Lena Pennington sat on the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition bus, listening as Ty Pennington gave her instructions. She was eleven-years-old, and not really Ty’s daughter. He’d taken her in, as she kept showing up at Extreme Makeover sites across the country. It was while this was going on, that he learned she was on her own and had no family. So they’d made a deal – so long as she obeyed his rules and accepted whatever punishments he deemed fit for her wrong doings, she’d never have to go to bed hungry. Which overall was the greatest deal she’d ever heard! So, of course, she took him up on the offer, and after a couple of months he’d even gone and made it official – which had tickled her pink.

                Anyways, back to why she was currently being given instructions. It seemed Ty had somewhere else he had to be, so he wouldn’t be able to make it to the next taping of Extreme Makeover. And while he was away, it had been deemed a good idea to let Lena host the show, since she loved to be the center of attention and knew the ins and outs, for the most part.

                “Now remember, if you need anything, just ask Paulie,” Ty reminded her. “Though you’re hosting the show, he’s in charge of you while I’m gone. And I expect you to treat him with respect, or there’ll be dire consequences.”

                Lena rolled her eyes slightly. “Ty, how many times are you going to tell me that? I know Paulie’s in charge, and I know you’ve given him permission to punish me, so just move on already, will you?”

                “I just don’t want for anything to go wrong while I’m gone,” Ty stated. “I’m giving you huge responsibility here Lena. Normally a kid your age would never have this laid upon them. But I’m trusting you, and so is everyone else, to do a good job. You can’t mess this up, because then you’ll make everyone involved look bad.”

                “Keep up appearances, got it,” Lena nodded, a small sarcastic smile upon her face.

                Ty narrowed his eyes at her, giving her a Look.

                “You need to relax,” Lena told him. “I’m a pro with the tools and designs, remember? Well ahead of my time in this department. No worries, everything will be fine.”

                “They better be, or a certain part of your anatomy won’t be,” Ty reminded her firmly. “And to keep you constantly reminded of that fact, your attitude adjuster will be hanging with mine by the bus door.”

                “Ty!” Lena exclaimed slightly. “You know how embarrassing that is?”

                “It’s not like anyone other than the design team is even going to be on this bus, and they all know already,” Ty replied calmly. “So really, there’s no need for you to make it out to be a big deal.”

                Lena rolled her eyes in annoyance, smiling sweetly at him upon noticing him narrow his eyes at her once more.

                “All I ask is that you behave and do as told,” Ty said. “Everything has to go as smoothly as possible.”

                “I thought I was the team leader? So don’t I get to tell everyone what to do?” Lena demanded. “That’s what you do, isn’t it? Or have I been watching the wrong show?”

                “I don’t boss everyone around,” Ty answered. “I offer advice and suggestions. And you won’t take advantage of the team leader role, if you value your bottom at all. Got it?”

                “Loud and clear,” Lena replied, holding her hands up in defense.

                “Now, I have to go, so enjoy the ride to the next stop,” Ty told her. “Behave.”

                “I know, I know,” Lena said, making like she was shoving him off the bus. “Now go already, will you?”

                Ty let her shove him until he was on the last step for the bus. “I love you, Kiddo,” he reminded, smiling some.

                Lena eyed him a moment, before hugging him tight. She wasn’t one to say the three words back aloud often – she’d much rather show it. 

                Ty returned her hug, flashed her a smile, then hopped off the bus, waving as it pulled away from the airport. He’d a flight to L.A. to catch for some promo thing.

                Lena waved back until he was out of sight, then grinned at the bus driver. “Free at last!” She exclaimed.

                The bus driver chuckled, as he saw her make her way back to the one couch and flop down upon it with her laptop.

                The drive to Lexington, Kentucky from Atlanta, Georgia would be five hours and fifty-five minutes long – plenty of time for Lena to do her schoolwork. Though, whether she would actually do the work or not was another question. But, she had promised to behave, so homework probably was counted in that behaving category.

                “Blast it all,” Lena grumbled, as she reached into her knapsack to pull out a schoolbook. “I hate this part of it all. Bor-ring!”

                She worked on her school assignments, until she felt as though her head were going to explode.

                “He never said I had to do them all in one day,” she reasoned, though she knew once she got busy with the team, she’d forget all about her schoolwork. “A little break never hurt anyone.”

