Author's note: Have I mentioned how much I love you guys?? Your reviews make my day, I really appreciate them all! Make sure to keep letting me know what you think as the story goes on. Also, if you didn't read it already, I posted a Joe/Demi one shot a few days ago that I'm pretty proud of, so please read and review that as well. Thanks so much!!

Chapter Seven - Caught In The Act

Mr. Jonas stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes growing wider by the second. Once he realized what he was seeing, he slammed the door shut and took off down the hallway.

"Oh my God," Amy gasped, "did that really just happen?"

"That definitely just happened." Kevin forced out a laugh and rolled over onto his back.

"Why in the world are you laughing? I guess I'm not seeing the humor in all of this," Amy spat, pulling the covers up to her chin. She was now feeling very wary, certain another member of the household would come barging in at any moment.

"I don't really think this is funny, but it's not the worst thing we could be doing, not by far."

"Okay," Amy pointed to the purity ring Kevin still wore, "do you really think he's going to see it that way?" She sat up and shook her head, amazed that Kevin seemed so nonchalant.

"It's okay, Amy! Come back here," Kevin said, trying to coax Amy back into his arms. She looked over at him, an expression of disgust on her face.

"Are you insane?! God knows who else could come stomping in here! I thought we were home alone, but obviously not," Amy said as she jumped out of bed and quickly began throwing on her clothes, "I guess no one in the Jonas family was taught to knock!"

"Calm down, seriously. Maybe he didn't even really see what we were doing." Kevin was doing all he could to convince his fiancée that everything was okay, but he wasn't doing very well.

"He's not blind, Kev!" Of course he saw what we were doing; I can't believe we're so careless! I'm never, ever stepping foot in your bedroom again!" Amy hissed, trying to keep her voice down; she certainly didn't want to catch Mr. Jonas' attention again.

"Don't overreact-"

"'Don't overreact?!' That's really what you're going to say right now? I can't believe this is happening!" Kevin was left wincing as Amy spat her final words at him. She scooped up the last of her clothing and stormed out of the room, carefully checking the hallway for family members before heading towards her own bedroom.

"Time to get this over with," Amy sighed to herself. She sat down in front of her desk and flipped the computer monitor back on, revealing her parents' email. She ran her fingers back and forth across the keyboard, searching for an appropriate response. She was feeling lonelier than she ever had, and it seemed like there was no where for her to turn. She couldn't tell her mother about her dilemma at the Jonas home, and she couldn't tell Kevin her parents weren't coming; she was stuck. She began to realize that no words were to be typed by her fingers; this wasn't a matter that should be discussed over the internet. Instead, she picked up her cell phone and considered the time difference between California and New Jersey. Convinced that her family would still be awake, she slowly dialed their home phone number.

"Hello, James residence," Amy's younger brother answered after two short rings, causing her to smile. Cooper was the evident favorite of the five James children, but no one resented him for it. He was fifteen years old, a winner in ever sense of the word who always made their parents proud. Despite their age difference, Amy had always been closest with Cooper, and she figured this was why she got along so fabulously with Frankie.

"Hey, Coop, it's me. Can I talk to Mom?"

"Amy! Where the heck have you been? You haven't called in forever. Uh oh, did Mom tell you about next week?" Amy heard the concern in her brother's voice.

"Yeah, that's what I'm calling about; can you just go find her? I'll call your cell when it isn't so late, and we can catch up."

"Sure, hold on." Amy heard Cooper yell through the house ,shouting for their mother.

"Hello?" Amy's mother finally appeared on the line.

"Hi Mom…sorry it's so late."

"Oh, Amy, honey! I was going to call you tomorrow. Cooper pitched a no-hitter today, isn't that great? His team is going to the finals next week, all the way in New York!" Amy didn't want to believe what she was hearing. Her mother knew why she was calling, yet she was tiptoeing around the issue. She knew it was wrong, but she began to unleash her frustrations.

"Mom, stop. Do you really think I called you to talk about Cooper?"

"Amy, don't be like that. You know how important baseball is to your brother." Amy's mother sounded insulted, sending Amy over the edge.

"And my wedding isn't important?! I love Cooper, but the kid has one championship or another every week! This is the only chance you'll ever have to see me walk down the aisle, an you're going to New York instead. For one single day you could act like you don't love one child more than the others." Amy could no longer stand to have this conversation; she never should've made this call, not in her current mood. She disconnected the call and slammed her phone down on the desk. She looked around the room, searching for something to take her mind off of everything that had just happened., but quickly remembered her bare room had nothing to offer. She was beginning to feel hungry, and considered, for a brief moment, venturing downstairs to eat.

