Chapter 24

"Dear, it’s not that I’m upset by what you said, it’s just that I love my son and I want what’s best for him. I don’t mean to sound insensitive, but Jacob was with Janie for a long time. I’m just finding it hard to believe that he has gotten over her and moved on to you in such a short period of time," Mechele said. Maria looked at her.

"He was very upset about that, as far as I know. We didn’t exactly get together right after we met. I had a boyfriend when we met, but things went bad with that relationship and so I was hesitant to start a new one as well. It took a while, but I know that Jacob’s feelings for me are real and I’ve finally realized that my feelings for him are deep, too," she told her.

"And those feelings are…?" Mechele asked.

"I love him," Maria answered, simply. Mechele smiled.

"Maria, if my son loves you, then I know that you’re a good person. I don’t think Jacob would fall in love with just anybody. You’re special. I can see it whenever Jacob talks about you. His eyes shine with love for you. You just have to understand that I’m very protective of him. Also, we are very religious and believe deeply in our faith."

"I know. Jacob and I have discussed religion," Maria told her.

"Then you understand why I was…disappointed when you said what you said this morning?" Mechele asked.

"Yes, but I don’t, you know, I wouldn’t just ‘be’ with anyone, Mrs. Underwood. Jacob is special and I love him," Maria said, embarrassed.

"He is special and when he loves someone, it’s with all of his heart. I can tell that he is totally devoted to you," Mechele told her. "Is that okay with you?"

"It scares me, I’ll admit that, but my feelings for him are strong, too. I will do my best not to hurt him and he’s promised the same to me. I don’t want to hurt him," Maria said, hoping that Jacob hadn’t told her about the letter.

"I don’t think you do, but things happen," Mechele told her. Maria sighed.

"I don’t know what to say to you that will make you like me, but I love Jacob and I plan on being with him, even if you don’t like me," she said, looking right at Jacob’s mother.

"I appreciate your honesty. It’s probably one of the things that Jacob loves about you." Mechele smiled. "Honey, I do like you. It’s not a question of my not liking you. I’m just concerned about my son. If he loves you, then there’s nothing I can do to stop him. He’s stubborn and he’s old enough to make his own decisions. I just worry because it’s what a mother does."

Maria smiled. "I understand. And I thank you for understanding where I’m coming from also," she said.

"It took a lot of courage for you to talk to me like this. After this morning, I thought that you’d avoid me until you left," Mechele said and laughed. Maria laughed, too.

"Yeah, well, it was a little embarrassing," she said. Mechele covered Maria’s hand with her own.

"Thank you for talking to me. I just want my son to be happy. I know music makes him happy and I see now that you do, too. Like I said, you’re special, Maria. Take care of Jacob for me, okay?" Maria could see tears in Mechele’s blue eyes. She put her other hand over Mechele’s.

"I will do my best," Maria assured her and smiled.

"Things look good, dude," Bryan said. Jacob looked in and saw his mother and Maria laughing.

"Thank God," he said, tilting his head back and closing his eyes.

"Maria can charm a snake. Why were you so worried?" Emily asked him.

"I don’t know, to be honest. I don’t want Maria thinking that Mom hates her," Jacob said. He turned when Maria came out of the house.

"Mission accomplished," she said, leaning on the edge of the hot tub.

"She’s cool?" Jacob asked, rubbing her arm.

"For now. She’s just overprotective of her baby," Maria said, smiling. "She doesn’t want you hurt. I told her that I’d take care of you."

"I like the sound of that." Jacob smirked. He pulled Maria over to him and kissed her deeply.

"Um…hello?" Bryan said. Emily laughed. Jacob let go of Maria and they smiled at each other.

"Jake, Bryan, Dad’s here!" Danielle yelled from the doorway. They all turned and Jacob and Bryan quickly got out of the hot tub.

"Better late than never," Jacob mumbled as he grabbed a towel and hurried after Bryan into the house. Maria looked at Emily.

"Was Mrs. Underwood really cool?" Emily asked. Maria nodded.

"Yeah. She’s a mother, so I understand where she’s coming from, I guess. I don’t know. It’s not like my mom would fuss so much about a guy that I was dating. She just gives them a dirty look and never discusses it or anything," she said.

"I hear you. My mom was never around when I went out with Travis. I don’t think she even knew I had a boyfriend for two years. I’d say, ‘I’m going out with Travis,’ and she’d say, ‘That’s nice, dear.’ Whatever," Emily said, shaking her head.

"With our family, how did we turn out so normal?" Maria asked.

"We’re normal? I don’t think so," Emily exclaimed, splashing Maria, who laughed.

Later that night, Maria was lying in her bed in the guestroom staring at the ceiling. Emily was sleeping, her slow, even breathing the only sound in the room. Maria sighed. She had met Steve Underwood earlier. He was a nice guy and Jacob was close to him. At least Jacob’s mother didn’t hate his father, like Caroline hated Joseph. ‘My family’s the screwy one,’ Maria thought.

