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laniew1 “I wouldn’t be surprised if AJ decides to put up video cameras though… you know ‘for safety’s sake’.” …
TITLE: The Guardians – JC/Justin – JC/AJ
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
Chapter 11
He was waiting for her in the kitchen. She’d known when she’d fled the scene like a big old coward that the minute she returned someone would be waiting for her.
Not Nick, he’d distance himself until he calmed down.
But she knew that either JC or Damian would be waiting up to warn her that Nick knew everything.
She moved slowly around the kitchen, hyperaware of JC’s eyes following her every movement. A bottled water from the refrigerator, the deep swallow she took, the squeal of the chair being pulled away from the table sounded loud to her ears.
Sitting across from him she wrapped her hands around the bottle and met his eyes unflinchingly. It was only a matter of time before he said something. Although the first words out of his mouth surprised her.
“How’s Sarah?” he asked quietly.
“Spooked,” she murmured.
“Sam?”
“No.”
“Then…” JC’s brows arched inquisitively. Guardians didn’t spook easily, they could normally take care of themselves.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, her nose wrinkling as she remembered her own confusion. “I felt it to when I met her… something was… off? It was very strange.”
“But not Sam.”
“No… something else… something worse I think,” their voices were equally soft and Megan’s eyes widened suddenly.
“Damian swept it with his bug thingamajig before he left… we’re clean.”
She closed her eyes momentarily, not surprised when she felt JC’s hands on hers. Support was lent back and forth between them, whenever one needed it the others were there. They’d been there for JC earlier, now he would be here for her.
“You told him.”
“Yes.”
“Everything?”
“He deserved to know Meggie, he cares about you, loves you. By keeping it from him you were basically telling him that you didn’t trust him.”
“I trust Nick more than I trust almost anyone else in my life.”
“But?”
“I’m scared,” she admitted in a whisper. “I trusted Sam.”
“You had misgivings about telling him anything though, have you had those about Nick?”
“No… but that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve already pretty much determined that my judgment is impaired when it comes to that.”
“You trust Justin.”
“Because you trust him… speaking of… where is everyone? I thought for sure that I’d have a lineup to content with when I got back.”
“They’re all sleeping, somewhere I desperately wish I was,” JC mumbled rubbing a hand over his face. It was only then that Megan noticed how tired he looked. For someone that got as much sleep as JC did he was forever looking like he needed a nap.
“So Justin’s?”
“Sleeping in a guestroom.”
“And AJ?”
“In our room,” JC frowned at her, suddenly concerned about the impish curiosity that was written all over face. Maybe it would have been better to have Nick wait up and get their confrontation over right away.
“You know…” Megan mused with a small grin. “You might have been better off putting them in the same room, your beds big enough they probably would never even have noticed each other.”
“Yeah until someone rolled over and tried to get frisky and one of them ended up in a pile of bruises on the bedroom floor. I can just hear the cops now,” JC shook his head.
“Hey at least this way you won’t have one or the other outside the bedroom door with a glass pressed to it trying to hear what’s going on inside.”
“You’re a freak you know that.”
“Takes one to know one,” Megan smirked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if AJ decides to put up video cameras though… you know ‘for safety’s sake’.” She made air quotes with her fingers, laughing at the expression on his face. Because she knew as well as he did that AJ would so do that.
“Please don’t put any thoughts into his head.”
“Oh honey they’re probably already there… so where are you sleeping this fine,” quick glance at her watch, “morning?”
“I’m sleeping in my room…”
“With AJ.”
“Yes, because AJ and I share a room and a bed and have been for years.”
“And you think Justin’s going to be okay with this?”
“We’re not going to be making porn, we’re going to be sleeping… because you know in case you’ve forgotten we have rehearsal in oh say four hours,” JC grumbled with an arched brow.
“Haven’t forgotten, and coffee’s a wonderful thing. I just think you’re underestimating the depth of what Justin’s anger is going to be if he thinks you’ve chosen AJ.”
