*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You made a call before you told the guys, as your way of dealing with it.
You always liked deal with things before you told the others. It was always better, you thought, if you were composed when you told them bad news. Sometimes, you thought it made you seem like an unfeeling bastard, but the guys didn't think so and that's what really mattered.
You tried not to be bitchy on the phone with Rick, but you don't think it worked.
"Lance, seriously, I'm trying, here, okay? There aren't any guarantees."
"There were when it was shot," you said. "You specifically told them that it would most definitely make the movie, you told them that even though people would only recognize them if they knew they were in there, it would be in the movie. You told them that, Rick. You told me that, and I wasn't even there. And now I have to tell them it's not true."
"That was before people found out they were in it," he said quietly. "Look, I'm doing my best, okay? We didn't expect backlash like this. Even some of your fans don't like it."
"It doesn't make any sense," you said, frustrated.
"I know," Rick said. "I'm working on it. But, Lance?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't get your hopes up. It doesn't really look too good for the scene. We need to keep the people happy."
"Yeah," you said, not even bothering to keep the bitterness out of your voice. "I know how that works."
You hung up.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
You told them in the airport the next day, in the VIP room you guys had to keep out the fans. You banished security and anyone else, including Johnny, who was there but wouldn't tell them, and Steve, who was involved but not one of you, to the other side of the room, if you didn't kick them out entirely. Johnny knew why, and gave you a sympathetic glance before he started talking to Lonnie.
You weren't sure how to begin. Sometimes, you were evasive, and others blunt and straight to the point. Justin, all blond and tan and happy because he was going to be able to see Britney again, interrupted your thoughts. "What's the news this time, Lance?" he asked, sighing, because he knew it was bad. The rest of them knew too, you could tell. They had the same instincts that you did, only you could tell when the phone rang and they could tell when you stood in front of them, trying to figure out what to say. You thought maybe you weren't as shielded when you were with them as you tried to be. But Justin was looking at you, a little impatiently, maybe because you'd interrupted an argument between him and Chris.
You didn't want to tell him, only because he was in such a good mood and lately those were few and far between. You told yourself that it didn't involve him, not really, but that was bull because anything that got another member upset involved all of you.
But you had to, and you glanced at Johnny one more time, before deciding on bluntness.
"This isn't good," you said, "just so you know ahead of time. But, um, it's..." you frowned. Really blunt, there, Bass. You shook you head. "Um. The part in Star Wars, it was...it might get cut. Because of, um, the backlash from fans, and people, and. I'm sorry." You waited.
JC was the first to talk. "You mean. What?" and he looked confused, his mouth turned in a frown with his eyebrows furrowed, and you hated this part, having to repeat it.
"They're probably going to cut it out of the movie," you said, and paused. "They don't like the negative reaction, so they're gonna try and keep people happy, and..." you trailed off, looking at Chris.
It was hard to tell what Chris was thinking sometimes. Right now, you could see he was vaguely pissed off, would be in about two minutes if you couldn't think of someway to stop it or at least slow it down. That was the funny thing about Chris sometimes. Sometimes, he got angry right away, angry and tense and he glowered at everyone for at least a day. The thing with Lou, he'd done that, only he'd glowered for about a week. Other times, he'd get angry slowly, like a pot of water, calm and collected at first, then gradually more and more of it would surface until it was boiling, bubbling over and angry and burning.
This was one of those times. You steeled yourself, waiting for him to speak up, you knew he would, and he did.
"So," he said slowly, "because a few people are pissed off, the scene gets cut?"
"Um," you said. "Yeah, basically."
"That's the biggest bunch of bullshit I've ever heard," he said, and you winced. You hated feeling like the bad guy.
"I'm sorry," you said again, because you didn't really know what else to say.
"That fucking sucks," he said, continuing like he hadn't heard you, and maybe he hadn't. "They told us it would be in it."
"I know," you said, "but that was before people found out about it and got pissed off."
"So that's it?" JC asked, and you looked at him, ignoring Chris, who was still muttering. "We're just...cut? Not in it? Like we were never there in the first place?"
You cringed, because you knew it would hurt JC the most. "Yeah," you said quietly, and sat down next to him, rubbing his back. "I'm really sorry, Jace," you said, "I know how much it meant to you."
"I don't get it," he said. "I don't see why..." he trailed off.
"Me neither," you said, frowning as he put his head in his hands. "There's a chance it might still make the last cut..." you trailed off, and looked up as Joey joined you in rubbing JC's back, but he looked at you.
"It was one lousy battle scene," he said, looking annoyed. "Was it too much to ask? It wasn't a big deal."
