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Chapter Forty Five - October 15

"Seriously, this is the biggest studio I could find."

"If you think this is bad, wait until tour."

The five of us were in the recording booth looking out at the mayhem that had formally been called the lounge. Shelby and Mason were bouncing from couch to couch. Noah was in his new walker that looked like a big Jeep 4x4. The thing was cute....until he found the horn. For the last half hour, he would smash his hands on the horn and laugh hysterically. Liv and Leighanne were walking Brooke and Kayleigh up and dow the halls. James was sitting on the leather couch calmly eating a popsicle while Molly fed Joe a jar of baby food. Ally was asleep, her head on her chest and her mouth wide open. And through it all Baylee was trying to read a history book.

"Do you think anyone would miss us if we just stay in the recording booth forever?" I asked.

"They'd find us," Brian said. "They always find us."

We had been in the recording studio for the past week and a half. We had a short amount of time to record and repackage Going Strong. A slew of producers and sound guys had been coming in and out during the entire morning. I'm pretty sure all of them were glad when their part was over. Every time someone new walked in, Shelby was right at the door asking them their name, age, and if they had any good music.

And speaking of Shelby...from the first day we got back in the studio, there was a change in AJ. A good change. He smiled a lot more, he showed up on time...all around he just looked happy.

Of course his punctuality was making me look bad.

"Mr. J?"

We all looked over at Shelby. She wrapped her hands around the doorknob and swung back and forth. AJ smiled.

"Sup?"

"Can we go to Chuck E. Cheese for dinner? I'm hungry."

AJ laughed. I think the kid could have asked for a limo and he would have said yes. "That sounds good."

Shelby grinned. She was wearing an astronaut suit, a backpack, and a green cape. She looked like an intergalactic Little Red, er green, Riding Hood.

"Can Mason come?"

"How about we all come?" I said. Shelby looked at me as if I had just interrupted a private conversation. Then she shrugged and jumped up and down.

"Okay!"

The door slammed loudly as she ran back out to the lounge. Kevin looked like he needed an aspirin. Bad.

"You have no idea what you've just done," Kev said. I smiled.

"What?"

He just shook his head and slid the headphones back on.

"One more take," he mouthed.

I know it's silly, but the idea of AJ having to keep an eye on Shelby at a place like Chuck E. Cheese was something I just couldn't miss. I put back on my headphones and glanced at the clock.

I was ready for some fun.

---------------------------------

"When was the last time you were at Chuck E. Cheese?" Brian asked me as I opened the back door of the Pathfinder to get Brooklyn out of her car seat. Liv was doing the same on the other side with Noah.

"I don't know. I think I was ten so...twenty years?"

"You've never come here as an adult?"

I shook my head. "No. Why?"

Bri just smiled. "Oh this is going to be fun."

Howie, AJ, and Kev pulled up soon after us. After all the kids were unloaded we trooped up to the tan building. Chucke E. himself smiled down at us from the huge purple and red sign.

I think we about gave the greeter at the door a heart attack.

"How many are in your party?" she asked nervously.

"Let's see..." Kev said.

"There's ten adults and nine children."

"That's nineteen!" Shelby yelled from somewhere in the back of the group.

"Okay. It's going to be a minute. But first, can everyone hold out their hands?"

The girl went along and stamped everyone's hand with a big number '69.' I'm pretty sure AJ and I started snickering at the same time. Liv jabbed me in the side.

"You're horrible," she whispered. I grinned. "You love it."

She turned away but not before I saw the smile.

After all of our hands were stamped, the greeter disappeared to try to find a table big enough. The little ones were patient for about, oh, sixty seconds.

Shelby was the first to crack.

"I need...I need...I need to play games!" Shelby squealed.

"Shel, you've got to be patient."

There was no telling that kid to be patient. Ten seconds later another voice piped up.

"Daddy, there's bas-ke-ball. Can I go play bas-ke-ball?" Mason begged.

