Rachel's eyes studied the four men that were gathered in JC's hotel room after JC called an impromptu meeting. Chris and Justin were talking a basketball game, Lance was fiddling with his phone and Joey was pretending to watch the show that was playing on the television. In his hand was a Zippo lighter that he was flipping open and shutting.
“Let's get this started, C. I have to go whip the the ol' man's ass at HORSE,” Justin said, flicking Chris's ear.
“Shut up, Curly Sue. Oh wait, you shaved your curls off." Chris reached out slapping Justin's hand. "You still cheat.”
"You're just a sore loser," Justin taunted as he continued flicking Chris's ear. "Getting too old to hang with the younger kids."
"Keep it up Fucker," Chris swatted Justin's hand. "You're gonna be toast."
JC watched them banter back and forth. He reached behind him and felt Rachel take his hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. He was nervous and he wasn't sure why. These guys were his friends; they weren't going to turn their backs on him. It helped having Lance already know what was going on. There was already one person on his side. He sighed looking at the other three men who had yet to know what had been going on right under their noses. "This meeting has nothing to do with us as a group, actually. It has to do with me and Lance and Rachel." He watched as Joey, Justin and Chris stopped what they were doing and looked at each other before turning their attention to him. He took a deep breath. "Rachel and I have been seeing each other since the accident--"
"I was fucking right!" Justin yelled, fist pumping. "I knew there was something going on!"
JC smiled at Rachel. "Lance was kind enough not to stand in our way and let us secretly date."
Joey looked at Lance. He was a little hurt that his best friend hadn't told him this. It was a pretty significant piece of news. At the same time, a lot of shit had been happening in his own life that he'd only been half aware of, he doubted he would have noticed anyone else's comings and goings.
"Wait a minute... why didn't we know?" Chris asked looking at them? "We not good enough to tell anything to?"
"Yeah man, we would have kept your secret," Justin stated. "You didn't have to keep it from us."
"No, it's not that," JC told them sighing. "We thought it would be easier this way. Lance would still have his cover in public and our relationship wouldn't... well... the wrong person..."
"You didn't want Kristen to find out." Joey said flatly.
"Sorry Joey," Rachel said softly. "It wasn't just her. We didn't want people to find out about me and JC and cause problems and rumors for me and Lance. We realize we should have told you guys from the beginning. It was just easier to control if no one knew."
"When did this happen, Dawg? I mean, I know these dorks were oblivious," Justin dodged Chris's hand, swatting him away. "It was the 'Girlfriend' shoot wasn't it? You two were sending off some serious vibes. It was hot."
Rachel blushed and looked down not sure why she was embarrassed at everyone knowing. "The feelings have been there for awhile since around Thanksgiving..."
"Thanksgiving!" Joey, Chris and Justin shouted together jumping to their feet.
"You've been secretly dating since Thanksgiving and you're just now telling us!" Justin yelled.
Lance rolled his eyes. "You're an idiot. What these oblivious morons are trying to say is they've ignored their feelings since Thanksgiving."
"Thanks... I think..." Rachel sent Lance a look, rolling her eyes when he grinned at her. "For our own reasons we didn't act on our feelings until after the accident Mel and I were in."
"You're okay with this?" Chris asked Lance. Now that he knew JC and Rachel were together looking back he couldn't believe he didn't see. The 'Girlfriend' video shoot should have given it away.
Lance smiled. "Sure I am. I know if the situation was reversed and I found a guy I wanted to be with, I know Rachel would have let me go."
"Tearfully," Rachel teased.
"Rachel's the luckiest woman we know." Joey said with a bemused smiled. He meet the other occupant's confused looks. "Just think about it. She had Lance and JC."
"Not that lucky," Justin grinned. "She hasn't had me."
"She's not ever going to, either." JC sent Justin a look.
"She doesn't want to," Rachel said.
"There's girls that would give up their best friend for that sort of thing."
"What sort of 'thing 'are you talking about?" JC looked at Joey. "We didn't have a threesome." His words caused everyone to break out into laughter.
