Chapter 91

"I'm fine," Lance said quietly, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "I just need...I need to sleep."

JC smiled and crawled onto the bed next to Lance. "Of course," he said. He cradled Lance in his arms, all the while wondering what he and Chris had talked about. "Just go to sleep, baby," he said, running a hand through his hair.

Some time later, Chris appeared in the doorway. "Jace, I...I'm really sorry, JC," he said, studying the floor. "I don't know why--"

"Yeah, me neither," JC said shortly, causing Chris to look up in surprise. "Dude, you have a girlfriend, I've told you this countless times before..." Chris' eyes squinted in confusion. "Man, I know Lance is sexy and all," JC continued, shrugging, "But he's mine and you really need to keep your grubby hands off of him, understood? I mean, isn't Dani enough?"

"Dude, just..." JC shook his head in mock disgust. "I know we all like to hug, but if I let you keep doin' this then you'll get carried away and one of these days I'll walk in to find you kissin' him or something, and..."

"JC," Chris said, smiling. He finally understood what the younger man was doing when he saw the way JC kept blinking in that way that told Chris he was trying not to smile or laugh.

"Do you?" JC asked. "Cause I don't want you hitting on Lance anymore..."

"Don't worry. I'll stop hitting on Lance," Chris said. He turned around in the doorway. "And hey, it's not like he'd listen or notice me or anyone else but you. Man, that boy is whipped over you."

Lance slowly woke up to the sound of keys on a keyboard being hit. "Josh?" he asked sleepily.

"What?" JC asked distractedly. "Oh, you're up! Gimme a minute..." he squinted at the screen of his computer, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow in concentration.

"I am," JC assured him. "I'm just making a few changes. Cleaning it up. Stuff like that."

"Jace, I'm sure it's perfect," Lance said tiredly. "Come back and lay down."

"It's not perfect," JC said with a frown. "I could still--there's still some stuff I could do to make it..."

"Josh," Lance said, shaking his head exasperatedly. "You're such a perfectionist. It's fine."

"I know, Josh," Lance said. "But you can't obsess over it too much or you'll

"I trust you," JC said with a nod. "I just want it to be as good as it can be...Actually, will you read it for me? Double check?" JC asked, printing it out. "Please?"

Lance sighed and sat up, knowing he wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. "Sure," he sighed. JC smiled broadly. "What happened to the King of Sleep?" Lance complained.

JC frowned and presented Lance with an empty coffee cup with a pout. "He got thirsty," JC nodded.

"You couldn't have made some?" Lance asked exasperatedly, fighting a grin.

Lance laughed. "Hand it over," he said. JC passed him the sheets of paper nervously. Lance started reading, and feeling eyes on him, stopped and looked at JC.

"Are you just gonna watch me while I'm reading? Cause honestly, I can't really concentrate with you just standing there..."

"You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some coffee. I need some coffee. You want some coffee? I'm gonna go get some coffee."

"I don't think you need any more coffee, Josh," Lance said, an amused smile on his face.

"Okay, so you do," Lance shrugged, trying not to laugh. "Get me some too, then, kay?"

JC walked in the room with three coffee cups. One in each hand, and one between his teeth. "Hey," he said softly when he'd put the cup down.

"Nah. Nikolas called to say he'd be here later on, then I made fun of him a little bit and he threatened me."

Lance shrugged. "Not much. He said he'd come and attack me in my sleep, but he wouldn't do that."

"Nah, he's too lazy. And he couldn't hurt me anyway. His conscience would bug him, or something, I guess," Lance said with a grin. "I wonder what that's like?"

"Oh," JC said with a nod, not really following. He was too nervous about what Lance thought of what he'd written. Lance finished and JC carefully sat next to him on the bed. Lance put the paper down. "So? How was it? Do I need to change anything?"

JC put the cups on the nightstand and Lance hugged him tightly. "What was that for?" he asked when they finally parted.

"In that...you sounded like you needed one," Lance said. "And maybe I needed one too."

"You know, you should just like...sing in the courtroom or something," Lance said exasperatedly, banging his head on the table.

"Take away what Ken said about you being fake or something by just singing in the courtroom. Is that allowed?"

"See, sometimes it pays to have an annoying angel on your side," Lance said with a nod. He swatted away Nikolas' hand. "Don't touch my hair, man."

"Which one?" Joey asked, furrowing his brow. "Oh, yeah," he said, remembering. We should!"

"You know," Chris commented thoughtfully, "If we have to, we could always just change our

"I mean, if worst comes to worst...We could just change the name of the group," Chris stated matter-of-factly.

Chris shot him a look that told Justin he should have already known. "Chris the Mighty and the Four Lowly J's, of course. Duh. Or there's always Chris the Magnificent and Those Other Four Guys. Maybe even Chris the Magnificent and the Four Lowly J's. Hey, that could work..."


