A/N: Hi there!... Thank you for going along with me and not complaining... too much about my random and totally infrequent updates. I will try and update in a frequent and timely manner from now on... Can't promise that i will but i can promise to try... :) Neways... thanks a lot to all the people who read, favorite-ed, alert-ed and reviewed on this and all the rest of my fics. Hope you like this chapter... Review your thoughts...

Disclaimer : Do not... *repeat* Do not own anything JONAS related... other than this plot line... if it can be called that :)

Chapter 7

Macy Annabelle Misa knew it... She was in trouble. Big... no... Big didn't even start to cover it. This was beyond humongous. She knew that she should've never agreed to the harebrained scheme that was cooked up by Stella the other night. But no... She had to be all over confident and cocky, thinking she could handle it and agree to act as Nick's pretend girlfriend.

She should've known that it would be torture to be with him, pretending to be an adorable young Hollywood couple for the media when she wanted nothing more than for it to be real... for their sakes, not for the media. But she knew that she had a crucial part to play in the plan to get Nick free of the clutches of the press hungry Carmen and that she had to bring her A-game if she was to be seen partying with the seasoned celebrities.

Macy knew that she couldn't drop her guard even for a second if they were to pull this off. Not that Nick would ever let her down. In fact she was in grave danger of letting him down... of letting them all down, all because she'd come dangerously close to letting her feelings for her best friend overflow out of the box she kept it tightly sealed in.

She didn't know what she would do if Nick found out about the feelings she had for him and didn't react in the same way. She was quite sure that he wasn't gonna get down on his knees and declare his undying love for her, in fact it would probably put a permanent rift in their relationship if he ever found out. She was going to have to do a better job of hiding her feelings around him but she'd have to find time to work on it later.

Because now, now was the time when she could give full freedom to what ever her heart told her to do. She could act on every instinct, ever feeling she had buried deep inside her heart, never thinking that they would see the light of day. She had full freedom to act the way she had always wanted to act around Nick. She knew that he would be playing the role of the adoring boyfriend perfectly cuz there were very few things Nick wasn't good at... not that he needed to know that she thought so... he already had quite a big head and she couldn't deal with more smugness from him...

Oh who was she kidding?... he was adorable and she would go through anything for him. Macy sighed... she was completely and utterly pathetic... like every other fool ever to fall in love with their best friend. Only, this one wasn't gonna work out like it always did in the chick flicks. He wasn't gonna be her knight in shining armor and they weren't gonna ride off into a glorious sunset with a happily ever after tagging along. They would have to go back to their supposedly normal friendship after this little drama for the sake of the press and Macy'd have to silently pick up the pieces of her shattered heart and try and put it together again.

Macy knew that it was going to be torturous to get to be with Nick the way she had wanted to for such a long time and then have to go back to acting as just a friend and nothing more while all her heart wanted was for the relationship to be real. But she was a strong girl and she'd find a way to deal with it. But now wasn't the time for it. Now, she had to get ready to sparkle. The whole group was depending on her to carry this off and she needed to pull it together.

Safe to say that at least eighty percent of the country's media people would be camped outside the red carpet they were to walk tonight and they all needed to be on top of their game if they had to handle everything the press was going to throw at them in light of the Carmen fiasco. You see, the night that Stella and Danielle had so painstakingly chosen for the grand debut of Nick and Macy's relationship, was the night of the VMAs. JONAS, was up for two awards and being their first time in the big league, not being considered a boy band anymore, more than their normal share of press attention would be on them tonight.

Macy had almost passed out when she'd first heard Stella and Danielle outline their plan. Even Nick had looked a little uncomfortable with it but the girls'd somehow managed to convince everyone of the fact that they needed to make the most of every opportunity given to them and that it didn't get bigger than the VMAs. Macy and Nick had agreed to it after thinking it out and figuring that most of the press would be too busy with all the other rock stars and the awards ceremony itself to pay too much attention to them, but still afford them good press exposure.

