Chapter 76

Inner Reflection | home

Lance sat on the couch with JC's head in his lap. He stroked his hair softly. Joey was on another chair, Justin on the floor, and Chris sitting on the other couch, feet propped up on the table. "Why did you get to come back?" Justin asked softly. "I don't understand."

"I'm not so sure I do either," Lance said with a smile. "But I'll try..." he bounced his legs up and down to get JC to wake back up. JC muttered in protest but opened his eyes. "It was all Josh."

"What do you mean?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Well--" Lance started, but was interrupted by JC.

"That was a dream, what you are you talking about?" JC asked. "It was a dream...I didn't do anything--"

"Here's the thing, Josh," Lance said with a smile. "That wasn't a dream. It really happened."

JC paled. "So you mean I...I really...I really talked to...Oh my God."

The other three looked at the pair on the couch. "Umm...Mind clueing us in?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Lance shook his head. "It's really confusing, but..."

"Wait, hold on," JC interrupted, twisting his head so that he was looking up at Lance. "That means you're here for good now, right? I mean...you don't have to go back next week, next month, next--"

Lance put a hand over JC's mouth. "Here to stay," he said.

"So...you're gonna be a..." Chris began.

Lance smiled. "I'll be here until Josh dies. Then I go with him, but I'm gonna age and stuff, just like a normal person...Sort of..."

"You still can't die?" Joey asked.

"I'm already dead, just on leave," Lance smirked. "Seriously, though, I'm kind of...in between. So as soon as Josh dies, I go back--"

"Wait, when's he gonna die?" Justin asked, eyes wide.

Lance laughed. "Not for quite a while. But should anything happen, I've got more than a few friends that'll be sure to help," he said with a smile. "That doesn't mean I didn't come with the instructions to make sure you guys stay alive..." he rolled his eyes.

The others exchanged glances, wondering how Lance could be so casual about something so...morbid. "Um...Why did you get to come back, though? Not that I mind, but..." Chris began.

"I told you, Josh got you all to remember me."

"So...it's just like that? You're back?"

"Well," Lance said, "It was kind of a deal he made with...um...God, so that when he got you to--"

"He WHAT?!" Justin's jaw hit the ground. "You...you..."

"Hey, I woke up thinking it was all a dream," JC said defensively. "Besides, you all thought I was crazy already. What would you have thought if I told you I'd talked to You-Know-Who? And I didn't remember much anyway."

"Good point," Joey conceded.

Justin was still staring in disbelief. "You...you...you...I don't..."

Lance closed his eyes and shook his head with a smile. "Basically, Josh told Him that it wasn't fair for us to be separated so many times--"

"You WHAT?!" Justin asked. "You actually--"

Lance laughed. "And they struck up a deal. You guys remember, I can come back. But there's more that he doesn't know about."

"Well, tell us!" Joey said, rolling his eyes.

"Justin, shut up," Chris said. "Now tell us what the rest is."

"It has to do with Ken," Lance said doubtfully. "He's still in the group, cause everybody else in the world remembers him and not me. You guys were special cause we were all so close."

"So what are we gonna do about HIM?" Chris asked. "If I see him again I can't guarantee he'll walk away without some sort of injury."

"I don't think he likes me very much," Lance said with a smile.

"You insulted him," Justin informed him, finally getting over the shock. "He asked you what you were lookin' at and you said it wasn't much."

"It wasn't!" Lance retorted. "I don't like him all that much either." The guys all saw anger flash in his eyes before it disappeared. "Anyway, this other deal was that if I could figure out someway to get myself back in the group..." he leveled an eye at Joey, Chris, and Justin, "Without killing off Ken--"

"DAMMIT!" Chris snapped his fingers.

"Or injuring him in any way, seriously OR moderately--"

"That's not fair," Justin pouted.

"Then I could rejoin the group and He'd change the memories back. No one but us five and them--" He jerked his head skyward, "--up there would have any idea he was here."

"Well how in the hell are we supposed to do THAT?" Chris asked. Lance leaned forward with a grim smile. "Lou is Ken's best friend, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yeah," Chris said with a short nod. "What's your point?"

