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Slumping into the empty but overly cushioned sofa, Brian plopped his container of take-out onto the coffee table. Nothing inside the box looked appealing to his pallat. Instead, he could only feel a tremendous upset within his body as he recalled the most fight with Leighanne. She had finally returned home from her latest project but had yet to spend any time with Baylee. Brian had hoped she would do so today while he worked in the studio with his band-mates. But she couldn't afford to be a mother that day. Instead, she forced him to find other means of child care. Frantically, he called his cousin and explained the situation. Kevin and Kristin adored Baylee and promised to come pick the child up, but he still hated it. Leighanne should have wanted to spend time with Baylee. And shouldn't have reacted by throwing a sharp slap in his face when he suggested so.

Sighing heavily, he rubbed his face, careful to not touch his tender cheek. He just prayed it wouldn't leave a mark the guys would notice. The lies he would come up were starting to get thin and he knew half of the time, they didn't believe him. Leaning back against the couch, he closed his eyes for a moment, wondering how he could let himself get to a point like this in life.

Seven years ago, he swore that he was making the right choice. Leighanne had been so adamant about being married, demanding that they hurry the proceedings though it still remained an extravagant affair. He had thought she had been so in love that she needed him desperately. Now, he figured that it had just been because she felt the threat of Stacia looming... Sweet Stacia... He still couldn't erase the memory of stealing frantic kisses and fondlings in the dressing room. He had wanted her so badly. If she hadn't whispered his name, he was sure that he would have had her then.

But his conscience had taken over and he pulled away from her, explaining that he couldn't and walked out, leaving her standing there with kiss swollen lips and rustled curls. He didn't want to leave, but he had to.

He loved her too much to stay. Or, at least, that was his reason for leaving. He hadn't wanted to drag her into some ugly affair, knowing Leighanne's temper. The thought of his wife potentially harming Stacia for fudging her perfect lifestyle was dreadful. It had actually kept him up most of the night, fearing Leighanne could smell the sweet scent of roses that lingered whenever he held Stacia. She was still too young. He couldn't have her hurt on his own lustful account.

"God, someone tell me what I should do," Brian groaned as he heard the front door open and slam closed.

"Do about what?" Nick called with confusion, entering the lounge area with a somewhat large cardboard pizza box. Dropping it onto the coffee table, he dropped to his knees and wasted no time throwing open the lid and digging out a cheesy slice.

"This leftover Chinese food," Brian lied, sitting up to see the younger man stuff his face with the greasy food.

"I'm sure AJ will cram it down his throat when he comes in. Had to get a quick nooner in with Holly beforehand," Nick explained with a devilish grin, wiping his greasy fingers on his jean-clad thighs.

"I didn't need to know that," Brian rolled his eyes, throwing Nick a napkin. "You wipe your fingers on those, not your jeans. And you wonder why you have to constantly buy new ones."

"You mean why you constantly bitch at me to buy new ones. I like them like this just fine," Nick answered with a snort, though he obliged the man by wiping his fingers cleaned. Nothing could possibly ruin his mood.

"I'm not the only one who does," Brian looked at the pizza, his stomach clenching with nausea. He never ate when Leighanne was home.

"I never listen to Howie anyway," Nick muttered with a causal shrug of his shoulders, taking another large bite of pizza.

"That's why he started meditation," Brian scoffed, watching him eat slice after slice. "What's got you in such a good mood, anyway?"

"Life is just fucking fantastic, B," Nick announced with another overly satisfied grin, stuffing a piece of crust into his mouth. "I got a date with a gorgeous woman."

"It isn't another fan, is it? The last time that happened, she--"

"Fuck the fans," Nick snorted, though he laughed after a moment of realization. "Well, y'know what I mean--"

"Who is it?"

"Staci--"

"Our Staci?"

"Do we know any others?"

"I thought you two were just friends..." Brian trailed off, placing a hand over his chest where he could feel his heart actually break. He thought Nick understood the boundaries when it came to Stacia.

"I've been trying to get away from friendship ever since I met the girl," Nick snorted, shifting so he could offer Brian a slice of pizza. When the older man venhemently shook his head, he shrugged and took another quick bite. "She's gorgeous and she hasn't dated anyone since you turned her down. J mentioned she's been in a funk since she got here, so I called. I invited her out and she said that it'd be awesome. I think I'll teach her to surf."

