AN: Haha, I'm back, sorta, and with a new comp so I apologize in advance if the formatting is off. And now, the long awaited arrival of Lance. Enjoy, review, email, bye! Standard disclaimers apply. ********************** Crossing Enemy Lines: Chapter Eleven *********************** “Lance is coming home today. Should I feel threatened?” Brian frowned as Howie’s worried voice came over the phone. “Well, if you’re asking if you should feel threatened because your new girlfriend’s best male friend with whom she has a romantic history and a very affectionate relationship with is coming home after being away for half a year then…” “Well shit Brian, when you reassure me like that…” Brian laughed. “Don’t worry D. Laina loves you, a lot. You know how real she is. She’s not into games. She doesn’t need to be. Hell, she has all of *NSYNC at her beck and call and has half her life. She doesn’t need us to inflate her self importance. “Besides, I’ve seen her face when she talks about you D. She freaking glows. Even Nick’ made a comment on how good she is for you and after all of his romantic fiascos that’s high praise indeed.” Howie sighed deeply, troubled. “I promised myself I wouldn’t be jealous. I have NO right to be jealous. Laina and I aren’t exclusive or anything but she hasn’t shown any interest in dating anyone else so far and god! The idea of another man touching her like I do, it makes me see red. “I’ve never felt like this before B-Rok. I didn’t know I could. I’m in all this relationship crap for a good time and I use to think it was wonderful that Laina was too. No possessiveness, no clinginess, and she’s perfect. So perfect I want to hold onto her for ever and never, ever let her go. “And Lance is coming home today and I won’t spoil my Angel’s happiness but I swear if that bleached porno voiced CHILD puts a move on her…” Howie trailed off, breathing heavily and more than a little stressed. Brian snorted. “First off, aside from Leighanne’s mild dislike and Nick’s obnoxiousness, we all adore Laina. Second, its about time you actually started feeling something for all the girls you string along. Third, Laina is the perfect girl for you. Fourth, and this is the last and most important point so listen up D, you DON’T have any rights to keep Laina from seeing other people if she wants to because you still do. You can't ask for commitment until you’re willing to give it.” Brian hung up the phone. Howie stared at his. ********************************************************************************* Laina hopped from foot to foot in impatience as they waited for the plane to roll into the terminal from the landing strip. "Geeze, excited much?" Justin asked as he and Trace watched with indulgent smiles on their faces. She flipped them off and kept her eyes glued on the plane that was rolling too damn slow for her taste. Dammit, Lance was on that plane. HER Lance. Lansten. Her best friend. Her best friend who had been gone so damn long without her. She loved Howie dearly but she missed Lance desperately. She missed his hugs and his voice and the way he smelled and watching his eyes twinkle as he talked in that low rumble that drove girls wild but always vaguely reminded her of a vacuum cleaner. A very sexy vacuum cleaner but still… "Oh she so did not just flip me off…" Trace started to get up but Justin restrained him. "Oh leave her alone Trace. We can get back at her later." The two best friends exchanged a silent conversation and a few meaningful glances. "Water balloons," Trace said quietly, not wanting to capture the attention of his so far oblivious sister. "Garden snake in her bed…" They glared at each other before speaking in unison, "Fish in her back seat." They relaxed back in the uncomfortable air port seats and tried to ignore the screaming mob that was kept somewhat at bay with the help of security and some terrified airport officials. Trace groaned. "She's gonna make the tabloids again, isn't she?" Justin shrugged and glanced at Laina again. "Probably," the pop star acknowledged and wondered how she really felt about having her face plastered over half the internet and most of the major tabloids at some time or another over the last five or six years. It was inevitable, hanging out with the guys, that she'd show up somewhere. But as she and Lance's friendship grew tighter and tighter it wasn't uncommon for Lance to mention his 'best friend' in passing or for some camera man to catch them out in public together. Laina had been everything from the mother of Lance's love child, to his long lost twin sister. Of course, that hadn't been one of the issues with pictures of them kissing each other or hugging and holding hands. He wondered when, or if, she and Howie would come out publicly any time soon. It would be hard to hide her when the Boys went back on tour. The *NSYNC camp had given up long ago. There was always a press release stating in neutral terms who Trace and Laina were to their group before they started up. It was just easier that way. "Hay Laina, why isn't Howie here? I thought he was going to try to sneak in incognito and do the whole meet Lance face to face thing…" Which was ridiculous considering the amount of times they HAD met. But Lance had met Sweet D, not Howard Dorough, his best friend's newest and painfully serious boyfriend. Laina shrugged without looking away from the plane. "He was but he backed out because he was jealous of Lance and I." Justin and Trace both blinked. "He was jealous?" "Umhumm… Quite jealous. But a very good boyfriend to not say a word about it and let me have my time with Lansten without spoiling it by being all grumpy and hovering in the background." "I didn't think Howie was capable of being jealous…" Trace elbowed Justin hard as the acid comment left his mouth but Laina only cast a distracted half amused smile in their general direction before replying. "Funny thing is, I don't think he thought he was either. Guess I'm just full of surprises." Trace started to laugh as Laina winked and Justin stared at her, dumbfounded. ************************************************************************************ Lance smiled as the small, somewhat nondescript woman launched herself into his arms, completely unmindful of the bags he carried and labored under. He sunk some under her weight as three of the said bags fell unceremoniously to the floor with a thunk. He just laughed though and dropped the rest with equal gracelessness. Strong arms wrapped around his best friend’s slender frame as he held her close, tight, making sure, needing to feel her warm and real and concrete in his arms after so long. She clung to him tightly, so tightly he was half afraid that one of his ribs would break, but not afraid enough to let her go quite yet. The homebound astronaut heard and saw, somewhat peripherally, a thousand light bulbs going off as a frenzy of distantly held back reporters and paparazzi tried to catch each and every second of one of his rare public displays. Normally Lance would have preferred to have this reunion in a less public place but… It had been months, so long, too long, longer than they had ever had to go before without each other since they had willingly joined themselves at the hip. Screw the reporters. Damn the press. Lance Bass was home and if Laina Marie Ayala wanted to be there to greet him he wasn’t going to deny either of them that moment of happiness. It happened rare enough that each and every second of happiness was worth treasuring. You never knew what life could throw at you, and when you could loose all that you had spent years building. “I missed you baby girl.” She snuggled tighter into his embrace. “I missed you too Lansten. Never, ever leave me again.” Lance closed his eyes and tried to memorize the feel of Laina in his arms. “Only if you promise the same thing.” “What about Howie?” “He can date you, but he can’t have you.” “Can he love me?” Lance pretended to think about it as he hugged her. “Only if you love me best.” Laina giggled and Lance pretended not to hear. “Where is your boyfriend?” She shrugged, unconcerned. “At home sulking cause I’m gonna be in the tabloids with you tomorrow morning. But he didn’t say a word so he gets brownie points from me. And Trace and Justin are gonna put a fish in my back seat.” Lance thought for a moment. “Bleach in their shampoos?” She wrinkled her nose. “Air out of their tires.” They stared at each other for a long moment before breaking into identical grins. “Saran wrap on their toilet seats.” Trace and Justin didn’t stand a chance. Howie, Howie was up to Laina.