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Date Posted: 01:53:06 11/30/02 Sat
Author: Z
Subject: "Lance Scratches His Ass in Space" *NEW* Chapter 4-lol ok, so the title's a work in progress...

If you couldn't tell, I'm still working on the title. I'll probably have to change it (I like it, Tiff, but it doesn't really fit the story). Anyway, I sincerely hope this chapter doesn't bore you guys to tears...also there's a note at the bottom....Hope you enjoy...

Chapter 4

Saturday, January 15, 2003

"Crap!" Hannah said under her breathe as her eyes landed on the clock in the kitchen, well what constituted as a kitchen. JC was going to be there in 30 minutes and she had just finished drying her hair. Hannah still needed to get dressed and get her make-up done. It seemed as though she was always rushing around to get to once place or another. If she could just have two days where she didn't have to be anywhere or didn't have a pile of homework waiting for her, she would be a very happy person.

Hannah walked over to her closet and pulled out the only formal dress she owned. The only reason she had that outfit was because Lucy had dragged her to one of her family's dinner parties. At the time Hannah had grudgingly dished out the money, but now she was glad she had something for tonight. The dress was a deep purple color with a suede bodice and flowy skirt part that wrapped around at the hips to almost look like a wrap around dancers wore over their leotards. Her favorite part of the outfit was the shoes. Hannah loved the crisscrossing straps that came to mid-calf on her. Overall, the outfit had a modern, medieval ballerina feel to it.

Shedding her robe, Hannah slipped on the dress and pulled her hair out. She had wanted to put her hair up in a twist, but her hair wasn't cooperating. Instead, she had to settle for blow drying her hair stick straight. Not that it made much of a difference, but Hannah always felt a little more sexy with her hair up. Another glance at the clock re-lit the fire under Hannah's feet as she scurried to the bathroom for make-up.

This was something she didn't get to do too often. Usually Hannah had enough time to barely put on some eyeliner and some lip-gloss. Happily, Hannah pulled out the shades that matched her outfit and quickly applied the make-up. Just as Hannah finished putting on the second coat of mascara, her door buzzed. She made a beeline for the intercom with bare feet.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Hannah? It's Josh."

"Okay, come on up. I'm on the 3rd floor, but the elevator's broken." Hannah cringed as she thought about JC walking up the stairs. This was why it would have been better to meet the guys at the restaurant. Hannah hit the buzzer that opened the front door downstairs. Now she had only 5 minutes before JC would be at her door. Once again Hannah made a mad dash. She grabbed her small, black purse, making sure to put her wallet, keys, powder and lipstick into it. She pulled out a black wrap to cover her shoulders and sat down on the bed to put on her shoes. Before she could put on the second shoe, there was a knock at the door.

"Ugh, that was fast!" Hannah moaned. So close, she thought as she hobbled over to the front door. She unlocked the door and walked to the sofa. "Come on in." As JC entered, Hannah finished putting on her shoe. Her hair fell all around her shoulders as she wrapped the straps around her leg, blocking her view. "Okay, I'm all ready." Hannah stood up and smoothed out her dress. She threw back her hair and straightened herself out. Hannah froze as her eyes landed on her guest. "What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Hanny, long time no see."

"Don't call me t hat and how did you get in?" Hannah tried to keep her voice even as her blood boiled inside.

"You never were good at talking to people about yourself. That old bat in 1C still thinks we're an item so she was more than happy to let me in."

"Nice job, Brandon, take advantage of an old lady's memory." Hannah crossed her arms and took on a defensive stance. "Now either tell me what you're doing here, or leave."

"No need to rush," Brandon said smoothly as he stepped closer to Hannah. "I've missed you, sweetie."

"I don't have time to deal with this, so cut the bullshit."

"Be nice, Hanny, I just wanted to see you again."

Brandon was barely a foot away from Hannah and she squirmed uncomfortably. Hannah took a sharp breath and the familiar smell of Brandon's cologne greeted her nostrils. For a split second, Hannah contemplated stepping forward and falling into his arms before rationality hit her.

"JC!" Hannah said loudly when she remembered that he was on his way up.

"What?" Brandon asked in a confused tone. He had felt Hannah weakening and was expecting her to give in.

"Just leave, I don't want to do this anymore." Hannah pulled away and tried to walk away from Brandon, but he reached out and grabbed her by the elbow.

