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Well, this story is now just being written by Anastacia and myself. Alex (SweetAngelicAngel) has decided to stop being co-author for awhile. Thanks for the help you gave me, Alex. Anyways, enjoy this chapter, y'all!





A shrill beeping echoed in Howie's ears. He groaned, turning over and slamming his hand down on the alarm. The sharp slam caused Ana to jerk from her peaceful sleep curled next to him. She launched herself out of the bed, her blue-green eyes wide with surprise, but her mind still foggy. She held her hands up to her face, almost as if shielding herself. "Alright! I'm up! Jezz, Dad!"

Howie chuckled, sitting up in the bed. "Honey, you're not at home."

Ana stared blankly at Howie for a few seconds, as if analyzing the situation. She groaned, running both of her hands through her tangled curls. She squinted to see the clock, the numbers focusing into 6:00am. "I'm never sleeping in here again," she muttered tiredly. "Usually, I wake up at seven, throw on some clothes, and jump into The Beast to hit school around 7:20am."

"Oh, my poor Ana," he cooed playfully, getting up and pulling her into a hug. "You can either go back and sleep for an hour or take a shower and help me make breakfast."

"You really think I'd take the later choice over sleep?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in question.

"Well, I thought I'd give you two choices," Howie shrugged, kissing her good morning.

"Yeah, I'm up and out," Ana muttered, pulling away, attempting to retreat into the guest room, but Howie pull on the wifebeater. Ana groaned, still struggling limply as Howie slowly pulled her in. She was in no mood to fight with her usually impish spirit.

"You're not a morning person, are you?" he laughed.

"What made you think that?" she mumbled when Howie finally pulled her into his arms. She missed yet another kiss as she buried her head against his chest, dreamily closing her eyes.

"Just a guess," he replied, running a hand through her messy locks.

"Do you really want me to get a shower and help cook?" Ana murmured, her eyes still closed as she leaned against him.

"I'm not going to make you. I'm just going to say it would be nice to have my Baby-Girl with me."

"Mmmm... How about you get a shower...and I'll sleep for an extra fifteen...and meet you down there?"

"Alright, sounds good," he lifted her head up and kissed her before leaving to go into the bathroom.

"Adios, Mofo!" Ana called with a sleepy smirk, weaving down the hallway to the guest room. She was oriented enough to know that Melicia would stalk into the bedroom to wake Ana up, because Melicia did that every morning. Ana knew Melicia was beginning to think that Ana only slept later to give Melicia chest pains, and Ana didn't want her to think any differently. When she reached the room she had called her own for the past week, she tumbled head first into the bed, her body bouncing against the soft mattress. Within seconds, she was asleep yet again.

Melicia was having a really nice dream about her and AJ when the alarm went off, disturbing her thoughts. "Damn you, mornings," she moaned, slamming her hand down. She buried her head into her pillow for a moment before sitting up, rubbing her tired eyes.

She glanced at the clock, noting it was 6:35am. Her heart lurched as she hurriedly climbed free from the bed, kicking away the comforter and sheets. She was about to scurry into her closet for something perfect to wear, knowing that AJ would pick her up after school, but hesitated. She groaned loudly, knowing that Ana was still peacefully dreaming. An evil smirk appeared on Melicia's usually happy-go-lucky face as she scurried to the guest room. She eased open the door to see, sure enough, Ana dozing amongst the satin sheets, warm comforter, and pillows. Not able to contain herself, Melicia screamed a mighty roar, tackling Ana in the bed. Ana groaned in surprise as Melicia pinned her, shrieking to get up. Ana tried to defend herself, but after a few minutes, went limp against the bed. "Is it time to get up?" Ana pondered lazily, unable to even give a glare.

"Of course it is, Ana Banana! Come on, get your butt up! I can smell breakfast that Uncle Howie is cooking downstairs," Melicia got up and pulled the comforters off Ana's body. "Wakey, wakey!"

"Clicky, did anyone ever tell you that you're a pain in the ass during early daylight hours," Ana growled, struggling to reach for something to cover herself with.

"Too many times to count," Melicia laughed as she pulled all the covers away from Ana. "Now come on, it's time to get up."

"Ehhh...." Ana moaned when the cool air conditioning hit her bare legs.

"Are you going to be like this when we get to Duke? Get up!"

"I'm not rooming with you in Duke if you act like this every morning!" Ana threatened, covering her bare legs with pillows.

