Reunions,
Announcements, and Surprise Destinations
Howie
looked out the door in disbelief. He was positive this time. Opening the door,
he called "Ivy!"
She
turned around and he ran out the door and over to her. He enveloped her small
frame in a tight hug and Howie noticed her wince as if it were painful.
Pulling
away, he smiled broadly. "I can't believe you came. Are you alright?"
"I'm
fine," she spoke very softly. "I had a few things that needed to be
cleared up before I could leave."
"Here,
let me get those," Howie said, quickly taking the bags she was reaching
for. "I'm really glad you could come."
"Me,
too," she smiled.
They
walked inside where Bianca sat looking confused. She couldn't figure out why
Howie just got up and walked outside.
"Bean,
this is Ivy," he said finally clearing things up for her.
"Oh,"
she said quickly, standing up and sticking out her hand. "It's nice to
finally meet you. I'm Bianca."
Ivy
smiled warmly and shook Bianca's hand. "Yeah, I know. I see you on MTV all
the time.
"Ivy
is going to be touring with us for a while," Howie explained.
"Cool!
I think we'll have fun! You still have to meet Nicole and the rest of the guys
of course!" Bianca grinned; she almost mentioned Brianna, but remembered
that she and Kevin were the only ones who knew that she was back.
"That
sounds nice," she said timidly. Ivy had been through a lot and she found
it difficult to realize that there were people who liked her and that she was
actually worth liking. 'I am worth liking. I just have to keep telling myself
that.'
********************************
"Nikki,"
Brian called opening the door to Nicole's room.
"Just
a sec," she called from the bathroom. "I'm almost ready."
"Okay,"
he said. "Sweetie, I have to stop by Kevin's room before we can go. He has
something important that he feels the need to tell.
Just
then, Nicole came out of the bathroom in a black dress with a sheer layer of
red over it and strappy black sandals that made her quite a bit taller. Her
dark hair was curled and hung loosely over her shoulders.
Brian
let out a low whistle. "My, my aren't you stunning?"
"Hush,"
she smiled as her cheeks turned pink.
"You
look beautiful." Brian walked over and kissed her cheek. He hesitated for
a moment and kissed her lips, lightly running his tongue over hers.
Pulling
away, Nicole wiped her thumb over Brian's lips. "That color has never
looked good on you," she smiled playfully.
He
gently poked her in the side and took her hand. "I'll be right back, baby.
I gotta go see what's so important with Kev.
********************************
"Bean?"
Nick looked in the bedroom of their hotel suite. "Bianca?"
"What?"
she appeared in the doorway behind him.
"Good
God!" he jumped, obviously not expecting her to answer.
"Sorry,
baby," she giggled. "I didn't mean to scare ya."
"Sure
ya didn't. I just saw Kev and he said that he needs everybody to meet down in
his room. He said it was really important."
"Hmmm,
I wonder what it could be about." Bianca gleamed inwardly. She loved it
when she knew something that others didn't.
"I
dunno, but it must be big. Kev doesn't call meetings unless it's
necessary," Nick shrugged. "C'mon. Let's go."
****KEVIN'S
ROOM****
Kevin
opened the door to let Nick and Bianca inside. Brian came up right behind them.
"So,
Kev, what's the big news?" Nick asked.
"Just
come in and sit down. I just called A.J. and Howie. They'll be here in a
minute," he answered.
As
soon as they came in, Kevin sat down in front of everyone.
Clearing
his throat, he smiled. "Umm, I know y'all are busy and I'm making you
late, but something has come up that could affect me, and our publicity,
greatly. It doesn't really concern you guys personally, but it will have an
impact on all of us and we wanted to tell you together."
"Hold
up! We?" A.J. raised his eyebrows. He thought about the last
"we" he had caught Kevin with.
Kevin
walked to the bedroom and opened the door revealing a very nervous Brianna
inside. A moment later she walked out, causing everyone to stop everything.
Everyone
began asking how she was and why she left. Kevin walked up behind her and
wrapped his arms around her waist. "Y'all," he started, looking at
her and breaking into a huge smile, "Brianna and I are gonna be parents.
And we didn't know of any other way to tell you." Kevin kept his large
hands on her stomach.
With
everyone speechless, Brianna took the opportunity to talk. "I just really
hope that you are as happy as we are about this. It means a lot to know that
you're all behind us."
"We
are," Brian smiled. Getting up, he walked over and gave his cousin a hug.
