Chapter Twenty-Six

Miranda ran her hands up and down her arms to ward off the chill that was overtaking her and she felt sick to her stomach. The more she thought about the broken girl she could still hear crying upstairs, Justin's angry face, Mike's helpless and confused look, and then Tom's pleased smile as he had raised his glass to her; the more she felt like throwing up. There was only one thing that could be going on and it was that Tom must have found something on Lauren and Justin to create this madness.

The puzzle pieces were beginning to fit in her mind. She thought about Lauren's concern and desperation to find something on Tom, she thought about the friendship that had suddenly turned into more, and she thought about Tom's newfound happiness. There was only one thing that made that man happy and that was destruction. He was now responsible for tearing apart two people who were thick as thieves and that worried her. It worried her because out of everyone, Justin and Lauren seemed to hold the strongest force and the strongest wills when it came to pushing through the tough times together.

Now they were apart in both mind and body, and she couldn't think of what Tom could possibly have on them. Justin was blinded by his devotion to Lauren, and Lauren had made many mistakes that she knew of since coming to Orlando, that all centered around her love and dedication to Justin. This must be big. Bigger than the both of them put together.

She heard a few more screams from upstairs and that pulled her attention away from her disconcerting thoughts. She pushed past a few of the guys to walk up the staircase to the room where she heard the screaming coming from. Opening the door she found Lauren struggling against Mike and him fighting to keep her in place.

"I'm not letting you go. You're either going to give up or you're going to pass out from the struggling. It's your choice to make."

Lauren pushed at his arms that were around her waist and she kicked at his legs but it only served in making him adjust her until she was immobile. "LET ME GO! I have…I have to go find him. I have to EXPLAIN!"

Miranda watched with widened eyes as Mike fought to keep his hold on her and then finally gave up to sit down on the bed and pin her in his lap like he would an angered child. "You're in no condition to be driving anywhere or even walking anywhere. As good as it is to see your spunk and the fight left in you, I can't bring myself to let you get into a car and possibly kill yourself."

Her body strained against his arms and his legs that were pinning her to him. "You saw him. He would have listened if you wouldn't have walked up. He was going to listen! He always listens once he calms down and he won't calm down unless I'm there. You have to let me go. You have to let me go so I can find him. He's hurt because he doesn't understand why this is happening. MIKE PLEASE!"

Miranda's eyes locked with Mike's and she saw right there how torn up he was. His tired and teary eyes showed how Lauren and Justin were a lot more than just a nuisance to him. They were like his children and what he had seen outside had affected him more than he cared to admit. "Lauren, I have to agree with him. You're in no shape to go anywhere right now."

She struggled a little bit more before her body sagged in defeat and her head plopped back on Mike's shoulder. "He's gone. He's gone and he wouldn't let me explain."

Miranda walked over to lean down in front of them and she grabbed one of Lauren's hands before speaking softly. "How many times have you told me that Justin is a hothead when he finally does blow? How many times have you told me that he always needs to get away and sort through his thoughts before he's reasonable? Come on Lauren, think about this."

Two fat tears silently rolled down her cheeks. "You're forgetting the most important part. When he gets away to sort his thoughts, what he was really doing was turning to me. He either came to me or he called. This time…this time I'm the one he's running from."

"Well, if he's mad at you and you're the one he runs to when he's mad, it only makes sense that he would turn somewhere else. Right now you're the source of the anger in his mind but when he goes for a long drive and sorts everything out I'm sure that…"

Lauren chuckled pitifully and shook her head against his shoulder. "It won't matter."

"What do you mean it won't matter? You and Justin have always…"

Lauren's head slowly raised and she looked right into her eyes. "It…won't…matter. I've lost him and we both know this."

Miranda was shocked by her forceful words and by the heartache behind them. It was scary to see Lauren so confident in the knowledge that she had just lost a friend that had been with her for basically her entire life. That couldn't be possible.

