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Oct. 13th, 2003 05:05 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amfiguree[N'sync] [The Outsider] [Lance/OMC, Basez] [PG-13 for violence]
The Outsider
Author’s Note: After a week of trying, I finally got a piece of angsty fic out! I had two more puny attempts before this, that I’m still considering if I should put up. We’ll see. Anyway, this is longer than what I usually write, but I think it’s a good piece of work. It’s just the kind of angst I was looking for, and I’m just sorry I couldn’t make it more moving. But it made me cry while I was writing it. So for now, my angst-fic thirst is quenched.
Lance’s eyes opened weakly as his phone rang shrilly. Muttering a few choice words under his breath, the blond shook himself awake and groped for the phone, his eyes adjusting slowly to the dark. “Josh?” he called softly, as his hand found the object he was looking for.
He frowned when he realized the bundle of warmth that was JC wasn’t next to him in bed. Probably went to the toilet, Lance thought to himself, chuckling softly. Lifting the phone to his ear, Lance flipped it open. “Hello?” he yawned, dragging the word and accentuating his Southern accent.
“La… Lance.”
His eyes flew open and he sat straight up, his head banging against the board behind him in his haste, but Lance hardly felt it. “Josh?” he gripped the phone tightly, bile rising at the back of his throat. “Josh? Baby? What’s wrong?”
Lance heard his boyfriend let out a soft, choked sob, and his heart plunged into his stomach. “Love? C’mon, Josh, tell me what’s wrong!”
“I… Lance… Help me.”
Lance swallowed thickly, his throat constricting in fear. “Josh, baby, where are you? What happened?”
“Lance…”
Lance’s heart wrenched at the sound of JC’s quiet cries. “Come on, baby, you have to tell me, or I can’t help you.”
“It hurts… Lance, help me.”
“Josh?” A rush of fear swept through Lance’s senses. “Talk to me, Josh! What’s wrong? What hurts? Josh? Baby?”
All he got was something that sounded like a clap and a muffled cry of pain. “Josh?!” he was almost shouting into the phone.
“Hello James.”
Lance’s eyes widened when he realized who he was talking to exactly.
“What do you want?”
“Why in such a hurry, James? I’ve hardly said hello.”
“What. Do. You. Want?” Lance repeated, the edge in his voice palpable, hostility flowing through his every word.
“Revenge.”
“What?”
“Like I said, plain and simple; revenge.”
“On who?”
“Your boyfriend.”
“WHAT?” Disbelief was evident in Lance’s tone. “But… if you wanted revenge on him… why the hell are you calling me, huh? Why do you wanna risk me tracking you down? Why don’t you hide him and leave him to die, huh?” Lance’s voice shook at the intensity of his own words.
“Oh, that’s not enough. After all, physical scars will heal in time, but emotional scars stay with us for life. And I don’t want him to die… just yet.” Lance shivered at the hint of a smile in the other person’s voice. “I want him to WANT to die. To suffer a pain so torturous that HE begs me to end it. THEN I’ll let him die. I’ll leave him to curl into a ball and die, alone and cold. Miserable. Suffering. THAT’S the way it should end. That’s the way it’s GOING to end.”
“What. Do. You. Want?” Lance repeated for the third time, his voice terse.
Lance’s head whipped around when he heard an insistent knocking at the door. “Dammit, what do you want?” he screamed into the phone, ignoring the door.
“Open the door, Lance.” The voice on the other line taunted and Lance went to the door, his eyes narrowing. “Joey’s going to bring you somewhere.”
And the line clicked dead.
“Follow me,” Joey said softly, taking Lance by the arm.
All Lance could do was follow mutely, praying that JC would be okay.
“Look.” Lance looked where Joey pointed apprehensively, and he gasped at the sight that greeted his eyes. “That madman called us. And told us that he had JC and Luke. He put this video camera up in that shed. It could be any shed, anywhere in any part of the country. And linked it to my computer, somehow. Then he warned us not to wake you. Said he was going to wake you up with a surprise phone call of his own. And that I was to get you here at 4.32 exactly. He has JC… and I didn’t know what else to do.”
Lance silenced Joey with a look. Then he turned to Chris and Justin, whose faces were taut with worry. He turned back to the screen, biting his lip nervously. He saw Luke, his ex and first boyfriend, unconscious, lying on a cold slab of stone. His hands were tied together in front of him and so were his legs. Lance’s eyes traveled to the corner in which JC was sitting.
The brunette was facing the wall, shivering slightly. His hands were tied tightly behind his back and Lance winced when he saw the tight boundaries biting into his boyfriend’s skin. JC’s legs were tied tightly together as well and there was a black strip of cloth over his eyes. There was a piece of duct tape stuck over his mouth and Lance’s heart tore at the sight of his beaten-up boyfriend.
