By: Amy
© 2000
Chapter 11
JC stood outside Belle's hotel room door, debating whether he should knock or not, it was pretty late. He couldn't wait until the morning though, he needed to talk to right then and there. He knocked softly and almost instantaneously, the door swung open.
"Speak of the devil," Toby said waving JC into the room.
"Ah, I was topic of conversation?" JC said laughing.
"Well, not all of you, just your ass," Toby said joking.
"And a nice ass it is," JC said grabbing his rear, making the girls double over in laughter.
"So what's the story morning glory?" Belle asked as her laughter subsided.
"I wanted to talk to you...can you come for a walk with me?" JC asked looking deeply into her eyes.
"Sure...if you don't mind me coming in my pj's," Belle said looking down at her tank top and flannel boxers.
"Not at all," JC said taking her hand. The two walked down the hallway to the elevator, both completely silent.
"Well, what did you want to talk to me about?" Belle asked as the got out of the elevator and walked into the lobby.
JC took a deep breath, preparing himself for what he had to tell her.
"Well...wow this is hard," he said.
"It's okay...it's just me," Belle said looking up at him.
"I know...Belle...these past few days have been awesome, I really love spending time with you. The more we spend time together, the more I enjoy it. And the day we kissed...completely blew my mind...I realized something the moment our lips touched," JC stopped, sighing deeply.
"Go ahead," Isabelle whispered.
"I realized...I felt...I knew that we would have a connection, I felt the electricity in your touch, the chemistry. What I'm trying to say is...I think I'm falling for you," JC said looking away. His words hit her like a ton of bricks, she felt the same way for him.
"JC...can I tell you something now?" Belle asked.
"Sure," he said still looking away.
"I like you too...the same way you like me...I felt it," Belle said turning his face to look at hers.
"You did?" JC said smiling.
"Yes," she said wrapping her arms around his neck. He pulled her close, hugging her tightly, he was relieved that his love for her was mutual. He had a feeling that the coming months were going to be just beautiful.
"I can't believe the tour is over," Isabelle said to JC on their last night.
"Yeah, I know...it's been awesome but I'm glad we can rest for a while now," JC said stretching out on the couch in his dressing room.
"True. But we're not going to see each other much now, I'm going home to NYC and your going back to Orlando," Belle said sadly taking his hand into hers.
"Oh I forgot about that...don't worry though, we'll find a way," JC said pulling her down close to him, kissing her softly.
"We better," she said smiling, kissing him again.
"BELLE! Your on!" the stage manager yelled from the hallway.
"That's my cue," Belle said standing up, smoothing out her shirt, "I'll be back!"
"I can't wait," JC said as he watched her disappear out the door.
"Ahh, it's good to be home," Toby said dropping her bags in the middle of their living room.
"Yeah," Isabelle said dropping her bags next to Toby's. "It's going to be weird though, not seeing JC for a while. I already miss him."
"I know what you mean...I miss Chris being around all the time," Toby said sadly.
"Did you guys ever talk? About your feelings?" Belle asked going into the kitchen.
"Nope, he still has no idea I like him," Toby said following her, "I just couldn't build up the courage...oh well."
RING! RING!
"I'll get it," Toby said reaching for the phone. "Hello?...Hold on, she's right here...Belle, it's for you," Toby said handing the phone over.
"Hello?" Belle said walking out of the kitchen, "Yes this is she...uh huh...oh my goodness, that's great...right...yes...thank you so much, I'll see you then..bye!"
Toby heard Belle saying in the other room. Suddenly Belle came bounding back in with a huge grin on her face.
"What?" Toby asked.
"THEY WANNA SIGN ME!!! JIVE WANTS TO SIGN ME!!" Belle screeched jumping up and down.
"What? That's great!" Toby said hugging her friend.
"Man, I miss Isabelle," JC said turning off the television and looking at Justin.
"Why don't you go see her? We have a few weeks off, take a trip up to New York," Justin said.
"Maybe I will, maybe I will," JC said thoughtfully, "I'll take Chris up with me, I know he would want to see Toby. He's still got it bad for that girl."