"No way, not worth it!" Amy said out loud to convince herself it would be a poor choice. Mr. Jonas' office was located on the first floor, nestled inconveniently between the staircase and the kitchen; there was no way she could get to food without walking past him. She had always done what she could to stay out of his way, aware of his apparent distaste for her, but the next week now seemed impossible. Her phone suddenly began to buzz, jarring her from her thoughts of hunger. She didn't even bother to look at the caller I.D.; she knew it was her mother attempting to call her back. They had played this game of phone tag for years now, avoiding each other's calls after their infamous fights. A chime sounded, indicating that new voicemail had been left for her. She reluctantly held the phone up to her hear, uninterested in anything her mother could possibly have to say.

"Amy, dear, please call me back; you shouldn't hang up on your mother like that. We really need to straighten this all out; you know it's of as big of a deal as you're making it." Amy was horrified by the message; how could her mother completely miss the point like that? She couldn't help but think maybe their poor relationship was her fault. After all, she had always lived her life silently, afraid to speak up for herself. Was that how she ended up in this position? It had taken her nearly twenty-three years to find her voice, but it was far too late where her mother was concerned.

"Stop!" Amy commanded as her phone rang again; her mother really didn't want to give up this time. She turned her phone completely off quickly, feeling like she would only be happy if it never rang again. She stomped off into her adjoining bathroom, the only room available for her to hide. The tile floor felt cool and comforting beneath her feet, a welcome break from the sweltering summer heat. She set her sights on the large bathtub in the room and decided it would be a good idea to wash this day away. She turned the faucet and stood there for several minutes, intrigued by the running water. Once the tub was filled, she peeled off her clothes for the second time that night. She stepped in, letting the cool water envelope her as she relaxed. The calm and quiet of the room was making her suddenly tired, coaxing her eyes gently shut.

"Amy? Can I come in?" Kevin's voice shook Amy awake, his hand rapping lightly against the bathroom door. She pulled the shower curtain tightly shut before giving her permission for him to enter.

"Sure, come in." Kevin pushed the door opened and scanned the large, seeming unoccupied bathroom for Amy.

"I'm right here." Amy voice was accompanied by the sounds of splashing.

"Are you hiding from me?" Kevin asked, inching closer to the tub.

"Don't you dare touch this curtain!" Amy exclaimed, "I'm hiding from everyone, not just you." She sat up in the water, running her hands through her wet curls.

"You can't hide in here all night, and you definitely can't hide in here all week. Please, let me open this; I want to be able to see you when I talk to you." Kevin reached out and grabbed the curtain, but Amy still had a tight grasp on it. There was no way she was going to let him open it; she was feeling very paranoid at the moment.

"This is the most of my skin you'll be seeing for the rest of the week," Amy stated, wiggling one perfectly-manicured toe out the curtain towards Kevin.

"Don't you think you might still be overreacting just a little bit?" Kevin sighed. He was beginning to think this whole ordeal was only happening because Amy didn't want to stop stressing.

"Kev, do you really think I'm overreacting? Your father has never liked me, and I can only imagine what he thinks of me now! I'm completely humiliated." Amy hugged her knees to her chest, still feeling exposed. She wanted Kevin to understand how terrible this night had become, see how hurt she felt, but he seemed to be oblivious.

"I don't know what my dad's problem is, Amy. I've been trying my whole life to understand him, especially the last three years. I wish you didn't feel like he dislikes you; my whole family loves you. They're as much your family as they are mine, and that's why I'm going to go talk to him. I need to straighten things out with him, once and for all." Amy listened intently as Kevin's voice echoed through the bathroom. All his talk of family made her want to spill her guts, tell him all about her parents. She didn't want to throw another problem on him after what they'd already gone through, but how much longer could she keep it from him?

"That sounds good, Kev. Can you come find me after and tell me how it went?" Amy tried to speak in a neutral tone; she didn't want to alert him of her problem until it was absolutely necessary.

"Of course," Kevin replied, "I'll be back before you know it. Enjoy your bath." He tapped his hand softly against the side of the tub before exiting into the bedroom. He continued his travels into the hallway and down the stairs, heading straight for his father's office. He felt he'd hid it well in front of Amy, but the thought of confronting his father was a terrifying one. He'd like to say that his father would be understanding, but as he entered the office he began to realize that wasn't the case.