The Untitled Series:
Confessions 
by Annie

Lance didn't know how long he lie there, watching JC sleep, but he knew he could've done it for the rest of the day. Lance was both sad and happy when JC's eyes fluttered open. "Morning," Lance said. "Morning," JC replied with a small smile. "I like seeing you when I wake up," JC said as he pulled Lance in for a gentle kiss. "Me too," Lance told him, pulling JC in for another kiss.

As their kissed started to get more passionate and urgent, the phone rang. JC groaned and picked it up.

"Yeah?" he said a little harsher than he had intended.

"Sorry, didn't mean to wake you up. Have you seen Lance? He's not answering the phone in his room, and when I went over to his room, he didn't answer the door. Do you know where he is?"

JC put his hand on the bottom part of the receiver to muffle out the sound of his talking. "It's Justin, and he's asking where you are. What should I say?"

"Suggest that I'm probably just in the shower. I'll sneak over to my room right now," Lance said, getting up and pulling his clothes on.

"We're going to have to tell them sometime, Lance," JC said, a little hurt that Lance was so eager to hide their relationship. Was he ashamed of it?

"JC? Hey man, are you still there?" Justin said.

"Yeah, I'm here. Lance is probably just in the shower or something, why don't you try again in a few minutes," JC told Justin.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks man!" Justin said.

JC hung up the phone and watched as Lance slipped on his shoes. Lance stopped when he saw JC just looking at him. "If you think I'm ashamed of being with you, then you're wrong. I just think that this is something they need to be told face to face, not over the phone."

"I know, I guess I just...I don't know, I still can't believe that you're here, and that last night really happened, and that you want to be with me..."

Lance walked over to JC and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Well, believe me, this is real, and I love you."

"I love you too," JC said, smiling.

"And I need to go. I'll see you down at breakfast, okay?"

"Okay," JC said as he and Lance pulled away.

"I miss you already," JC told Lance as he got to the door.

Lance turned and gave JC a smile. "I miss you too."

Then Lance turned and left the room.

Lance and JC sat next to each other at breakfast, their hands grasped tightly together under the table, and Chris and Justin kept noticing how Joey kept giving goofy grins to Lance and JC.

"Okay, what's up?" Chris asked, looking at JC, Lance, and Joey. "Yeah, somethin's going on," Justin echoed.

JC and Lance looked at each other for a moment, before JC answered, "Yeah, but this is not the place to talk about it. Come to my room after we're done eating, and we'll talk about it."

The rest of the meal was finished in silence and soon everyone headed up to JC's room.

"Okay, so spill it. What's up?" Chris asked as soon as Joey closed the door.

JC moved over to Lance and took his hand. "Lance and I are together."

Chris looked shocked. Joey looked pleased. And Justin looked a lot of things that JC and Lance couldn't quite understand.

"You two...as in...you're like...dating?" Chris asked. JC nodded. "I need to sit down," Chris said, heading for the nearest chair.

"Are you okay with this? I mean, are you going to treat us differently, because nothing has changed," Lance said.

"Yes it has," came a quiet voice off to the side of Lance. It was Justin.

"Everything has changed! You two are going to be making out and looking all lovey at each other all the time, and you're probably going to be screwing whenever you can, and you didn't even stop to think about the rest of us before you jumped into your stupid little fling," Justin said, his voice growing louder with every word he said until he was shouting.

"It's not a stupid little fling, Justin. We love each other," JC growled.

"Oh, well that's nice for the two of you, but did you ever stop to think that maybe someone else loved one of you? Did it ever occur to you, JC, that you might not be the only one who fell for Lance? And just because I didn't have the balls to admit it first, doesn't mean it's not there!" Justin yelled.

The room was quiet as the reality of what Justin had just said crashed down on everyone.

"Oh...my...God," Lance said quietly, leaning against the table behind him.

"This...this is more than I can handle right now. I'm gonna go...somewhere that's not here," Chris said, getting up and leaving the room.

"How's that for a conversation turner?" Justin asked bitterly, looking at JC.

"I can't believe this. I can't believe you'd be stupid enough to bring that up now. What did you think it would accomplish, Justin?"

"Why does it matter to you anyway? I can tell Lance I love him whenever I want! Just because you got there first doesn't mean you've won," Justin said angrily.

"It takes two people to have a relationship, and Lance loves me. It wouldn't have mattered who admitted what first, I still would've won," JC yelled.

"Stop it," Lance said quietly.

"How do you know? You don't, JC, you don't know, so don't tell me how I should feel!" Justin shouted.

"Stop it," Lance said a little louder.

"I know because Lance was telling *me* that he had loved *me* for a long time. There was no reference to you in any of the things we said to each other last night. That's how I know Justin!"

"Shut the hell up, both of you!" Lance shouted, and that got their attention.

"I am not going to stand here while you two act like kids fighting over a toy. If this is how you're both going to act, and if this is going to break up your friendship, then I don't want to be with either of you." Lance didn't look at Justin or JC as he left the room.

"Did you hear that, JC? He said he didn't want to be with either of us, and that sounds like he has feelings for us both to me. Maybe you're not as smart as you think," Justin said as he stormed out of JC's room, slamming the door.

