Chapter 93

Inner Reflection | home

*~*November 22, 1999*~*

"Hey Lance?" JC asked.

"What, Josh?" Lance asked sleepily. "You need to sleep, babe. Big day tomorrow."

"I know..." JC paused. "You really think we'll get out of this? Like, seriously?"

"Of course," Lance said. "We'll be fine. I'm...I'm sure the judge'll be able to see right Through Lou. Well, not literally of course, that would be impossible, but--"

JC snorted in laughter. "That's mean," he said.

"But true," Lance pointed out. "Go to sleep, Josh."

"I can't," JC said. "I'm too nervous to sleep."

Lance yawned. "Close your eyes then," he said. "And count sheep."

JC wrinkled his nose in the darkness. "That never works."

"Because I always try to stay awake and see how many sheep there are." Lance shook his head and JC continued before he could say anything. "I know, I'm hopeless, but I still can't sleep."

"Close your eyes, anyway."

"And do what?" Lance sighed at him. "What?" JC asked.

"Just...close 'em. And..."

"Dream about sugar plum fairies?" JC asked sarcastically.

"Sure," Lance said. "If it'll get you to shut up and go to sleep. Assuming that's of the male variety of course. I should hope you wouldn't want to dream of chicks running around in tight little tutus."

"You're so sweet," JC said.

"You're so irritating. What happened to the King of Sleep?"

"You seem to be asking me that a lot lately," JC observed.

"Because you never sleep!"

"I do too," JC defended. "Just not now."

"What an impression you'll make tomorrow," Lance said dryly. "Joshua Chasez couldn't keep his eyes open for the hearing. The rest of the group, however..."

"All right, all right, you've made your point. But I still can't sleep." Lance sighed. "Close your eyes and I'll tell you a story," he said.

"Fine," JC finally agreed. "They're closed."

"Fine, fine," JC grumbled. "They are now, happy?"

"Yep. Once upon a time there were these four boys that decided to form a little singing group--"

"What were their names?" JC asked.

"Huey, Dewey, and Louie," Lance told him.

"Duck Tales?" JC asked. "How do you know about them?"

"I'm smart," Lance said. "Anyway--"

"You said there were four," JC interrupted.

Lance rolled his eyes. "The fourth one was the prettiest of all," he said.

"The fourth one's name was...um...Mr. Wonderful."

"Shh, it's my story. So anyway, Mr. Wonderful, Huey, Dewey, and Louie wanted to start a little music group. But they needed some help. And that's where their friend...um...AB came in."

"Sure. So AB comes and they make a bunch of records. Then they sell some. Like, millions. But one day, AB and his boyfriend Mr. Wonderful were driving in a car when they got hit by the evil...uh, idiot. So then AB had to tell them all that he wasn't a person, he was really an angel!"

JC frowned in the dark. "Then what?"

"AB had to leave," Lance said sadly. "And then Mr. Wonderful and Huey and Dewey and Louie forgot all about him. Not on purpose, of course, but it happened." He paused. "And instead of AB, they had to deal with some prick named...uh, SOB."

JC giggled a little bit. "Then what?" he prompted.

"Well, something amazing and wonderful happened. Mr. Wonderful started to remember AB even though he wasn't supposed to. Then Mr. Wonderful told Huey, Dewey, and Louie all about AB and they remembered him too. And then they all realized that SOB was a really bad person, and was partners with another really bad person that the four boys thought they could trust."

"What was HIS name?" JC asked.

"Um, Ursula," Lance said. "So--"

"Ursula? The Sea Witch? That's a GIRL!"

"So? She was Disney's worst villain. It fits. She stole Ariel's voice. You should be scared of her. That chick was scary. And besides, I'm sure deep down inside, the really bad person was an immature little girl." JC giggled again. "So Ursula and the SOB went up against the five guys and their friend...SOG."

"Some Old Guy. So they went up against Ursula, and they won and the little group got to keep all their money AND they got to keep AB. Then they all made a bunch more records and sold a lot of them. Only not just millions this time. It was bazillions," Lance said confidently. "And Ursula was last seen, uh, trying to promote a movie no one wanted to see. And Huey, Dewey and Louie, AB and his wonderful boyfriend Mr. Wonderful, and SOG all lived happily ever after."