Pulling Brianna to him, he grinned. "I'm happy for you." Brian
released her and shook Kevin's hand.
"When
did you get back?" A.J. asked as he enveloped her into a tight hug.
"Late
last night," she said giving him a tight squeeze.
A.J.
still didn't let her go. "I missed you, Bree."
"I
missed you, too."
"Well,
I'm glad you're back now," he whispered in her ear before turning her
loose.
"Me,
too." Brianna smiled and kissed him on the cheek.
Bianca
walked over and hugged Kevin, telling him congratulations. Walking over to
Brianna, she gave her a triumphant grin. "Did I act shocked enough for
ya?"
"Yeah,"
Brianna laughed. "I honestly did not think you'd keep quiet. I was
impressed."
"You
know what? I didn't think I could do it either," she giggled. Turning
serious, she said sincerely. "I really am happy for you."
"Thanks."
Brianna hugged her as Kevin walked up.
"And
Kevin," Bianca began, "I'm sorry about what I said to you. About
everything being your fault. I didn't mean it."
"It's
okay, Bean. I know it was hard on you, too." Kevin pulled Brianna close
against him as she gave him a questioning look.
Bianca
smiled. It was just a little run-in that we had. Everything is okay now."
"Alright...as
long as it's fixed," Brianna said in a confused tone.
"It
is," Kevin and Bianca replied at the same time.
********************************
Nicole
and Brian walked hand-in-hand back from the restaurant. They remained silent,
just enjoying the crisp night air and ignoring the two body-guards that flanked
either side of them.
"Nicole
shivered and Brian pulled her into his arms.”I had a really nice time
tonight."
"Me,
too." She smiled, snuggling closer to him. "But anytime we spend
together is always nice."
"Getting
back to the hotel, Brian walked Nicole to her room.
"So,
do you wanna come in?" she asked quietly.
"Sure,"
he smiled and followed her inside.
They
say down on the couch and Brian wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Leaning
over, he brushed her hair back and kissed the hollow spot below her ear.
Turning
to face him Nicole placed her hand on Brian's cheek and kissed him. Brian ran
his tongue over her lips and she parted them, slowly taking his tongue into her
mouth.
Brian
ran his hands down her sides and rested them on her waist.
They
both pulled away breathlessly and Brian kissed down Nicole's neck.
"Alright,
Mr. Littrell, I think it's time you head back to your room," she smiled.
"Yeah,
that's probably a good idea," he blushed. "I'll see you tomorrow. I
love you, Nikki." He kissed the corner of her mouth.
"I
love you, too, Brian." She walked him to the door. Kissing her index
finger, she gently placed it on his lips. "See you tomorrow."
********************************
"Hey,"
Brianna said, opening her bedroom door to find Bianca.
"I
just wanted to stop and see if you maybe wanted to head to the mall. I'm free
until tomorrow," she grinned. "We can see if Nicole and Ivy wanna
come."
Brianna
briefly thought back to their last shopping trip. Bianca could tell she was
debating. "C'mon, let's go; this time we'll actually have fun. Plus, we
need a new outfit for new years. We've only got 3 days."
"Well,
alright. I'm gonna need a new outfit or two..."
****AT
THE MALL****
The
girls walked through the mall chattering. "Brianna, Brian told me about
you and Kevin. That's so great! You two are gonna make the cutest
parents!" Nicole gushed.
"Thanks,"
Brianna said with a blush. "I hope so. I'm so nervous, but I'm excited! I
mean, it’s kinda surreal, you know?" Nicole nodded.
Brianna
looked over and noticed Ivy looking at a gorgeous black dress. "Why don't
you go try it on?" she asked quietly.
"Oh,"
she looked at it. "I dunno. It is pretty, though."
"It
would be gorgeous on you." Brianna lifted it off the rack and handed it to
her. Pushing her in the direction of the dressing room she urged, "Go try
it on!"
Ivy
smiled shyly and nodded. A few minutes later she emerged and, as Brianna had
said, the dress looked perfect.
"I
think you should get it," Bianca said with a broad smile. "It's
beautiful and I know that Howie would love it."
"I
dunno if-" she stopped suddenly, remembering that what she was about to
say didn't matter anymore. "You know, I really do like it."
Nicole
smiled. "Come on, girls. We have a purchase to make."
Walking
out of the store Ivy spotted a hair salon on the other side. "Hey, so
y'all mind of we go in there? I kinda want to make a little change. You know,
go for something different."
