AN: An extra long chapter, enjoy, and I sincerely expect to get some feedback on this one! ;) There's another chapter or so on the way, so don't fret. The first part of 'the song' can be found in Chapter Ten and, yes, it was written solely by me for this story. Have fun guys! inspiredthoughts@hotmail.com ************************* Blindsided: Chapter Sixteen ****************************** "I don't want to go tonight Jayce, let's just drive around town and sleep..." Laura's soft gray eyes were closed and she was curled up in JC's lap with the comfort of a close, exhausted friend in the back of the limousine. His fingers trailed through her hair, marveling at its softness, and she sighed with contentment. He was dressed in black leather pants, soft as butter, and a white silk shirt that bared his Leo pendant and an eyeful of smooth, sculptured chest. His hair was curling and slightly shorter than shoulder length. Laura was wearing a beautiful fitted knee length gray dress that matched her eyes and made her skin glow. "You're working too hard honey. I don't like seeing you so tired." She snorted soundly. "I'm working for you and the hard stuff is done now. You guys are home in Orlando, for now anyway. You have your album work coming up, Justin is working on a second solo CD, and god knows what Chris, Lance and Joey are going to be up to. I'm fine for a few months. After this party and a whole lot of sleep its clear sailing." "I'm not going to have to reset your alarm again, am I?" Laura pinched his knee and JC laughed, her favorite laugh, goofy and real. "I still can't believe you did that. About this party, what's it for again?" Jayce threaded his hands through her hair and silently counted every strand of gold among the sable. "Umm, its for my solo record," he replied absently. She sat up suddenly, dislodging his hands, and looked up at him wide eyes. "Josh, this is a party held in your honor?" He nodded and tucked a stray strand of hair behind one of her ears, letting his touch linger for a heartbeat before answering with a shrug. "I guess," he replied sheepishly in the face of Laura's incredulity. "You know I don't really pay attention to that stuff Laura, I just show up when they need me to." "With a date," she snapped, the affection in her voice limiting its sting. JC shrugged again. "Well they didn't actually say I needed a date but, well, I wanted you to be with me so, you're here." "Josh..." Laura started and he silenced her quite firmly by placing one hand over her mouth. He laughed again as she glared at him, gray gaze angry. "Don't start with that 'not good enough' crap. You're the reason I'm finally doing this Laura, you, not some model, not some actress. You believe in me and my music. You make me want to sing for the world. You give me the strength to do it on my own. You make me my own man, instead of Justin's shadow. I've wanted to thank you for that for a long time so, thank you. "You're coming to this party with me because I wouldn't have come this far without you. This is our night, no 'ifs, ands, or buts' okay?" He waited a minute and slowly lowered his hand. Laura Danon was staring at him, eyes wide with wonder and a tenderness so strong he wanted to drown himself in it, in her. "I, I had no idea you felt that way, that strongly." A small demure smile curled on her lips and she reached up to kiss a very surprised and pleased JC on one blushing cheek. "Thank you for including me in this. It means a lot to me too. I love watching your dreams come true Josh." They held hands the rest of the way to the party, quietly taking strength from each other. *********************************************************************************** Laura had expected to be left to her own devices when they arrived. The few times she had gone with Josh to industry functions she had mostly fended for herself, blending into the background while quietly talking to a few of the other quieter celebrities, dates, or the rest of *NSYNC and their respective halves. This party though, JC was going entirely solo. She wasn't entirely surprised, considering how the tour had just ended. She knew the other guys were almost entirely burned out, while Jayce was sustained by his sheer love for music and the general endurance of his soul. Before Laura could slip politely away though, Josh had grabbed her arm and anchored her securely to his side. So she smiled when introduced to people, and tuned out a million music related conversations that JC suffered through with the patience of a man who knew the music business and what it demanded of its stars. Laura was marveling over Jayce's ability to rub elbows with the best and most pretentious of them when his current conversational partner turned to her. "And who is this lovely young woman?" the older man asked with a kindly smile. Laura returned the record executive's smile and extended her hand, shaking his firmly. "I'm..." JC draped his arm more securely around her shoulders and interrupted, sounding very cheerful as he casually said, "This is Laura Danon, my girlfriend." Her mouth dropped open and he touched her chin. "Close your mouth honey, you'll catch flies." Laura stared at him, gray gaze huge as her mouth snapped shut. "JC..." she hissed and he interrupted her again by casting a smile of his own towards the confused man standing in front of them. "Excuse us," he murmured and had the sense to draw her away from the crowd and towards an empty hallway. Laura jabbed JC in the chest with an indignant finger as soon as they had some relative privacy. "What in the world is wrong with