"Really?" JC asked, smiling.

"I'm still not sleepy."

Lance sighed. "Close your eyes again and I'll try something else." JC made a grunt of protest. "Do it. Now...tomorrow. What do you see?"

"Us in a courtroom, I guess."

"Right. What about the next day?"

"I don't know," JC said doubtfully. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, and I guess whatever we do the next day will be based on tomorrow's decision, so--"

"Well, say you win tomorrow. You're gonna be able to keep the name. Lou's eventually gonna cave in, and this whole mess will be over. I'll be back in the group and the world will remember the original *NSYNC. Right?"

"Mmmhmm," JC mumbled.

Lance smiled and it showed in his voice. "We'll be free to work with Jive and we'll be able to get any producer and writer we want, and we'll rerecord the new album. It'll be even BETTER than the one we were planning on putting out with Trans-Con, cause this one will be all our decisions."

"And then what?" JC asked, finally sounding tired.

"So we'll get all these great people to help us, and we'll even have our stuff on it. Mostly yours, cause you're a lyrical poet--"

"No, that's Vanilla Ice--"

"You're the witty lyrical poet then," Lance amended. "And you'll be able to put your songs on our album, you can produce it and everything--"

"Sure," Lance said. "And when we finally finish it, we'll be able to sell them to the fans that've stuck with us through this, which is, of course, all of them, and then we'll put it out and it'll break all the records--"

"We'll have a record?"

"Sure we will. And it'll sell some obscene amount of copies, and we'll kill Backstreet's record. We'll be on the charts for weeks, maybe even months. We'll be all anyone's talking about for weeks."

"Then what?" JC muttered, burrowing his face into the crook of Lance's neck.

"Who knows?" Lance asked, yawning again and wrapping an arm around JC.

"Video Music Awards. American Music Awards. Billboard Awards. Maybe even Grammy gold."

"Maybe," JC sighed into Lance's shoulder.

"Maybe," Lance echoed. "Night Josh. Love you."

But JC was too busy sleeping to hear him.

JC shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Does my tie look okay?" he asked. "It's not like, crooked or whatever?"

"You're fine, C," Justin assured him. "Now go find your boy."

"Where'd he go?" JC asked, looking around wildly.

"Right here," Lance said, sounding amused.

JC turned around. "Wow," he said. "Anyone ever tell you how hot you look in a suit?"

Lance blushed. "Maybe."

JC laughed. "Well it's true. Wait," he said, pausing. "Who told you?"

"Okay, I think I'm going to leave," Justin said, slipping out of the bathroom, armed with gel. "You set on gel, Lance?" Justin asked.

"It's all yours," Lance said.

"I wish you could still sit next to me," JC pouted.

"Me too," Lance said with a nod. "But I'll still be there. And Nik'll be next to you."

"Oh, great," JC said. "A thousand year old angel or my boyfriend. Hmm, you're right, screw you."

"I'd hit you but I think it'll break your hair. And I think he's older than that."

"Darn, I wanted to call the abuse hotline."

"It's time to go, young men," Nikolas said, popping his head into the room.

JC shifted his weight. "You ready Lance?"

"Sure," Lance said. He frowned. "I'm not even gonna be sitting next to you."

"I know," JC pouted.

"You'll be right behind him, James," Nikolas promised.

Lance sighed wearily. He didn't like judges, even though this one seemed to like their side. He didn't like courtrooms. He didn't like hearings or trials. He didn't like Lou Pearlman. He didn't like lawyers. He didn't like Lou's lawyers. And he especially didn't like the way they were right now "questioning" JC and describing him as bellicose. Yeah, like HE had started this whole mess! Lance rolled his eyes.

He sighed as Nikolas pointed out that simply stating the truth didn't make a person warlike. He had to fight a grin though, Nikolas was talking to the other lawyers like they were young children. Army Generals, he told them, were bellicose, not JC Chasez.