"Wow," came a voice from the bed, and JC looked over, seeing that Joey was still in the room.

JC let out an angry growl and left the room to chase after Lance.

Joey didn't think he had ever been more uncomfortable during a meal in his life. The group was sitting at their table eating their lunch. Justin and JC were sitting as far away from each other as possible, Chris was sitting next to Justin, Joey had left the middle seat open for Lance, who hadn't shown up, and was sitting next to JC.

"So...nice day outside," Joey said trying to start a simple conversation, and JC was reminded of the night before when Lance had commented on the rain, babbling because he was so nervous. JC sighed. Why couldn't Justin just accept that he and Lance were meant to be together?

Everyone picked at their food, no one really in the mood to eat.

"Where's Lance?" Chris asked, breaking the tension-filled silence.

"I don't know," Justin and JC answered simultaneously, glaring at each other afterwards.

"I'm right here," Lance said as he approached the table and sat down next to Chris and Joey. "Sorry I'm late, I had to get the details of our schedule for the next couple of weeks," Lance explained.

"It's okay," Justin said, just as JC said, "It's fine."

"So, what is our schedule Lance?" Joey asked, hoping to avoid another argument.

"We have a couple interviews, MTV wants us to make an appearance on TRL, and they want Justin and JC to go be judges for Say What! Karaoke with Britney, to attract audiences or something, but I told them that might not work out because of some photo shoots and the tour, but it's up to Justin and JC. And tomorrow we have to..." JC looked over at Justin as Lance kept talking, and he saw that the young singer's eyes never left Lance.

"Stop groping him with your eyes," JC hissed at Justin.

"Oh my God JC, I'm not groping him with my eyes! I'm listening to what he's saying because as a group, it good that we *all* know where we're going and what we're doing," Justin said sarcastically.

"That's for that helpful tip, Justin. Next time I'm not sure whether the photo shoot is at 6:59 or 7:00, I'll be sure to give you a call," JC spit out.

"You're a real dick, did you know that?" Justin asked angrily.

"Yeah, it takes one to know one," JC said.

"Oh, real clever. Where'd you pick that one up, the first grade?" Justin retorted.

Lance sighed and left the table without saying anything.

"We have a real problem here, and you guys better settle this, because you're not only making your lives and mine and Joey's lives Hell, think about what you're doing to Lance. I'm sure he loves the position you've put him in," Chris said, getting up and leaving the table.

"Come on you guys. You two have been best friends since before any of the rest of us knew you. Do you think Lance will come between that? You know what he's going to do? He's going to tell himself that NSync needs you two because you sing lead and all the girls drool all over you, and he's going to say that he's expendable, that you can find another guy to "sing the chorus" with a low voice, because he's Lance. But it's not just the voices that make NSync. And if this doesn't get resolved, Lance is going to leave the group because he'll think it'll be for the best, that he'll be saving your friendship. And that's more important to Lance than his own feelings. So before he can start thinking like that, you need to fix this," Joey said, putting his napkin on the table, getting up, and leaving.

"He's right," Justin said. JC nodded.

"I'm not apologizing to you, because I meant the things I said, but I will act civil to you because you are one of my best friends, and I don't want to lose you as my friend. Although things are never going to be the same between us, because we love the same guy, and whatever happens, someone's going to get hurt. I'll be civil if you will, and I'll let Lance make up his own mind," Justin told JC.

"Okay. And since most of what you said is pretty much what I agree to, I wont fight with you anymore. And you're right, we let Lance choose."

"So now what?" Justin asked.

"We wait for his choice."

Lance had a bag open on his bed, and he was going through all the drawers of the dresser and the tables and nightstands and the bathroom, making sure he had all of his things.

The note he had left for the guys was sitting on one of the pillows of his bed. After checking once more to make sure he had all of his things, he zipped up his bag and was just about to walk out of the door when JC walked in.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm leaving," Lance said, hoping JC would just let him go, knowing he wouldn't.

"Look Lance, Justin and I have already agreed that we won't fight anymore, and we're still going to try and be friends. And we're not going to pressure you. It's your choice, and whatever you decide, we're going to accept it."

"Yeah, no pressure there," Lance said with a tired smile. JC laughed and then looked at Lance seriously. "You can't leave. Joey said it perfectly downstairs, it isn't just the voices that make NSync. We need you because you're so wonderful and we all love you. Besides, we'd be out one hell of a business guy if you left," JC said with a lopsided grin.

Lance laughed softly. "Okay, I'll stay, because I love you guys, and leaving would've killed me."

"And it means the world that you would've gone anyway to save my friendship with Justin, and spare everyone's feelings, but the truth is Lance, I think Justin and I would've just blamed each other and gotten even more angry if you left."

Lance nodded and threw away the note that was on his pillow. JC waited for Lance to say something, and when he didn't, JC turned and was almost at the door when Lance spoke up.

"Everything I said last night, I meant. And I still mean it now, I just need some time to get everything straightened out."

"I'll wait for you," JC said.

"It could be a long wait," Lance said with that tired smile.

"For you, I'll wait forever."

Lance watched JC turn and leave the room. As soon as he heard the click of the door, he fell down onto the bed and wondered how his life could go from happy to miserable in a matter of seconds?

And JC's words kept echoing in his head.