part 7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
JC stood there looking at me. He kept his chin down, so I couldn't see much of his face, but I could tell that he was checking me out, though I didn't know why.
Finally he spoke. "Where is Lance?" His voice was strong, yet so light it was barely audible.
"He's at my house. You knew that already because you've been watching us, haven't you?" I asked, slightly indignant.
"Yes. I have. I had to find him and make sure that he was okay. You must take me to your house and let him leave with me."
"Now, why would I want to do that? And where are you going to take him?"
"I'm going to take him far away from here, away from you." JC said this will finality, as if I had no say on the subject.
"Fine. I will take you to him. But it's up to him whether he wants to stay or go." I turned around and resumed walking towards the complex. We arrived in a few minutes and JC followed me up the stairs to my townhouse. I unlocked the door and he came in after me. Lance wasn't sitting on the couch as usual.
"Lance? Kate?" I called out. JC was starting to make me nervous. He was standing with his arms crossed looking at me impatiently. I got no answer and went into the kitchen. I looked on the refrigerator door, where Kate and I always left notes for each other. A sigh of relief escaped my chest when I saw the note hanging there. It read:
Lance and I went over to your sisters to watch movies.
Come over when you get home from work.
Love,
Kate
I turned to JC. "They're not here. They went to my sister's house to watch movies. I'll go over there and get Lance, but you have to wait here for me. I won't have you scaring my roommate and my sisters."
His response was nothing more than a nod. Sighing, I went out the door and down the stairs. On the walk across the courtyard, I tried to figure out how I was going to keep Kate from coming back with us. I stepped up on the sidewalk and knocked on Ginni and Elise's door. I heard someone holler come in and opened the door. I had to laugh at what I saw. Lance was sitting in the midst of my Kate and my sisters and looked to be thoroughly enjoying himself. His green eyes sparkled in the dim light of the television and his blond hair seemed brighter. He looked up at me and his eyes shone even more.
"Hi." He said, sounding more normal than I'd heard since the other night.
"Hello everybody. Lance, I was wondering if I could speak to you alone? I gave Kate and my sisters looks so that they understood, I wanted to be alone with him. He nodded and got up. Clasping hands we went back to my apartment. As we walked in the door, I watched as shock, then happiness registered on Lance's face. After the initial happiness, a darker look overtook his flawless features.
"JC, what are you doing here?" Lance asked, his voice soft.
"I'll...um..leave you two alone to catch up." I said before I heard anymore and went back over to my sister's.
(sorry I have to switch to third person now)
After Dian left, Lance turned back to JC, waiting for an answer.
JC narrowed his brilliant blue eyes. "I came here to make sure you were doing okay, and what do I find? You're getting involved with a woman. It can never happen Lance and you know it." JC almost growled the last part.
"Don't you think I know that?" Lance covered his eyes with his hands and sank down on the couch.
"Have you already drank from her?" JC asked.
"Yes."
"Dammit, Lance!" JC paused for a moment, seeming to think. Then he continued. "Well, you must come with me now. Leave her before you get too involved."
"No!" Lance's green eyes sparked with emotion. "Go back to wherever you came from JC, but I'm not leaving here!"
"Look at yourself. You're a mess over something that can never be. You're so pale, when was the last time you...?"
"The night before last." Was Lance's soft reply.
"Dammit Lance! You can't let a woman do this to you. Stay here if you want, but you have to do what's necessary for you to survive. I'll stay too, for a while." JC shook his head at Lance and suddenly missed Justin, Joey, and Chris, missed their old life. The tours, the singing, the fans, everything. How had he gotten himself in this mess?
part 8~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I walked up to the door of my townhouse and heard shouting from inside. I flung the door open to find Lance sitting on the couch with his face in his hands and JC standing in the middle of the floor, red faced.
"What the hell is going on in here?" I asked, mainly
to JC.
"We were just having a discussion." JC replied through clenched teeth.
"That's not what it sounded like. Do I need to remind you that this is MY house?"
"I'm sorry." JC apologized.
I walked over to the couch and sat down beside Lance. He looked at me and there was such desperation in his eyes that I just took him in my arms. I wanted to shut out the hurt that he was feeling. "JC are you going to need a place to stay?" I asked.
"No, I have one already."
"Well, do you mind if I call my roommate and have her come home? She was a big fan of yours."
"I guess not." He sat down in the recliner by the wall.
I called over to Ginni and Elise's and told Kate to come home, but not to bring Ginni and Elise right now. She agreed and said that she'd be right over. A couple of minutes later, she walked in the door.
"What was so important?"
She didn't see JC in the recliner. I pointed and said, "JC this is my roommate, Kate."
"Oh...My...God!" Kate managed to stutter. She looked at me.
"He came looking for Lance. He's the one that's been watching us." I told her.
"Hi Kate. I didn't mean to scare you or anything." His perfect face softened when he looked at her. But just as quickly, it hardened again, as if he remembered what he was now and what he'd just told Lance. He looked away from her quickly, focusing on the wall.