Lance settled back against the couch again. "Well, you remember back when you tried to get a some money for a new place and good old Lou told you that you still owed the company money?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Anger settled across Chris' features. "Yeah," he said. "You think I wouldn't?" he added.

"Just checking, calm down. Anyway, in case you guys haven't thought of it, the contract is, well...it's pretty much shit. Lou gets most of the money and the rest splits among you guys." He sighed and scratched his head. "It's not FAIR, basically. When we all first signed that deal...we...they tricked us into thinking it was a normal contract for beginning artists...and while there's really no such THING as a normal first contract or whatever...this one should've been much better."

"So what you're saying is..." JC sat up. "We're being cheated out of our money."

"Well...yeah," Lance said with a nod. "But that's not the worst part. See, when I was here...I didn't have a clue, as I'm sure you know. Where I came from...both places, Mississippi and Heaven...everybody could trust anybody. For the most part, at least." His face darkened and JC frowned. "But I didn't really think that people were all that different. I thought the people from Mississippi that had screwed me over were the exception." He didn't offer a further explanation, and the guys didn't ask. Though they had some idea as to what he meant. "So of course, even though I knew Lou was greedy, I didn't think there would be anything wrong with our contract. People didn't lie back in Mississippi...they may have messed up, but they didn't really outright lie. It was a sin, and a man was only as good as his honor. But getting back on track...I didn't know about the 'I get money and they get none' part of the contract...but Ken did."

Chris practically flew out of his chair. "WHAT?!"

"Hey, now, calm down..." Lance said. "Let me finish. He's...well, if I hadn't been sent down here...he's the one that would've ended up being in the group anyway. And that's the scenario it would have been, with Ken getting more money than the rest of you, Lou getting more than you all."

Justin shook his head. "No, man, he couldn't just...I mean, Lou was mean, but he didn't..." he closed his eyes. "I can't believe he'd just LIE to us like that...it's like...hugging us and stealing our wallets at the same time..."

JC closed his eyes as well. "So basically, Papa Bear was a thief. That's just great. Don't I have ANY luck with ANYTHING? First LA and now this?"

Lance waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello!"

Lance frowned. "See if I ever--"

JC silenced him with a kiss. "You were saying?" he asked, eyebrows raised in an "are you happy now?" statement.

"Never mind," Lance said. "But back to business. I've got an idea that will both get Lou out of your -- our -- lives and send Ken packing back to Maine or whatever hole he crawled out of with no memory of this at all. OR, maybe he WILL have a memory and just go crazy. It all depends on what they want to do--"

"Shut up and tell us already!" Joey said, smacking Lance on the head.

Lance made a face. "Shuddup yourself. See if I--" JC squeezed his hand. "All right, all right." He rolled his eyes. "You switch companies."

"That's breach of contract!" JC said.

"Yes it is. But you're broke already, right? A multi-platinum selling band should NOT be broke...So anyway, here's what I think we should do..."

"What, do I have to have my FRIENDS approved by you now, too?"

Upstairs, JC and Lance pulled away from each other's mouths when Chris' angry shout floated through the house.

"We never get a moment alone, do we?" JC asked with a sigh.

Lance shook his head and touched JC's swollen lips with his index finger. "We'll finish this later," he promised, readjusting his shirt. "But I think I need to go meet Lou and be the shy guy for a few minutes before Chris spills his guts about our plans."

He moved to the door when JC suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a long, hard kiss. He smiled against Lance's mouth when he heard -- and felt -- a low moan from the blond. Just as Lance started to respond, JC pulled away.

"You ain't shy," JC said with a wicked smile, releasing his boyfriend's arm. Lance opened his mouth to reply, then shut it and shook his head. He pulled JC to his feet by the wrist. "Think we'll make a good impression looking like this?"

"I don't care," JC began before he was interrupted.

"Justin ain't here and Joey's out! Tell me what you came here for before I really get angry."

"We better go anyway," JC said, changing what he'd been planning to say. Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so." He and JC walked out of the room, and dropped their hands. "You go first," he said. JC shook his head but went downstairs anyway.

"THERE you are!" Lance heard Lou say. "Chris here seems to think I don't have a reason to be here, but..."

Lou continued to rant, but the two ignored what he was saying. Chris snickered and leaned over to whisper something in JC's ear, batting his eyelashes. "Did we interrupt something?"


