Disclaimer: Don't own any of the characters. Shocking, I know.

The Stakeout

"What are we doing?"

"It's called a stakeout."

"What are we staking out for?"

Macy sighed. "Do you want to find out who's been posting those horrible pictures of you on my site or not?"

"Horrible is kind of harsh. I mean, I've seen worse. Did you see Kevin when he used to straighten his hair?"

Macy gasped. "Do not speak against Kevin's hair. He has lovely hair. Besides, it's not like there isn't a photo of you with straightened hair floating around the Internet, and I wouldn't exactly qualify that as pretty, mister."

Nick took a deep breath and reminded himself that Macy was a friend. When that wasn't enough, he reminded himself that Macy was Stella's BFF, and though that really wasn't any of his concern, it did mean that Stella would maim him if he did anything that would hurt Macy's feelings. He let out his breath once he felt that he could keep his patience, if not be completely pleasant with Macy again.

"I'm sorry I spoke against Kevin's hair. But I still don't understand why we're here."

"You guys hang around here all the time. Our little papparazo is bound to be close by, waiting for you to show up."

"There are a lot of places where we hang out," Nick protested.

"Well, we have to start somewhere."

Nick pouted but said nothing more. He shifted in the driver's seat from the parking space Macy had found for them across the street from Kevin's favourite coffee shop. He thought of protesting that no one really needs coffee at nine at night on a Friday, but knew it wouldn't do any good when it came to Macy.

They waited quietly, Nick working out melodies in his head that had been bothering him for a while, and Macy thinking about God only knew what. He was halfway through figuring out his newest chorus before he realised that Macy was no longer sitting up attentively. In fact, she was slumped against him, and he'd somehow wrapped his arm around her shoulder to make sure she wouldn't slip off the seat.

He didn't know whether to roll his eyes or smile down at her.

"Dedicated to the cause my…" Nick faded off as he remembered why they were there. The last thing they needed was for their little paparazzi friend to find them snuggled together in a parked car. Nick could only imagine what would happen when those images were leaked on the Web.

He gave her another fifteen minutes, and when she didn't wake up, he shook her gently.

"I'm awake," Macy said with a start.

"Good. I didn't shake you because I thought you'd stay asleep."

"Sorry. It was kind of a rough football practice. I didn't realise I was so tired."

Nick couldn't help but smile down at her, almost thankful that it was too dark for her to see the expression on his face.

"If I have to be awake, you have to awake. No slacking on the job, Macy."

"Is that a joke?"

"I am funny," Nick pouted. "How many times do I have to say it? Joe gets all his jokes from me."

Macy smiled and ducked her head quietly. It was rare that she spent time alone with Nick, and she had to admit that she was happy to finally get the chance.

She had, of course asked Kevin first because Kevin was most likely to get excited about anything and join in, but he had been preoccupied with Anya, and they were simply too cute for Macy to insist.

Joe had been next but Macy had given up on him when he'd started listing everything they would have to do to get ready for the night. New clothes, theme song, secret code, walky-talkies, handshakes… Macy was fairly certain that he would still be planning their stakeout by the time the paparazzi villain was captured and punished for their crime.

So there had been Nick, and for some reason, he'd been convinced to join her simply with a few words. Macy had been too excited that he was actually ready to join her to think of wondering why that was.

"Hey Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you agree to come out with me tonight?"

"What?"

"Well, no offense, because I know you're funny and all, but why did you agree to this stakeout? It's not really your style."

Nick shrugged. "I figured it was better than not doing anything. Kevin's out with Anya, and Joe's just annoying these days, so I thought I'd hang out with you."

"Really?" Macy asked, without even thinking of being insulted that she had just been told she was Nick's last resource.

"I make jokes, but I'm still the serious one," Nick told her with a nod.

Macy smiled without saying a word, then suddenly jumped back when she realised how close she was sitting to Nick. She felt the blush creep on her cheeks when a couple walking by the car noticed the movement and gave her an odd look.

"Do you think we look suspicious?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"What?"

"Do you think we look suspicious? I mean, just sitting here in the car, waiting like two people waiting for something. Maybe it's too obvious that we're waiting for someone."

"Maybe we're waiting for Kevin."

"I think our little friend would know that Kevin's all about Anya at the moment."

Nick let out a loud huff of breath. "Then what are we doing here?"

"We're expecting them to come see if Kevin brought Anya here. They can't see us though."

"So what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that we have to look inconspicuous. We have to blend."

"Well, other than waiting for someone like Kevin, what would two people be doing in a parked car?" The words had barely left his mouth before Nick realised what the answer was, but he kept quiet, waiting to see if Macy would come to the same conclusion he had.

"Well they could… Um, I don't know."

"No, what were you going to say?" Nick asked, barely holding back the grin on his face.

"Nothing."

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have started saying it."

