* New Year's meeting *
Laurie's luxurious apartment in New York was packed with young people on the New Year Eve night. Meg couldn't believe they were actually there. When they were at the airport just after their Disney trip and the flight to New York was announced about 3 days ago, she wasn't expecting for John to grab her hand and hurry her and Rose to the gates to catch it. When she asked him what was going on, he admitted that he had gotten the tickets from Laurie as a Christmas present to all of them. Meg was really excited to be in a proper New Year party in New York. She hasn't been there since before Rose was born, so this was like a dream. She was wearing a long, blue, strapless dress and high heels. Rosie was running around the room shouting 'Happy New Year' to everyone who wanted to hear her. Her aunt Beth was following her closely. The party was in full swing. People was dancing, eating, drinking and talking. Meg was talking to Jo when John approached them, holding Meg's waist from behind her. Meg just rested her head on his shoulder as she spoke. Jo kept looking at the door, like expecting someone to come. She suddenly smiled widely and excused herself from the conversation, leaving her sister alone.
"So, that's the second sister who ditches us." Meg exclaimed as Beth got to them with Rose.
"Where's Amy, by the way?" Beth asked as Frank Vaughn and his sister approached them as well. Meg shrugged her shoulders.
"Probably dancing around. I haven't seen her in a while." she said as Rose tugged her hand.
"Mommy, can we go up and watch the fireworks? Please? Uncle Laurie said we could." the little girl begged. Meg just smiled.
"Well, if uncle Laurie said so, then I don't see why not. I'll go and get our coats. It's quite chilly outside." Meg said. She gave John her glass of wine and walked to the stairs. She greeted some of Laurie's friends, thanking them for their congratulations on her recent engagement. When she finished talking to Kate Vaughn, she went upstairs to Laurie's room where they had left their coats. She heard some weird noises, but didn't register where they were coming from. The party was too loud downstairs to notice anything. She opened the door and gaped at the scene in front of her. Then, quickly closed the door and her eyes as she walked back to the stairs.
"You have the coats?" she heard John ask. He had gone upstairs to get her because he noticed she was taking too long. Meg opened her eyes and looked at him, shock still visible in her face.
"Meg? What happened? You look like you've seen a ghost." John said, worried.
"I need a drink. No... scratch that... I need to get really drunk." she announced to him, her eyes still bigger than plates. John looked at her, confused. Meg wasn't a heavy drinker of any kind. No more than two glasses of wine over dinner and that was it. If she had a third one, she would either feel dizzy or sleepy.
"What? Meg, why would you need that?" he asked.
"To forget what I just saw. To erase that image off my mind. God! I'll never be able to close my eyes again." she exclaimed.
"What? Why? What image?" John asked.
"And how is it… how is it possible for her to do that position? It's almost impossible!" Meg exclaimed, more to herself than to John.
"What position, Meg? What are you talking about?" John asked, even more confused and worried than before. Meg was going to answer when Jo passed them both nearly in a flash.
"No! Jo! Wait! Where are you going?" Meg suddenly shouted at her.
"Fritz just arrived and I want to show him my new book. I left it here in the room." Jo said, her hand in the doorknob already.
"Wait! Jo! No!" Meg called, alarmed.
"It's just a minute, Meg!" Jo said, laughing to herself as she opened the door of the room. Jo shouted. Two more shouts were heard from the room. Then, Jo closed the door abruptly and looked at Meg and John as Beth and Rose arrived.
"Everything alright?" Beth asked, looking at her sisters.
"AMY AND LAURIE! AMY AND LAURIE!" Jo exclaimed, pointing at the bedroom's door. Beth looked at her confused before the information finally sank in.
"OH, MY GOD!" Beth exclaimed.
"AMY AND LAURIE! AMY... AND LAURIE!" Jo kept shouting.
"OH, MY GOD!" Beth exclaimed again.
"MY EYES! OH, CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS! MY EYES!" Jo shouted, shutting her eyes.
"I KNOW! I KNOW!" Meg shouted. Jo opened her eyes and looked at her.
"YOU KNOW?" She asked, incredulously.
"YES, I KNOW! I SAW THEM WHEN I WALKED IN ON THEM AND I TRIED TO WARN YOU!" Meg shouted back. Jo got silent for a minute.
"How the hell did she manage to do that position? I tried it once and sprained my ankle." Jo said.