"Ay, yi, yi... get out of bed, Ądama menora!" Melicia grabbed the pillows.

"Did you just call me something that has to do with a Jewish Holiday?" Ana asked, actually allowing one eye to peek open.

Melicia rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "No, I said 'young lady' in Spanish. Now will you PLEASE get up?"

"Wait...Did you say Howie's cooking already?" Ana asked, rolling onto her back. She blanked for a moment, glancing down to see Howie's wifebeater and purple boxers adorning her body. She panicked for a moment, hoping Melicia wasn't as alert as she pretended to be in the mornings.

"Yeah, I can smell the sausages, eggs and..." Melicia sniffed the air. "churros."

Ana sat up in bed, running a hand through her hair. She silently cursed herself as she realized she slept for way more than 15 minutes. "Ana... hello? Are you coming down to breakfast?" Melicia asked as she stood in the doorway.

"Um, yeah, just let me find my sweatpants and a t-shirt--"

"That's all you're wearing to school?" Melicia asked in surprise.

"Yeah, why?" Ana asked, raising her eyebrows in question.

"I don't know, I guess I'm not used to having a friend who wears that to school," Melicia shrugged. "All the kids I knew back home would rather have their teeth pulled if they did have their 'precious brand names'. But, you don't care, and I think that's cool."

"ADIDAS is all I need," Ana answered with a simple shrug. She yawned loudly, stretching her tired body. She became somewhat angry at herself that she had overslept after promising Howie she would be down. Trying to brush the thoughts away, Ana scratched her stomach before speaking, "You planning on bumming down today? Wait... You don't bum down... So, I guess the correct question would be how well are you dressing today? And do you need a ride in The Beast? Or is AJ picking you up?"

"Well... let's just say that when AJ sees me, his mouth is gonna drop," Melicia smirked. "I only need a ride in The Beast to school. AJ is picking me up after the concert practice."

"That's freaking sweet, because Dad's coming home tonight and he always expects me in the house, sitting down, doing homework, or practicing singing... Usually, he likes to see me studying a medical book. Then he kisses my cheek, asks how things were, and goes straight to his room. And I only see him occasionally till he takes off again," Ana murmured, a tinge of disappointment in her voice. Melicia looked as if she might comment, but Ana quickly ended that part of the conversation by starting anew. "Are you going down to breakfast looking like that? Or do you want to get dressed first?"

"I need to get dressed and everything... it's already 6:45. So, hurry up and I'll meet you downstairs," Melicia gave a smile and ran to her room.

Ana rolled her eyes, simply tugging on a pair of black sweatpants, hooking a bra, knotting the wifebeater to the side to expose the bottom portion of her lean stomach, and then tugged on a gray ADIDAS t-shirt. She brushed out her curls, threw them back into a long ponytail, and quickly ran to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Afterwards, she hurried down the stairs, knowing Melicia was still getting ready. She met Howie in the kitchen, giving him a pitiful pout. "I am so sorry, Howie."

Howie looked up from the churros, a sweet smile on his face. "It's alright, Ana. I could see you were tired, don't worry about it. I was the same when I was in school."

Ana supressed a groan as Howie identified the spacious gap between their ages. She simply slumped down into a kitchen chair, rubbing her tired eyes. "Alright," she stated simply.

Howie metally kicked himself as he realized what he had said. Leaving the food for a moment, he walked over and kissed the top of her head. "I'll get you used to mornings soon enough."

"No, that's alright, I'm content with afternoons and evenings," Ana murmured, her hands supporting her head in an upright position.

"Okay," he shrugged, leaning down and kissing her quickly before going back to the breakfast. "Would you like some eggs, sausage and a churro, mi amor?"

Ana lazily smirked at the notion of Melicia calling her some kind of Jewish ordament, knowing that she would have to get used to the Spanish vocabulary. "I'm really not that hungry. I gotta go pack my sh-ah-stuff and stuff it into The Beast. I'd run it all home, but I'm definitely too lethargic for that kind of activity."

"At least have a churro," Howie insisted as he handed her a deep fried stick of dough, which was sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

"At least have a churro," Howie insisted as he handed her a deep fried stick of dough, which was sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

"You want my arteries to clog before I'm fifty?" Ana asked in surprise, quickly declining.

Howie rolled his eyes, chuckling before taking a bite of the churro. "Sometimes I forget you're going to be a doctor."

