chapter31-33

PART 31

JC sat on the plane next to Lance, his hands shaking. He was excited and nervous at the same time. He would see his family in only a few minutes. He would get to spend time with them, something he rarely got to do. But he and Lance would be telling his family about their relationship in less than 24 hours. And that�s why his hands were shaking.

Lance looked over at his boyfriend and noticed that his hands were shaking. He reached over and covered JC�s shaking hands with his more stable ones. JC looked up and smiled at Lance, silently thanking him.

For the rest of the ride, they stayed just like that, their hands intertwined and resting in JC�s lap. Lance couldn�t help but wonder what the next few days would bring. He hoped that nothing bad or upsetting would happen, but he had a bad feeling about it all. He knew that he had to be the strong one. Because if something bad did happen with JC�s family, he would need Lance to lean on. And lance vowed to be there for him.

When everyone started to exit the plane, JC and Lance followed, their bodyguards close behind them. As they stepped into the airport, JC immediately saw his mother and ran over to give her a hug. Next he stepped into his father�s arms with a big smile on his face, followed by his sister and then his brother.

Lance stood back a little, not wanting to disturb JC�s reunion with his family. He smiled at what a picture their family made together. They looked so happy. And Lance could understand why. He couldn�t wait to be reunited with his family in about a week. But he was also worried about how they would react. He was having mixed feelings, just like JC had had before.

Now JC was ecstatic. He hadn�t forgotten about the secret that he and Lance would tell his family soon, but it was shoved into the back of his mind as he told his family excitedly about the tour. Then he pulled Lance over, and he was greeted by the family. JC smiled as he noticed that Lance was treated also exactly like he was. He received hugs and kisses from everyone. And he chattered with them just like JC had. JC hoped that this was a sign that his family would be accepting of the news they would receive soon.

JC had called his parents the week before to let them know that Lance would be coming home with him. His mother had asked why, since they�d just spent months together on tour, but JC had just made up some excuse. He didn�t even remember what his excuse had been, but his mother and father had bought it, and here they were.

And hopefully the visit would end as good as it had began.

****

Justin was sitting next to his bodyguard, complaining about how long the flight was taking, when his phone rang. He looked over at his bodyguard, who just shrugged, and answered the phone.

�Hey baby, it�s me,� Joey said.

�Hey Joey,� Justin replied.

�I miss you already,� Joey informed him.

�I miss you too, Joe,� Justin responded, a huge smile forming on his face.

Justin�s bodyguard just rolled his eyes, and Justin stuck out his tongue in response.

�I can�t wait until you come to Florida. This Christmas is going to be so great,� Joey rambled, and Justin smiled at his excitement. �I�m so happy that our families are spending Christmas together, aren�t you?�

�Yeah,� Justin agreed, �we�re going to have so much fun.�

�Do you think we should tell them about us? Or should we wait until after Christmas?� Joey asked.

�Um, I�m not sure. We should probably wait just in case someone doesn�t react well, ya know? I don�t really want anyone�s Christmas to be ruined,� Justin told his lover.

�Ok,� Joey replied.

�Really?� Justin questioned, �are you sure it�s ok? Because if you want to tell them, then we can do that.�

�No, it�s ok. We can wait a little while,� Joey told him.

�Are you sure?� Justin asked.

�You already asked that, baby. And yes, I�m sure,� Joey replied, and Justin could hear the smile in his voice.

�Ok,� Justin said. �Hey, we�re almost in Memphis!�

�Cool. Then I should probably let you go now,� Joey said sadly.

�Yeah, but I�ll call you tonight, I promise,� Justin

�So what am I supposed to do for a hour until my plane lands?� Joey asked, frowning.

�Umm, read a book?� Justin answered, knowing that Joey wouldn�t have a book with him.

�Baby, I don�t read books on planes,� Joey reminded him.

�Yeah, I know. I was just joking,� Justin told him.

�Oh, well it wasn�t a very funny joke,� Joey teased.

�Fine, insult me about it then,� Justin said, pouting.

�Man, I can ever hear the pout in your voice, �Joey replied, laughing, �how do you do it?�

�I don�t know, I guess it just comes naturally,� Justin boasted.

�That�s one great talent,� Joey teased again.

�Hey, stop makin� fun of me!� Justin exclaimed, laughing.

�All right,� Joey agreed.

�Well, I should really go now,� Justin told him.

�So go!� Joey joked.

�Fine, be that way,� Justin pouted.

