Snow White: Happy (Part I)
by Karen and LB
© 2002
This falls last, chronologically, in the series.
Disclaimer: We don't know if they like Dom. We made up the party. No MTV personalities were harmed in the making of this story.
JC strolls around the perimeter of the party, trying to look like he's having a good time. There's nothing wrong with the party, it's . . . very . . . festive. If you like that sort of thing. Which JC normally does. It was just that they had been drafted pretty much at the last minute to add some luster. Probably to replace someone who had bailed, JC thinks cynically. He and Lance had planned to spend this, their first New Year's Eve together, alone. Just them, some very good champagne, and Times Square on the TV. Like regular people.
JC adjusts the jacket of his midnight blue Armani tux and sighs. He searches the crowd again for Lance. They had gotten separated almost the moment they had walked in and he misses his boy.
Lance had no idea how it happened. One minute, he's strolling in the door with JC and the rest of the guys, the next he's carted off with Joey and thrown into a crowd of giggling actresses. He likes a good party as much as anyone his age, but not tonight. Tonight, all he wanted was to be alone with JC. Especially tonight, New Year's Eve. One of his favorite days of the year, full of promise and magic and romance. Except here, where it was full of 500 other people. He sighs, one hand in the pocket of his crushed velvet D&G tux, the other clutching a flute of champagne, half-listening to the star of some teen drama ramble on about something or other. He glances around, trying in vain to find JC. Then Joey is smacking him on the back, laughing. He looks over at Lance, puzzled that Lance isn't laughing too.
"Dude, what's with you?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, that was pretty funny," Lance makes a half- hearted attempt at chuckling.
"You've been distracted since the minute we set foot in here. C'mon, loosen up." Joey throws an arm around Lance and shakes his shoulders.
"I'm fine, really. I'm gonna get another drink. You want anything?"
"No, I'm cool, thanks." Joey stares at Lance as he heads off to find the bar and shrugs.
Lance leans against the bar, trying to catch the bartender's attention, when he finally spots JC across the room. He tries to catch his eye, but JC is turned away and can't see him.
JC surveys the room again, finally spotting Lance over by the bar. He tries to make his way over to him and is within a few yards when he's grabbed by an MTV announcer and camera crew. "I'm here with JC Chasez, one of the many revellers at our New Year's Eve bash . . . " By the time he escapes, Lance is gone.
With drink in hand, Lance proceeds to make his way over to the wall where JC--is not standing. Damn, he was there a minute ago, he curses to himself.
"Hey, Scoop," a voice behind him calls out. "Who you looking for?" It's Joey's brother, Steve.
"Uh, no one. Just scoping."
"Riiiiight." Steve claps him on the back. "C'mon, what's her name? You've got that look on your face."
"What look?"
"You know, that 'I'm gonna score me some booty tonight' look."
Lance rolls his eyes. "I'm just looking, Steve." And indeed, he is. For JC. But Steve doesn't have to know that.
"Well, whoever she is, she's damn lucky. I'll catch you later, Scoop." And with one last pat, he's off, hot on the trail of a pretty brunette.
Lance notices the clock. 10:15. Not even close, but he's yet to spend any time with JC. And there's no way he's going to let midnight pass without a New Year's kiss from the man he loves.
JC picks up a drink for himself and tries to think. "If I were Lance, where would I be?" Unfortunately, the only answer he could come up with was "Right here next to me," not much help, considering that Lance is nowhere to be found. At least he recognizes that he's become a total sap--make that hopeless romantic--since he and Lance got together. He spots Chris and heads over to join him. "So, where is everyone?" JC asks.
"What, I'm not enough for you anymore?"
"You're not my type."
"I'm crushed." Chris pretends to sob.
"Where are the other guys?"
"I dunno. We spend most of our lives attached at the hip--isn't it kind of a relief NOT to be?"
"Ah, I guess. See you around, Chris . . . "
11:15. Okay, Lance decides it's time to take action. Every time he turns around someone is either pointing a camera at him or pulling him onto the dance floor. If he's ever going to find JC, he's going to have to be proactive. And as though that proverbial genie hears him, Lance is jostled around and finds himself in direct line of JC. Only he's once again across the room. And that's when the idea hits him. He searches frantically around the large ballroom, and seeing what he needs fumbles in his pockets, pulling out the party invitation and a pen. He manages to dodge yet another camera and escapes to an unoccupied space by a small round table. He puts the invitation face down, so the blank side is facing him, and writes:
Kiss me at midnight.