"That and my father requires perfection when he gets home from business trips. Not one speck of crumb tainting me. He expects his perfect little girl, in a perfect little skirt, with a perfect little figure, with her perfect G.P.A., with her perfect little medical book lying neatly in her lap, with his perfect gin tonic..." Ana stopped short, choking down her obviously bitter words. She suddenly rose from the table, walking toward the stairs. "CLICKY! LET'S GET GOING! I HAVE A LOT OF SHIT TO DO TODAY! AND IF YOU MESS WITH MY PLANS, I'M NOT TEACHING YOU HOW TO SURF NEXT WEEKEND!"

"ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT! I'M COMING!" Melicia thundered down the stairs.

"Damn, about time," Ana laughed, listening to Melicia curse as she balanced her backpack on a bare shoulder. Ana peeked up the stairs to see Melicia was wearing a pair of dark denium flares with a bright yellow halter top that hung on her left shoulder. Her dark locks pressed into perfect ringlets. Ana then turned back to the kitchen, slipping a shy kiss against Howie's lips. "I'm keeping your boxers and wifebeater," Ana announced softly.

"I told you it was alright," Howie chuckled, kissing her one more time. "You better hurry up before you two are late for school."

"Late in The Beast? Please? Do you know what kind of speeds I top?" Ana asked, hurrying up the stairs to grab her backpack and duffle bag. She ran back down, jumping off the last three steps. Melicia and Howie were waiting downstairs at the door. "Thank you for letting me stay, but I definitely have to be home today."

"It was our pleasure to have you here, Ana," he replied, smiling. "You're welcome here whenever you like. As the Spanish saying goes: Mi casa es su casa."

"And, as an American Surfing Chick, I say, my waves are your waves," Ana teased, rolling her eyes. Melicia chuckled with amusement, holding her mouth when Howie shot her a glare. Ana shrugged with a childlike smile, "I'll check ya later, Dorough."

"See you later, Lord," he opened the door for the girls and they walked outside.

"Not if I catch you first," Ana called, opening the driver's side of the Hummer.

"Adios, Uncle Howie," Melicia kissed his cheek and climbed into the passenger's side.

Howie kissed his niece's cheek and then shut the door for her. He waved as Ana expertly pulled away from the house, immediately stepping against the gas for a rev. Howie waited until they were out of view before retreating into his now quiet home. Somehow, he believed that things would work perfectly between him and Ana, even if he would miss her terribly while she thrived in her father's world.

*~*~*

Melicia strode toward the large auditorium stage to see Ana sitting on the edge with her headphones curled around her neck. It was obvious that lyrics were still flowing, because Ana bopped her head to the beat. Everyone in the choir had left from practice, but Mrs. Clark requested that Ana and Melicia stay for more training on their duet. Melicia's mind was farther away from the duet however, thinking about Ana's mother-like attitude the previous night. It was the first time in weeks that Melicia had slept soundly and it was all thanks to Ana. Yet, Ana seemed far from her usually mellow attitude that day. Melicia found it hard to pinpoint the source, although Dominic had confessed that Ana was always on edge when her father returned from a business adventure since her mother passed. Wanting to talk for a moment, Melicia hopped up to the edge of the stage beside Ana, offering her a Pepsi. Ana accepted, taking a long swallow. Melicia smiled affectionately, "Thanks for what you did last night, Ana."

"Last night? Oh, don't worry about it," Ana answered, shrugging it off quickly.

"No, really. I haven't felt that good or slept so well since... you know. And I would have gone on, holding in all my emotions until I exploded if it hadn't been for you."

"I figured I didn't want you to end up like me," Ana replied nonchantly, leaning back on the stage. She held her upper body weight on her arms.

"Talking about all of it could still help," Melicia answered, leaning back as well.

Ana paused for a long moment, seeming to even stop breathing. The only sound between them was the soft murmur of Ana's headphones. Melicia figured that Ana needed time to sort out emotions. After all, they were just becoming friends. Yet, the guys said that she never really opened up to any of them about her private life. Melicia chewed on her lip, deciding to take the next step. "Ana, are you going to ever tell me about your Mom?"

"What's there to tell?" Ana choked.

"Everything... just like how I talked about mine last night. Ana, I know it's hard, believe me. But I really think you would feel better if you talked--"

"I feel just fine, Clicky," Ana interupted.

"Ana, are you sure--"

"My mother is dead and in the ground. There's not much else I can be too sure about," Ana murmured, somewhat resentfully.

