Chapter 58

Joey and Chris looked at JC, worried statements on their faces. He'd finally fallen sleep after keeping them awake talking about Mississippi. Neither of them had any idea what he was talking about. Then there were the dreams he was having. No one knew what to make of them, and Ken didn't even know he was having them. They knew they'd be more than a little pissed off if another was having dreams in which they were replaced. Besides, it was just a dream, right? And besides, he was still stewing over the whole "Barbie Girl" thing.

JC cocked an eye open. So they thought he was crazy, did they? Well, he'd show them. He wasn't crazy. He'd make sure they knew that. "That's the last time I tell them about my dreams," he muttered to himself, finally falling into a real sleep.

"Safe from WHAT? No! I'm not doing anything else! Even if you reassign me, I'll STILL go and visit Joey. You can't stop me." Lance had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he'd been watching Joey (who in turn was staring at JC, so he got to stare at him as well...) and then Nikolas had showed up.

"No!" Lance said defiantly. "I have a choice in this, I know I do. I didn't before...when you made me leave...but now, I have a choice. I love watching Joey...I love seeing them, and I love the way it lets me see Josh! I'm not going to abandon Joey just because I'm in danger!"

"Nikolas, listen," Lance began again, his voice at a lower volume. "I don't care about myself, I care about Joey, I care about the rest of the group. Just because this is dangerous to me for reasons you've decided not to tell me isn't going to make me stop doing it," Lance said, his voice still calm but with an air of finality. "I'm sorry."

Nikolas sighed. He'd been afraid of this reaction. "You have a choice here, then. You can either protect yourself by doing something else, or risk them getting to you by continuing to watch Joseph. You decide...but decide wisely."

Lance turned around and looked down on the earth, to the now sleeping Joey. Then he turned and looked Nikolas in the eyes. "Then you already know my decision," he said quietly.

JC yawned but remembered the conversation the three that were now staring at him had had when they thought he was asleep. "Lots better, now that I've slept," he said, looking at Joey, who did nothing but smile in return.

JC shrugged. "Well, I guess it was just the lack of sleep getting to me." Justin didn't say anything, but he frowned. He knew JC better than anyone there...the older Joey may have known him longer, but Justin knew him better. And Justin could read him well enough to know that he wasn't fine...something was still bothering him. And he had a feeling that it wasn't lack of sleep.

"Hello?" JC walked down a long hallway. "Door here, door there...gee, I'm glad I'm so ORIGINAL when I dream. Cause this is a dream...I think...Hello?" There was no answer, of course...JC shook his head. Some people got to have interesting dreams. He shook the thoughts out of his head when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms. Curious, he opened the door. It was a regular meeting. There was Lou, sitting at the head of the table, then there was the guys in their regular seats...except...that blond guy was in Ken's place again. Judging by the hairstyles everyone had, this had been a few years ago.

Right now, the blond guy had just rolled his eyes at Lou, and JC noticed...himself trying to hold in a giggle. Then, Dream JC looked at Chris, who was lecturing the pencil in his hand, using the same gestures that Lou kept using. Dream JC tried to hide the laugh with a cough. JC looked around at the scene in front of him. He didn't remember this. Anyway, Dream JC was apparently trying to hide the laugh with a cough, and pounded his chest with his fist...to make it look authentic, maybe...

The blond looked at him and stifled his own giggles when Joey pounded Dream JC on the back. That only made it worse, and Lou stopped talking to look at him with a glare.

JC watched the scene, laughing out loud now, though the characters didn't seem to know he was there. That sounded just like something Justin would say. What Justin said apparently was too much for the blond kid because he burst out laughing, a deep chuckle that made JC's spine tingle. He bit his lip when everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. JC noticed he had a really deep, familiar sounding voice. Dream JC snorted and Lou looked back at him now. The blond stuck out his tongue from behind Lou, and Joey laughed, catching the action.

That set off Dream JC and the blond again. When everyone finally calmed down, Lou glared at the still grinning, red-faced pair. "Might I continue?" JC had no idea what was supposed to be discussed here, or who that blond was, but it was still pretty damn funny. But what did that blond kid with the amazing eyes have to do with the other group members? And why was he in Ken's place?

