Chapter 5

“Let's take `em up in the air.” Tom shouted from the booth at the back of the arena. The crew ran around, helping the group into their harnesses and taking towels and water bottles from them.

“Let's get this show on the road already. We only have about thirty minutes to get back to the hotel before the press conference.” Johnny yelled, trying to hurry the final test of the routine along before they fell behind schedule.

“Ok, start the opening number.” Tom called and the music started and the group began their routine. “Whoa, hold it guys. Let's start that over.” Tom called to the group, who groaned in response.

“Man, can we get this over with. I really don't want to be up here.” Chris whined, reminding everyone subtly that he was not happy being suspended thirty feet above the audience's seats.

“Chill out, Chris. This is still so cool.” Joey said, doing flips and such in his harness.

“Leave, him alone. He can't help it he's scared.” Lance teased, giving Joey a little push.

“Hey man, you messed up my rotation. What kind of mess is that?” Joey said, pushing Lance back. This immediately started a sort of high wire chicken fight, between Lance and Joey.

“Guys, come on. We really need to get this over with.” JC scolded the two `brothers' as they fought.

“Man get your hands off of me!” Lance playfully shouted at Joey. Lance jerked up when he suddenly lowered a few inches. He looked up at the rigging, Joey still gripping his shoulders. He saw the safety rope had given way. “Shit!” Lance yelled. “Guys I got a problem up here.” Lance called to the rest of the auditorium, his voice shaky.

“The safety wire just brok….Oh SHIT!” Lance yelled as a second cable snapped. Lance tightened his grip on Joey's shirt. Joey instinctively grabbed Lance's harness with one hand, while holding onto his own cables with the other.

“Get him down! NOW!” Tom shouted his order to the engineer next to him in the booth. Everyone else in the auditorium stood still, their attention on the stranded band member.

“The controls won't move. They're stuck. I can't get him down!” the engineer told Tom.

“Joey, man, don't let go of him. We are having a slight problem in here.” Tom called to Joey.

“You're having a slight problem in there?! Damn it, I'm having a hell of a problem out here.” Lance yelled back. The rest of the group was already back on the floor, looking up at their distressed band-mate. Everyone was a little shocked at Lance's language, but couldn't blame him for it. They knew he had to be scared out of his wits.

“Joey, you ok up there? Lance, just hang on. They'll have you down in a minute.” Chris called up trying to calm his friend.

“I'm fine, Chris, but I don't think…” Joey stopped his sentence. His already rapid heart beat sped up double when he looked up to the rigging that was holding Lance off of the floor. The one cable standing between Lance and the arena floor was beginning to give under his weight.

“Oh GOD! JOEY!” Lance yelled, when the final cable snapped. Joey grabbed for Lance's hands. Lance expected to feel the sudden tug of Joey stopping his decent. But something was wrong. He didn't feel Joey's hands on his. And there were these awful noises.

Slowly Lance realized that the noises he heard were the wind in his ears and his own screams as he fell to the stage floor.

"Lance? Lance!" Joey yelled, shaking the younger man by the shoulders. The poor boy was screaming his head off and flailing about. Joey didn't know what was wrong with him. He had been asleep and had been startled by Lance's frantic screaming. "Lance, please wake up. Wake up damnit!" Joey screamed, resorting to slapping his beloved friend across the face in a desperate attempt to get him to wake up.

"Joey! What the hell is going on? What did you do to him?" JC asked, storming in the room, also having been woken up by Lance's screaming. Justin and Chris were right behind him.

"I didn't do anything. He was screaming his head off. I was trying to get him to wake up. He wouldn't wake up." Joey said, tears in his eyes.

"Yeah Lance, it's me. Are you alright? What the hell were you dreaming about?" Joey demanded.

"I'm fine. My back's still sore, and my face hurts for some reason." Lance said, gingerly touching the growing red spot on his face.

"I'm so sorry, Lance. You were screaming and screaming and thrashing around and I couldn't get you to wake up. I smacked you. I was so scared. I didn't know what was going on. You scared the shit outta me." Joey said, the guilt over his actions showing clearly on his face.

"What were you dreaming about?" Justin asked, sitting down on Lance's other side.

"We were at sound check. We were doing the harnesses and everything was happening again. I was so scared. I started to fall, but no one could catch me. I fell." Lance said, his eyes still clouded with the fear of the dream.