He sighed again when JC started tripping over words and glancing over at him nervously. His boyfriend didn't like the intense one-on-one questioning he was getting from those lawyers, didn't like getting up in front of people in this manner period. Of course, they hit him the worst, because he had been the "voice" of the group. JC looked at Lance again, who sighed once more and leaned back into his seat to watch the rest of the mudslinging, relaxing a little as a recess was called so the judge could make her decision.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Sent From Above Chapter 93 **~November 22, 1999~** "Hey Lance?" JC asked. "What, Josh?" Lance asked sleepily. "You need to sleep, babe. Big day tomorrow." "I know..." JC paused. "You really think we'll get out of this? Like, seriously?" "Of course," Lance said. "We'll be fine. I'm...I'm sure the judge'll be able to see right Through Lou. Well, not literally of course, that would be impossible, but--" JC snorted in laughter. "That's mean," he said. "But true," Lance pointed out. "Go to sleep, Josh." "I can't," JC said. "I'm too nervous to sleep." Lance yawned. "Close your eyes then," he said. "And count sheep." JC wrinkled his nose in the darkness. "That never works." "Why?" "Because I always try to stay awake and see how many sheep there are." Lance shook his head and JC continued before he could say anything. "I know, I'm hopeless, but I still can't sleep." "Close your eyes, anyway." "And do what?" Lance sighed at him. "What?" JC asked. "Just...close 'em. And..." "Dream about sugar plum fairies?" JC asked sarcastically. "Sure," Lance said. "If it'll get you to shut up and go to sleep. Assuming that's of the male variety of course. I should hope you wouldn't want to dream of chicks running around in tight little tutus." "You're so sweet," JC said. "You're so irritating. What happened to the King of Sleep?" "You seem to be asking me that a lot lately," JC observed. "Because you never sleep!" "I do too," JC defended. "Just not now." "What an impression you'll make tomorrow," Lance said dryly. "Joshua Chasez couldn't keep his eyes open for the hearing. The rest of the group, however..." "All right, all right, you've made your point. But I still can't sleep." Lance sighed. "Close your eyes and I'll tell you a story," he said. "Fine," JC finally agreed. "They're closed." "No they're not." "Fine, fine," JC grumbled. "They are now, happy?" "Yep. Once upon a time there were these four boys that decided to form a little singing group--" "What were their names?" JC asked. "Huey, Dewey, and Louie," Lance told him. "Duck Tales?" JC asked. "How do you know about them?" "I'm smart," Lance said. "Anyway--" "You said there were four," JC interrupted. Lance rolled his eyes. "The fourth one was the prettiest of all," he said. "The fourth one's name was...um...Mr. Wonderful." "What? Lance--" "Shh, it's my story. So anyway, Mr. Wonderful, Huey, Dewey, and Louie wanted to start a little music group. But they needed some help. And that's where their friend...um...AB came in." "Angel Boy?" "Sure. So AB comes and they make a bunch of records. Then they sell some. Like, millions. But one day, AB and his boyfriend Mr. Wonderful were driving in a car when they got hit by the evil...uh, idiot. So then AB had to tell them all that he wasn't a person, he was really an angel!" JC frowned in the dark. "Then what?" "AB had to leave," Lance said sadly. "And then Mr. Wonderful and Huey and Dewey and Louie forgot all about him. Not on purpose, of course, but it happened." He paused. "And instead of AB, they had to deal with some prick named...uh, SOB." JC giggled a little bit. "Then what?" he prompted. "Well, something amazing and wonderful happened. Mr. Wonderful started to remember AB even though he wasn't supposed to. Then Mr. Wonderful told Huey, Dewey, and Louie all about AB and they remembered him too. And then they all realized that SOB was a really bad person, and was partners with another really bad person that the four boys thought they could trust." "What was HIS name?" JC asked. "Um, Ursula," Lance said. "So--" "Ursula? The Sea Witch? That's a GIRL!" "So? She was Disney's worst villain. It fits. She stole Ariel's voice. You should be scared of her. That chick was scary. And besides, I'm sure deep down inside, the really bad person was an immature little girl." JC giggled again. "So Ursula and the SOB went up against the five guys and their friend...SOG." "What's that mean?" "Some Old Guy. So they went up against Ursula, and they won and the little group got to keep all their money AND they got to keep AB. Then they all made a bunch more records and sold a lot of them. Only not just millions this time. It was bazillions," Lance said confidently. "And Ursula