“What’s he trying to do, Lance?” Justin asked softly, his voice tense. “Why isn’t he touching Luke? Why is he doing this to JC?”
“Revenge,” Lance choked out, tearing his eyes away from the peaceful look on Luke’s face. “He wants revenge on Josh.”
“WHAT?” Chris almost yelled. “But… then why did he kidnap Luke too?”
Lance shook his head slowly. Even he didn’t know the answer to that question.
“Lucca, I don’t know why you’re doing this and I honestly don’t care. Just let them go!” Lance demanded, the resolve in his voice weakening slightly when he saw Tony enter the room and nudge Luke with the tip of his shoe.
Tony chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t do that. My plan’s going perfectly. And if you call the police, you know I’ll kill both of them.”
Lance’s jaw twitched. He stared into the screen, mentally cursing Tony. He looked at JC, battered and quaking in the corner… and then at Luke, who was knocked out cold… and his heart crumbled. “What revenge, Tony? What are you talking about?”
“I asked him to be my boyfriend, once, Lance,” Tony replied, his voice ringing loud and clear over the phone as Lance watched him kick JC in the ribs and his anger bubbled over when the brunette visibly flinched. “And he said no. You know why? Because he already was in love with you. That was four years ago, Lance. He’s been pining over you for four YEARS and you only fulfilled his wish two months ago. God, I would have been so much better for him. But it’s too late now.” Tony leant down and stroked JC’s cheek gently, before standing up.
“What… what are you going to do to them, Tony?” Lance was almost afraid of the answer to his question.
“Nothing.” Tony answered, smiling maliciously. “Yet.”
Chris, Justin, Joey and Lance stared intently at the screen, watching JC… watching Luke… watching Tony. Tony simply walked around the room or sat down, doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Occasionally, he would whistle a tune to himself, or start humming a song.
JC’s head lolled to the side and Lance knew his boyfriend had fallen asleep. It wasn’t surprising, considering that it was 6.20 in the morning and JC had gotten god-only-knew how many hours of sleep. He stared at the screen, his eyes moving back to Luke. He wondered where they were, how JC could have been kidnapped without him knowing it; if Luke was all right, what Tony was going to do; if Luke was married, if JC was going to return unscathed; if Luke had children, if Joey was mad with him for letting something like that happen, if Luke ever thought of him…
Tony stood up then, and pulled roughly on JC’s shoulder, shaking the man awake. He pulled the brunette to his feet and pushed him against the wall brusquely. Chris snarled, “Son of a bitch.”
Helplessly, they watched as Tony slapped JC, causing a fierce red line down the man’s cheek. JC stumbled and fell to the ground, and Lance could almost hear his cry out from pain. He knew Tony had broken JC’s rib and he bit his lip painfully, praying the man wouldn’t harm JC any more. Then, his eyes were drawn back to Luke and his frown disappeared when he realized Luke was now awake.
JC lay on the ground, chest heaving painfully. Oh god, please let this be over, he prayed, his rib aching unbearably. He held back the tears of pain that stung his eyes, trying not to move as he got his breathing back under control. Then Tony was at it again. His foot lashed out at JC’s stomach, legs, chest and arms but JC’s scream of pain was muffled by the duct tape as Tony’s foot connected with his broken ribcage again.
Tears fell from JC’s eyes and wet the cloth as he gasped for air, but the duct tape made it impossible to breathe through his mouth and JC could feel his lungs tighten even as he inhaled, as though there wasn’t enough oxygen in his system. Then JC felt a hard crack to his skull and for a second, he saw stars. He shut his eyes even tighter, trying to ignore the fact that the room was spinning around him. JC clenched his fists tightly, feeling his hands go numb. He had been lying on his arms for so long that he had cut off the blood circulation.
He lay there vulnerably, thanking god that Tony wasn’t dealing him anymore blows. He wanted desperately to move, but he didn’t dare. The slightest movement would send the excruciating pain from his spine shooting back up his body.
JC felt his head throbbing again and he closed his eyes tightly. His hands could barely move now and he was too drained to shift himself into a less painful position. His mind became blurry again as pain took over his senses. His whole body was aching all over and JC knew that was due to the bruises Tony had inflicted on him.
Then he heard Lance’s voice.
Lance’s beautiful, beautiful voice.
“Luke! You’re awake!”
JC felt his pain lessening at the sound of Lance’s rich bass. More than anything, he wanted to tear off his blindfold and stare into Lance’s eyes. Let Lance hold him and tell him everything was all right. JC tightened his eyelids down on his eyes again when he felt warm tears threatening to spill over.
“Lance?” Luke opened his eyes and blinked. He vaguely remembered Tony Lucca forcing him into the back of a van, saying something about revenge and Lance and JC… that was all.