"Oh. Hope you have fun."

"Don't sound so happy for us, you might pop," Nick muttered dryly, quirking his brows with annoyance toward his best friend. He would have thought Brian would show some type of enthusiasm for the pair. He had always complained about Stacia being lonely in Philidelphia. Well, now that she was with them, she had a chance to develop a relationship with Nick.

"It's been a long day, Nick."

"Long day? It's only noon--"

"I had a late night--"

"I thought you and Leighanne didn't have sex anymore?"

"Not everything has to do with sex, asshole."

"Hopefully tomorrow everything will have to do with sex--"

"I really don't need to hear that."

"What is up your ass?"

"Nothing, okay? I told you I had a long day," Brian snapped. He stood up and grabbed the take-out box, heading into the kitchen to throw it away.

"Obviously something is stuck up your ass," Nick countered, pushing himself off the floor to follow his friend into the kitchen. They had to be back at the studio in an hour and Brian's house was closest. So, all the men had traveled to their favorite take-out places and would eventually return to Brian's house. It was the first time that Brian offered to even let the others into his house. Now, Nick wasn't even sure that he wanted to be there. "I mention having a date with Staci and you go postal--"

"I'm going postal? Did you ever think it might be weird for me? Two of my best friends dating each other?" Brian turned from the wastebasket, his eyes swirling almost sapphire from their normal cerulean.

"You were friends with Holly before she started dating AJ. And I remember you actually doing a fucking dance of glee when they were getting ready for their first date. So what's the fucking difference?" Nick snorted, crossing his arms over his chest with an indignant glare.

"Why do you always get on my fucking back? You never leave anything alone!"

"You're the one who's bitching at me first!"

"I didn't bitch at you!"

"You just bitched at me about dating your best friend!"

"Because you have a knack of breaking women's hearts, asshole!"

"Well you didn't do such a fucking good job with her heart in the first place, did you? Dickhead!"

"I'm the dickhead?! YOU'RE THE ONE GOING OUT WITH STACIA!" Brian nearly screamed, tears springing to his eyes as he gave Nick a hard push.

Falling back into the nearby kitchen chair, Nick made an usual grunting noise when the chair gave way and caused him to topple to the ground. It sounded as if something inside him had shattered and he immediately scrambled to his feet despite the twinge of pain. Suddenly it seemed to make perfect sense and he sneered with disgust. "You're fucking upset because she's not sprung on you anymore. God, I thought you were a decent guy, but you're pissed because she's not available to you anymore. That she actually wants to have a normal life and date a guy!"

"You know what, Nick? You can fucking go to Hell for all I care. None of the fellas would do this to me. All you think about is yourself and what you can get out of life, no matter who you hurt," Brian balled his hands into fists as the front door opened and closed.

"You're married, Brian. It doesn't matter what I do with Staci, because you can't have her. You're the fucking idiot that decided to marry a bitch instead of a beauty--"

"FUCK YOU!" Brian launched himself at the younger man. They toppled to the floor and Brian found himself pummeling Nick's body with a fury he had never felt. Nick knew how he felt about Stacia, and still decided to persue her.

Hearing the loud clatter of items crashing within the kitchen, AJ hurriedly dropped his container of food to the coffee table and moved through the house. He first thought of Leighanne attacking Brian, but was shocked to see that Brian was delivering the deathly blows. Cursing in exasperation, he grabbed the collar of the older man's shirt and tugged as hard as he possibly could. Yet, Brian continued to maul Nick like some enraged beast. "Damnit, Brian! Stop!"

"He fucking crossed the line! He knows how I fucking feel and he still did it! You fucking asshole!" Brian raved, his fists flying, wanting to hit Nick wherever he could reach.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" AJ grunted, looping his arms around Brian and pinning his arms above his head. There was a struggle to assert some kind of dominance over the rage, but Nick still managed to crawl away.

"He's dating Staci! He fucking waltzed into my fucking house and started bragging about it like she was some kind of fucking conquest!" Brian tried to lunge towards Nick again, but the hold AJ put him in made it impossible.

