Every Good Plan... Has A Regrouping of Allies - JC/Britney

[laniew1]

TITLE: Every Good Plan… Has A Regrouping of Allies – JC/Britney, JC/Justin
SERIES: Every Good Plan
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.


This is a series, you should really read these first …

Every Good Plan… Has A Beginning

Every Good Plan… Has Its Opposition

Every Good Plan… Has A First Date

Every Good Plan… Has An Intervention Staged By A Boyband

Every Good Plan… Has A Double Date with Ex’s

Every Good Plan… Has More Plans

Every Good Plan… Has Ring Catalogs

Every Good Plan… Has A Felony Committed By A Boyband

Every Good Plan… Has A Boyband on Tour

Every Good Plan… Has Girl Talk & Boy Talk


Every Good Plan… Has A Regrouping of Allies



It had been an insanely long day. He’d thought after his pronouncement that Justin would have the ticket ready to go immediately and have him ushered out as soon as possible.

He should have known better than to figure Justin would do things that way he wanted him to. Justin had waited until the last possible moment to put him on a plane, probably hoping against hope that he’d change his mind. When he hadn’t Justin had handed over the plane ticket, all the while JC had refused to make eye contact, because he knew if he did that he’d stay. His personal commitments be damned.

He’d instead stared at where their fingers brushed together at the ticket hand over.

“I’ll be home in two weeks,” Justin had said softly. A gentle reminder.

JC had just nodded, he knew that. He practically had Justin’s itinerary for the next six months memorized, if he forgot any detail it was printed out in its entirety at home. Britney had wanted to be prepared for all contingencies.

“We’ll… talk… when I come home?” the break in Justin’s voice was the only reason that JC had looked up and made eye contact, the only thing that could have made him look up.

Justin’s voice wavering.

He could do it on purpose, JC knew that. He’d been witness to it enough, more when Justin had been young and wanted to get his own way then recently. As he’d grown up he’d grown out of it, had instead used the pout and if that didn’t work his considerable charm.

And JC was only human and definitely wasn’t immune to any of that.

He waited to see the act, he was pretty much the only one with the exception of Lynn that could determine when Justin was faking it and when it was real. And this was real.

He could plainly see the fear in Justin’s eyes. That this was it, that by forcing his hand he’d messed everything up. Whatever could have been between them, *NSYNC, everything.

JC really needed to talk to Britney, to figure out exactly what he was going to do. He would need to come clean, would need to tell Justin about the plan… or at least tell him something.

He was so far over his head, and he was not used to dealing with this Justin.

This Justin that wanted him and was doing nothing to hide it.

“When you come home,” he nodded once. His expression didn’t change, at least he didn’t think it did.

He reached out with the hand not clutching his ticket like a life line and squeezed Justin’s. Hoping that the small movement would serve to reassure the younger singer. The fear was easily replaced with hope, a small smile and JC turned away.

It was time to go.


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The bouncing on his bed woke him up. He kicked out with one foot, connecting with someone’s body and his eyes flew open when he heard the familiar squeal and then a thud as someone landed on the floor.

“Brit?” his voice was tired, he’d gotten maybe three hours of sleep after the delay in his second layover, but he still leaned up. Peering over the side of the bed at the sight of the woman sitting on the floor scowling.

“You kicked me out of bed,” she said with what JC and his sleep-addled mind could not believe was disbelief.

He snorted. “Like you’ve never been kicked out of somebody’s bed before.” The gasp made him run the words through his head again and he winced.

“I’ve only had like three hours sleep,” he said defensively. “I’m a little cranky… sorry.”

“You are so lucky that I like you,” Britney muttered, accepting his apology with a toss of her hair. She shoved herself to her feet, lying down on the bed next to him instead. The bed was infinitely more comfortable than the floor, he’d fallen asleep in both places numerous times so he could honestly say and think that.

The sides of their bodies touching as JC relaxed back and they both stared at the ceiling.

“You have to like me, we’re getting married after all.”

“I don’t have to like you to marry you. I could be a gold-digger and not care either way.”

“If you were a gold-digger you’d be better off finding somebody in their seventies ready to keel over the minute you flash him some cleavage.”

“You trying to compare me to Anna Nicole?” Britney scowled slightly. “Because if you are I’m throwing down.”

JC glanced down her body before resuming his staring at the ceiling, smirking to himself. “Nah… you’d have to put on some weight and become just a tad bit more self-involved.”

“Someone’s feeling snarky today,” she observed with a grin.

“Three hours sleep, you’re lucky I’m not pulling a gun on you.”

“Do you even own a gun?”