was last seen, uh, trying to promote a movie no one wanted to see. And Huey, Dewey and Louie, AB and his wonderful boyfriend Mr. Wonderful, and SOG all lived happily ever after." "Really?" JC asked, smiling. "Yep." "I'm still not sleepy." Lance sighed. "Close your eyes again and I'll try something else." JC made a grunt of protest. "Do it. Now...tomorrow. What do you see?" "Us in a courtroom, I guess." "Right. What about the next day?" "I don't know," JC said doubtfully. "I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow, and I guess whatever we do the next day will be based on tomorrow's decision, so--" "Well, say you win tomorrow. You're gonna be able to keep the name. Lou's eventually gonna cave in, and this whole mess will be over. I'll be back in the group and the world will remember the original NSYNC. Right?" "Mmmhmm," JC mumbled. Lance smiled and it showed in his voice. "We'll be free to work with Jive and we'll be able to get any producer and writer we want, and we'll rerecord the new album. It'll be even BETTER than the one we were planning on putting out with Trans-Con, cause this one will be all our decisions." "And then what?" JC asked, finally sounding tired. "So we'll get all these great people to help us, and we'll even have our stuff on it. Mostly yours, cause you're a lyrical poet--" "No, that's Vanilla Ice--" "You're the witty lyrical poet then," Lance amended. "And you'll be able to put your songs on our album, you can produce it and everything--" "No," JC mumbled. "Sure," Lance said. "And when we finally finish it, we'll be able to sell them to the fans that've stuck with us through this, which is, of course, all of them, and then we'll put it out and it'll break all the records--" "We'll have a record?" "Sure we will. And it'll sell some obscene amount of copies, and we'll kill Backstreet's record. We'll be on the charts for weeks, maybe even months. We'll be all anyone's talking about for weeks." "Then what?" JC muttered, burrowing his face into the crook of Lance's neck. "Who knows?" Lance asked, yawning again and wrapping an arm around JC. "Video Music Awards. American Music Awards. Billboard Awards. Maybe even Grammy gold." "Maybe," JC sighed into Lance's shoulder. "Maybe," Lance echoed. "Night Josh. Love you." But JC was too busy sleeping to hear him. ** JC shifted nervously from foot to foot. "Does my tie look okay?" he asked. "It's not like, crooked or whatever?" "You're fine, C," Justin assured him. "Now go find your boy." "Where'd he go?" JC asked, looking around wildly. "Right here," Lance said, sounding amused. JC turned around. "Wow," he said. "Anyone ever tell you how hot you look in a suit?" Lance blushed. "Maybe." JC laughed. "Well it's true. Wait," he said, pausing. "Who told you?" "Okay, I think I'm going to leave," Justin said, slipping out of the bathroom, armed with gel. "You set on gel, Lance?" Justin asked. "It's all yours," Lance said. "I wish you could still sit next to me," JC pouted. "Me too," Lance said with a nod. "But I'll still be there. And Nik'll be next to you." "Oh, great," JC said. "A thousand year old angel or my boyfriend. Hmm, you're right, screw you." "I'd hit you but I think it'll break your hair. And I think he's older than that." "Darn, I wanted to call the abuse hotline." "I'm sure you did." "It's time to go, young men," Nikolas said, popping his head into the room. JC shifted his weight. "You ready Lance?" "Sure," Lance said. He frowned. "I'm not even gonna be sitting next to you." "I know," JC pouted. "You'll be right behind him, James," Nikolas promised. *** Lance sighed wearily. He didn't like judges, even though this one seemed to like their side. He didn't like courtrooms. He didn't like hearings or trials. He didn't like Lou Pearlman. He didn't like lawyers. He didn't like Lou's lawyers. And he especially didn't like the way they were right now "questioning" JC and describing him as bellicose. Yeah, like HE had started this whole mess! Lance rolled his eyes. He sighed as Nikolas pointed out that simply stating the truth didn't make a person warlike. He had to fight a grin though, Nikolas was talking to the other lawyers like they were young children. Army Generals, he told them, were bellicose, not JC Chasez. He sighed again when JC started tripping over words and glancing over at him nervously. His boyfriend didn't like the intense one-on-one questioning he was getting from those lawyers, didn't like getting up in front of people in this manner period. Of course, they hit him the worst, because he had been the "voice" of the group. JC looked at Lance again, who sighed once more and leaned back into his seat to watch the rest of the mudslinging, relaxing a little as a recess was called so the judge could make her decision.