Twenty-Six

“Did you guys have a good time?” Joey asked as Justin and Lance climbed the front steps of the house.

“Yeah, Joe, we did. Thanks for letting me go, man,” Justin said, giving Joey's shoulder a light punch.

“Just as long as you're ready to get back to work,” Joey said, but he punctuated his sentence with a wink.

“Of course,” Justin said cheerfully. He picked up Lance's bags as well as his own and struggled into the house.

“I didn't expect to see you back so soon,” Joey said to Lance. “Was it that bad?”

“No, it was, uh, great,” Lance said softly. He looked at Joey, then looked away.

“Did he hurt you?” Joey said, taking a step towards him.

“No! I swear. JC Chasez was nothing but a gentleman the entire time,” Lance promised.

“The prodigal sons return,” a voice said from the doorway. Lance looked over Joey's shoulder to see Alex in the doorway.

“I thought you would have left by now,” Lance said lightly.

“Tomorrow. You were just lucky enough to get here before I left,” Alex said.

“I'm gonna go take a shower and rest. It was a wild weekend,” Lance said to Joey. “I'll get back to work tomorrow.”

“You don't think he'll be back?” Joey asked. Lance shook his head.

“He has business back in Florida. It's probably the last we'll see of JC Chasez around here for a while,” Lance said. He smiled at Joey and went into the house. Alex followed him up the stairs.

“Did you have a good time?”

“We had a fabulous time…we hit a few casinos, had some great dinners…went out to Hoover Dam…”

“Sleep with him?”

Lance stopped walking and turned around. “I don't think what I do in my private time has anything to do with you, Alex. Get it through your thick skull that I am NOT interested in you, okay? I have SOME pride.”

“Not enough to keep you from sleeping with any famous person that asks, apparently,” Alex snapped.

Lance reached out, but caught himself just in time. Shoving Alex down a flight of stairs would not make him feel any better “I guess I have taste, too,” Lance said simply. He continued up to his room, locking the door behind him. 

Lance was up early the next morning, wandering around the grounds, inspecting his past work and studying what needed to be done. “You could have slept in,” Joey said, striding across the back yard.

“I know…I wanted to get back to my real job,” Lance said. He squinted up at the house. “I probably could do some work on the windows…definitely the front porch.”

“Won't it be too much for you?”

“Not that…the roof and siding is something you should look into, though,” Lance said. He looked Joey in the eye. “How exactly do you have my money from JC?”

Joey looked startled, then cleared his throat. “Well, he paid me with checks…and I cashed them. I put my cut into my account, and I have a box at the bank with your part in it. It's in cash…I figured when you wanted it we could put it however you wanted…traveler's checks or whatever.”

“After I do the porch and whatever else you want, I'll need my money,” Lance said. Joey stared at him. “I think it's time for me to move on.”

“You know you're welcome here as long as you want, Lance.”

“I do. You've been so nice to me, Joey, and I appreciate it. But I…I need to get moving,” Lance said.

“Okay, if you want.” Joey put a hand on Lance's shoulder. 

“Thank God we're home and I don't have to deal with you anymore,” Chris grumbled as they left the plane. “You've been nothing but a flaming bitch since we left Vegas. No, I correct that. Since LANCE left Vegas.”

“When I want your opinion of my personality, I'll ask for it,” JC said.

“Whoa.” Chris put a hand on JC's chest. “You can treat anyone else that way, but you don't treat ME that way. I knew you way before you were the Diva Extraordinaire. Don't give me that crap.”

“Sorry,” JC said, but he didn't sound at all repentant. “When do we need to be at the offices?”

“Day after tomorrow.”

“See you then,” JC said, and headed for the limo that was waiting for him.

“Dammit,” Chris muttered, staring at JC's back. He wondered what it would take to get Lance to come to Florida…and if JC would even admit his true feelings if he DID come.

Twenty-Seven