Chapter 15

Ashley walked over to the couch where Emily and Sarah were still sitting. "Maria said Jake’s staying, so I guess I just have to wait for Erik," he told them. Sarah yawned.

"Well, I’m going to bed," she said as she stood up. "Goodnight." Ashley watched her, and then turned to Emily.

"Is she still hung up on Jake?" he asked. She shrugged, not looking at him.

"I don’t know. She was really jealous, but I think almost losing Maria scared her. When she saw her for the first time, you know, after Maria got back to the hotel, Sarah told her that she could have Jacob, she didn’t care." Ashley laughed.

"I guess what happened really changed things," he said. He looked at Emily. "Why can’t you look at me? Am I that ugly?" he asked with a smile. Emily’s head shot up and she looked at him, before quickly looking away again.

"You know you’re not ugly. If you were ugly, you wouldn’t be in a boy band," she said. "Can I get you something to drink? Soda? Or maybe something to eat?"

"No thanks, I’m good." They sat in uncomfortable silence. Emily suddenly got up and went into the kitchen. She watched as Ashley picked up a magazine and started thumbing through it. ‘He looks just like him,’ she thought. And it hurt her to look at him.

"I like your place," Erik said to Alex. She had changed into shorts and a tee shirt. "It’s very ‘homey,’" he added. Alex smiled and sat down on the small loveseat that was in the sitting room. Her apartment wasn’t big. It consisted of a kitchen, a bedroom, a bathroom and a sitting room. A small closed-in porch was off of the sitting room. It was enough for her.

"Thanks. Come sit," she said. Erik sat down beside her. Alex leaned on him and he put his arm around her. "I am so tired. I didn’t sleep a whole lot last night."

"I didn’t either. I don’t think any of us did. Part of me wishes that it was just a dream, but it happened and now we have to deal with it," Erik said. Alex nodded.

"I’m worried about Maria. I hope Jacob can get through to her somehow."

"He told me that he thinks he’s falling in love with her." Alex looked at Erik and smiled.

"Really? That’s so great!" Her smile faded. "But, it’s bad timing. Maria’s not ready for that yet. I don’t want her to freak out and ruin a potentially awesome thing with Jacob. Tell him not to tell her how he feels…especially now."

"I see how it could backfire if he told her. I don’t know what he’s going to do," Erik told her. "So, have you heard from your family?"

"My mom left me a message. I haven’t gotten back to her. I’m really going to try and work things out with Miguel and Carlos. After what happened, I now realize how precious life really is and how any one of us can be gone tomorrow. I lost three years of knowing my brother. I’m not going to waste anymore time. If I have to make him talk to me, then I will," Alex said.

"That’s my girl!" Erik said, smiling. Alex closed her eyes and groaned.

"I’m so tired!" she yelled. Erik laughed, pulled her head to his and kissed her passionately. Alex responded by pushing him down on the couch. Just as things were starting to heat up, Erik’s phone rang.

"Damn," he said against Alex’s lips. She backed off as he answered his phone. "What?"

"Erik? It’s Dan. You have to get back here, man. It’s late." Erik sighed. Dan took his job as ‘O-Town’s den-mother’ a little too far sometimes.

"But, Mom, it’s not that late," Erik whined.

"Son, find your brothers and get home now, or you won’t be able to watch TV for a month," Dan scolded in his best ‘mommy’ voice.

"Fine. We’re on our way. Don’t wait up." Before Dan could protest, Erik hung up. Alex pounced on him once his phone was put away. She kissed him deeply. Erik moaned. "I have to go," he said breathlessly, as Alex’s lips made their way to his neck. He buried his hands in her hair.

"No. I’m kidnapping you. You’re staying with me," Alex said. Erik pulled her head up with his hands and kissed her mouth again. He reluctantly released her.

"I would like nothing better than to be your hostage, but I have to go or the Mikes will make us work out for twenty-four hours straight. And I’m not kidding," Erik told her as he stood up. Alex pouted, but walked him to the door. "Bye, beautiful," he said, kissing her once more.

"Goodnight," she said as she watched him walk away. She closed the door. She was so tired, she didn’t think that she’d make it to her bedroom, so she dragged her tired body to the couch and collapsed there. Five minutes later, she was asleep.

Maria got up, careful not to wake Jacob, and wandered out of her bedroom. Emily was sleeping on the couch, while Ashley was sitting at the piano, looking through Maria’s sheet music.

"Wanna play?" she asked quietly. Ashley looked up and smiled at her. She looked wiped out.