"I didn't say she was a fucking conquest," Nick snarled, wiping the blood from his mouth that had pooled. Spitting out the rest into the nearby sink, he slumped over the edge of the counter. His entire body screamed from the beating, but he wouldn't give Brian the satisfaction of knowing. "I told him I had a date. He asked who. I said it was Staci. And the fucker flips!"

"YOU FUCKING KNOW HOW I FEEL ABOUT HER!"

"You're fucking married! Nothing would happen between you two!"

"But you fucking know--"

"That you two are best friends!"

"You know there's more than that, asshole! You always go after what someone else wants!"

"You can't have her!"

"So that means you can?!"

"Damn right--"

"Would you please go into the other fucking room before I let him go?" AJ growled, finding his muscles pulling sharply when Brian struggled against him once more. He was losing control of the entire situation. Not to mention he was baffled in general. Why would Stacia have even agreed to date the man?

"Fucking psycho," Nick muttered, grabbing some paper towels before leaving the kitchen.

"If I let you go, do you promise not to go rushing after him?" AJ demanded of Brian, hearing the front door slam.

"He deser--"

"Kicking his ass will not make you feel better."

"Oh yes--"

"Brian, we're too old for this shit. Just calm down, okay?"

"The Hell we're too old for this shit--"

"Jesus Christ, B, I'm too old for this shit! And have you thought that maybe he's just busting your nuts? That they're just going to hang out or some shit?"

"All the more reason to kick the shit out of him," Brian growled, fighting back tears that were threatening to fall.

Holding his breath, AJ watched Brian collapse into the kitchen nook that was scattered with crayons and coloring pages. In one swift movement, all the items went crashing to the floor. It wasn't as dramatic as if the items would have been breakable, but still proved the point. "B..."

"He could have any woman out there! Why did he have to go after Staci? He fucking knows..." Brian's elbows were on the table, his face buried into his bruised hands.

"Staci's a good woman..."

"I never said she wasn't," he snapped. "But he knows how I feel about her!"

"...And how do you feel about her?"

"You already know--"

"Tell me."

"I... I love her. She's so beautiful. The way her eyes sparkle like she has a secret. Her impish, carefree attitude. I love everything about her... and then Nick swoops down on her like a diseased vulture--"

"You could tell her that you love her--"

"I can't!"

"Why not?"

"Because I can't!" Brian growled, throwing another hard fist onto the table for emphasis. Every time he looked to her, he knew the words were on his tongue. He worked so hard to keep them buried inside, knowing the devasation it would cause if he spoke otherwise.

"Baylee loves her more like a mother than his own egg-donor. I don't understand--"

"You're right. You don't understand what could occur if I told her how I felt. None of you know what Leighanne is capable of and I'll be damned if I let anything happen to Staci because of it."

"What the Hell could Leighanne possibly do to Staci?"

"Just trust me--"

"I'd rather know--"

"I can't... you wouldn't believe me."

"This is me you're talking to, B!" AJ stressed with annoyance, slipping into the booth and throwing his hands onto the table. He wanted so desperately to grab Brian by the shoulders and furiously shake him. He just needed some straight answers. To sort through all this chaos.

"AJ--"

"Just talk to me!"

"I can't talk about it!"

"Why? B, you're going to go crazy if you don't!"

"Little late for that," Brian muttered, looking down to his hands to see the light splatters of blood. He hadn't been happy for over seven years. So why should telling AJ change anything? Sighing heavily, he forced himself out of the booth. "I'm going to grab a shower before we have to go back to the studio."

"Brian, wait," AJ stood up as well, grasping the older man's arm.

"Just let me take a shower, J."

"Well, Hell, I thought you could at least do the decent thing and invite me to join you," AJ snorted, hoping to get some kind of bashful smile.

But there was nothing left but a miserable man trudging up the stairs.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"I could have paid for lunch," Stacia said yet again as she and Holly walked down the expensive streets of Malibu. They had just finished a filling lunch at one of their favorite restaurants and decided to do a little window shopping.

"Yes, but like I've said the past five times, I wanted to buy lunch," Holly rolled her eyes, adjusting her prescription sunglasses on her petite nose. She knew Stacia wasn't used to people providing for her, but she had insisted to the point of taking away Stacia's purse so she couldn't pay the bill.