Confusedly, Luke glanced around the room, stunned to find that his arms and legs were tied together. Then everything came rushing back and he shifted, trying to find JC. His eyes widened at the crumpled heap of bruises and bones lying a few feet from him. “Oh. God.”
Tony smiled. THIS was the part of the plan he had been waiting for. “So. Lance. Who’ll it be? The old, wonderful lover? Or your beaten-up boyfriend?”
“What?”
“You heard me: You’ve got ONE choice. I’ll give you back the one you choose… and you’ll never see the other one again.”
Lance’s eyes widened. “You can’t… I… no.”
JC’s heart felt like it had been pierced with a dagger at Lance’s words. He didn’t even try to resist when Tony pulled him to his feet. He hardly felt the insufferable pain in his broken rib as Tony forced him to stand. All he could hear were Lance’s words… “You can’t… I… no.”
JC hung his head and let the tears fall freely. He knew now. He knew Tony’s plan. He knew what kind of pain Tony was trying to put him through.
Tony’s plan was working.
Justin, Chris and Joey stared at Lance. “Lance…” Justin said softly, squeezing his friend’s arm gently. “This is going to be difficult. But… you have to follow your heart.”
Chris bit his lip. “Lance… you can’t… you’re with JC. He loves you!”
Joey hugged Lance tightly when the blond began to cry. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, against Joey’s shirt. “Joe, I’m sorry.”
“So… who’ll it be, Lance?”
Lance swallowed hard. He stared at JC, whose head was hanging in a dejected gesture. Lance could almost see the tears trekking down his boyfriend’s cheek.
“I’m sorry, Josh.” Lance whispered, his voice low and barely audible.
Tony shook his head, smiling maliciously. “Say it, Lance. Who’s your choice?”
JC felt his breath hitch in his throat. Stop, Tony! STOP! Oh god, please stop… he screamed inwardly, trying to pull away from Tony’s grasp. The older man just smiled and shook his head, holding the cell phone up to JC’s ear. NO! JC cried, his tears falling faster, quicker. No, don’t make me hear this! No, no, no! Please, Tony, oh god, please…
“I…” JC almost collapsed when he heard Lance’s voice. No, don’t make me hear this… no, Tony, please… no, no, no… I don’t want to hear this… Tony, no… please… I’m sorry… don’t… I can’t… please, Tony, no… “I choose…” He heard Lance sob and he wanted to die. His heart froze and he thought he would faint. No, Lance… don’t say it… no, god, please… don’t… “Luke.”
JC felt his legs give way and he fell into a crumpled heap onto the ground.
Tony let go of JC, laughing. He brought the cell back to his ear. “He’ll be there in half an hour.” He lifted Luke easily over his shoulder and brought him outside. JC heard no more. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to.
All he could hear in his mind were the same words again, and again, and again. ‘Luke, Luke, Luke… I choose Luke… Luke… I choose… Luke…’ His eyes clouded with tears again and he closed them tightly, letting his tears of pain, hurt, and shock run down his face. Why, Lance… why?
“What were you thinking, Lance?” Chris screamed, his eyes filling with tears. “You just killed Jace!” Chris turned back to the screen, realizing that JC was curled into a small heap on the floor, shaking badly. “You… MURDERED him… DAMMIT, you took his heart and crushed it! What’s WRONG with you? He gave you everything he had and you… you just threw it at him like it didn’t mean anything! WHAT the hell is wrong with you!?”
Chris fell against Joey, closing his eyes against the pain that engulfed him. This shouldn’t be happening to JC… it wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.
Justin let out a shuddering breath, watching as JC shook helplessly, vulnerably, on the screen. “Why did you hurt him, Lance? Why did you tell him you loved him when it was Luke in your heart all along?”
Joey’s eyes were dark with anger, but he said nothing. He held Chris tightly and motioned for Justin to leave the room. The three angered men left silently, Chris still clutching to Joey like he was his lifeline. Lance sat quietly in the room, running a finger over JC’s shivering figure on the screen for a small eternity.
But his gaze jerked up when he realized someone else had come into the room. With a shriek of joy he jumped up and held Luke tightly. “Oh my god. I’m so glad you’re all right. Luke, oh Luke…”
Luke’s arms went around Lance’s waist and he buried his face in Lance’s hair. “Oh god, Lance… I missed you. Missed you so much.”
“I missed you too… god, Luke, I love you. So much.”
“I love you too, Lance.”
Tony smiled as he pulled the blindfold off of JC’s eyes. The younger brunette turned away, blinking rapidly to hide his tears and to get adjusted to the light. Tony wasn’t fooled for a second. He ran his thumbs under JC’s eyes, noticing the sore redness in them and laughing maliciously. “God, JC, did you really think he loved you? As a bandmate, as a brother, but not as anything more than that.”