"Hanny, please?" Brandon said softly. "Can't we just talk?" Brandon stared deeply into Hannah's eyes. Hannah felt immobilized once again as her mind screamed at her to run away. A knock at the door pulled Hannah out of her trance.

"Hey, Hannah?" JC peeked his head through the open door to find Hannah standing in the middle of the room with a guy. "Oh, I'm sorry am I interrupting?"

"No, it's fine, come on in," Hannah said to JC. She turned back to Brandon and yanked her arm away. "Don't call me Hanny," she said forcefully. "Good-bye, Brandon." Hannah walked over to JC and waited until Brandon left. As soon as he closed the door behind him, Hannah let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

JC stared at Hannah and could see that she was visibly upset. She looked intently at the front door as if she were waiting for it to open again.

"Are you okay?" JC asked after a couple of minutes.

"Yeah," Hannah said slowly. She shook her head and turned to JC. "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry you had to see that. Anyway, shall we go? I don't want to make us late."

"Sure, let's go."

"Okay, let me just grab my purse." Hannah disappeared into her bedroom. JC stared after her with a puzzled look. It wasn't any of his business to pry, but he wondered what he had walked in on and he hoped Hannah would be okay.

"Okay, I'm set. Thanks again for picking me up," Hannah said, walking out with her purse and wrap in hand. For the first time JC noticed that Hannah was all dressed up.

"Wow, Hannah, you look amazing."

"Aww, thanks. I don't usually have an excuse to get all dressed up, but look at you. Suit and tie, impressive."

"Well, what can I say; when you got it, you got it," JC said with a grin.

"And boy have you got it, an ego that is," Hannah teased.

"Comes with the profession. After you," JC gallantly opened the door and bowed, allowing Hannah to pass through.

"Why thank you," Hannah said with a curtsey. She stepped out into the hallway, followed by JC. After quickly locking the door, the two set off towards the restaurant.

^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^

Hannah nervously stepped into the restaurant and gazed around. JC had warned her that it was fancy, but the décor and atmosphere were beyond what she had imagined. It was almost as if she was underdressed for the place despite her fancy dress. Unconsciously, Hannah clung to JC as the walked past the tables. JC could see fear on Hannah's face and despite completely understanding the intimidation, he found it amusing. He reassuringly patted the back of her hand as they approached their large table in a secluded corner of the restaurant. Everyone else was already seated and waited for them to arrive.

"Hey, you guys," JC greeted his friends. The sat around the circular table with two empty seats near the front. JC stepped forward to pull out the chair for Hannah. The other guys quickly got out of their seats and stood up to welcome Hannah.

"Wow, Hannah, you look really nice," Joey said politely. She looked very different from the normal dance clothes they were used to seeing her in.

"Thanks," Hannah said modestly, trying not to blush too horribly.

For the first time, Justin turned his head and realized that the rest of their party had arrived. He pushed back and chair and stood up before opening his mouth to greet JC and Hannah, but when his eyes fell on Hannah, he lost the ability to speak. Chris noticed the younger man standing there with his mouth hanging open and he smiled. It wasn't hard to figure out the reason behind Justin's lack of vocal abilities. Hannah did look amazing, but Chris could also tell that Justin was seeing something more than the rest of them. From the first day that Justin had met Hannah, he couldn't help but think about her. Chris wasn't oblivious to the numerous times Justin brought Hannah into a conversation, claiming to wonder about why she acted cold to him. From Chris's perspective, the two of them seemed to be playing a game with each other, like junior high school kids.

"Justin, you better close your mouth before something flies in," Joey said with a snicker as everyone took their seats. Justin quickly shut his mouth and straightened himself out, trying not to make a bigger fool out of himself, but not before giving Joey an evil glare.

"Hey, Hannah," Justin said softly.

Hannah turned her face and realized that she was going to spend the entire dinner sitting next to the one person she didn't want to talk to. The evening hadn't even started and Hannah was already regretting being talked into it. It was going to be a long night, Hannah thought before putting on a smile.

"Hi."

Again, Justin sensed stiffness from Hannah that seemed to be related to him. He tried to explain it away by who he was, but he hadn't noticed the same reaction from one of the other guys. Since Hannah was sitting next to him, Justin figured he'd take the opportunity to talk to her and find out why she was so rigid and distant with him.