�There�s that pout again,� Joey replied, laughing at how cute Justin could be sometimes.

�*Anyway,* I�ll call you later, ok?� Justin said quickly when the �turn off all cell phones and electronics� sign lit up.

�Ok. I love you baby,� Joey said softly.

�I love you too, Joe,� Justin replied, smiling softly as they said goodbye.

Once he�d hung up the phone, he turned to his bodyguard who said, �awww, you two are just so precious.�

Justin gave him the finger before smiling and going back to his thoughts of Joey.

****

JC sighed as they pulled into the driveway of his childhood home. He loved it here. He looked over at Lance with a happy smile on his face. Lance smiled back before getting out of the car. Every one grabbed a suitcase and they all carried them inside.

JC told Lance to sleep in his old room, which had been turned into a guest room, and he would sleep on the couch. They fought about it for a few minutes before Karen broke it up by saying, �if you two don�t stop arguing about it, you�ll both be sleeping outside on the deck.�

That shut both of them up.

Karen cooked a big meal for them, and JC and Lance talked all about the tour while they ate dinner. Well, about everything except their relationship. They spent the rest of the night in the living room with the TV on, but none of them were watching it. They continued to talk about random things. Tyler and Heather told JC and Lance what were going on in their lives.

At about eleven o�clock, Lance began to get really tired, so he told everyone he was going to go to bed. Everyone said goodnight as Lance headed up to JC�s old room.

Once Lance was gone, Karen spoke up. �So, Josh, you haven�t mentioned Bobbie this whole time, how is she?� she asked.

JC sighed inwardly. He knew that his mother would ask this question so he�d already thought of an answer that would please her. �Well, we don�t see too much of each other, but she was at the concert the other night. We brought her and Britney out on stage and sang Happy Birthday to Brit. That was fun,� JC told her.

�So you two are happy together?� Karen pressed.

�Yeah,� JC answered simply, suddenly needing to get away from all the questioning. He faked a yawn and stretched his arms above his head. �I�m really tired too, so I think I�ll turn in,� he told his family.

�Yeah, I think we should all go to bed,� JC�s father agreed, herding everyone up the stairs.

JC followed everyone upstairs after realizing that his pajamas were in Lance�s room. He just hoped that Lance wasn�t asleep yet, or that he wouldn�t wake Lance up. He opened the door quietly, slipping into the dark room.

He walked slowly over to the bed, trying to figure out if Lance was asleep. He smiled when he heard a light snoring coming from the dark lump on the bed. He carefully opened the drawer to his bureau and pulled out some pajamas, slipping into them quickly. He walked back over to the bed and kissed Lance on the cheek before going back downstairs and settling in on the couch.

PART 32

Justin felt like jumping up and down as the plane pulled up to the airport. He couldn�t wait to see his dad, step mom, and brothers. �Calm down, J, you�re attracting unneeded attention to us,� his bodyguard warned.

�Sorry, I�m just really excited!� Justin exclaimed, bouncing on the balls of his feet. �When are they going to let us off this damn plane?�

�They have to take extra precautions in case there are some fans waiting at the airport, which I�m sure there are,� his bodyguard explained.

�But I want to see my family!� Justin yelled, pouting.

�Stop being such a baby, Justin, you�ll see them in a minute,� the large man said, frustrated.

�Fine,� Justin mumbled, pouting even more. After what seemed like forever, they were finally let off the plane and warned that there were a few fans wanting to catch a glimpse of him. his bodyguard went first, and he followed, hoping that the fans wouldn�t make a big scene.

He heard the screams before he even saw the girls. �Damn,� he thought, �I just want to see my family.� He sighed and got ready to sign autographs.

He only had to sign a few before his bodyguard ushered him out of the airport to the van that was waiting for him. He slid into the van, realizing that his family hadn�t come to meet him at the airport. To say he was disappointed would be an understatement.

****

Joey sighed happily as he stepped out of the airport and into the car that was waiting for him. He smiled at his father, who was sitting in the back seat with him.

�Hey dad,� he greeted.

�Hey son,� his father replied before pulling him into a tight hug. �I missed ya, you know.�

�Yeah, I know. I missed you too,� Joey responded.

�Your mother�s cooking us all a huge meal,� Joe senior told his son with a grin on his face, �I bet you missed your mother�s cooking.�

�Of course. I mean I can cook, but not as well as her, or you for that matter,� Joey told his father. He couldn�t wait to see the rest of his family.

And he couldn�t wait to talk to Justin that night. He missed his boy already.