"What was so funny?" Justin asked, apparently confused again. JC laughed out loud...this really did sound like Justin. The kid could be such a blond some days...

"Nothing," the JC in the dream said as a response, putting an arm on the table and covering his mouth with the palm of his hand. The blond ducked his head and his teeth clamped down on his lip. JC watched the antics of himself in the dream and the blond carefully. He knew this had never happened; he was always well-behaved in meetings...if he wasn't, who would know what was going on? Certainly not the other four. But why was he being shown this...this scene with the blond, the two of them openly having fun during a meeting? And the weirdest thing...JC in the dream didn't seem to care about how much he was pissing Lou off. JC looked closely and continued to watch. Lou cleared his throat to begin again, but never got the chance. The pencil

Chris was fooling around with suddenly flew out of his hand and sailed across the table, hitting Lou on the arm. Lou looked at the arm, then at the pence, which was on the ground, and then at Chris, who was turning pinkish with the effort of trying not to giggle. Dream JC looked everywhere but at Lou. Unfortunately, his gaze landed on the blond kid, who was behind Lou, sternly waggling his finger at Chris...who was now red. Lou spun his head, and the blond pretended he was scratching his head, though everyone in the room except for Lou knew what was going on. Lou turned back to Chris and began a lecture on how he could've poked someone's eye out.

The blond started mouthing something at Chris, presumably making fun of Lou again, but JC couldn't make out what he was saying. Everyone else could, including himself in the dream, and they all laughed.

JC looked around at all of his friends, and noticed that while they were laughing, they all looked a little confused, and were looking at the blond a bit oddly. Maybe this kind of behavior wasn't the norm? Chris suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of Lou's lecture. Lou spun around and looked at the kid, who was sitting demurely. Dream JC crossed his eyes at the blond behind Lou's back while Justin and Joey hid grins as best as they could.

The blond started to laugh, unable to contain it anymore. Lou glared at him, then at the JC in the dream. "If you two can't behave yourselves, why don't you go and get composed," Lou said, pointing a finger at the door. Red with laughter and what JC presumed to be embarrassment...but only a little, the two pushed away from the table and stood up. They grinned at the others before opening the door. JC was confused. Him? Being sent out of a meeting? What kind of weird dream was this? Maybe the blond was corrupting him or something. Then Lou spoke again. "Honestly, I would expect it from one of these three, but never you two!" So maybe his earlier assumption had been right...the blond wasn't normally disruptive.

The remark earned an indignant "Hey!" from the three at the table, and another laughing fit from the blond and Dream JC, who hurriedly shut the door and walked down the hall, their laughter still ringing out. JC wondered what was happening now. What was this for?

"Well we need to finish, and if they can't handle it, then..." The voice trailed off and JC found himself in another place; what looked to be Justin's house. He looked in the living room, and there he was, on the couch with the blond guy. It was obviously a little bit later, because the blond was curled up on a corner of the couch, and there was Dream JC, laying across his lap...

JC shot awake. He'd never had such a vivid dream before. What was that? Why were the two of them like that? And he still had his question unanswered: Who the HELL was that blond guy?


