Date: Fri, 20 Sep 2002 18:25:22 +0100 (GMT Daylight Time)
From: David Grimstone <grimstone@btinternet.com>
Subject: Two Way Conversation 4

Two Way Conversation by DCG

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DISCLAIMER
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I do in no way want insinuate anything about anyone, full. Do not read if
offended by Homosexual material, i.e. Man on Man nasty stuff!!
lol...Although if you are underage, then you are excused from my wrath and
you may leave unscathed...Everyone else...Enjoy!!

Authors Notes: Hey there... chapter 4 is here of the 5 chapter
saga...Please feed my craving for feedback and I hope you all have a great
day...And if anyone has been to Belize in their life, please let me know
what to expect as I am going there to get stung by bugs and eaten by
spiders bigger than my face!! lol

Enjoy and get back to me...even if it had nothing whatsoever to do with the
story...I luv to chat and meet new people...

(email...grimstone@btinternet.com or ujemeflip@hotmail.com)

And here we go...

*****************************************************************************

Last Time in Two Way Conversation...

"Yes, I've been in love with Justin for as long as I can remember." Stated
JC in as strong a voice as Joey had heard in some days. JC felt liberated
as he said those words, out aloud, to someone he considered a brother. But
as soon as the sentence disappeared from hearing, suddenly, a shuffling was
heard out side JC's door, and both JC and Joey looked at the door, then at
each other. There was only one person that could have been.

"Justin!" Exclaimed Joey, to himself as he leapt off the bed and to the
door. He scampered to the top of the stairs to see the front door ricochet
off the door frame as Justin's form ran down the drive to his car. He
turned around, defeated to see JC slumped against the door frame. He looked
beyond communication. His head lurched forward as he sighed heavily. Joey
could see the tears approaching, fast.

"That's it then...I got my answer." Stated JC in a voice filled with
sadness. Joey didn't know which way to turn. But right now he needed to
comfort JC, then he needed to find Justin...

And now the continuation...

*****************************************************************************

Two Way Conversation by DCG

Chapter 4 - The Nuances of Nowhere

Not a look over the shoulder, nor a check to see if he was being
followed. Pretending to sleep in, Justin had packed all he needed for a
week or so away, or for as long as it took for him to get back to his old
self, not that he knew what that meant anymore. He had loved JC for as long
as he could remember, but that didn't mean anything to anyone else but
him. He ignored his first red light as he continued to speed onwards to the
airport, and a journey away, away to the grandeur of New York City. A place
where the lonely could seek solace, where the heartbroken could be fixed,
for a nominal fee. He had toyed with the idea of calling Lance before
setting off, but decided against it at the last minute. He knew Lance, and
knowing him would mean he would try his hardest to convince Justin that
what he was doing was the wrong thing. `Your running away.' would be Joeys
comment, right, but would mean nothing. `Whatever!' would be Chris'
lackadaisical comment. `Just tell him.' would be Lances' straight forward
suggestion, but doing that simple three letter activity would either make
or break Justin, and he couldn't face up to that life altering action. `I
love you' would be JC's comment. `No it wouldn't you stupid fuck!' screamed
Justin as he slammed his hand against the steering wheel and wrenched back
in pain as he did. That comment from JC would never come, he was sure of
that. `He must never know...And this time away will help!' thought Justin
as his car pulled up in the airport parking lot, and he turned his engine
off. He rested back in the comfort of the seat for a second, digesting the
situation.

"This is the best, for the both of us!" He reasoned as he pulled the keys
from the ignition and clambered out of the car, shutting the door, possibly
not just to the car, but to a relationship not even on the starting blocks,
but Justin was never going to let it get that far. Not that he didn't want
it to, he wanted it to more than life itself.

Across town, in calm surroundings, as the sun began it's descent into the
night, Chris sat in a cafe, drinking his third cup of coffee. Their plan
was simple. Joey talk to JC, and Chris talk to Bobbie. They needed her on
their side. They needed her in a position to help them get JC and Justin
together, by hook or by crook. Chris was never the most sensitive person in
the group, hence this assignment. `Typical, I get the bitch' he thought as
Bobbie rounded the corner and spotted Chris. She had a debonair air about
her. She oozed confidence. Her association with JC in the past had gotten
her gains where she needed them the most. She had feelings for JC, plain
and simple. But she was the kind of person who counted number one as the
most important number available.

She rounded the counter, voicing an order for a cup of latte, skimmed, and
sat down across from Chris. Chris was halfway through taking a drink from
his cup of coffee...

