The Untitled Series:
Betrayal
by Annie


Justin walked into Chris' hotel room quickly, joining JC, Joey, and Chris, who were already there.

"Lance not coming?" Chris asked, his eyes never moving the screen where he and Joey were too involved in Mortal Combat on the playstation they had hooked up.

"He said he might come, he might not. I think he had some business stuff to do," Justin said, hoping he didn't sound as anxious as he thought he had sounded.

"Whatever," Chris mumbled, eyes still glued to the screen.

"Is that all he said?" JC asked, knowing he sounded jealous, but he couldn't help it. Justin nodded, not trusting his own voice. If there was one thing he couldn't do, it was lie to JC.

Justin and JC watched for a few minutes as Joey and Chris battled each other, but the sound of the door opening made them both look over, knowing who had just entered.

Lance stood in the doorway, the door closing behind him, looking at Justin, and nothing else. "Damn!" Joey yelled as Chris beat him once again. Joey turned off the machine and it was then that he and Chris noticed that Lance had arrived.

JC looked back and forth between Justin and Lance, sensing that there was a silent something going on between them. Joey and Chris sensed it too, because they just watched Lance and Justin in silence.

"Justin... I don't know what to... I mean..." Lance started, but he couldn't seem to find the words.

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing," Justin said, and JC noticed that his face turned a little red.

"No... Justin, that was the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. Thank you," Lance said, walking over to Justin and pulling him into a fierce hug. Justin saw the look on JC's face, and savored the feel of Lance's arms around him only seconds before he pulled away.

"You're welcome," Justin said with a small smile.

"Someone care to explain?" Chris asked.

It was as if Lance was just barely noticing the other guys for the first time, as he looked around the room, his gaze falling on JC's hurt and confused face.

"Oh, it's just that-"

"Nothing, it was nothing. Don't worry JC, me and Lance aren't together, I just did something for him. He was just thanking me with a hug. That's still legal in JC's 'Lance Rule Book' right?" Justin asked, cutting Lance off.

Joey sensed another fight coming on, and turned to Chris. "Wanna grab something to eat?" Chris nodded hurriedly and the two left the room.

"You guys, please..." Lance started, trailing off.

"Just because you're jealous doesn't mean you have to act like a brat about it," JC said, ignoring Lance.

Lance looked between the two, and not wanting his good mood to be broken, left the room quietly to let JC and Justin battle out their feelings on their own. What would him standing there playing the mute referee do anyway?

"Yeah, that's right JC, I'm jealous of the close relationship you have with Lance. I mean, I hate seeing you two act all tense around each other. It just kills me when I see that," Justin retorted sarcastically.

"You can't even keep your smart ass remarks to yourself long enough to give the rest of the world time to breathe, can you? You've already made Chris, Joey, and especially Lance leave the room!"

"Oh, yeah, that's right, I forgot that arguments only take one person these days. I'm sorry, you'll have to forgive me for that one JC!"

"Look, whatever you did to try and swoon Lance into your arms, it's not going to work. He's only waiting to break your heart because he can't find the right way to do it!" JC said, voice raising.

"Did it ever occur to your ego that maybe Lance doesn't like just you?" Justin asked angrily.

"Oh, so now you think that just because you did something nice for him that he's suddenly spouting sonnets for you?"

"You know what, I'm not going to fight with you about what I did, because it meant something to Lance. Something really deep and personal, and I wont cheapen that by fighting with you."

Justin grabbed his jacket that he had left on Chris' bed, and headed for the door.

"Where are you going, to cry to Lance?" JC asked bitterly.

"We're done here," was all Justin said in reply before leaving JC alone in the room.

 

JC hadn't expected to find Lance by the pool, and especially not alone, but that's where he was, hugging his knees to his chest and looking out over the water.

"Hey," JC said, going over and sitting next to Lance.

"Hey," Lance replied with a tired smile.

"Wanna go clubbing with me and Joey?" JC asked.

Lance shook his head. "No, I'm just going to stay here."

They were both quiet for a moment before JC asked, "Do you still love me?"

Lance looked over at JC in surprise. "Of course I do."

"Then why aren't we together?"

Lance sighed. "Because, I have feelings for Justin, too. Feelings I didn't realize I had until recently."

JC was shocked that Lance had just come right out and said it. "Do you love Justin?"

Lance was silent for a moment, as if thinking about his answer. "If I spend enough time with Justin, knowing he loves me, and watching him act on that, I could fall in love with him very easily. But if you're asking me if I'm in love with him this very moment, no, I'm not."

"So that's why you can't choose. Because it's actually a choice now," JC said sadly.

"I think it was always an actual choice, JC. And I don't think it's a fair one I have to make," Lance told the older man, and JC noticed that he was fingering something around his neck.

"Is that from Justin?" JC asked, already knowing the answer. Lance just nodded.

"That is what is making you fall in love with him, too? A chain with a dog tag attached to it?"