You shrugged, not knowing what to say to it. "I um, I talked to Rick, yesterday, and he said he'd talk to some people..." You stopped, looked at JC, and at Chris, and then, lastly, at Justin, who was frowning. You hadn't figured him out yet. "He said he's talkin' to people, said he might be able to get it back in," you said, knowing you were lying to them, but you hated seeing any of them upset. That was where you got your pathological liar reputation from, you figured.
"Tell Steve yet?" Joey asked.
You shook your head. "I wanted to tell you guys first..." you trailed off and frowned when Chris jumped up and stalked off, muttering something about finding something to eat.
"Just like that," JC said. "In, and out, and in, and out," and you wondered if maybe he would go crazy with disappointment.
Justin stood up, his knees popping softly as he did. He rested both hands on JC's knees. "Hey, Jace," he said, "you know, it could just be some big publicity stunt they're not telling us about."
JC looked up. "What do you mean?"
"Well," Justin began, "people found out you guys were in it, right? So they decided to cut it, even though no one would be able to tell it was you." JC nodded, and he continued. "So maybe they just said they were gonna cut it, to shut people up, you know? But they'll leave it in, and no one will notice because they won't be looking for it."
When JC looked up and smiled at him, you wanted to hug him. Because even if it was probably bullshit, Justin had tried, and it was times like this you realized how much you loved Justin.
Some people thought Justin was an asshole, some people even hated him with a passion, which confused you because how could someone claim to love a group but hate one of the members? Those were the people that hurt him, the ones that hated him just because he was the lead singer and got seven of his songs on the album. They thought he would go solo as soon as he could, that he was a showoff, always cutting in and interrupting, but that was just Justin's personality, and you all knew it, even if it bugged you once in a while.
But Justin would never go solo because he loved you all too much, even if he wasn't the best at showing it. Like the time when you had told them that the people at Lucasfilm had finally said you could have a spot in the movie, as Jedi, no less, but that there was only room for four people. You were debating giving up your spot, when Justin spoke up and said quietly, "you guys all do it, I have a...thing, with Britney, and it'd be easier if I just missed it--"
You had looked at him, because you knew there wasn't a 'thing,' you knew everyone's schedule, and said "Justin, you--"
But he interrupted and said "no, seriously, Lance, you guys do it. Say hi to everyone for me," and grinned, and you knew that even though there wasn't a thing, he'd make one just so no one would feel worse then they had to. JC, Joey, and Chris were huge Star Wars fans, bigger than both you and Justin, and he knew that even if you weren't the movie's biggest fan, you liked being on a movie set, seeing how things were made, seeing bunches of people work together for one thing. Even though you'd had to give it up in the end anyway, you had appreciated the gesture.
"Thanks," you said quietly to him, now that you'd had to deliver the bad news about the movie, and he nodded his head with a smile, knowing what you were thanking him for, before he got up to find Chris.
"So," Joey said, breaking into your thoughts, "they might leave us in, you said?" and you nodded. He frowned. "This sucks," he said, and you nodded again. "People made such a big deal over a few milliseconds...it's not like it's gonna screw with the integrity of the film. We weren't even gonna be in the credits, for Christ's sake."
"I know," you said. "But they were all just jealous, they're fans just like we are, you know? They wish they could've been on the set, and--"
"So they cause an uproar big enough to get us cut," Joey said flatly, adding on "this blows" before he, too got up, saying he wanted to check out the gift shops, and you knew he was just going to walk around for a few minutes to try and work things out in his head. That was the thing about Joey, he was always afraid that he'd say things he didn't mean while he was angry, so he left before he could. That made him hard to have a conversation with, sometimes, but Joey rarely got mad, just varying degrees of annoyed. Joey was usually happy, always ready for a hug or a conversation, or to pay if only to get someone to go out with him when he had too much energy to do anything but go out and burn it off. "I'll pay, man," he'd say, "it's on me," and whoever it was would always go. Sometimes you found yourself going just to see Joey grin, or hug you so tight you could barely breathe. Joey's hugs were the best, and he gave them to you every night in Toronto, when you were lonely and frustrated about how the movie was going. Sometimes, Joey's happiness was hard to deal with, but when absent you all knew it screwed up the group. That was why, despite what Joey thought sometimes, that he was replaceable, you all knew he was most definitely not.
You frowned, seeing that JC was the only one left, and after Justin left he'd started muttering to himself again, and you hated that because for as long as you'd known him he'd talked about being in a Star Wars movie, how much he would love it, and if he got the chance he'd babble about the series to you or anyone else in the room who'd pretend to listen. And when the chance had finally dropped into his lap, by chance, really, it had been snatched away because of people who just didn't understand.
"JC," you murmured, then stopped. "JC, it'll be fine, okay? I'll call Rick again after we get to Vegas. We'll work it out."
He looked at you. "I'm okay," he said, "I'm just disappointed, you know? This has been my dream forever."
"I know," you said, your heart breaking for him. "I'm sorry people are shitheads."