"Yeah, and so is mine, remember? Ana, we both lost our mom's the same day. I've talked to you about it, why can't you talk about it with me?"

"Because I'm not ready. My life with my Dad isn't peaches and cream like your life with your uncle, Clicky. I do what I need to do to keep myself going, but you have all that love surrounding you. I'll talk when I need to talk. I'll tell you all about Momma, but I just need time."

Melicia reached over and placed her hand on top of Ana's. "I'll be here whenever you're ready."

"Yeah, I know. And whenever you can't sleep, call me, and I'll come over and help. Alright?" Ana promised, for once allowing the deeper connection to occur with a friend.

"Alright," Melicia gave a crooked smile. "Thanks, girly."

"Hey, now, no using the profanity word," Ana grimaced, pushing on Melicia's shoulder. Melicia offered a look of pure confusion. Ana rolled her eyes. "Girly is profanity in my book, especially when you use it to refer to me!"

"Ohhh, okay," Melicia laughed as she pushed Ana back. Mrs. Clark came over, holding some sheet music for another piece the whole choir was going to sing.

The girls quickly went to work, revising and rehersing. Each part was perfected several times and the girls had still managed to contain the pain they felt for their mothers. Nonetheless, Mrs. Clark couldn't be more thrilled. She praised the girls left and right, promising that someday they might even record a duet together. The girls simply laughed, shrugging their shoulders at the irony. Finally, as the time started to wind down, Ana noticed AJ appear at the back of the auditorium. His presence sent red flags up in her mind. She quickly turned to Melicia. "Clicky, time check?"

"It's..." Melicia looked at her cell phone. "3:30."

"Oh, shit, he's going to kill me!" Ana blurted, immediately leaping off the stage. She landed with skilled grace and snatched her backpack away from one of the seats. Melicia hurried down the stage in absolute confusion as Ana glanced to her with worry. "My Dad's going to be home in a half hour. You just don't understand! He's going to literally kill me!"

"Why? What happened to make him want to kill you?"

"I have to be home waiting for him. I have to get a shower, put on a skirt, sit down in the living room with a medical book on my lap. I have to look like I was just painted from a picture. I have to have several gin tonics set up near his favorite seat with a cigar... I just... God! He wants everything perfect for the first hours that he gets home, then he'll ignore me till he leaves again. But it has to be perfect, Clicky, do you understand at all?" Ana asked hurriedly, searching for her keys in her pockets.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand. Just go on and get home before he does," Melicia replied as they reached the auditorium door.

"Nice to see you, AJ! Check you later! Um... Clicky, I can't call tonight, so I'll just see you in class tomorrow hopefully," Ana called, running to her car as if she were in a race. Within seconds she had revved her car and peeled out of the school parking lot.

AJ glanced to Melicia with obvious confusion as her eyes grew heavy with unshed tears. He instinctively settled his arm against the small of her back, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "Are you okay, Mella?"

"Yeah," she looked down for a moment, placing a hand over her eyes. "Just fine."

"You don't look fine," AJ observed, turning her to face him.

"Ana and I just sang two songs that are dedicated to our mothers and the people who died on 9/11... it's hard..." her voice cracked with thick emotion.

"I know that must be hard, Baby," AJ cooed, wrapping his arms around her tightly. He brought her to his chest, cuddling her. He kissed the top of her head, allowing her to release some strained sobs. He waited for a few moments, allowing her to regain some kind of composure. He kissed her head again. "Is that all that's bothering you, though?" AJ asked, sensing something deeper about the way Ana had left.

"No... it's Ana's relationship with her dad. It's not a healthy one, Alex," she whispered, looking up at him with weary eyes.

"What do you mean?" AJ asked in confusion, leading her to get her backpack.

"When you came in and she realized what time it was, she freaked. I guess when her dad comes home, everything needs to be perfect," she slung her backpack onto her shoulder. "She has to be showered, in a skirt, he needs gin tonics ready with a cigar and she needs to have that medical book in her lap and reading it. Like a picture perfect kind of thing... and it doesn't seem right."

"You..." AJ slowly gathered his own thoughts together. The same warning flashed in his mind. He quickly tugged Melicia close to his side, kissing her forehead. "You don't think he hurts her...do you, Mella?"

"I really hope he doesn't, Alex... because it all makes too much sense... I've seen it before back in New York with a friend of mine. I tried to help, but--"

"But what?"

"I was too late," she whispered. "Her stepdad beat her until she died..."