"Is she even interested? I get the vibe from her that she's completely uninterested in the male species. She walks around like she doesn't want to give the time of day to anyone," Justin said.
"It's all an act. Belle said Toby really can be sensitive, but she doesn't want to appear weak...so she puts up a front. She wants to be able to take care of herself, without any assistance," JC explained.
"Riight," Justin said unconvinced.
"This is freaking incredible," Isabelle said sitting with her manager and October looking through headshots and resumes.
"No it's not," Toby said helping her, "I told you you'd be famous."
"I'm hardly famous, Tob," Belle said looking over at her friend, "Geez! I don't know who to choose!" Belle said frustrated. She had been looking for qualified dancers for her video all morning. The shoot was beginning in a few days, and so far she only had October; she needed at least four more.
"Well, you better hop to it girl, you don't have much time,"October said.
"Here, you choose...you know what to look for," Belle said pushing the pile in front of October.
"What?"
"Just do it, I have to get to the studio," Belle said standing up. She walked down the hall to the recording studio with her manager. The room was full of producers and other executives that Isabelle did not know. She felt a rush of intimidation come over her. She smiled brightly though, and took her place in front of the microphone.
"Okay Isabelle, we're going to remix 'Never Forget You' for the video. Basically your going to do some echoing vocals and a couple background vocals...we're not changing the song entirely, we just need some new sounds to work with. Okay?" one of the producers said to her. Isabelle nodded and smiled, waiting for the music to begin. She finished her cuts in about an hour and decided to go back to the conference room to check on October's progress.
"Hey girl...find what we need?" Isabelle said sliding into a seat next to October.
"Yep...we're all set. Here's Tara, Heather, Scotty and Jake...your dancers," October said spreading the pictures out in front of Isabelle.
"Awesome, thank you so much Tob," Belle said hugging her friend.
"Anytime," Toby said, "Now we just need to call them up and tell them."
"Right," Isabelle said picking up the phone at the end of the table. She called each of them and informed them of their acceptance, telling them to be at the dance studio at 9 am the next morning for their first rehearsal.
"5, 6, 7, 8...pop, pop, slide, punch, punch, kick...ready...1, 2, 3, 4..." Liz, the choreographer recited as she watched the dancers rehearse. "Okay, good. Relax for a few...Belle? Could you come here for a minute?"
Belle nodded her head and walked over to Liz.
"What's up?"
"I want to go over a few steps with you, I want you to join them during the chorus," Liz explained.
"Okay, no problem," Belle said as she watched and imitated Liz. Liz counted the steps for Belle and helped her perfect the movements.
"Good, good. You're a natural," Liz said patting Belle on the back.
"Belle! Your cell is ringing!" Toby yelled from across the room. Belle ran over and answered it quickly.
"Hello?" she said breathlessly.
"Hey beautiful," JC's voice said.
"Jace! Ohmygod! How are you?" Belle said, a smile lighting up her face.
"I'm good. Where are you?" he asked.
"At the dance studio, we're rehearsing for my video," Belle said sitting down on the hardwood floor.
"You're making a video? You didn't even finish your record!" JC said surprised.
"I know, but they think it'll be good for me to get a little exposure before we release the album," Belle explained.
"Ah, I see. So are you going to be shooting in the city?"
"Yeah, we start production in a few days. I'm so excited!"
"Great, hun. Listen I gotta run, are you going to be home tonight?" JC asked.
"Yeah, I should be home around 10..." Belle said thoughtfully.
"Okay babe, see you then, bye."
"Bye," Belle said before JC hung up. "Wait a minute...'see you then?' Maybe he meant 'talk to you then'...." Belle mused to herself.
"I'm just gonna hop in the shower real quick, Tob...I'll be right out," Belle said as she shut the bathroom door.
"Okay," Toby replied quietly as she stretched her exhausted body out on the couch. She closed her eyes slowly and went over the dance steps in her mind. She had gone through them nearly three times before a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She rose slowly and went over to the door, "Who is it?" she asked.
"JC and Chris," a voice said from the other side. October's heart skipped a beat as she quickly opened the door, revealing the two men standing there smiling.
