excuse they were using...this time, anyway. "Let me in," he sighed wearily. "I know that the only things you've got in there are blank sheets of paper." There was a rustling of paper and an indignant "NO!" that was just a little too loud. He sighed. There had to be another way to get them out of that room...then he got it. He took his keys out of his pocket and jingled them. "Well, I'm going to get FOOD, so if anyone wants to join me...no? Oh, too bad." He opened and slammed the front door shut. "One...two...three," he counted to himself, then he heard a rush of footsteps. He really knew these guys too well. "I'm coming!" "Me too!" "I want some! Don't leave!" JC sauntered up to Lance and kissed him. "Good idea." "Pure genius," Lance replied. "Shall we?" JC nodded and they followed their three bandmates out the door. * Lance glared into the eyes of the person behind the counter. Joey and Justin had wanted to go to McDonalds, so here they were at the Golden Arches. Lance wishing they'd wanted to go to Burger King. "What are you doing here?" he asked coldly. The others were eating, and Lance had said that he needed a different soda. "What do you think I'm doing?" the other sneered. "I'm serving food." "Yeah, doing the only job you'd be able to GET if you were here now," Lance mocked. The person behind the counter gave him a dirty look and pushed him his soda. Their fingers brushed, and he drew back his hand as if shocked. Lance laughed. "Oh, did I forget to mention? You can't touch me now. You can't hurt us. So leave us all alone." Lance grabbed his soda and walked back to the other guys. "What was up over there?" JC asked, squeezing Lance's knee under the table. "Nothing," Lance muttered, cramming a fry into his mouth. "Sales guy was just being a jerk, that's all." He swirled another fry around in a pool of ketchup. "You gonna eat that or play with it all day?" JC asked. Lance scowled. Leaning back, he looked at Joey. "Want those? I'm not really hungry." JC gave him a worried frown and scratched his head. "You all right?" "Fine, I just have a little headache...nothing big. I'm just not hungry, okay?" Lance said, glaring at JC. JC got the message and backed off with a shake of his head. Lance scratched the side of his face and pushed the fry box towards Joey. "Here." Joey and Justin ended up sharing the fries and they were devoured within minutes. Lance shook his head in disbelief. "We ready?" JC asked. "Uh huh," Joey said. Justin finished chewing on a fry before answering. "Yup." Chris and Lance both stood up. They all walked out, Lance and the man behind the counter giving each other significant glares. Joey hung back to talk to Lance. "Was that...?" Lance nodded wryly. "Yeah, that was Benny."