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 91 "Lance, are you sure you're okay?" JC asked worriedly. "I'm fine," Lance said quietly, leaning back and looking at the ceiling. "I just need...I need to sleep." "Want me to go--" "Actually, would you stay?" Lance asked softly, interrupting him. JC smiled and crawled onto the bed next to Lance. "Of course," he said. He cradled Lance in his arms, all the while wondering what he and Chris had talked about. "Just go to sleep, baby," he said, running a hand through his hair. Some time later, Chris appeared in the doorway. "Jace, I...I'm really sorry, JC," he said, studying the floor. "I don't know why--" "Yeah, me neither," JC said shortly, causing Chris to look up in surprise. "Dude, you have a girlfriend, I've told you this countless times before..." Chris' eyes squinted in confusion. "Man, I know Lance is sexy and all," JC continued, shrugging, "But he's mine and you really need to keep your grubby hands off of him, understood? I mean, isn't Dani enough?" "JC?" "Dude, just..." JC shook his head in mock disgust. "I know we all like to hug, but if I let you keep doin' this then you'll get carried away and one of these days I'll walk in to find you kissin' him or something, and..." "JC," Chris said, smiling. He finally understood what the younger man was doing when he saw the way JC kept blinking in that way that told Chris he was trying not to smile or laugh. "What?" "I get it," Chris replied. "Do you?" JC asked. "Cause I don't want you hitting on Lance anymore..." "Jace." "What?" "Don't worry. I'll stop hitting on Lance," Chris said. He turned around in the doorway. "And hey, it's not like he'd listen or notice me or anyone else but you. Man, that boy is whipped over you." This time, JC didn't bother trying to hide his smile. ***** Lance slowly woke up to the sound of keys on a keyboard being hit. "Josh?" he asked sleepily. "What?" JC asked distractedly. "Oh, you're up! Gimme a minute..." he squinted at the screen of his computer, pursing his lips and furrowing his brow in concentration. "Josh? What is that?" "It's..." JC trailed off, forgetting that he was talking. "For the lawsuit?" Lance prompted. "Huh? Oh, yeah." "I thought you said you were done..." "I am," JC assured him. "I'm just making a few changes. Cleaning it up. Stuff like that." "Jace, I'm sure it's perfect," Lance said tiredly. "Come back and lay down." "It's not perfect," JC said with a frown. "I could still--there's still some stuff I could do to make it..." "Josh," Lance said, shaking his head exasperatedly. "You're such a perfectionist. It's fine." "But I want it to sound like we--" "I know, Josh," Lance said. "But you can't obsess over it too much or you'll start to make changes that don't need to be made. Trust me." "I trust you," JC said with a nod. "I just want it to be as good as it can be...Actually, will you read it for me? Double check?" JC asked, printing it out. "Please?" Lance sighed and sat up, knowing he wouldn't be getting back to sleep anytime soon. "Sure," he sighed. JC smiled broadly. "What happened to the King of Sleep?" Lance complained. JC frowned and presented Lance with an empty coffee cup with a pout. "He got thirsty," JC nodded. "You couldn't have made some?" Lance asked exasperatedly, fighting a grin. "No filters," JC shrugged. "Next door?" "Dude, the next door neighbor is like, twelve." "Dude, chill out," Lance said. JC blinked a few times. "Hey!" Lance laughed. "Hand it over," he said. JC passed him the sheets of paper nervously. Lance started reading, and feeling eyes on him, stopped and looked at JC. "What? Is there something wrong? Did I--" "Are you just gonna watch me while I'm reading? Cause honestly, I can't really concentrate with you just standing there..." "Oh, sorry," JC apologized with a slight blush. "Should I--" "Jace, calm down! I'm sure it's great." "You know what? I think I'm gonna go get some coffee. I need some coffee. You want some coffee? I'm gonna go get some coffee." "I don't think you need any more coffee, Josh," Lance said, an amused smile on his face. "Yes I DO!" "Okay, so you do," Lance shrugged, trying not to laugh. "Get me some too, then, kay?" "Kay," JC said, going out the door. "Oh, and Josh?" JC turned around. "Shoes, honey. Shoes." * JC walked in the room with three coffee cups. One in each hand, and one between his teeth. "Hey," he said softly when he'd put the cup down. Lance nodded in acknowledgment. "I'm almost done," he said. "It's taken this long for you to read?" JC asked, eyes widening. "Nah. Nikolas called to say he'd be here later on, then I made fun of him a little bit and he threatened me." "With what?" Lance shrugged. "Not much. He said he'd come and attack me in my sleep, but he wouldn't do that." "He wouldn't?" "Nah, he's too lazy. And he couldn't hurt me anyway. His conscience would bug him, or something, I guess," Lance said with a grin. "I wonder what that's like?" "What what's like?" "Having a conscience." "Oh," JC said with a nod, not really following. He was too nervous about what Lance thought of what he'd written. Lance finished and JC carefully sat next to him on the bed. Lance put the paper down. "So? How was it? Do I need to change anything?" "I, um..." Lance swallowed. "Just...come here." JC put the cups on the nightstand and Lance hugged him tightly. "What was that for?" he asked when they finally parted. "In that...you sounded like you needed one," Lance said. "And maybe I needed one too." ***** "You know, you should just like...sing in the courtroom or something," Lance said exasperatedly, banging his head on the table. "Wait, what was that?" JC asked, furrowing his brow. "Take away what Ken said about you being fake or something by just singing in the courtroom. Is that allowed?" "I can make it allowed it it's not," Nikolas said. "See, sometimes it pays to have an annoying angel on your side," Lance said with a nod. He swatted away Nikolas' hand. "Don't touch my hair, man." "We SHOULD do that," Justin mused. "What other way do we have?" Chris grinned. "We oughta sing that new song." "Which one?" Joey asked, furrowing his brow. "Oh, yeah," he said, remembering. We should!" "You know," Chris commented thoughtfully, "If we have to, we could always just change our name..." "What?" Justin yelped. "I mean, if worst comes to worst...We could just change the name of the group," Chris stated matter-of-factly. "Oh really? To what?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow. Chris shot him a look that told Justin he should have already known. "Chris the Mighty and the Four Lowly J's, of course. Duh. Or there's always Chris the Magnificent and Those Other Four Guys. Maybe even Chris the Magnificent and the Four Lowly J's. Hey, that could work..." He pretended not to feel the four simultaneous slaps on his head.