"I just wanted to make my point known," Stacia stressed, tucking her fingers into the back pockets of her jeans while they strolled. She glanced to the various window shops, noting all the expensive fabrics and patterns. But she kept a close watch on the men that walked past. Each man that got close to her, she made sure to get closer to Holly. The thought of another man's hot breath upon her body sent shivers of disgust racing through her.

"Your point is known," Holly reassured, reaching out to rub Stacia's back with a smile.

"But it just don't mean a damn thing," Stacia decided with a rueful grin, tucking an arm around Holly's shoulder. Pulling the older woman close, she rested her head against Holly's shoulder. Perhaps she could give the illusion of being something that she wasn't. Since the attack, she had never been comfortable on public streets.

"Pretty much," Holly laughed, looping her arm around Stacia's waist. She kissed her forehead as they continued to walk down the street. "If you see anything you like, we'll stop, okay?"

"These streets are far too rich for my blood, Sweetheart," Stacia mused.

"Who said anything about you buying it?"

"Hollywood--"

"You have no purse--"

"Because you stuffed it in the trunk of your car. And it ain't like I don't carry my check card in my pocket--"

"Will you just let me spoil you for once? I don't get to see you that often," Holly complained with a pout.

"I don't need spoiled--"

"But I want to!"

"How old are you again?"

"Older than you, Child!"

"Honestly..." Stacia groaned, jerking slightly when a vibration caught her backside. Immediately plucking the cell phone from her back pocket, she flipped it open to reveal a quick text message from Nick. Smiling sweetly, she hurriedly typed in a reply and tucked the phone away once more. Him calling to ask for a date earlier that morning had been quite the shock. But, after having her conversation with Holly the other night, she decided it was in her best interest.

"Who was that?"

"Nick," Stacia answered softly, taking a large step out into the street when a man approached her.

"What did he want?" Holly raised an eyebrow, grasping Stacia's arm. "You aiming to get hit by a car or something?"

"I just needed some space. No matter how long I've lived in a big city, I still get claustrophic," Stacia explained, looking over her shoulder to see the man's puzzled gaze.

"Okay... what did Nick want?"

"He just wanted to say hello."

"Nick never texts to just say hello. Especially to you--"

"What the Hell does that mean?"

"Oh come on, we all know he's had a hard-on for you since--"

"Since when?"

"Since we came into their lives! And don't tell me you never noticed."

"I'm sure I would have noticed if the boy was packing an erection in his jeans--"

"It wasn't something you could see, Stace! The way he flirted with you, how he always tried to put a hand on your shoulder or an arm around your waist... you had to have noticed that."

"Of course I've noticed how he flirts. I love the way he flirts."

"Good God, why? It's Nick!"

"You have had a grudge against that poor man ever since he put green dye in your favorite shampoo," Stacia chided with a small smile. "He's a good guy when you get to know him."

"That dye didn't come out of my hair for weeks!"

"We're going out tomorrow."

"I looked like Jolly Green Giant's wife-- you're WHAT?! Are you crazy?!"

"You act like I said I was going to spend the day with Jack the Ripper. Holy shit, Holly, it's just Nick. We're planning on spending the day at the beach. He's going to teach me how to surf."

"Well Jesus, you said going out! You made it sound like a date or something--"

"Holly, it is a date."

"But you just said--"

"It's a casual date at the beach."

"Stacia Grace! That is Brian's best friend!"

"I know," Stacia answered carefully, stopping to gaze at an ecclectic window shop. Brightly colored sarong wraps were draped over worn jeans. She didn't concentrate too hard on the clothing, however, too worried about her friend's reaction. Nick had just been so eager to plan a date for them. Brian had never sounded like that. So, she decided to accept. No matter what that meant.

"You know and yet you still agreed to it? For God sakes, why?" Holly demanded, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Stacia avoid her eyes.

"Because Nick actually wanted me."

"Nick is nothing but a damn heartbreaker! Have you ever seen him date a woman longer than a week?"

"I know," Stacia assured, catching Holly's reflection within the glass. "But I'm not looking to marry the man. I just want to have fun. For once."

"You're playing with fire."

"What fire?"

