Chapter 54

Inner Reflection | home

"Let go of me!" Lance yelled. "Put me down!" He squirmed and sobbed, still trying to get free.

"James, stop this RIGHT NOW!" Nikolas said, his patience wearing thin. He motioned for the other two angels restraining him to leave. He himself held on to Lance's arm.

"You can let go of me," Lance said, curling up into a little ball on a cloud. "I won't go anywhere."

Nikolas let go. "James, look. I'm sorry I had to do that. But you know tha--"

"Leave me alone," Lance interrupted. "I want to be alone," he said miserably. Nikolas regarded the blond angel that didn't want to be an angel sadly, then left the room they'd put him in. Lance curled even closer into himself and cried harder than he'd ever cried before.

"Jace, you all right?" Justin asked, looking at his bandmate carefully.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," JC said distractedly.

"Where did you get that from?" Joey asked, pointing at the necklace hanging around JC's neck.

JC sighed. "I don't even know," he said. "I must've gotten it at the club last night, or something. I don't remember it, and my head hurts. How much did I drink?"

Joey shrugged in response. "I don't know. Hey, where's Ken?"

"Right here," Ken said, coming into the room and rubbing sleep out of his blue eyes.

"How's Barbie?" Chris cracked.

"SHARI is just fine, thank you," Ken said with a glare. "Neither of us appreciate the Barbie comments, Chris."

"They're not that bad. And it's not MY fault if you two look like Ken and Barbie. Blonde hair for her, brown for you...come on, it's perfect. The dashing good looks the rest of us can only dream of." Chris batted his eyelashes. "The fans call her Barbie."

"That's not MY fault."

"Not mine either," Chris defended. He threw a piece of toast over and it hit Ken in the head. The scowl dropped from Ken's face as he flicked eggs across the table.

JC got up when he got hit in the face with a piece of bacon. "I'm not in the mood," he sighed, going back into his room.

"What crawled up his butt?" Ken asked. "And where'd he get that necklace?"

"Ken and Barbie," Lance mocked. "Pretty Shari...pretty Ken. UGH!" He kicked at a cloud in the room his was still in and watch it split apart with satisfaction. He knew it wasn't Ken's fault he was there. He didn't seem half bad either. But that didn't mean he had to like being replaced...seeing this...KEN...take his place in the *NSYNC fold. He didn't like it. And he didn't like the way he got to see JC...no, interact with JC...when Lance himself couldn't anymore. He looked back down, rubbing his eyes, and smiled in some sort of sick satisfaction when he saw that no one knew what they were doing that day.

"Jesus," Justin cursed. "Doesn't ANYONE pay attention?"

Ken flicked a little paper ball at Chris. "Nope," he said.

Chris tossed a pencil back. "Doesn't JC know?"

JC rolled his eyes and went back into his room. "We're...rehearsing in an hour. Tomorrow's the next concert," he yelled. He came back in and took Chris' pencil, breaking it in half. Then he stole the piece of paper that Ken was making his little paper balls from.

JC rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you guys...Chris was bad enough in the beginning, but you make it twice as bad. You two are the oldest...you're supposed to be more mature than JUSTIN, at least."

"Leave me out of this," Justin said, his mouth full of food. JC rolled his eyes again. How did he manage to survive four years with these guys?

*~*Weeks Later...*~*

There was gossip. Gossip in Heaven was never a good thing, Nikolas knew that. But they all knew that Lance had come back. Someone had seen him being dragged into that other room, seen him crying to be allowed back on Earth. They were talking. They'd all expected him to come back and jump into his old role, how could they expect anything else? They thought he'd be Lance the practical joker, the one full of sarcasm, the one that could make any angel smile. But now, he couldn't even make himself smile. They almost WANTED jokes played on them, if it would bring the old Lance back. Heaven hadn't been the same without him...but it wasn't the same with him anymore, either.

"Josh, why don't you ever take that stupid thing off?" Ken asked, gesturing to the necklace.

"JC, and I don't know," JC replied, a little coldly. He didn't like having anyone besides his mother call him Josh...and he wasn't sure why. As for the necklace? Well, it seemed like it was meant for him, so he kept it on. Simple as that. "I just want to keep it on."

"Whoa, IceMan," Ken said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Calm down, just a simple question, JC," he said, stressing the JC. JC glared at him in response, and retreated back into his bunk. "Ugh." He laid down, looking at the ceiling. He soon fell asleep, dreaming...

"Hey, C," Justin yelled, sticking his head into JC's bunk. "Wake your ass up, man."

JC sat up straight and shook himself awake. "Huh...what?"

