Chapter Eight: The Cat's Out of the Bag

Tom and Leslie got home around 7:00 PM on Thursday night. When they opened the door, what they found was quite strange. Everything was, well, normal. Well, as normal as things can be when three couples are completely rearranged.

"Leslie, Tom, you're home!" Ellie said, running over and hugging her friends. Dougie was right behind her, also giving hugs.

Tom smiled. "It's great to see you. A week is way too long to be away."

When Carolyn walked out holding hands with Danny, he continued to smile. He didn't blame Carolyn anymore, but instead secretly thanked her for getting him together with Leslie. Harry and Annabella were the last ones out, as usual.

"Les, we sorted through my room and put everything of yours in Tom's room," Dougie explained hesitantly. "Is that alright?"

"Of course, Doug, don't worry about it!" Leslie said. "We can work on putting it all away tomorrow, right Tom?"

"Yeah," Tom nodded.

Harry and Annabella watched the conversation with "wow-this-is-just-freaky" looks. Things weren't awkward between the old couples at all. It was weird on so many levels.

"So, you probably want to rest," Carolyn said. "We'll just leave you to it."

Leslie had always loved Tom's room. It was clean, open, and had a lot more space. But, now the only clean spot was the bed. Tom had been in a hurry when he had packed for their trip, so there were clothes all over, and all of Leslie's stuff was piled in the corner.

Tom set down his bags and collapsed on the bed. "I am so tired," he remarked, pulling her down as well. "Remind me to never switch time-zones again."

Leslie laughed and laid beside him. "Yeah, like that's going to work. My Dad and siblings love you. And, what are we going to do, invite them HERE?"

"We'll see," he smiled and yawned heavily, closing his eyes and falling asleep.

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The following morning, Harry and Annabella were making coffee and watching the news. The flat was always very cold in the early hours, so they all knew to dress warm until the heat kicked on at seven. Annabella was wearing one of Harry's old sweatshirts and a pair of fuzzy purple pajama pants, but she was still cold.

"You're shivering, love," Harry said, looking over at her. "Why don't you go back to bed?"

"Because it wouldn't be warm," she replied, getting a muffin from the breadbox and biting into it.

Harry looked at her like she was crazy. "Anbe, how could it be cold when we have five flannel blankets on our bed?"

She looked at him. "Because you wouldn't be there."

He turned off the TV and stood up. "C'mon, let's go," he said. "You have once again managed to convince me."

"Don't I always?" Annabella grinned. He grinned back, and motioned towards the door.

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About a month later, the boys released their new album "ORRainbow" (don't ask). Mr. Pin-Stripe planned a whole premiere party, and the girls had to go as well, for publicity reasons. They weren't really looking forward to it. The four of them decided to go dress shopping, and left the guys at home.

"At this rate, I'll never find a good dress," Ellie grumbled in the dressing room that the girls shared.

Leslie and Annabella glanced at each other.

"What about this one?" Leslie pulled out a sky blue dress with no straps and no back.

Carolyn scoffed. "Do we want Dougie to die from shock?"

Ellie took the dress from Leslie and ran her fingers over the material. True, it was short, strapless, and would completely expose her back, but it was also very pretty. It was lacy, and smooth. And, it was also the exact same color as Dougie's eyes. This thought made her smile.

"You like it," Annabella smiled. "I can tell."

"C'mon, try it on already!" Leslie agreed happily, nudging Ellie's shoulder.

"Okay," she said, unzipping the dress and stepping into it. Ellie pulled it on, and Leslie zipped it up while Annabella tied the ribbon in the back. "Be honest; how do I look?"

Her question was returned with three grins, some clapping, and a single statement from Carolyn.

"Dougie is going to drop dead."

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On November 15th, the flat was busy while the guys got ready in Tom and Leslie's room, and the girls got ready in Danny and Carolyn's room. The scent of the flat was a mixture of cigarette smoke (Danny), cologne, perfume, hairspray, and coffee. The door burst open, and all four boys turned around to see Leslie stomp in with a bottle of hairspray and a thick book.

"Thomas Michael Fletcher, I am going to kill you!" she said, walking over and smacking him across the head. "Did you seriously put Dr. Pepper in my hairspray bottle? Are you REALLY that childish?"

Danny blushed. "Actually, that was me."

"Oh, sorry sweetheart," Leslie kissed Tom's cheek before turning and hitting Danny with the book. "Jerk!"

Once she left the room, the boys all looked at each other. "Was it just me," Danny asked. "Or was she not wearing any trousers?"

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Naturally, it took the boys a lot less time to get ready, so they went into the Living Room and watch Back to the Future for awhile. Eventually, the door opened, and the girls walked out. Dougie had to rub his eyes to make sure he was seeing correctly.

"What, surprised to see me in a dress?" Ellie asked, walking over in her blue high-tops. "It wasn't my choice, trust me. I was black-mailed into this."

He continued to stare at her. "Good. Very good."

"Pervert," she muttered before tousling his hair. He smiled and rested his shoulder against her hand.

"That dress makes you look like a star," Tom explained to Leslie as he looked at her shimmery silver dress.

"So, I suppose she's your star girl, eh Tom?" Harry smiled. "Or perhaps your galaxy defender?"

Danny nodded in agreement. "Yeah, Tommy, don't you recall that they stay forever?"

Tom rolled his eyes. "You two are bloody idiots, that's what you are!" he said. "So, everyone ready to go? I have a feeling that we're going to be fashionably late."

"Yeah, let's get this show on the road," Carolyn agreed, tugging on her fire-red dress. "The sooner we get there, the better."

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And, of course, they did end up being over a half hour late. But, it didn't really matter, because it was THEIR party. Mr. Pin-Stripes wasn't exactly happy with them, but he just sighed and waved them inside. It was crowded with people, and they just smiled and waved to everyone they knew. They had decided to have the party at The Box, the guys' favorite London nightclub.

"Wow, I do not like parties," Tom muttered into Leslie's ear as he pulled her over towards the couches. "Danny's the social butterfly, not me. I'm more of a social sloth or something."

She reached over and patted his cheek. "I know, honey, don't worry about it. I don't like parties very much either."

A reporter walked up to them with a huge smile. "Hi, I'm Martha Schuster with STAR! Magazine. Can I ask the two of you a few questions? If you aren't busy, I mean."

"Sure," Tom smiled. "Feel free."

"Okay. So, when did the two of you meet?" Martha asked, pen poised and at the ready.

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Meanwhile, Danny and Carolyn were the only people who were really talking to the people around them. Harry and Annabella were talking to Harry's Mom and Dad, while Dougie and Ellie were sitting on another one of the couches. They were all doing their own thing, but that was okay, because they all had different social patterns anyways.

"Argh, I dislike this dress!" Ellie complained, tugging at the lace. "It is a torture device!"

Dougie wrapped his arm around her waist and smiled. "I think you're beautiful. Plus, that dress is blue. I like blue. I know that you HATE blue, but I think it looks amazingly superbly gorgeous on you. And, I can't lie to save my life, so you know that I'm telling the truth."

Ellie rested against him and sighed. "So, I'm sure you're used to the whole Party scene by now, but I'm not. This is crazy shit."

"Yeah, I was only fifteen when all this started for us," Dougie replied. "My Mum used to always call me when we were touring, because she got so worried about me."

"I would too," Ellie whispered.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE: Love it? Hate it? Review it! "The Essence of McFly" has only a few chapters left before the end, but, never fear! Els and I are already planning the sequel, and it will be just as crazy and random! So, as usual, any ideas for any stories, just PM me! Love you all! TTYL!

-Leslie