“I haven’t chosen anybody, and in case you’ve forgotten I’m not going to choose between them.”
“JC look at this from the way Justin is going to be. You let him stay here yes; but you also sent him to a guestroom and then went to bed with AJ…”
“It’s my room and it’s only to sleep.”
“It won’t matter, just think about it,” she advised softly. “Until the three of you come to an understanding any amount of affection you show one and not the other is going to be seen as a sign by the other that you’ve made your choice.”
“Fuck.”
“And on that note, I’m going to bed.”
******************************************************************************
Nick had been staring at the ceiling seemingly for hours waiting. There wasn’t even anything remotely interesting, like waterspots or tiles that he could stare at and play pseudo-psychiatrist.
He could count the number of times he’d slept alone on one hand, he’d become spoiled since he and Meggie had been together. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to sleep alone again ever.
The few occasions that he’d had to, three of those five times being when the Boys and the Guardians tours unfortunately overlapped and they’d been on the road, he’d ended up curling up with either AJ or Brian.
Leigh had hated him.
He’d heard her car pull in, heard the door open and when Megan didn’t immediately appear in the door to their room he crawled out of his warm, lonely bed and crept quietly to the top of the stairs. He’d heard JC wandering, knew that while the male was waiting for Megan’s return his insomnia could most likely be attributed to the fact that AJ and Justin both knew about each other and him.
Sitting on the top step he released a deep breath, he hadn’t even realized that he’d been scared until the quiet rumble of JC and Megan in conversation released some unknown tension within him.
He hoped this wasn’t a sign that he was going to be overly clingy until whatever danger had popped up passed.
Resting his head on the banister he waited, listening for the moment when the sound of their conversation lulled and one or both of them would make their way up to the stairs.
He wanted to talk about all this new knowledge that he’d acquired.
He wanted to ask questions and determine what his role would be in this new world.
He wanted to know what he’d been like in the other one.
Normally there would be people that he felt comfortable spilling his guts to, sharing his secrets… people that he felt comfortable showing even the tiniest bit of weakness because he knew that it wouldn’t be used against him.
But running down that list he could see that he had no options left to him.
Maybe he should keep a journal?
Megan was out strictly because after hearing about her life in the other world he didn’t want to burden her with his doubts. His questions yes, his fears no. She was a Guardian, an angel and was he good enough for someone that would always be inherently good?
AJ and Justin were a bit distracted, by each other and by JC.
And Brian was out strictly because he didn’t know and it wasn’t Nick’s place to tell him anything that had been spoken.
He opened his eyes when he heard the soft steps on the stairs. Megan staring down at him a wary look on her face.
How had she put up with some of his more unquestionable antics after everything that she’d been through? Why had she put up with it?
“We didn’t know until just recently, we all made the transition with our memories intact… well except for JC.”
“How long?”
“This world?” she asked moving up another step and sitting beside him, not to close, as if she was unsure of her welcome. He nodded and she gnawed on her lip. “This world is about four days old.”
“Four days,” Nick closed his eyes sighing. “But I remember…”
“The night of the concert…”
“JC’s headache…”
“JC didn’t come through with his memories intact, the headaches were those memories pushing trough.”
“How…?” Nick’s voice was quiet, he knew, he’d heard JC say it, Justin say it. Damian had repeated it numerous times as had AJ as he’d tried to understand. But Nick wanted to hear the words spoken by Megan.
“This world veered from the wish that Justin made, from the exact moment that he made it. He wished that he’d never called JC to ask him to join his band, when the reality shifted everything up to that point, to the moment that Justin would have called JC, happened. Then realities shifted, the other world fell away and this one was created in its place… probably only about three hundred people in total were affected by the wish.”
“God… Does this happen every time someone does that? Every time someone makes a wish the world changes, lives change and no one even notices?”
“There’s us,” Megan murmured. “To be honest I’m not even sure why Justin still remembers, normally they don’t. Normally their life just picks up where the wish leaves them.”
