Chapter 88

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Chapter 88

"You'll have to be careful," Nikolas said wisely to JC. JC just stared at sleeping man in his arms. "He has a tendency to disappear on you. Trust me, I know."

Justin tore his eyes away from Lance to look at Nikolas. "So...you're another lawyer? Is that what you're here for?"

"Yeah, that sounds about right. But first, I think I should try to explain exactly why James reacted why he did...you see, the truth about him didn't exactly come out the right way. No pun intended, of course."

"Yeah, we know that," Justin said. "He told us that..."

"No, he didn't," Nikolas said. "Yes, he told you about what he said to Sarah...but what he didn't tell you was the rest. He didn't lie when his parents confronted him about what he had mentioned to her, even though he was afraid for his life. His...they...they attacked him..." Nikolas paused to see JC carefully sit down with Lance still in his arms, looking down sadly at the blond's face. He continued. "His father...his father hit him and he was shunned by his mother...and he didn't fight it at all; I don't know if he even knew all of what they were saying, his father shouted so much...and he took every word, every beating, up until they told him to leave."

"They what?" Joey asked, eyes wide.

"They told him to leave," Nikolas repeated. "They told him to leave and never return."

"What did he do?" Justin asked quietly. JC and Chris remained silent.

"He said okay," Nikolas said, glancing at Chris. "He said okay and that he was sorry, and he ran and never saw them again."

*****

"Where'd he go?" Joey asked Justin.

Justin shrugged. "He's not in his room?"

"Nope," Joey said, shaking his head. "Maybe he's on the porch..."

Justin shrugged again. "Could be."

"Wow, you are just SO helpful, you know that?" Joey asked dryly. "I mean, next time someone disappears somewhere you'll be the first one I ask, cause you just rock, man."

Justin buffed his fingernails. "I know, I know, you love me. I'm da man."

Joey rolled his eyes and elbowed Justin in the side. "Yeah, I bow at your feet, O Curly One."

They stopped their bantering when the heard quiet muttering from the porch. They exchanged glances and went outside.

"Chris?" Justin asked. "Hey, Chris--"

"I'm sorry," Chris said. "I didn't mean to make him leave. They both hate me now, don't they?"

"No, Chris, no one hates you!" Joey said quickly. "I just think JC's a little upset because Lance got upset, but neither one of them hate you."

"I hurt Lance," he said. "I said the worst possible things I could have said and I made him leave, I'm so sorry."

"Why did you say them?" JC asked suddenly and quietly from the doorway.

Chris didn't even flinch at the new voice. "Fuck, I don't know," he said. "I was just frustrated, and...I don't know. It was just frustration and guilt--" he cut himself off. "I didn't even know what I was saying."

"Wait, did you just say guilt?" Justin said, turning his head towards Chris.

"Why?" The other two were just as surprised as Justin, and wisely decided to see what Justin could do. "I didn't--"

"Didn't nothing, Chris. I don't...what do you mean, guilt? Because you got mad at Lance?"

"No! I didn't mean anything by it!" Chris said. 'Great job, dumbass, now they're going to realize that you got them into this mess! What's wrong with you, Chris? Now they're going to know! You almost got by without them figuring out that it's YOUR fault they're tied up in this suit in the first place...' "SHUT UP!" Chris screamed, holding his head.

Justin flinched backwards. "Chris?"

"Shut up! I KNOW it's my fault! I'm sorry, I know it's my fault Lance left, it's my fault that we're in this suit...I didn't meet Lou on PURPOSE, it just HAPPENED! I'm so sorry!"

"Chris?"

Chris fell to his knees in front of the porch swing, still clutching his head. "Just go away," he muttered. Suddenly, he looked up at Justin. "Make them go away," he whispered. "Make the voices go away."

*****

JC quietly shut the door behind him with a soft click and walked to where Lance was sleeping.

"Josh?" the blond mumbled sleepily. "That you?"

JC smiled tenderly. "Yeah," he whispered. "It's me."

"I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry. I love you. I...sorry I left..."

"It's okay, Lance, I understand," JC said, chewing on his lower lip.

"Okay," Lance sighed, going back to sleep.

"Okay," JC repeated. He paused before leaving the room, and instead turned back around. He walked over to the bed, looked at Lance, and dropped down next to him. He buried his face in Lance's chest, breathing in his smell. Before he too went to sleep, he felt Lance's warm, protective arm curl around him. Both smiled.

*****

Lance sleepily walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He noticed the figure and half waved. "Hey Nik--" he jumped and rubbed his eyes again. "Nikolas? What are YOU doing here?"

"Don't sound so happy to see me, James," Nikolas said dryly. "To think you would have missed me," he sniffed.

"Ugh," Lance grunted. "Yeah yeah," he said. "Missed you so much." He laid his head on the table. "What are you doing here again?"

"Why, James, forget how to be nice and respect your elders?"

"Yes," Lance groaned. "Wanna tell me why you're here? Not that I mind or whatever..."

"Of course not," Nikolas smirked. "Just make sure you have your precious Joshua and you're fine."

"Hey, if you had Josh you'd be fine too. But you don't got him."

"Still a smart aleck, I see."

"Always," Lance said, finally looking up. "What, do you have your own mission too? Don't screw up like I did."

"You didn't mess up, James," Nikolas said gently. "You found what you'd always wanted, didn't you? Someone to love?"

Lance smiled a little. "Yeah," he said. "But..."

"No buts," Nikolas said. "You can't mess up when you fall in love."