"It's ok, Lance. You're safe. Joey did catch you, and you're safe." Justin said, enveloping Lance in a hug, which was soon joined by Joey, then Chris and JC.

"I'm sorry I woke you guys up." Lance said, his cheeks tinged red with embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. We're here for ya when ever you need us." Chris said, ruffling Lance's hair.

"Why don't you try to get back to sleep. It's still early. You can sleep for a while longer." JC said, helping Lance get settled down in his bed.

"I'm going to go get something to drink. Want anything?" Joey asked, making his way towards the door.

"OK, I'll be back in a few minutes." Joey said, his voice getting quieter as he noticed Lance had already fallen asleep.

Shutting the door gently, Joey walked to the main room where the others were sitting, all staring at each other not sure what to do.

"I just don't even know what to do anymore." JC stated, not looking up at his friends.

"None of us do, JC. I mean, what the hell is going on here. Someone tried to KILL Lance. Who the hell knows what to do with that? When it was just a hunch, a speculation, that was fine. I could have lived with that. Keep him locked up. Don't let him out of your site." Chris said, looking at his hands. "But, now, we know it's true, and it seems like everything is different."

"We still don't let him out of our site. The doors are guarded, by not only our security, but also by the city Police. FBI is on their way in too. We're all here with him. Lonnie sure as hell isn't letting anyone in here that's for damn sure. We just have to be careful, keep out eyes open, and watch out for him." Justin said, being the voice of reason.

In the bedroom, Lance had almost fallen back into the deepest realm of dreamless sleep. His eyes closed, his breathing slow, his thoughts empty, Lance let the hand of the sandman beckon to him. He was so ready to give in to it when a noise startled him. Head fuzzy from the medication he'd been taking for his pain, Lance worked hard to open his eyes.

Looking around, he saw nothing, and was about to close his eyes again when a movement from the corner of the room caught his attention. It was dark and he could barely make out the figure coming closer to his bed. Squinting into the darkness, Lance tried to make out who it was.

Lance's eyes widened when he saw the moon pouring through the window glint off the blade of a knife. Lance's opened his mouth to call for help, but fear constricted his throat and made it impossible. Fighting against the pain in his back, Lance began to scoot to the far side of the bed, away from the intruder.

"I don't think so." The figure sneered, then lunged for Lance, tackling him as he tried to get off of the bed. With a thud, Lance and his attacker fell to the floor.

"What was that?" Chris asked, his head shooting up and looking towards the door to Lance's room when a loud thud was heard.

"I don't know. I'm going to check on him." Joey said, heading to the door to the room he was sharing with Lance for the night. Turning the knob, Joey pushed against the door, but it didn't open. "Lance, open the door." Joey yelled through it, but got no response. "Lance?" Joey called, trying the door again.

Lance found himself pinned under the attacker as he used all the power he had in his arms to push the man away. Heart hammering in his chest, breathing ragged, Lance fought with all he had against the man who would take his life, and enjoy it.

With a burst of energy that even Lance thought he hadn't had, he used his legs and arms to flip the darkly clothed man over his head. The man yelped in surprise when Lance flipped him, sending him crashing into the dresser. The mirror fell from the wooden furniture, scattering shards of glass across the floor.

"What the hell?!" Justin yelled, jumping up to join Joey at the door when they heard the crash.

"Justin, go get Lonnie. HURRY!" Chris ordered, and Justin quickly left the room. "We've got to get through that door."

Lance was on his knees now. The man, though stunned was recovering quickly, and Lance knew he had to get to the door now, or he would never make it. Just as he was making his way across the floor to the door, he was grabbed from behind and thrown backwards.

Lance yelled out in pain as he landed in the glass scattered across the floor. He could hear his friend yelling for him through the door, then a loud banging on it. 'They're trying to break it down..' Lance thought with relief. In his stunned state, he'd nearly forgotten about the man who would kill him. That is, until he felt the man kneeling over him, knife poised over his chest.