“Maybe because Justin was an idiot and he needs to know what he did so he can undo it,” Nick snorted.
“It can’t be undone… And I can’t say I’m sorry that it can’t.”
“I’m sorry,” Nick said softly, he touched her hand gently. A whisper of a caress, as if he was afraid that she was going to turn away from him. Instead she shifted her hand, palm up and captured his tightly.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I…” Nick laughed harshly. “I know its not… I don’t even know why I feel like this. Why I feel like I’m the one to blame but… Justin’s an idiot he threw away what he had with JC because he was angry but… but I feel like I should be thanking him or something because he saved you.”
Megan shifted closer to him, their legs pressed together as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Life goes on Nick. You’re not to blame for what someone else did to me.”
“But you thought that was how I was going to react, you told someone you trusted and they turned on you and you… you thought that I was going to do what that… jerk did to you.”
“I didn’t, I just…” Megan tensed slightly, relaxing as his arm went around her shoulders. “Those wounds, they’re still there, the pain, the… fear… sometimes I can’t escape it.”
“I’ll help you however I can.”
“I know… you already do. You already have… more than you know.”
******************************************************************************
JC turned over onto his side cursing the uncomfortable couch. First thing in the morning, first thing after he returned from rehearsal he was buying a new couch.
He’d test this one. If he was going to have to sleep on it until he figured out what he was going to do about AJ and Justin he’d at least have something that wasn’t attempting to kill him.
Megan and Nick had disappeared into their room after a quiet conversation on the stairs. He’d waited until they were done, padding in bare feet up the steps. Looking first in on Justin, a soft kiss to his forehead, combing his fingers through the once more curly mop that Justin abhorred. Reassuring himself that he was safe.
Then he did the same to AJ. Megan and Sarah were both spooked which in turn had spooked both he and Damian.
Sighing he stared at the dark TV blankly.
Of all the realities that Justin could have chosen to ‘create’ why couldn’t he have chosen one that didn’t still have people that wanted to destroy them?
******************************************************************************
AJ could sense him watching, Justin a quiet presence in the doorway as AJ studiously ignored him.
“JC’s gone to rehearsal,” he stated, not turning once he’d had enough of Timberlake standing there staring at him.
“I wasn’t looking for him,” Justin’s voice was soft and AJ was once more reminded that this wasn’t the Justin Timberlake that he’d been dealing with for the past couple of years.
This one still wanted to steal JC from him, but this one also had a right to want to do so whereas the other one had been spoiled and just wanted something that he’d been told that he couldn’t have.
Back stiffening AJ slowly turned to him. “So what? You were looking for me?” eyebrows arched in query and whereas the old Justin would have stammered and flushed this one just arched his own brow crossing his arms over his chest.
“I think we should talk.”
“About what?”
Justin sighed and rolled his eyes and AJ bit back the smile that threatened. He was frustrated but he could see that Justin was as well. It hadn’t escaped his notice that JC had slept on the couch and had foregone sleeping wrapped around either male. That meant that when JC returned he would be cranky and irritable, the couch was uncomfortable and he wasn’t used to sleeping alone.
“I think we should talk about what we’re going to do about JC.”
“I’m taking this to mean that you’re not going to be the gracious loser and back off?”
“Uh no… because I’m not gracious and I’m not a loser and I think I have a solution that will work for both of us.”
“Really?” AJ asked doubtfully as he unconsciously took a step back, Justin was eyeing him appraisingly. And if he the younger man’s thoughts were anything like AJ’s had been for the last ten hours… well it would solve all their problems but he certainly didn’t like that gleam in Justin’s eyes. He’d only ever seen it on JC’s right after they’d been separated for more than a two days.
“Oh yeah… and I think we’ll all benefit from it.”
Oh he was not going to like this at all.
******************************************************************************
TITLE: The Guardians – JC/Justin – JC/AJ
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing at all, least of all those contained within.