After counting one hundred sheep, Maria couldn’t take it anymore. Quietly, she got out of the bed and crept to the door. Saying a silent prayer, she made her way down the dark hallway to Jacob’s room. His door was opened a crack. She pushed the door and saw him lying in bed, the sheet pooled around his waist, his arm flung out over his head. Maria stared at his bare chest in the dim moonlight and smiled.

"I was waiting for you to come." Maria jumped at the sound of his voice. Jacob opened his eyes and smiled. Maria closed his door and walked over to the bed.

"Be quiet," she whispered. "And move over." Jacob made room for Maria to lie down beside him. He put his arm around her and held her close.

"I thought you were against this kind of ‘closeness’ in my mom’s house," Jacob whispered, his breath hot against her cheek.

"This isn’t the kind of ‘closeness’ I meant," Maria said. Jacob’s hands started to wander over her body. Maria was only wearing a short nightshirt. "Don’t," she warned, as one of his hands made its way up her leg.

"I can’t help it. It’s a small bed and I lose control when we’re in such close quarters," Jacob said, kissing her cheek and making his way to her mouth. Maria turned over and captured his lips in a hungry kiss. His arms went around her and he groaned as she draped herself over him, entangling their limbs as they continued to kiss. After a few minutes, Maria came to her senses.

"I can’t do this," she said, pulling back, away from him. "It’s your mom’s house. I can’t disrespect her knowing that she’s not entirely thrilled with me being involved with you." Jacob pulled her back over to him.

"What if I locked the door?" he asked, kissing her neck.

"No, Jacob, it isn’t right," she said. Jacob sighed.

"Tease," he said softly, smirking. Maria hit him. "Ow!"

"I want you, but just not here. If I stay, will you be good?" she asked. Jacob thought about it, rubbing his chest where she had hit him.

"I guess," he said. Maria nodded and made herself comfortable. "Do you love me?" he asked, moving over and putting his arms around her. Maria rolled her eyes.

"Yes, I love you. Now go to sleep," she said, closing her eyes. Jacob smiled.

"I love you, too. Goodnight," he said and closed his eyes as well. Maria smiled. It wasn’t long before she fell into a deep sleep.

December 27^th

Orlando

Alex quickly made her way up the sidewalk to the front door of O-Town’s estate. A second after Erik opened the door, she was in his arms. Erik held her tightly. She had told him a little of what had gone on Christmas Day, but she had been so upset, he hadn’t been able to get the whole story. He did know that one of the guys who had attacked her and Carlos had shown up at her parents’ house and she was scared to death. Erik also hadn’t been able to get back to the house until late last night, so he hadn’t been able to see her until today.

"It’s okay, baby," Erik said as he shut the door with his foot. Alex had his neck in a death grip.

"I am so pissed at Carlos! I don’t know what to do," Alex said, finally releasing Erik and allowing him to guide her into the sitting room. "How can he protect the guy who shot him? Or who stabbed me?"

"I don’t know. It doesn’t make sense. If he wants to protect you, you’d think he’d go right to the police and turn the bastards in," Erik said.

"Exactly. But no, he’d rather get paid to keep quiet and say that he’s ‘helping the family.’ It’s such bullshit!" Alex exclaimed.

"Well, you’re here now. You can relax," Erik said, rubbing her shoulders. Alex closed her eyes and sighed.

"That feels so good," she said. Erik smiled.

"We’ve got the whole day to ourselves, you know. And we’ve also got us a big, empty house. What do you want to do?" he asked. Alex thought about it.

"Swim," she said. "I want to swim." Erik stood up and smiled.

"Let’s change then and go swimming," he said. Alex smiled for the first time in two days.

"Okay, let’s go!" she said.

California

"He’s here!" Danielle announced. She ran to the front door and pulled it open. The white stretch limousine came to a stop and the door opened, revealing a cameraman, followed by Ashley.

Jacob and Emily came up behind Danielle. Jacob yawned. Ashley had taken an early flight, so it was too early for Jacob to be up. Maria was still sleeping.

"Hey, Ash," Jacob greeted him. Ashley smiled and manly half-hugged him. Ashley then hugged Danielle and stood, looking at Emily before pulling her into a hug.

"It’s so good to see you guys," Ashley said. "How was your holiday?"

"You’ll never believe how good it was," Jacob said, smiling. Ashley nodded. Okay, something had happened, but what? Jacob was way too happy.

"Where’s Maria?" Ashley asked.

"Still sleeping," Jacob replied. "Dude, why the early flight?" He yawned again.

"I had to go. My mom, dad and Emily were going to visit some friends on the East Coast, so I was kinda, like, forced to leave," Ashley explained. "Besides, I knew that you missed the camera." Jacob rolled his eyes.