"What are you doing here?" October asked, her eyes wide.
"We came to visit," Chris said happily, embracing October. Her heart began to beat faster, but she remained composed, refusing to show any further excitement.
"So, where's she hiding?" JC asked looking around for Belle.
"She's in the shower, she should be out any minute," Toby said motioning towards the bathroom door.
"Where's her bedroom?" JC asked walking down the hall.
"First door on the right," Toby said, then looked back at Chris, "Hi." she said, unsure of what else to say.
"Hi," he replied, fidgeting.
"Have a seat?" Toby asked walking over to the couch.
Chris followed her, sitting down beside her. The two sat in silence, both wanting to say so much, but unable to begin.
JC looked around Belle's room, noticing pictures on her dresser. He walked over, looking more closely. There was one of Belle singing, at what appeared to be some sort of competition, one of Belle and October in front of a Christmas tree, and then one of Belle and Cody. JC's closed his eyes at the sight of him, he hated that man more than anything else in the world. He couldn't believe how someone could hurt Belle so bad, how someone could be so evil. JC reached over and placed the photo face down.
"Thank you," a voice said from behind him. JC turned around and saw Belle standing in the doorway in her robe.
"Hey beautiful," JC said walking over to her quickly, taking her into his arms.
"Hi handsome," she said as she kissed his cheek, "you were the last person I expected to see standing in my bedroom."
"Do you want me to leave?" JC asked concerned.
"Are you kidding? No way!" she replied kissing his lips.
"So, uh, how have you been?" Chris asked, looking at October and tapping his feet nervously.
"Good, yourself?" she replied quickly.
"Good," Chris said.
"I need to tell you something..." they said in unison.
"You go first," Chris said.
"No...you," October replied.
"Okay," he took a deep breath before he began, "How can I say this? I like you Toby, a lot. And I'm not sure if you like me, but I hope you do. We have fun together, I like spending time with you...and I hope things aren't going to be weird between us, now that I said this, cuz we're going to see each other a lot on the second leg of the tour..." Chris said trailing off.
"It's not going to be weird," Toby said abruptly.
"It's not?" Chris asked a smile forming on his face.
"No, because I like you too Chris," Toby blurted out.
Her eyes widened at her words, she couldn't believe that she had just said that.
"You do? Really?" he said taking her hand into his. Toby nodded her head quickly, letting him hold her hand.
"Just don't let it get out, I don't want people to think I'm getting soft," she said winking at him. She had to admit it to herself, Chris broke down all the walls she had built up. She let him in, and she didn't think that she would be regretting it either.
"Oh, I won't, don't worry," Chris said moving closer to her, sliding his arm around her waist.
"What are you doing?" Toby snapped, then realized the harshness of her words, "I'm...I'm sorry Chris, I didn't mean that, I was just startled."
Chris removed his arm and scooted away slightly.
"It's okay, I understand," he said saddened.
"Chris..." Toby said taking his arm and putting it around her as she snuggled up against him. He smiled and leaned back on the couch. "I'm the one who should be sorry Chris, I need to stop being so protective of myself. I always freeze up, push people away. I don't want to do that with you," October whispered softly.
"You don't have to either, I won't hurt you Toby, I just want to..." Chris stopped, unsure of her reaction to his next words.
"You just want to what, Chris?"
"Love you," he whispered. A smile spread across October's face, and a wave of relief overwhelmed her body. She knew it was time to let herself be vulnerable, let herself fall in love.
"Well, well, well, look what we have here," JC said as he and Belle entered the living room.
"What did you do to my Toby?" Belle asked, noticing her in his arms.
"Did you drug her Chris?" JC joked, making Belle giggle.
"Must have, I've never seen her that close to a guy before," Belle added.
"Would you two shut up?" Toby shot back. "He didn't do anything to me, I did this on my own free will!"
"Yeah!" Chris added, throwing a fist in the air, which sent them all into a fit of laughter. Belle could barely stand, leaning on JC as she shook with laughter, tears streaming down her face.
"Well, I'm happy for you two...your perfect for each other," Belle managed to say between giggles. Toby stuck her tongue out at them, but then let a smile spread across her face.
