"Justin, why don't you go see if the furniture in the living room needs dusting." JC suggested, after he'd turned around for the fifth time and run into Justin because he was standing so close.  

Justin wrapped a hand around JC's arm and tried pulling him to one of the chairs in the kitchen. "I'll do the living room in a little bit. Why don't you sit down and let me finish washing the dishes." He said.  

"Justin I can do the dishes, there's nothing strenuous in washing dishes. What is wrong with you today?" JC asked, exasperated with the way Justin had been following him around and watching every little thing he'd done since they'd woken up that morning.  

Justin shrugged and looked at the floor. "I just don't want anything to happen to you." He mumbled.  

"Nothing is going to happen while I'm washing the dishes. Why are you suddenly afraid of me getting out of your sight?" JC wrapped both arms around Justin's waist and pulled him close.  

Justin shuddered slightly and then sighed. "It's that stupid dream I had last night. I just don't wanna lose you, JC."  

"Justin, the only way you're getting rid of me is if you want to because I'm never leaving on my own." JC spoke quietly and then leaned in to place a soft kiss just below Justin's ear.  

Justin released JC but held onto his hand as he pulled him toward the door.  

"Where are we going, Justin? I need to finish up. I only have two pans left to wash. Can't this wait?" JC asked, attempting to tug his hand out of Justin's grasp.  

Justin shook his head no. "Nope, can't wait. I have a surprise for you." he said, tugging on JC again.  

"That's not fair. You know that I can't resist surprises." JC laughed, following Justin out of the kitchen.  

JC followed Justin down the hallway and up the stairs to the room that they'd chosen to be the baby's room. JC gasped when Justin opened the door and there in the middle of the room sat the polished brass crib that JC had fallen in love with at first sight. He'd opted not to buy it though because JC was nothing if not thrifty.   

"Justin, tell me that's not the English Regency crib." JC said, his eyes still glued to the crib but his hand squeezing Justin's tightly.  

Justin raised and eyebrow and turned to look at JC. "You want me to lie to you?"   

"Justin, that thing cost five thousand dollars." JC nearly shouted, eyes wide and a hand grasping for the doorframe to hold on to.  

Justin rolled his eyes and chuckled. "So. Live a little, JC. We can afford it and it's not like we can take it with us when we go."  

"But Justin that thing was five thousand dollars. Five thousand dollars for a crib!" JC said, his voice raising as he took a hesitant step toward the crib.  

Justin grinned as JC ran a hand lightly over the cool smooth shiny brass of one railing. "So what if it was five thousand dollars. Nothing's too good for our baby. Besides I know you love that crib. And if it makes you feel any better I used my money to buy it. I didn't like sell your car or anything."   

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" JC whispered, running a reverent hand over one highly rounded end of the crib.  

Justin smiled as he walked up behind JC and wrapped his arms around his waist. "It is beautiful but not nearly as beautiful as our little girl is gonna be." He said, dropping light kisses down the back of JC's neck and pushing his shirt aside to kiss his collarbone.  

Justin pulled away and turned JC to face him when he heard him sniffling. "What's wrong?" He asked, stroking JC's cheeks and looking into his glassy eyes.  

"I just wish my own family cared enough to want to make me happy. You're too good to me, Justin. I don't know what I'd do without you, Justin." JC said, burying his face in the crook of Justin's neck and let the hot tears run into the collar of his shirt.  

Justin kissed the top of JC's head and squeezed him lightly. "Your parents will come around once they see that you aren't going to let them run your life for you. They won't be able to stay mad at you once they lay eyes on their beautiful granddaughter. And I am not too good to you. I was a first class shit when I first found out about the baby. I can't believe that I wanted you to let Joey help raise her. I'd die before I'd sit back and watch somebody else raising our baby and loving you." He whispered the last so low that JC barely heard.  

"I love you." JC said, brushing his lips over Justin's.  

Justin hugged JC as close as his belly would allow. "Thank you."   

"Thank you? For what?" JC asked, confusion evident in his voice.  

Justin dropped a kiss onto JC's forehead. "Thank you for loving me."   

JC pulled back and looked up at Justin with mock dread. "Oh god, you aren't going to start singing Bon Jovi songs now are you?"  

Justin laughed as he pulled JC close and whispered that he loved him and then sent sparks to JC's toes when he ran his tongue over his lips gently.  

~*~  

"Baby, somebody's at the door." JC said in a groggy voice, pushing lightly at the head lying on his stomach.  

Justin grumbled and opened one eye peeking up at JC. He then slowly opened the other eye and looked around the room. "Oh we must've fallen asleep watching the movie. Who's at the door?" He asked, lying his head back down on JC's stomach as if it were normal for them to be sleeping like that on the living room floor.  

JC chuckled and pushed at Justin's head again. "How should I know. I can't get up to answer it because you're laying on me."  