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 76 Lance sat on the couch with JC's head in his lap. He stroked his hair softly. Joey was on another chair, Justin on the floor, and Chris sitting on the other couch, feet propped up on the table. "Why did you get to come back?" Justin asked softly. "I don't understand." "I'm not so sure I do either," Lance said with a smile. "But I'll try..." he bounced his legs up and down to get JC to wake back up. JC muttered in protest but opened his eyes. "It was all Josh." "What do you mean?" Chris asked, raising an eyebrow. "Well--" Lance started, but was interrupted by JC. "That was a dream, what you are you talking about?" JC asked. "It was a dream...I didn't do anything--" "Here's the thing, Josh," Lance said with a smile. "That wasn't a dream. It really happened." JC paled. "So you mean I...I really...I really talked to...Oh my God." The other three looked at the pair on the couch. "Umm...Mind clueing us in?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow. Lance shook his head. "It's really confusing, but..." "Wait, hold on," JC interrupted, twisting his head so that he was looking up at Lance. "That means you're here for good now, right? I mean...you don't have to go back next week, next month, next--" Lance put a hand over JC's mouth. "Here to stay," he said. "So...you're gonna be a..." Chris began. Lance smiled. "I'll be here until Josh dies. Then I go with him, but I'm gonna age and stuff, just like a normal person...Sort of..." "You still can't die?" Joey asked. "I'm already dead, just on leave," Lance smirked. "Seriously, though, I'm kind of...in between. So as soon as Josh dies, I go back--" "Wait, when's he gonna die?" Justin asked, eyes wide. Lance laughed. "Not for quite a while. But should anything happen, I've got more than a few friends that'll be sure to help," he said with a smile. "That doesn't mean I didn't come with the instructions to make sure you guys stay alive..." he rolled his eyes. The others exchanged glances, wondering how Lance could be so casual about something so...morbid. "Um...Why did you get to come back, though? Not that I mind, but..." Chris began. "I told you, Josh got you all to remember me." "So...it's just like that? You're back?" "Well," Lance said, "It was kind of a deal he made with...um...God, so that when he got you to--" "He WHAT?!" Justin's jaw hit the ground. "You...you..." "Hey, I woke up thinking it was all a dream," JC said defensively. "Besides, you all thought I was crazy already. What would you have thought if I told you I'd talked to You-Know-Who? And I didn't remember much anyway." "Good point," Joey conceded. Justin was still staring in disbelief. "You...you...you...I don't..." Lance closed his eyes and shook his head with a smile. "Basically, Josh told Him that it wasn't fair for us to be separated so many times--" "You WHAT?!" Justin asked. "You actually--" Lance laughed. "And they struck up a deal. You guys remember, I can come back. But there's more that he doesn't know about." "Well, tell us!" Joey said, rolling his eyes. "You actually..." "Justin, shut up," Chris said. "Now tell us what the rest is." "It has to do with Ken," Lance said doubtfully. "He's still in the group, cause everybody else in the world remembers him and not me. You guys were special cause we were all so close." "So what are we gonna do about HIM?" Chris asked. "If I see him again I can't guarantee he'll walk away without some sort of injury." "I don't think he likes me very much," Lance said with a smile. "You insulted him," Justin informed him, finally getting over the shock. "He asked you what you were lookin' at and you said it wasn't much." "It wasn't!" Lance retorted. "I don't like him all that much either." The guys all saw anger flash in his eyes before it disappeared. "Anyway, this other deal was that if I could figure out someway to get myself back in the group..." he leveled an eye at Joey, Chris, and Justin, "Without killing off Ken--" "DAMMIT!" Chris snapped his fingers. "Or injuring him in any way, seriously OR moderately--" "That's not fair," Justin pouted. "Then I could rejoin the group and He'd change the memories back. No one but us five and them--" He jerked his head skyward, "--up there would have any idea he was here." "Well how in the hell are we supposed to do THAT?" Chris asked. Lance leaned forward with a grim smile. "Lou is Ken's best friend, if I'm not mistaken?" "Yeah," Chris said with a short nod. "What's your point?" Lance settled back against the couch again. "Well, you remember back when you tried to get a some money for a new place and good old Lou told you that you still owed the company money?