JC coughed out a laugh. "Yeah," he said, "me too." He stood up, and his knees, like Justin's, popped as he did. "Thanks for being the one to tell us," he said quietly, the way he did sometimes, like he knew how much you hated doing it. Knew that you hated doing it, but did it and wouldn't usually let anyone else do it because you loved them too much to have them hear it from anyone else. You smiled, watching him leave the room, and your smile grew as you watched one of the security guys practically run after him. Sometimes JC forgot about them. Then you frowned, because JC was still upset, and he wasn't going to talk about it now.
You would rather have him mad, then sad, because when he was mad he got pissed but dealt with it by himself or by sometimes venting to someone who'd listen. But when he was sad, his whole body looked it, his shoulders sagged and his hands dropped to his sides, his face looked sad. JC talked with his hands, his entire body, really, but when he was upset they were still. Sometimes, you thought, it was funny when he got excited, his hands flowing all over the place like they would help him prove whatever point he was making. Joey had suggested teaching him sign language, once, just to see if he'd randomly start signing things while he talked.
You thought he probably would, and smiled. JC could be the most anal, moody, and perfectionist guy in the world, you thought, but he could still brighten up a room when he smiled.
Then you looked around, and realized the others had all left, and sighed, lying down on the couch. It was nice, for an airport couch. You shut your eyes, but opened them again when you felt someone looming over you.
It was Johnny.
"Flight's been delayed," he said, "have another four hours. Wanna go, or stay?"
"I'll stay here," you said, "I don't have anything better to do."
Johnny nodded. "All right," he said. "I think most everyone else is leavin'."
You grunted an acknowledgment. "Why's it delayed?"
He shrugged. "Weather, or somethin'," he said. "Where's everyone else?"
"Not here," you said, shutting your eyes again.
"Oh," he said. "You tell 'em?"
"Yep." Your arm dropped across your eyes.
"How'd they take it?"
You sighed. "Not very well. Tell them I'm sleeping, when you talk to them."
"Okay," he said, and you felt him leave.
You felt a migraine coming on, and sighed. Suddenly tired, and feeling horribly like the bad guy because the other guys had left, and they were all varying degrees of upset no matter how hard you tried to stop it, you drifted into sleep.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When you woke up, your head still hurt but there was a pillow under your head. Something was curled on your side, and when you turned your head you saw that was JC, with his head on your chest. You smiled inwardly; if JC sees someone sleeping he automatically gets tired. You were about to drift off when you heard muted voices above you.
"--should wake him up, he's--"
"Nah, he's exhausted," and you could tell that was Joey. "Let him sleep. It can't be easy dealing with us, you know."
"I know," the voice you knew as Justin said. "I just wish he didn't feel like such a bad guy all the time, havin' to tell us this shit, if management would stop being pussies and come tell us themselves..."
"We don't always help with the bad guy thing, J," Joey said wryly, "with all of us leaving him like we did an hour ago."
JC shifted a little in his sleep, and you moved with him, used to conforming to his positions. The voices stopped.
"You think he's waking up?"
"Nah," Joey said, "that's just C movin' around. Let's go find Chris..."
And as their voices trailed away, you did too, feeling comforted by JC's warm heavy weight on your chest.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
When you woke up again, there was more weight on you, this time on your legs and when you turned your head you saw Justin, sleeping, and then you noticed that your head wasn't on a pillow anymore, but on Joey's legs. Joey was holding the pillow, his head tilted back in sleep, and you smiled, lazily, knowing they've all dealt with it, at least a little, and then you looked for Chris but didn't find him on the couch.
He was standing above you, grinning eerily. You shifted in surprise, and JC threw his arm across you and muttered something that sounded oddly like "pancakes."
"Chris," you sighed softly. "I'm sorry, I didn't wanna tell you guys, but I'd rather you hear it from me, than--"
"Don't worry," he said, just as quietly but still grinning. "Didn't think four people could fit on that couch."
You laughed shortly, disturbing JC again, who this time muttered "cows have pretty eyes" before quieting down again.
Chris glanced at him. "He disturbs me, sometimes."
You grinned. "I think it's kind of cute," you said, as you rubbed JC's back fondly.
"No one thinks it's your fault, Lance," he said, and you looked at him. "Seriously," he said. "You're not the bad guy. I'm sorry I got pissed."
"You deserve to be pissed," you said. "It's a pretty shitty thing they're doing."
"And I know you're bitching out Rick, right?" he said, grinning, and you smiled. "Man, I'm tired," he said, and pulled up a chair. "We still have a few hours, go back to sleep, Lance," he said, stretching out half on you, half on the chair, with his legs just out of the way of JC's head, and you nodded, watching him slowly drift off before you started to do the same.
It was times like this when you loved them all so much it hurt inside.