"I told you we'd be seeing each other soon." Said Bobbie, slight, but
evident venom echoing through her comment. Chris took it and slowly let the
cup fall from his lips. This was going to be harder that he thought. But
they needed Bobbie as that back-up plan if JC bailed at the last
minute. They may need her to tell Justin the truth. As he thought what to
say he adjusted his expression, masking his hatred for her, and beamed a
smile in her direction.

"Drink?" Asked Chris. He needed to be sociable, nice, polite, but not
transparent.

"I don't drink anything with caffeine in at the time in the day, you know
that." Bit Bobbie. Chris just sighed. It seemed to look a harder and harder
task by the second.

"Just spit it out Chris, I haven't got all day. I was thinking of popping
in to see Josh later on, you know, see if he wants to go out for a drink."
She smirked. It was bait for Chris, and she knew he would bite.

"Don't you da..." Started Chris, but he stopped as soon as he saw the look
of victory on Bobbie's face. She found it so easy to get him irate, and
angry. Sometimes far too easily. He took a deep breath. "Believe it or not,
I came here to talk to you about JC."

"You did? Good, so what do you want to talk about?" Probed Bobbie, she was
intrigued.

"I know he's gay!" Stated Chris. Now it was his turn to his the nail on the
head, and cause a little upset.

"Is not!" Said Bobbie, crossing her arms in the process.

"Is so, Bob! Everyone knows, everyone!" Said Chris, ramming the point home.

"Then what the hell do you want..." Started Bobbie, but she was interrupted
by a continuing Chris.

"Except Justin." Finished Chris. Now the ball was in her court, because now
she would know that all the taking would be done by Chris, and she would
have to be willing to give. or would she?

"Ah..." She laughed. "I should have known it would get around to him
eventually, it always does."

"Meaning?" Asked a slightly pissed Chris

"Meaning, that was all Josh would talk about when we were together. Justin
this, and Justin that. It made me sick." Said Bobbie, a look of complete
disgust on her face. Justin was the last thing she wanted to think about,
as he was the one thing that finally led JC to end their relationship,
because in his eyes it was a `mockery to everything I am' or so he
said. That hurt Bobbie. To think her relationship with JC had been a staged
event, even if for a short time.

"They love each other." Said Chris, defiantly

"Don't you think I don't already know that. I've known it for years. So
what the hell do you want me to do about it?" Asked Bobbie, venom seeping
through her every vein. Today was not turning out to be a good day for her.

"Tell Justin how JC feels!"

"Ha! You must be kidding me. I'd rather tell him that little shit hates his
guts and never wants to see him ever again." Responded Bobbie. She held all
the cards now.

Back at the house, Joey and JC hadn't left the confines of the lounge as
Joey comforted JC. Justin's apparent fleeing the scene had, to JC, put the
final nail in the coffin. He had stood against the door frame as Justin
fled away, and had kept his resolve for a few brief seconds as he looked,
blankly forward. But as soon as Joey had returned to his side, and broken
his stare, he let it all go. He let his emotions take over, and he
collapsed to the floor, in a heap. Joey led him to the lounge and sat him
down, and that's where they remained until now. For most of the time, Joey
just listened, as JC mumbled incoherently to himself. It was all he could
think to do. But eventually, he gained the resolve he needed to make the
one statement he needed to...but the one JC didn't want hear.

"We need to find him JC." Stated Joey, bracing himself for JC's
reaction. JC froze on the spot. He looked up at Joey, a look of complete
horror on his face. He couldn't fathom why Joey would want him find
him. His emotions were in such overwhelming control he didn't hear the car
pull up outside the house. Instead he just stared at Joey before pulling
the words from his gut to ask why.

"Why?" Asked JC. "Why do we have to go Joey?" He again asked. "I don't want
to see him...He hates me, thinks I'm disgusting, pathetic!" Shouted JC as
he started to struggle under Joeys comforting embrace. The tears started
again, running relentlessly down his cheek as the front door opened and
Lance walked through, totally oblivious to what had happened. He quickly
saw a struggling JC within the grasp of an equally awkward Joey and he
rushed over.

"What's happened, JC are you ok? Joey what happened? Where's Chris and
Justin?" Asked Lance frantically, and as soon as he uttered the final name,
Joey frantically shook his head, but it didn't matter, as JC was fast
asleep. Joey looked down and sighed as he saw JC cuddled close to his
chest, deep in sleep. Joey then looked up and beckoned Lance to help him
take JC to bed. It took them a while, but they managed to get JC up the
stairs, and into his own bed. Lance then followed Joey downstairs.