Stella, being her usual fashion-goddess self, had whipped up delectable dresses for the girls with subtly matching outfits for the boys. Stella's outfit was an asymmetrical one shoulder mid-thigh length confection of silk in pale pink of course. It looked quite demure from one side but the other side was just held together by a ribbon of silk that held the outfit together, tying the two sides together like a shoe lace. It made Stella look hot beyond limits while still looking stylish but not slutty and Joe would match her in a pale gray skinny suit with a pale pink tie. Only Joe could pull off something pink on the red carpet and Stella knew it very well. Danielle's outfit was a mini dress in deep brownish maroon in raw silk with a black lace overlay. The fitted corset top with the pouffy skirt made her look a million bucks while Kevin would look amazing in his dark suit with a scarf tied like a cravat in the same fabric as Dani's dress.

Nick and Macy had been kept in the dark about their outfits till the last moment as Stella had wanted to surprise them. Both of them trusted Stella absolutely and had no problems leaving it all to her. They had both been dressed by the fashionista enough times to know that she always did an awesome job. But even then, they had been blown away by how much effort Stella and Danielle had put into the outfits. Macy looked at herself in the mirror at Stella's house where the girls were getting ready.

The boys would be here in the limo to pick them up any minute and Macy still had to strap on the 3 inch platform wedges that had been the compromise between flats and stilettos that Stella insisted would look great with the outfit. Macy had never been comfortable in heels but she wanted to do everything she could to make this night prefect for the others and she had finally settled for the silver wedges. Macy's dress had been a dream come true, only she didn't even know that she'd ever had such a beautiful dream. The dress was a short but stylish creation in electric indigo, which Macy knew as any other good fan of JONAS should know, was Nick Lucas' favorite color.

The dress had a fitted top, short filmy sleeves and a skirt that swished around her legs, ending a couple of inches above her knees. The thing that made this outfit so spectacular was the sparkly rhinestone design on it that shot through the whole of the top part of the dress. The profusion of sparkle might've looked a little too much had anyone else done the job but Stella had excelled herself this time. The rhinestones were muted, the pattern giving them the appearance of silver webbing on the dress, looking as if veins of silver were running all over the top of the dress.

Now, as the girls heard Stella's mom let the boys in downstairs, they hugged each other one last time before going down the stairs one by one. The three boys waiting downstairs had no idea what they were in store for.

Stella came down the steps first. Joe, who had been fidgeting nervously, waiting for his date, was struck dumb. Stella's blonde hair had been teased into big floppy curls that fell all over her shoulders and she was a vision in pink in that awesome dress. Clad in what he knew were her newest Christian Louboutin gold heels with a muted gold clutch in her hands, she was all Joe could see. Joe had always known that Stella was a fashion genius but she had clearly outdone herself tonight, if his reaction and that of his brothers was anything to go by. Suddenly, Joe didn't want to go to the awards ceremony. All he wanted was to pick Stella up, take her away somewhere where they could be alone and uninterrupted, and tell her everything that he'd wanted to say but never had the courage to tell.

Beside him, Kevin wasn't faring much better. He might've actually drooled if there hadn't been all these people around. He knew his Dani was the most beautiful girl in the world to him but he'd never expected to see her like this. The dress, the hair, the shoes... the whole look was just mind blowing. He'd never seen Dani with her hair done up in that manner. There was something about those black waves that sat on the back of her head in a somewhat messy but still stylish bun, with pieces falling out all over that made Kevin want to undo the whole thing and run his fingers through her hair. Combine that with the killer black, strappy heels that she was wearing, Kevin was on his way to getting completely undone before the end of the night.

Nick however, was quite nervous. He'd not really been looking forward to this experience knowing that he was entering into something that was potentially heart breaking but now that he'd seen how his brother's girlfriends looked, his nervousness increased exponentially. Knowing Stella, she'd saved the best for the last. And seeing as today was supposed to be their relationship's debut, Nick was even more nervous as to how he was going to control his reactions around Macy. To him she look beautiful even in sweats with messy hair but tonight, he knew that she would be looking like a billion dollars and that he would've to be prepared to be blown away.

