Chapter 82

Inner Reflection | home

"Lance! What are you doing here?" Lou asked, seeing the irate young blond in his doorway.

Lance tossed the notebook onto the table. "Getting that," he said. "Jo...JC left it here, and when he came back to get it, he realized that he COULDN'T GET IN THE BUILDING! Imagine that!"

"Lance, there's a perfectly good explanation for that, if you'll..."

"I suppose it's the same reason I couldn't get in?" Lance asked, putting his hands on his hips. "You changed the locks and forgot to tell four-fifths of the group?"

"Changed labels, uh-huh, I know. But then, why did you give Ken a new key, hmm?" he asked. "Something seems a little odd about that."

"Well how did YOU get in?" Lou countered.

Lance laughed shortly. "I ran into...Shari in the parking lot and she let me in. Amazing what a few nice words can do, right?" he asked. "I mean, I roped you in pretty good."

"I had you fooled, didn't I? 'Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Pearlman, I didn't mean to offend you...' 'Oh, Mr. Pearlman, it's a PLEASURE to meet you...' 'Oh, okay, MR. PEARLMAN! I'll TRY to think about replacing one of my BEST FRIENDS in HIS GROUP! No PROBLEM!' All I had to do was say stuff like that and you loved me..." Lance's voice had gotten louder with every word spoken and he shook his head to calm himself down. "Well, guess what, Lou...this locking out business..." he smiled slowly. "This is war."

JC raced through the building, not bothering to think of the oddity he'd just witnessed. Shari had just opened the door for him, no questions asked...apparently, she'd been in there with Ken, but that meant Ken would have a key...JC sprinted down the hallway, hearing Ken's voice, but noticing that his notebook was nowhere to be found, which meant one thing: Lance had found it already. And that meant Lance was still in the building.

That meant Lance was going to talk to Lou.

And Lance was pissed.

Lance was going towards the door but Lou stopped him. "So, it appears you, my little friend, are on the wrong side?"

Lance snorted. "The wrong side? Excuse me, Lou, but I'm not the one cheating these guys out of their money. When they can barely pay rent..." he shook his head. "That's just WRONG. And I know Chris got sick a few months ago...he was almost HOSPITALIZED because of it. That's not right and I know it was your doing."

"You shouldn't be talking to me like that, little one," Lou sneered. "I OWN this company. And I don't believe you even have a right to be here. I could get you arrested with no trouble. You shouldn't even be here. Your boys signed with Jive."

"Then why did KEN get a new key? I KNOW he's here, I heard him singing. Why is he here?"

"KEN is doing the smart thing," Lou said.

Lance snorted. "You're just going to screw him over too. Listen to me, Lou. You are going DOWN. You just started a war."

"No, my friend," Lou said, grabbing onto Lance's arm. "YOU just started the war."

JC, breathing heavily, finally made it to Lou's office. "Get your hands OFF me, you filthy bastard!" he heard a voice, unmistakably Lance's, say. His eyes widened. "What's your problem?" Lance continued.

JC opened the door and saw Lance staring angrily up at Lou, who had a hand on his arm. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, eyes blazing.

"Josh, hey!" Lance said, finally pulling his arm out of Lou's grip. "I got your notebook back," he continued, grabbing it and tossing it to JC. "And now that Lou has been so kind as to release my arm, I believe we can--"

"No, you can't. We have a little business to discuss while you're here. Mr. Chasez, I'm SURE you want to be a part of this conversation."

Lance walked into the house with a small smile on his face. "Hey guys," he said, nodding.

Justin looked at Lance's arm. "What happened?" he asked, frowning.

Lance looked down. "Huh? Oh, umm..."

"It was Lou," JC muttered darkly, brushing past them with a scowl.

Lance frowned. "Josh--"

"Leave me alone," JC said, walking up the stairs.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

Lance looked after JC. "Lou and I were...uh, talking, and he decided he didn't want me to leave...So he just left some fingerprints, that's all. Josh is upset cause of that, and cause..." he paused and sighed. "The company -- and Lou -- has the rights to all the songs you guys did. You can't release an album until you get and record new ones."

"Well, we knew that was gonna happen, right?" Chris said, breaking his previous silence.

Lance shook his head. "That's not it though. Josh...Josh's song...they got the rights to that too. If you guys put it on your next album, they...they can sue."

"What do you mean, 'Ken is still recording?'" Chris asked angrily. "How come HE isn't with us?"

"You know he never wanted to leave the company," Lance said. "He was getting extra money there." He sighed. "You guys gotta stay away from TransCon. It ain't your company no more and you could probably get in trouble for trespassing or some bullshit like that. Hell, he almost called security on me and Josh in there." Lance collapsed on the couch. "You tell Just and Joey, all right? I need sleep."

Chris nodded. "Sure man. And...thanks."

Lance yawned sleepily. "For what?"

"Everything, you know? Helping us out...you don't have to."

"Sure I do," Lance said. "And besides, I want to. I wanna be back in this group as much as y'all want Ken OUT. It'll all work out, trust me."

"Lance, phone!" Justin called. "It's..."

"Who?" Lance asked walking into the kitchen.

"Shari," Justin said, a puzzled look on his face. "Lance? Why is she calling you? I don't get it."

Lance shrugged. He didn't want his 'secret' out yet. "Hello?" he asked. "Hey, how are you?" He paused and sat down. "You're kidding. He really--" Lance shook his head. "Yeah, all right. Thanks. Talk to you later E-- Shari. Bye."

"What she want?" Justin asked.

