-14-

“So…how’s Lance doing?”

“Why don’t you ask him your damn self?” Annaleigh snapped. I'm gettin' sick and tired of that question. She stopped tapping her pen against the notebook and looked up into JC’s look of surprise and shock. A long sigh rolled out of her mouth, her shoulders slumping. “Sorry, Josh.”

“Hm. That bad?” he asked, lifting his eyebrows. His lips turned upwards into a small smile. Out of reassurance or amusement, or to coax her into talking, she wasn’t sure, but Annaleigh’s annoyance spiked just looking at it.

“He’s doing well from what I can see,” Gabriel spoke up, brushing his hair off his forehead.

Annaleigh let out a loud laugh as she turned in her swivel chair at the soundboard of the recording studio to face the couch her brother was sitting. “From what you can see of him,” she said with a grin. “You know, when your vision isn’t altered by the moony eyes you throw in Jazzy’s direction every chance you get.”

“I seem to remember you giving Wade those same moony eyes,” Gabriel shot back with a scowl. JC’s eyes widened just slightly as he looked back and forth between the siblings. Gabriel’s face contorted as he winced. “I’m sorry, I—“

“It’s fine,” Annaleigh replied with a sigh, putting her hand in the air. She nodded over in JC’s direction and repeated, “It’s fine.” She rolled her eyes as the two boys scrutinized her. “Seriously, it is. Six years is long enough to focus on one event in my life, right?”

“Uh, you wouldn’t be you if you didn’t,” JC pointed out to her, pointing a pen in your direction. “You had Chris terrified of corners for a year and a half just because he took the last brownie. Dwelling is pretty much your middle name.”

“It does come in handy thought when you want to prove to someone that you’re right about something,” Gabriel added, earning a small chuckle from JC.

“Ha, ha, ha.” Annaleigh rolled her eyes.

“I’m not complaining,” Gabriel replied as he lifted his hand into the air.

Annaleigh swung her gaze back to JC. “And, dude, I called that brownie!” Annaleigh replied, her eyebrows shooting up. “It’s the law of dibs.” She held her hands up in front of her, palms facing each other, shoulder width apart before shifting them off to the side. “You take my brownie; you’re runnin’ the risk of being stabbed.”

“With a spoon?” he asked.

“I was goin’ to make a brownie sundae,” Annaleigh said, her voice getting more high pitched.

JC let out a sigh through his nose before setting down his pen. He moved some of the knobs and switches on the soundboard before turning away from it. “Clearly, we’re not going to get a lot of this done today,” he murmured aloud. An apology was on the tip of Annaleigh’s tongue, but JC waved a hand in the air, giving her an amused smile.

JC could be as serious as all get out, but he knew when it was time to take breaks and to relax and be a laid back about things. He was the one Annaleigh would go to if she wanted to vent to someone (whether or not she needed advice) and was sure that she would be listened to. When it came to his friends, he was also one to joke around with them, and do his best to never hold a grudge against them, or take what they say too seriously. He could roll with the punches when the time called for it.

“Wait,” Gabriel said, his eyebrow twitching upwards. A wide smile crossed his face as he looked back and forth between JC and his half-sister. “No way! You’re actually finally going to do something about you and Darren.”

“I didn’t say that,” Annaleigh quickly replied, shifting her gaze back down to the notebook in her hand. She started drawing circles and swirls on the lined page. “Who said that?”

“That heart might have tipped him off,” JC said with a snort as he tapped the pad of his finger next to her pen tip. Annaleigh paused for a moment before taking the pen and drawing a single stripe against his skin. “Heyyyy.” He licked his thumb and wiped off the ink before using the hem of his shirt to clear it from his skin. “So, does this have to do with why you’re being such a spitfire today? Emphasis on the fire?”

“Not…technically,” Annaleigh replied. JC’s chest swelled as he sucked in a deep breath of air, giving her a pointed look. She widened her eyes in innocence as she felt a rush of heat crawl up her neck and burn the tips of her ears and the top of her head.

“Annnaaaaa,” Gabriel said, holding out her name, goading her into talking. Annaleigh shot him an annoyed look. He knew she was going to move back home to Mississippi, and the twinkle in his eye proved it. Whether or not he was catching up on all the years missed he could use his brotherly duty to annoy her, she wanted to throttle him in that moment.

“Y’all ain’t going to drop this subject are you?” she asked. Gabriel shook his head back and forth. JC pressed his lips together in response. Annaleigh let out a huff of annoyance.

“Well, I knew you were going to Mississippi,” JC pointed out to her, pressing his elbow into the arm rest of his chair, angling his head to press his cheek into his fist. “But, something tells me I’ve missed something.”