****

When Justin finally arrived at his house, he was full of energy. He ran up the steps, threw the door open, and stopped. The house was all dark. �No one�s home?� Justin thought, disappointed. �Where did they go? Didn�t they know I�m coming home today?�

He felt like crying.

He finally took a few more steps down the hall that lead to the living room. He jumped when the lights turned on, all his friends and family popped out from behind the furniture, and yelled �surprise!� His father Randall, who was the person nearest to him, pulled him into a huge smothering hug.

�Hey Justin, welcome home,� Randall�s voice boomed in his ear. Justin looked up at his father with tears in his eyes.

�Thanks dad,� he sniffled.

�What�s wrong Justin?� his step mom, Lisa, asked, hugging him to her side.

�Hey Lisa,� Justin greeted her, �I thought ya�ll forgot that I came home today, so I was upset. But you planned a surprise party for me, so these are happy tears, I promise.�

�Ok honey. Welcome home then. And have some fun tonight,� Lisa told him before heading into the kitchen.

�Justin!� two young voices exclaimed, and Justin turned around to see his two younger brothers running towards him. He bent down and threw his arms around the two boys.

�Hey!� he said excitedly, still hugging his Jonathan and Steven tightly.

�Ow, Justin, you�re squishing my, I can�t breathe!� Jon yelled, squirming out of Justin�s grasp.

�Me too! Me too!� Steven exclaimed.

Justin laughed at his siblings, so happy to be home.

He then made his way around the room, saying hi to all of his friends that he had to leave behind each time he toured. He was truly happy. The only person missing was Joey.

****

�Ohhhh,� Joey groaned, plopping down on the couch after having eaten a huge lasagna dinner, �man I am so full.�

�Me too,� his brother Steve agreed, sitting down next to him, and Janine, Joey�s sister, sat down on his other side.

Joey�s parents just smiled at their three children who were no longer actually children and sat down in the two chairs that were placed across from the couch.

They spent a while just talking about their lives, catching up on everything that had happened. Then Joey, who was very tired from being woken up so early that morning, decided to turn in. He said good night to his family with a happy smile on his face and then walked up to his childhood room.

Joey changed into pajama pants and a beater before climbing into bed. He missed the warmth of Justin�s body that was usually right next to him. He�d gotten so used to falling asleep to the sound of Justin�s breathing, that now he couldn�t fall asleep because it was too damn quiet.

The phone rang and Joey jumped up out of bed, suddenly remembering that Justin was supposed to call him. he grabbed the cordless phone from the table beside his bed and said, �hello?�

�Hey babe,� Justin said, his voice comforting Joey.

�Hey. I miss you so much, J,� Joey told him.

�I miss you too, but we�ll see each other in five days, Joe. It�s not that long,� Justin reminded.

�Yeah, I know, but I can�t sleep without you next to me,� Joey informed him, and he felt tears coming to his eyes.

Justin heard the change in Joey�s voice and he softened his voice when he spoke again. �Awww, baby, I know how you feel. It�s just not the same trying to sleep without you. How about I sing to you until you fall asleep?� Justin suggested, wanting to make Joey feel better.

�Ok,� Joey agreed. He lay back down in his bed, pulling the covers over his body. He almost cried as he heard Justin�s sweet, smooth voice start singing This I Promise You. Joey listened to Justin�s beautiful voice and felt himself drifting into dreamland when Justin finished.

�Goodnight Joey,� Justin said, �I�ll call you tomorrow babe.�

�Night,� Joey replied before clicking off the phone, dropping it on the floor, and falling into a deep sleep.

****

Justin smiled as he heard Joey�s tired voice say �night.� He knew that a few seconds later, Joey would be dead to the world. He looked up as he heard someone come into his room. He smiled when he saw Lisa standing in to doorway.

�Hey Lisa, what�s up?� he asked, looking at her curiously.

�Um, I heard part of your phone conversation as I was walking by your room. I heard you talking to Joey�� she trailed off.

�Did you hear anything more?� Justin asked cautiously, praying that she hadn�t heard anything that would give their relationship away.

�Yeah. Well, I guess you know what I heard,� Lisa said.

�Yeah,� Justin responded, wishing that he�d just been a little quieter while talking to Joey. �So do you hate me now?� he asked quietly, looking down at the floor.

�Of course not, Justin. I�m a little surprised, but I don�t hate you. I just hope you and Joey know what you�re doing,� she told him.

�So you don�t mind that I�m gay?� Justin questioned, wanting to make sure that Lisa was ok with everything.