Chapter 11
He was waiting for her in the kitchen. She’d known when she’d fled the scene like a big old coward that the minute she returned someone would be waiting for her.
Not Nick, he’d distance himself until he calmed down.
But she knew that either JC or Damian would be waiting up to warn her that Nick knew everything.
She moved slowly around the kitchen, hyperaware of JC’s eyes following her every movement. A bottled water from the refrigerator, the deep swallow she took, the squeal of the chair being pulled away from the table sounded loud to her ears.
Sitting across from him she wrapped her hands around the bottle and met his eyes unflinchingly. It was only a matter of time before he said something. Although the first words out of his mouth surprised her.
“How’s Sarah?” he asked quietly.
“Spooked,” she murmured.
“Sam?”
“No.”
“Then…” JC’s brows arched inquisitively. Guardians didn’t spook easily, they could normally take care of themselves.
“I don’t know,” she shrugged, her nose wrinkling as she remembered her own confusion. “I felt it to when I met her… something was… off? It was very strange.”
“But not Sam.”
“No… something else… something worse I think,” their voices were equally soft and Megan’s eyes widened suddenly.
“Damian swept it with his bug thingamajig before he left… we’re clean.”
She closed her eyes momentarily, not surprised when she felt JC’s hands on hers. Support was lent back and forth between them, whenever one needed it the others were there. They’d been there for JC earlier, now he would be here for her.
“You told him.”
“Yes.”
“Everything?”
“He deserved to know Meggie, he cares about you, loves you. By keeping it from him you were basically telling him that you didn’t trust him.”
“I trust Nick more than I trust almost anyone else in my life.”
“But?”
“I’m scared,” she admitted in a whisper. “I trusted Sam.”
“You had misgivings about telling him anything though, have you had those about Nick?”
“No… but that doesn’t mean anything. We’ve already pretty much determined that my judgment is impaired when it comes to that.”
“You trust Justin.”
“Because you trust him… speaking of… where is everyone? I thought for sure that I’d have a lineup to content with when I got back.”
“They’re all sleeping, somewhere I desperately wish I was,” JC mumbled rubbing a hand over his face. It was only then that Megan noticed how tired he looked. For someone that got as much sleep as JC did he was forever looking like he needed a nap.
“So Justin’s?”
“Sleeping in a guestroom.”
“And AJ?”
“In our room,” JC frowned at her, suddenly concerned about the impish curiosity that was written all over face. Maybe it would have been better to have Nick wait up and get their confrontation over right away.
“You know…” Megan mused with a small grin. “You might have been better off putting them in the same room, your beds big enough they probably would never even have noticed each other.”
“Yeah until someone rolled over and tried to get frisky and one of them ended up in a pile of bruises on the bedroom floor. I can just hear the cops now,” JC shook his head.
“Hey at least this way you won’t have one or the other outside the bedroom door with a glass pressed to it trying to hear what’s going on inside.”
“You’re a freak you know that.”
“Takes one to know one,” Megan smirked. “I wouldn’t be surprised if AJ decides to put up video cameras though… you know ‘for safety’s sake’.” She made air quotes with her fingers, laughing at the expression on his face. Because she knew as well as he did that AJ would so do that.
“Please don’t put any thoughts into his head.”
“Oh honey they’re probably already there… so where are you sleeping this fine,” quick glance at her watch, “morning?”
“I’m sleeping in my room…”
“With AJ.”
“Yes, because AJ and I share a room and a bed and have been for years.”
“And you think Justin’s going to be okay with this?”
“We’re not going to be making porn, we’re going to be sleeping… because you know in case you’ve forgotten we have rehearsal in oh say four hours,” JC grumbled with an arched brow.
“Haven’t forgotten, and coffee’s a wonderful thing. I just think you’re underestimating the depth of what Justin’s anger is going to be if he thinks you’ve chosen AJ.”
“I haven’t chosen anybody, and in case you’ve forgotten I’m not going to choose between them.”