"So how long are you boys going to be in town?" Isabelle asked looking up at JC.
"A week or two, however long you want me to stay," JC said pulling her closer.
"How about forever?" Belle replied standing up on her toes to kiss him.
"Oh gag me," Toby said looking away. Chris laughed and covered Toby's eyes with his hand.
"Her virgin eyes!" Chris said laughing.
"Virgin?!?" Toby said defensively as she sat up and looked at him.
"Sorry, it was a joke," Chris said holding his hands up, ready to defend himself.
"I know, calm down," Toby said smiling, "I was just testing the boundaries."
"Oh what am I getting myself into?" Chris questioned out loud as he took Toby into his arms once again.
"The best damn time of your life," Toby answered his rhetorical question.
"Hey you asked, Chris," Belle piped in. Chris just shook his head and smiled.
"Question," Toby said, "where are you guys staying?"
JC and Chris looked at each other and smiled.
"That couch is looking mighty comfy for tonight," JC said eyeing the couch Toby and Chris were sitting on.
"You don't have a place to stay?" Belle asked rubbing JC's back softly.
"Well, not for tonight, our room is booked for tomorrow night on," JC said.
"Your more than welcome to stay here in our humble adobe, it may not be much...but it's home," Toby said glancing around their little apartment.
"Thanks," Chris said sneaking a kiss on her cheek.
"Well, I hate to break up this party, but Toby and I have to wake up for an early rehearsal, so I think I am going to call it a night," Belle said glancing down at October.
"Ok sweetie, I'll tuck you in," JC said walking with her down the hall.
"Good night Belle," Chris said, "You going to sleep now too?"
"Yeah, I probably should," Toby said getting up, "Come on...tuck me into bed too!" she said pulling on Chris' hands. Chris rose and followed Toby down the hall into her bedroom.
"Come on, hop into that warm, comfortable, soft...bed" JC said staring longingly at the queen sized bed in her room, he could barely keep his eyes open. Belle crawled under the covers and patted the spot next to her.
"Oh don't be shy now...you can stay here with me tonight," Belle said sweetly.
"You're the best...I mean your couch sure looked inviting, but once I spied this...it just didn't compare," JC said kicking off his shoes and laying down next to her. Belle laughed lightly and snuggled up next to him.
"Good night Jace," she whispered.
"Night Belle," he replied turning out the light.
"Belle, sweetie, wake up, it's 8:30," JC said nudging her gently.
"Huh? What?" Belle mumbled opening her eyes slowly.
"You have rehearsals this morning at 9, and its 8:30, you have to get up," JC said brushing the hair out of her eyes.
"Oh my God! Toby! Wake up!" Belle yelled as she shot up in bed.
Hearing Belle, Toby rolled over and opened her eyes. Chris lay sleeping peacefully next to her. She crawled out of bed and went into the hall, nearly getting knocked over by Belle.
"Slow down girl, the studio is just down the street," Toby said as she made her way to the kitchen. As she passed Belle's room, she saw JC sitting on the edge of her bed, pulling a shirt over his head. She smiled to herself, apparently she and Belle had the same ideas last night.
JC walked out into the living room and noticed Chris hadn't slept out there either. He smiled to himself and went into the kitchen where October was making coffee.
"Morning," he said leaning on the counter.
"Oh, hi JC," Toby said turning around, "excuse my appearance, someone just woke me up."
"I know, she screamed in my ear," JC said with a laugh.
Toby smiled as she brushed past him, heading back down to her bedroom. She noticed Chris was still asleep, so she gently shook his shoulder.
"Wake up Chris," she whispered. His eyes fluttered open, and noticing her standing above him, he smiled. "We have to be at the studio in 20 minutes, so if your coming, you better get dressed."
Belle came rushing out of the bathroom wearing blue track pants and a white tanktop, sneakers in hand. She whizzed into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
"Slow down sweetie," JC said laughing, "You still have 15 minutes, and they can't start without you, you're the star."
"I'm not a star, but you're right, they can't start without me," Belle said taking a deep breath to relax. She sat down to put on her sneakers and drink her coffee. JC watched her every move.