And then, she came. The second she came into view, Nick felt his breath knocked clear out of him. He knew that Stella had been waiting for his reaction and could see her smirking in victory out of the corner of his eyes. She'd been waiting to take her revenge on him since yesterday, for disappearing with Macy. They'd both had to face the wrath of Stella and Danielle when they'd gotten back from their discussion. The girls had cooled down a bit after being told that Nick and Macy had gone out to discuss about their relationship but Nick knew that Stella wasn't the kind to forgive and forget.

He'd been waiting for her to strike for the whole day and had been frustrated and jumpy cuz she hadn't done anything. He'd known something was up by the way his brothers had been smirking at him since that afternoon but he'd dismissed it as their usual childishness. Now he knew. They'd all been waiting for this moment. His reaction to what he was sure was gonna blow his mind and leave his brain melting into a puddle of mush. And he wasn't disappointed. At all...

Macy looked like a goddess. Man!... Was he lucky to be the shmuck that would be holding her close for the rest of the evening... That second all his nervousness and misgivings about the plan fled from him. Nick decided that he was gonna give free reign to his feelings and let everything else be damned. He would act the way he'd always wanted to around Macy tonight and they would deal with any repercussions later. But for tonight, he was going to let it all go and just be what he wanted to be... Macy's boyfriend.

Shaking himself out of the Macy induced stupor, Nick stepped forward and gave Macy his hand to help her down the last couple of steps. The wide smile she gifted him with for his efforts temporarily sent him back into the stupor that he thought he'd managed to shake. His eyes caught the bare, silky length of Macy's legs that seemed to go on forever thanks to the shortness of the dress and the intricately strapped silver heels she was wearing, and seemed stuck there. It took a slight nudge from Joe and a bit of coughing from Kevin along with giggles from Stella and Danielle to bring Nick back to the present. He blushed heavily while averting his face and pulled Macy closer to him.

After saying goodbye to Mrs. Malone, the group got into the waiting limo and proceeded to NYC, where the VMAs were being held this year at the Radio City music hall. The 40 minute drive to the venue was filled with more planning and advice to the two teenagers who were supposed to be portraying a couple tonight. The limousine neared the venue, which was a huge stadium, with the after party taking place in a dozen different hotels and clubs afterwards.

As they came closer and closer to the moment when they'd have to step out as a couple in front of the whole world, Macy grew more and more nervous. Sitting next to her, Nick could almost feel the nervousness and anxiety coming off her in waves. Silently, he looked around to see that the rest of the group was busy in their own little worlds and he slipped his arms around Macy's slight body and pulled her to him. Macy was now almost sitting fully on Nick's lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck, burrowing her head into his shoulder. Turning his head slightly, Nick whispered in her ear

"Scared?"

Macy shivered slightly at the feeling of having his warm breath caress her ear. Looking up into his chocolate eyes, she nodded slightly and tightened her hold on him

"Yeah... a little..."

"Don't worry... it'll be all okay... I'm right here beside you and i'll never let you go. Okay?"

With Nick's arms wrapped around her waist, sitting on his lap, hearing his soft velvety voice say those reassuring words, Macy's anxiety slowly bled away, replaced by a calmness and security that she felt only when around Nick. Just being with him made her feel calm and being in his arms gave her the feeling of security that no one else could. As the driver's partition in the limo went down and Big Rob, who was sitting in front told them that they were about to arrive, Macy felt calmer than she had in a long time and slipping out of Nick's hold, she kissed his cheek slightly, thanking him silently for giving her the strength and support. After undergoing a few more minutes of last second appraisals and make up checks by Stella, the whole group got ready to get off the limo, right onto the massive red carpet.

As the limousine rolled to a stop, Macy felt Nick tug her hand slightly and turned to look at him

"Just one single thing before we go out there... You don't have to say or do anything you don't want to. If you're not comfortable with this, we could just make it as if we've come to the ceremony as friends. I just wanted you to know that you'll always have a choice... if you want to back out of this, we still have time..."