"Oh shit," Chris laughed wiping a tear that escaped. "That's a good one, C."
"What do you see in him anyway," Justin asked as the laughter died. "He's too damn skinny and boney."
"She likes his bone," Joey snickered.
"Your face is so red, Rachel," Lance laughed as Justin and Chris collapsed against each other laughing. "You're gonna break a lot of hearts JC when you advertise you're dating Rachel."
"They can lust after Justin," JC told Lance before looking at Justin. "Though I'm not sure why."
"Not sure why? Look at this face?" Justin grinned pointing to himself.
"Exactly," Chris rolled his eyes, slapping the back of his head.
"That's it," Justin said as he rubbed his head. "Time for your ass to get taken to the cleaners."
"We're not done yet," JC spoke up seeing the guys gather their things to leave. "We have something else to tell you." The butterflies came back and he felt sick. The guys had taken the news of he and Rachel dating better than he thought, but this news was bigger.
"More?" Joey asked sitting back down on the couch. He saw JC's face had paled and Rachel looked like she wanted to puke. He frowned staring at his two friends wondering what else they could say. As JC opened his mouth, Joey suddenly knew what JC was about to say.
"Rachel's pregnant."
Rachel watched as Justin's and Chris's mouth drop in shock. She tightened her hold on JC's hand as she waited for someone to say something. She saw Chris look at JC then at Lance, then back to JC. "The baby is JC's. Lance and I," she could feel her face heat. "That relationship between us ended when JC and I started dating."
"So..." Justin paused as his brain fought to keep up with the information. "Wow."
"How do you feel C?" Chris asked JC.
"My brain still hasn't wrapped around the fact that I'm going to be a dad. I'm doing better than I was when Rachel first told me," he smiled at Rachel. "I'm excited and scared and wondering what the hell I'm going to do when Rachel's grandfather hires someone to break my kneecaps."
"That's my gig. I'm from New York so I get to do the mafia bit." Joey told JC. "He's not gonna do anything to you without coming through us first." He stood up and made his way to JC and Rachel. "I'm really happy for you both," he hugged Rachel first, then JC. "Does that mean you and Lance are calling it quits?"
Rachel nodded. "We're ending our fake relationship."
"Looks like we're taking you out drinking tonight." Joey said as he sat down on Lance's lap.
"Why?" Lance grunted. "Get your fat ass off me."
"Because you just found out your girlfriend was not only cheating on you but is pregnant. That's grounds for your best buds to take you out and get you fucked up drunk."
"And trash the bitch." Justin grinned. "Fucking whore."
"Hey!" Rachel glared at Justin. "I'll break your damn knee caps."
"Joking Rachel, joking!" Justin held his hands upp to ward Rachel off. "You know I love you," he hugged Rachel. "I'm happy for you and C."
"Can you please get your fat ass off of me, Fatone," Lance pushed at Joey. "You're my sister's type, not mine. If she wants to bang your Chewbacca looking ass, then she can have at it."
"I'm not that hairy," Joey pretended to be hurt. "I haven't talk her either, so who knows."
"Like you can keep Chica away," Justin told him. "Hey, you're naming the kid after me right? Justin or Justine works."
"There's no way in hell I'm naming the baby after you, Timberlake," JC told Justin as he laughed.
“It can be Anthony James Scott Alan Randall Chasez,” Rachel said with a grin.
“I got the first middle name you bitches,” Joey flipped them all off.
“And the only part we're keeping is the Chasez for now.” JC said with a grin thinking of a baby with his name.
"Can you imagine how the media would love that?" Rachel rolled her eyes. "Dating Lance, having JC's baby, but name the baby after Justin."
"You're such a whore," Chris teased. "Seriously, we're happy for you," he hugged Rachel then JC. "I wish you'd have let us know sooner so I could have started making jokes at JC when he came out of the hotel room looking like he'd been rode hard and put away wet."