"Oh, yeah, I sure did," he said, sarcastically.

"You have a sister named Emily?" Emily asked. Ashley smiled.

"Yeah. I have another sister, Annie, and an older brother, Taylor, too," he said.

"That’s cool to have so many siblings," Emily said, a little envious. Ashley glanced at her and noticed her sad expression. He couldn’t help but feel badly for her. She seemed so lonely at times. He was glad that he was here with her now.

"Ashley! How are you?" Mechele came into the room and hugged him.

"I’m okay, Mrs. Underwood. It’s nice to see you," Ashley told her.

"You, too. Are you hungry? I can make breakfast," she said.

"I’ll help," Danielle volunteered. Together, Mechele and Danielle went to the kitchen.

"Should I wake up Maria?" Jacob asked.

"You know, I wouldn’t. Let her sleep," Emily said.

"I don’t know why she’s so tired. We’ve just been relaxing the whole week," Jacob remarked.

"Oh, come on, Jacob, you’ve been dragging her all over San Diego for days now. Of course she should be tired," Emily said, smiling.

"Or maybe she’s getting sick," Ashley said. "You better stay away from her." Jacob nodded. He hoped she would be okay for New Years’ Eve. He’d let her sleep.

Orlando

Alex sighed as Erik kissed her. They were in the pool and things had heated up pretty quickly when he had cornered her in the shallow end and had started kissing her passionately. She wound her arms around his neck and hung on as his lips kissed a trail down, over her chin to her neck where he kissed and licked her moist skin.

"Is anybody here?" A voice called. Erik pushed himself away from Alex. "Erik! My man!"

"Trevor, what are you doing here?" Erik asked, exasperated.

"It’s good to see you, too, dude," Trevor said, looking down at the couple in the pool. "Hi, Alex." She glanced at the camera that was behind him and frowned.

"Why are you here?" she asked, annoyance in her voice. Trevor rolled his eyes.

"I have never felt so welcome in my life!" he exclaimed. "This is my house, too."

"Man, we just want to know why you’re here a day early," Erik said. Trevor sighed and sat down on a deck chair.

"I was hoping to have some time to, you know, write a little. My family, they’re cool and they understand. I just figure that I’m the worst songwriter, I mean, the worst out of the five of us, so I’d hoped to get some things written down and that way I could show them to Jake or whoever and maybe get some help, so I’d have something to show Clive when we meet with him," he said.

"You must be serious about it if you left your family early to come back here to write," Erik remarked.

"Yeah, I am. This is my job now, man, and if we want to be taken seriously, we have to write our own stuff," Trevor said.

"Well, I think that’s great, Trevor," Alex told him. "But you interrupted us."

"I’ll go to my room. Go back to whatever you were doing, but warn me if you’re gonna get naked," Trevor said as he got up. Erik started to get out of the pool to run after him, but Trevor ran quickly into the house, laughing. The camera stayed with Erik and Alex, of course.

"Perfect," Erik muttered. "Now we can’t even be alone."

"Oh, it’s okay. Let’s get out and watch TV or something," Alex suggested as she climbed out of the pool. Erik sighed and reluctantly followed her.

California

"So, what happened?" Ashley asked as he sat at the kitchen table with Jacob. They were eating toast and bacon that Jacob’s mother and Danielle had made for them. Emily had gone back to bed.

"I gave Maria the bracelet and the necklace," Jacob said as he chewed his toast. He gave Ashley a huge smile as he added, "She gave me her heart." Ashley smiled.

"Dude, that’s awesome…or gross, depending on if you take it literally," he said. Jacob shook his head.

"She told me she loves me," he said, the huge smile still on his face.

"I knew it! We all knew it! Why’d it, like, take her so long to tell you?" Ashley asked him.

"She’s worried about the distance thing and all that. She wants to work and I travel a lot, so it’s understandable that she’s iffy about our relationship, but she couldn’t fight it anymore," Jacob said. "Dude, it was so good to finally hear her say it. I, like, dreamt of her saying it, but my dreams didn’t compare to actually hearing it come out of her mouth."

"Jake, I am really happy for you…and Maria. You belong together," Ashley said.

"It’s not gonna be easy, but just knowing that she’s mine and that she feels the same way about me that I do about her, it’s the perfect feeling," Jacob said.

"Well, anything that puts that big a smile on your face, is totally cool with me," Ashley told him and laughed.

Jacob and Ashley finished their breakfast. They talked about Ashley’s holiday with his family and the upcoming MTV performance. They were putting their dishes in the sink when Maria came shuffling into the kitchen, still half asleep.

"I feel like shit," she said. "Hi, Ashley." Ashley smiled.

"Hi. Wow, you look, well, not like you usually do," he remarked. Jacob went over to her and kissed her cheek.

"What’s wrong?" he asked.

"I have a sore throat and my head hurts," Maria replied, sitting down at the table and putting her head down on her arms.