"It's okay Nick. I am ready to do this. We've already discussed all our other options and this is the best way out. And I don't really mind spending time with my best friend at some glitzy award function looking like a billion bucks... If people want to assume something more then they can do whatever they want. I am fine with this okay?... we'll be fine. Don't worry... You now me... if i wasn't comfortable with this, i wouldn't be doing it."

"Okay then... Prepare to turn on the charm... oh... and one more thing... don't look at any of the cameras directly... that way you don't get affected too much by the flashes. Just hold my hand and walk straight down the pathway. I'll help you with the rest of it."

Macy nodded with a grin, the excitement of the occasion finally getting to her, receiving a half smile in return. This one time, she wasn't thrown off her equilibrium by her reaction to him. She knew she was allowed to react the way she wanted to and impulsively kissed him on the cheek again as she eagerly looked forward to her first experience at a major awards ceremony in the music industry.

As in everything the boys did, the group exited the car in their normal order - meaning, Kevin and Danielle got down first, some ten seconds later and pausing for full effect, Joe and Stella got out. Then it was their turn. Nick got out first and lent Macy a hand, helping her stabilize herself on the heels that she wasn't used to walking on. But once she was alright, Nick found that he didn't wanna let go of her. He laced their fingers together and gave them a slight squeeze. On Macy's slight questioning glance, he leaned down and whispered close to her ear

"I thought it would look better for the media if we acted a little more... i don't know... couple-like... is that okay with you?"

It might've been his imagination or the distracting flashes from the umpteen cameras but Nick thought he saw Macy's face fall a little on his explanation but a second later, she looked up with a pseudo-real smile and squeezed his fingers back, nodding slightly to tell him that she was okay with it.

Neither of them realized that during their silent conversation, they had both turned towards each other and were now standing in the middle of the red carpet, facing each other, their bodies close enough to not let even a very thin person between them. Macy's smiling face was looking up at Nick's, which was also creased into a rare half smile and their hands were laced together, making for the perfect photo op for all the journalists who were going crazy all around them.

As the two resumed their walk up the long red carpet, they saw that Kevin and Dani and Stella and Joe had already made it up about half the way and that the two of them had been left behind.

"Oh... this is not good. I didn't wanna get caught alone in this mob of journos..."

Nick muttered, slightly nervous at the prospect of wading the dangerous red carpet waters alone, with just Macy on his side. But he had forgotten that Macy herself was involved with the media, wanted to be a journalist in the future and was a veteran at dealing with reporters due to her experience with the running of the number one JONAS website.

"Brace yourself... this might easily get ugly..."

came the comment from his diminutive date as Nick wrapped one arm protectively around her slender waist.

All they could do was take a deep breath before dozens of microphones were shoved in their faces and loads of questions were dropped on them

"Nick Lucas... who's your date tonight?"

"Nick.. do you think JONAS is going to be winning any awards tonight?"

"Nick... Congratulations on your engagement to Carmen Santiago..."

"Trouble in paradise already Mr. Lucas?... You've come here without your fiancee..."

"Nick Lucas... you're here with your biggest fan and president of your fan club Macy Misa tonight... what does that mean for your relationship with Ms. Carmen Santiago?... We've heard conflicting reports from both sides about your supposed engagement to her..."

Trust Amy Barnes from Entertainment tonight to know who she was... As soon as the crowd got to know that she was Macy Misa, JONAS fan club president and fan girl extraordinaire, most of their attention and all the microphones switched to her

"Macy... how does it feel to be on the red carpet with your idol tonight?"

"Macy Misa... how does it feel to date a man who's already taken?"

"Macy... Is there some sort of arrangement between you and Ms. Santiago about dating Nick Lucas?"

Macy slightly but unobtrusively steered Nick towards the microphone that was hanging from the hand of Amy Barnes. Both of them knew that Amy was a good reporter and would present their story without bias or gossip. As soon as Amy saw them coming her way, she broke away from the pack of journos and gesturing to her cameraman to follow her, stepped away to a slightly less crowded part of the red carpet.