"You have Carpenters music for the piano? Are you, like, related or something?" he asked, holding up the sheet music for We’ve Only Just Begun. Maria smiled.

"No. It was a gag gift from Kathleen. I like their music, though. Karen Carpenter had the most beautiful voice. It’s too bad she died so young," Maria said, sadly, as she sat down beside Ashley on the narrow piano bench.

"They were a little before my time," he said. "My influence is Third Eye Blind, who aren’t exactly like The Carpenters."

"You got that right," Maria said. She yawned. Ashley looked at her worriedly.

"Did you talk to Jacob?" he asked. She frowned slightly.

"We didn’t exactly talk," she said, a small smile appearing on her lips. Ashley turned red and looked at the piano keys.

"Oh," he said. "I’d love to hear you play," he said, changing the subject quickly and lightly fingering the piano keys. Maria looked at the piano.

"Maybe I’ll play for you sometime," she said. Ashley was beyond curious as to what Maria had seen and what she had experienced. She looked troubled, but he didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. A light knock at the door interrupted the silence. Maria went to let Erik in.

"Hey, I’m here to collect my brothers. ‘Mother Dan’ called to summon us home," Erik said. Maria crossed her arms over her chest.

"You can have Ashley, but Jacob stays. He’s sleeping and I don’t want him to go," she said, looking at the floor. Erik looked at Ashley, who shrugged.

"Okay. Just make sure that you have him home before noon tomorrow," Erik said as he hugged Maria.

"I will," she said. Ashley then hugged her.

"Tell Emily I said ‘bye,’" he said. Maria gave him a curious look. "We talked," Ashley explained, answering her unasked question. Maria nodded.

"Okay. Bye, guys," she said and closed the door as soon as they were gone. She turned off the lights and smiled at Emily as she walked by her on her way back to the bedroom.

Maria turned off the lamp on the nightstand, leaving the room in dim shadows. She got into bed and watched Jacob sleep. He was lying on his side, facing Maria. She sighed heavily. After what had happened with Geoff, she wasn’t ready to get into another serious relationship yet. But her feelings for Jacob were strong…stronger than she’d ever had for a guy before…even Geoff. If she didn’t care for him, she would’ve told him to leave after sleeping with him, but she had asked him to stay with her---again. She wanted him with her. ‘I can’t rely on a guy. I have to be strong. I can’t let myself get weak,’ she thought. Maria lay down beside Jacob. She stared at the ceiling fighting to stay awake. Unfortunately, she fell asleep.

Jacob woke up a few hours later. The first thing that he noticed was that Maria was shaking visibly. She was lying on her side, the sheet was clutched in her hands, and she was moaning softly, as if she were in pain. Jacob sat up and leaned over her.

"Maria?" he said softly. He didn’t want to scare her anymore than she already was by waking her up too quickly. "Maria, wake up." Jacob gently put his hand on her arm and that’s when she screamed. Jacob pulled her to him, holding her and rocking her gently. Sweat covered her body and she was still shaking.

"Jacob?" she asked, her voice shaky. He nodded.

"I’m here. It’s okay. You’re okay," he said. The door to the bedroom flew open and Sarah stood there, her hair a mess and her eyes half-closed.

"Maria?" she asked as she came into the room. Maria’s face was buried against Jacob’s neck while her held her.

"Get her some water," Jacob instructed. Sarah went into the bathroom and got a cup of water. She brought it back over to the bed and handed it to Jacob.

"Here, drink this," he said. Maria sat up and took the water in her shaky hands. She spilled some as she drank. Sarah took back the cup when she was done.

"I’m okay. You guys don’t have to hover over me," Maria said, agitation in her voice, but she still looked scared.

"We’re not hovering," Sarah said, looking at Jacob, and then back at Maria. "We’re worried about you. You screamed like someone was killing you." Maria sighed.

"I’m fine," she said, getting out of the bed and stalking into the bathroom. Sarah looked at Jacob, noticing his state of undress for the first time. She licked her lips.

"Um…well. She’s not fine, but what the hell can we do?" she asked. ‘God, he looks good,’ she thought. Too bad he was half-naked in her sister’s bed. "Did she say anything to you last night?" Jacob pulled the sheet over him and shook his head.

"No. She doesn’t want to talk about it. I don’t even think she planned to sleep last night. I don’t know what to do either, Sarah," he said. Maria came out of the bathroom in time to hear his last sentence.