JC closed his eyes, not wanting to hear anymore. No, stop, Tony, stop… don’t make me go through this again… stop, please… Tony, no… “He loves Luke. He chose Luke over you. I hit you and tortured you… right in front of him… and he chose Luke, who I didn’t touch at all, except to tie him up. You mean NOTHING to him compared to Luke, don’t you understand?”
No. Stop. Tony. God… just stop! STOP! Leave me alone! I don’t want to hear anymore… please… oh god, please…
“He loves Luke, JC. LUKE.”
JC’s eyes opened for a second, and Tony grinned at the misery, the moisture he saw glistening in JC’s azure crystals. Then JC turned away, and Tony heard the muffled cries, the pained sobs, that wracked JC’s skinny frame as he wept for what he had once believed to be heaven… and had led him to hell.
Please… Tony, kill me… Tony… just end this... please… oh god… please… JC begged silently, turning from the screen. The screen in which he saw Lance and Luke laughing and kissing, touching and talking, the way him and Lance had used to do. I can’t… I can’t take this anymore.
Everyday JC heard Lance’s words in his head. The I love yous, I want yous… everything he had ever said was ingrained unmercifully into JC’s mind. I choose Luke… The sentence cut into his heart every time it played in his mind. He loves Luke… Lance loves Luke…
Tony could see the raw ache in JC’s eyes and he relished in the glory that he had caused it. He loved seeing JC suffer and he could tell that the brunette wanted to die. There was nothing left for him.
Nothing.
“Oh. God. Josh.” Lance fell to his knees and pulled the duct tape off of JC’s mouth, flinching when JC winced in pain. Untying JC’s hands, he sat the brunette up slowly, biting his lip at the bruises and cuts he saw on JC’s frail body.
Once JC had been skinny, now he was merely skin and bones. Lance pulled JC’s shirt over his head and closed his eyes when he saw the ribs pressing painfully against JC’s skin. He slipped one of his own shirts over JC’s head and carried the man carefully to a chair before dialing for an ambulance. “Josh?” he whispered softly, realizing that the older brunette’s eyes were closed. “Don’t fall asleep on me now, buddy,” Lance whispered, eyes filling with tears. “Don’t.”
“Lance,” JC whispered. It was the first word he had spoken in weeks. Ever since Tony had kidnapped him…
“God, Josh, it’s only been three weeks. What… what did he do to you? Oh god.”
Lance cradled the fragile man in his arms gently, as if afraid he might break JC. “Where’s… Luke?” JC managed to ask, his lips parched and his voice hoarse.
“Out. Work.” Lance grabbed the glass of water he had just placed on the mantelpiece and fed JC a few sips of the refreshing liquid. JC barely had the strength to lift his head or swallow. “Oh god.”
He took in JC’s delicate physique again. “Why did you let him do this to you, Josh? Why didn’t you fight back?”
JC closed his eyes, his head resting heavily on Lance’s shoulder. He smiled weakly, “I’ve… missed… you…”
Lance bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, Josh… I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t… be. I wanted… to… see you… again… before…”
Lance hugged JC tightly, feeling JC’s breath warm against his cheek was enough to send him to tears. “No, Josh! Nothing’s gonna happen to you!” Lance sobbed. “Don’t let me ruin your life. No…”
“Tony… killed himself. After he… sent me… here. To see you… one… last… time.” JC coughed dryly and Lance buried his face in JC’s neck. “He… loved me… too much… to… refuse.”
Lance hardly cared about Tony. The man deserved whatever torture God brought him. “No… Josh… please. Don’t talk like that. Why didn’t you fight back? I know you could have! You could have escaped…”
“I… have nothing… left to live… for.” JC rasped, his voice bringing more tears to Lance’s eyes.
“That’s not true! That’s not true!”
“I… love you… James… Lance Bass.” JC managed to choke out, tears burning treks down his cheeks. “I… love you… so much.”
“I’m sorry, Josh.” Lance wept. “I’m sorry.” He saw the hope burning in JC’s eyes and he couldn’t refuse. He brushed his lips against JC’s, their tears mingling as JC felt his heart race. It would never change – his love for Lance. It would burn on. Forever.
“Promise me… Lance… promise me… you’ll be… happy.”
Lance choked on his tears and for a second, he couldn’t find his voice. “I promise,” he finally whispered, past the lump in his throat. “I promise, Josh.”
JC managed another weak smile before he closed his eyes and whispered, “Lance… please… sing me… off.”
Lance shook his head, not wanting to believe that JC wasn’t going to make it. But he relented at the look on JC’s face, singing their song. “I’ve loved you forever, in lifetimes before, and I promise you never, will you hurt anymore…”
As he sang that last sentence, he knew JC was gone. Pressing his lips lightly on JC’s, he closed his eyes, and let the tears fall.
And when Luke came back, two hours later, he saw JC lying in Lance’s arms, the blond hunching over the lifeless figure, tears still trickling down his cheeks.