“JC look at this from the way Justin is going to be. You let him stay here yes; but you also sent him to a guestroom and then went to bed with AJ…”
“It’s my room and it’s only to sleep.”
“It won’t matter, just think about it,” she advised softly. “Until the three of you come to an understanding any amount of affection you show one and not the other is going to be seen as a sign by the other that you’ve made your choice.”
“Fuck.”
“And on that note, I’m going to bed.”
Nick had been staring at the ceiling seemingly for hours waiting. There wasn’t even anything remotely interesting, like waterspots or tiles that he could stare at and play pseudo-psychiatrist.
He could count the number of times he’d slept alone on one hand, he’d become spoiled since he and Meggie had been together. He didn’t think he’d ever be able to sleep alone again ever.
The few occasions that he’d had to, three of those five times being when the Boys and the Guardians tours unfortunately overlapped and they’d been on the road, he’d ended up curling up with either AJ or Brian.
Leigh had hated him.
He’d heard her car pull in, heard the door open and when Megan didn’t immediately appear in the door to their room he crawled out of his warm, lonely bed and crept quietly to the top of the stairs. He’d heard JC wandering, knew that while the male was waiting for Megan’s return his insomnia could most likely be attributed to the fact that AJ and Justin both knew about each other and him.
Sitting on the top step he released a deep breath, he hadn’t even realized that he’d been scared until the quiet rumble of JC and Megan in conversation released some unknown tension within him.
He hoped this wasn’t a sign that he was going to be overly clingy until whatever danger had popped up passed.
Resting his head on the banister he waited, listening for the moment when the sound of their conversation lulled and one or both of them would make their way up to the stairs.
He wanted to talk about all this new knowledge that he’d acquired.
He wanted to ask questions and determine what his role would be in this new world.
He wanted to know what he’d been like in the other one.
Normally there would be people that he felt comfortable spilling his guts to, sharing his secrets… people that he felt comfortable showing even the tiniest bit of weakness because he knew that it wouldn’t be used against him.
But running down that list he could see that he had no options left to him.
Maybe he should keep a journal?
Megan was out strictly because after hearing about her life in the other world he didn’t want to burden her with his doubts. His questions yes, his fears no. She was a Guardian, an angel and was he good enough for someone that would always be inherently good?
AJ and Justin were a bit distracted, by each other and by JC.
And Brian was out strictly because he didn’t know and it wasn’t Nick’s place to tell him anything that had been spoken.
He opened his eyes when he heard the soft steps on the stairs. Megan staring down at him a wary look on her face.
How had she put up with some of his more unquestionable antics after everything that she’d been through? Why had she put up with it?
“We didn’t know until just recently, we all made the transition with our memories intact… well except for JC.”
“How long?”
“This world?” she asked moving up another step and sitting beside him, not to close, as if she was unsure of her welcome. He nodded and she gnawed on her lip. “This world is about four days old.”
“Four days,” Nick closed his eyes sighing. “But I remember…”
“The night of the concert…”
“JC’s headache…”
“JC didn’t come through with his memories intact, the headaches were those memories pushing trough.”
“How…?” Nick’s voice was quiet, he knew, he’d heard JC say it, Justin say it. Damian had repeated it numerous times as had AJ as he’d tried to understand. But Nick wanted to hear the words spoken by Megan.
“This world veered from the wish that Justin made, from the exact moment that he made it. He wished that he’d never called JC to ask him to join his band, when the reality shifted everything up to that point, to the moment that Justin would have called JC, happened. Then realities shifted, the other world fell away and this one was created in its place… probably only about three hundred people in total were affected by the wish.”
“God… Does this happen every time someone does that? Every time someone makes a wish the world changes, lives change and no one even notices?”
“There’s us,” Megan murmured. “To be honest I’m not even sure why Justin still remembers, normally they don’t. Normally their life just picks up where the wish leaves them.”