"Get off of me! Guys, help me! Someone! PLEASE!" Lance screamed, pushing against the man's hands as he tried to stab Lance in the chest. Lance was crying now. He didn't want to die. Not yet. Not like this.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to Help is on the Way Chapter 5 “Let's take `em up in the air.” Tom shouted from the booth at the back of the arena. The crew ran around, helping the group into their harnesses and taking towels and water bottles from them. “Let's get this show on the road already. We only have about thirty minutes to get back to the hotel before the press conference.” Johnny yelled, trying to hurry the final test of the routine along before they fell behind schedule. “Ok, start the opening number.” Tom called and the music started and the group began their routine. “Whoa, hold it guys. Let's start that over.” Tom called to the group, who groaned in response. “Man, can we get this over with. I really don't want to be up here.” Chris whined, reminding everyone subtly that he was not happy being suspended thirty feet above the audience's seats. “Chill out, Chris. This is still so cool.” Joey said, doing flips and such in his harness. “Leave, him alone. He can't help it he's scared.” Lance teased, giving Joey a little push. “Hey man, you messed up my rotation. What kind of mess is that?” Joey said, pushing Lance back. This immediately started a sort of high wire chicken fight, between Lance and Joey. “Guys, come on. We really need to get this over with.” JC scolded the two `brothers' as they fought. “Man get your hands off of me!” Lance playfully shouted at Joey. Lance jerked up when he suddenly lowered a few inches. He looked up at the rigging, Joey still gripping his shoulders. He saw the safety rope had given way. “Shit!” Lance yelled. “Guys I got a problem up here.” Lance called to the rest of the auditorium, his voice shaky. “What is it?” Tom called to him, distractedly. “The safety wire just brok….Oh SHIT!” Lance yelled as a second cable snapped. Lance tightened his grip on Joey's shirt. Joey instinctively grabbed Lance's harness with one hand, while holding onto his own cables with the other. “Get him down! NOW!” Tom shouted his order to the engineer next to him in the booth. Everyone else in the auditorium stood still, their attention on the stranded band member. “The controls won't move. They're stuck. I can't get him down!” the engineer told Tom. “Joey, man, don't let go of him. We are having a slight problem in here.” Tom called to Joey. “You're having a slight problem in there?! Damn it, I'm having a hell of a problem out here.” Lance yelled back. The rest of the group was already back on the floor, looking up at their distressed band-mate. Everyone was a little shocked at Lance's language, but couldn't blame him for it. They knew he had to be scared out of his wits. “Joey, you ok up there? Lance, just hang on. They'll have you down in a minute.” Chris called up trying to calm his friend. “I'm fine, Chris, but I don't think…” Joey stopped his sentence. His already rapid heart beat sped up double when he looked up to the rigging that was holding Lance off of the floor. The one cable standing between Lance and the arena floor was beginning to give under his weight. “Oh GOD! JOEY!” Lance yelled, when the final cable snapped. Joey grabbed for Lance's hands. Lance expected to feel the sudden tug of Joey stopping his decent. But something was wrong. He didn't feel Joey's hands on his. And there were these awful noises. Slowly Lance realized that the noises he heard were the wind in his ears and his own screams as he fell to the stage floor. "Lance? Lance!" Joey yelled, shaking the younger man by the shoulders. The poor boy was screaming his head off and flailing about. Joey didn't know what was wrong with him. He had been asleep and had been startled by Lance's frantic screaming. "Lance, please wake up. Wake up damnit!" Joey screamed, resorting to slapping his beloved friend across the face in a desperate attempt to get him to wake up. "Joey! What the hell is going on? What did you do to him?" JC asked, storming in the room, also having been woken up by Lance's screaming. Justin and Chris were right behind him. "I didn't do anything. He was screaming his head off. I was trying to get him to wake up. He wouldn't wake up." Joey said, tears in his eyes. "Joe?" Lance asked groggily, shifting uncomfortably on his back. "Yeah Lance, it's me. Are you alright? What the hell were you dreaming about?" Joey demanded. "I'm fine. My back's still sore, and my face hurts for some reason." Lance said, gingerly touching the growing red spot on his face. "I'm so sorry, Lance. You were screaming and screaming and thrashing around and I couldn't get you to wake up. I smacked you. I was so scared. I didn't know what was going on. You scared the shit outta me." Joey said, the guilt over his actions showing clearly on his face. "Oh." "What were you dreaming about?" Justin asked, sitting down on Lance's other side. "We were at sound check. We were doing the harnesses and everything was happening again. I was so scared. I started to fall, but no one