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just…goin’ to…moveinwithDarrenwhenIgohome.” Annaleigh finished the rest of her sentence in a rush before rapidly flipping the pages of her notebook to a page filled with her slanted, yet loopy, handwriting. “We should get back to work.” She got silence in reply, but she could feel Gabriel and JC staring at her.

She looked up at the two of them through her long hair and instantly regretted it. JC’s lips slowly parted before he took in a wheezy sounding breath, as he tiled his head back and proceeded to fall into a fit of laughter. “It’s about time,” he said, clapping his hands together, bending forward at the waist. His face was a bright red. “I’ll be honest, I never thought your ‘Will she, won’t she’ thing would ever come to an end.”

“Thanks for your vote of confidence,” Annaleigh muttered, running a face of her hand. She made a face before wiping her clammy hand on her jean clad thigh. Her knee started bouncing as her ankle bobbed, as she pressed her weight onto the ball of her foot.

“I’m sorry,” JC replied, putting his hands up defensively. His laughter slowly faded and he coughed once before putting a hand to his chest. “Sorry. You two are just always so…hot and heavy around each other.”

“Tepid and careful would be my words of choice,” Gabriel deadpanned. Annaleigh stuck her tongue out at him before throwing her pen across the room.

“Hey, you know the rule,” JC said, sitting up in his seat, pointing a finger back and forth between the two siblings. “No throwing things; even if you get frustrated, even if you have writer’s block.”

“Hey, I think it’s good you’re finally giving him a chance,” Gabriel said, putting his hand in the air. “Really. You deserve to be happy.”

“Both of you,” JC added and Gabriel gave a nod of his head. “Plus, he’s been waiting for you for so long, even I could see that when I first met him. If that’s not love than I don’t know what is.” Annaleigh couldn’t help but laugh as he started quietly singing, “I want to know what love is.” She lifted her foot and gave a hard kick at his swivel chair, succeeding in pushing her away from him, his weight keeping him immobile. “But, I still don’t understand why you’re mad at Lance.”

“He got mad that I didn’t tell him about wanting to move home, and then I got mad at him for not telling me what’s wrong with his heart,” Annaleigh replied. JC’s eyebrows furrowed together.

“How do you know it’s his heart?” he asked, suddenly looking…unsettled.

“Yeah, the doctor didn’t say anything about it,” Gabriel replied and Annaleigh gave them a pointed look. “Or Lance for that matter, but that’s not too much of a surprise.”

“If it wasn’t heart related, the doctor wouldn’t say anythin’ about ‘no strenuous activity’ and ‘keep an eye on him’ and blah, blah, blah,” Annaleigh said, throwing her hands in the air. She quickly slapped it down as she jostled her notebook, stopping it before it slid off her lap. She started tapping her pen repeatedly against the paper. “Something’s wrong. I just know it.”

Gabriel made a humming sound in the back of his throat, but JC stayed silent. Annaleigh looked over at him and watched as her friend silently rubbed his chin. His tongue partially poked out between his lips before he pulled it back, bringing his bottom lip into his mouth, biting down on it.

“What?” she asked.

“Not to dismiss your worry or anything,” JC slowly replied. He was talking slowly, choosing his words carefully, “but I think it’d be best for you to leave.” Annaleigh’s eyebrows slowly lifted as she contorted her face into an “Excuse me?” look. “Come on, Ace, you two have been around each other for so long. I mean…I think the only reason either of you got mad is because you don’t know how to be apart.”

“Meaning?” Annaleigh asked.

“You’re each other’s security blankets,” JC instantly replied as if the words were on his mind and he was just waiting for the chance to say them. “You’re comfortable around each other and you don’t have to worry about anything because you’re so…” He trailed off, cringing just slightly.

“In sync?” Gabriel supplied for him with a half smile. Annaleigh chuckled.

“For a lack of a better term, yes,” JC agreed with a nod of his head. He shifted his eyes towards the ceiling for a brief moment, slightly shaking his head back and forth. “Anyway, it’s what you’ve been used to all your life. When things got hard at home, you went in search for what could bring you comfort and ultimately, that was Lance.” A far off look crossed his face for a brief moment. He cleared his throat and shifted his seated position. “And like I had said a long time ago, when we were still touring, I hadn’t seen him look as natural as he did when you were around.”

Annaleigh gave JC a warm smile. Truth be told, she always felt like she was home when she was around Lance. Times did get hard on the road, but to have a sense of familiarity, someone who understood where she came from was like bringing home with her. Lance made sure he took the time to listen to her worries, and she made sure she could do the same for him.

