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Chapter 94:

Nastasia laughed softly as she sat in her hotel room. Howie was chasing Alexandria around the room, and he still couldn't catch her. Alexandria let out a loud squeal as Howie tried to catch her with his good hand. "Gosh Lexie! Daddy's gonna break his other hand too!" Nastasia teased as Howie fell on the floor with a thud. Alexandria squealed as she ran for her mother.

The phone rang and Howie jumped up from the floor, rushing over to the nightstand and answering it before Nastasia had a chance to lean over and pick it up. " Hello? "

"Gosh you freakin' phone hog! What do you think? It's your other lover on the freaking phone?" Lauren heard Nastasia laugh at the other end. Her heart skipped a beat.

" You know about my other lover? " Howie asked, surprise written all over his face.

"She called me last night and said she was pregnant with your babies." Nastasia shot back as Alexandria climbed into her arms.

" BABIES?! " Howie shouted with even more surprise written on his face.

"Twins, guess you have some explaining to do..."

" I swear. I don't know what you're talking about! " Howie stuttered, his face looking extremely innocent with a hint of panic.

"Right right right. You little liar. Now we know why you're always out at the bars. While I'm here taking care of Alexandria all night." Nastasia answered.

" I swear Stazzie! I don't know what you're talking about! Honest! " Howie paniced even more.

"Might as well go talk to your little lover. I'll be here with Lexie while you discuss the plans to kick my butt to the curb."

Howie let the phone drop to his side, his arm was shaking and he looked like he was going to pass out.

"Howie, baby? I was just playing. Are you okay?" Nastasia asked as he shivered. Alexandria stopped her baby babble and looked over to her father also.

" Hello? " came the voice from the phone.

Howie stared down at it and brought it up to his ear. " H-hello? " he stuttered.

" Twins, huh? " Lauren laughed.

"I have no clue what the hell you're talking about." Howie called out as Nastasia looked oddly at him, not fully understanding why he was flipping out.

" I have no clue what the hell you're talking about either Howie, " Lauren answered, the oddness sounding in her voice.

"Howie? Are you okay? Who is it?" Nastasia asked calmly as Alexandria cuddled tightly to her mother.

" Who the hell is this? " Howie snapped.

"Why are you flipping out Howie?" Lauren asked as the irritation in Howie's voice flooded into her ear.

" Who the hell is this? " Howie repeated again, this time with more anger.

"It's Lauren."

Howie stopped for a second, the surprised expression returning to his face. " Lauren? "

"Who?" Nastasia screeched as she nearly dropped Alexandria. She searched Howie's eyes quickly, confirming that it indeed was Lauren.

" Um, hey, how's it going? " Howie asked in an uncomfortable tone.

"Fine, what's up with you?" Lauren answered, becoming uncomfortable herself as Chase pulled on her jean shorts, begging to speak with Nastasia.

" Nothing really, just doing my job. "

" I swear I am NOT pregnant with your twins. "

" I'd hope not, " Howie laughed sarcastically.

Nastasia sat in wonder as Howie continued to speak with Lauren. She didn't know why Lauren was calling their phone, after all, Denise was at her house. She had no one to really speak with, except Brian. But Brian had gone out and she could have called his cell phone.

" Yeah, anyways, do you want to talk to Stazzie? " Howie asked.

"Yeah, but is she willing to talk to me?" Lauren asked.

" I guess so, here, I'll give the phone to her, " Howie answered and handed the phone over to Nastasia.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Nastasia asked as she took the phone from Howie. Alexandria fussed as she felt the nervousness in Nastasia's body.

" Talk to her, " Howie answered as he shrugged his shoulders and picked up Alexandria.

"Remind me to hit you later...hard..." Nastasia answered as she watched him take Alexandria from her.

" Nah, you wouldn't hit me. You love me too much. "

"Really?" Nastasia asked, surprise covering her face, "I thought I'd hate you after the twins are born. "

" That ain't funny Stazzie... " Howie frowned.