Kate just stood there, looking back and forth between Lance and JC. She noticed how both of their features seemed too flawless. Especially since they'd been in a plane crash. Deciding not to think about it, she struck up a conversation. "Hey, the company I work for is having a costume party for Halloween next week. It would be great if you guys would come with us." She said to Lance and JC.
"I'd love to Kate." Lance replied, but JC didn't say a word one way or the other.
"We could help you guys pick out costumes. The theme is gonna be like a renaissance one sorta." She said.
"That's a great idea Kate. We'll go tomorrow. I'm going to bed now." I kissed Lance on the cheek and went up to my room.
"Lance and I are going to go out for awhile." JC said and gave Lance a look.
They both walked out into the night and Kate went upstairs. She came in my room first. "Where did you find JC?"
"He was following me home from work tonight." I told her.
"You know, they both seem different somehow."
"I noticed that too, but I can't seem to put my finger on how." I laid there staring at the ceiling. Kate said goodnight and went into her room. I thought about Lance and how he was so sweet to me. But Kate was right. He did seem different from what I remembered of meeting him with the group at a concert. He was really quiet and zoned out a lot. I fell asleep thinking of him, but again my head was filled with nightmares that night.
This time I was running from the little house in the woods and the beautiful woman that lived there. I ran and ran until I couldn't go any further. I found a cave on a hillside and went inside. When I woke up, it was daylight outside and the sun hurt my eyes. I ventured out into the forest again. It seemed the birds' chirping was louder, the sun brighter. I was terribly weak and felt an overpowering hunger. But the thought of food
repulsed me. I wandered through the trees until I came out in a clearing. About a hundred yards away, I saw a house with a couple of barns around. Making my way through the tall grass of the field, I headed towards this house. Once there, I knocked timidly on the door. A young woman answered and asked if I was in need of assistance. I tried to answer, but it seemed as if the pounding of her heart would burst my eardrums. I heard her blood rushing through her veins, but managed an answer. I told her that I had been involved in a plane crash and had gotten lost in the woods, that I just needed a place to rest until the next day. She invited me in and showed me to a guest room where I immediately fell asleep, not waking until nightfall. I did not know what time it was, but I heard voices a few rooms away and followed them. The young woman was sitting at a table with what I assumed to be her mother and father, having supper. I was invited to sit down and forced myself to eat. I told them all the story of the plane crash and getting lost, realizing I didn't know how long I'd been lost, or even what day or year it was. Not wanting to seem a fool, I didn't ask. I just went along with their idle conversation, then excused myself and went back to the bed I'd been offered earlier and tried to go back to sleep. But the later it got, the more awake I became. The voices in the other room eventually quieted and I assumed everyone had went to bed. Again, I tried desperately to go sleep, but failed to succeed again. Far into the night, I felt myself being drawn through the house. I got up and followed my senses. Amazed that I could see clearly in the pitch darkness that now filled the house, I wandered through the rooms, stopping at a door at the far end of the house. I knew that this was where I'd been drawn to. Trying to be a quiet as possible, I pushed the door open and saw the young woman laying in her bed, asleep. Her long golden hair lay across the pillows and her supple chest rose and fell with her breathing. I drifted towards her and stared down at her innocent face, that was turned slightly to one side. A vein in her neck pulsed, beckoning me. I leaned closer, longing to taste her.
***
I sprang to a sitting position in my bed. My short hair was plastered to my head with sweat. Noticing that it was 3am, I went downstairs to get something to drink.
part 9~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When I walked into the living room, I was surprised not to see Lance or JC. I wondered where they were at. I went in the kitchen and got a glass of water and went back to bed.
**Lance and JC**
They were walking down an alley somewhere downtown. "Why are you doing this to yourself Lance?" JC's voice cut into the night.
"I don't know." Lance replied.
"You know what you are now and you can't change that. I'm sure you had some sort of choice in the matter. You have to do what is necessary to survive." JC tried reasoning with him.
"Yes, I had a choice. If that's what you want to call it. It was either this or die a terrible death because of who knows what in that forest. I chose this. But now I wish that I had resisted and tried to live on my own." Lance became more depressed with every word that left his mouth.
"You would have died and you know it." JC told him harshly. They came upon two sleeping homeless people and stopped. "Just do it and get it over with Lance."
Lance sighed and leaned towards the transient's neck.
**back at Dian's townhouuse**
I woke up again, thankful that the few more hours of sleep I'd gotten had been dreamless. These dreams that I was having were really starting to bother me. The clock on the nightstand read 7am. I groaned and got out of bed. I didn't really want to get up so early, so I jumped in the shower, hoping that would help wake me up. I got out and dried myself off with the towel and threw on some old athletic shorts and a big t-shirt. Picking my hair out, I went downstairs to get some breakfast. Walking through the living room, I saw Lance sleeping peacefully on the couch and paused to watch him. His golden hair stuck out from under the blanket he was covered up with. I didn't see JC anywhere, so I assumed he'd chosen to sleep somewhere else. I went into the kitchen and grabbed a plain bagel and some strawberry cream cheese and sat down at the bar to eat, flipping through a newspaper that was a couple of days old. I felt someone watching me and turned around to see Lance sitting up on the couch looking my direction.