"So what are we having tonight?" Lance asked, picking up the menu. Everyone else followed his lead and started looking at their menus as well. JC leaned forward to pick up the wine list and read through it quickly.

"Good evening," the waiter said in a thick French accent. Hannah almost laughed out loud at how cliched he looked right down to the bored look on his face. "How may I serve you tonight?"

"We'll have a bottle of the Merlot with our meal," JC said authoritatively as he handed the waiter the wine list. With a quick bow, the waiter turned around and retreated into the back.

Justin leaned over behind Hannah's menu. "C's the resident wine expert," he explained with a smile.

"Ah, I see," Hannah replied, not taking her eyes off the menu in front of her.

"What was so funny about the waiter?" Justin had noticed the amusement in Hannah's eyes when he had first approached their table and he figured that was a good a topic as any to break the ice with.

"Huh?" Hannah asked, still not turning towards Justin. The question caught her off guard enough to make her gaze shift from the menu to Justin, which was a mistake. As soon as her eyes met his cobalt ones, she felt all sort of forgotten and unacknowledged emotions resurface. Hannah was totally thrown aback with her own reaction. She knew she didn't want to reacquaint herself with Justin, but for a brief second she wasn't sure about her reasons.

"Hello? Earth to Hannah."

Hannah realized she had been staring at Justin and quickly regained her exposure. "Oh sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was asking about the waiter, it looked like you were almost laughing at him."

Once again Hannah was amazed and unnerved at Justin's ability to read her so well. He used to do the same thing when they were younger, but now after all these years it felt weird.

"Oh, um, yeah, he just looked very bored and snooty." Even as she said it, it didn't sound funny to her.

"Oh, okay," Justin said with a smile before turning back to his own menu.

Wow, Hannah mouthed as she let out a sigh of relief. That was another very awkward experience. It seemed as though she had been having a lot of them lately; all of them centered on Justin.

"Um, so what's good in a place like this?" Hannah asked, clearing her throat.

The group proceeded to discuss a few entrees and figure out what to order. Hannah had no idea what French food would taste like so she relied heavily on everyone else's input. After a few minutes of deliberations, everyone decided on their meals for the evening. Hannah's eyes traveled over to Chris who seemed to be pouting in his seat. With a polite smile, Hannah pushed her chair back and excused herself. Again, all five guys stood up as she got up.

"Wow, such gentlemen," Hannah said with a smile before departing the table.

Carefully, Hannah made her way towards the maitre' d. She hoped that the restaurant hadn't dismissed her request from the previous day.

"Excuse me?"

"Oui, mademoiselle?"

"I'm a part of the Chasez party," Hannah said, introducing herself as JC had when they had first arrived.

"Oui, of course," the man said enthusiastically as realization flickered across his face.

"Yes, well, yesterday I called concerning a specific entrée, a couple of special delicatessies."

"Ah, yes, I remember. It has been taken care of."

"Wonderful. Could you let the waiter know that they are for Mr. Kirkpatrick at our table."

"Of course, mademoiselle."

"Thank you very much."

Hannah decided to powder her nose a bit before returning to the table. Luckily, the ladies room was empty so she could have a few minutes to herself. Walking over to the full-length mirror, Hannah looked at herself carefully for the first time that evening. She smoothed out her dress and spun around to see what it looked like from behind. Since she worked out so much for her dancing, Hannah never had to separately worry about maintaining a figure. At first Hannah had intentions of becoming a ballerina, but the way the women in her family were built, it was out of the question. Though it was disappointing at first, Hannah had learned to appreciate her curves, especially in high school.

Slowly, Hannah's gaze traveled up to her face. As always she saw her plain self staring back. It wasn't as though she hated a certain feature, she just saw what she always saw, a regular girl with no pizzazz. With a sigh, Hannah reached into her purse and pulled out her lipstick tube and compact. She quickly touched up her make-up and walked back towards the table.

Her mind wandered to the dish Chris would be eating. She knew it wasn't anything disgusting in taste, just in concept. Hannah smiled happily as she envisioned his reaction, it was definitely something to look forward to. Lately, there hadn't been too many opportunities to be having fun with this being her last semester and all. Hannah tried not to think about it, but the apprehension of finding a job out in the real world was growing inside of her by the day.