“Just cause you weren't getting any, don't hate on me,” JC retorted. He ran a hand through his hair, giving Rachel a smile as he pulled her to him. “Now we don't have to sneak around to do this,” his lips met hers and he smiled at the wolf whistles and bawdy yelling that ensued. JC smiled and nuzzled her cheek. “Are you okay?” he whispered as she nodded.
Rachel let JC go and smiled. She was happy that their friends had accepted their relationship and news of them having a baby. It was just her hope and prayer that management would take the news in a positive light. “I'm staying here while you go take on the big guns.”
“You're telling Johnny tonight?” Lance's head snapped up when he overheard them. He frowned and watched the rest of the guys crowd around them.“Mind if we come with?”
“The more the merrier. Least I'm not doing this on my own. I'd rather face Rachel's grandfather than Johnny,” JC told them, giving Rachel a lingering kiss. “Be back in a little while,”he told her, giving her an encouraging smile. “I love you.”
“I love you too, Weatherly,” Chris told Rachel, grabbing her and dipping her dramatically and pretended to kiss her before standing her upright again.
“You've lost your mind, Kirkpatrick,” she yelled standing in doorway of the hotel room as they went down the hall.
“You can't lose what you never had, woman!” Justin yelled back, blowing her a kiss before they got onto the elevator.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
“So you told the guys?” Melissa asked Rachel, standing in front of her bed looking at the clothes there were piled there. She had everything she owned off the hanger and none of it looked like anything she wanted to wear.
“Yeah. They all took it good. Even Joey,” Rachel added. “Now they are talking with Johnny. I'm more worried about that. They could always recommend that I don't come on tour with JC...” her voice trailed off at the thought of being 'banned' from touring.
“That's stupid. They can't do that. Johnny wouldn't do that unless he wanted a mutiny on his hands.”
“Justin wanted us to name the baby after him,” Rachel told her, smiling and shaking her head. “They were all really happy about it,” she swallowed, getting a little choked up at the thought. It could have gone worse and she was thankful that they all took it in stride.
“Timberlake's messed up in the head. He can have his own kid and name it after him,” Melissa told Rachel, listening to her friend sniffle. She could only guess what Rachel was thinking. “It will be alright, Rach. JC will make them understand. And if he can't he has four other enforcers. Now you just have to tell your families.”
“I told you and Lance. That counts as family,” Rachel told her, closing her eyes. She didn't want to think about that right this second. They had the time between the tour to inform family. Besides that, the more people that knew, the more likely it was that someone would let it slip. At the same time, it was her family. She wanted them to know about her and JC and that they were going to have a baby. “How was Dallas?” Rachel finally asked, wanting to change the subject. She didn't want to sit and think about what was possibly happening in that meeting.
“It was good up until the point AJ decided to hit me when I told him I was going to Miami.”
“What? He hit you!” she yelled, waiting for an explanation. Tears came to her eyes as she listened. “Does anyone else know? What the hell is going on, Mel?” she asked quietly, scared of what might happen if a lot of people knew.
“Lance and you,” Melissa replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. “It will look better in a few days, Rach. He didn't mean to do it. It shouldn't have happened, but it did. I'm just glad Kevin and Brian were close. His drinking has gotten so bad, Rachel. He's never once gotten violent like that. Ever. I think they all knew he was drinking, but they just didn't know how much.”
“I think they need to make sure he's totally done with that crap before they go back on tour. I know he's your friend, Mel.”
“It was nice to have a friend that was a guy. I mean, I have the guys...but it wasn't the same. It still sucks. I'm not packed. Everything I own is on my bed and none of it looks like anything I want to wear.”
Rachel rolled her eyes and laughed at her friend. “You still have a couple days to pack. Why are you freaking out about it now? I mean,, Joey won't care if you came in a paper bag. Seriously...you have some cute clothes.”
“Yeah, but to him I'm just Melissa Bass, Lance's little sister.”