�No, Justin, you�re still the same person. And I never told you this, but my first boyfriend in high school ended up being gay. So we obviously broke up, but he�s still my friend today. Being gay doesn�t change you at all,� Lisa replied, pulling Justin into a hug.

�Thanks for saying that, Lisa,� Justin said, �but can you please not tell dad or anyone else yet? I wanted to wait until after Christmas. Joey and I didn�t want Christmas to be ruined for anyone.�

�I won�t tell anyone, but are you sure you want to wait that long?� Lisa asked.

Yeah, we aren�t ready to tell anyone yet. And thank you for understanding,� Justin said. He kissed Lisa on the cheek before saying goodnight and getting into bed with a smile on his face. Lisa understood. Lisa didn�t hate him. He just hoped that the rest of his family would be as understanding as she was.

PART 33

Liz woke up on the seventh of December with a smile on her face. She�s promised herself to give Joey and Justin a little time to look over the sites and groups that she�d sent to them. Today she planned to give Joey a call and ask him how Justin reacted to it all.

She rolled over and noticed that it was ten o�clock, so she grabbed the cordless phone next to her bed and dialed Joey�s cell phone number that she�s already memorized.

�Hello?� she heard someone answer. Someone who wasn�t Joey.

�Hi, is Joey there?� she asked, hoping she wouldn�t be mistaken for an obsessed fan.

�Make I ask who�s calling?� the male voice asked.

�Tell him it�s Liz please,� Liz told the man she was talking to.

�Hold on,� the man replied, and then she could hear some muffled yelling.

�Hello?� Joey said, a little breathless.

�Did I call at a bad time?� Liz asked.

�Liz?� Joey questioned.

�Yeah,� she replied.

�Hey! No, you didn�t call at a bad time. I was just playing ball with my brother. But he can wait. I see him all the time,� Joey explained.

�Are you sure?� Liz questioned, not wanting to interrupt Joey�s family time.

�Yeah, he was beating me pretty bad, I needed a break,� Joey told her, and she could hear the smile in his voice. �So what�s up?�

�Oh, not much. I just wanted to check up on you and Justin,� she replied before she realized how dumb it sounded. �Ok, that sounded really weird.�

�Nah, I knew what you meant,� Joey assured her, �I went to the sites you gave to me that night and read some of the stories and stuff. They�re all really good.� Liz could hear the admiration in his voice.

�I�ll have to tell them that they have another admirer,� Liz replied with a smile. She decided to tell him that she was one of those writers.

�Just make sure you don�t tell them who I really am. At least not yet. I joined most of the yahoo groups too. There are some really good stories there too,� he told her.

�Yeah, there are so many talented writers out there,� Liz said before asking, �so how did Justin react?�

�Well, when we got home, he cried for a while, he was really freaked out. Music is his life, and it would tear him up for this group to end because of our relationship. Not that that�s going to happen. He just worries a lot. Anyway, he took a nap and then I showed him some of the stories. I laid down after watching him for a while, and when I woke up, he was still at the computer reading. So I guess he liked the stories too,� Joey explained, laughing a little.

�So he�s ok now?� Liz questioned.

�Yeah, he�s fine. He doesn�t know that I�m staying in contact with you or that you gave me the sites. He just thinks I stumbled over them. I don�t think I�ll tell him for a while,� Joey replied.

�Ok,� Liz agreed, knowing that it would freak Justin out that she was involved. �So how are you guys doing?�

�Well, he�s in Tennessee right now and I�m in Orlando. I miss him a lot actually,� Joey admitted, and Liz could hear the sadness in his tone.

�How long until you see him?� Liz asked curiously.

�Only five more days, but it seems like forever,� Joey told her. He couldn�t figure out why he felt so comfortable talking to her, but he felt like he�d known her his entire life.

****

JC woke up the next morning with a sore neck. He yawned sleepily, wincing in pain. But he smiled through his pain when he remembered that he was at home, and Lance was there. He couldn�t help but grin when he thought about the last part.

He stood up from his place on the couch slowly, making his way into the kitchen. He started the coffee machine and waited for his coffee. Then he realized that it was eight o�clock and he and Lance were alone in the house. His mother and father were both at work. They�d tried to get out of it for that day, but neither had been able too. His brother, Tyler, was also at work for the morning. He�d promised to meet JC and Lance somewhere for lunch. His sister, Heather, had a meeting of some sort. What it was about, he wasn�t quite sure.