"I'm sorry." Nastasia answered softly, "You just can never take a joke." Nastasia was stalling, still terrified of what Lauren might have to say.

" Hello? " Lauren called out, still a bit nervous, wondering if Nastasia didn't want to talk to her at all.

"Hello?" Nastasia answered back, after much debating in her head.

" Hey, " Lauren said hesitantly.

"Brian isn't here. He went out." Nastasia answered, figuring that's why she had called in the first place.

" I didn't call to talk to Brian... "

"Then who was it? You don't really talk with Kevvy, Nicky, or Howie..."

" Is it a crime to wanna talk to my best friend? "

"Yes it is when you diss your best friend because of something she never did." Nastasia answered hurtfully, remembering the cruel words that had flown from Lauren's mouth the day she left.

" What? "

"I never told JJ who you were with that night. I said you went out to have a drink and you'd be back later. He was the one that wanted to surprise you. Instead you throw it back in my face." Nastasia answered truthfully as she fell back onto the numerous pillows on the bed. She looked over and saw Howie feeding Alexandria a bottle.

" Stazzie, I- " Lauren said, her breath catching in her throat.

"You what? You threw my past life back in my face Lauren. What kind of best friend is that?" Nastasia whispered as tears threatened her eyes.

" I'm sorry... " Lauren said, choking on her tears, now remembering what she had said.

"You told me you wished I was dead..."

" I- "

"That hurt."

" God Stazzie...I am so sorry, " Lauren whispered.

"Yeah, everyone has been saying that to me a lot these days." Nastasia muttered a sour tone in her voice, very different from her usual chirpy and happy tone.

" Fine, I get what you're trying to say. I'll leave you alone. "

"What am I trying to say? Because I don't even know what I'm trying to say." Nastasia asked, not wanting Lauren to get off the phone.

" It doesn't seem like you want to talk to me, but I guess I deserve that. "

"I do, I just don't know what to say Laur. It's not like I have a handbook on fighting with my best friends, husbands, and mothers."

" I don't want to fight Stazzie. "

"Me either. I've had enough of it." Nastasia answered with an irritated tone. Lauren heard the large blow of air from Nastasia's lips, figuring she was trying to blow a piece of long blonde hair away from her eyes.

" So can we talk right now without arguing? " Lauren asked hopefully.

"Yeah."

" Ok. Good. "

"Yeah." Nastasia repeated as Howie gave her a questionable look. She stuck her tongue out at him, making him roll his eyes.

" Listen Stazzie, this has been really hard for me, especially since I haven't been able to talk to you. I mean, I've always been used to being able to talk to you whenever I have a problem, but because of my big mouth, I've screwed that privalage up and I've been going through hell since I've gotten back here. "

"Can we breathe between the sentences?" Nastasia teased, hating the seriousness in Lauren's voice.

" No, it's a new talent I've perfected, " Lauren joked, knowing she needed to lighten up a little.

"Nice practicing, been yelling at Chase to get it straight?"

" Nah, I thought he'd pick it up on his own. "

"Oh..."

" Stazzie, I know I said some harsh stuff to you and I know I don't deserve your forgiveness, but I can't handle not being able to talk to you and having you as my best friend. "

"I can't stand not having you around either. Although Nicky and Kevvy have tried to fill your place. And it seems odd enough that Nicky is enough of a girl to do it."

Lauren tried to surpress her laughs, but she burst out giggling. " Better not let Nicky find out you said that. "

"What's he going to do? Lipstick me to death?"

" You never know... "

"Funny."

" I know. "

"So...are we cool again?"

" Shouldn't I be asking that question? "

"I don't know...should you?"

" I don't know...I don't want to push my chances. So yeah...we're cool again. "

"Right...right...after all...I might flip out soon. Howie's twins will be coming soon. Lord knows how mad I'll be once they pop into this world." Nastasia answered, glancing over at Howie.