“But, everyone needs to leave their comfort zone at some time,” JC said to her. He looked over at Gabriel. “Right? I mean, you left home where it was just you and your mom, travelled all the way across the United States just to get to know your sister.”

“Under the guise that you were just a new member of the band,” Annaleigh added.

Gabriel widened his eyes just slightly as the attention was suddenly put on him. “So it wasn’t one of my better ideas, sue me.” He waved a hand in the air. “Besides, I’m not the best person to have as a backup, C. My comfort zone and I are never far apart enough where he can’t swing by from time to time.” He stretched his arms out on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. JC sighed, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose.

“You’re a terrible influence on your sister,” JC said, deadpan.

“I’m her half-brother, so I only have the responsibility of being a good influence for half the time,” Gabriel replied with a smirk. Annaleigh tilted her head back, letting out a part-gleeful, part-evil “Hee, hee, hee, hee.”

JC rolled his eyes, keeping the smile on his face. “In all seriousness, I think you both just got mad at each other because you’re both scared of not being around each other after all this time,” he said.

Annaleigh was silent as she bobbed her head back and forth; taking in what it was that he was saying. She was scared of going back to Mississippi. She had told just about everyone that she would leave Clinton with a successful career. It wasn’t that she really dreamt of never going back, it was her home after all, she just didn’t think she’d be going back after 2 short years with *NSYNC. But, no one saw their hiatus coming, not even the boys themselves. She couldn’t fault them for that, but it seemed like she was going back with her tail between her legs.

It wasn’t like there wasn’t anything good to go back home to. Or anyone. She and her dad had a better relationship no, and she got to see her mom more often. She supposed she should give Elizabeth a chance after all these years. She was polite and cordial with the woman, not only because of her history with her own family, but because she was first and last, Gabriel’s mother and she had a good relationship with her half-brother.

In all honesty, she didn’t know if she’d ever really be comfortable knowing that she was the woman her dad had had an affair with. Gabriel had pretty much chewed her out for blaming just her for her parents’ failed marriage and not her dad as well, so she tried hard not to bring the subject up around him. But, she idolized her dad…

The same way Gabe idolizes his mom. Annaleigh slowly blinked as the thought came crashing to the front of her skull. When did family stop being so important to you? It was something she had grown up learning, “No one will be there like your family.” As far as she could see it, her family had grown bigger than her blood line indicated.

More things had to change when she went home.

 “But, if you want some advice from me,” JC continued, causing Annaleigh to snap back to attention, “you don’t have to take it if you don’t want to but, I’d move back home.” He raked his fingers through his hair. “Music will always be around—“ he fixed her with an intense gaze from his blue eyes, “but people won’t.”

He lifted his free hand and slid his thumb underneath the strap that cut into his shoulder, letting out a sigh of relief as the pressure—at least one source of it—was lifted from his shoulders. The ground crunched under his shoes as he made his way up the rock sprinkled winding driveway.

The high elevation did give a sense of security and isolation to the area. With the next houses not too close, you managed to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It was why Lance had considered buying a house up here to begin with. It was another way for him to hide out, and to keep to himself. But, he knew he couldn’t live that way forever. Plus, at the time, Jake wasn’t the biggest fan of heights.

Lance stopped, a scraping sound filling the air as. Whoa. When was the last time he had even thought about his ex? Before everything with his heart. Before the party. Before he met Michael. Lance felt his heart skip a beat in the best way in that moment, leaving a sort of tickling feeling in his chest. He lifted his hand and massaged the area with his open palm. The man annoyed him—but why—and put him at ease all at the same time.

No matter how hard he tried to ignore it, he could see attractive qualities in Michael; ones that you’d have to be blind not to see. Now, having the ability to take your eyes off him for more than five minutes? He’d pay a lot to figure out that little secret.

You can’t think about that, Lance. Lance squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head back and forth like he was shaking water from his hair. Not now.

He pressed his weight into his feet before pushing himself forward, stopping himself from turning back around, getting in his car, and looking for anything and everything that could potentially interest Michael. Not that he’d look just with him in mind or anything like that. At least he tried hard not to think of it that way. He had left the house on bad terms with Annaleigh, he didn’t want to have her go to Mississippi that same way; they had gone through too much to just let an argument hang like that.