She looked up at Mike and saw the fear and shock on his face, before she looked back down at Lauren. "It was an argument and I know you two have had those before. He's under a lot of stress and he took it out on you because you'll forgive him. No matter how bad it is, you'll always forgive him."

She pushed at Mike's arms thinking that he had relaxed, but they didn't budge from around her. "You don't know, Miranda. You…DON'T…KNOW."

"Then tell me."

She turned her head away and Miranda could see her chin trembling as she cried. "I wish more than anything that I could explain this to you. I wish I could go up on the top of the highest building and shout out why Justin is so pissed off right now, but I can't. I can't say one word and it's tearing me up inside." She turned to look at her and her voice broke. "It's eating me alive, Miranda."

If she hated Tom before or suspected him of being the wrongdoer here, she was even more convinced of those facts as she sat there and watched Lauren fight with everything she had to hang onto what sense of hope she had left. She was scraping at the bottom of a barrel and knocking her head against the lid at the same time.

"Lauren, I don't know Justin the way you do, but I know that he's fair. He's well aware of the terrible people around him, of their games, and he's also aware of the love he has for you. Surely you have to put your faith in him right now. Don't you think he deserves that much? He deserves to have your faith in believing he will see what is wrong and what is right."

Mike shifted her so she could reach up and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I do have faith in him and I know without a doubt that he will see who was wrong in this whole mess."

"See! You just needed to…"

Lauren's shoulders slumped and she looked up slowly to interrupt. "He sees exactly who was wrong…and that was me."

She had no clue what to say in response to that because from the look on Lauren's face and the absolute determination on her face, she believed wholeheartedly in what she was saying. "Maybe you should try believing in the fact that you COULD actually be wrong about this."

Lauren growled and her hands balled into fists. "Dammit Miranda! There is no fixing this! Don't you SEE? There is no cloud with a silver lining. There is no pot of gold at the end of a rainbow over us. There is NOTHING that can fix this except for me to talk to him, and MIKE is keeping me from doing that! This isn't something stupid like me borrowing Justin's car without asking or accidentally turning his favorite white shirt pink in the dryer. THIS IS BIGGER THAN BOTH OF US! No kind words and no wishful thinking is going to help me so stop trying to feed me hope!"

"Are you the same girl who fought so hard to make JC see that he was wrong about me? Are you that same girl who fought with all the strength she had to show him that he was wrong? Are you the SAME GIRL who locked him in a sound booth when he wouldn't listen to reason? You clawed and scraped your way into his angry mind and showed him that he was being a fool. You can do this with Justin if you just believe that he…"

Lauren laughed again and it was such an ugly sound that Miranda flinched. "JC isn't Justin. JC was wrong because he didn't have all of the information."

"I thought you just said that Justin doesn't know the truth. You just said that you need to find him so you can explain."

"Justin has been told a lot of lies, but there was also too much truth mixed in for him to handle. JC has nothing on him when it comes to shutting down when he's hurt. Anger he can take, pain he can take, but when it comes to betrayal and the hurt that comes with that…he's like stone. For the first time, our long past is working against us and I'm not sure I can overcome that. I'm not sure that anything I have to say to him is going to show him that this was really my way of protecting him."

Mike cleared his throat and loosened his arms around her. "If your words will make it clearer to him or will make some of the pain go away…he will have no choice but to listen. You're too important to him for something to come between you like this. There's no way he's going to risk losing you or your friendship over a little hurt or a little bit of wounded pride."

She shrugged against him. "He's gone and he's going to be gone for a while. Let me go."

"Are you going to lay down and calm down if I let you go?"

She pushed against him until she was able to stand up and wiped the wetness from her cheeks. "I want to change clothes. I'm wet and I'm cold."

He grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him. "Are you going to stay in this room until you've calmed down?"

Her eyes darted back and forth between Mike and Miranda before she slowly nodded. "I won't take one step out of that door. Happy now?"