I glanced around to see if the staff was making any progress on the tables. The place was packed; it wasn't looking good. I was holding Brooke. She spotted a huge slide and it was all over.

"DA-DDY! DA-DDY!" she screamed. Her head whipped around so fast that her ponytail slapped my right across the face.

"Dad, there's whack a mole. Can I go whack?" Baylee asked Brian.

I laughed so hard that I choked on my own spit. Liv slapped my back; even she was trying hard not to laugh. Brian must have given him some money because the next thing I knew, Baylee dodged past me.

As soon as he was out of earshot, I heard Kev say something about puberty. Brian groaned.

"Just shut up."

"How come HE gets to play and I DON'T?" Shelby yelled.

"DAAAADDDDD!" Mason yelled.

"DA-DDY!" Brooke squealed.

"MOUSE!" James yelled excitedly.

We were saved by the poor chum that had to wear the Chuck E. Cheese costume. He walked through our huge group and gave each of the kids a high five. Everyone was all smiles except Noah. The dude put his big mouse paw out and Noah started to bawl. His hands curled into Liv's hair and he did a hard face smack into her shoulder.

"Shhh," Liv said. She patted his back.

Good ol' Chuck took Noah's meltdown as his cue to leave. Shelby was just starting a third round of 'why can't I play?' questions when the girl that had stamped us headed over to us.

"We have a table. Right this way," she said.

We wound like a conga line through the place. I think I saw a couple people's mouths drop open. I ignored them.

In the end, our table was worth the wait. The wait staff has put four humongous long tables end to end so that we had front row seating in front of the stage. A couple waiters brought out high chairs and booster seats.

Shelby and Mason didn't even both getting into the booster seats.

"Daddy..." Mason said again. Kevin pinched his nose. He looked around.

"What's our plan?" Kev asked the rest of us. He always had to have a plan.

"Why don't the girls stay here at the table with the babies and put in a pizza order and the five of us can go with the older kiddos," Howie said.

We all agreed. I tossed Brooke up in the air and headed off towards the Toddler Zone. Brian followed with Kayleigh. AJ started to follow with Shelby, but she planted her feet firmly on the groud.

"What's wrong?" J asked. She looked up at him like it was totally obvious.

"I'm not a toddler," she said haughtily. She marched off in the direction of the Kiddie Area. AJ shrugged at us and followed.

"I guess it's just the two of us," Bri said.

"Just the two of us, we can make it if we try. Just the two of us, you and I," I sang. Bri groaned.

I was secretly glad that we had to go to the Toddler Zone. There were only a couple other little ones roaming around.

"No ball pit," I said with a smile. Brian snickered.

"Darn. I so enjoyed you getting Baylee out of the pit a couple years ago."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up."

Bri and I both knelt down next to this little house and let Kayleigh and Brooke go. Kayleigh looked around curiously. Brooke didn't waste a second. She wrapped her hand around the little ladder going to the slide and looked at me. I propeled her up with a hand securely on her bottom. I couldn't help but laugh as she grunted her way up to the top. Once she got up there she looked at me.

"Slide down," I said. I walked around to the other side of the house. She plopped down on her bottom and pushed off.

"WEEE!!" she giggled. I caught her as she swooped down. Kayleigh clapped.

"Kayleigh bird, you want to try?" Bri said. She shook her head no.

"She didn't get your 'try-anything' attitude," I teased. Bri grinned.

"Yeah, she's more like Leigh."

I followed Brooke around. There were little turning blocks built into the wall and a giant baby-friendly version of the Whack-a-Mole game. Brian entertained Kay by shrieking like a girl when the giant moles came up out of the ground. I was just about ready to put Brooke in a little motorized car when a tall brunette walked up to me.

"Excuse me," she said. I smiled.

"Yes?"

"Are you Nick Carter?"

Brooke's arms tightened around me. Her legs kicked in happiness.