Justin groaned rolling off of JC and to his feet in one smooth motion as the doorbell pealed again. "I'll get it and it better be fucking important interrupting my nap like that." He grumbled walking toward the door.  

JC climbed to his feet as quickly as his awkward new shape would allow when he heard Justin shouting. "What the fuck do you want?"  

"You're not coming in here, Fatone." Justin growled, shoving at Joey's chest as he tried to enter the house.  

Joey sighed and took a step back. "Just get JC, Justin. Tell him that I wanna talk to him."  

"Why don't you just go get fucked, Joe." Justin hissed, trying to push the door closed as Joey pushed it open.  

Justin stopped pushing as soon as he felt a hand lightly resting on the small of his back. "Justin, let him in. You know how the press lurk around here. It's not gonna look good if they report that you and Joey were fighting on the doorstep."  

"Thank you, JC." Joey said, moving toward JC as he entered the house.  

Justin's arm grasped Joey's hand brutally just before he touched JC. "You touch him and I'll rip your balls off and feed them to you." He growled, shoving Joey's hand out of his grasp and away from JC.  

"Jesus Justin, psycho much?" Joey asked, eyeing Justin warily before turning to look back at JC.  

Justin muttered something that sounded enough like fuck off that it probably was.   

JC rubbed Justin's lower back in a soothing manner. "Joey, what are you doing here?" He asked, looking at Joey but not moving his hand from Justin's back.  

"Can we talk? Alone?" Joey asked, looking pointedly at Justin.  

Justin moved toward Joey. "You're not fucking getting anywhere near him alone."   

"Justin, settle down." JC said, soothing Justin again with his hand rubbing gently.  

Joey looked imploringly at JC. "Please, JC. I really need to talk to you."  

"Alright fine, but just for a little bit. Justin and I were taking a very nice nap and you interrupted it." JC said, yawning exaggeratedly.   

"No, you're not going anywhere alone with him, JC." Justin said, pulling on JC's shirt until he was leaning back against him.  

JC looked up at Justin and sighed in exasperation. "Justin, we're just gonna talk. That's it. I promise."   

"I don't trust him." Justin mumbled, his hold on JC's shirt not slackening in the slightest.  

JC covered Justin's hand with his own. "Justin, he's not going to hurt me. As long as we were together he never hurt me physically. And he won't now. I promise. Tell him you aren't going to hurt me, Joey."   

"Oh for gods sake, Justin. I'm not gonna hit JC. I just wanna talk to him. Will you get lost now so I can?" Joey demanded, waving his hand in a shooing motion at Justin.  

"Jayce..." Justin whispered a pleading tone in his voice.  

JC pulled Justin's hand up to his lips and kissed it softly. "I promise I'll be fine, Just. Let me see what he wants and then we can get back to our nap or whatever you want."   

"Fine, I'm not leaving though. I'll just go into the kitchen." Justin grumbled and stomped toward the kitchen pouting.  

~*~  

"Hello!" Justin barked as he picked the phone up. He was growing more and more impatient the longer JC was alone with Joey.  

"Justin, you're home. I thought you were doing some interviews today or something.' Lance said from the other end.  

Justin frowned at the tone of Lance's voice. Lance sounded nervous which meant that he knew something. "I canceled them. What's going on, Lance?"  

"Going on? What do you mean what's going on? There's nothing going on." Lance stammered nervously.  

Justin sighed. "Joey's here and you know why. Spill it." He demanded.  

"Umm, ok well he called and was all crying about how he treated JC so badly and that he loves him and he's decided that if JC will take him back that he'll help him raise his baby and love it like his own." Lance blurted all in one breath and then hung up before Justin exploded.  

"The fuck he will!" Justin yelled and threw the phone against the wall shattering it to a thousand pieces.  

He decided that Joey and JC were alone long enough and if Joey was trying to take JC away from him there would be hell to pay. Justin stalked toward the living room with fire in his eyes. He slammed the door to the living room open and thought that maybe he heard the door splinter a bit.   

Justin opened his mouth to shout before taking in the scene. His mouth closed and he gulped because it felt as if his heart was in his chest. JC was sleeping in Joey's arms.   

"It's not what it looks like." Joey said, stroking JC's head as it lay on his chest.  

"Then what the hell is it?" Justin growled, fists clenching.  

Joey kissed the top of JC's head lightly. "He's yours, he always has been. I thought you were just trying to protect him when you said that it was your kid. You weren't though. I know that now. You better not ever screw him over the way that I did, Justin. I'll kick your ass if you do." He said and then carefully moved JC's head over to lay on the arm of the sofa.   

Justin watched as Joey ran a hand lightly over JC's head and then left the house. He walked quietly over to the sofa and sat on the floor in front of it. He leaned forward and kissed JC's stomach and then laid his head in JC's lap.