                She rubbed her hands together, then began to search the web on her laptop for some Backstreet Boys fan fiction. Though, that search soon led to her watching videos on YouTube and soon enough, her schoolwork was long forgotten.

                Finally, the bus pulled to a stop at the Blue Grass Airport to pick the rest of the design team up for this week’s project. Needless to say, they were surprised to find Lena by herself on the bus.

                “Where’s Ty?” Ed Sanders questioned, as he took a seat on the one couch.

                “He’s not here this week,” Lena shrugged, smiling somewhat.

                “You mean he sent you alone?” Paul DiMeo demanded, also taking a seat. “Why on earth would he do that?”

                “Is that why he asked for so many of us to come this week?” Paige Hemmis asked, as she sat next to John Littlefield.

                “Well, it would make sense,” Michael Moloney commented, as he sat next to Paul and Ed.

                “You’ll find out soon enough,” Lena stated. “Ty left y’all a video message. Well, two actually; one for just y’all, and one for the show. The T.V. crew ain’t on the bus yet, so we’ll watch the one for y’all first.”

                Lena hit play for the video to begin, and suddenly Ty’s face appeared on the screen.

                “Hey gang,” he spoke. “I’m stuck in L.A. doing promo stuff this week, so I’ve sent my replacement along instead. Yes, I do mean Lena. While I am away, she is to be team leader. She’s been given a long list of instructions and knows what her job entails. And Paulie, if she gets too big for her britches, her attitude adjuster is hanging by the door with mine. I’ve told her you’re in charge of her, and she’s to do as told.”

                Lena rolled her eyes in annoyance, her arms crossed over her chest, at the mention of her attitude adjuster.

                “But anyway, hope y’all have a good time, and I’m sorry I couldn’t be there with you all to help this family out,” he continued on. “I know you’ll do a fantastic job though, and I’m looking forward to seeing the results.”

                He paused a moment, then went on with his spiel. “Have a great time, gang! And Lena – behave, please.”

                Lena rolled her eyes once more, stopping the video, as it went fuzzy afterwards. “So, gang, y’all ready for this?”

                “I think, the question is, are you ready for this,” Paul piped up.

                Lena straightened up, standing as big and tall as she could. “I promised to do a good job, and I intend to keep that promise. I’m determined to not let anyone down, and if I do, well…you know…”

                Paul nodded. “Indeed, I do.”

                “Anyways,” Lena began, quickly changing the subject a moment later. “Let’s get this show on the road, shall we? Bus driver, do your thing – please!”

                The bus driver nodded, then began to drive them off to where they needed to be in order to pick up the camera crew. Once the camera crew was on the bus and everything was set up, Lena began her role as team leader.

                She pressed play for the second video Ty had made, and once more his face flashed across the screen.

                “Hey gang, as you know by now, I’m not there. Right now, I’ve other duties to attend to, but have sent Lena in my place as team leader. This week, we’ve picked the Matherson family. They’re well known amongst their community, as they love to help others out. They’d even started a food bank and shelter, for people who had to do without one or the other or both. All was going well, until one fateful night. Here is their story.”

                The screen switched to footage of the Matherson family then, Ty no longer on the screen.

                “Hi, we’re the Matherson family!” The family of six cheered, waving at the camera.

                “Hi, I’m Lauren, and I’m the Mom.”

                “Hi, I’m Krystal and I’m fourteen.”

                “Hi, I’m Carla and I’m twelve.”

                “Hi, I’m Joanna and I’ve ten.,”

                “Hi, I’m Becca and I’m seven.”

                “Hi, I’m Rachel and I’m five.”

                “We were a family of seven, but my husband, George, was killed by a fire that broke out in our shelter. It was a regular Saturday evening, and my husband, Krystal, and I were working there; the others were here at home with my mother. We were serving dinner like any other night, when suddenly someone started shouting about a fire that had broken out by the back door. For some reason, the fire spread quickly and everyone was forced to rush towards the main door that was the only exit left, other than windows. My husband, being the type that would give someone the shirt off his back, heard a child screaming for help near the back of the shelter, and headed in that direction after ordering me to get Krystal out. It wasn’t until everyone had managed to get out, that I realized my husband had never emerged with the child he’d gone to rescue.”