"You don’t have to do anything. I’m not some psycho who needs to be treated like I have a mental problem! Okay, I saw some bad shit go down and it scared me, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t handle it! If you’re gonna treat me like a basket case, then I’d rather you just leave me alone!" she shouted right before she ran back into the bathroom and slammed the door. Jacob put his hands over his face and lay down in the bed. Sarah wiped tears from her eyes. Emily then appeared at the door to the bedroom.

"Is she freaking out?" she asked. Jacob laughed humorlessly.

"You could say that," he said. Sarah left the room, tears now running down her face. Jacob sat up. He should probably feel uncomfortable, but he didn’t. Emily didn’t appear embarrassed or nervous in his presence at all. "Can you hand me my jeans?" he asked with a small smile. She smiled back and picking up his jeans, she handed them to him. She turned around while he slid them on. Jacob then looked for his shirt, located it and pulled it over his head.

"Any ideas about what to do for her?" he asked. Emily walked closer to him so that Maria wouldn’t be able to hear them.

"I, myself, can’t imagine what she saw or what she went through. She doesn’t want to appear weak, so she’s holding all of her feelings inside. I hate to say it, but I don’t think there’s anything we can do for her right now, except give her time and treat her like we always have. To tell you the truth, I don’t even know her that well. We hadn’t seen each other for a long time before she got back from the tour with you guys. I’m just going on how I see her acting right now." Emily looked at him. "You guys are close?" She said/asked. Jacob nodded.

"It’s complicated, but, yeah, we’re close. I feel like I’m walking on eggshells now, though, and I don’t want it to be that way. One minute she’s fine, the next she’s screaming at me. What should I do?" Emily nodded, sympathetically.

"Don’t get mad at her. Just tolerate her behavior and know that it’s a reaction to what she’s been through. Be there for her---that’s the most important thing," she said.

"You wouldn’t be into psychology or anything, would you? How old are you?" Jacob asked. Emily smiled sadly.

"I know about people who are in trouble," she said, looking away. "I’m nineteen." Jacob nodded and didn’t question her further. She seemed smart and overly mature for a nineteen year old. He liked her already. The bathroom door opened and Maria came out. She saw the two of them talking.

"So, what’s my psychological diagnosis, doctors? Am I crazy?" she asked, as she went to her dresser to pull out some clothes.

"Maria, I’m sorry. I never meant to imply that there’s something wrong with you. You know that. You had a nightmare and I just want to help you," Jacob said. Maria softened a bit.

"I don’t need any help, but thanks for your concern," she said as she walked over to him and kissed him lightly on the lips. Maria smiled. Jacob didn’t smile back. "I’m just gonna shower and change, then I’ll bring you home. I wouldn’t want the Mikes coming after you." Maria, once again, disappeared into the bathroom. Jacob sat down on the bed and pulled on his socks and sneakers. Emily watched as he sat cradling his head in his hands. She left the room. She figured that it would be Jacob who eventually got through to Maria, but when that would happen remained to be seen.

Dan was in the kitchen eating an English muffin when Mike M. suddenly appeared. "Morning, Dan." Dan nodded as he chewed. "I hear that we’re one band member short of a band this morning." Dan swallowed and nodded again.

"Maria went through a lot, Mike. Give them a break. Jacob just wanted to be there for her," he said as he drank some orange juice.

"As long as he’s back soon," Mike said. ‘Such sympathy,’ Dan thought, sarcastically. "Anyone else up?" Dan shook his head. Mike rolled his eyes. "Why did I know that no one else would be up?" he asked. Dan smiled.

"Erik and Ashley didn’t get back until really early this morning," he explained. Mike nodded and left. Mike C. then entered the kitchen.

"No, Mike, Jacob’s not back from Maria’s yet," Dan said before he could ask. Mike smiled.

"How is Maria?" he asked. Dan shrugged.

"As far as I know, she’s not good. Alex specifically wanted Jacob to go over to Maria’s last night to be with her."

"Do we know what she saw? What happened to her?" Mike asked.

"I don’t know. I don’t think she’s said anything. She may have talked to Jacob about it, but I haven’t even seen her yet, so…" Dan trailed off. Mike nodded. "What do we have planned for today?" Dan then asked him. Mike looked at the schedule.

"We have to have a meeting to discuss some things. The overseas tour that we had planned for the coming weeks before the Britney tour has been cancelled as of now, but we’re trying to re-schedule it for early next year. One thing Mike and I decided is that we don’t want you guys flying right now. Besides, the FAA has said that all flights are grounded until further notice. So, it looks like you’ll have time to write for the next album, practice for the Britney tour, and get re-acquainted with the Making The Band camera operators," he said. Dan rolled his eyes.

"I can’t wait," he said sarcastically. Mike laughed.