"Nick. He's intense--"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He gets caught up in the moment. Especially with how bad he has it for you. I don't want anything to happen to you!"

"Nick wouldn't even think about hurting me--"

"The Hell he wouldn't--"

"It's a little late anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"I've been hurt a lot in my life, Holly," Stacia answered vaguely, gesturing toward the vibrant purple, blue, and green colored sarong. "I really like that."

"Stace, I just don't think going out with Nick is a good idea," Holly almost pleaded.

"Because of Brian?"

"He's not the only reason. Nick is going to get the wrong idea--"

"If Nick is so interested in a fling, then why would he take it wrong?"

"Because I know you aren't into flings."

"Maybe I need a fling--"

"Oh, don't try bullshitting me and yourself. You don't like flings."

"You are stressing me out," Stacia groaned, taking a seat on the boardwalk that they had happened upon. Kicking off her flip-flops, she ran her fingers furiously through her long honey locks. "It's just a day at the beach. Having fun. No drama."

"You're the one stressing me out. Is it a date or not?" Holly retorted, sitting down next to her.

"It's a date--"

"Staci--"

"But not a serious date!"

"But it's still a date?"

"Yes, a date--"

"You're going to be the death of me..." Holly sighed, taking off her sunglasses for a moment. "I'm not going to get on your case on this, but please be careful. Nick can be pretty selfish when it comes to dating."

"I'll be careful," Stacia promised, feeling Holly give a quick squeeze of her thigh. There was a passing murmur of hunger and Holly excused herself to buy them ice cream. Leaning back on the bench, she concentrated on the vast ocean line, fascinated by the rolling waves. But another vibration caught her attention and she pulled out her phone to hear Brian's soft voice. "Hey, aren't you supposed to be in the studio?"

"We're taking a little break. How's the Holly/Staci day going?"

"It's lots of talking... And more talking... And... I think I'm getting an ulcer from the way she grinds into me."

"She just worries about you. Not many friends care as much as Hollister does."

"I know..."

"So, I heard you and Nick planned a day on the beach," Brian tried to sound nonchalant.

"Yeah, I mentioned that I've visited you guys so many times and have been to the beach, but I never learned how to surf. He told me that he'd give up a day to teach me. How could I resist?"

"He's a good teacher. You'll be a pro in no time," Brian forced a chuckle against his lips as he kept an ice pack against his bruised right hand.

"You're upset..." Stacia murmured softly, keeping a trained eye on Holly's location amongst the mass of people. She also made sure to watch her surroundings and the men that could potentialy creep upon her.

"Me? Upset?"

"You're not a good liar, Bri-Bear."

"Staci-Gracie..."

"Your voice sounds so sad..."

"Life hasn't been the greatest to me these past few years."

"Yeah..." Stacia trailed softly. "Life hasn't been fantastic for me these past couple weeks."

"What happened in Philadelphia? It's like you lost the spark I always see when you come visit."

"The spark's there, I just need a new bulb," Stacia teased softly, though she knew the passion had died within her. The man cloaked in the night's shadows had robbed her of that spark. "...Why don't you come over tonight? Bring Baylee... I can snuggle between you on the couch with a huge blanket... I'd like that so much..."

"Yeah?" Brian found himself smiling softly. They always had so much fun with Baylee in the large blanket, which usually ended up in tickles and hot chocolate.

"Bring over a couple Disney movies... Well, if you want to--"

"I would love to. Leighanne's gone for God knows how long, and Scooper's been asking to see you again."

"So, you'll come?"

"Name the time and we'll be there with bells on."

"Bells?"

"I guess we'll have to save those for Christmas..."

"I love you so much, Brian..."

"I love you too, Staci-Gracie. I'll see you tonight, okay?"

"As long as you promise that you're not mad at me," Stacia murmured softly, noticing a few girls surrounding Holly as she picked up her ice cream. There was a small squeal followed by laughter and Stacia realized that Holly had been recognized. She was always getting compliments from a variety of strangers, whether it be her sweetness in dating a beloved Backstreet Boy or her illustrious career.

"I could never be mad at you," Brian replied with such sincerity that it almost brought tears to Stacia's eyes.