                Lauren paused, as her eyes began to tear up. “By this time, the fire department had arrived and it was like utter chaos going on. I kept screaming for them to get to my husband, and had to explain that he’d gone back for a child. There was another woman there, screaming that she couldn’t find her daughter, and I just knew her child had to be the one George had gone back for. We watched with baited breathe, as suddenly we saw movement near the doorway. My husband emerged through the flames, carrying a little girl Rachel’s age, who’d her face hidden into his chest for protection. Soon as he came out, firemen and paramedics rushed to them, and began to look after them.”

                Krystal could be seen on the screen then, her eyes full of tears. “We thought he was going to be okay. He’d make it out on his own, and he was going to be fine. But instead…instead he died of smoke inhalation. They said too much smoke got into his lungs, and he just couldn’t breathe. They did everything they could, but it was too late. He’d been in there too long.”

                Lauren placed her arm around her daughter, as her daughter let her tears fall. “He was the only one to lose his life that day. The little girl he’d gone back for lived, because he’d made her press her face into his chest. By doing so, she didn’t breathe in the same amount of smoke as he had. The firefighters did an investigation, and it turned out the fire was caused by arson. Why someone would want to burn down a homeless shelter, is beyond me. But it was still done, and now because of whoever started that fire, we’re short an important member of our family.”

                “I miss my Daddy,” Becca whimpered on screen, as Joanna and Rachel sat on either side of her. “He was teaching me to ride my bike.”

                “Daddy was helping me to read,” Rachel spoke up, hugging her older sister tight.

                “Daddy…Daddy was going to take us to a Backstreet Boys concert the next night,” Joanna stated, lone tears streaming down her face. “It was just gonna be him and all his girls. It was gonna be a special night, and because someone decided to start a fire, we never got our special night.”

                Ty’s voice could be heard then, as pictures of the shelter and their house was shown on the screen. “The Matherson’s lost someone very dear to their hearts that day. George was their main source of income, and Lauren was a stay at home mom. Since his death, she’s been forced to go back to work, and has no time for their girls or their house. Because she has to work so much to meet ends meet, their house has begun to fall apart and she’s no time to fix it, nor the money to do so. All her money goes towards feeding the girls and getting them the necessities they need to live healthy and active lives. Also, the shelter that had been their dream, is still beyond repair and she’s still paying for the site it was on, in hopes of one day rebuilding it.”

“We’d never be able to thank-you enough, if you came to help us out,” Lauren said, as she flashed across the screen once more. “It’d mean everything and so much more to us. I’m scared that if I don’t get the house fixed soon, that I may end up losing it. I feel like such a bad mother for not being able to give my kids what they deserve. They deserve to be happy, and right now no one is very happy. We’d appreciate any and all help you’d be willing to give. Thank-you.”

                The video ended then, and the design team was shown wiping their eyes.

                “They’re a very deserving family,” Ed spoke finally. “I can’t even imagine how that must’ve felt. To think he was going to be okay, only to end up losing him instead.”

                “Those poor girls,” Paige sniffled. “To lose their father at such young ages.”

                Lena, who’d her back turned to everyone, managed to compose herself and turned to face them all at last. “Are we ready to do this?” She asked, sticking her hand out like Ty always did.

                “Let’s do this!” The team exclaimed, after all putting their hands in together and pulling them away at the same time.

                The bus pulled up to a house then, and Lena quickly grabbed up Ty’s bullhorn, as she led the way off the bus.

                “Good morning Matherson family! Lauren, Krystal, Carla, Joanna, Becca, and Rachel! Come on out!”

                There was silence, and suddenly they saw someone poking their head out the door. A look of recognition came across the young girl’s face then, and suddenly she started screaming.

                “Mom! Mom! They came! They came! Extreme Makeover came!”

The next thing they knew, all six came flying out of the house screaming with joy. They tackled the design team, minus Lena, having overlooked her.

                The girls all looked around, and finally Lauren asked what they were all wondering. “Where’s Ty?”

                “He couldn’t be here this week, so he sent us his replacement instead,” Paul stated, placing his hands on Lena’s shoulders.

                “Hi,” Lena smiled, the bullhorn still in her hands. “I’m…”

                “Lena!” Becca and Rachel shrieked, tackling her in a hug.

                Lena returned their hugs, shrugging slightly. She wasn’t used to this kind of welcome – heck, any welcome at all really. She was used to being more behind the scenes or just not mentioned, but yet always with Ty or Paul.