Lance looked over at JC sharply and said, "When I was a kid, my grandfather had a necklace just like this one. I loved it, and when he died, they buried his necklace with him. I told Justin that this morning, and he went out and had one made for me. So don't go knocking it before you hear the story."

Lance looked back out over the water, still fingering the necklace. "I'm sorry, it's just that when I saw you look at him the way you did when you came into Chris' room, it made me so crazy. I want to be the only one you look at like that," JC said quietly.

Lance looked back over at JC and said, "JC, I love you so much. I'm in deep like with Justin, but I'm in love with you. I just need to figure out a way to let Justin know that, okay?"

JC smiled, but he noticed that Lance was still holding the necklace in his hand.

"You promise?" JC asked with a small grin.

Lance grinned back. "Yeah, I promise."

"So you don't wanna go clubbing with us?"

"No, I really do have some business stuff I need to work on, but I appreciate the invitation. Maybe Justin wants to go," Lance said, trying to make an effort to let JC know that he and Justin needed to clear things up between them.

"Maybe," JC said with a forced smile as he got up. Lance extended his hand up into the air as a gesture for JC to help him up. JC just grinned and walked towards the exit. "Help yourself up!" he exclaimed with a laugh, feeling better than he had in weeks.

"You're so mean!" Lance called before JC was out of earshot. Lance still had his hand in the air, and was about to use it to bring himself up, when someone grabbed his hand and pulled for him.

"Need a hand?" Justin asked, giving Lance his trademark grin.

"Thanks," Lance said with a smile. "It fits, I was afraid it wouldn't," Justin said, indicating the necklace dangling from Lance's neck. "Yeah, it's perfect. Thanks again, Justin. I meant it when I said that it was the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me."

Justin felt his face turning red and he looked down at his feet. "Really, it wasn't a problem, I'm glad you like it."

"I love it," Lance corrected as he pulled Justin into another hug.

As the car passed the pool, JC watched through the window

 

The club was loud and filled with noise. JC sat at the bar and watched as Joey and Chris danced wildly with various women.

He sighed and took another drink of his beer, wishing Chris and Joey would finish so he could just get back to the hotel and go to bed.

JC's earlier conversation with Lance kept playing through his mind.

"I'm in deep like with Justin, but I'm in love with you..."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

JC knew he should've been happy with that, but he wasn't. The way Lance and JC had looked at each other earlier, and they way they had held each other in that tight hug by the pool, JC just didn't believe that Lance's feelings for Justin weren't stronger than he was saying.

He brought his glass up to his lips to take another drink, but he realized that it was empty. "Hit me again," he said to the bartender, who quickly refilled his glass. How many had that been? Five? Six, maybe...

"Man, you look worse than I feel, so you must feel like trampled shit," came a voice off to the side of him. JC looked over and saw a man who looked about twenty-five, with sandy blonde hair, blue eyes, and really tan skin.

"Why do you care?" JC asked.

"Because you look like you need a friend," the guy replied, and he sounded sincere.

"I've got two friends over there, the ones getting all the girls," JC said, pointing to Chris and Joey who had at least ten girls dancing around them.

"Looks like they don't wanna stop anytime soon, and you look beat. I was just about to leave, do you want a ride home?" the man asked.

"I don't even know your name," JC said.

"Bryce, Bryce Jackson. Now do you want a ride?"

"Well, I'm really am beat. Are you sure you don't mind?"

"No, where are you?"

"I'm right here. Where I'm staying is the Marriott a couple blocks away," JC said with a little giggle, the alcohol starting to get to him.

"Let me just go tell my friends I'm leaving," JC told Bryce, getting up and heading over to Chris and Joey.

"Hey guys, I'm heading back now. I got a ride," JC said, pointing to Bryce.

"Okay, see ya tomorrow!" Joey said, shaking his hips as a girl danced by.

JC just rolled his eyes and he and Bryce left the club.

 

Lance groggily opened his eyes, wondering what had woken him up. He looked at the clock and saw that it was two thirty in the morning. It was then that he heard voices in the hall, and he knew that's what had done it.

He got out of bed and walked over to his door, opening it and rubbing his eyes as light from the hallway flooded the room. Chris and Joey were giggling, trying to muffle it in their hands, as Joey tried to make his room key work.

"Where's JC?" Lance asked, and Joey and Chris jumped, not knowing he was standing there.

"Geez Lance, you scared me half to death! He left the club at about midnight, and came back here. I'm guessing he's in his room," Joey said, finally hearing the click of the door unlocking.

"Well, I'm gonna go check on him," Lance said, not thinking to ask how JC had gotten home, just worried that he had gotten sick or something.

"JC?" Lance called quietly, knocking on the door. There was no answer and Lance looked down, seeing a faint light coming in through the crack in the door. "JC, are you in here?" Lance called a little louder. Still no answer. Lance tried the door, and it was unlocked, so he opened it quietly.

"JC, are you..." Lance started, but he stopped dead, not believing what he was seeing.

JC was in bed... with another man.