-fin-
The Outsider
Author’s Note: After a week of trying, I finally got a piece of angsty fic out! I had two more puny attempts before this, that I’m still considering if I should put up. We’ll see. Anyway, this is longer than what I usually write, but I think it’s a good piece of work. It’s just the kind of angst I was looking for, and I’m just sorry I couldn’t make it more moving. But it made me cry while I was writing it. So for now, my angst-fic thirst is quenched.
Lance’s eyes opened weakly as his phone rang shrilly. Muttering a few choice words under his breath, the blond shook himself awake and groped for the phone, his eyes adjusting slowly to the dark. “Josh?” he called softly, as his hand found the object he was looking for.
He frowned when he realized the bundle of warmth that was JC wasn’t next to him in bed. Probably went to the toilet, Lance thought to himself, chuckling softly. Lifting the phone to his ear, Lance flipped it open. “Hello?” he yawned, dragging the word and accentuating his Southern accent.
“La… Lance.”
His eyes flew open and he sat straight up, his head banging against the board behind him in his haste, but Lance hardly felt it. “Josh?” he gripped the phone tightly, bile rising at the back of his throat. “Josh? Baby? What’s wrong?”
Lance heard his boyfriend let out a soft, choked sob, and his heart plunged into his stomach. “Love? C’mon, Josh, tell me what’s wrong!”
“I… Lance… Help me.”
Lance swallowed thickly, his throat constricting in fear. “Josh, baby, where are you? What happened?”
“Lance…”
Lance’s heart wrenched at the sound of JC’s quiet cries. “Come on, baby, you have to tell me, or I can’t help you.”
“It hurts… Lance, help me.”
“Josh?” A rush of fear swept through Lance’s senses. “Talk to me, Josh! What’s wrong? What hurts? Josh? Baby?”
All he got was something that sounded like a clap and a muffled cry of pain. “Josh?!” he was almost shouting into the phone.
“Hello James.”
Lance’s eyes widened when he realized who he was talking to exactly.
“What do you want?”
“Why in such a hurry, James? I’ve hardly said hello.”
“What. Do. You. Want?” Lance repeated, the edge in his voice palpable, hostility flowing through his every word.
“Revenge.”
“What?”
“Like I said, plain and simple; revenge.”
“On who?”
“Your boyfriend.”
“WHAT?” Disbelief was evident in Lance’s tone. “But… if you wanted revenge on him… why the hell are you calling me, huh? Why do you wanna risk me tracking you down? Why don’t you hide him and leave him to die, huh?” Lance’s voice shook at the intensity of his own words.
“Oh, that’s not enough. After all, physical scars will heal in time, but emotional scars stay with us for life. And I don’t want him to die… just yet.” Lance shivered at the hint of a smile in the other person’s voice. “I want him to WANT to die. To suffer a pain so torturous that HE begs me to end it. THEN I’ll let him die. I’ll leave him to curl into a ball and die, alone and cold. Miserable. Suffering. THAT’S the way it should end. That’s the way it’s GOING to end.”
“What. Do. You. Want?” Lance repeated for the third time, his voice terse.
Lance’s head whipped around when he heard an insistent knocking at the door. “Dammit, what do you want?” he screamed into the phone, ignoring the door.
“Open the door, Lance.” The voice on the other line taunted and Lance went to the door, his eyes narrowing. “Joey’s going to bring you somewhere.”
And the line clicked dead.
“Follow me,” Joey said softly, taking Lance by the arm.
All Lance could do was follow mutely, praying that JC would be okay.
“Look.” Lance looked where Joey pointed apprehensively, and he gasped at the sight that greeted his eyes. “That madman called us. And told us that he had JC and Luke. He put this video camera up in that shed. It could be any shed, anywhere in any part of the country. And linked it to my computer, somehow. Then he warned us not to wake you. Said he was going to wake you up with a surprise phone call of his own. And that I was to get you here at 4.32 exactly. He has JC… and I didn’t know what else to do.”
Lance silenced Joey with a look. Then he turned to Chris and Justin, whose faces were taut with worry. He turned back to the screen, biting his lip nervously. He saw Luke, his ex and first boyfriend, unconscious, lying on a cold slab of stone. His hands were tied together in front of him and so were his legs. Lance’s eyes traveled to the corner in which JC was sitting.
The brunette was facing the wall, shivering slightly. His hands were tied tightly behind his back and Lance winced when he saw the tight boundaries biting into his boyfriend’s skin. JC’s legs were tied tightly together as well and there was a black strip of cloth over his eyes. There was a piece of duct tape stuck over his mouth and Lance’s heart tore at the sight of his beaten-up boyfriend.
“What’s he trying to do, Lance?” Justin asked softly, his voice tense. “Why isn’t he touching Luke? Why is he doing this to JC?”