“Don't make me reach through the phone and smack you! Are you even listening to yourself? You're talking about Joey Fatone. The same Joey Fatone who would call you in the middle of the night from across the ocean to sing you stupid songs and help you with math homework. This is the guy who snuck into our school and surprised you on your birthday when he was supposed to be recording an album, was it not?”
Melissa nodded, trying not to cry. She'd been so upset that she wouldn't see Joey on her birthday since he was in Los Angeles recording the first NSYNC album for the United States release. She'd come out of History class to put her books up and there was Joey standing there like he'd just been waiting the whole time. When she asked where he'd come from, he just shrugged, telling her that he hadn't had time to get her anything, that he'd have to do as her present. In true Joey fashion, he then made fun of her when she cried on him. “Okay so he likes me. A lot.”
“He loves you, you freaking dork!”
“Fine, he loves me.” Melissa laid back on her clothes and sighed. “I miss you. The traffic sucks here. I want to just be able to drive and it not take two hours to get everywhere.”
“I miss you too,” Rachel replied, sniffling. “God, when are you moving back to Florida? All you've had in California is bullshit. It's not the place for you, Mel. You are not a California girl.”
“You tell me that now,” Melissa teased, sighing. “Why didn't you tell me that before I moved?”
“When you get to Miami, I'm so kicking your ass.”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
JC slipped quietly into the hotel room and slipped off his shoes and shirt, tossing them towards the closet. It was later than he wanted it to be and cursed that there would be a wake up call in a few hours. He could make out Rachel's sleeping form and stood there watching her. The meeting with management had went longer than he'd wanted, but in the end, the results were some he could live with. Josh smiled when Rachel snuggled into him, kissing her forehead softly.
“Hi. I couldn't stay awake anymore,” Rachel whispered. She'd tossed and turned in bed before finally getting still and falling asleep after talking to Melissa. “How did it go?” she asked JC, running fingers through his hair.
“It went better than what I thought it would have. PR is going to have it spin that you and Lance split mutually. As far as you and I go, whatever we decide is our business until we are ready to let the public know. They were more worried about how you were doing and if you were sure you wanted to keep me around.”
Rachel could hear the smile in his voice, one that said he was relieved. “Are you sure there wasn't more than that?” she pushed, hearing JC sigh.
“There were a few things that weren't fit for your ears, but none of us could understand it either. Joey was yelling in Italian and he stormed out.”
“It's only a couple days until Miami. Mel will be here then,” Rachel informed him, thinking of Joey for a moment. She almost told him about the incident with AJ, but kept her mouth shut. There was enough going on without that and she wanted to know what was said. “Talk to me, Josh. We can't start keeping secrets now.”
“It's not a secret, Rachel,” JC pulled her into his arms. “They weren't happy. Johnny wanted to know what I was doing, if I had my head up my ass and if I was going to finish the tour. I told him of course. The rest of the guys backed me up when I told him that if I heard a peep out of anyone about you, even if it was a rumor, that I was going to go completely off.”
“I don't think I've seen you mad. I mean really mad.”
“It's not something you really want to see, baby.” JC's hand found her cheek and he stroked it. “I'm so ready for some time off. I want to talk to our families and let them know and I want some time with you.”
“I like the time with you part,” Rachel replied, kissing him softly on the lips. “Especially if I want to try and plan a wedding.” She'd thought about it, deciding she would rather be Mrs. Chasez by the time their baby was born.
JC smiled in the dark and pressed his lips to hers, deepening the kiss after a moment. “I haven't even proposed yet,” he pointed out, his mouth finding her jawline and making a trail up to her ear. “However, I was hoping you would say that.” He had an idea of what he was going to do and what he wanted the ring to look like, but Rachel didn't have to know that.
“I just thought if there wasn't enough for you to think about besides touring and performing, I would throw that in there,” she told him, finding his mouth and kissing him.
“Despite what the guys say, I'm an excellent multi-tasker,” JC informed her.
Rachel moved around to where JC was on top of her. “I only want you to worry about one thing right now.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
Yes...I know...I updated. I will try and get a few chapters up. Enjoy!!
Story Tags: joey
