Part 27

Inner Reflection | home

~This is stranger than I thought~

They had been waiting patiently for about a half-hour when they finally saw the car pull up. They watched from the window as JC got out of the car, got the bags from the trunk, and helped Lance out of the passenger side. They then moved back from the windows so they weren't seen and waited.

"Josh, what are you doing?" They heard from just outside the front door.

"I'm carrying you over the threshold," was the response.

"Cause you're just coming home."

"From the hospital, Josh, not a honeymoon."

"Yeah, well, whatever. This is sort of like a honeymoon, anyway. It's been a while since..." The people in the house exchanged embarrassed looks.

"Let go of me, Josh. You're gonna break your back. Oww!" This was accompanied by a loud bang against the door.

"Just let go of me, Josh." They heard the sound of the door being unlocked. "What are you gonna do, carry me upstairs and throw me on..."

"I just might. I want you so bad."

"Just calm down some. I know it's been a while, but..." Lance was saying, as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw that they were not alone. His face flushed a deep crimson.

"Surprise," Karen said, a bit sheepishly.

"What are you guys doing here?" JC asked, looking at his mother and the group of people behind her.

"We, uh, just wanted to welcome Lance home," Joey said.

"Thanks," Lance said, taking in the small crowd. "Um, it's great to be home." He glanced back at JC, who was trying to hide his disappointment.

"I'm gonna take this stuff upstairs," JC said, shooting a meaningful look at Lance.

"Yeah, I'll, uh, join you," Lance said, following him.

"Take your time," Chris called after them. Dani slapped his arm. "Oww." He rubbed his arm and looked around at the other occupants of the room. "Does anyone else feel as awkward as I do?" His eyes rested on JC's parents. Taking in the look on Roy's face, he said, "Ooh, I guess so."

Roy looked away. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the room.

"I'm sorry," Chris said, turning towards Karen. "I shouldn't have said anything."

Karen sighed. "It isn't your fault, Chris." She looked at her children, the worry in her eyes mirrored in theirs. She looked in the direction her husband went. "I'll go talk to him."

Roy was standing in the kitchen, his back to the door, staring out the window.

"Roy?" she said, softly.

"Hmm?" He did not turn.

"Yes," he said, resting his head against the windowpane.

"Why?" He turned to face his wife. "Why am I upset?"

"Yes. Why are you upset?"

"Karen, you heard the same things that I did."

"Yes, I did. Granted, it was a little embarrassing and awkward, but it's nothing to be upset about."

He stared at her. "I don't understand you."

"Roy, would you be this upset if you heard Josh saying what he did to a woman?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"I think it's a very valid question."

"Of course I wouldn't Karen!"

"So, this is about Josh being gay?"

"Yes, it is," he admitted.

"I thought you had accepted it."

"It's easy to accept it when I don't have to hear about it! That was just..."

"Roy," she interrupted him, "you have to just let it go."

"Well, I'm sorry Karen, but some of us don't have the wild emotional turnarounds that you do!" She did not respond. "I just don't get it, Karen. One minute you don't even want to see Lance, the next, you're treating him like another son. Don't you think that's a little strange?"

She shook her head sadly. "I think that if you had spoken to Lance's mother you would be the same way."

"You never told me about the conversation you had with her." He studied her for a moment. "Was she really that bad?"

Karen nodded. "Roy, I talked to this woman, and I thought to myself, 'my God, how could she be this way? How could she possibly reject her own child?' And I realized that I had done the same thing! I could be like that. I was like that. It scared me."

"You're not like that," Roy assured her.

"But I could have been. I could have turned out just like her. I rejected my own son." She took her husbands hands in her own. "I listened to her, to the twisted words she said, and I realized how wrong it all was. And seeing Josh and Lance together, I realized that a love like the one that they share couldn't possibly be wrong."

Roy looked at her, a strange expression on his face. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes, I do. I'm not asking you to believe the same, but to accept it. Accept the way your son is."

"I'm trying," he said, embracing his wife. "It's just so much harder than I thought it would be."

"I know," she said, against his chest. "But the fact that you're willing to try is a wonderful start."

"I don't believe this!" Josh said, throwing the bags on the bed.

"Calm down, Josh," Lance tried to sooth him.

"I do not believe this! Can you believe this?" He turned towards Lance, who was fighting not to smile. "What? Why are you smiling?"

Lance tried to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape.

"What is funny, Lance?" he said, disbelievingly. "This is not funny."

"Well, it's kind of funny," Lance said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"Remember how I said in the hospital that when we got home there would be no more interuptions?"

JC nodded, expectantly.

"Interrupted before we even started," Lance said, laughing.

JC shook his head. "Lance, stop."

"I can't," Lance said, laughing harder at JC's evident frustration.

JC sighed. "I'm gonna get rid of them. I'll tell them that you're tired."

"That isn't actually a lie," Lance said, sitting on the bed.

JC looked at him sternly. "Don't you dare do this to me, Lance."

"I didn't do anything yet," Lance said, with a stretch and a yawn.

"Laaance," JC whined, sitting next to him.

"Oh, don't do that," Lance said, starting to laugh again.

JC took Lance's chin in his hand and pressed his lips against Lance's. Pulling back, he said, "I'm going to go get rid of them. Promise me you won't go to sleep."

"I promise," Lance said, rolling his eyes.

"I said I promise." JC kissed him again, before standing. He looked at Lance for a moment, before nodding and heading towards the door. "You better hurry if you don't want me to go to sleep."

"I will hurt you, Lance," JC said, not even turning around.

"Promises, promises," Lance called after him.