Hannah took a deep breath before walking the last few steps towards the table. It was just one dinner, she could manage through it; Hannah told herself. Just don't talk to Justin that much and he'll take the hint.

"Hey, welcome back," Lance said warmly as all the guys stood up.

"We were beginning to think you had ditched us," JC joked.

"Ditched the biggest names in music, I think not."

"She does know who we are!" Chris said, speaking up for the first time that evening.

"Of course I know who you guys are. It's not like I live under a rock, sheesh. Besides, I figured you had to be important to have Marc choreographing your songs," Hannah added with a smile.

"Well, we weren't sure cuz you didn't act like you knew or anything," Lance explained.

"You mean I didn't jump on one of you, screaming hysterically?" Hannah reached forward for her glass of water and took a few sips.

"Yeah, we figured you'd be all over Justin the second he stepped in," Chris said jokingly. Hannah choked on her water mid-swallow and began coughing forcefully.

"Whoa, girl, you okay?" Joey asked. JC leaned forward to offer his assistance if Hannah needed it.

"I'm…fine," Hannah managed to get out between coughs. Everyone relaxed in their seats when they heard her speak.

"Was it something I said?" Chris asked innocently.

Hannah's head shot up and she quickly ceased coughing. "No, no, it just went down the wrong tube." Hannah stole a quick glance at Justin to see him giving her a sympathetic look.



"Ignore Chris," Justin said soothingly. "He's probably nervous about his dinner." Justin stressed the word dinner with a direct stare at Chris. Chris took the hint and backed off. It was never a good idea to push Justin too much about any one thing.

"It's okay, I don't mind," Hannah said, forcing a laugh. She didn't want or need Justin looking out for her. Her throat was still irritated from before, but she suppressed her cough. "You probably get jumped on the most, being the youngest and all. The rest of y'all have older fans, I bet." Hannah took another sip of her water without choking this time. She set her glass carefully down on the table and looked up to see 5 pairs of eyes staring at her. "What?"

"Where are you from," Joey asked with an amused grin.

"Um, here?" Hannah replied slowly.

"No, but before here. I mean, you weren't born here were you?"

"Uh, no, I wasn't. I was born in Colorado and moved around a lot. Why do you ask?" Hannah was totally puzzled about the sudden interest in her past and she had no idea about its cause.

"Did you ever live in the South because you totally sounded like Justin just now."

"What? Nooo, I do not have a Southern accent," Hannah said animatedly.

"Even I have to admit it. You for sure said y'all. I know I don't rub off on people that quickly," Justin said with a laugh.

Hannah opened her mouth to respond, but the conversation was too eerily similar to the one she used to have with Justin all the time. She wasn't even sure what to say without going into her past.

"I have a friend who says y'all all the time. I'll have to go home and remember to thank her," Hannah lied. She was greeted with a round of laughter so she knew she was off the hook.

A wave of familiarity swept over Justin and blinked a few times. Staring around his surroundings, Justin tried to figure out if he had experienced a similar situation recently. "Whoa, I just had déjà vu," Justin said suddenly. Hannah tensed up, expecting forgotten memories to come rushing back any second. Instead Justin just shook his head to shrug off the feeling. "Weird. Anyway, what's taking that waiter so long?"

"Oh yeah, I hope you don't mind, but we told the waiter what you wanted while you were gone," JC said.

"Oh that's fine. I was wondering about that. Thanks."

As if on cue, the waiter returned with the bottle of wine and proceeded to pour it for everyone. Three other waiters came next with their food. One by one, the waters set the covered dishes in front of the appropriate person and lifted the cover to reveal the tasty entrees.

"Your dish, Mr. Kirkpatrick. Box Breaded Beef Rocky Mountain Oysters and Cocoa Vaughn," the waiter said, uncovering his dish last. "I hope you all enjoy." With that the waiters left the group to eat.

"What is this?" Chris asked, poking his fork at his dish, which jiggled around a little.

"Cow testicles and calf brain. Eat up!" Hannah said with a smile. Everyone except for Chris laughed before digging into his or her meals.

Some exquisite desserts, recommended by JC followed dinner. Hannah couldn't remember the last time she had eaten so much and she was afraid her dress would rip at the seams. Chris had been a good sport and only whined a little before reluctantly taking the first bite of his food. He had tried to get the others to taste his dish, but everyone refused.