The only thing that mattered at that moment was that he was alone with Lance. And he was going to take advantage of that. He grabbed his coffee, and some for Lance, and walked up to his old room. He smiled when he saw Lance sprawled across the bed, tangled in the sheets. He set both mugs of coffee down on the table beside the bed, and climbed in next to Lance.

When Lance felt the movement next to him, he rolled so he was facing JC, cuddled up to him, and then opened his eyes, smiling up at his boyfriend.

�Mornin� baby,� Lance spoke softly.

�Mornin� Lance,� JC replied, returning the smile. �Guess what?�

�What?� Lance asked, curious.

�We�re home alone,� JC informed him, his smile growing bigger.

�Really?� Lance questioned, surprised, �where is everyone?�

�At work. Well, Heather isn�t, but she�s at a meeting of some kind. So we�re alone,� JC repeated.

Lance just smiled, burying his face into JC�s neck and kissing it softly. JC moaned, loving the feeling of Lance�s soft lips on his skin. He put his hand under Lance�s chin and pulled softly, bringing Lance�s lips to his.

JC couldn�t help but thinking that he hadn�t felt this happy in a long time.

****

Justin woke up the next morning and sighed. He hoped that things wouldn�t be weird between him and Lisa now that she knew. He climbed out of bed and down the stairs, heading to the kitchen. He smiled when he saw that his dad and Lisa were at the kitchen table, eating their breakfast and reading the paper. He grabbed a bowl, some cereal, and the milk, and sat down with them.

�Good morning Justin,� Randall said, smiling at his son.

�Mornin� dad, mornin� Lisa,� he replied, returning his father�s smile and then looking over at Lisa. He sighed with relief as he saw the smile on her face.

�Justin!� Jon yelled, running into the room and jumping into Justin�s lap.

�Hey,� Justin greeted his brother, running his fingers through Jon�s hair.

�Can we go mini golfing today?� Jon asked with wide, pleading eyes.

Justin smiled down at his little brother before saying, �sure Jon, that sounds like fun.�

�Cool!� Jon exclaimed, climbing down from Justin�s lap and running back out of the room.

�I didn�t know mini golfing was that exciting,� Justin commented, causing his parents to laugh.

�He missed you a lot, Justin,� Lisa told him, �he�s been asking me when you�d get here every day for the past week.�

�Awww, I missed him too,� Justin replied, �should I take Stephen too?�

�Sure,� Lisa said.

�You�d better finish your breakfast and get ready because you know Jon will be bugging you to leave soon,� Randall reminded him.

�Yeah, yeah, I know,� Justin responded, finishing off his cereal and placing his bowl into the sink. �I�ll see you guys when we get back.�

�Ok, have fun!� Lisa told him, before turning back to her breakfast. She just hoped she was able to keep Justin�s secret like she promised.

****

Liz smiled as she thought of the conversation she�d had with Joey earlier that day. She really hoped that she was able to help Joey and Justin out.

She pulled out her journal and flipped back to an entry that she�d made after her concert a few months ago. As she read her entry, she laughed. She�d been so convinced that they were together. And she�d been right.

Dear Journal,

Today was possibly the best day of my life.

�Not anymore,� Liz thought to herself, remembering her encounter with Justin and Joey at the mall.

I went to the *Nsync concert with Nichole and we had really great seats. But that�s not the best part. Justin and Joey were being totally obvious! Well, maybe not totally obvious, but I saw some signs. Every time I�d see something, I�d turn to Nichole to tell her about it and then remember that she wouldn�t believe me.

Liz laughed as she remembered the look on Nichole�s face throughout the whole concert. Nichole really loved *Nsync, maybe even more than Liz did.

Anyway, Justin and Joey were being really cute. They�d smile at each other secretly (or at least they thought it was secretly). I also caught a few winks. I *know* they�re together. I don�t know how exactly, but I can just feel it every time I see them together. They�re a great couple.

Liz didn�t have a clue how she�d figured them out so quickly. She�d just seen them together during one of their many appearances and known right away.

Ok, it�s final. This has been the best day of my life. And it will stay that way unless I either meet Justin and Joey or they come out to the world as a couple.

*Liz

She closed her journal and realized that one of her wishes had already come true. She�d met both Justin and Joey. She�d found out that they were, in fact, together. She�d kept in contact with Joey and showed him the support that he and Justin, as a couple, already had. Now all she had to do was convince them to come out to the world. She knew that it would be a hard task to complete, but she was sure that she�d be able to do it.