you? Have you come TOTALLY unhinged? I mean, why in the world would you keep SAYING that we're dating?" Her voice dropped to a whisper at the last word. He stared at her, cornflower blue gaze soulful and pained. He reached out and gathered Laura's shaking hands within the strength of his own, his fingers tracing the line of her knuckles. JC took a deep breath, and replied, "Because we are." Laura tried to yank her hands away but he was holding too tightly to them. "Excuse me," she answered, voice rising with every word, "but don't men usually ASK women out before they date them?!" He glanced around and winced at the attention they were attracting. "Yes," came the absent reply. She rolled her eyes, exasperated. "Well, did I miss it?" "I haven't asked you yet." Laura resisted the urge to shake him. "Josh..." "Come here," he demanded as he tightened his hold on her hands more and dragged her helplessly along behind him. He found an unlocked door and brought Laura in with him, closing the door and locking its convenient lock. "Okay." "Jayce, we're in a bathroom," Laura deadpanned. JC blinked once, twice, and looked around. "I'm okay with that." Laura sighed and counted to ten. "No, okay, Laura, listen to me, just listen to me." "I don't have a choice!" she yelled and tugged on her hands again. JC held onto them stubbornly and smiled softly down at her. She stared up, up, into his finely defined features, and felt her anger melt away. He finally released her hands and reached up to cup her face gently, the pads of his thumbs tracing fanciful shapes along her jawbone. "I'm in love with you," Joshua Chasez said gently but firmly as he took the greatest chance of his life, "and you're in love with me. We love each other with all out hearts." He pressed her palm to his breast, and covered her heart with his own palm as Laura gazed at him, transfixed, hypnotized. "They beat for each other, with each other." Two heartbeats thudded, defiantly in time to the truth of their destiny. "You are my everything Laura. Everything. I can't be whole unless I'm with you. I wasn't looking for love, and neither were you, but it found us and gave us the greatest gift we could ever have hoped to receive, each other. Now, I'm asking, will you be my girlfriend so we can finally finalize what we've each felt for so long?" "Josh..." He leaned down and kissed her, not waiting for her answer. His lips covered hers in an expression of love and passion. They warmed her and gave her life because Laura had been dead until he touched her. With their kiss, she became alive. She gasped into his mouth and was lost to the moment, to the movement of her body against his. They kissed until they were out of breath and Laura found herself with her back pressed against the cold tile wall of the bathroom as she buried her head against JC's chest after they broke apart. His ragged breathing filled her ears, music of its own kind. "Blindsided," Laura finally whispered when she dared to break the moment. "Blindsided?" Josh asked as his hands continued to draw circles on her neck and shoulders and down her back, basking in her newly discovered warmth and her heady scent, apricots and peaches. Laura nodded slightly. "Love didn't just find us, it blindsided us." Josh thought for an instant before laughing with all his heart, a guffaw of sound that filled the tiled room. It was the most beautiful sound Laura had ever heard. He stepped back and held out on hand, "Dance with me?" With a strange smile twisting her lips, she took his offered hand. "We don't have any music," Laura whispered again. He leaned down so that his soft reply could find her ear, "We'll never have trouble making music Laura. We are music, together." She shivered as his breath washed against her collarbone like a promise. He held her closer, and began to sing, starting off where he had stopped singing to her so long ago, on their first date, as they danced. 'I've found paradise in your arms, And even if it's gone tomorrow, We still have today, And today I choose to love you...' 'Listen to my humble heart, Beating for you and you alone, Take this aching man, And make him yours...' 'You give me reason, You give me truth, You give me everything, I'd give anything if you gave me you...' 'You are my reason, My truth amidst lies, You are my everything, You are my ultimate dream, And I'd give anything to make you come true...' 'You give me reason, You give me truth, You give me everything, Say yes and make my dream come true, Let me love you...' When he looked down, her gray eyes were shining silver and full of tears. "Laura," he said softly, "you still haven't said 'yes'." And for once in her life, she ignored her doubts and pushed aside her insecurities, as she finally accepted the happiness, the love, due to her and her alone. "Yes," she replied, voice quiet but strong with resolve, and love. JC laughed again as he spun her around him, their song on his lips, and love fierce with every beat of his heart. Laura broke into his joy by tugging gently on his arm as he set her down. "Don't you think we should leave the bathroom now?" she asked, a twinkle in her eyes. Josh stared at her for a moment before saying, "I love it when you're right," and kissing her again, fast and hard in a move that made Laura's head spin. "Let's go, we'll talk later, tonight," and his voice was full of unspoken words like forever that thrilled and terrified her at the same time. This time when he took her hand, Laura didn't mind. She gripped his instead and together, they walked out of the bathroom, finally, officially, a couple in love.