The
girls all nodded in agreement and walked inside, each prepared for a little
change themselves.
********************************
The
guys all sat waiting in the green room to start yet another interview.
"This is the only one today, right?" Nick asked.
"Yeah,"
Howie answered.
Brian
sighed. "You know, I finally feel like things are back to normal. Kinda
like they were before.
"Yeah,"
Howie nodded. "You're right.
Everyone
agreed, but A.J. didn't think so. He felt that things were anything but normal.
'I just have a bad feeling that everyone is gonna find out how far from normal
everything is," he thought grimly.
"Five
minutes, guys." A producer stuck his head in the room. "Follow
me."
"Let's
go," Brian stood up and followed. "This is gonna be a piece of
cake."
****THE
MALL****
Bianca,
Brianna, Ivy, and Nicole walked out of the salon complimenting each other.
Nicole
had kept her alterations simple with just a trim and a few honey-colored
highlights saying, "I don't wanna do something too drastic."
Brianna
had decided she was tired of board-straight hair, so she got a spiral perm.
Bianca
chose a cut and color. She got layers cut back into her hair and, at the last
minute, decided on big, red chunks.
Ivy,
however, was the most drastic. Her once long, dark, hair was now cut to just at
her shoulders and colored a deep auburn. The curls that used to bounce around
her face were all ironed straight and hung like silk at her collar.
"Ivy
you look so different!" Bianca exclaimed. "I bet Howie won't even
recognize you. It looks so good!"
"I
think that we all look pretty damn hot!" Brianna said with a laugh.
"Hey, y'all can we make a quick stop for something to drink? I have to
take my pills." Brianna turned and headed in the direction of the food
court.
"What
kind of medicine do you have to take?" Nicole asked.
"Oh,
just something the doctor gave me for nausea," she replied with a wrinkle
of her nose. "Morning sickness is a bitch."
As
the girls walked, Bianca pulled her hat lower over her eyes and started
giggling.
"What?"
the other three asked in unison.
"I
wonder what my stylists are gonna say? Whenever I asked them to chunk my hair,
they told me hell no!"
"Screw
them," Nicole said with a smile.
"Just
tell them that you wanted to be more edgy. Like A.J." Brianna shrugged.
"I
think they'll just have to get over it," Ivy smiled. The other girls
giggled and Ivy's smile widened. 'Maybe this will be easier than I thought.'
****BACK
AT THE HOTEL****
As
the girls walked inside, they were greeted by Brian. "Whoa, looks like you
lovely ladies had fun," he smiled tugging lightly on Nicole's hair.
"Well,
ya know," she grinned.
"Yeah,"
he kissed her cheek. "Y'all need to come with me. We're all hanging out in
bone's room."
The
girls followed Brian and were met with 4 sets of very wide eyes.
"What?" the girl all asked as they looked at one another.
"Y'all
just look different, but in a good way," Nick answered. As Bianca sat down
beside him, he kissed her ear and whispered, "I really do like it; you're
beautiful."
"Thanks,"
she blushed and softly brushed her lips against his.
Kevin
smiled and opened his arms and Brianna sat down on his lap. "I love it,
darlin'."
"Thank
you, baby." She snuggled into his arms and kissed him deeply, both of them
refusing to be the first one to pull away.
Bianca
cleared her throat to get their attention. "Okay, why the big
meeting?" she asked looking at the guys.
"Well,"
Brian began, "I know where we're going to perform for New Years."
"Ooooh,
where? I hope it's nice." Brianna said.
"You'll
love it," A.J. said, looking at her with his dark eyes. "I know you
will." To himself he thought, 'The most romantic city in the world in the
biggest New Years Eve of my life and I'm alone.' He sighed in spite of himself.
"Okay,
so where is it?" Bianca asked growing impatient.
"Paris."
Nick smiled as he watched Bianca's jaw drop.
"Omigod!
Brianna, we're finally gonna be able to go to Paris! Can you believe it?"
she yelled. "This is so exciting."
"But
we can't stay long. We have to leave almost immediately after we perform at
midnight," Kevin explained. "So we have, like, no time for
sight-seeing."
"Who
cares?" Bianca and Brianna exclaimed happily. "We're going to
Paris!"
"This
is gonna be so cool," Brianna said hugging Kevin tightly. "Baby, I've
always dreamed of going to Paris. This is going to be a special trip for
us."
Kevin's
eyes twinkled. 'Baby, if you only knew.' There was no way he was telling
Brianna what he had planned for the two of them.
***