"I told you she was coming down with something," Ashley said.

"Why don’t you go lie down some more? I’ll bring you some juice," Jacob told her as he gently lifted her from the chair. Maria nodded and walked back the way she had come. "Damn, I hope she’s okay to go to New York."

"I’m sure she’ll be fine," Ashley told him. Jacob sighed. He hoped so.

Fifteen minutes later, Mechele was passing Jacob’s room when she saw Maria lying in his bed. She went in to collect some clothes that needed washing. Maria stirred and opened her eyes.

"Is the bed in the guestroom uncomfortable?" Mechele asked, smiling.

"No, uh, of course not, um, I just, well…" Maria said, feeling very guilty.

"Oh, dear, it’s fine. I’m just kidding. Do you feel all right?" Mechele asked, feeling Maria’s forehead.

"Not really," Maria answered. "I guess going from California to Utah, back to California, then to Orlando and now here has finally caught up with me."

"That is a lot of traveling. I remember when Jacob was sick during the band’s first tour. I didn’t even know what had really gone on until I had seen the show. He had been performing with pneumonia. I would’ve killed him had I known. That’s the worst part of his being in O-Town. I can’t keep an eye on him." Mechele sighed.

"Your family is so close. I envy that," Maria said. Mechele patted Maria’s hand.

"Can I get you anything?" she asked.

"I have some Tylenol right here," Jacob said as he entered the room with a bottle of Tylenol and a glass of water.

"Well, I’ll let Jacob take care of you," Mechele said as she left. Maria sat up. Jacob sat on the edge of the bed.

"Feel any better?" he asked. Maria shrugged and took the pills from him. She took two with the water and lay back down.

"I’m sorry," she said. Jacob frowned.

"For what?" he asked.

"For getting sick. I know that you probably had plans for us today." Jacob took her hand and held it.

"I thought we’d take it easy today. I’ll hang out with Ash and Emily. And Bryan and Danielle. I want to spend some time with them before we go. You get some rest. I want you to feel better so that you can come to New York," he said. Maria smiled. Jacob leaned over and kissed her forehead before he stood up and left the room. Maria closed her eyes to get some more sleep.

Orlando

Alex was sitting cross-legged on Erik’s bed waiting for him. She saw some candles on his dresser and went over to light them. She smiled. She felt so safe when she was with him---something she didn’t feel when she was at her apartment or even when she was at her parents’ house.

Erik came in and shut the door. He was carrying a bowl of ice cream. "I remember that you like chocolate," he said with a smile.

"I do," she said as she sat back on the bed. "Where’d you get the candles?"

"Dan. He’s into that Zen stuff and gave us all candles for Christmas before we all left for our break," Erik told her.

"I like candles. They’re very romantic," Alex said. Erik sat down on the bed and took the spoon that was in the bowl. He scooped up some ice cream and fed it to Alex, who smiled, appreciatively. After a few more scoops and Alex’s moans of pleasure, Erik put the bowl aside and took Alex in his arms, kissing her passionately. It wasn’t long before Erik’s shirt was off and he was unbuttoning her blouse.

"I missed you," Erik said as he kissed her neck. Alex smiled, running her hands over his back. Erik slid her blouse off of her shoulders and down her arms. He then unhooked her bra and threw it aside. Alex reached for his warm-ups and slid them down, his boxers soon following. They slid under the covers, their bodies tangled as they kissed and caressed each other.

Erik slid her panties down and readied himself. He made love to Alex slowly, knowing that the time they had to be together was short, so he wanted to make the most of it. Soon, they were both crying out as they reached their peaks together. Erik cleaned himself up and pulled Alex into his arms. She sighed as she lay in his embrace.

"I wish we could always be together," she said. Erik kissed her forehead.

"We’ll have some time together before the next tour," he told her.

"It’s not enough time, though." Alex hugged him tightly to her. Erik sighed. He knew now why he had avoided getting involved with someone before---the distance thing was a bitch.

"I love you, Alex. Even when we’re apart, I’ll still love you and I’ll always come back to you," Erik told her. Alex nodded.

"I know. I love you, too," she said. They then fell asleep in each other’s arms.

December 28^th

"Hey, guys!" Trevor greeted the Mikes. They smiled at him.

"Have a nice break?" Mike C. asked. Trevor nodded.

"I actually came back yesterday. I wanted to write a little," he told them.

"Yeah, right. You just want to be the favorite," Mike M. said. Trevor shrugged.

"Okay, you caught me," he said, smiling. "The others should be arriving soon. Dan should be here in a little while, right?"

"Yeah. Ashley went to Jacob’s, so they’ll be arriving together a little later. Erik’s here already, too, right?" Mike C. said. Trevor nodded.

"Good, then you’re all accounted for. Wow, I didn’t even have to yell at anyone," Mike M. remarked with a smile.