"Well… it's just that… sometimes, some people, not us, but other people, they park cars to make out. Not us. Well, I mean, not me. Maybe you. You have plenty of girls who want to make out with you, so maybe you. Not that I'm saying you're that kind of guy. But you could be. But you aren't. But if you were, you wouldn't have any problem finding someone to park with you. Not that you would. Or… I'm just going to shut up now."

Macy bit her lip and concentrated all her attention on her hands. Next to her, Nick also bit his lip, concentrating all his attention on not laughing at poor Macy, who truly, he had set up for embarrassment.

"Wait," he suddenly said, "what do you mean maybe I wouldn't have trouble finding someone to park with?"

"I meant definitely. Definitely you wouldn't have trouble finding someone to park with."

"No, I mean neither would you, Macy."

"Sure," she answered, rolling her eyes. "It's Friday night and I'm on a stakeout with someone who doesn't have anything better to do. Yeah, totally the kind of girl who all the guys want to park with."

"Maybe they're afraid that you'll accidentally bludgeon them or give them a black eye or something."

"Hey," Macy protested, sitting up quickly and narrowly missing smacking Nick with her waving arms, "I haven't hurt any of you in a while now. I'm getting really good."

"You are improving, but that doesn't mean you don't scare us. Plus, most boys are scared when it comes to a girl who can beat them down during most sporting events."

"Well most boys aren't secure in their masculinity," she told him, crossing her arms over her chest and pouting. She stared outside the window without even remembering what she was supposed to be looking for.

Nick watched her, waiting for his stare to annoy her enough for her to turn and face him. Apparently, he had underestimated the resolve of the ultimate Jonas fan.

"Come on, Macy," he said, nudging her side with his elbow. "I was just kidding. You are really good now. You don't hyperventilate. You don't add 'of Jonas' whenever you talk about us. You've barely hurt any of us in the last few weeks. In fact, I think I'm the only one you've hurt in the last few weeks."
Macy shrugged.

"Hey, wait. Why am I the only one you've hurt in the last few weeks? I thought a true Jonas fan loved all the guys equally. Shouldn't you be torturing Joe and Kevin as much as you are me?"

"You know I don't do it on purpose."

"I do, but apparently you don't do it on purpose around Joe and Kevin more than around me."

"That's your own fault," Macy told him, her chin high and her lower lip still slightly puffed out.

"What does that mean?"

"It means Kevin comes to the games and I see him all the time. And Joe, Stella and I are always doing something that they want me to tag along on just so that it can't be considered a date and no one can say they're going out. But, you… I only see you at school or when we're all hanging out together."

"So you're saying that you don't hurt Joe and Kevin because they spend time alone with you?"

"I'm saying I don't accidentally hurt Joe and Kevin because I spend a lot of time with them and I don't get that dizzy in the head feeling I still get around you."

"And you stopped getting the dizzy in the head feeling with Kevin and Joe when you started hanging with them alone."

"No."

"Then how does that make sense?"

"I don't know."

Nick frowned as they sat in silence. It wasn't logical, and he liked things to be logical. He would argue until things were logical. He simply couldn't see how to argue logic into his current predicament with Macy.

"Maybe I just make you dizzy in the head in general."

"Maybe you do."

Nick paused for a moment as he thought about what he'd just said. "That's kind of nice."

"Maybe— Ooh, camera!" Macy exclaimed as she saw a girl standing only a few feet from the car with a camera pointed toward the coffee shop. "She's turning... We have to look inconspicuous. Um..."

Before Nick could even realise what he was doing, he had grabbed Macy and pulled her against him, bringing his lips down against hers.

They broke apart after a few minutes, breathing heavily and staring at each other.

"Is she still there?"

"What?" Macy asked in a whisper.

"Is the girl with the camera still there?"

"Oh!" Macy loosened herself just enough from Nick's grip to look out the window. "Yeah. Oh."

"What?"

"She's taking pictures of the carollers. She kind of looks like the journalist from the local paper who interviewed me after I made Van Dyke cry at that game."

"So, she's not our paparazzi stalker."

"I don't think so."

"Oh. Oh! I'm so sorry, Macy." Nick blushed as the quick turn of his head somehow led to him bumping skulls with Macy. "I'm not even quite sure how that happened. I guess I moved too fast. I just got lightheaded and—"

"Dizzy in the head?" Macy asked with a knowing smile as she licked her lips.

"I guess."

"Hmm," she answered, eyebrow raised in a mischievous glance.

It wasn't long before Macy and Nick found out how good they were at looking inconspicuous. If there was any paparazzi hanging about, however, they would never have noticed.

It was only the next day when Macy received an e-mail from Stella complimenting her on the new photos—photos Macy soon discovered that were of her and Nick making out in his car—that she finally realised who had been posting the unauthorized photos. And while she knew that the best thing was to come out right away and tell the boys the truth in the hopes that they would quickly forgive her, she and Nick had already planned for another stakeout that night, and if she left her phone at home, Macy really didn't see why she couldn't delay her confession for at least one more day.