Taking another deep breath, Nick and Macy made their way to Ms. Barnes and her camera person, all the while dodging more questions thrown at them. On reaching the reporter, they did a quick sound check and were all ready to go live before an audience of millions in a matter of seconds.

"Okay... First off... i am gonna say that both of you are looking absolutely gorgeous... all the best at the ceremony tonight..."

Both Macy and Nick smiled at that and thanked Amy for her compliments

"Okay...now that we have all the pleasantries out of the way, i am gonna go ahead and ask the question that everyone is going crazy about... Nick... what is the deal on your relationship with Carmen Santiago? I mean one day we hear from her agent that the two of you are happily engaged, the next day your manager says that the story is not true and then two days later, here you are, out with Macy Misa... your fan and friend"

"Well Amy... I wish i could tell you what exactly the deal is... but trust me, even i don't know. I never proposed to Carmen Santiago. She is a nice girl and all and we had fun while we dated but i broke up with her a long time ago. We decided that we were better off as friends and both of us agreed to break off the relationship. It was all over between us for quite some time when i heard the rumor going around about our engagement. I have to tell you... i was as shocked as everyone else."

"So... Let me get this right... you never proposed to Carmen Santiago and you're not dating her now...right?"

"Absolutely... Carmen and I were in a relationship before JONAS' last world tour... like three months ago. We broke up a week before i left on tour. We haven't been dating for quite some time now. I believe she actually has another boyfriend now... In fact, i think she's here with him tonight... You know... you can't always trust all the rumors these days..."

Nick gave his slight self-deprecating half smile and Macy could almost see Amy Barnes, the seasoned entertainment reporter, almost melting at the sight. Belatedly, Amy seemed to notice Nick's arm around her with his hand clasped in hers and raising a perfect eyebrow, asked the next question

"So... Now that we all know that you are not engaged to Carmen and that she seems to have moved on... Is there something we should know?... from your side?"

Nick and Macy looked at each other, smiled and obligatorily blushed and Macy ducked her head a little while Nick turned back to the camera and the reporter

"Yeah... well... I am in a relationship now... Macy and I've been dating for about... what is it?... two... three weeks now... We're still getting used to the fact that we're in that kind of a relationship with each other... so yeah... we're gonna take it slow, one day at a time and see where it goes..."

"Congratulations both of you... you make a very cute couple... so Macy... tell me... what is it like to be dating the guy you've been the biggest fan of for such a long time?"

"Well Amy... I'll always be a big fan of the guys and their music but i've stopped fan-girling since... i don't know... i haven't really paid attention to it... but i am definitely not their biggest fan anymore... It's been more of a friendly relationship between me and the guys for quite some time now... Nick has been like... my best friend for a while now and if there was any weirdness at the beginning of this relationship, it was because of dating my best friend... not due to dating my idol or anything..."

"Aww... so cute... So what made you take that step from... best friends... to more?"

Nick stepped in and answered this question

"It wasn't like a conscious decision or anything... we've always been very special to each other... Macy understands me better than anyone else and I do the same for her... We always spent a lot of time with each other... During this tour we got to spend a lot of the down time together talking on the phone or video chatting and it just kinda blossomed from there... you know what they say about love... hits you when you least expect it..."

Macy really really wanted to believe the loving expression on Nick's face when he turned to smile at her. He leaned down to press a soft kiss on her forehead and they almost heard the reporter 'awww'ing about their cuteness.

"That is so sweet you guys... I know you don't have much time... So i'll make this quick... how did your brothers and family react to this relationship?"

Before either of them could answer, they heard Stella's voice pip up from behind them

"Oh... We've been waiting for them to get together since... like forever... god!... they were so clueless for such a long time... I mean... you can see it... they're prefect for each other. I would've definitely interfered and done some match making mischief if they hadn't found each other by now..."

The two teenagers and the two reporters turned to see Stella, Joe, Dani and Kevin walk back down the carpet towards them.

"Hey!... Wassup everybody... I see we're all havin a great time here..."

Joe was almost rocking back and forth on his heels in excitement. Stella seemed to be having quite a tough time stopping him from jumping up and down. Kevin and Danielle were as always, calm and collected, but totally immersed in each other.