"They’re not back yet," Mike C. said, smiling. Mike M. rolled his eyes.

Maria was sleeping, her head resting on Jacob’s shoulder, as the limo made its way to O-Town’s estate. She had gotten worse instead of better and now had a head cold in addition to her sore throat and headache. Jacob put his arm around her and held her close.

"She just needs to slow down," Emily said from her spot beside Ashley on the seat opposite Jacob and Maria.

"I know. Do you think the New York trip is a good idea? It’s so cold there," Jacob said. Ashley shrugged.

"Let her decide. If she feels okay, then that’s cool. If not, it’s no big deal. We’ll still have a few weeks before we leave on the European tour," he said. Jacob nodded. He really wanted Maria with him in New York, but not if she wasn’t feeling well.

The limo pulled into the driveway and stopped. Ashley and Emily got out. Jacob shook Maria lightly. "Sweetheart? We’re here," he said. Maria stirred and sneezed. Jacob handed her a tissue.

"Oh, God. I feel like crap," she said. She blew her nose before following Jacob out of the limo.

"Hi, guys!" Alex came running out of the house, Erik, Trevor Dan and a camera right behind them. Dan had arrived earlier, much to the Mikes’ joy. The other camera was trained on Ashley, who was getting the luggage out of the trunk.

"Don’t come too close," Maria warned. Alex frowned.

"You’re sick? That sucks. But, I know what will make you feel better. Susan called me a couple of days ago and told me that Mr. Walsh wants to see both of us tomorrow morning. Susan thinks that he wants to either promote us or offer us more prestigious positions within the magazine," she said, now smiling.

"That does sound promising," Maria remarked. Could Kyle have finally come to his senses and decided to offer her a much-deserved promotion?

"Oh, Maria. That’s gorgeous," Alex sighed, touching her necklace lightly. Alex smiled. "Jacob?" Maria nodded.

"Erik, look at what Jacob gave Maria for Christmas," Alex motioned for him to go over. Erik did and smiled.

"I know. He showed all of us before he had it wrapped," he said. "And you better not say that I didn’t get you anything!" He turned to Alex. "I seem to recall a diamond ankle bracelet that I gave you for your birthday."

"That was for my birthday, not Christmas," Alex protested.

"Sorry, I didn’t have time to go shopping. Too busy," Erik said, apologetically.

"That’s okay," Alex said and kissed him.

Maria brought her things over to her jeep. Emily put her bags in as well. They returned to the group, who were saying ‘hi’ to each other and talking about their time off.

"Are you taking off?" Jacob asked Maria.

"I think so. I just need to lie down some more. I really want to go to New York, but I want to feel better than I do now," she said. Jacob nodded and taking her hand, he led her away from the others.

"I’ll call and let you know what time we’ll be leaving," he said. Maria nodded. Jacob leaned in and kissed her cheek lightly. "I love you."

"I love you," Maria said. Jacob smiled.

"Do you know how long I’ve been waiting to hear you say that?" he asked. Maria smiled…and sneezed. Jacob laughed. "Go to bed!" he ordered before he brought her back over to the others.

"I guess I’ll see you after the New Year," Emily said to Ashley.

"Why don’t you come, too? To New York?" he asked.

"Are you sure?" she asked him. Ashley nodded. Emily smiled and hugged him.

"That sounds like fun. Thanks, Ashley," she said. Ashley smiled as she hugged him. He backed away and looked into her eyes.

"It will be much more fun with you there," he said. Emily blushed. She kissed his cheek before joining Maria in the jeep. Maria blew the horn as she took off.

Erik wrapped an arm around Jacob’s shoulders. "So, Jake, how was it at your place?" he asked. Jacob smiled.

"Better than I could’ve imagined. Wait, actually, it could’ve been a little better had Maria not gotten sick," he said.

"Oh, no, our boy didn’t get any action?" Trevor asked.

"Guys…" Dan warned. "Leave him alone. But, Jake, you can talk to me later, you know, in private." Jacob shook his head.

"Dudes, you need women in a bad way," he said.

"You can’t have mine!" Erik yelled as he grabbed Alex’s hand and dragged her into the house.

"Welcome back to the nuthouse," Mike M. said as the guys entered the house. "Now, sit down, we have to go over your schedule." Jacob sighed. So much for their break, it was time to get back to work.

The next morning, Maria entered Walsh Studios, not knowing what to expect. She walked down the hallway, wiping her nose. The first person she saw was, of course, Jocelyn.

"Wow, you look like ‘Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,’" she remarked, smirking. Maria ignored her as she made her way to Kyle’s office. She couldn’t believe that the bitch was even still working here after what she had done to Maria at the party.

"Maria! It’s been too long," Susan said, hugging her when she saw her. Maria smiled. "You don’t look good."

