A/N: this has been on my computer for a while so i thought i'd post it. I'm not entirely happy with the ending either.

He couldn't remember a time when he had ever felt this content with his life. He'd just finished the x factor auditions which, after a few minor adjustments, seemed to have gone well and he was currently sat at home watching his girlfriend attempt to shut her suitcase ready for the trip back to the states. It always amazed him how much women could pack for such short trips, she'd only been here just over a week but from the look of her suitcase currently you'd have thought it was more like a month.

'Are you going to give me a hand or just sit there staring?' she had a look of defiance mixed with a hint of defeat as she once again tried in vain to close the zip.

'I like the view from here thanks,' currently lead on top of her luggage she was giving him the perfect view 'besides you managed the other side without me,'

'Yeah well I hadn't been shopping then had I,' she threw a cushion at him which hit him squarely in the chest 'now get up and help me or we'll be here all night,' not wanting to spend their last night in London watching her pack he grudgingly got up and held the top of the case down while she zipped it up 'done,'

'There that wasn't so hard, don't know what you were making so much fuss about,' he winked at her as another cushion came flying at him ducking just in time he grabbed her waist and pulled her towards him 'now that's done what do you fancy doing tonight?' he gently placed butterfly kisses down her neck receiving a soft moan for his efforts 'we could always take this upstairs,' continuing to place kisses over her body he carefully scooped her up into his arms and carried her up to his bedroom.

XOXOXO

Later that night he woke with a start. Not sure what had woken him and feeling slightly hungry, after skipping lunch and by the looks of it dinner as well, he decided a snack was in order. Untangling himself from the sleeping form next to him he threw on some clothes before quietly heading downstairs careful not to wake her. As he made himself a sandwich he took the time to reflect on the past few months. They'd only been dating for just over three months but he was already completely smitten with her. When they'd first meet he'd been unsure of what to make of her. She'd breezed in and made her presence instantly felt, if she'd been intimidated in the slightest by the size of the show she was joining she hadn't shown it. He'd watched as she'd backed off during the first live shows unsure of where she fitted in before eventually finding her feet again gaining a new confidence. He loved watching her work she was so passionate about it and genuinely cared about the kids on the show, even now she still kept in touch with the majority helping them in any way she could. He couldn't pinpoint exactly when he'd started falling for her but ironically they had started seeing each other at the exact same time they were being made out to be at war with each other. It was largely his fault these stories had come out in the first place though, he'd pulled back from her at work determined to give their relationship a chance and not have it controlled by what had happened on the show that week to everyone else he guessed it did look like they had fallen out but she'd understood which was all that matter. Noticing the time he realised they were going to be late for their plane if they didn't hurry, though how you could be late when you owned the plane was something he never quite understood, but he wasn't about to upset his pilot again it never made for comfortable flying. Making his way upstairs he gently placed himself back on his side of the bed stroking her arm before placing a few soft kisses down it. She stirred but her eyes remained firmly shut.

'Come on sleepyhead we have a plane to catch,' he carried on placing gentle kisses along her exposed skin ' you can sleep on the plane, we don't leave know we'll have to go straight back to work,' when she still didn't stir he rounded the bed and scooped her out eliciting a scream as her eyes flew open 'so you are awake, good I'm off for a shower,' chuckling as she looked around bewildered he placed her on the ground leaving his arms around her just long enough for her to regain her balance before heading to the bathroom.

XOXO

An hour later and with the sun just starting to come out they were sat on his plane waiting to takeoff. 'Since we didn't actually do anything last night I was thinking we could go do something just the two of us when we get back to the states,'

'Um Yeah whatever,' her voice was full of sleep and she looked adorable as she curled up in her seat. She'd never been very good at being woken up mid sleep and today was clearly no exception. As the plane began its take off he settled back into his seat and thought about the days ahead. They had a day before the auditions started again and he was feeling slightly apprehensive about them. Paula's decision to quit hadn't exactly shocked him but the speed at which everything had happened had caught him slightly off guard, know he had to face seven cities each one with a new judge. Everyone had always assumed there was something going on between him and Paula but there never had been that didn't mean he didn't love her it was just a different kind of love, the kind you have for your sister. She was fun, energetic and always surprising which made everyday exciting and had always injected life into the audition process which had the potential to be extremely dull without her quirkiness. He was also worried about her replacement; he had seen before just how detrimental it was when someone didn't get along with the new girl. It had been unbearable the year Dannii had joined x factor and while her fights with Sharon had made good TV it had made for a very tense and uneasy atmosphere backstage, one he was in no hurry to experience again. He sighed at least Ryan and Randy were still there, while they weren't as unpredictably exciting to be around as Paula they were always fun and he found it just as entertaining to wind up Ryan as he did Paula, besides which if it really didn't work out he was only under contract for another year he could stick it out that long if he had too. His biggest worry however was the problem of keeping their relationship quiet; the audition process was a whole different ball game to the lives. Not only did they take the whole day but there was nowhere to hide; inside you were surrounded by thousands of crew outside you were surrounded by fans and the media, a scenario which even extending to the hotel they were staying at. They had decided early on it was best to see where this was going in private that way if it didn't work out nobody outside of their immediate circles needed to know. Plus they didn't need the added pressure the press scrutinizing your every move put on a relationship, he could just imagine it now any slight disagreement, even if it was just their differing opinions on a contestant and their relationship would instantly be subjected to the constant speculation they were on the verge of breaking up and everything was going pair shaped. On a more personal level, he was secretly enjoying all the sneaking around it made everything that much more exciting although there were times when he just wanted to do things like a normal couple without worrying if they were being followed and who might spot them together. They'd made some steps to becoming a normal couple by deciding it was time to let Ryan and Randy in on their relationship. He knew they'd be happy for them and this way they wouldn't have to be quite so careful at the auditions, although he was a little worried that rather than helping them keep it quiet the first thing Ryan would do was broadcast it on one of his shows. Closing his eyes he let his thoughts swarm about in his head realising he was never going to go back to sleep he picked up the work he'd been neglecting and finally started to tackle it looking up occasionally to make sure she was still asleep.