"What the hell happened Joey?" Asked Lance as soon as they reached the foot
of the stairs, but Joey kept on walking and walked out onto the patio,
without answering. Lance followed.

"This isn't helping Joe. I know something's going on." Said Lance. He
didn't want to have to blow Justin's cover, as he wanted Justin to be able
to tell everyone himself, but he needed to know if this breakdown by JC had
anything to with it. But he knew he had to make the first move, because
when Joey got defiant, there was no stopping him. "Is it to do with
Justin?" Asked Lance, keeping his fingers crossed that it wasn't... Joey
just tightened his stance, almost as if the word `Justin' had caused a
physical reaction in him.

"It is isn't it!" Stated Lance. This was not a good thing. He wondered if
Justin had told JC that he was gay, and that this was JC's reaction. Lance
suddenly felt confused. He seriously doubted JC would react like this if he
didn't like what Justin had to say. It would have been the other way
around. Justin would be the one needing a shoulder.

"We need to find Justin." Said Joey. "That little shit has got some
explaining to do!" He Fumed. Lance was shocked out of his thoughts by the
venom in Joeys comments...What had Justin done to put JC like this? He
didn't know for sure, but again, he needed to find out, and he needed to
find Justin before Joey laid into him.

"Where did Justin go?" Asked Lance

That was it. He had kept a lid on his anger and frustration ever since
Justin has scampered off. He didn't know why he did, but he sure knew the
pain JC had started to undergo because of it. And now Lance's concern
seemed to go towards Justin, not JC. Why was he concerned about `him'? But
right now, that had been enough, and he needed to vent it all, even if it
was to an unsuspecting person as Lance...He needed someone else to know...

"For gods sake Lance...It's JC's who's gay, and who's been crying his eyes
out ever since Justin ran away from him..." Shouted Joey, his body shaking
with nervous energy.

That was it. The information he needed, but what did Justin do to
JC. Justin is or at least was in love with JC. It confused Lance no
end. Lance let a small smile cross his face for a second before Joey looked
up and caught his line of sight. "What did he do?" Asked Lance.

"JC told me he loved Justin. He told me and Justin must have heard him
cause the next thing we knew, he was running down the stairs and out the
front door." Recited Joey. He felt tired after all the emotional exertions
of the past few hours, and he walked past lance, through the empty kitchen
and into the lounge where he almost fell into the couch as he sat down,
resting his head back against the wall. Lance just turned back around and
started to follow...

"Then even more reason we need to find Justin...We need..." Started Lance,
but his glance was caught by something out of place on the kitchen
counter. A missing letter...

"Joe, do you know where that letter for Justin went?" Asked Lance,
speculatively... Joey just looked up, not knowing they existed in the first
place. "I didn't know he even had any!" and he returned to looking to the
ceiling, in defeat.

"He must have taken them with him." Said Lance, more to himself than anyone
else.

"What was that?" Asked Joey, who got up from the sofa to see what had
pre-occupied Lance.

"He must have taken the tickets that came for him this morning. He's gone
somewhere!" Stated Lance.

"What tickets? Where?" Asked Joey, confused

"Some air tickets came for him this morning. I put them here, and now there
gone. He must have taken them with him when he went. That means he was
planning on going somewhere anyway Joey. He didn't just go off the cuff, he
was planning it. That might mean he didn't just go because of what he
heard." Said Lance, quickly, not letting Joey interrupt. This was the news
he was hoping for, that Justin hadn't heard a word of what JC had said, and
that he had been planning on some 'alone' time for some time.

"We need to find out where he went then. We need to go and get him. I'll go
and try and convince JC that we need to go and find him. You find out where
he went." Commanded Joey and he turned his back and clambered the stairs to
see JC. It would be a difficult task for him, but he was sure that he could
convince JC that they needed to go. If not to find out if he heard what JC
had said, then to bring him back to the surprise Birthday party they had
planned for him. Lance on the other hand, remembering the airline the
tickets came from, pulled out his mobile phone and dialled the first number
that came to mind.