"I don’t feel good, Susan. I feel like crap and just want to know what Kyle wants, so I can go home to bed," Maria told her. Susan led Maria into Kyle’s office where Alex was already waiting. She looked nervous.

"Susan, are you sure that Mr. Walsh didn’t say what he wanted to see us about?" Alex asked anxiously. Susan shook her head.

"No, he didn’t tell me anything. Relax, he’ll be here soon," she said. "I love your necklace and bracelet," she then said to Maria, who smiled.

"Jacob’s Christmas presents," she said, touching the bracelet lovingly.

"What did you get him?" Susan asked. Maria looked at her.

"I told him that I love him," she said. Alex leaned over to hug her.

"It’s about time," she said. Susan smiled, too.

"And you didn’t even want to do the O-Town interview," she said, shaking her head. Maria just shrugged, a small smile on her face.

"My girls, it’s been a long time," Kyle said as he entered his office. He hugged Alex, and then Maria. "Are you sick?" Maria nodded.

"Yeah, so hurry up and either fire me or give me more to do because I want to go home and go to bed," she said, sitting down. Kyle went behind his desk and also sat down. Susan closed the door.

"Okay, as far as your job, Maria, it’s safe. I would never get rid of you after all you’ve done for me and for all that I know you can still do. I want to give you an opportunity to expand your horizons, so to speak. I want to give you your own supplement in Star Power. It can be whatever you want, a different topic every month, of your choosing. You can do the stories and write the articles yourself. It will be like having your own mini-magazine within my magazine, so Susan and I will still be the editors, but it will give you more freedom and allow you to do your own work without working under someone. You are too good to still be an intern," Kyle told her.

"But I still have a lot to learn, I mean, I still need your guidance," Maria said. Kyle laughed.

"Maria, there are things that you can probably teach me. No, you’ll be fine. I thought that you wanted a chance to move up in the world," Kyle said.

"I do. This is just, it’s a lot of responsibility," Maria told him. "Will I get my own lab?"

"I had a feeling that you would ask that and the answer is yes. Jocelyn will be moving into my studio, so you can have your lab back. I never meant to upset you by hiring her and I spoke to her about what happened at the party. She is competitive, but is good and I need someone with her skills to replace you," Kyle explained.

"I still don’t like her," Maria mumbled.

"What about me?" Alex asked. "Will I still be your stylist?" Kyle turned to her.

"Yes, and you’re also going to be Maria’s new assistant. She can’t do the supplement on her own, so she’ll need you to help her out. If I need you for a specific shoot that I have to do, I’ll let you know, but as of right now, you’re working with Maria," he told her.

"Pay wise, will our salaries increase with this new workload and will I be able to go out of the country to do a story?" Maria asked.

"You will each get a substantial raise in salary. Travel expenses will be discussed when you decide to travel. I’ll need to sit down with you and go over what your plans are for the monthly supplement and all expenses will be figured out then. You’re gaining a lot of freedom with this, Maria, so traveling won’t be a problem. The only thing I care about is that you put together good articles, take good pictures and get them in by the deadline," Kyle stated. "It’s up to you to do the work." Maria sat back. She had been dreaming of having a job like this. It wasn’t her own magazine, but she didn’t want that. She was getting a ‘part’ of a magazine without the headaches of running a whole magazine on her own. She smiled.

"I can’t tell you how excited I am about this. I’d act even more excited if I wasn’t sick to my stomach at the moment," Maria said. They all laughed.

"Go home and get some rest. I still have some things to work out. Right now, your first supplement will be in the March issue, so you have time to get something together," Kyle said. Maria stood up. Kyle took her hand. "I have faith in you, Maria. I always have. I know you’ll make me proud."

"Thank you, Kyle. I’ll do my best. I appreciate you giving me the opportunity," Maria said.

Maria, Alex and Susan walked out of Kyle’s office. Susan hugged Maria. "I knew Kyle would come through for you. He wasn’t about to lose you to Robert Gray," Susan said. Maria looked surprised.

"He knew about Robert’s offer?" she asked. Susan nodded.

"Yes. Robert called and specifically told him that he’d do anything to get you to move to California and work for his magazine. Kyle knew that he had to do something. He never wanted to lose you," she said.

"Well, I’m happy. Things are working out perfectly for me. Now, if I can get healthy, I’ll be even better," Maria said and sneezed.

December 30^th

New York

Maria held tightly to Jacob’s hand as they, along with the rest of the group, Alex, Emily and the Mikes, made their way through LaGuardia Airport. They walked quickly and made it through without the guys being noticed. Some young girls had turned to stare, but they hadn’t approached them.

Before she knew it, Maria was sliding into a limousine and they were on their way to the hotel. She felt a little better, but not great. Her stomach had been bothering her and she hadn’t been able to keep much food down, so she was still weak. Her head was a little less congested than it had been, but she was still not feeling one hundred percent.

