He watched as the flames flicked higher into the room, reaching almost to
the ceiling. Something was wrong, something besides the fact that he was
standing in the middle of a room on fire. Where was this room? Why is it so
familiar? He stepped through the flames, into a different room a bedroom. He
could see from this distance they were dead. Dead from the smoke circling the
bed, lying in a gray haze above the still figures.
But the boy wasn’t dead. The boy who kept crying and tugging and screaming for
them to wake up…get out. A boy with brown hair and bright blue eyes. A boy who
was…
JC’s eyes flew open, relieved to find this room dark and fire and smoke free.
He reached out a hand and felt the warm body next to him. And no dead people in
bed. Knowing from experience that he’d never get back to sleep, JC slipped out
of bed quietly and headed downstairs to the kitchen of Justin’s house. He put
a kettle on to boil and grabbed a mug and tea bag out of a cupboard. Then he sat
at the table, head in his hands.
He’d dreamed it again. The fire that had killed his natural parents. This was
the sixth time in a month he’d dreamed it. Always the same, walking through
the fire, seeing them on the bed, seeing the boy try and awaken them. It was
strange.
But it wasn’t just the dreams that were strange. Other things were happening
to him. Things he couldn’t explain. Things he couldn’t even tell Justin
about, fearing…what? Rejection? He wondered if that were even possible from
Justin. They’d been together, friends and lovers, for ten years. But yes, JC
was scared. Scared that Justin would find out he was different.
He rose, grabbing the kettle and pouring the hot water, then laughed bitterly at
himself. Yes, he was different, he thought, watching the spoon he’d forgotten
on the counter float across the room into his hand. How could he explain, even
to Justin, just what a freak he’d become?
The sun was peaking over the trees when JC heard Justin approach behind him. The
older man smiled as he felt a soft hand and kiss brush his hair.
“That dream again?” Justin asked softy.
“Yeah, same one.” JC rubbed a hand over his eyes in a tired motion. “I
wonder if I should ask my folks about it,” he mused.
Justin was busy pouring cereal. “Might not be a bad idea,” he agreed.
“You’ve never really talked about it, have you?”
JC shook his head. Though he’d always known he was adopted, the Chasez’s had
never really explained what had happened to his natural parents. Karen and Roy
had only said they’d died in a fire when JC had been away at a sleepover. JC,
never one to make waves and always one to accept his place in his new family,
knew better than to push the issue. But now, with these dreams and…these other
things…perhaps the time had come.
“I’m glad the tour is over,” Justin said, lifting his bowl and drinking
the sugary cereal milk. *Nsync had finished up their latest tour in Orlando last
night, and except for a quick meeting at the venue this after noon, the band was
done for a while.
JC laughed when Justin lowered the cereal bowl, milk mustache adorning his top
lip. Unable to resist, JC reached out and wiped off half the white stuff with
his thumb, bringing it to his own mouth and licking off the milk.
“Hmmm,” he said. “Delicious.” He reached out again, removing the other
half of the moustache, but Justin reached up and snagged JC’s hand, holding it
to his own mouth and sucking gently as his thumb. Excitement sparkled in
Justin’s blue eyes.
I can’t lose him, JC thought as Justin pulled him closer, kissing
JC’s open and willing mouth.
Then all thoughts of dreams and fires and spoons were gone as desire raged
between the lovers.
“What do you two have planned for our down time?” Joey asked Justin.
JC caught his lover’s eye and shook his head slightly. As much as he loved his
band mates, he didn’t want to explain why they were going to Chicago to see
JC’s parents, especially since they’d just seen the Chasez’s a week ago in
New York.
Justin caught the message. “We’re not sure yet, Joe.”
Joey looked at Justin thoughtfully. “Is everything alright?”
“What do you mean?” Justin’s eyes were on JC as he now stood away from
them, talking with Anthony and Johnny.
Joey looked between JC and Justin. “I mean, is everything okay with JC?” He
shook his head. “And don’t give me that ‘what ever do you mean?’ look,
Justin. I know you, I know JC, and I know when something’s wrong.”
Justin smiled. “You amaze me, Joey.” Then he sobered, regarding his lover
thoughtfully. “I don’t know, Joey. There’s something…” He shrugged.
“Hard to pin down, isn’t he?” Joey observed.
“He’s damn impossible at times,” Justin agreed. “Never wants a fuss,
always hiding in the background so he doesn’t ‘bother anyone.’”
“And when he has a problem…” Joey began.
“He doesn’t share it easily, even with me,” Justin finished.
“Well, tell him we love him, no matter what,” Joey said.
“I will.” Justin smiled at his band mate. “And thanks.”
Joey cuffed Justin playfully. “Anytime, infant.”
Justin left Joey and walked over to JC, who was still in conversation with
Johnny and Anthony. He slipped his hand into JC’s, needing the contact of his
lover’s touch, but pulled back, surprised at how warm his hand was.
JC felt the movement and looked at Justin quizzically. “What’s wrong?” JC
asked at Justin’s frown.
“Are you sick?” Justin asked, raising a hand to JC’s face. “Your hands
are burning hot.”
JC’s eyes widened at the image Justin’s words created. “No, I’m not sick,”
he whispered, pulling back slightly. “Don’t…Justin.”
“ANTHONY! WATCH OUT!”
Everyone’s eyes turned toward their stage manager at Chris’ scream. Everyone
watched in horror as the huge piece of the stage started falling towards
Anthony. The man had no time to get out of the way, and could only fall to the
stage and cover his head before the twisted metal hit him.
Only it never hit him.
And it never hit the stage, either.
Instead, it hovered six inches above Anthony, giving him time to crawl out from
under it.
Silence reined as Anthony stood up. Then the tangled piece fell to the stage
with a loud crash.
JC fell to the stage at the same time, spent of the energy it had taken to keep
the metal from crushing Anthony. His breath was ragged and harsh. He looked up.
Everyone was staring at him.
They know… he thought. They know I’m a freak…
“JC?” Justin’s voice was soft but questioning. He reached out a hand, but
JC flung it away.
“NO!” he shouted, rising quickly to his feet and running out the stage door.
The
man’s blue eyes opened quickly. He removed the headpiece and turned off the
machine. His chair made no noise as it glided out of the room though the think
vault door. He smiled softly at the two figures waiting for him outside the
chamber.
“Logan, Jean,” he greeted them. “We have a new one. I would appreciate if
you went to Florida and asked him to join us for a while.”
Logan looked at the older man with questioning eyes. “This one have a name?”
he asked sarcastically, causing Jean to roll her eyes.
“His name is JC Chasez,” Professor Charles Xavier said. “And I would like
him here as soon as possible.