"Come on guys... we gotta get going... it would be rude to get there late" said Kevin

"It's been nice talking to you Amy... We have to go now... "

"Oh before you go... Macy... who're you guys wearing tonight?"

Macy pulled a slightly blushing Stella away from Joe and towards the camera

"Get a good look at her Amy... She is gonna be the next big thing in the fashion industry... We're all wearing Stella Malone originals tonight..."

"Wow!... Okay... All of you look simply amazing... Stella you're gonna be even more famous than you already are after tonight... Anyways... All the best guys... Have fun and thank you for the interview..."

As they turned toward the carpet once again, they heard Amy Barnes say behind them

'You heard it first on Entertainment tonight!... Nick Lucas is not dating Carmen Santiago and he says that they're not engaged. And for the big news of the night, Nick Lucas seems to be in a relationship with fan, friend and president of their fan club, the lovely Macy Misa. They make a really cute couple don't they Paul?... Back to you at the studio Paul...'

Macy heard Stella whisper in her ear

"Mission Accomplished..."

She turned and nodded to her with a smile as she felt her heart break a little. In all the excitement of the interview and the red carpet, with her wanting so badly for this to be real, she'd almost forgotten that the relationship between her and Nick was nothing but an elaborate charade. Stella's comment just now brought her back to reality with a jolt.

As the group climbed the sweeping staircase to take them inside the stadium and towards the stage, Macy steeled herself and her heart against the excitement of the night and her feelings for the boy still holding her hand. She knew that she'd have to if she had to get through this and remain unscathed. She would try her best to take it all in without attaching herself too much to it all... Cuz this might just be the first and last time she got to go with Nick to such a beautiful event.

Beside her, Nick was in a similar frame of mind. He found that now he had his hand around Macy's waist, he didn't want to let go... So under the guise of guiding her, he kept his arm around her, pulling her soft, warm body close to his on every occasion he was presented with. The two of them knew each other so well that Nick could almost feel it to the second when Macy started distancing herself mentally from all of it. He wondered about her reaction... She loved stuff like this and it was like a dream of hers to attend such an event for a long time now... Then why was she reacting like this?...

Before he could continue to worry about this, they were escorted to their seats and a few minutes later, the lights dimmed and the ceremony had started. Nick resolved to stay by Macy's side for the whole event, and not let go of her hand for even a minute. The others thought that they were probably doing it to show everyone that they were in a relationship but only Nick knew that he was doing it as much for himself as for everybody else.

The only times during the night that Nick let go of Macy's hand were during the two times he'd had to go on stage to receive their awards. Kevin had won the award for best new director and he'd requested that both his brothers receive the award with him... and then they'd had to go on stage again to receive the award for the best new breakout artist.

The awards had been great, but for Nick the best part of the evening was the time he got to spend with Macy. It was fun showing her around, introducing her to all the famous people he knew and seeing their reactions to her and the fact that they were dating now... wait... supposedly dating now... Nick would do good to remember that and remember it well... Cuz he knew that Macy was only acting very well as his girlfriend. It wasn't real... no matter how much he wanted it to be.

Oh man... It was going to be a long and torturous three weeks pretending that Macy was his girlfriend... having everything the way he wanted it to be for real... and then having it ripped away from him three weeks from now, when the group had decided that the two of them would break up... for the sake of the press. Till then, he could have it all... he could have Macy as his girlfriend but after that, they would have to go back to being... just friends and Nick's heart would break in the process.

The only bright spot on the horizon was that the band would be getting a load of chart busting numbers from his heartbreak. Yeah right!... He seriously needed to take another look at his life if getting hits out of heartbreak was being considered a bright spot... But right now, he'd do his best to make sure that Macy had the most memorable night ever...while he prepared himself for the heartbreak that was surely waiting at the end of this road.

A/N: Please review your thought about this chapter... I would love to know how you liked it... actually review even if didn't like it... tell me what you want me to change about it and we'll see where we can take it from there... :)

Love

Macy Bear