Joey and Lance watched JC slowly walk into the kitchen and go about pouring himself a glass of milk in an almost mechanical manner. He moved back over to the table and took a seat beside Lance and across from Joey.

"Justin doesn't hate you, Jayce. He's just upset right now. He could never hate you." Lance said, reaching over to rub JC's back comfortingly.

"He thinks I don't love him. He thinks that the only reason I'm with him is because I'm afraid something's gonna happen to me and I know that Joey wouldn't take care of the baby. That's not true, Lance." JC looked up at Lance his eyes pleading for someone to believe him.

Lance wrapped his arms around JC's shoulders and pulled him into a hug. "I know you love Justin. We all know that. Justin knows it too. He just needs to work it out for himself. You know how stubborn he can be."

~*~

Chris tiptoed past the kitchen door and headed toward the stairs. He was going to talk to Justin. He gently walked up the steps and down to Justin and JC's bedroom.

"Can I come in, Just?" He asked, knocking lightly on the door.

"Are you alone?" Justin asked, his voice sounded muffled.

Chris looked to his left and to his right the turned completely around before turning back to the door. "Yup, I'm alone." He said.

"Alright the door's open." Justin said.

Chris walked into the room cautiously. He moved over to sit on the edge of the bed where Justin lay on his stomach with his face buried in what looked to be JC's pillow. "What happened, J? You guys were so happy when you left."

"JC didn't tell me that the doctor told him he could die having this baby. How could he keep something like that to himself?" Justin asked, shuddering at the thought and looked up at Chris with a tear-streaked face.

Chris' eyes widened in surprise. "He could die? Why? How?" He asked, worried and beginning to wonder if maybe he should go get Lance because he wasn't sure he was prepared to hear all of this alone.

"JC told me that they'd do a cesarean but he didn't tell me anything else really about the pregnancy. I trusted him to tell me if there was anything important that I needed to know. He didn't tell me that when he first found out he was pregnant the doctor advised him not to have the baby because it's dangerous to him. Don't you get it, Chris? He used me he doesn't love me. He just wanted me here in case he did die. He knew Joey wouldn't take the baby. How could I have been so stupid?" Justin shivered and buried his face back in JC's pillow.

"JC does love you Justin. Joey wanted him back and he chose to stay with you. Doesn't that prove something?" Chris asked, reaching over to rub Justin's shaking back.

Justin shook his head emphatically. "He loves Joey. It's always been Joey. I was just too blind to see it. He never would've slept with me if he hadn't caught Joey cheating again."

"Did he tell you that?" Chris asked, still rubbing Justin's back.

Justin snorted. "He didn't have to. I'm not stupid. As soon as the doctor explained why it was so crucial to schedule the cesarean well before the due date I knew."

"Why's it so dangerous? What is JC facing?" Chris inquired.

Justin took a long steadying breath. "From the chemicals that were absorbed in JC's skin it changed hormones and shit in his body. I didn't understand all of that but the gist of it is that JC has a uterus. Which means he has a place to nurture the baby until it's ready to be born but he doesn't have a place for the baby to come out of. Something could rupture and JC could bleed to death if he's allowed to go into labor. Which is why the doctor doesn't want him to go too close to the due date because he stands more of a risk of going into labor."

"I understand how you could be upset that JC kept that from you. But how do you get that JC loves Joey out of that?" Chris queried, genuinely confused.

Justin looked at Chris for a moment and then looked over at the picture of him and JC on the bedside table. He reached out and grabbed the frame lying the picture face down on the table. "JC knew from the beginning how dangerous it was. He stayed with Joey even then. When he realized that Joey wouldn't raise the baby if he was gone he came crawling back to me because he knew I would."

"That's not true, Justin." JC said, standing in the doorway and gripping the doorknob tightly.

Justin turned quickly to see JC standing there. "What are you doing here?" He asked coldly.

"That's not true, Justin. I love you. Even when you are acting like an irrational ass." JC said, moving toward the bed.

Justin sat up and scooted up toward the head of the bed. "Did I ask you to sit down?" He asked as JC sat on the edge of the bed.

"It's my bed too." JC said, reaching out to lay his hand lightly on Justin's sock clad foot.

Justin shook JC's hand off of his foot and JC quickly put moved it back. "It was my bed first so you can just go on down the hall back to your own room. Or better yet move to Joey's." Justin growled, shaking JC's hand off again.

"I don't wanna go to Joey's. I wanna stay here at home in our bed with you." JC said, running his hand up over Justin's shin and onto his knee.

Justin crossed his arms over his chest and glared at JC's hand on his knee. "It's my bed and you should be with Joey. I'm sure he wants you in his house and in his bed with him."

JC shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me if he does. That's not where I wanna be."

"The only reason you don't wanna be there right now is because you know you'd be sharing the bed with Britney too." Justin sneered, and then banged his head back against the wall.

JC shrugged again. "Yeah I probably would. But I still don't wanna be there. I wanna be where you are." He said, turning slightly in order to be more comfortable while looking at Justin.

"Just stop lying to me, JC. I'll take care of the baby. You can be with Joey and I'll still take care of her if you... if anything... Jesus Christ I can't even say it. I'll take care of her no matter what. I do want her even if you don't love me. So just go live with Joey. But get one thing straight right now. My daughter will not live with him." Justin said, vehemently.

JC gasped lightly. "What are you saying, Justin?" He asked quietly.

"I'm saying that you can go live with that cheating son of a bitch that you love so much but you won't raise my kid with him." Justin snarled, his hands fisting in the blanket under him.

JC moved awkwardly and maneuvered onto his knees in front of Justin. His belly pressed into Justin's bent knees where his hands rested. "You will not take her from me, Justin. And I am not moving in with Joey. I'm staying here in our home with you and we're going to raise our daughter together." He said firmly.

"I'm not living with someone that doesn't love me. Someone that every time I touch him he's wishing it were someone else. I can't do that, JC. And that's fucking selfish of you to expect me to." Justin said, swallowing the knot in his throat as he turned his head toward the window.

JC leaned forward laying his hand on Justin's cheek. He gently turned JC's head back to face him. "I would never ask you to do something like that. I do not want to be with Joey. I wanna be with you, Justin. Every night. Here in our bed. I wanna fall asleep in your arms. I want to make love with you every night. I wanna nudge you in the middle of the night to go get the baby when she wakes up crying. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. In your arms. With our daughter." He said, moving Justin's legs apart and leaning between them pressing his forehead to Justin's.

Justin sighed raggedly. "I wanna believe you so fucking much." He whispered, reaching up to place his hands on JC's cheeks.

"Do you love me, Justin?" JC asked, his hands coming up to cover Justin's.

Justin nodded. "So much." He whispered.

"Then believe me. You and our baby are my life, Justin. I love you. Believe me." JC said, softly and then leaned forward to capture Justin's lips tenderly.

Justin's arms came up around JC's back as he returned the kiss. He silently vowed to himself to never let JC regret loving him.

TBC