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 58 Joey and Chris looked at JC, worried statements on their faces. He'd finally fallen sleep after keeping them awake talking about Mississippi. Neither of them had any idea what he was talking about. Then there were the dreams he was having. No one knew what to make of them, and Ken didn't even know he was having them. They knew they'd be more than a little pissed off if another was having dreams in which they were replaced. Besides, it was just a dream, right? And besides, he was still stewing over the whole "Barbie Girl" thing. "What do you think is going on with him?" Justin asked, coming up behind the pair and breaking into their thoughts. Chris shrugged and Joey sighed. "Maybe he just needs more sleep or something," he said, scratching the side of his head. "I think he's just crazy," Chris said. "No, that's you," Joey teased. "Now let him sleep." He shoved Chris and Justin away from the bunk. JC cocked an eye open. So they thought he was crazy, did they? Well, he'd show them. He wasn't crazy. He'd make sure they knew that. "That's the last time I tell them about my dreams," he muttered to himself, finally falling into a real sleep. *** "What do you mean? What are you doing?" Lance asked, watching Nikolas angrily. "You're in danger...you can't watch Joseph anymore...you have to keep yourself safe." "Safe from WHAT? No! I'm not doing anything else! Even if you reassign me, I'll STILL go and visit Joey. You can't stop me." Lance had no idea what was going on. All he knew was that he'd been watching Joey (who in turn was staring at JC, so he got to stare at him as well...) and then Nikolas had showed up. "James, listen to me..." "I am listening!" "You are in danger. They are--" "Who's they?" Nikolas ignored him. "They are watching your every move. They know what you do, when you do it--" "But WHY?" He was again ignored. "You cannot be a guardian any longer. It's not safe." "No!" Lance said defiantly. "I have a choice in this, I know I do. I didn't before...when you made me leave...but now, I have a choice. I love watching Joey...I love seeing them, and I love the way it lets me see Josh! I'm not going to abandon Joey just because I'm in danger!" "But James--" "Nikolas, listen," Lance began again, his voice at a lower volume. "I don't care about myself, I care about Joey, I care about the rest of the group. Just because this is dangerous to me for reasons you've decided not to tell me isn't going to make me stop doing it," Lance said, his voice still calm but with an air of finality. "I'm sorry." Nikolas sighed. He'd been afraid of this reaction. "You have a choice here, then. You can either protect yourself by doing something else, or risk them getting to you by continuing to watch Joseph. You decide...but decide wisely." Lance turned around and looked down on the earth, to the now sleeping Joey. Then he turned and looked Nikolas in the eyes. "Then you already know my decision," he said quietly. * "How ya feelin, Jace?" Chris asked when JC sat next to him on the couch. JC yawned but remembered the conversation the three that were now staring at him had had when they thought he was asleep. "Lots better, now that I've slept," he said, looking at Joey, who did nothing but smile in return. "That's good," Joey said. "You had us all worried for a bit," he continued honestly. JC shrugged. "Well, I guess it was just the lack of sleep getting to me." Justin didn't say anything, but he frowned. He knew JC better than anyone there...the older Joey may have known him longer, but Justin knew him better. And Justin could read him well enough to know that he wasn't fine...something was still bothering him. And he had a feeling that it wasn't lack of sleep. *** JC tossed and turned, trapped within the confines of his dream... (JC's dream) "Hello?" JC walked down a long hallway. "Door here, door there...gee, I'm glad I'm so ORIGINAL when I dream. Cause this is a dream...I think...Hello?" There was no answer, of course...JC shook his head. Some people got to have interesting dreams. He shook the thoughts out of his head when he heard voices coming from one of the rooms. Curious, he opened the door. It was a regular meeting. There was Lou, sitting at the head of the table, then there was the guys in their regular seats...except...that blond guy was in Ken's place again. Judging by the hairstyles everyone had, this had been a few years ago. Right now, the blond guy had just rolled his eyes at Lou, and JC noticed...himself trying to hold in a giggle. Then, Dream JC looked at Chris, who was lecturing the pencil in his hand, using the same gestures that Lou kept using. Dream JC tried to hide the laugh with a cough. JC looked around at the scene in front of him. He didn't remember this. Anyway, Dream JC was apparently trying to hide the laugh with a cough, and pounded his chest with his fist...to make it look authentic, maybe... The blond looked at him and stifled his own giggles when Joey pounded Dream JC on the back. That only made it worse, and Lou stopped talking to look at him with a glare. "JC? You okay?" Lou asked, sounding