"Okay, we weren’t able to get separate rooms, so you’re gonna have to share," Mike M. told Jacob, Trevor and Dan. It was an eight-person limo, so they had split up with Mike C., Erik, Alex, Ashley and Emily going in another limo. "We have a room for…"

"I want to be with Maria," Jacob spoke up. Mike looked at him.

"Uh…no," he said.

"Come on, Mike," Jacob said. "It will be uneven anyway. We have to have at least one girl with one guy, so it’ll logically be me and Maria."

"Not good for publicity," Mike said.

"But everyone knows about them," Trevor told him. "It’s no big deal." Mike sighed and rubbed his hand over his face.

"Erik and Alex will probably want to share, too," Dan remarked. Mike shook his head.

"I knew I shouldn’t have allowed you to bring ‘guests,’" he said.

"As long as the camera is there, I promise not to jump Jacob in any way," Maria suddenly said, smirking. Trevor and Dan started laughing hysterically. Mike sighed deeply, but was smiling. "When it’s not there, though, I can’t be responsible for my actions," Maria added.

"Fine!" Mike gave in. "Don’t say anymore." He looked at Maria, who winked at him. Jacob put his arm around her and kissed her soundly on the mouth.

"No previews!" Trevor cried, burying his head in Dan’s shoulder.

Fans were waiting for the group outside their hotel. The guys signed as many autographs as they could before they became too cold to stand outside anymore. Jacob shivered inside his bulky jacket. He was glad when the Mikes ushered them all into the hotel lobby.

"Good Lord, it’s freezing," Ashley exclaimed, blowing on his hands.

"You guys are such wimps. This is nothing," Maria said.

"Well, we’re not all from the East Coast," Ashley told her, and stuck his tongue out at her. Maria went over and pinched him hard. "Okay, stop! I’m sorry!" he yelled, rubbing his arm where she had pinched him. Maria smiled, satisfied.

Mike M. went over to them with an annoyed look on his face. "Okay, here are the room assignments. No complaints or we go home right now," he said, smirking. "Jacob and Maria. Alex and Emily. Erik and Ashley. Dan and Trevor."

"Hey, why can’t I be with Alex?" Erik protested.

"No complaints!" Mike M. reminded him. Erik shut up, but glared at Jacob, who smiled.

"He just doesn’t want to listen to your bitch-ass complaining," Erik said to him. Jacob shrugged and took Maria’s hand. They stepped into the elevator.

"Next time, I get to be with Alex," Erik said. Mike M. nodded.

"I’ll make a note of it," he mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Jacob asked Maria as he put his things down on one of the beds in the room. He was bummed that there were two single beds instead of a double, but then again, had Maria not been with him, he didn’t really want to have a room with a double bed if he had to share with one of the other four guys.

"I’m okay," Maria answered. Jacob walked over to her.

"I mean about being in New York again," he said, softly. Maria sighed.

"To tell you the truth, I haven’t even really thought about it. If we were to go close to the site, then I think I may have a problem, but we’re far enough away so that it’s not getting to me. I did notice the American flags everywhere, though," she said. "It’s got to be so hard for the families that lost someone…especially now, around the holidays."

Jacob pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "I remember when I thought that you may have been in one of the Towers when it happened. It was then that I realized I was falling in love with you. I can’t explain it. Just the thought of never seeing you again…it left a huge hole in my heart," he said.

"Well, I’m here and I’m safe," she told him. Jacob looked into her eyes. He kissed her lightly. She backed away. "Don’t. I don’t want you getting sick."

"I’ll risk it," he said and kissed her deeply. Maria clung to him, missing their closeness. She wanted him badly. They hadn’t been together intimately since the last night at the cabin, which was over three weeks ago.

There was a knock at the door. Jacob groaned in frustration as he let her go. Maria sat down on the bed, dizzy from his kiss…and because she hadn’t eaten a whole lot in the last few days.

Mike C. entered the room. "Jake, we’ve got to be at MTV’s studios early tomorrow morning to set up, do sound check and to go over the schedule of how the show is gonna run," he said.

"Fine. I’m not going anywhere," Jacob told him. Mike nodded.

"I know, I just wanted to let you know what’s going on," he said. "Oh, here are your MTV passes. Don’t lose them." He handed Jacob two laminated passes and left. Jacob walked over to Maria’s bed where she was sitting. He handed hers to her. Maria took it and frowned at her picture.

"I look horrible," she said.

"Actually, it’s a good picture," Jacob told her. He sat down beside her. "You look pale. Are you sure you feel up to going tomorrow night?" Maria nodded.

"Yes. I just need something to eat and I need some rest. I’ll be fine," she said. "Don’t hover. It’s annoying." Maria got up and went into the bathroom. Jacob sighed. Maria had told him about her new job. He was happy for her. It was what she’d wanted and she seemed excited about it. He’d never seen her so cranky before, though. ‘She’s just sick,’ he thought. She’ll lighten up after she gets some food and some rest. He picked up the phone to call room service.