Across the city. Through the smog ridden city limits, to the busy
metropolis that is LAX. Justin had made his way through the melee that was
the airport entrance and now he sat alone looking out of the window at the
departing aircraft. He looked down at his watch. Just a short while
remained until the tell tale sound of the tannoy would signal the time of
his flight. Justin had, for some time thought of time alone as the perfect
medicine for his gradual heartbreak. He didn't want to see in his 21st
birthday as a miserable, lonely soul. He also didn't want to see in his
birthday around JC, because, even though he loved him more than life
itself, he had promised himself that on that day, he would tell him the
truth. And his worst fear was that the confession would signal the end of
their friendship, and Justin knew he wouldn't be able to stand that, so he
bottled the showdown so to speak. Seconds passed ever so slowly as he
waited for his flight to be called. He knew deep down he should have told
someone where he was going. They had no doubt planned something to
commemorate his `coming of drinking age', and it wouldn't quite pass with
the same pizzazz if the guest of honour wasn't there. But that was
something they would just have to deal with. Instead of telling someone,
that someone being Lance, he instead left him a note. A simple explanation,
that he hoped wouldn't be argued against.

Dear Lance,

This is gonna sound a bit cheesy, but when you read this I'm going to be
somewhere else. I had planned on telling someone tomorrow, but it's all
getting too much.  I think the best thing for me to do is to go away for a
few days, maybe even a week or so, somewhere where I can blend in and not
be noticed. Don't try and call me cause my cell-phone is in my room and I
knew that would be the first thing you would try.  Please apologise to
everyone for me for not being there, cause I have a sneaking suspicion that
you had something planned for me, but I'm sorry I can't be there.  Have a
good couple of days Lance, I'll try to.

Justin.

The note probably gave away far too much, and Justin knew that, but right
now, he didn't care. Lance was ok with the news Justin had, so he was ok
letting a little more info slip. Right now, all he wanted to do was to be
alone for a few days, and try somehow to forget the one reason he was doing
this.

"Justin baby?" Shouted Britney as she approached from behind, hand luggage
in the most appropriate place, in her hand!

Justin jumped a second as he recognised her voice and ripped himself from
his self induced world of thought.

"Oh, hey there Brit, what you doing here?" Asked Justin, blankly. He
probably knew why she was here, but it failed to surface as she softly
cussed his across the back of his head.

"For your birthday stupid!" Laughed Britney as she hurdled the seat and sat
down next to him.

"That's me, stupid!" Said Justin, to himself.

"Anyways, what are you doing here? Are you here to meet someone?" Asked
Britney. She, like most people in this, was confused.

"Promise you won't spill!" Stated Justin, he looked deep into her eyes, and
she knew he meant business.

"Ok baby, you know you can tell me!"

Justin looked forward. His `relationship' with Britney, or whatever the
media made it out to be, was never that far developed. They were friends,
and Justin had a sneaking suspicion that Britney knew why it didn't go
further. "Do you know why we never got together?" Asked Justin. She
deserved an explanation, and was probably the only other person who would
go off the handle after being told. He had nothing else left to loose.

"I always figured you had someone else in mind." Said Britney. Yes, she did
know deep down why they never got together. As the song went, `It was
written in the wind' because that other person was that obvious to the
trained eye. And Britney had one of those. Justin just nodded. "But I never
thought it would be JC!" Said Britney as if she was thinking aloud, and
this caught Justin completely off guard as he spinned around in his seat to
look her straight. "Oh don't look at me like that. Don't you think it
wasn't obvious! It was!" Stated Britney. She chuckled slightly as the
perplexed look on Justin's face intensified. She'd got him good. "Anyway,
where are you off to? I thought you had an important birthday to
celebrate?" Smiled Britney.

Justin took a few deep breaths, he needed to get it off his chest and board
the plane. "I'm leaving for a few days, a week maybe. I'm going to New
York. I need to get away."

"JC?"

"Yeah, because of JC, or because I'm too gutless to tell him how I feel."
Started Justin, putting his head in his hands as he finished the
sentence. As soon as Britney saw this, and having her suspicions about JC
too, she knew she had to raise the alarm. She had to tell the others, get
them to NYC, get them, and especially JC, to Justin.

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Asked Britney. "There'll be a
lot of people here tomorrow for your birthday you know!"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Reassured Justin, and no sooner had he said that, that
the tannoy sounded overhead, and Justin recognised his flight number and
destination. "That's me." He gestured. "I've gotta go, please say your ok
with this!" He Asked, pleaded more like. He needed an ounce of reassurance
before setting off.

"I'm ok with it. But it's not me you need to convince." She replied as she
kissed him goodbye, and walked away down the bustling corridor, and away
from an ever unsure Justin. He didn't know what to read into her comment,
but it wasn't going to stop him doing what he needed to do. He took a deep
breath, grabbed his hand luggage and walked towards the boarding
point. This was it, so he looked back for a second. It wasn't as if he was
going forever, it wasn't that kind of goodbye. It was just goodbye to a
familiar situation. It was goodbye to a familiar town, and it was goodbye,
for now, to a familiar set of feelings, he hoped.