slightly irritated. The blond guy was turning a little red with the effort of holding in his laughter now. Finally under control, the JC in the dream blushed. "Sorry, Lou, I'm fine, I just um...swallowed the wrong way, I guess." "Swallowed WHAT?" Justin asked, bewildered. JC watched the scene, laughing out loud now, though the characters didn't seem to know he was there. That sounded just like something Justin would say. What Justin said apparently was too much for the blond kid because he burst out laughing, a deep chuckle that made JC's spine tingle. He bit his lip when everyone turned to look at him. He cleared his throat. "Sorry," he said. JC noticed he had a really deep, familiar sounding voice. Dream JC snorted and Lou looked back at him now. The blond stuck out his tongue from behind Lou, and Joey laughed, catching the action. That set off Dream JC and the blond again. When everyone finally calmed down, Lou glared at the still grinning, red-faced pair. "Might I continue?" JC had no idea what was supposed to be discussed here, or who that blond was, but it was still pretty damn funny. But what did that blond kid with the amazing eyes have to do with the other group members? And why was he in Ken's place? "Go ahead!" Dream JC said brightly in response to Lou's question. The blond bit his lip. "What was so funny?" Justin asked, apparently confused again. JC laughed out loud...this really did sound like Justin. The kid could be such a blond some days... "Nothing," the JC in the dream said as a response, putting an arm on the table and covering his mouth with the palm of his hand. The blond ducked his head and his teeth clamped down on his lip. JC watched the antics of himself in the dream and the blond carefully. He knew this had never happened; he was always well-behaved in meetings...if he wasn't, who would know what was going on? Certainly not the other four. But why was he being shown this...this scene with the blond, the two of them openly having fun during a meeting? And the weirdest thing...JC in the dream didn't seem to care about how much he was pissing Lou off. JC looked closely and continued to watch. Lou cleared his throat to begin again, but never got the chance. The pencil Chris was fooling around with suddenly flew out of his hand and sailed across the table, hitting Lou on the arm. Lou looked at the arm, then at the pence, which was on the ground, and then at Chris, who was turning pinkish with the effort of trying not to giggle. Dream JC looked everywhere but at Lou. Unfortunately, his gaze landed on the blond kid, who was behind Lou, sternly waggling his finger at Chris...who was now red. Lou spun his head, and the blond pretended he was scratching his head, though everyone in the room except for Lou knew what was going on. Lou turned back to Chris and began a lecture on how he could've poked someone's eye out. The blond started mouthing something at Chris, presumably making fun of Lou again, but JC couldn't make out what he was saying. Everyone else could, including himself in the dream, and they all laughed. JC looked around at all of his friends, and noticed that while they were laughing, they all looked a little confused, and were looking at the blond a bit oddly. Maybe this kind of behavior wasn't the norm? Chris suddenly burst out laughing in the middle of Lou's lecture. Lou spun around and looked at the kid, who was sitting demurely. Dream JC crossed his eyes at the blond behind Lou's back while Justin and Joey hid grins as best as they could. The blond started to laugh, unable to contain it anymore. Lou glared at him, then at the JC in the dream. "If you two can't behave yourselves, why don't you go and get composed," Lou said, pointing a finger at the door. Red with laughter and what JC presumed to be embarrassment...but only a little, the two pushed away from the table and stood up. They grinned at the others before opening the door. JC was confused. Him? Being sent out of a meeting? What kind of weird dream was this? Maybe the blond was corrupting him or something. Then Lou spoke again. "Honestly, I would expect it from one of these three, but never you two!" So maybe his earlier assumption had been right...the blond wasn't normally disruptive. The remark earned an indignant "Hey!" from the three at the table, and another laughing fit from the blond and Dream JC, who hurriedly shut the door and walked down the hall, their laughter still ringing out. JC wondered what was happening now. What was this for? "That's not fair," Justin said with a pout. JC smiled. That sounded like him too. "Well we need to finish, and if they can't handle it, then..." The voice trailed off and JC found himself in another place; what looked to be Justin's house. He looked in the living room, and there he was, on the couch with the blond guy. It was obviously a little bit later, because the blond was curled up on a corner of the couch, and there was Dream JC, laying across his lap... * JC shot awake. He'd never had such a vivid dream before. What was that? Why were the two of them like that? And he still had his question unanswered: Who the HELL was that blond guy?