None of them believed her but they couldn't physically make her stay. She was an adult and if she wanted to leave there was no way they could stop her. She had already made it clear that she didn't like being held there by force and Mike couldn't be expected to hold her down until she passed out. He was not responsible for whatever happened or what would happen.

They both watched her as she pushed her hair back and grabbed a T-shirt that was laying on top of one of the dressers by the bed. "Lauren, do you want me to stay or…"

She shook her head at Miranda and turned to unfold the shirt. "I want to be alone. Leave me alone."

Even though they didn't want to, they both left the room and gave her the privacy that she wanted. Leaving her in that room all alone was one of the hardest things that Miranda had ever done in her life and she just wished that there was something she could do to make things right. If finding something on Tom would make all of this better, then she wouldn't sleep until she found the information they needed. She was going to risk everything she had to insure that those two young people could be together again and she made that promise silently to herself as she walked down the staircase.

JC and the rest of the guys were standing in the foyer talking quietly, but when they heard her…they grew silent and looked up with concerned eyes.

"Is she going to be ok?"

Miranda pushed her hair out of her face and shrugged at Lance. "I honestly don't know."

JC reached for her hand and pulled her close to him when he saw that she was close to tears. "What happened?"

"All I know is that Justin is pissed off at her, she refuses to say why, and the sight of her triggered an anger in him so violent that he pushed her away."

"He doesn't want to talk to her?"

She snuggled closer to his warm chest and sighed. "He doesn't even want to know her anymore."

Those words hit them so hard that most of them turned away in shock and Chris actually closed his eyes in anguish so deep that he couldn't speak. JC's arms tightened around her and he inhaled deeply. "She said that?"

"She didn't in so many words, but she really didn't have to. You guys heard the screaming and you all saw how broken she was when Mike carried her through here. JC there is no spunk there. It's like she's given up and has no hope for reaching him."

Joey shook his head in disbelief. "He's been so quiet and so moody the last few days, and it was all because of Lauren? I thought he was missing her and that maybe they were closer than ever, but he was just…just…"

"He was sitting on it and his anger was slowly boiling. I've never seen him treat Lauren that way and I've never heard him scream at anyone the way he was screaming at her. I thought it was a friend thing or a tiff at first, but when I heard the tone of his voice…I didn't have to hear the words to know that he was raging."

JC stepped back to look at her. "Lance is right. As long as I've known them and as long as I've been Justin's friend…I've never seen that level of anger out of him. It was all about Lauren?"

She nodded slowly and wiped a tear away before it could escape her lashes. "I don't know what to do. I feel so helpless! It's almost like the moon has broken away from the earth. Those two are just…they can't…they just can't end like this."

"Who says they're ending?"

"You didn't see her eyes, JC. You didn't see the deadness or defeat in them. There's no sparkle to her anymore and I can tell that she has no fight left. She's given in already when the battle should only be beginning."

His hand tightened on her fingers as he pulled her towards the staircase again. "I've known those two longer than anyone here and I want to talk to her. I want to see this for myself before I go to Justin."

"She's changing."

He didn't even pause as he made his way up the stairs. "I don't care if she's naked. I refuse to sit by and watch two people I love like a brother and sister be torn apart over something that is probably so stupid that it doesn't even deserve a second thought, much less an entire argument."

The determined look on his face and the way he was taking charge of the situation made Miranda's heart flip flop in her chest. He was passionate in everything he did in his life, but his friends and the people he cared about were his heart above all else.

After knocking on the door, he leaned in close but couldn't hear anything. "Lauren? Open up the door."

"JC, she could be asleep."

"I seriously doubt that she's asleep. LAUREN?"

When there was no answer from inside, he cracked open the door and peered inside. The room appeared empty at first glance so he stepped inside and called again. "Where are you? It's JC."

Miranda held onto his arm and her eyes scanned around the room. "She couldn't have come downstairs. We would have seen her."