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. Anger settled across Chris' features. "Yeah," he said. "You think I wouldn't?" he added. "Just checking, calm down. Anyway, in case you guys haven't thought of it, the contract is, well...it's pretty much shit. Lou gets most of the money and the rest splits among you guys." He sighed and scratched his head. "It's not FAIR, basically. When we all first signed that deal...we...they tricked us into thinking it was a normal contract for beginning artists...and while there's really no such THING as a normal first contract or whatever...this one should've been much better." "So what you're saying is..." JC sat up. "We're being cheated out of our money." "Well...yeah," Lance said with a nod. "But that's not the worst part. See, when I was here...I didn't have a clue, as I'm sure you know. Where I came from...both places, Mississippi and Heaven...everybody could trust anybody. For the most part, at least." His face darkened and JC frowned. "But I didn't really think that people were all that different. I thought the people from Mississippi that had screwed me over were the exception." He didn't offer a further explanation, and the guys didn't ask. Though they had some idea as to what he meant. "So of course, even though I knew Lou was greedy, I didn't think there would be anything wrong with our contract. People didn't lie back in Mississippi...they may have messed up, but they didn't really outright lie. It was a sin, and a man was only as good as his honor. But getting back on track...I didn't know about the 'I get money and they get none' part of the contract...but Ken did." Chris practically flew out of his chair. "WHAT?!" "Hey, now, calm down..." Lance said. "Let me finish. He's...well, if I hadn't been sent down here...he's the one that would've ended up being in the group anyway. And that's the scenario it would have been, with Ken getting more money than the rest of you, Lou getting more than you all." Justin shook his head. "No, man, he couldn't just...I mean, Lou was mean, but he didn't..." he closed his eyes. "I can't believe he'd just LIE to us like that...it's like...hugging us and stealing our wallets at the same time..." JC closed his eyes as well. "So basically, Papa Bear was a thief. That's just great. Don't I have ANY luck with ANYTHING? First LA and now this?" Lance waved a hand in front of his face. "Hello!" "Hi." Lance frowned. "See if I ever--" JC silenced him with a kiss. "You were saying?" he asked, eyebrows raised in an "are you happy now?" statement. "Never mind," Lance said. "But back to business. I've got an idea that will both get Lou out of your -- our -- lives and send Ken packing back to Maine or whatever hole he crawled out of with no memory of this at all. OR, maybe he WILL have a memory and just go crazy. It all depends on what they want to do--" "Shut up and tell us already!" Joey said, smacking Lance on the head. Lance made a face. "Shuddup yourself. See if I--" JC squeezed his hand. "All right, all right." He rolled his eyes. "You switch companies." "That's breach of contract!" JC said. "Yes it is. But you're broke already, right? A multi-platinum selling band should NOT be broke...So anyway, here's what I think we should do..." ***** "What, do I have to have my FRIENDS approved by you now, too?" Upstairs, JC and Lance pulled away from each other's mouths when Chris' angry shout floated through the house. "We never get a moment alone, do we?" JC asked with a sigh. Lance shook his head and touched JC's swollen lips with his index finger. "We'll finish this later," he promised, readjusting his shirt. "But I think I need to go meet Lou and be the shy guy for a few minutes before Chris spills his guts about our plans." He moved to the door when JC suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a long, hard kiss. He smiled against Lance's mouth when he heard -- and felt -- a low moan from the blond. Just as Lance started to respond, JC pulled away. "You ain't shy," JC said with a wicked smile, releasing his boyfriend's arm. Lance opened his mouth to reply, then shut it and shook his head. He pulled JC to his feet by the wrist. "Think we'll make a good impression looking like this?" "I don't care," JC began before he was interrupted. "Justin ain't here and Joey's out! Tell me what you came here for before I really get angry." "We better go anyway," JC said, changing what he'd been planning to say. Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'd say so." He and JC walked out of the room, and dropped their hands. "You go first," he said. JC shook his head but went downstairs anyway. "THERE you are!" Lance heard Lou say. "Chris here seems to think I don't have a reason to be here, but..." Lou continued to rant, but the two ignored what he was saying. Chris snickered and leaned over to whisper something in JC's ear, batting his eyelashes. "Did we interrupt something?"