And on the next line:
Meet me by the fountain at 11:59 sharp. Don't be late!!!
The entrance to the ballroom is marked by a large, marble fountain, beautifully lit. And as fortune would have it, a young waiter strolls by carrying a tray of champagne. Lance motions him over. "Do me a favor, will you?" he begins, pulling a $20 bill out of his wallet. The waiter nods eagerly. "Take this," he slips the note under one of the champagne flutes, "to that man over there. In the dark blue tux." He points directly at JC, who is turned so that only his profile is showing, but Lance makes absolutely sure the waiter sees who he is pointing at. The waiter nods once again, and Lance thanks him.
"No problem," the waiter replies, "I love a good romance." At Lance's startled expression, the waiter starts to walk away, but not before Lance grabs one of the champagne flutes. He barely manages to gulp it down before Brian MacFayden corners him for a sound bite for MTV.
JC is trying to escape a conversation with a rather annoying columnist from J-14 when a waiter touches his arm. "Um, no thank you," he says, grateful for the interruption, but declining the proffered tray. He catches the look in the waiter's eye, then sees the note under the champagne flute. "On second thought . . . " He lifts the glass and the note. "Thanks."
JC excuses himself and walks to a better lit spot to read the note. For the first time all night a genuine smile lights up his face. And when he looks up, his eyes meet Lance's--all the way across the room but still, finally, THERE. They remain, smiling foolishly at each other across the sea of bodies, till JC sees someone--some way-too-good-looking-guy stranger--touch Lance's arm and Lance turns reluctantly away to answer. JC glances at his watch--a gift from Lance just a week before--and calculates the minutes until midnight.
The guy won't stop talking. He has Lance backed against the wall and he won't stop talking. Lance pretends to listen politely, but he's starting to tense. 11:30. That brief eye exchange across the room was enough to arouse Lance. He prayed it didn't show. Thank goodness long jackets were in this year. But he can't see JC anymore and it's starting to bother him. All night, they'd been separated. And now, the clock is ticking. Lance tries to excuse himself but the man insists Lance meet some people. Lance looks frantically over his shoulder, but there's no sign of his boyfriend.
JC had been trying, like he'd been trying all night, to get across the room to Lance. Should have been easy enough, but it wasn't. Justin steps out of the crowd, his non-date, Britney in tow. "Josh! We've been looking for you all night!" Britney throws her arms around JC--she's always adored him like a big brother and she's very happy to see him. "Come dance with me, just once, okay?" she asks sweetly, and JC doesn't have the heart to say no. With one last glance at Lance--is that creep STILL talking to him? He allows himself to be led to the dance floor by his bandmate's not- girlfriend.
11:45. Okay, so this is really getting to be more than annoying. Lance fidgets nervously, the buzz from the many glasses of champagne he's downed in the past hour finally hitting him. He's near the front of the ballroom; the fountain is at the back. The Brian Setzer Orchestra is onstage in full swing, getting ready for the big countdown. Lance has fifteen minutes to make his escape. No easy task considering the crowd has mysteriously thickened; were all these people here just a few hours ago? It's like they've multiplied spontaneously. Lance is about to run his hands through his hair when he remembers the gold tinted gel his stylist had spiked his hair with before their arrival here. And now People wants a group shot of him with assorted members of 98 Degrees and the Backstreet Boys. And how on earth is he going to get away from all these people?
JC finally gets off the dance floor and is returning Britney to her not- boyfriend, when they're all pounced on by some People lackey who wants them in some big group picture. JC grumbles until he sees Lance in the group, but he never manages to get close enough to speak to him. Readers of People next week would be wondering why JC was looking to one side when everyone else was looking at the camera. Almost everyone else.
When the picture has finally been taken it's five minutes till midnight. Lance thinks his lucky break has finally arrived when he and JC were thrown together in the same group picture, but he was standing way over to the left, next to Keri Russell and Justin and Britney. When the group broke, they were absorbed by the crowd, and once again Lance lost JC. So close! Without hesitating, he heads toward fountain. Nothing is going to stop him from getting his midnight kiss. Nothing.