Lance smiled mysteriously. "Oh, nothing. Just know that we've got a little help over there." After a pause he looked at the ceiling. "And up there."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 82 "Lance! What are you doing here?" Lou asked, seeing the irate young blond in his doorway. Lance tossed the notebook onto the table. "Getting that," he said. "Jo...JC left it here, and when he came back to get it, he realized that he COULDN'T GET IN THE BUILDING! Imagine that!" "Lance, there's a perfectly good explanation for that, if you'll..." "I suppose it's the same reason I couldn't get in?" Lance asked, putting his hands on his hips. "You changed the locks and forgot to tell four-fifths of the group?" "Well, they--" "Changed labels, uh-huh, I know. But then, why did you give Ken a new key, hmm?" he asked. "Something seems a little odd about that." "Well how did YOU get in?" Lou countered. Lance laughed shortly. "I ran into...Shari in the parking lot and she let me in. Amazing what a few nice words can do, right?" he asked. "I mean, I roped you in pretty good." "What?" "I had you fooled, didn't I? 'Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Pearlman, I didn't mean to offend you...' 'Oh, Mr. Pearlman, it's a PLEASURE to meet you...' 'Oh, okay, MR. PEARLMAN! I'll TRY to think about replacing one of my BEST FRIENDS in HIS GROUP! No PROBLEM!' All I had to do was say stuff like that and you loved me..." Lance's voice had gotten louder with every word spoken and he shook his head to calm himself down. "Well, guess what, Lou...this locking out business..." he smiled slowly. "This is war." * JC raced through the building, not bothering to think of the oddity he'd just witnessed. Shari had just opened the door for him, no questions asked...apparently, she'd been in there with Ken, but that meant Ken would have a key...JC sprinted down the hallway, hearing Ken's voice, but noticing that his notebook was nowhere to be found, which meant one thing: Lance had found it already. And that meant Lance was still in the building. That meant Lance was going to talk to Lou. And Lance was pissed. JC kept running. * Lance was going towards the door but Lou stopped him. "So, it appears you, my little friend, are on the wrong side?" Lance snorted. "The wrong side? Excuse me, Lou, but I'm not the one cheating these guys out of their money. When they can barely pay rent..." he shook his head. "That's just WRONG. And I know Chris got sick a few months ago...he was almost HOSPITALIZED because of it. That's not right and I know it was your doing." "You shouldn't be talking to me like that, little one," Lou sneered. "I OWN this company. And I don't believe you even have a right to be here. I could get you arrested with no trouble. You shouldn't even be here. Your boys signed with Jive." "Then why did KEN get a new key? I KNOW he's here, I heard him singing. Why is he here?" "KEN is doing the smart thing," Lou said. Lance snorted. "You're just going to screw him over too. Listen to me, Lou. You are going DOWN. You just started a war." "No, my friend," Lou said, grabbing onto Lance's arm. "YOU just started the war." * JC, breathing heavily, finally made it to Lou's office. "Get your hands OFF me, you filthy bastard!" he heard a voice, unmistakably Lance's, say. His eyes widened. "What's your problem?" Lance continued. JC opened the door and saw Lance staring angrily up at Lou, who had a hand on his arm. "What the hell is going on here?" he asked, eyes blazing. "Josh, hey!" Lance said, finally pulling his arm out of Lou's grip. "I got your notebook back," he continued, grabbing it and tossing it to JC. "And now that Lou has been so kind as to release my arm, I believe we can--" "No, you can't. We have a little business to discuss while you're here. Mr. Chasez, I'm SURE you want to be a part of this conversation." *** Lance walked into the house with a small smile on his face. "Hey guys," he said, nodding. Justin looked at Lance's arm. "What happened?" he asked, frowning. Lance looked down. "Huh? Oh, umm..." "It was Lou," JC muttered darkly, brushing past them with a scowl. Lance frowned. "Josh--" "Leave me alone," JC said, walking up the stairs. "What happened?" Joey asked. Lance looked after JC. "Lou and I were...uh, talking, and he decided he didn't want me to leave...So he just left some fingerprints, that's all. Josh is upset cause of that, and cause..." he paused and sighed. "The company -- and Lou -- has the rights to all the songs you guys did. You can't release an album until you get and record new ones." "Well, we knew that was gonna happen, right?" Chris said, breaking his previous silence. Lance shook his head. "That's not it though. Josh...Josh's song...they got the rights to that too. If you guys put it on your next album, they...they can sue." * "What do you mean, 'Ken is still recording?'" Chris asked angrily. "How come HE isn't with us?" "You know he never wanted to leave the company," Lance said. "He was getting extra money there." He sighed. "You guys gotta stay away from TransCon. It ain't your company no more and you could probably get in trouble for trespassing or some bullshit like that. Hell, he almost called security on me and Josh in there." Lance collapsed on the couch. "You tell Just and Joey, all right? I need sleep." Chris nodded. "Sure man. And...thanks." Lance yawned sleepily. "For what?" "Everything, you know? Helping us out...you don't have to." "Sure I do," Lance said. "And besides, I want to. I wanna be back in this group as much as y'all want Ken OUT. It'll all work out, trust me." *** "Lance, phone!" Justin called. "It's..." "Who?" Lance asked walking into the kitchen. "Shari," Justin said, a puzzled look on his face. "Lance? Why is she calling you? I don't get it." Lance shrugged. He didn't want his 'secret' out yet. "Hello?" he asked. "Hey, how are you?" He paused and sat down. "You're kidding. He really--" Lance shook his head. "Yeah, all right. Thanks. Talk to you later E-- Shari. Bye." "What she want?" Justin asked. Lance smiled mysteriously. "Oh, nothing. Just know that we've got a little help over there." After a pause he looked at the ceiling. "And up there."