"Only you could make such a casual outfit look sexy," he said observantly.
Belle blushed at the comment.
"And only you could make 'bed head' look hot." JC reached up and touched his hair, feeling it standing straight up in different directions.
"I should probably comb this, huh?" he said and Belle nodded in agreement.
Within moments the four were walking down the streets of New York to the studio. JC held Belle's hand tightly and Chris draped his arm around October's shoulders. They were nearly there when they encountered an old "friend".
"Well, would ya look at this," Cody said motioning to the four of them.
"Rot in hell, Cody," Belle shot back.
"What was that darlin'? Did you say something?" Cody said standing in front of her.
Belle looked up at him and repeated herself, slowly and deliberately.
"I said 'rot...in...hell...Cody', do you need it in sign language too?"
"Can you believe her?" Cody said back to his friends who were laughing.
Belle began to tremble and JC pulled her close. October could feel the rage burning inside her, she wanted so badly to hit him.
"I suggest you keep walking," October said coming forward.
"Why? You gonna try to hit me again?" Cody snickered.
"Oh, this time I would succeed," October said through gritted teeth.
"Just get out of here, man," JC said pushing him back.
"Oh now pretty boy is getting involved?" Cody snickered. JC glared at him and let go of Belle, pushing her towards Chris.
"Yeah, the pretty boy is getting involved," JC said before punching him square in his jaw.
Belle sat next to JC on the studio floor, holding ice on his eye.
"I still can't believe you punched him," she said giggling.
"Neither can I," he said smiling.
"You've got one awesome left hook there," Toby said sitting down across from them.
"Thanks. Hopefully that's the last we'll see of him," he said placing his hand on Belle's knee.
"Yeah, hopefully," Belle said, but then thought to herself, 'I'm not so sure about that though.'
"Okay you lazy bums, let's get moving," Liz said clapping her hands. Belle and Toby got up and joined the other dancers. Chris scooted over next to JC to watch.
They went through the routine a few times, Liz was very pleased with their performance, and therefore decided to give them the rest of the afternoon off. All of the dancers left, except Belle and Toby. Belle had to discuss costumes with the designer and Toby wanted to run through the routine again.
"That's one hell of a shiner," Toby said pointing at JC's eye from across the table. The four were sitting in a small corner cafe having lunch.
"I know," JC said touching his eye gently, "but it was worth it."
"Was it?" Belle said wrapping her arms around his and kissing his cheek.
"Definitely," he replied smiling at her.
"Okay, stop the mushy stuff, I'm trying to eat here," Toby said shoving a bread stick in her mouth. Chris looked at her and laughed slightly, even when she was rude she was adorable. He had really fallen for her, there was no turning back now, not as far as he was concerned anyway.
After lunch the four decided to go catch a flick. As they were entering the theater a young girl came up to JC.
"Hi, are you JC from *NSYNC?" she asked, her blue eyes shining.
"I sure am," JC said kneeling down to her eye level.
"Is she that girl that sang at your concert?" she asked pointing to Belle.
JC looked up at Belle and smiled, then looked back to the girl.
"Yes she is, her name is Belle."
The little girl smiled and motioned for JC to come closer. He leaned in and she whispered in his ear.
"Is she your girlfriend?"
JC let out a laugh and whispered back.
"I hope so."
"Hey what's all the whispering going on down here?" Belle asked kneeling down next to JC.
"He likes you," the girl said pointing at JC.
"He does?" Belle said, her eyes widening.
"Yea, he said he hoped you were his girlfriend."
"Well, he doesn't have to hope...I am," Belle said touching JC's arm.
JC smiled and stood up.
"It was nice meeting you," he said shaking the little girl's hand.
"You too!" she said before turning and running back to her mother.
"So, you are?" JC said pulling Belle into his arms.
"If you want me," she replied.
"Oh I do, trust me, I do," JC said kissing her softly.
"Okay, enough...let's go before we miss the movie," Toby said, interrupting their moment. Chris shook his head in disbelief.
"You have impeccable timing, you know that Toby?" Chris said sliding his arm around her waist, pulling her towards the theater.