“Revenge,” Lance choked out, tearing his eyes away from the peaceful look on Luke’s face. “He wants revenge on Josh.”
“WHAT?” Chris almost yelled. “But… then why did he kidnap Luke too?”
Lance shook his head slowly. Even he didn’t know the answer to that question.
“Lucca, I don’t know why you’re doing this and I honestly don’t care. Just let them go!” Lance demanded, the resolve in his voice weakening slightly when he saw Tony enter the room and nudge Luke with the tip of his shoe.
Tony chuckled, shaking his head. “I can’t do that. My plan’s going perfectly. And if you call the police, you know I’ll kill both of them.”
Lance’s jaw twitched. He stared into the screen, mentally cursing Tony. He looked at JC, battered and quaking in the corner… and then at Luke, who was knocked out cold… and his heart crumbled. “What revenge, Tony? What are you talking about?”
“I asked him to be my boyfriend, once, Lance,” Tony replied, his voice ringing loud and clear over the phone as Lance watched him kick JC in the ribs and his anger bubbled over when the brunette visibly flinched. “And he said no. You know why? Because he already was in love with you. That was four years ago, Lance. He’s been pining over you for four YEARS and you only fulfilled his wish two months ago. God, I would have been so much better for him. But it’s too late now.” Tony leant down and stroked JC’s cheek gently, before standing up.
“What… what are you going to do to them, Tony?” Lance was almost afraid of the answer to his question.
“Nothing.” Tony answered, smiling maliciously. “Yet.”
Chris, Justin, Joey and Lance stared intently at the screen, watching JC… watching Luke… watching Tony. Tony simply walked around the room or sat down, doing whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. Occasionally, he would whistle a tune to himself, or start humming a song.
JC’s head lolled to the side and Lance knew his boyfriend had fallen asleep. It wasn’t surprising, considering that it was 6.20 in the morning and JC had gotten god-only-knew how many hours of sleep. He stared at the screen, his eyes moving back to Luke. He wondered where they were, how JC could have been kidnapped without him knowing it; if Luke was all right, what Tony was going to do; if Luke was married, if JC was going to return unscathed; if Luke had children, if Joey was mad with him for letting something like that happen, if Luke ever thought of him…
Tony stood up then, and pulled roughly on JC’s shoulder, shaking the man awake. He pulled the brunette to his feet and pushed him against the wall brusquely. Chris snarled, “Son of a bitch.”
Helplessly, they watched as Tony slapped JC, causing a fierce red line down the man’s cheek. JC stumbled and fell to the ground, and Lance could almost hear his cry out from pain. He knew Tony had broken JC’s rib and he bit his lip painfully, praying the man wouldn’t harm JC any more. Then, his eyes were drawn back to Luke and his frown disappeared when he realized Luke was now awake.
JC lay on the ground, chest heaving painfully. Oh god, please let this be over, he prayed, his rib aching unbearably. He held back the tears of pain that stung his eyes, trying not to move as he got his breathing back under control. Then Tony was at it again. His foot lashed out at JC’s stomach, legs, chest and arms but JC’s scream of pain was muffled by the duct tape as Tony’s foot connected with his broken ribcage again.
Tears fell from JC’s eyes and wet the cloth as he gasped for air, but the duct tape made it impossible to breathe through his mouth and JC could feel his lungs tighten even as he inhaled, as though there wasn’t enough oxygen in his system. Then JC felt a hard crack to his skull and for a second, he saw stars. He shut his eyes even tighter, trying to ignore the fact that the room was spinning around him. JC clenched his fists tightly, feeling his hands go numb. He had been lying on his arms for so long that he had cut off the blood circulation.
He lay there vulnerably, thanking god that Tony wasn’t dealing him anymore blows. He wanted desperately to move, but he didn’t dare. The slightest movement would send the excruciating pain from his spine shooting back up his body.
JC felt his head throbbing again and he closed his eyes tightly. His hands could barely move now and he was too drained to shift himself into a less painful position. His mind became blurry again as pain took over his senses. His whole body was aching all over and JC knew that was due to the bruises Tony had inflicted on him.
Then he heard Lance’s voice.
Lance’s beautiful, beautiful voice.
“Luke! You’re awake!”
JC felt his pain lessening at the sound of Lance’s rich bass. More than anything, he wanted to tear off his blindfold and stare into Lance’s eyes. Let Lance hold him and tell him everything was all right. JC tightened his eyelids down on his eyes again when he felt warm tears threatening to spill over.
“Lance?” Luke opened his eyes and blinked. He vaguely remembered Tony Lucca forcing him into the back of a van, saying something about revenge and Lance and JC… that was all.
Confusedly, Luke glanced around the room, stunned to find that his arms and legs were tied together. Then everything came rushing back and he shifted, trying to find JC. His eyes widened at the crumpled heap of bruises and bones lying a few feet from him. “Oh. God.”