"DA-DDY," she said as if that was the obvious answer. I kept the smile on my face.

"Yes, I am."

The woman's eyes lit up. "I knew it! All the guys are here aren't they?"

"Er, yeah I think they are."

A blonde poked her head in the room. The brunette looked back at her and started nodding.

"It's them!"

Somehow I had a feeling that fifteen years ago these two would have been the type of girls to camp out overnight before a concert. I don't know why I though that; maybe it was the look in their eyes. The brunette turned back to me.

"You're little girl is adorable," she said. Brooke had already lost interest. She pointed to the car and whimpered.

"Thank you," I said. I leaned down and put her in the car. One token later and she was happily driving her Corvette down an imaginary street.

"Your wife is the luckiest woman," the brunette continued. I ran a hand through my hair.

"I'm the lucky one," I said lightly.

The brunette opened her mouth to speak, but before she could get a word out, there was a horrible banging above my head. I looked up. There was a giant tube set-up that ran from the Kiddie Area through the Toddler Zone. Shelby's face was pressed against the plastic.

"HEY LADY!" she yelled. "YOU'VE GOT A BIG BUTT!"

The look on the woman's face was priceless. She looked at me and then disappeared.

I swear Shelby cackled. I heard her hands slapping the tube as she moved back to the Kiddie Area.

"Hey guys?"

I looked up. Leigh was leaning halfway into the Toddler Zone.

"We've got pizza."

Bri and I had no problem getting Brooke and Kay to go back to the table for pizza. Howie arrived back with James just a few minutes after we sat down.

It was a whole 'nother story for AJ and Kev. I heard them before I actually saw them.

"I DON'T WANT PIZZA!" Shelby yelled. AJ came into view. He had picked her up but she had swung backwards in his arms. Her head was swinging towards the ground; she looked like a pissed off firefly. Mason wasn't yelling, but he was clinging to Kev crying like someone had just ruined his life.

Those two pouted for a full five minutes.

And then the show started.

I had forgotten about the animatronic characters that came out and did a twenty minute concert. James bounced excitedly in his booster chair swinging a piece of pepperoni pizza in the air.

Brooke stared wide-eyed as the characters turned in mechanical circles.

And Noah began to cry.

"Only your kid would be afraid of these things," AJ said.

"They're a little freaky!" I said indignantly.

Before anyone else could razz me or my son anymore, Noah reached over with a huge snotty sniffle and picked up a piece of pepperoni that Brooke had been playing with. He held it in his pudgy hand and chucked it towards the stage.

I have to say...my boy has a good arm. The thing went airborne and landed with perfect precision on the end of Chuck E.'s nose.

"MWHAAHAHAHHA!"

I turned in surprise. Shelby had just taken a sip of her soda when she saw the pepperoni land and heard Noah's excited laugh, she laughed so hard soda flew out her nose.

"IT BURNS!" she screamed. Her hands flew in front of her face. Molly grabbed a napkin and began to wipe her face.

I seriously have no idea how she did it. Shelby was like a poster child for ADHD.

After about fifteen more minutes, all the kids were ready to go back and do the games. This time all the girls took them. I have to admit that all the kids were a lot quiet heading into the play zone with the mamas then they had been with the dads. Baylee took the golden opportunity to disappear into the arcade.

"Hey, was that a Barney ride I saw in the Toddler Zone?" Howie said. He took a sip of his cola. I nodded.

"Yup. I don't think they realize that he stopped being popular a decade ago."

Howie smiled. "I will give you fifty bucks if you hop in and ride it."

I smirked. "That's all I have to do?"

"That's all."

"I can tell by that grin on his face that he's gonna do it," J said.

"I didn't say yes," I said.

Bri just snorted.

-------------------------------

Ten minutes later I was squished into the ride. My knees were pressed up against my chin. Kev put a token in the machine and away I went.