Justin looked at him strangely. "You all right?"

JC shook his head again. "Yeah," he said, blinking, a hint of bewilderment in his tone. Justin shook his head, and made a move as if to tell JC to explain. JC sighed and though back to the dream he'd been having. "I had the weirdest dream," he confided in Justin, who looked back at him curiously. JC continued. "It looked exactly like a tape of one of our shows, back near the beginning, before the Disney special set things off. We were singing, it looked like it was the Star Spangled Banner at a basketball game." Justin looked at him oddly, there wasn't really anything strange there. "There was Joey, in his usual place. Then came you, just like normal. Then there was Chris in the middle, and then there was me. Just like usual."

"There's nothing weird about that," Justin said, crossing his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raising.

"I'm not done yet. This is the weird part. Where Ken was supposed to be...Ken wasn't there. Instead...there was someone else, someone I don't remember ever seeing before. He looked a little familiar...like maybe I was supposed to know him?"

Justin nodded, knowing the feeling. "What did he look like?"

JC closed his eyes and thought back. "He had blond hair and green eyes, and a bigger Adam's apple than Ken does, and Ken's is pretty big. It was so weird...I'm wondering the whole time who that guy is. I mean...where was Ken? Who is that guy? And why does he look so familiar?"

"You're not doing a very good job," Lance heard the all too familiar voice of Nikolas from behind him say. "You're spending too much time thinking about Joshua."

"Joey hasn't been hurt," Lance said. "I'm doing just fine." He didn't look up. "Josh has been having dreams," he said.

"What kind of dreams?" Nikolas asked.

"He said..." Lance stopped and chewed on his lower lip. "He said that he's dreaming about past appearances. Only in Ken's place...In Ken's place is someone he doesn't remember." Nikolas' eyes widened and Lance continued. "Blond hair, green eyes. Me. What does that mean, Nikolas? What does that mean?" He turned around and Nikolas backed up.

"I am...going to have to check that out," Nikolas said, bewildered. He disappeared. Lance shook his head and smiled in spite of himself.

"You know," he heard a familiar male voice say in his ear. "Just because you can't talk to JC doesn't mean you can't let Joey see you."