“Maybe because Justin was an idiot and he needs to know what he did so he can undo it,” Nick snorted.
“It can’t be undone… And I can’t say I’m sorry that it can’t.”
“I’m sorry,” Nick said softly, he touched her hand gently. A whisper of a caress, as if he was afraid that she was going to turn away from him. Instead she shifted her hand, palm up and captured his tightly.
“It’s not your fault.”
“I…” Nick laughed harshly. “I know its not… I don’t even know why I feel like this. Why I feel like I’m the one to blame but… Justin’s an idiot he threw away what he had with JC because he was angry but… but I feel like I should be thanking him or something because he saved you.”
Megan shifted closer to him, their legs pressed together as she laid her head on his shoulder. “Life goes on Nick. You’re not to blame for what someone else did to me.”
“But you thought that was how I was going to react, you told someone you trusted and they turned on you and you… you thought that I was going to do what that… jerk did to you.”
“I didn’t, I just…” Megan tensed slightly, relaxing as his arm went around her shoulders. “Those wounds, they’re still there, the pain, the… fear… sometimes I can’t escape it.”
“I’ll help you however I can.”
“I know… you already do. You already have… more than you know.”
JC turned over onto his side cursing the uncomfortable couch. First thing in the morning, first thing after he returned from rehearsal he was buying a new couch.
He’d test this one. If he was going to have to sleep on it until he figured out what he was going to do about AJ and Justin he’d at least have something that wasn’t attempting to kill him.
Megan and Nick had disappeared into their room after a quiet conversation on the stairs. He’d waited until they were done, padding in bare feet up the steps. Looking first in on Justin, a soft kiss to his forehead, combing his fingers through the once more curly mop that Justin abhorred. Reassuring himself that he was safe.
Then he did the same to AJ. Megan and Sarah were both spooked which in turn had spooked both he and Damian.
Sighing he stared at the dark TV blankly.
Of all the realities that Justin could have chosen to ‘create’ why couldn’t he have chosen one that didn’t still have people that wanted to destroy them?
AJ could sense him watching, Justin a quiet presence in the doorway as AJ studiously ignored him.
“JC’s gone to rehearsal,” he stated, not turning once he’d had enough of Timberlake standing there staring at him.
“I wasn’t looking for him,” Justin’s voice was soft and AJ was once more reminded that this wasn’t the Justin Timberlake that he’d been dealing with for the past couple of years.
This one still wanted to steal JC from him, but this one also had a right to want to do so whereas the other one had been spoiled and just wanted something that he’d been told that he couldn’t have.
Back stiffening AJ slowly turned to him. “So what? You were looking for me?” eyebrows arched in query and whereas the old Justin would have stammered and flushed this one just arched his own brow crossing his arms over his chest.
“I think we should talk.”
“About what?”
Justin sighed and rolled his eyes and AJ bit back the smile that threatened. He was frustrated but he could see that Justin was as well. It hadn’t escaped his notice that JC had slept on the couch and had foregone sleeping wrapped around either male. That meant that when JC returned he would be cranky and irritable, the couch was uncomfortable and he wasn’t used to sleeping alone.
“I think we should talk about what we’re going to do about JC.”
“I’m taking this to mean that you’re not going to be the gracious loser and back off?”
“Uh no… because I’m not gracious and I’m not a loser and I think I have a solution that will work for both of us.”
“Really?” AJ asked doubtfully as he unconsciously took a step back, Justin was eyeing him appraisingly. And if he the younger man’s thoughts were anything like AJ’s had been for the last ten hours… well it would solve all their problems but he certainly didn’t like that gleam in Justin’s eyes. He’d only ever seen it on JC’s right after they’d been separated for more than a two days.
“Oh yeah… and I think we’ll all benefit from it.”
Oh he was not going to like this at all.
(no subject)
Date: 2003-07-07 10:42 am (UTC)AJ? *snerk* What's not to like? If he's thinking what I'm thinking, that is.
I'm already anxious for the next part.