"Even when I'm the sleaze that agreed to go out with Nick?" she continued, covering her eys with her free hnd when she noticed some of the girls surrounding Holly point toward Stacia. It seemed that when she was visiting her friends, she was constantly recognized as well. Brian talked about her frequently and always dedicated each album to her.

"Why would I call you a sleaze? Stace, you're anything but that--"

"But you don't want me going out with him."

"It's... It'll be weird having my best friends going out... But... Hey, whatever you want, Sweetheart... If he's what you want..."

"Bear--"

"I don't mean to interrupt you, Babe, but I got to get back in the studio. Howie will have a heart attack if I'm not back in time. I swear, he's the Kevin incarnate," Brian tried to joke.

Stacia released a soft sigh of frustration, knowing that he wanted to escape. He'd say anything to get away. "Yeah... Have a good session, okay?"

"We will. I'll call you when we're done to set up the movie time."

"Alright. Bye, Brian."

"See you soon, Staci-Gracie."

Flipping her cell phone closed, she leaned forward with every intention of slipping her phone back into her pocket. Only, a mint green colored ice cream cone was pushed into her face. Groaning when her nose dipped into the ice cream, she immediately rubbed her face. A few of the fans trailing Holly in hopes to meet Stacia laughed and Stacia sneezed immediately. "Thanks, Hol!"

"You're welcome!" Holly grinned, taking a lick of her strawberry ice cream. "I made some new friends."

"I noticed," Stacia murmured, watching her friend immediately plop onto the bench beside her. It always raised Holly's spirits to hear the praise of fans, knowing that they approved of her relationship with AJ. The two were miracurously perfect for one another. As cheesy and cliche as it sounded. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to finally meet the woman we hear Brian rave about whenever they have an interview," A young woman bubbled with a warm smile as her friends nodded enthusiastically.

"Guilty as charged," Stacia answered meekly, taking a quick rub of a napkin over her face. She then reached out to shake each of the girl's hands. She had never been one to enjoy the social spotlight, yet her friends had thrust it upon her. "Though I'm not sure he raves..."

"Are you kidding? You're all he talks about! It's so cute," another woman disagreed.

"Baylee gets his fair share of attention," Stacia insisted with a small smile, wishing she had heard the interviews of which they spoke.

"Okay, two things: Staci and Baylee. You should see his face light up when he talks about you."

"He has that adorable goofy grin on his face that you always make him do when you take a picture," Holly explained, hoping it would egg Stacia on. Something needed to happen between the two. Anything.

"I love that smile," Stacia sighed.

"I think you and Brian would be great together."

"Oh, definitely!"

"Yeah!" the three fans began talking excitedly, making Stacia's head spin as Holly chuckled.

"We're just good friends," Stacia explained, throwing a somewhat light kick to her friend's leg to stop her instigating. "C'mon, Leighanne's good for him..."

The girls stopped rambling and glanced at Stacia in shock.

"Are you CRAZY?!"

"Apparently..." Stacia answered, leaning back in surprise.

"Sorry," the oldest girl apologized. "We didn't mean it like that. It's just... when we had heard Brian was going to marry Leighanne, we thought it was a joke. She hated going on tour with him and when fans tried to talk to her, she blew them off. I was at a concert, and she brought a girl to tears. All she had wanted was to have Leighanne give Brian a stuffed basketball and teddy bear."

"The poor girl," Stacia muttered with annoyance, kicking off her flip-flops and tucking her feet beneath her. She hated that Leighanne had hurt one of Brian's fans, knowing that they meant the world to him. Though, she wasn't much better to Baylee, so she shouldn't expected anything different...

"Brian had found out about it later, and took some pictures with the girl and gave her some gifts. He had felt so bad."

"Brian's a good man."

"Too bad more aren't like him."

"Or AJ."

"Or Howie."

"Hey, don't forget Nick and Kevin!"

"I'm sure they'd appreciate the flattery," Stacia laughed, shooting a bewildered look toward Holly, who simply shrugged with a smile. "I wish they could have been with us today so you could have met them. But they're working hard on the new album."

"Have either of you heard it yet?"

"Sneak peeks," Holly confirmed with a proud smile. "And it's sounding fantastic."

"We can't wait until it comes out. It's been so long since we heard anything from them!"