Ashley was lying on his bed. Erik had gone to hang out with Alex, so he was alone at the moment. There was a soft knock at the door. Ashley got up to answer it. He smiled when he saw Emily.

"Hey, what’s going on?" he asked.

"Erik and Alex are in my room. I felt like a third wheel. Mind if I come in here to hang out?" Emily asked.

"No, come on in," Ashley said. Emily walked in and stood with her arms crossed over her chest.

"So, what are you guys going to do tomorrow night? I mean, besides celebrate the New Year?" she asked.

"Well, we’re gonna perform two songs, probably All Or Nothing and We Fit Together. Then, we’ll just hang out and do what MTV tells us to," Ashley said, smiling.

"Who else is going to be there?" Emily asked.

"I think, um, Ja Rule, City High and P.O.D. are performing. Jake’s psyched about seeing P.O.D.," Ashley said, smiling. Emily smiled back.

"It sounds like it’s gonna be fun," she said. Ashley loved when Emily smiled. He found himself staring at her. Emily noticed and looked at the floor. Ashley walked over to her and slid a finger along her cheek. Emily tilted her head up to look at him. He traced her lips with his finger and Emily’s heart started beating faster.

"You are so beautiful," Ashley said softly. Emily smiled.

"I am not," she said. Ashley looked at her with a serious look on his face.

"Yes, you are." He leaned in to her and touched his lips to hers. Emily closed her eyes and put her arms around his waist. Ashley increased the pressure of his lips on hers, tilting his head slightly. Emily opened her mouth to him and his tongue touched hers, making her moan softly.

Ashley loved the feel of Emily’s soft lips against his. He brought his hands up and tangled them in her hair as their kiss became hotter. He walked forward until they were next to the bed. Emily sat down, bringing Ashley with her. He lay her down, all the while continuing to kiss her passionately. He stopped suddenly and looked down at her. Emily smiled and ran a hand through his perfectly spiked hair.

"Why are you stopping?" she asked. Ashley smiled and leaned down again, capturing her lips in a sensuous kiss.

The door opened and Erik walked in. "Oh, my," he said, turning to leave. Ashley quickly sat up, as did Emily. She smoothed out her hair the best she could.

"Erik, it’s okay. Don’t go," Ashley said.

"Actually, I’m going." Emily got up and walked swiftly to the door. "See you guys later." She waved as she left the room. Erik closed the door and turned to Ashley, giving him a knowing smile.

"Ashley, you sneaky Romeo, you," he said. Ashley blushed and looked away, wiping the back of his neck with his hand. "You and Emily, huh? That’s cool. She’s definitely cool."

"Erik, don’t go saying anything, okay? She’s still kinda, I don’t know, unsure about it," Ashley told him.

"Dude, she didn’t look too ‘unsure’ when I walked in," Erik said, throwing himself down onto his own bed.

"I know, but I don’t want to scare her off, you know? I really like her."

"I can tell. Don’t worry, Ash, I won’t say anything," Erik assured him. Ashley nodded. He went to the bathroom to change. Erik smiled. He was looking forward to the MTV performance and Alex was with him, which would make it even better. Yes, it was definitely going to be a fun night tomorrow night.

Maria was lying in bed. Actually, she was propped up because when she lay down, she couldn’t breathe.

"I thought I was getting better," she said, sadly. Jacob sat on his bed, shirtless, looking at her. She had been snapping at him all evening. She had eaten a little, but it hadn’t helped her sour disposition.

"If you don’t want to go tomorrow night, you don’t have to," Jacob told her.

"I want to go, but if I feel like this, I’ll only make everyone around me miserable," Maria said. Jacob moved to sit on the edge of her bed. He took her hand in his.

"See how you feel, okay? If you feel like you’re too weak, then you can stay here. I won’t force you to go if you’re not feeling up to it," he said. Maria smiled at him and reached up to touch his cheek gently.

"I know you won’t. I just hate it when I get sick," she said. Jacob kissed her flushed cheek.

"Wait and see how you feel. Get some rest and I’m sure by tomorrow night, you’ll feel a lot better," he told her. Maria nodded. Jacob kissed her hand and went to his bed. He stripped off his jeans and got into the bed. "I love you, sweetheart."

Maria smiled. "I love you, too."

Jacob turned off the lights and settled down. Maria longed to be over in his bed with him instead of by herself feeling like shit. She blew her nose and sighed. She just had to think of good things: she had a ‘new’ job that she was looking forward to starting; she had Jacob, who knew now how she felt about him, and she, herself, now knew how she felt about him, so that was a plus; she had her family, scattered, but they still cared about her---hopefully Sarah was included there. Things were going well right now.

Maria glanced over at Jacob and smiled. She closed her eyes. Yes, things were going very well right now.