                   “Oh my! It is you!” Lauren exclaimed, then motioned towards the two still hugging her. “The girls are huge fans of yours.”

                “Um…thanks?” Lena said, looking a little unsure of herself. “So, as you know, we’re here to fix your house while you guys go on vacation. Do you want to know where you’re going?”

                “Yeah!” The girls cheered.

                “How does Disneyland Resort in California sound?”

                The girls squealed loudly, extremely excited to be going to California and Disneyland of all places.

                “Now, Matherson family, let’s see your house,” Lena instructed.

                Everyone nodded, and Lauren led the way into the house, Lena following her. They were showed the house, Lauren explaining all that was wrong with it, and how she’d just no time nor the money to fix it. Soon, Lena found herself standing in Joanna and Carla’s bedroom, a grin on her face.

                “So, I take it you like the Backstreet Boys,” she commented, taking in all the posters around the room.

                “We absolutely love them! Heck, we all do!” Carla exclaimed.

                “Your whole family likes them?” Lena checked.

                “Oh, yeah! We do!” Joanna giggled. “Mommy admitted to liking Kevin. Krystal likes Brian, Rachel likes Nick, Becca likes A.J., Carla likes Howie, and I like Brian! Brian just makes me laugh, all the time.”

                Lena laughed. “I know what you mean. He makes me laugh quite a bit too.”

                “You’re a fan?” Joanna exclaimed, excitedly.

                “Yup, I am,” Lena nodded proudly. “Brian’s my favourite, then Kevin, and then everybody else. I’ve seen them in concert twice now, thanks to Ty.”

                Carla and Joanna looked sad then. “We were supposed to see them, but then Daddy…Daddy…”

                “Hey, don’t cry, it’ll be okay,” Lena soothed, hugging Joanna. “I know it hurts, but things’ll get better, you’ll see.”

                “How do you know?” Carla demanded, wiping her eyes.

                “Just – trust me,” Lena replied, not caring to share her life history on national television. Heck, she hadn’t even told Ty the full story yet – he only knew she’d been an orphan looking for a home.

                The girls nodded, then headed on back out to the kitchen where the rest of the family currently was.

                Lena did her team leader thing, by asking Lauren some more questions and making her cry, then sent the family off on their vacation.

                “Well, I’d say they’re a very deserving family,” Lena commented. “Especially Krystal. I mean, she’s no time to hang out with her friends anymore, since she constantly has to keep watch on her little sisters. That’s got to be hard.”

                “And Lauren seems to be struggling quite a bit too,” Michael added. “Working full-time, trying to rebuild the shelter and still help the other families out. It’s amazing that she’s still able to get food donations out to those who need it.”

                “Okay, so what’s the plan?” Lena asked.

                “I’d like to work on Becca and Rachel’s room,” Paige put in. “They’re adorable little girls, who just want a place to play and dream.”

                “I’m going to do Krystal’s room,” Paul piped up. “If no one minds. I was talking to her, and she’s quite a bright young lady. She wants to be a nurse when she’s older.”

                “I’m going to see if I can get a team together and rebuild that shelter of theirs,” Ed stated. “Because those families they were helping before need a place to sleep and eat too.”

                “I’m going to help you out with that Ed,” John commented. “I’ve some ideas, and together we could make it pretty amazing.”

                “I’m wanting to do Lauren’s room, if that’s alright with you , Lena,” Michael said. “She needs some place that she can relax and feel like she’s in a far away, stress-free place.”

                “That works, because I want to do Carla and Joanna’s room,” Lena grinned. “I found out they’re huge Backstreet Boys fans and my ideas are running wild.”

                “Not too wild, I hope,” Paul cut in.

                “No worries, Paulie,” Lena smiled. “I’ll show you the plans first.”

                “Thank-you,” Paul nodded.

                “Now, let’s get to work people!” Lena exclaimed, giggling some after shouting it out. “Haha. I sounded just like Ty!”

                Paul laughed and ruffled her hair. “C’mon Kiddo. There’s work to be done, like you said.”

                “Ooh! I get to plan the demo!” Lena cheered loudly. “Look out house! Lena’s on the loose!”

                Paul shook his head, laughing some more, as he watched her run off. “Don’t forget your hard hat and safety goggles!”

                “No worries, Paulie!” Lena shouted back. “They’re on the bus, which is where I’m headed!”