His ears perked up when he heard a noise in the bathroom, and he quickly walked over to the half open door to push it open and step inside. Lauren was half out of the window when he caught her arm and pulled her back inside. She pushed against him as he held onto her tightly and closed the window. "Are you crazy? You could have killed yourself climbing out of a window like that. What are you THINKING?"

She pushed at his chest but he continued to hug her. "Let me go, JC! Why is everyone making me stay when I just want to leave? I want to leave!"

"You're not going to go anywhere like this. Until you calm down and stop fighting everyone like you're insane, you'll stay right here."

She pushed a few more times until finally her arms sagged around his waist and she sobbed into his chest. JC tightened his arms around her and one hand came up to pet her hair comfortingly.

"I want to go home. Please JC. Please take me home."

He continued to hold her and it scared him to feel how hard she was crying and how violently she was shaking against him. "If you go home like this, your brother would be on a headhunt for Justin. That would only add something that you two don't need right now. It won't solve anything or help if Jayce and Justin get into it."

"Please, JC. PLEASE!"

Miranda couldn't take hearing her pleading cries anymore so she walked into the bedroom and covered her mouth as tears fell freely from her eyes.

"Lauren, think about what would happen if Jayce saw you this way. The best thing for you to do is to get some rest and then someone will take you home when you're calmer. Will you do that? Will you lay down and rest?"

She sniffled a few times but the sobbing didn't end. "I could lay here all night and it still won't change the fact that he hates me!"

"He's mad about something and he needs time to get over it. We've ALL been on edge because of the album, the fans, the hysteria, the demands, and our worlds spinning faster and faster. He's always bottled it up and kept it locked inside of him and for some reason he has chosen you to take it out on. Lauren, he's tired and with everything falling on top of him, he exploded and ran out. It was better that he did run out because at least that shows that he didn't want to lay it all on you at once. He showed you THAT much respect. It wasn't hatred though. There's no way he could hate you."

She wanted to believe him so badly but he had no idea what was going on. He had no idea that Justin wasn't leaving because of some little bit of respect, he was leaving because he couldn't stand the sight of her anymore. She was the cause of his anger; her and her stupid love of him that blinded her of the fact that she never should have tried to protect him this way. She never should have used lies to insure his safety and happiness.

"Will you rest and stop trying to sneak out?" She was quiet against him so he asked again. "Lauren? Will you stop trying to sneak out and will you rest? I'm not going to leave you until you do it or I put you there myself."

"You wouldn't do that."

"I wouldn't huh? Don't make me pull rank and force you down while I lay on the bed beside you to make SURE that you don't pull anything like this again." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Miranda might get a little jealous if I'm in bed with you and trust me you don't want to fight with her when she's riled."

He straightened and pulled on her hand until they were standing beside the bed, and then he pulled open the covers. "It's calling your name."

She looked at both of them before sliding between the sheets and resting her head against the pillow. "I don't want to sleep. JC, I need to…"

He tucked the covers in around her and shushed her. "What you need is to shut up and sleep. I'll grab Justin when he gets back and I'll see what I can do."

"You won't be able to do anything because…"

He tucked the covers closer around her and kissed her forehead softly. "Rest."

She opened her mouth again and he gave her a stern look. "I'm not playing around here. Shut up and sleep."

He turned to grab Miranda's hand and she couldn't help but look up at him in awe. "Thank you."

JC looked back over at Lauren as he turned the lights off and it broke his heart to see her staring blankly at the window at the rain falling from the edge of the roof above them. He opened the door and they quietly walked into the hallway before he hugged her and whispered. "This is so bad."

Her hand slid into his hair and she nodded against his shoulder. "Do you think talking to Justin will help?"

"I don't know, but I know that we have to do something."

She turned and kissed his cheek before looking into his eyes and nodding. "Thank you for going in there and helping her. I don't know if she's just giving up or if you did actually reach her."

"From what I saw…she's giving up and that's not Lauren at all." He wiped a tear from her eye before squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"I love you."

"I love you too. I just hope that love is enough for those two, Miranda. I hope it can be enough."