"I'm so sorry, Babe," AJ murmured, stopping their movement. He saw fresh tears trickle down Melicia's tan cheeks, alerting him to her pain. He leaned down to kiss her gently, hoping to break the grief. She quickly wrapped her arms around him, burying her head against his t-shirt. "Should we tell your uncle?"

"It won't help anyone. Uncle Howie would go right over and ask-- that just makes things worse. Even if Ana is getting hurt... he would think she told someone and... I don't want to think of what could happen."

"So, you're just going to carry this burden?"

"For now, it's the only way."

"I still think Howie--"

"I'm not going to tell him and neither are you. Promise me, AJ."

"Someone has to know, Mella."

"And you know someone who won't get Ana into more trouble?" Melicia asked as they walked outside towards AJ's car.

"No, but--"

"But nothing. We're not going to tell anyone. I lost one friend that way, I sure Hell ain't going to lose Ana."

"You might if you don't tell anyone," AJ corrected, unlocking the doors.

"I don't want to talk about it anymore," Melicia replied as he opened the door for her and she got in.

AJ said nothing more as he jumped into the driver's side. He was about to rev the engine, but halted. He turned toward Melicia, forcing their eyes to lock. "Just promise me that you'll think about telling your uncle if you see anything on Ana that isn't normal," AJ compromised.

Melicia nodded, her chin trembling a little. "I promise."

"You know it's the right thing to do, Mella. And I love you," AJ whispered with a kind smile.

Her mouth dropped open a little. No guy has ever said to her except for her uncles and grandfather. "You love me?"

"Yes, I love you," AJ repeated, his dark eyes smoldering with desire.

More tears formed in her eyes, but for once, it was because she was happy. "I love you, too."

"Good," he chuckled, leaning in to kiss her.

"So, where are we going? You must have picked me up for a reason," she asked, smiling as they let go.

"Where do you want to go?"

"Well, if I said where I really want to, I couldn't wear white on my wedding day--"

"Try for second best then."

Melicia thought for a moment, and still didn't have an idea as AJ revved the engine and sped out of the school. "I don't know."

"How about the everly classic beach?"

"Oooh... yeah! I've been in Florida all this time and still haven't really gone there yet."

"We could get some surf--"

"Ana's teaching me this weekend," Melicia interupted.

"Oh...then how about a boogie board? And some old-fashion-romance-walking-on-the-beach-hand-in-hand?"

"Sounds great, Sweetie," Melicia gave a sly smile as her hand rested on AJ's thigh, her fingers more on the inside.

"Don't tempt me," AJ warned, shivering a little. Never had he felt so absolutely insane for a woman before. Usually, his first thought was sex when a woman came into the picture, but with Melicia, things were different. He only wanted to love her. Sex wasn't important.

She only laughed as her thumb made a circling movement over his jeans, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You're too cute... and now I can see what I do to you. I saw you shiver."

"For once, Mella, I want to do right by a woman. Please, don't make it harder than it is. I just want to love you. Sex isn't important."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry." she removed her hand and placed both in her lap, looking out the car window.

"Mella, I didn't mean that I didn't like your affection."

"But if I put my hand back, or do other things like that, won't that be making it--"

"I just want you to understand that sex isn't important right now. I'm just fine where our relationship is right now. I love kissing you, holding you, cuddling you, and God knows that I'd love to make love to you... But I want to wait. I want it to be special. I want it to be your wedding day..."

All of AJ's sincere words hit Melicia like a truck. She never thought she would meet a guy like AJ, one who respected her for who she was and didn't want sex right away. But the two words that floored her was 'wedding day'. "Alex... when you say wedding day... do you mean what I think you mean?"

"I think I've known you for practically my whole life, Mella. And, if that's not a true soul mate that I'm destined to be with for the rest of my life, then I don't know what is."

More tears welled up in Melicia's eyes for the millionth time in just the past few days. Her mother was the same when it came to being emotional, as well as her uncle. "Really? You feel the same way I do?"

"Yeah, of course, don't go buying the wedding invitations yet, just let me see you walk down the graduation isle before we make plans," AJ whispered, threading his fingers with hers.

A little laugh escaped Melicia's lips. "Alright. Wow, I almost forgot I'm graduating in May..."

"Yeah, that's a big step, but we'll have an even bigger one to take together," AJ promised.

She smiled, leaning over and kissing him as they stopped at a red light. "I can't wait for that day."