Or maybe that was the problem. A low growl rumbled in Lance’s throat as he shook his head a second time. He pressed his lips together before turning to look out across the open space around him. His chest swelled as he sucked in a deep breath of air, slowly letting it out through his nose. Crushing the card in his fist, he spun on his heels and made his way towards the front door of the home, the bulk of his bag striking against the back of his leg with each step

His shirt stuck to him just slightly, a light sheen of sweat covering his body as the sunlight cut through the dry air. He lifted his hand and rapped his knuckles on the door before he jabbed the pad of his thumb into the doorbell. He took a step back, adjusting his bag on his shoulder—moving it from one side to the other.

Heavy footsteps were heard on the other side of the door before a heavy click split the air. The doorknob turned and the door was pulled open with a swoosh. Rick’s eyebrows shot up as he crossed his arms over his chest, stepping out of the foyer and onto the porch.

“’Bout time,” he commented, He used his shoulder to scratch at his forehead. “I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to show up.” He leaned to one side, looking around him. “Didn’t bring your bodyguards with you?”

Lance fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he pushed a half-smile, half-smirk to his face. “You’re looking to being popped in the jaw by the same girl, twice?” he asked. Rick’s smile faded just slightly.

“It’s no wonder you have her around,” he commented, deadpan. “She’s strong enough to fight your battles for you.”

But not her own, Lance thought to himself, feeling his lips twitch. “Not anymore,” Lance replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m ready to fight my own battles.”

“Good,” Rick replied with a nod of his head before angling his head to the side, indicating the house. “We’ll have you in the ring in no time. Do you have any preference on whom you go against?”

“How about you?”Lance asked, tilting his head to the side just slightly. Rick let out a laugh, shaking his head back and forth as he reached for the door handle. He pushed the door open and stepped inside, motioning for Lance to follow him.

“Down boy,” Rick said, holding the door open for him. Lance’s footsteps echoed around the high ceiling of the foyer. The sound of the front door slamming shut bounced after it. “You only get one sucker punch on me before I start punching back and I don’t think you’re ready for that yet.”

Lance held back the urge to let out a single “Ha.” He could say that about a lot of things in his life. His mom didn’t think he was ready to go to Orlando for NSYNC and that turned into a bigger deal then he ever thought it’d be. He didn’t think he was ready for a serious relationship with a male, but when things with Jake clicked, it clicked.

“Nice place,” he said, changing the subject.

“Thanks,” Rick replied, looking unimpressed as he lifted a brow to look gaze around the foyer. “Anyway.” He sucked in a breath of air before making his way in a line towards the back of the house. Lance followed him through the house, onto the back porch, and across the grass to what looked like a large shed. As they got closer, he could hear muffled shouts and whistles coming from inside.

Lance swallowed thickly as they reached the door. Rick rapped his knuckles on the door in two quick successions before he pulled the door open and stepped into the dark room. The loud shouts rang in his ears shortly followed by a groan and a loud “Ohhhhh!”

Floorboards groaned and squeaked as Lance took small steps forward as his eyes adjusted to the dark room. There was a balcony of sorts leading out from the stairs where a couple of men stood, leaning over the side. They merely glanced at him as the door slammed shut behind them.

Light flickered below and Lance stepped to the wooden railing to see a circle of men encasing a giant circle of fencing, lights shining down on the two fighter in the center of the room. The smell of sweat and the metallic smell of blood hit his nose, making Lance recoil. His stomach pitched and a low groan slipped past his lips as he lifted a hand to cover his mouth.

What was he getting himself into?

He still had time to leave. Just turn around, walk back to his car, and settle in for a nice and relaxing day with his friends. Just forget any of this ever happened and he could-- “Hey, listen up!” Crap.

Rick’s voice instantly cut through the cacophony of sound as he made his way down the stairs. “We’ve got a new challenger if anyone’s looking for a fight.” He angled his head in Lance’s direction. He felt his face burn as everyone turned to look at him. Whispers started swirling around him.

He was used to whispers, but not like this. They felt different. From excited—and admittedly somewhat nosy—girls wondering if he really was the Lance Bass whenever he tried to walk around outside, being normal was one thing. It kind of made him stand taller, walk with his shoulders back a bit more, and to in general just be better. It was cool and yes, sometimes it did stroke his ego, but he was always surrounded by people who helped make sure he his ego didn’t get too big.

After all, everyone wanted him to be the person they all saw him to be.

And that Lance was humble, confident, and straight.

“This is Lance Bass and he thinks he’s ready to take on one of you,” Rick continued. A loud snort hit the air.

“The same one that knocked your lights out?” someone called, earning a laugh that moved around the room like a wave.

“I thought that was a girl.”

“Even worse.” The wave of laughter came a second time, louder, longer. Even Lance could feel his lips twitching in amusement.