JC is about ready to scream. Any other time, he'd be thrilled to see an old friend like Keri, but now he just wants to get to Lance. Damn, but they'd been close. JC was sure he'd been able to small Lance's cologne. Trying not to be rude, he speaks with Keri for a moment or two before excusing himself, and almost making a clean getaway. ALMOST, because Justin's hand is on his arm. "Where you goin', C? You've been acting like you're trying to escape all night."
"You know me, Just. I hate crowds . . . "
11:58. He can see the fountain. But no one's there. Everyone's crowded around the stage waiting for the countdown. But he'll wait; JC will be here. Lance KNOWS JC will be here. An arm drapes over his shoulder and Lance breathes a sigh of relief, but that sigh is turned into a choke when he turns and sees Joey, not JC, standing next to him.
"Scoooop! Buddy!" Joey screams, the alcohol evident on his breath. "C'mon, time for the countdown." He tries to steer Lance toward a group of their friends, but Lance plants his feet firmly and won't budge.
"Joey, man, I'll be right there, but man, I gotta pee so bad right now. All the champagne, you know."
"But Lance--" Joey is left standing there, puzzled, as Lance breaks free and starts running toward the fountain.
Carson Daly steps up to the mic and gets the crowd going.
"10!"
JC is trying to make his way through the crowd--moving in the wrong direction. He knows what those salmon swimming upstream feel like. Justin grabs at his arm as he passes, but he shakes him off with an apologetic smile "Too crowded . . . "
"9!"
Lance almost gets sidetracked when Melissa Joan Hart spots him and waves him over, but he smiles and shrugs and keeps moving. He'll apologize later. Right now, he's on a mission. Almost there, almost there--ow! Lance finds himself flat on his ass on the floor after slipping on a puddle of spilled champagne. Great, this is just great. It's like someone up there doesn't want him to be with JC.
"7!"
JC finally breaks free of the crowd and strides toward the fountain-- and almost runs into the same waiter who had brought him the note. The guy gives him a smile filled with sympathy and understanding, and puts into his hands two flutes of champagne, then steps aside to clear his path.
"5!"
Lance manages to scramble to his feet without slipping again. A couple more feet and he's there, but still no sign of JC. A pang of disappointment stabs his heart. It's not like he'll never get to kiss JC again, but Lance is a romantic at heart and something about New Year's Eve, full of promise and hope--well, maybe he shouldn't have placed too much importance on this night.
"3!"
JC quickly deposits the champagne glasses on the edge of the fountain. "Lance," he breathes, as he steps up behind his lover and wraps his arms around his waist.
"1!"
Fireworks can't describe what Lance is feeling when he hears that voice in his ear. He turns around in JC's arms, his face beaming, smiling so much it hurts. "You made it," he sighs, throwing his arms around JC just as the crowd screams, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" and pressing his lips tightly against JC's as though his life depended on it. JC hugs Lance to him even more tightly. Their kiss is delicious, made all the more so by anticipation. Lance tastes like champagne, but far better than the Dom JC's been sipping all night. In fact, for the rest of his life, JC will not be able to taste champagne without remembering this moment. When finally they break their kiss, he looks into those green, green eyes and whispers "Happy New Year, baby."
If he never lives to see another new year, Lance would be perfectly fine because right now, at this precise moment, he's the happiest he's ever been. Right here, in the arms of the man he loves, as the crowd sings Auld Lang Syne and the water from the fountain bubbles over and the lights from the chandeliers sparkle and the buzz from the champagne makes his whole body tingle--no, it's not the champagne. It's JC, finally in JC's arms where he feels his feet lift the ground and it's as though they're floating above everyone else. "Happy New Year, Josh," is all he can manage to articulate, and he seals it with a kiss.
Epilogue: A photographer standing near watches the two lovers, undetected. He raises his camera to his face, but a hand suddenly blocks the lens.
"I don't think so." It's the waiter from earlier. The photographer glares, but finally walks away. The waiter looks back at the two young men, wrapped in each other's arms, smiles, and wanders back into the crowd.
[Authors' note: We were going to end it here, but for two reasons: (1) They went through so much to get together tonight and (2) we had just finished a pretty angsty story right before this and we wanted to give them some fun. So we decided to continue. Hence, Part II.]