"Well good morning mister party animal. What time did you get in?" I asked him.
"Oh, I think it was about 4am." He smiled and joined me at the bar.
"You certainly look chipper for only getting 3 hours of sleep." I went back to reading the paper. When I was about to take the last bite of my bagel, Kate came trudging down the stairs.
"Gosh, now we're all up. What do you say we go shopping for those costumes?" I was speaking mainly to Kate since it was her party we were going to. She mumbled something I managed to decipher as 'in a little bit' and started a pot of coffee.
"Is there a phone where JC is staying?" I turned so that I was facing Lance.
"No. But I'll go get him while you guys get ready." He searched for his
sunglasses and when he found them walked out the door
with a little wave.
By the time Lance got back, Kate and I were putting the
finishing touches on our make-up. Him and JC waited
downstairs for us, then we all left together in my
4-Runner. We went to the uptown mall since it had a
costume shop.
"First order of business is getting you two some clothes." I told Lance and JC as we walked towards the entrance. We went straight to The Buckle and Kate and I picked out some Tommy slickies, shorts, FuBu jeans, and a few t-shirst for the both of them. When we were done there, we headed over to the costume store. Finding a couple of racks with Renaissance clothes, we began flipping through them. Pretty soon, Kate and I came up with some dresses to try on. Hers was blue velvet. It was the traditional style for that period with a fitted top and huge flowing skirts but it was really pretty because there were two colors in the dress. It was ice blue and midnight mixed together. There was also some really ornate embroidery along the neckline. The one I had picked out was dark green with white lace around the sleeves, along the hemline, and the neckline. We both went into the dressing rooms to try them on. When we came out, the guys were still standing at the clothes rack with their backs turned.
"Hey you guys! How do we look?" Kate asked.
They turned around and their jaws dropped. Kate and I laughed.
"You look awesome!!" Lance told me and walked up and
kiss me on the cheek.
I saw something in JC's eyes for a moment, but then
they hardened again and he just smiled at Kate. We
went back into the dressing rooms and took the dresses
off. We helped the guys find their outfits. JC got
one with a light blue shirt and a dark blue coat to
match Kate's dress. Lance's had a white shirt and dark
greet coat to match mine. We paid for our stuff and
went to the food court to eat. Lance and JC said that
they weren't hungry, but sat down with Kate and I. As
we were eating, I caught him looking at Kate with that
look in his eyes again. He noticed that I was watching
him and looked down. If I didn't now better, I'd say
that he was starting to like her.
part 10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After we finished eating, we went back to the townhouse.
I'd caught JC staring at Kate a couple more times.
When he looked at her, his eyes softened and he seemed
to let his defenses down a little. But when everyone
was paying attention, that softness seemed so distant.
I wondered what was keeping him from admitting he
liked her. I was sure she still liked him and would
give him a chance. But I didn't want to meddle and
just avoided the subject all together. The party was
still a couple of days away. We didn't do much, just
lounged around our house. JC never spent the night.
He would always leave a little after dark. Lance and
I became increasingly closer. He told me everything
that he remembered about his past. He also told me
something after after the crash that caught my interest.
He said that he'd gotten lost in the woods and had
stayed at a farm house the night before he came back
to the states. It seemed like I'd heard this somewhere
before. I had a very strong sense of deja vu. But I
knew that he'd never told me so I blew it off as my
imagination being way too creative. Finally it was the
night of the party. Kate and I helped each other get
ready. We'd bought corsets to make them more authentic.
After we got each other 'strapped in', we struggled
into the dresses. My hair was short, so I'd bought a
wig too, since women at that time didn't really have
short hair. I put the wig on and Kate helped me arrange
the long curls. Then we did her hair. She wanted it
piled up. I did that and left a few tendrils down and
curled them so that they framed her face. Satisfied
with our appearance, we went downstairs to see if Lance
was ready. Sure enough, he was standing in the dining
room area with his back to us, talking to JC. JC saw
us come into the living room and motioned for Lance to
turn around. When I saw him, I sucked in my breath.
He looked splendid in his costume and so did JC.
Lance walked to me and took my hands in his, then pulled me close to him. "You look absolutely breathtaking." He breathed into my ear.
He kissed my neck, lingering there for a long moment
before pulling back and looking into my eyes.
His bright green gaze held mine. I forced myself to
look away before I became enthralled by him.
Kate turned to me and asked if Lance
and I were ready to leave. We all got in my 4-runner
and headed to the party. When we got there, Kate and I
straightened our dresses. JC and Lance offered their
arms and we all walked in together. We took the
elevator up to the level that the party was being held
on. When the elevator doors opened and we stepped into
the room, heads turned. People whispered about the two
magnificent couples that had just arrived.
All the people staring made me nervous. Lance seemed
to sense this and put his hand on mine. Focusing on
his touch, I was able to get through the crowd of people
. We made it to the table where the finger foods were
set up. We all had masks over our faces, so no one knew
who we were. The president stepped up to the podium
set up on the stage. He introduced the musicians who
were to provide the entertainment and welcomed everyone.
The music started to play as he stepped down, and
what was to turn out to be a magical evening that none
of us would forget began.
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