Chapter Four: Part A

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Finally after two hours of being seated in the cramped hotel lobby of the Ambassador Suite, Marshall, Justin, and Christina were told by one of their tour promoters that they could each go back to their hotel rooms--but only if they promised to stay there until every single news reporter had left the premises.

Which didn't set too well with Christina.

"I know that there just doing their job...but this is freaking ridiculous. I mean, I feel like I'm being punished and sent to my room after my mother just caught me with my hand in the cookie jar."

"Or better yet, with your hand somewhere else." Justin sarcastically quipped, causing both him and Marshall to slightly chuckle while the petite woman beside them called the younger man a pervert.

"Coming from you....I'll take that as a compliment." Justin jokingly remarked, before quickly dashing down the hallway--out of Christina's reach. And afterwards, calling over his shoulder that he'd see them both later, before ducking inside his hotel room.

"That boy is crazy."

After nodding his head slightly in agreement, Marshall waited until they were further down the hallway before nonchalantly asking if her and Justin were together; causing Christina to first look at the older man in disbelief before slightly chuckling at the look of seriousness that was written across his face. "No, we are defiantly not together...he's like my younger brother. And besides, if you've turned on the TV lately, you'd already know that he has a steady girlfriend."

After thinking about it for a second and remembering that he had heard somewhere that Justin was currently rumored to be dating one of the leading ladies in Charlie's Angels, Marshall made a slight oh noise in the back of his throat before continuing to follow Christina further down the hallway; fortunately enough stopping before the petite brunette noticed just how out of shape the older man really was.

No buts about it, Em...the first thing you're going to do when you get back to Detroit is hit the gym.

With that thought in mind, the older man quickly snapped himself out of his thoughts. And just in time too, because as soon as Christina had opened the door to her room, his seven year old daughter practically flew towards his legs; surprising both him and Christina, as well.

What the hell?

After quickly adverting her attention away from the little girl who had already started speaking to her father a mile a minute, Christina couldn't help but slightly smirk to herself as she noticed an exhausted looking Stacey seated on one of their room's queen-sized beds.

So, the little wench knew Marshall was coming all along and didn't even bother to tell anyone about it...I'll get her ass back for this one--that is, if someone hasn't all ready.

"Then a couple of seconds ago, me and Miss. Stacey took the paper airplanes that we made before and threw them all out the window...we were trying to see which one of us could get one of them stuck in somebody's hairpiece but the only thing I think we hit were a couple of birds."

After chuckling slightly at his daughter's summary of the day's events, Marshall quickly told Hailie to first thank Ms. Stacey for watching her--while her daddy went to work--and then tell both her and Ms. Christina good-bye so they could hurry up and head to their hotel room for the night; one which he purposely admitted was filled with all kinds of things like Hailie's favorite board game--Monopoly.

"Okay, daddy." Hailie quickly replied, before doing exactly what Marshall had told her to do; only stopping when Christina replied: "Bye Hailie...hopefully I'll see you tonight at the concert."

A comment which caused the little girl to turn around and look at her father with a hopeful grin on her face--one which him and her both knew would get him to do whatever she wanted him to do immediately.

"Can we, daddy?"

After spending a small second inwardly cursing himself for having told the press and Christina that he'd be going, Marshall put on the biggest smile he could muster and said the first thing that popped into his head at the moment: "If you want to go...we can go, Hailie."

A comment which caused the little girl to cheerfully scream outloud: "Yes!"

Later that night

After jokingly telling her assistant that--because of the fact that she didn't tell the younger woman about Marshall's plans to come to the press conference that morning--she vowed to make sure that the other brunette had to wash both hers and Justin's dirty sets of clothes once they got back to L.A, Christina and Stacey spent the rest of their time at the hotel watching old episodes of Forensic Files; ones which Christina's mom had thankfully enough taped and sent to her daughter to watch between live interviews and boring photo shoots.

But fortunately enough for Stacey--who didn't quite understand how the younger woman could get so sucked into the show--Tom, Christina and Justin's tour-manager, had dropped by right before they could finish the third tape; telling both girls that it was time to head to the venue; where they would spend the next couple of hours goofing off while--with Marshall's permission, of course--teaching Hailie some of the more innocent dance routines to some of Christina's old songs.

Afterwards, it didn't even feel like a good hour had gone by before Christina found herself walking out on stage; ready to begin her last song of the evening.

"All right, before I begin my last song of the night, I just want to say two things." Christina began, while slowly making her way towards the middle of the stage. "The first one is that I really appreciate all the love and support that you guys have given me since my sophomore album came out last year...it was really hard exposing myself to you the way that I did. But I'm really glad that you guys stood by me and accepted me for who I am and not for who some people wanted me to be."

After waiting until a few small cheers had died down, Christina laughed slightly to herself before continuing on. "And the second thing that I'd like to say to you guys is that I'm really glad that all of you could come out here tonight and help Justin and I end this tour--just how we started it--and that's with a bang."

"So, without further ado, I'm going to stop talking now and sing my very last song of the night--one which I'd like to dedicate to a very special little girl....named Hailie Jade Mathers."

With that being said, Christina quickly closed her eyes--tuning out all the people around her--and then began the first verse of the song that Linda Perry had personally written for Christina a couple of years ago:

Beautiful.

After finishing the rest of the words to the song, Christina slightly blushed at the standing ovation that she had received--before telling everyone in the audience goodnight and making her way backstage; towards her dressing room--where Marshall had promised to be waiting for her after her performance.

Unfortunately though, with a sleeping Hailie in his arms.

"She tried to fight it for as long as she could, but somewhere between the part where you were gnawing at the metal cage and the part where you were worshipping a stripper, she just knocked the fuck out."

After slightly laughing at the older man's choice of words, Christina couldn't help but smile to herself while briefly watching the sleeping Hailie--who was curled up in her daddy's arms--smiling in her sleep.

She's so beautiful.

With that thought in mind, Christina quietly replied: "Well, I guess I can't blame her....she's had a pretty long day. Maybe next time she'll stay awake long enough to hear my dedication to her."

While nonchalantly shrugging--as if to say maybe--Marshall quickly replied: "You never know...but I better get her back to the hotel. I know my arm's can't be that comfortable..."

After smirking slightly and replying that she'd be leaving in a few minutes as well, Christina hesitantly asked if she didn't get to see or talk to the older man tomorrow, when could she expect another phone call regarding future meetings.

A question which caused Marshall to nonchalantly shrug, before standing up--with Hailie's sleeping figure still in his arms--and making his way towards the exit to Christina's dressing room; calling out over his shoulder, as an afterthought, that it'd be sooner than the younger woman thought--causing Christina to furrow both eyebrows in confusion while thinking to herself:

And what's that supposed to mean?

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