Lance smiled broadened and he stood up, ready to go to work, when he turned around, recognizing the voice.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 54 "Let go of me!" Lance yelled. "Put me down!" He squirmed and sobbed, still trying to get free. "James, stop this RIGHT NOW!" Nikolas said, his patience wearing thin. He motioned for the other two angels restraining him to leave. He himself held on to Lance's arm. "You can let go of me," Lance said, curling up into a little ball on a cloud. "I won't go anywhere." Nikolas let go. "James, look. I'm sorry I had to do that. But you know tha--" "Leave me alone," Lance interrupted. "I want to be alone," he said miserably. Nikolas regarded the blond angel that didn't want to be an angel sadly, then left the room they'd put him in. Lance curled even closer into himself and cried harder than he'd ever cried before. *** "Jace, you all right?" Justin asked, looking at his bandmate carefully. "Hmm? Oh, I'm fine," JC said distractedly. "Where did you get that from?" Joey asked, pointing at the necklace hanging around JC's neck. JC sighed. "I don't even know," he said. "I must've gotten it at the club last night, or something. I don't remember it, and my head hurts. How much did I drink?" Joey shrugged in response. "I don't know. Hey, where's Ken?" "Right here," Ken said, coming into the room and rubbing sleep out of his blue eyes. "How's Barbie?" Chris cracked. "SHARI is just fine, thank you," Ken said with a glare. "Neither of us appreciate the Barbie comments, Chris." "They're not that bad. And it's not MY fault if you two look like Ken and Barbie. Blonde hair for her, brown for you...come on, it's perfect. The dashing good looks the rest of us can only dream of." Chris batted his eyelashes. "The fans call her Barbie." "That's not MY fault." "Not mine either," Chris defended. He threw a piece of toast over and it hit Ken in the head. The scowl dropped from Ken's face as he flicked eggs across the table. JC got up when he got hit in the face with a piece of bacon. "I'm not in the mood," he sighed, going back into his room. "What crawled up his butt?" Ken asked. "And where'd he get that necklace?" *** "Ken and Barbie," Lance mocked. "Pretty Shari...pretty Ken. UGH!" He kicked at a cloud in the room his was still in and watch it split apart with satisfaction. He knew it wasn't Ken's fault he was there. He didn't seem half bad either. But that didn't mean he had to like being replaced...seeing this...KEN...take his place in the NSYNC fold. He didn't like it. And he didn't like the way he got to see JC...no, interact with JC...when Lance himself couldn't anymore. He looked back down, rubbing his eyes, and smiled in some sort of sick satisfaction when he saw that no one knew what they were doing that day. ** "Jesus," Justin cursed. "Doesn't ANYONE pay attention?" Ken flicked a little paper ball at Chris. "Nope," he said. Chris tossed a pencil back. "Doesn't JC know?" JC rolled his eyes and went back into his room. "We're...rehearsing in an hour. Tomorrow's the next concert," he yelled. He came back in and took Chris' pencil, breaking it in half. Then he stole the piece of paper that Ken was making his little paper balls from. "Hey!" they whined. JC rolled his eyes. "Honestly, you guys...Chris was bad enough in the beginning, but you make it twice as bad. You two are the oldest...you're supposed to be more mature than JUSTIN, at least." "Leave me out of this," Justin said, his mouth full of food. JC rolled his eyes again. How did he manage to survive four years with these guys? ~Weeks Later...~ There was gossip. Gossip in Heaven was never a good thing, Nikolas knew that. But they all knew that Lance had come back. Someone had seen him being dragged into that other room, seen him crying to be allowed back on Earth. They were talking. They'd all expected him to come back and jump into his old role, how could they expect anything else? They thought he'd be Lance the practical joker, the one full of sarcasm, the one that could make any angel smile. But now, he couldn't even make himself smile. They almost WANTED jokes played on them, if it would bring the old Lance back. Heaven hadn't been the same without him...but it wasn't the same with him anymore, either. *** "Josh, why don't you ever take that stupid thing off?" Ken asked, gesturing to the necklace. "JC, and I don't know," JC replied, a little coldly. He didn't like having anyone besides his mother call him Josh...and he wasn't sure why. As for the necklace? Well, it seemed like it was meant for him, so he kept it on. Simple as that. "I just want to keep it on." "Whoa, IceMan," Ken said, putting his hands up in mock surrender. "Calm down, just a simple question, JC," he said, stressing the JC. JC glared at him in response, and retreated back into his bunk. "Ugh." He laid down, looking at the ceiling. He soon fell asleep, dreaming... * "Hey, C," Justin yelled, sticking his head into JC's bunk. "Wake your ass up, man." JC sat up straight and shook himself awake. "Huh...what?" Justin looked at him strangely. "You all right?" JC shook his head again. "Yeah," he said, blinking, a hint of bewilderment in his tone. Justin shook his head, and made a move as if to tell JC to explain. JC sighed and though back to the dream he'd been having. "I had the weirdest dream," he confided in Justin, who looked back at him curiously. JC continued. "It looked exactly like a tape of one of our shows, back near the beginning, before the Disney special set things off. We were singing, it looked like it was the Star Spangled Banner at a basketball game." Justin looked at him oddly, there wasn't really anything strange there. "There was Joey, in his usual place. Then came you, just like normal. Then there was Chris in the middle, and then there was me. Just like usual." "There's nothing weird about that," Justin said, crossing his arms over his chest, an eyebrow raising. "I'm not done yet. This is the weird part. Where Ken was supposed to be...Ken wasn't there. Instead...there was someone else, someone I don't remember ever seeing before. He looked a little familiar...like maybe I was supposed to know him?" Justin nodded, knowing the feeling. "What did he look like?" JC closed his eyes and thought back. "He had blond hair and green eyes, and a bigger Adam's apple than Ken does, and Ken's is pretty big. It was so weird...I'm wondering the whole time who that guy is. I mean...where was Ken? Who is that guy? And why does he look so familiar?" ***** "You're not doing a very good job," Lance heard the all too familiar voice of Nikolas from behind him say. "You're spending too much time thinking about Joshua." "Joey hasn't been hurt," Lance said. "I'm doing just fine." He didn't look up. "Josh has been having dreams," he said. "What kind of dreams?" Nikolas asked. "He said..." Lance stopped and chewed on his lower lip. "He said that he's dreaming about past appearances. Only in Ken's place...In Ken's place is someone he doesn't remember." Nikolas' eyes widened and Lance continued. "Blond hair, green eyes. Me. What does that mean, Nikolas? What does that mean?" He turned around and Nikolas backed up. "I am...going to have to check that out," Nikolas said, bewildered. He disappeared. Lance shook his head and smiled in spite of himself. "You know," he heard a familiar male voice say in his ear. "Just because you can't talk to JC doesn't mean you can't let Joey see you." Lance smiled broadened and he stood up, ready to go to work, when he turned around, recognizing the voice. "Dad?!"