Well, I didn't really go anywhere. The ride creaked painfully as it bounced up and down. I was killing Barney with my sheer ripped bod.

Howie flipped open his cellphone and took a picture. I had a feeling that he was going to try to use it as collateral against the donkey picture.

But nothing was going to beat the donkey picture. There's something to be said about having to do something against your will that makes it ten times funnier.

"I think I just saw a spark," Bri finally said. Barney gave one last lurch and then came to a spot. I cheered.

"That's fifty bucks!" I said. I went to hop out.

But I didn't budge.

Howie held out a fifty. "Here you go."

I reached out for it, but he was too far away. I tried to inch out by using my ass.

No such luck.

"Uhhhh..."

"What's up?"

Kev started to laugh. "Oh shit. Are you stuck?"

I placed my hands on the sides and pushed. My legs were locked up against my body. I felt like an accordion.

"Oh god, I'm going to die in Barney," I said. AJ started to laugh.

If that wasn't bad enough I heard another pounding above my head. I looked up. Shelby was back in the tubes.

"YOU'RE TOO BIG FOR THAT!" she yelled.

"SHE'S STUCK SWEETHEART!" AJ called through his laughter. Her face broke into an ear to ear smile and she went slapping off through the tubes.

Two minutes later all the girls were over in the Toddler Zone for a peek. Liv walked up. She was holding Noah in her arms and had Brooke by the hand.

"Nick, what the hell?"

I smiled at her. I was hoping my charm would make the situation look a little less asinine.

"I won fifty buck."

"You did this for fifty dollars?"

"Well..."

Liv scooped Brooke up and headed out of the zone. Kev came up behind me.

"I think if I can just wedge my hands up behind you I can give you a push," he reasoned. I felt his hands push into my back. I winced. He kept pushing. Finally they slipped into the ride and landed right on my ass.

"Okay. One...two....THREE!"

Kev's fingers pressed into my ass cheeks. I still didn't budge. He tried again.

It wasn't going to work.

"Never mind," I said. I felt like Pooh stuck in a honey hole. "Thanks for trying."

"No prob."

I waited for Kev's hands to leave my ass.

They didn't.

"Uh, Kev...you can get your hands out."

I felt him tugging. "Uh...no I can't."

"What?"

The situation had just gotten worse. I was stuck in a Barney ride with Kevin's hands gripping my ass. This was like a twisted gay fetish in the making.

Howie seemed to think the same thing. Before I had a chance to react, he knelt down and got a picture. AJ and Brian laughed so hard they began to snort.

In the end, Liv went and got one of the employees. The next fifteen minutes were absolutely humiliating. The blonde and brunette from earlier came back in and took a picture. Then another employee was called in to help disassemble the ride. As half of Barney fell away, Kev's hand and my entire body were finally free.

Then as if the whole 'trapped' thing wasn't bad enough, the manager came in and pretty much told us we had to leave.

"I can't believe this," Kev muttered as he walked out of the building. Addy walked behind him carrying Mason.

"Was that the first place you've been banned from?" I asked. He looked over at me. I took that as a yes.

"I've been banned from a lot of places," I boasted. As if I wasn't sore enough from being squished into the ride, Brian came over and jumped on my back.

"I've been banned from that McDonald's in Canada," Brian said. "Remember?"

I had a sudden vision of Brian stuck in the playtube and Baylee trying to push him out with his feet and a giant bear.

"Oh yeah," I said with a smirk. I twirled around fast. Bri slid off.

"I remember."

Liv caught up with me. Brooke held out her arms and I scooped her up.

"I remember that too," Liv said lightly. "I thought maybe you guys had grown up since then."

I smiled. "Us? Grow up?"

"NEVER!" Brian yelled. He broke into a run and caught up to Baylee. He ruffled his hair affectionately. Baylee laughed and tried to trip him.

It had been another wild and crazy day in the life of the Backstreet Boys. I had battled with a purple dinosaur and the dinosaur had won.

This time.