" Do you know who the mother is? "

"Well, I just talked to her once. She said her name was Chistine...or...was it Tina?" Nastasia asked fuzzily, "I don't know. I've had a lot of Howie's lovers call me."

" So there's more than one huh? "

"Yeah, it's pretty bad man. I just play the poor little housewife who's such an ugly woman she couldn't get a date if she tried."

" Would I be married to you if that was the truth? " Lauren heard Howie ask.

"Because I paid you." Nastasia taunted back.

" Oh really? How much? Because I haven't seen any of it. "

"Kevvy must have taken it." Nastasia shrugged.

" Well I guess I'm gonna have to kick his ass again, like I kicked A- " Howie stopped in mid-sentence.

Nastasia winced as she turned away from Howie. That was still a sore subject on her mind. She turned her attention back to Lauren, "So, how's Chase?"

" Dying to talk to you at the moment. "

"Oh, that's cute." Nastasia answered as she gazed out the window for a moment. Wondering where AJ was, and what he was thinking.

" He WONT'T STOP tugging on my pants, " Lauren gritted with a laugh. " You should see his face right now. "

"Before you know it your pants will be down around your ankles."

" That's not a good thing. Maybe I should let him talk to you? "

"Sure. It might help."

" Aunt Stazzie! " Chase exclaimed into the phone, yanking it away from his mother. Nastasia could hear Lauren laughing in the background.

"Hey baby!" Nastasia exclaimed back with the same excitment. Making Howie roll his eyes again as Alexandria wiggled from her father's grasp and went to her mother's lap.

" Sup? " Chase giggled.

"Sup? Nothing much. Sup with you?"

" Eating cereal! "

"Yummy." Nastasia answered making a face.

" Yep! And guess what? "

"What?"

" Mommy said we get to go have pizza today! "

"Ohmigosh! You better call the papers Howie! Chase is having pizza for lunch!" Nastasia called loudly.

" Pizza?! My God, this is going to be the biggest headline in the papers since a long time! " Howie chuckled, playing along with Nastasia's enthusiasm.

"I'm just going to have a heart attack!" Nastasia cooed back into the phone, hearing Chase giggle wildly.

" You're funny Aunt Stazzie, " Chase continued to giggle.

"I know, I'm a riot." Nastasia smiled.

" A riot? " Chase asked with confusion.

"I'm a lot of funnies." Nastasia laughed.

" Oh... " Chase replied, he still didn't get it. " Can I talk to Daddy? "

Lauren dropped her coffee cup when he said that, the cup falling to the floor and breaking to pieces, spilling coffee all over.

" Ha ha, Mommy dropped her coffee cup. Grams isn't going to be happy, " Chase giggled, but not knowing the real reason why Lauren looked so surprised and had dropped her cup.

"Mommy is a clutz." Nastasia answered, "I'd let you talk to Daddy...but Uncle Howie isn't allowing your daddy around me. I've been grounded." Nastasia pouted.

" Why? " Chase whined.

"I don't know. I've been bad."

" Is he mad at you? "

"You know what?" Nastasia asked, looking at Howie for a moment, "I can't tell if Uncle Howie is mad at me or not. He's been acting funny."

" Is he mad at Daddy? "

"Just a little bit." Nastasia answered.

" Why? "

"Because Daddy said some bad things to Uncle Howie, and Uncle Howie got mad. Even though your Daddy didn't mean them." Nastasia replied, looking at Howie.

" Why? "

"Because Daddy was upset because you left."

" Is Daddy mad at me? " Chase asked with sadness.

"No, he just misses you."

" I miss him too! "

"I'll have him call you today? Okay?"

" Ok! " Chase answered, the excitement returning to his voice.

"Okay sweetheart. Well, I better go. I have to pack Lexie and I up, then we're off to the west for about another month or so. I'll have daddy call you as soon as we're on the bus, okay?"

" Ok, bye Aunt Stazzie! I love you! "

"I love you too." Nastasia replied as she hung up the phone softly. She looked to see Howie looking at her with question, but she turned away. She missed Chase terribly.