"I know! I tried it three times and ended up with a backache for a week!" Meg exclaimed. Jo looked at her, smiling mischievously.
"Three times? Meg March! I didn't have you as so daring in the bedroom!" Jo said, smiling and making Meg blush like a tomato.
"What position?" John asked, confused. Meg looked at him.
"What position are you talking about, mommy? Keeper or seeker?" Rose asked, hopeful that they were talking about something she knew. Meg looked at her, then back at John.
"Erm... John...honey... can you... take Rose for an ice cream downstairs?" she asked.
John looked at her with his eyebrows furrowed, still confused by the whole situation.
"Erm... sure, sweetheart. Though, I still want to know what position you're talking about." he said, taking Rose's hand. Meg sighed and rolled her eyes as two people with messy hair and disheveled clothes walked out of the bedroom in question, their faces as red as a beetroot.
"You... me... your apartment... the book Aaron gave you as a joke for your birthday... my back problem." she summarized. John put two and two together and nodded with a knowing look on his face. Then, he made a painful face as he took the little girl with him so Meg and her sisters could talk.
"Where do you think you're going, Theodore Laurence?" Jo asked, sternly, as she saw one of the people who came out from the room trying to go downstairs too. Laurie just sighed, went back to his spot and looked down, holding his jacket in front of him and covering his lower part.
"Jo, I truly am very sorry you saw that! I mean, I'm not sorry for what I was doing, but... I do am sorry for you seeing it and f..." Amy started apologizing as she tried to adjust her skirt, which was backwards. Meg and Beth tried not to laugh.
"What the... When did you... How long were you...?" Jo was unable to finish either of the questions she had in mind. She was so shocked. Amy sighed.
"It... sort of started on Thanksgiving. After Meg... told her story." Amy started. Everyone looked at her. "We... started texting each other often and talking more... and he came to see me one weekend on campus..." she continued. Jo looked at Laurie, shocked.
"You said you were out of town and that's why you couldn't play squash with me!" Jo accused him. Laurie shrugged his shoulders.
"I didn't lie. I WAS out of town." he confirmed. Jo sighed and gave him an annoyed look.
"Anyway... on Christmas night, we... kissed, and..." Amy continued
"And now what? You're having a holiday fling?" Jo asked. Amy looked at her, mad.
"I can't believe you think that!" she said, defiantly.
"Well... I just... I..." Jo shouted before her little sister cut her in.
"Just because you two couldn't be anything, doesn't mean him and I can't!" Amy shouted.
"I know that!" Jo shouted.
"Well... Doesn't seem like it! it seems to me that you're jealous!" Amy shouted back. Jo gaped at her.
"I'm not jealous! I just want to know if this is a freaking fling for you two or you finally got your freaking heads out of your arses and decided to do something about it!" Jo shouted. Everybody looked at her, shocked by Jo's revelation.
"You... you..." Amy stammered as Laurie stepped forward and grabbed Jo's hand, looking at her in the eye.
"It's not a fling, Jo. I really care for Amy and I really like her." he said calmly. Amy stepped forward as well while Laurie wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"It's true. Laurie knows I'm in love with him and... he told me how he felt, so..." she said, shrugging her shoulders. Meg and Beth just stayed quiet, looking at the whole scene, expectant. Jo smiled.
"I'm so happy for you, guys!" she said, hugging her sister and her best friend. "I just have one more question." she said when they pulled away.
"Why didn't we tell you earlier?" Laurie asked, tentatively. Jo shook her head.
"How the hell did you manage to do that position? Because Meg and I tried it, but we both got hurt." Jo asked, looking at her sister. Amy looked at her.
"What? The Pinwheel? It's so easy! First he has to lie on his ba..." Amy started as they heard Rose running to them.
"Mommy, it's almost midnight!" she shouted as she got to her mother's arms. Meg picked her up and kissed her cheek.
"Time for the fireworks." she exclaimed as they saw everyone upping the stairs to the roof. They all went and looked at Times Square building as the countdown began. Then the ball dropped and fireworks exploded. Meg saw Laurie and Amy kissing, Beth and Frank Vaughn hugging each other, and she seemed to see Fritz kissing Jo's kiss and her smiling before John captured her lips in a deep kiss and wished her a happy new year. Meg smiled. It was going to be a happy new year indeed.