Little nine-year-old Hannah Richardson was wandering through the mall – the mall, where she’d come to shop with her folks, but had quickly disappeared on them instead. Her mother was pregnant and her hormones were making her bitchy and very testy – which usually resulted in Hannah ending up in trouble over something stupid, until her father came to her rescue. She was Daddy’s girl, and looked almost exactly like him. She’d his deep green eyes, pointy nose, and squared features. She even had his dark hair and bushy eyebrows! Though, her smile was all her own, only looking a teeny bit like her mother’s own smile. It was a smile that lit up her whole face and any room she was in – and she always smiled if her father was near by.

She was hurrying along – playing a game of ‘dodge-whoever-is-in-your-way’ – a game she knew she wasn’t supposed to play, but often did anyway. She was wearing blue jean overalls, and a bright green Mickey Mouse sweatshirt. Her long dark hair was in two French braids that hung down her back – which were now flying about as she ducked and dodged her way around.

She kept going, until she crashed into a sign that was in the middle of the mall. She looked up, her eyes goin wide and her smile even bigger as she read the sign.

“Kevin Richardson to appear here today from 3pm to 6pm. First come, first serve,” she read aloud before squealing excitedly. “He’s coming! He’s coming! He’s coming!”

It was during her squeal fest, that she noticed the pit-like area – where a small handful of fans were sitting in a circle on white benches that formed almost a complete circle. It was small and tight looking, but kind of cozy too – if you liked the sardines in a can feeling.

“What’s goin’ on?” Hannah asked the other girls sitting there.

“Kevin Richardson’s coming to the mall!” They all squealed.

“He’s gonna sit right in here with us too!” One shrieked delightedly. “Sign says so! Its in small print, but it says so!”

“Cool!” Hannah exclaimed. “C’n I sit with yah too?”

“Sure!” The girls smiled.

“Sweet!” Hannah cried.

“Here! Sit here!” One girl insisted.

“Um…I gotta go get lunch first,” Hannah admitted softly. “C’n you save me a spot? Please?”

“Sure!” They all agreed readily. “We gotta save one for Kevin too.”

Hannah nodded grinning, as the girls all giggled – most of them older than she, but just as excited that a Backstreet Boy was coming to meet them. She then took off for the food court – though, once there, decided she really wasn’t all that hungry.

“Maybe I should just go sit with ‘em,” she thought aloud to herself. “I don’t got money for lunch anyway. I ran ‘fore Daddy could give me any.”

She shrugged her shoulders, then turned and headed back for the fan pit. Just as she neared the pit though, she recognized four people off to her right, trying to near the exits doors in order to sneak out. She giggled to herself and quickly and secretly ran for them.

“Hiya!” She chirped excitedly. “”Did yanno he’s coming?!?!?”

“Yes, we knew,” A.J. chuckled, tickling her sides.

Hannah giggled. Where y’all been? I’ve missed y’all like crazy!”

Brian laughed at the little girl standing before them. “We’ve been shopping, silly. And if you’d stuck with your father like you were supposed to, you would’ve known that.”

“Oh!” Hannah said, clearly surprised. “So that’s why we were s’pose to stick together.”

“You should stick with them anyway, Hannah Marie,” Howie stated firmly, though his eyes weren’t angry – just concerned.

“I know,” Hannah said softly. “I’ma probably be in trouble for that later…”

“Probably,” Nick agreed with a small laugh.

Hannah smiled up at him, then tackled him in a hug. She hugged them all in turn – A.J. being the last and the longest.

“How come y’all are leavin’?” She wanted to know. “Ain’t y’all gonna greet people too?”

Brian shook his head. “Nope. It’s Kevin’s turn to hog the attention.”

Hannah laughed. “He’s good at that!”

“Yep! He sure is!” Nick agreed readily. “I never get any attention.”

“Liar!” Hannah accused smiling.

“It’s not nice to call people liars,” Howie reminded her.

“Well, he’s bein’ one,” Hannah pointed out.

“Are you going to greet Kevin?” Brian queried.

Hannah nodded. “Yep! I’ma greet him like everybody else – by screamin’!”

They all laughed, as A.J. leaned down some and held his hand out for hers. “Well, how’s about I make sure yah get there safely then, alright?”

Hannah groaned playfully, though she loved the attention. “It’s only right there!” She pointed to where the other fans sat – a good distance from the ones who had to stand behind a roped off area.

A.J. took hold of the hand she offered him. “Yes, but I’d like to steal some attention, before Kevin comes along and steals it all.”

Hannah giggled happily, as she waved goodbye to the others, and hurried over to the fan pit with A.J.

“Hey guys! I’m back!” She cried. “I brought y’all a surprise! My Uncle A.J.!”

A bunch of heads snapped up at the mere mention of A.J.’s name. “A.J.!!!” They all shrieked, thrilled beyond belief, but too shocked to be able to get up and tackle.

A.J. gave an amused laugh, as he quickly signed whatever they shoved his way. Once done, he checked his watch. “Well, Kevin should be here very soon, so I’d best be going. Take care of Hannah for me, alright?”

The fans all nodded and waved to him, as he quickly made his escape.

“You know the Backstreet Boys?” The girls exclaimed all at once, turning to look at Hannah, who’d taken a sit inside the pit.

Hannah just smiled at them all. She wasn’t about to give up her secret just yet, since they hadn’t realized she’d told them A.J. was her uncle.