Tony smiled. THIS was the part of the plan he had been waiting for. “So. Lance. Who’ll it be? The old, wonderful lover? Or your beaten-up boyfriend?”
“What?”
“You heard me: You’ve got ONE choice. I’ll give you back the one you choose… and you’ll never see the other one again.”
Lance’s eyes widened. “You can’t… I… no.”
JC’s heart felt like it had been pierced with a dagger at Lance’s words. He didn’t even try to resist when Tony pulled him to his feet. He hardly felt the insufferable pain in his broken rib as Tony forced him to stand. All he could hear were Lance’s words… “You can’t… I… no.”
JC hung his head and let the tears fall freely. He knew now. He knew Tony’s plan. He knew what kind of pain Tony was trying to put him through.
Tony’s plan was working.
Justin, Chris and Joey stared at Lance. “Lance…” Justin said softly, squeezing his friend’s arm gently. “This is going to be difficult. But… you have to follow your heart.”
Chris bit his lip. “Lance… you can’t… you’re with JC. He loves you!”
Joey hugged Lance tightly when the blond began to cry. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, against Joey’s shirt. “Joe, I’m sorry.”
“So… who’ll it be, Lance?”
Lance swallowed hard. He stared at JC, whose head was hanging in a dejected gesture. Lance could almost see the tears trekking down his boyfriend’s cheek.
“I’m sorry, Josh.” Lance whispered, his voice low and barely audible.
Tony shook his head, smiling maliciously. “Say it, Lance. Who’s your choice?”
JC felt his breath hitch in his throat. Stop, Tony! STOP! Oh god, please stop… he screamed inwardly, trying to pull away from Tony’s grasp. The older man just smiled and shook his head, holding the cell phone up to JC’s ear. NO! JC cried, his tears falling faster, quicker. No, don’t make me hear this! No, no, no! Please, Tony, oh god, please…
“I…” JC almost collapsed when he heard Lance’s voice. No, don’t make me hear this… no, Tony, please… no, no, no… I don’t want to hear this… Tony, no… please… I’m sorry… don’t… I can’t… please, Tony, no… “I choose…” He heard Lance sob and he wanted to die. His heart froze and he thought he would faint. No, Lance… don’t say it… no, god, please… don’t… “Luke.”
JC felt his legs give way and he fell into a crumpled heap onto the ground.
Tony let go of JC, laughing. He brought the cell back to his ear. “He’ll be there in half an hour.” He lifted Luke easily over his shoulder and brought him outside. JC heard no more. He couldn’t. He didn’t want to.
All he could hear in his mind were the same words again, and again, and again. ‘Luke, Luke, Luke… I choose Luke… Luke… I choose… Luke…’ His eyes clouded with tears again and he closed them tightly, letting his tears of pain, hurt, and shock run down his face. Why, Lance… why?
“What were you thinking, Lance?” Chris screamed, his eyes filling with tears. “You just killed Jace!” Chris turned back to the screen, realizing that JC was curled into a small heap on the floor, shaking badly. “You… MURDERED him… DAMMIT, you took his heart and crushed it! What’s WRONG with you? He gave you everything he had and you… you just threw it at him like it didn’t mean anything! WHAT the hell is wrong with you!?”
Chris fell against Joey, closing his eyes against the pain that engulfed him. This shouldn’t be happening to JC… it wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair.
Justin let out a shuddering breath, watching as JC shook helplessly, vulnerably, on the screen. “Why did you hurt him, Lance? Why did you tell him you loved him when it was Luke in your heart all along?”
Joey’s eyes were dark with anger, but he said nothing. He held Chris tightly and motioned for Justin to leave the room. The three angered men left silently, Chris still clutching to Joey like he was his lifeline. Lance sat quietly in the room, running a finger over JC’s shivering figure on the screen for a small eternity.
But his gaze jerked up when he realized someone else had come into the room. With a shriek of joy he jumped up and held Luke tightly. “Oh my god. I’m so glad you’re all right. Luke, oh Luke…”
Luke’s arms went around Lance’s waist and he buried his face in Lance’s hair. “Oh god, Lance… I missed you. Missed you so much.”
“I missed you too… god, Luke, I love you. So much.”
“I love you too, Lance.”
Tony smiled as he pulled the blindfold off of JC’s eyes. The younger brunette turned away, blinking rapidly to hide his tears and to get adjusted to the light. Tony wasn’t fooled for a second. He ran his thumbs under JC’s eyes, noticing the sore redness in them and laughing maliciously. “God, JC, did you really think he loved you? As a bandmate, as a brother, but not as anything more than that.”
JC closed his eyes, not wanting to hear anymore. No, stop, Tony, stop… don’t make me go through this again… stop, please… Tony, no… “He loves Luke. He chose Luke over you. I hit you and tortured you… right in front of him… and he chose Luke, who I didn’t touch at all, except to tie him up. You mean NOTHING to him compared to Luke, don’t you understand?”