	Inner Reflection \| home back to But Faith Part 27 ~This is stranger than I thought~ They had been waiting patiently for about a half-hour when they finally saw the car pull up. They watched from the window as JC got out of the car, got the bags from the trunk, and helped Lance out of the passenger side. They then moved back from the windows so they weren't seen and waited. "Josh, what are you doing?" They heard from just outside the front door. "I'm carrying you over the threshold," was the response. "What? Why?" "Cause you're just coming home." "From the hospital, Josh, not a honeymoon." "Yeah, well, whatever. This is sort of like a honeymoon, anyway. It's been a while since..." The people in the house exchanged embarrassed looks. "Let go of me, Josh. You're gonna break your back. Oww!" This was accompanied by a loud bang against the door. "Ooh, sorry baby." "Just let go of me, Josh." They heard the sound of the door being unlocked. "What are you gonna do, carry me upstairs and throw me on..." "I just might. I want you so bad." "Just calm down some. I know it's been a while, but..." Lance was saying, as he opened the door. He stopped when he saw that they were not alone. His face flushed a deep crimson. "Surprise," Karen said, a bit sheepishly. "What are you guys doing here?" JC asked, looking at his mother and the group of people behind her. "We, uh, just wanted to welcome Lance home," Joey said. "Thanks," Lance said, taking in the small crowd. "Um, it's great to be home." He glanced back at JC, who was trying to hide his disappointment. "I'm gonna take this stuff upstairs," JC said, shooting a meaningful look at Lance. "Yeah, I'll, uh, join you," Lance said, following him. "Take your time," Chris called after them. Dani slapped his arm. "Oww." He rubbed his arm and looked around at the other occupants of the room. "Does anyone else feel as awkward as I do?" His eyes rested on JC's parents. Taking in the look on Roy's face, he said, "Ooh, I guess so." Roy looked away. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the room. "I'm sorry," Chris said, turning towards Karen. "I shouldn't have said anything." Karen sighed. "It isn't your fault, Chris." She looked at her children, the worry in her eyes mirrored in theirs. She looked in the direction her husband went. "I'll go talk to him." Roy was standing in the kitchen, his back to the door, staring out the window. "Roy?" she said, softly. "Hmm?" He did not turn. "You're upset." "Yes," he said, resting his head against the windowpane. "Why?" "Why?" He turned to face his wife. "Why am I upset?" "Yes. Why are you upset?" "Karen, you heard the same things that I did." "Yes, I did. Granted, it was a little embarrassing and awkward, but it's nothing to be upset about." He stared at her. "I don't understand you." "Roy, would you be this upset if you heard Josh saying what he did to a woman?" "What kind of a question is that?" "I think it's a very valid question." "Of course I wouldn't Karen!" "So, this is about Josh being gay?" "Yes, it is," he admitted. "I thought you had accepted it." "It's easy to accept it when I don't have to hear about it! That was just..." "Roy," she interrupted him, "you have to just let it go." "Well, I'm sorry Karen, but some of us don't have the wild emotional turnarounds that you do!" She did not respond. "I just don't get it, Karen. One minute you don't even want to see Lance, the next, you're treating him like another son. Don't you think that's a little strange?" She shook her head sadly. "I think that if you had spoken to Lance's mother you would be the same way." "You never told me about the conversation you had with her." He studied her for a moment. "Was she really that bad?" Karen nodded. "Roy, I talked to this woman, and I thought to myself, 'my God, how could she be this way? How could she possibly reject her own child?' And I realized that I had done the same thing! I could be like that. I was like that. It scared me." "You're not like that," Roy assured her. "But I could have been. I could have turned out just like her. I rejected my own son." She took her husbands hands in her own. "I listened to her, to the twisted words she said, and I realized how wrong it all was. And seeing Josh and Lance together, I realized that a love like the one that they share couldn't possibly be wrong." Roy looked at her, a strange expression on his face. "Do you really believe that?" "Yes, I do. I'm not asking you to believe the same, but to accept it. Accept the way your son is." "I'm trying," he said, embracing his wife. "It's just so much harder than I thought it would be." "I know," she said, against his chest. "But the fact that you're willing to try is a wonderful start." *** "I don't believe this!" Josh said, throwing the bags on the bed. "Calm down, Josh," Lance tried to sooth him. "I do not believe this! Can you believe this?" He turned towards Lance, who was fighting not to smile. "What? Why are you smiling?" Lance tried to stifle the laugh that wanted to escape. "What is funny, Lance?" he said, disbelievingly. "This is not funny." "Well, it's kind of funny," Lance said, struggling to keep a straight face. "What is?" "Remember how I said in the hospital that when we got home there would be no more interuptions?" JC nodded, expectantly. "Interrupted before we even started," Lance said, laughing. JC shook his head. "Lance, stop." "I can't," Lance said, laughing harder at JC's evident frustration. JC sighed. "I'm gonna get rid of them. I'll tell them that you're tired." "That isn't actually a lie," Lance said, sitting on the bed. JC looked at him sternly. "Don't you dare do this to me, Lance." "I didn't do anything yet," Lance said, with a stretch and a yawn. "Laaance," JC whined, sitting next to him. "Oh, don't do that," Lance said, starting to laugh again. JC took Lance's chin in his hand and pressed his lips against Lance's. Pulling back, he said, "I'm going to go get rid of them. Promise me you won't go to sleep." "I promise," Lance said, rolling his eyes. "Lance?" "I said I promise." JC kissed him again, before standing. He looked at Lance for a moment, before nodding and heading towards the door. "You better hurry if you don't want me to go to sleep." "I will hurt you, Lance," JC said, not even turning around. "Promises, promises," Lance called after him.