"Thank you guy for inviting me," Hannah said as the group got up to leave. "I had a really good time."

"Don't mention it, we're glad you agreed," Lance said, speaking up for the whole group.

"And thank YOU for making Chris eat testicles," Joey said with a chuckle.

"My pleasure." Hannah grabbed her purse and wrap and followed the group out the restaurant. Dinner had gone smoothly. Once the food had arrived, it wasn't hard to avoid Justin and conversation was light. Overall, Hannah had enjoyed herself and even forgotten that Justin was sitting next to her.

As soon as the group stepped outside, a cold wind hit Hannah's bare shoulders and a chill went down her spine. She shuffled around her bag and tried to get the warp around her shoulders.

"Here, let me help you," Justin said, stepping behind Hannah. He reached his hands forward, but Hannah quickly wrapped herself up.

"Thanks, but I got it," Hannah said shortly. She moved to step forward and join the rest of the group, but Justin's hand kept her back.

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask. Do you have something against guys your own age or something?" Justin asked, trying to be humorous about it.

"No, just you." Hannah spun around and quickened her pace to join JC. Justin stared after her with his mouth open. He still hadn't fully comprehended Hannah's words. The outright dislike stunned him, but making him even more curious than before.

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Monday, January 17, 2003

Hannah stepped into the studio and put her keys into her bag before tossing it onto the couch. It was 8:30 in the morning and she had arrived at the studio a few minutes ago for another full week of dance rehearsals. Hannah had gotten up early and since she couldn't fall back asleep, she had decided to head on over to the studio to have some time to herself before the guys arrived. This way she could even work on some of her own dancing.

She had a routine for her jazz dancing class that needed some perfecting so Hannah took the CD out of her bag and popped it into the stereo. As the music came on over the speakers, Hannah started to move automatically, watching herself critically in the mirrors. When it came to dancing, Hannah was always her worst critic and probably more hard on herself than she should be The sounds of Miles Davis rang through the studio as Hannah gracefully moved her body. Sereneness swept over her and Hannah let her mind travel to wherever it wanted to go.



"Do you believe in angels," Justin asked, looking up at the sky. Hannah lay on the ground next to him. Although neither one of them would admit it, they both crept closer towards each other to get warmer in the chilly March evening. Hannah and Justin were in the Tennessee woods with the rest of the 8th grade for their class trip. Everyone else had tired themselves out after one too many games, but Justin and Hannah managed to lie awake and have time to themselves.

"I don't know. I think so, kinda there to guide us, but I don't know if I have an angel," Hannah said thoughtfully.

"I do." Justin's gaze never faltered from the stars.

"How do you know?" Hannah propped herself up on one elbow and looked towards Justin. He seemed to be in a faraway world as he stared at the sky. From the short time that Hannah had known him, she became well aware of his lucid moments, times when he revealed parts of him that he would normally never talk about.

"Because it's my sister, Laura Katherine."

"I didn't know you had a sister."

"She was my twin, but God took her back after she was born. But she's always with me."

"Do you ever feel her presence?" Hannah asked softly. She watched Justin lay quietly as he thought about his lost twin. As soon as he started blinking his eyes, Hannah knew the trance had been lost and Justin had returned to reality. Slowly he turned his head and looked at Hannah.

"You believe me?" Justin asked astounded. The one previous time he had shared his thoughts on Laura Katherine, he had been laughed at.

"Yeah, of course," Hannah said eagerly. She wanted to know more about Justin's angel and wished that she had one of her own. "I really wish I had an angel. That way whenever I had to move to a different place, I'd know I wasn't alone; there'd always be someone there by my side."

"You have an angel, everyone has an angel," Justin said reassuringly. "And besides, you've got me and you're not going to move anywhere else, your mom said so. Now you don't have to worry about being alone." Justin got up and sat next to Hannah. The two of them sat in silence, reveling in their bond. It seemed as though in a short amount of time, the two had found a sanctuary within each other. No matter how many other friends they had, the two of them always found a way to be there for each other and knew that the other understood him or her.

"So do you sense her now?" Hannah asked after a long moment of silence.

"Yeah."

"What do you think she's thinking?"

"I think she's happy that I found a friend like you." At those words Hannah turned her face to look at Justin and she smiled brightly.


(**Part 2 below....**)

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