"They're anxious to get back to you guys as well."

"Well, we've got to get going," one of the girls looked at her watch. "Could we get some pictures and possibly autographs? Please?"

"Yeah, sure," Stacia agreed, taking the small digital camera in one of the girl's hands. "Holly, jump up between them and I'll get the picture."

"Wait, we want pictures with you, too!"

Stacia opened her mouth to argue, but yelped instead when the girls hauled her from the seat. Dropping the ice cream to the boardwalk, she groaned but still slung her arms around the girls' shoulders. "No selling these on Ebay, girls. Even if I'm worth a pretty penny!"

"We wouldn't dream of selling these!" The girls laughed as Holly stopped an older gentlemen to take the pictures.

"Well, the last time I cuddled up to Baylee and Alex took some pictures, I ended up on his MySpace..." Stacia sighed.

"I love that picture though!" one of the girls squealed, jumping up and down with excitement when the pictures were taken. "I swear that you gave birth to him instead of Leighanne."

"He's too cute to be my kid," Stacia assured, scrawling her name beside Holly's signature on scraps of paper. It was odd for her to do this, knowing that her signiture really meant nothing.

"Are you kidding? He looks so much like you!"

"Yeah, Stace, show them the C-Section scar--" Holly teased.

"Not funny," Stacia groaned, searching for her flip-flops. " Though, I'd gladly claim Bay as mine. You guys let Brian know that I want him. Alright?"

"Alright, we will. It was so great meeting you both," the girls enthused as they shook hands and gave hugs. "Tell the boys we can't wait to see them soon!"

Smiling, Stacia waved as the girls raced down the boardwalk squealing and raving over the encounter. And when they disappeared, she immediately frowned and stomped a barefoot onto the boardwalk. "Someone stole my favorite flips! If I see them on Ebay--"

"You are so absent-minded," Holly laughed, holding up Stacia's purple and black flipflops.

"Thanks," Stacia muttered, snatching her flip-flops from her friend's hands. Keeping them in her hands, she hopped off the boardwalk and onto the hot sand. "C'mon."

"How long are you going to pout?" Holly inquiered as they strolled down the boardwalk.

"Pout about what?"

"Your flip-flops."

"I'm not pouting about my flip-flops. I'm taking a walk on the beach."

"That's why your bottom lip is puckered out?"

"Because I'm absolutely adorable."

"Right..."

"As much as you like to think that you can read every single cue I give off, Hol..." Stacia trailed, shoving her hands into the back pockets of her jeans, trailing into the lapping surf. The water was cold despite the hot Californian sun beating down upon it. Nothing seemed warm anymore.

"How about you tell me what's going on instead of me guessing all the time?"

"Brian and Baylee are coming to watch movies with me tonight," Stacia announced, glancing to see Holly staying clear of the surf. She knew that her friend was looking for something more substantial, but she wasn't ready. Revealing what had happened in Philadelphia seemed so wrong. By keeping it hidden from others, she could deny that it had ever happened.

"That's nice... but it's not what I'm looking for."

"What are you looking for?"

"The truth?"

"About what?"

"About what happened in Philadelphia. I saw the article you were reading about that stalker--"

"He's not a stalker and I just wanted to check out the news--"

"I read the fine print. How all the girls being attacked have a lot in common with--"

"Every single girl in Philly."

"Every girl in Philly looks like you?"

"Practically every chick in Philly has blonde hair and blue eyes--"

"They have your hair color, hair type, similiar height, weight and same color eyes. They all have a medical background and live in your neighborhood."

"I wasn't attacked."

"Are you telling me the honest to God truth? Because something has faded from your eyes since I last saw you. That sparkle I loved to see... it's gone."

"I just finally grew up, Holly."

"So that means the spark has to die?"

"I guess so."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"Staci, if something happened, please tell me--"

"Nothing happened," Stacia stressed with annoyance, just wanting the subject to die.

"You promise?"

"I promise," Stacia insisted, turning toward Holly and forcing herself to meet the older girl's gaze. "My apartment was trashed. I needed a break. I came here. That's it."

"Alright," Holly accepted the promise, pulling Stacia into her arms for a quick hug. "I just hope you find the sparkle that belongs in those beautiful eyes of yours."