"How poetic," Lance grumbled. "And the name is Lance."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 88 "You'll have to be careful," Nikolas said wisely to JC. JC just stared at sleeping man in his arms. "He has a tendency to disappear on you. Trust me, I know." Justin tore his eyes away from Lance to look at Nikolas. "So...you're another lawyer? Is that what you're here for?" "Yeah, that sounds about right. But first, I think I should try to explain exactly why James reacted why he did...you see, the truth about him didn't exactly come out the right way. No pun intended, of course." "Yeah, we know that," Justin said. "He told us that..." "No, he didn't," Nikolas said. "Yes, he told you about what he said to Sarah...but what he didn't tell you was the rest. He didn't lie when his parents confronted him about what he had mentioned to her, even though he was afraid for his life. His...they...they attacked him..." Nikolas paused to see JC carefully sit down with Lance still in his arms, looking down sadly at the blond's face. He continued. "His father...his father hit him and he was shunned by his mother...and he didn't fight it at all; I don't know if he even knew all of what they were saying, his father shouted so much...and he took every word, every beating, up until they told him to leave." "They what?" Joey asked, eyes wide. "They told him to leave," Nikolas repeated. "They told him to leave and never return." "What did he do?" Justin asked quietly. JC and Chris remained silent. "He said okay," Nikolas said, glancing at Chris. "He said okay and that he was sorry, and he ran and never saw them again." *** "Where'd he go?" Joey asked Justin. Justin shrugged. "He's not in his room?" "Nope," Joey said, shaking his head. "Maybe he's on the porch..." Justin shrugged again. "Could be." "Wow, you are just SO helpful, you know that?" Joey asked dryly. "I mean, next time someone disappears somewhere you'll be the first one I ask, cause you just rock, man." Justin buffed his fingernails. "I know, I know, you love me. I'm da man." Joey rolled his eyes and elbowed Justin in the side. "Yeah, I bow at your feet, O Curly One." They stopped their bantering when the heard quiet muttering from the porch. They exchanged glances and went outside. "Chris?" Justin asked. "Hey, Chris--" "I'm sorry," Chris said. "I didn't mean to make him leave. They both hate me now, don't they?" "No, Chris, no one hates you!" Joey said quickly. "I just think JC's a little upset because Lance got upset, but neither one of them hate you." "I hurt Lance," he said. "I said the worst possible things I could have said and I made him leave, I'm so sorry." "Why did you say them?" JC asked suddenly and quietly from the doorway. Chris didn't even flinch at the new voice. "Fuck, I don't know," he said. "I was just frustrated, and...I don't know. It was just frustration and guilt--" he cut himself off. "I didn't even know what I was saying." "Wait, did you just say guilt?" Justin said, turning his head towards Chris. "Why?" The other two were just as surprised as Justin, and wisely decided to see what Justin could do. "I didn't--" "Didn't nothing, Chris. I don't...what do you mean, guilt? Because you got mad at Lance?" "No! I didn't mean anything by it!" Chris said. 'Great job, dumbass, now they're going to realize that you got them into this mess! What's wrong with you, Chris? Now they're going to know! You almost got by without them figuring out that it's YOUR fault they're tied up in this suit in the first place...' "SHUT UP!" Chris screamed, holding his head. Justin flinched backwards. "Chris?" "Shut up! I KNOW it's my fault! I'm sorry, I know it's my fault Lance left, it's my fault that we're in this suit...I didn't meet Lou on PURPOSE, it just HAPPENED! I'm so sorry!" "Chris?" Chris fell to his knees in front of the porch swing, still clutching his head. "Just go away," he muttered. Suddenly, he looked up at Justin. "Make them go away," he whispered. "Make the voices go away." * JC quietly shut the door behind him with a soft click and walked to where Lance was sleeping. "Josh?" the blond mumbled sleepily. "That you?" JC smiled tenderly. "Yeah," he whispered. "It's me." "I'm sorry," he muttered. "I'm sorry. I love you. I...sorry I left..." "It's okay, Lance, I understand," JC said, chewing on his lower lip. "Okay," Lance sighed, going back to sleep. "Okay," JC repeated. He paused before leaving the room, and instead turned back around. He walked over to the bed, looked at Lance, and dropped down next to him. He buried his face in Lance's chest, breathing in his smell. Before he too went to sleep, he felt Lance's warm, protective arm curl around him. Both smiled. *** Lance sleepily walked into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes. He noticed the figure and half waved. "Hey Nik--" he jumped and rubbed his eyes again. "Nikolas? What are YOU doing here?" "Don't sound so happy to see me, James," Nikolas said dryly. "To think you would have missed me," he sniffed. "Ugh," Lance grunted. "Yeah yeah," he said. "Missed you so much." He laid his head on the table. "What are you doing here again?" "Why, James, forget how to be nice and respect your elders?" "Yes," Lance groaned. "Wanna tell me why you're here? Not that I mind or whatever..." "Of course not," Nikolas smirked. "Just make sure you have your precious Joshua and you're fine." "Hey, if you had Josh you'd be fine too. But you don't got him." "Still a smart aleck, I see." "Always," Lance said, finally looking up. "What, do you have your own mission too? Don't screw up like I did." "You didn't mess up, James," Nikolas said gently. "You found what you'd always wanted, didn't you? Someone to love?" Lance smiled a little. "Yeah," he said. "But..." "No buts," Nikolas said. "You can't mess up when you fall in love." "How poetic," Lance grumbled. "And the name is Lance."