could catch me. I fell." Lance said, his eyes still clouded with the fear of the dream. "It's ok, Lance. You're safe. Joey did catch you, and you're safe." Justin said, enveloping Lance in a hug, which was soon joined by Joey, then Chris and JC. "I'm sorry I woke you guys up." Lance said, his cheeks tinged red with embarrassment. "Don't worry about it. We're here for ya when ever you need us." Chris said, ruffling Lance's hair. "Why don't you try to get back to sleep. It's still early. You can sleep for a while longer." JC said, helping Lance get settled down in his bed. "I'm going to go get something to drink. Want anything?" Joey asked, making his way towards the door. "No, I'm fine. I'm just gonna sleep." "OK, I'll be back in a few minutes." Joey said, his voice getting quieter as he noticed Lance had already fallen asleep. Shutting the door gently, Joey walked to the main room where the others were sitting, all staring at each other not sure what to do. "I just don't even know what to do anymore." JC stated, not looking up at his friends. "None of us do, JC. I mean, what the hell is going on here. Someone tried to KILL Lance. Who the hell knows what to do with that? When it was just a hunch, a speculation, that was fine. I could have lived with that. Keep him locked up. Don't let him out of your site." Chris said, looking at his hands. "But, now, we know it's true, and it seems like everything is different." "We still don't let him out of our site. The doors are guarded, by not only our security, but also by the city Police. FBI is on their way in too. We're all here with him. Lonnie sure as hell isn't letting anyone in here that's for damn sure. We just have to be careful, keep out eyes open, and watch out for him." Justin said, being the voice of reason. ~~ In the bedroom, Lance had almost fallen back into the deepest realm of dreamless sleep. His eyes closed, his breathing slow, his thoughts empty, Lance let the hand of the sandman beckon to him. He was so ready to give in to it when a noise startled him. Head fuzzy from the medication he'd been taking for his pain, Lance worked hard to open his eyes. Looking around, he saw nothing, and was about to close his eyes again when a movement from the corner of the room caught his attention. It was dark and he could barely make out the figure coming closer to his bed. Squinting into the darkness, Lance tried to make out who it was. "Joe?" His sleep filled voice croaked into the darkness. Lance's eyes widened when he saw the moon pouring through the window glint off the blade of a knife. Lance's opened his mouth to call for help, but fear constricted his throat and made it impossible. Fighting against the pain in his back, Lance began to scoot to the far side of the bed, away from the intruder. "Help!" Lance tried again, his voice coming out a hoarse squeek. "I don't think so." The figure sneered, then lunged for Lance, tackling him as he tried to get off of the bed. With a thud, Lance and his attacker fell to the floor. ~~ "What was that?" Chris asked, his head shooting up and looking towards the door to Lance's room when a loud thud was heard. "I don't know. I'm going to check on him." Joey said, heading to the door to the room he was sharing with Lance for the night. Turning the knob, Joey pushed against the door, but it didn't open. "Lance, open the door." Joey yelled through it, but got no response. "Lance?" Joey called, trying the door again. ~~ Lance found himself pinned under the attacker as he used all the power he had in his arms to push the man away. Heart hammering in his chest, breathing ragged, Lance fought with all he had against the man who would take his life, and enjoy it. With a burst of energy that even Lance thought he hadn't had, he used his legs and arms to flip the darkly clothed man over his head. The man yelped in surprise when Lance flipped him, sending him crashing into the dresser. The mirror fell from the wooden furniture, scattering shards of glass across the floor. ~~ "What the hell?!" Justin yelled, jumping up to join Joey at the door when they heard the crash. "Lance, damn it open the door!" JC shouted through it, joining his friends. "Justin, go get Lonnie. HURRY!" Chris ordered, and Justin quickly left the room. "We've got to get through that door." ~*~ Lance was on his knees now. The man, though stunned was recovering quickly, and Lance knew he had to get to the door now, or he would never make it. Just as he was making his way across the floor to the door, he was grabbed from behind and thrown backwards. Lance yelled out in pain as he landed in the glass scattered across the floor. He could hear his friend yelling for him through the door, then a loud banging on it. 'They're trying to break it down..' Lance thought with relief. In his stunned state, he'd nearly forgotten about the man who would kill him. That is, until he felt the man kneeling over him, knife poised over his chest. "Get off of me! Guys, help me! Someone! PLEASE!" Lance screamed, pushing against the man's hands as he tried to stab Lance in the chest. Lance was crying now. He didn't want to die. Not yet. Not like this.