“Yeah, so...whoever wants to fight him.” Rick’s eyes suddenly went half-lidded as if he was bored and he waved his hand in Lance’s direction. “Be my guest.” He swallowed thickly, reaching out his hand to grasp the wooden railing, pressing his finger nails into the top, trying to move the tension from his shoulders—which were now settled around the bottom of his chin—to the railing.

Silence filled the room. Part of him wanted someone to speak up, he had already taken the time to head out there, and he had been training…but on the other hand, he hoped he could just leave. It was like he was in the NSYNC audition room all over again. One minute he was confident in himself and what he could do, but the next, he wondered if he was just way over his head and wasting everyone’s time.

But, if I could make it in NSYNC…

“I’ll fight him,” a voice called. Lance blinked, a rush of air rushing past his lips in a gasp. He couldn’t see who talked, and he leaned over the railing, looking to see who it was that was volunteering. He sounded almost…friendly. “Everybody’s gotta start somewhere.”

“Alright, Lance, you’ll be fighting Spark Plug,” Rick announced. “There are rooms down here, take as much time as you need to get ready.” He lifted his head to look over at Lance and his lips twitched. Out of amusement, or if he wanted to give him some tips or anything of the sort, he wasn’t sure, but before Lance knew it, he had changed out of his shirt and jeans and was standing in his tennis shoes, a pair of shorts, and with tape wrapped around his wrists in the center of the metal ring.

Lance bounced from foot to foot, shaking out his arms. Spark Plug was built like a brick wall—and as tall as one—and Lance could already tell it was going to feel like running into him. His muscles were so large on his shoulder and upper arms; it looked like they were permanently attached to his neck. That’s not to say the rest of his body wasn’t bumpy either. The barbed wire tattoo around his fat bicep looked more like a spikey snake, waiting to squeeze the life out of him. His eyes glittered, reflecting the swinging lights.

“Come on! Lay him out!”

“Take him down.”

With the twitch of Spark Plug’s nostrils, he suddenly charged forward, each step even more thundering than the last one, rocking his stomach from side to side. Spark Plug pulled back his fist before shooting it forward. Lance quickly pulled his arms up in and X, blocking the punch, felling the warm skin of his opponent slide off his forearm as he lost his balance. Taking a step forward, Lance drove his right knee upwards and into the hard set of abs.

He blinked, startled at the pain in his knee cap as a grunt was heard over the shouts from those watching the fight. Eyes widening in wonder and surprise at his reflexes, Lance took a couple quick steps back from Spark Plug who lunged at him again. Sharp pain shot up Lance’s arm, settling in his wrist as he deflected another punch.

And then the edges of his vision went dark.

His stomach burned as the breath of air held in his lungs were forcefully expelled by the foot pressed into his stomach. Gasping for air, Lance stumbled back, colliding with the fence behind him, a loud rattling sound sending shockwaves through his teeth. His fingers tightly grasped the links to the fence as his knees buckled.

Hold on. Hold on. Split slid down the corner of his mouth. His eyes slammed shut as the burning sensation in his stomach intensified with each deep breath he tried to take.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Spark Plug asked, standing above him, bouncing back and forth on the balls of his feet. “I thought you wanted a real fight, Half Pint.”

Lance’s jaw suddenly ached, he was gritting his teeth so hard. He shifted his eyes upwards towards Spark Plug, a roaring sound filling his ears, blocking out the shouts, screams and taunts that closed in on him. A bubble of anger rose in his chest, sitting behind his rib cage. After taking in a deep breath of air, it popped and he swung his leg upwards, tightly gripping the fence behind him to hold himself up.

A click was heard as Spark Plug’s head went shooting backwards, his eyes slamming shut in pain. With a loud shout, Lance pushed off the fence and planted his left foot on the ground, kicking his right leg out, bending just slightly as he landed a roundhouse kick to the man’s chest. He stumbled backwards and Lance took the open opportunity.

Punch after punch, kick after kick, he fought back as hard as he could. His muscles moved on auto pilot as they formed the combinations and moves he had been taught. And then he was on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His hands firmly grasped Spark Plug’s right hand, pulling his arm upwards between his legs, his legs locked around the appendage, resting on Spark Plug’s chest.

He felt three quick taps on his legs and an air horn sound. Lance immediately relaxed his grip, his arms dropping down beside him on the concrete flooring. His chest heaved as he gasped for air. He swallowed repeatedly, trying to wet his dry throat.

He had won.

Cheers filled the air, punctuated by “Booos” as Spark Plug rolled away from him.

Lance’s lifted his arm and wiped the sweat that collected on his upper lip. As the yellow tape around his hands scratched against his nose a triumphant smile slowly spread across his face.