LIKE A CHILD by Gwen
Shannon finished off her beer as she sat in the booth with JC, while the other guys were on the dance floor. It was nice to just sit and chat with her favorite cousin without any hassle from fans or media. The club they had chosen was a secluded disco off of Broadway and 45th. It was in the basement of a modeling agency and most of the crowds were 22+ women who really didn't care about NSYNC, they were just there to have fun. "Want another one?" JC asked, as he started to call the waitress over to the table. Shannon shook her head, "Two's enough for me tonight. I'm starting to feel the jet lag," Shannon yawned. "Well, I'm gonna have one more. Then we'll go back to the hotel," JC said, as he ordered another Heineken. "So, did you have fun with Noah tonight?" Shannon nodded and gave a tired smile, "He's a great kid. I'm sure he makes Lance proud." "He does. He's all Lance has left to remind him of Alli," JC replied. "We all love Noah. At first, we were a bit surprised that he and Alli had him so fast after they got married, but I can't imagine life without him." "That's so sad, Josh. About Alli, I mean. She was my age and, I dunno. I look at myself and I know I've got a ton of more living to do, but she wasn't given a chance, y'know?" Shannon sighed, and played with her empty beer bottle. "Well, I will have to say that Lance is doing a lot better than I thought he would be. Sometimes I wonder if he just blocks it out of his mind so he can get on with his life. Especially for Noah's sake,...." ~*~ Lance felt Noah's little heartbeat on his chest early the next morning. He opened his eyes and looked down at the sleeping child whose tiny arms clung to his father's chest. Lance looked over at the alarm clock and sighed seeing that he had to be up in a matter of minutes if he was going to get a shower and be on time for the press conference. He carefully removed Noah from his chest and gently laid him down on the bed, making sure he was going to stay asleep. Noah let out a little groan, but stuck his thumb in his mouth and rolled over. "Sleep tight, baby boy. Daddy will wake you up when I get out of the shower," Lance whispered, kissing his son's cheek and making his way to the bathroom. He let the hot water run down his body and leaned against the shower wall, closing his eyes. Last night his dreams had been filled with images of Alli and Noah and him all together again as a family. God, he missed her. He missed her kisses and the way she held him at night. It had been so long. So very, very long. He felt tears stinging his eyes and began to sob uncontrollably, leaning against the shower wall for support. His body racked with pain, he had to hold himself up to finish his shower. When would it end? He had to move on with his life. But the more he told himself that, the harder it seemed to do. Lance finally stepped out of the shower and dried off, wrapping a towel around his waist. He walked back into the room to see Noah laying in bed, his thumb still in his mouth, staring at his father. "Well, good morning, buddy!" Lance grinned, going over to Noah and leaning down next to him. "Are ya up?" Noah groaned and reached for Lance, "Daddy," the little boy stretched and held his arms out to his daddy. Lance picked him up and Noah rested his head on Lance's bare shoulder. "Daddy's gotta get ready and get you ready, too. You wanna watch cartoons while Daddy gets dressed?" Lance rubbed Noah's back and gave his diapered butt a little pat. He felt Noah nodding his head and squeezed him. "Okay. But first, we gotta change your diaper." Lance turned the television on and flipped channels until Bugs Bunny appeared and Noah gave a hearty giggle. A half hour later, they were both ready to go. Lance had dressed Noah in denim overalls and a long sleeved red shirt with the Superman logo on it. It was a gift from Joey and Belle and it made Joey smile whenever he saw the little boy in it. "Unca C!" Noah squealed, when he and Lance stepped out of the room and saw JC and Shannon walking down the hall. "Shanny!" "Hey there, Noah!" JC grinned. Noah scrambled out of Lance's arms and darted towards JC, who picked him up and threw him in the air, making Noah giggle with delight. "Lance, we missed you last night." JC told Lance, as the three of them headed for the elevator. "Well, I had to put this one to bed," Lance looked at Noah. "Besides, I was too tired to go. Maybe another night." "Hey, if you want to go tonight after the show, I don't mind watching Noah for you," Shannon offered. Lance looked at her and smiled. "That's really sweet of you, Shannon. But, don't you want to go out with Josh?" "Please, I know what tonight will be like. Teeny boppers and slutty fans trying to maul my cousin and I'll sit there getting glares from everyone," Shannon laughed. "Hey, Noah, you wanna play with me tonight?" "I play with Shanny, Daddy," Noah informed his father, as if giving Lance the OK for going clubbing. "Well, I guess you made up my mind, huh?" Lance chuckled at his son, as they filed into the elevator....
Story Tags: daddyl lance