No. Stop. Tony. God… just stop! STOP! Leave me alone! I don’t want to hear anymore… please… oh god, please…
“He loves Luke, JC. LUKE.”
JC’s eyes opened for a second, and Tony grinned at the misery, the moisture he saw glistening in JC’s azure crystals. Then JC turned away, and Tony heard the muffled cries, the pained sobs, that wracked JC’s skinny frame as he wept for what he had once believed to be heaven… and had led him to hell.
Please… Tony, kill me… Tony… just end this... please… oh god… please… JC begged silently, turning from the screen. The screen in which he saw Lance and Luke laughing and kissing, touching and talking, the way him and Lance had used to do. I can’t… I can’t take this anymore.
Everyday JC heard Lance’s words in his head. The I love yous, I want yous… everything he had ever said was ingrained unmercifully into JC’s mind. I choose Luke… The sentence cut into his heart every time it played in his mind. He loves Luke… Lance loves Luke…
Tony could see the raw ache in JC’s eyes and he relished in the glory that he had caused it. He loved seeing JC suffer and he could tell that the brunette wanted to die. There was nothing left for him.
Nothing.
“Oh. God. Josh.” Lance fell to his knees and pulled the duct tape off of JC’s mouth, flinching when JC winced in pain. Untying JC’s hands, he sat the brunette up slowly, biting his lip at the bruises and cuts he saw on JC’s frail body.
Once JC had been skinny, now he was merely skin and bones. Lance pulled JC’s shirt over his head and closed his eyes when he saw the ribs pressing painfully against JC’s skin. He slipped one of his own shirts over JC’s head and carried the man carefully to a chair before dialing for an ambulance. “Josh?” he whispered softly, realizing that the older brunette’s eyes were closed. “Don’t fall asleep on me now, buddy,” Lance whispered, eyes filling with tears. “Don’t.”
“Lance,” JC whispered. It was the first word he had spoken in weeks. Ever since Tony had kidnapped him…
“God, Josh, it’s only been three weeks. What… what did he do to you? Oh god.”
Lance cradled the fragile man in his arms gently, as if afraid he might break JC. “Where’s… Luke?” JC managed to ask, his lips parched and his voice hoarse.
“Out. Work.” Lance grabbed the glass of water he had just placed on the mantelpiece and fed JC a few sips of the refreshing liquid. JC barely had the strength to lift his head or swallow. “Oh god.”
He took in JC’s delicate physique again. “Why did you let him do this to you, Josh? Why didn’t you fight back?”
JC closed his eyes, his head resting heavily on Lance’s shoulder. He smiled weakly, “I’ve… missed… you…”
Lance bit his lip, his eyes welling up with tears. “I’m sorry, Josh… I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t… be. I wanted… to… see you… again… before…”
Lance hugged JC tightly, feeling JC’s breath warm against his cheek was enough to send him to tears. “No, Josh! Nothing’s gonna happen to you!” Lance sobbed. “Don’t let me ruin your life. No…”
“Tony… killed himself. After he… sent me… here. To see you… one… last… time.” JC coughed dryly and Lance buried his face in JC’s neck. “He… loved me… too much… to… refuse.”
Lance hardly cared about Tony. The man deserved whatever torture God brought him. “No… Josh… please. Don’t talk like that. Why didn’t you fight back? I know you could have! You could have escaped…”
“I… have nothing… left to live… for.” JC rasped, his voice bringing more tears to Lance’s eyes.
“That’s not true! That’s not true!”
“I… love you… James… Lance Bass.” JC managed to choke out, tears burning treks down his cheeks. “I… love you… so much.”
“I’m sorry, Josh.” Lance wept. “I’m sorry.” He saw the hope burning in JC’s eyes and he couldn’t refuse. He brushed his lips against JC’s, their tears mingling as JC felt his heart race. It would never change – his love for Lance. It would burn on. Forever.
“Promise me… Lance… promise me… you’ll be… happy.”
Lance choked on his tears and for a second, he couldn’t find his voice. “I promise,” he finally whispered, past the lump in his throat. “I promise, Josh.”
JC managed another weak smile before he closed his eyes and whispered, “Lance… please… sing me… off.”
Lance shook his head, not wanting to believe that JC wasn’t going to make it. But he relented at the look on JC’s face, singing their song. “I’ve loved you forever, in lifetimes before, and I promise you never, will you hurt anymore…”
As he sang that last sentence, he knew JC was gone. Pressing his lips lightly on JC’s, he closed his eyes, and let the tears fall.
And when Luke came back, two hours later, he saw JC lying in Lance’s arms, the blond hunching over the lifeless figure, tears still trickling down his cheeks.
-fin-