Down the corridor, Britney watched from afar as Justin walked slowly down
the tunnel and onto the plane. She smiled. She couldn't let him know what
she was planning to do, or what she hoped the outcome would be, she just
couldn't as she pulled out her cell-phone and dialled Lance.

Back in the house, Lance still hadn't had any success. He'd tried everyone
he could think of, from Johnny, to people he couldn't even remember the
first name of, but nothing. He threw his phone onto the table as he slumped
on the couch in defeat.

Joey and JC hadn't appeared either. It had been a while, and there hadn't
been a sound up there for the entire time. Lance was just about to set of
in search of them when his cell began to ring. He shot up and answered it.

"Lance, it's Britney." Said Britney, in a quick and urgent tone.

"Oh hey Brit, what's up?" Asked Lance. He didn't know what she knew, and
thus he wasn't really bothered about the call.

"I know where he is." Said Britney, catching Lance's attention
immediately. "He's just boarded a plane to New York. He's gonna be there
for a few days, a week maybe."

"New York?" Asked Lance, half amazed, half trying to figure out what to do
next.

"Yeah. Lance, how much do you know?" Questioned Britney. She needed to know
how much he knew before she blew his cover. It was his secret to release.

"Enough to know we need to get to New York or get him back to LA." Answered
Lance. "Did he tell you why he's going?"

"To try and forget. I think he feels he needs some time `alone' and away
from certain reminders." Insisted Britney, punctuating the relevant
words. This was the killer clue for Lance. Now he could try and explain to
JC that Justin hadn't heard a word of his revelation, and that he was
sitting there, in New York waiting for him. But suddenly, as soon as that
thought ran through his mind, JC came bounding down the stairs, suitcase in
hand. Lance put his hand over the mouthpiece, confused as to what he was
doing.

"JC, where are you going?" Asked Lance, bemused.

"Anywhere. I just want to get out of here for a while. I don't want any
reminders..." Stated JC defiantly. He had slipped into his `defiant'
mode. Whenever he got too upset to deal with emotions and people, he put up
the barriers, and denied access to anyone. Moments later Joey came running
down the stairs, half out of breath.

"You can't go JC, it's not going to do any good going anywhere..." Pleaded
Joey as he stepped in front of JC approach to the door. Suddenly, Lance had
an idea...

"No, it's ok Joey. I think we all need a break from recording. How does New
York sound to you JC? I need to go there to do some Freelance stuff and
Joey has an audition next week." Asked Lance, secretly keeping every digit
crossed in the hope he would say yes. JC just nodded and put his suitcase
down and went upstairs, no doubt to collect other things he would need for
the trip. Down in the lounge, Joey gave Lance a weird look as he returned
to his call with Britney.

"Did you catch that?" Asked Lance.

"Every word. I'll go there too, and book some rooms. You just make sure you
get him there in one piece, and he doesn't find out who else is there."
Stated Britney before ending the call after mutual goodbye's. lance then
turned to Joey.

"Go with the flow Joe. Go with the flow!" Reassured an ever more confused
Joey. Lance then proceeded to dial Chris' number, and started to tell him
the plan.

"Oh SHIT!" Shouted Chris

"What?" Asked Lance.

"Bobbie, she's bolted, and she knows where we're going." Relayed a worried
Chris.

"Doesn't matter, we'll deal with when we get there...Just get yourself to
the airport." Stated Lance. Moments later JC walked down the stairs with
all he needed in his hands. "We ready to go then?" Asked a confident
Lance. JC and Joey both nodded.

On the plane, Justin had placed a set of earphones on and played the music
of a local radio station as loud as he could muster. This was the start of
a long weekend to remember, but not for the reasons Justin thinks, or a
silent JC for that matter, sat in the back seat of Lance's SUV.

*****************************************************************************

 There we go again folks...Chapter 4 is done and dusted and `The Final
Chapter' is well on it's way...

Again I have left you all with innumerable questions to answer, but as this
is only a 5 chapter story I doubt it will take long for it to all pan out
into the 'happy' ending (I haven't decided that part yet!)

Please feel free to get back to me to remind me that JC and Justin sickly
in their mushy love stuff or that Chris and Joey are far too sensitive...or
that Lance is just too involved!! for your taste... I know all these
things, but ha ho, this is fiction baby!!

Please feel free to get back to me while I wait for Christopher to write
another chapter to 'Something Like Justin' and 'Building
Dreams'... (grimstone@btinternet.com or ujemeflip@hotmail.com)

See yaz all laterz

DCG