“So not the point Britney… Three hours…” he said with a hint of a whine.

She rolled onto her side, cuddling close as she rested her head on his shoulder. Squirming to get comfortable against him as his arm moved to circle her shoulders. Looking every bit like the picture perfect couple that they were playing.

Justin would freak out and have a litter of kittens before he had a heart attack and died if he could see them.

“So tell mama Britney all about it.”

“They drugged me and kidnapped me and treated me like I was five,” JC muttered petulantly. His voice was still a little whiney, and he needed about at least another two hours sleep else he was going to be no good at the photo shoot.

She patted his stomach, rubbing it slightly before letting it rest gently there.

“But…”

“But what sweetie?” she asked encouragingly.

“He was really sweet…”

“He refused to let you use a phone,” she reminded him.

“Well you know…” he tilted his head so he could see her. “He doesn’t like you very much.”

“Really?” Britney gasped in mock horror. “I hadn’t noticed.”

“I lied to him again,” JC mused quietly, closing his eyes.

“And he believed you? Lance better watch out. You’re getting to be more devious than he is.”

He snorted softly. “No one will ever surpass Lance in deviousness… and if someone does then Lance’ll just kill them and be right back on top in no time flat.”

“So what did you lie about?”

“He was all honest with me, you know about that fact that him and Cameron aren’t together… and I didn’t even tell him the truth about us. He thinks that we’re dating because of him and Cameron.”

“Dating as a form of retaliation,” he felt her nod against his shoulder.

“Why does he think that we’re dating as a… ‘form of retaliation’?”

“I may have had lunch with Cameron a few days ago and led her to believe that to be the case,” Britney mumbled in a rush against his shoulder.

“You had lunch with Cameron?”

“Yep… and we’re both still alive. I was gonna call and tell you what had happened but you didn’t have phone privileges so…” she shrugged and JC sighed, rolling onto his side. Scooting down the bed slightly he rested his head near her shoulder on the pillow, his breath tickling the skin of her arm as he stilled. One arm rested over her stomach and he knew that she could still feel the tension in his body.

“JC?”

“I still love him,” he mumbled softly. “Even after… all that shit he just did. It’s like I can’t help myself, like he’s some drug that I can’t purge from my system. It’s not fair.”

“He’s the same way you know,” her voice was soft, she reminded him in some ways of how Joey was, when one of them needed comfort or held Joey was always there.

“What do you mean?” JC fought back the yawn. He was tired and relaxing. It was nice lying next to someone who didn’t expect something.

“Do you think he gets this crazy for just anyone? He has to love someone an awful lot to go to the extremes that he just went through to keep you away from me.”

“Maybe if he knew…”

“Knew what sweetie?” Britney pressed a kiss to his forehead, raising a hand to run it at what had to be an awkward angle for her down the side of his face. He tilted his head up, making it easier for her.

He liked to be petted.

“Knew that you were actually helping him, not trying to hurt him… maybe if he knew that he’d be a little nicer… a little more forgiving.”

“I think it’ll take a lot more than me helping him get what he’s always wanted for Justin to forgive me for what I did to him with Wade.”

“Hmm,” JC hummed noncommittally he tightened his arm then relaxed.

“Go to sleep C… I’ll wake you up in time for the shoot,” she murmured into his hair. “Lance’ll probably be here tomorrow to keep an eye on things until Justin comes home.”

“Not Lance,” he said drowsily, eyes closing as he snuggled closer. “Probably Chris.”

“Lance’ll want to get away from Trace by then. I’m surprised that they’ve put up with each other this long, normally they’re ready to kill each other about thirty seconds after being in the same room.”

“Not anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lance and Trace… they’re kind of like… fucking I guess.”

He could feel the shock as her body stiffened, then the sharp bark of laughter. “What?”


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He hated doing photo shoots alone; JC didn’t know how the others did it.

Justin always seemed to love them, preening whenever he got asked to do one that the others weren’t included in.

Being the focus of all that attention, with none of the other four to take some of the pressure off of him… he’d clung to Joey when he’d shown up to offer moral support.

He’d definitely begged him to never, ever leave. Joey had laughed, patted him on the back. Pissed off the hairdressers by ruffling his hair then shoved him back in the direction of the waiting photographers.

Britney had already been hiding in one of the spare rooms when Joey had arrived; she’d done that after the third time one of the assistants wandered to close and mentioned that the two of them were so pretty together and that the pictures would be beautiful. She had frowned in JC’s direction, he’d shrugged, they’d taken a picture or five and then she’d bolted.

It was supposed to be JC’s shoot after all, not a couple one and he knew that she didn’t want anyone saying that she was using him to further her own career.