"What? What did I say?" Toby asked.
Isabelle walked out onto the set for the video and sat down on "her bed". She looked around at the "bedroom". She was still in awe that she was making a music video. Toby came bounding onto the set and plopped down on the bed next to her.
"How cool is this?" Toby said smiling.
"It's awesome, I can't believe it. An 'Isabelle Stuart' video for her latest single 'Never Forget You'...how weird does that sound?" Belle said.
"Weird? That doesn't sound weird at all...that sounds real..it's your reality now. Your the newest pop princess babe," Toby said hugging her friend.
"I just hope people like it," Belle said quietly.
"Girl, you know they are gonna eat it up! You da bomb sweetie! I tell you that all the time, I can't think of anyone better. Don't be down on yourself, you know your one fly honey," Toby said with a laugh. Belle began to giggle, Toby always made her feel better about herself, she loved her for that.
"Okay! Places people!" the director yelled and Toby ran off the set. "Belle, just be natural sweetie, have fun with it," she said to Belle. Belle smiled and held a pillow in her arms, waiting for the music to begin. A camera came close to her face and she immediately felt uncomfortable. She reassured herself that it would be okay though, and that helped her relax. The music started and she began to sing.
JC and Chris sat back and watched Isabelle. JC couldn't take his eyes off of her, the innocent look on her face just made his heart melt. Chris tried to watch Isabelle, but he spied October off to the side and couldn't concentrate on anything else.
"She's great," JC whispered to Chris.
"Yeah, she is," Chris said referring to Toby. JC looked at Chris and hit him in his arm.
"I mean Belle, you bonehead!" he said.
"Oh, yeah, her too," Chris said looking back at Belle.
"Okay cut!" the director yelled and Belle stopped singing. "Now, I want you to move over to the window...gaze outside...as if your looking for him," she directed. Belle got up and went over to the window, catching JC's eye as she went, she blew him a kiss and smiled. He caught it with his hand and then touched it to his heart. "Okay, play music!" the director said.
"I'll never forget you, No I won't, Your hands, your face, your touch, Baby, I'll never forget you," Belle sang to the upbeat tempo. The shoot lasted till late that night and Belle was exhausted.
"Oh, I just want to crawl into bed," Belle said leaning her head on JC's shoulder. He put his arm around her protectively, holding her closely.
"It's okay baby, we'll be home soon," he whispered.
"My feet are killing me!" Toby whined shifting from one foot to the other.
"Want me to carry you?" Chris asked jokingly.
"Actually..."Toby said considering it.
"I was kidding hun," Chris said taking her hand, "Come on, let's get in the limo."
Belle and JC followed Chris and Toby out to the car. Once inside, Belle rested her head on JC's chest and fell instantly asleep. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her, laying his head on hers, closing his eyes. Toby and Chris looked at them and then at each other, smiling.
"They are too cute," Toby whispered.
"Yeah," Chris said staring into her eyes. He wanted to kiss her so badly, her full lips were so inviting.
"Chris? Is there something wrong?" Toby asked touching his face, a concerned look on her face.
"No," he whispered as he leaned in to kiss her. His lips touched hers briefly before he pulled away, looking to her for the okay to proceed. Toby nodded her head slowly and smiled, pulling his face close to hers once again.
The limo stopped suddenly and the door flew open; they had arrived at their destination. Chris nudged JC, and his eyes popped open, startled out of his sleep. Chris and Toby got out of the car first, followed by JC and a half-asleep Belle. Toby took a hold of Belle and they said good-bye to the guys.
"Belle, I have something to tell you," Toby said as she opened the door to their apartment.
"Yeah? What?" Belle said leaning on the wall, waiting for Toby to open the door.
"I kissed Chris," Toby said as she entered the apartment.
"What?" Belle said quickly following her, "I thought you did the other night...JC said Chris stayed in your room..."
"He did, but I didn't kiss him, nothing happened that night...I kissed him for the first time tonight..." Toby said dreamily.
"You crack me up, Tob," Belle said shaking her head in disbelief.
"Hey, I do what I can," October said confidently.
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