Joey had smiled at her when she’d finally emerged at the end. Linking hands with JC she’d grinned back at him. JC was just glad that at least one of his friends wasn’t actively plotting Britney’s demise.

Instead he’d ruffled JC’s hair again, hugged him tightly, invited them over for dinner and then when they’d agreed he’d left telling them to not be late.

It seemed as if Joey and Kelly were to be his babysitters until Chris could get into town. Lance wouldn’t be back until Justin and Trace were. And shit…

“Did I really tell you that Lance and Trace are sleeping together?”

“I wasn’t going to say anything but…” she glanced up at him as they left the building together. “Lance and Trace? Are you kidding me?”

“No… And you can’t tell anyone,” JC said sternly.

She rolled her eyes. “Who the hell would I tell? I mean if it were you and Justin the National Enquirer would pay big bucks for the pictures but… half the free world has already assumed you all are gay anyway.”

“Well yeah but…”

“And are you sure?” when JC nodded she sighed. “I guess that’s one way to get them over their animosity.”

“What do you mean?”

“Lance and Trace hate each other… I mean they’re like another version of me and Justin… Only I guess they’re having sex to resolve their differences.”

“You’re not sleeping with Justin just so the two of you can stand being in a room together again.”

“Sweetie I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway… there’s no way it can last.”

“Why not?” Britney asked curiously.

“Because eventually they’re going to get tired of only seeing each other naked and go back to trying to kill each other.”

“Well how long have they’ve been… you knowing? Maybe we’ve got some times.”

“It’s fairly new,” JC scowled. “They’re still in that ‘all sex, is good sex, especially if its sort of in front of our friends’ place.”

“Oh,” Britney nodded. “I guess you got an eyeful?”

“You don’t even know… I thought they were trying to kill each other… and then I realized that they were naked and well…”

“You poor baby,” she rubbed his back lightly. “Let me take you home and you can scour your eyes with a brillo pad to get rid of the remnants.”

“I tried that already. It didn’t work.”


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Britney had been trying to figure out how to broach the subject for the entire length of the thirty minute drive. He was supposed to be waiting for them back at JC’s house and she didn’t want JC to walk in and be totally shocked when she saw him.

She knew that they talked periodically; saw each other at events but he kept his friendship low key because there were still very few things that would send Justin off the deep end and he was one of them.

Britney was never sure why and both men were notoriously close-mouthed about everything concerning each other.

“Why are you fidgeting?” JC finally rolled his eyes in her direction as she flung out her arm and stopped him from entering his own house.

“Hypothetically…” she shifted on her feet, eyes downcast as she searched for the right words. “If someone had approached me and offered their assistance in this little plot we’ve got going on and I accepted… how mad would you be?” she peered up at him.

“Hypothetically?” he arched a brow at her and she nodded. “Has this person in any way hindered our plan?”

“Well no, Justin kidnapped you before I could tell you.”

“Uh-uh… who is this person and why are you telling me this now?”

“Well… he’s waiting inside for us and I didn’t want you to pass out from the shock.”

“He’s in my house? Alone? How did…” JC shoved the front door open, Britney trailing along behind him.

“Don’t ask me how he does it,” Britney held up a hand. “He just does…”

She stopped talking when JC stopped moving, JC stopped moving because he was staring in disbelief at the man settled on the couch in his living room like he owned it.

“Holy fuck,” JC swore under his breath and Britney touched his back lightly.

His hair was wild around his face, he was smirking that knowing, ‘king of the world’ smirk that Britney had seen time and again over the last few days and sometimes wanted to smack off his face.

He was infuriating and smug and she really wanted to hate him. But she couldn’t. Because he was helping and over the last few days when JC had been incommunicado he’d come up with some damn good ideas that she couldn’t wait to implement.

She also really wanted to know why he was going out of his way to help Justin when the last she knew they couldn’t even be in the same room together.

When he’d first approached her offering assistance she’d had to sit down, the shock had done that to her, she’d been almost positive that someone had slipped her something and she was actually unconscious. It had taken her about ten seconds to realize that she was stone-cold sober and another half a second to realize that if he was doing this to help anybody he was doing it to help JC, as far as he was concerned Justin could rot in hell.

Everyone loved JC; it seemed at times that it was almost physically impossible to not adore him on some level.

“Love the furniture JC… its comfortable as hell, I had a nap while I was waiting… after this is all done I really need to know where you got it,” Nick Carter grinned at them.


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Comments

[jic]

*glows*

I love them all! Except Nick, but I expect he'll grow on me, given that it's you that is writing.

*hugs* Love JC snuggling into Britney.