"Michael, can you keep your kid quiet for fifteen minutes?" Paul asked as he scribbled on his music.

I looked at him apologetically. They never bothered to ask me where I got a kid, but made it clear that she couldn't interfere with the music. "Sorry, Alex backed out today. He was going to meet up with his...friends. Or something," I lied. He was meeting Evan at the Plaza for a quiet dinner. Evan was in town for a meeting concerning the trade policies of the United States.

"Ella, please be quiet for Daddy...please," I whispered as she drifted back into sleep. I placed her carrier in a room away from the rehearsal.

"Sorry about that guys..."

"No worries," John said in a mellow tone. "They want us to do some cover songs," he announced.

It was only one week until our big debut at the club. I had been finding the guitar to be similar to a bicycle, you never really forget how to do it. "What is the set list?" I asked picking up my guitar.

"We're going to do some Maroon 5, Weezer, we'll mix it up with a bunch of things."

And this explains why I was singing This Love to a huge drunken crowd. One man thought he could sing better than me so he stood up on stage and started butchering the song. I stood back and let him make a fool of himself and laughed at him. My bandmates thought it was priceless.

But as he was singing about the love taking its toll on him I noticed two men walking into the room. Alex and Evan. I gave Alex a look asking where Ella was.

I nodded to my bandmates and hurried offstage to ask quickly.

"Where is she?"

"She's with Lilly. Now that Lill has no man she stays in on Friday nights."

"Looks like you've been replaced," Evan teased.

I shrugged. "Okay, whatever. Bye boys."

"So how is she?" I asked Evan later that night.

"Happy on the outside," he started, "But clearly miserable on the inside. She's insanely jealous that you are with Ella all the time. And that Ella gets to be with you all the time. She wants to cry every time she kisses a babies cheek; imagining what her little girl is doing at the time."

"Probably pooping," Alex replied.

I rolled my eyes. "Did she have a good Christmas? How'd she like the charm I sent her?"

"Yes and yes. She had it put on right away. We pretended I gave it to her, and that she gave me the claddagh ring that Alex sent over."

Alex beamed.

"And she says that she wishes she could be here for your birthday tomorrow."

Is it bad that I forgot it was my twenty third birthday the following day? "Oh, right. That does sort of suck."

"But I told her I'd give you a nice little kiss for her."

I rolled my eyes. "No thanks. I'll wait it out a bit longer."

He looked at Alex. "I'm getting a little tired, you?"

Alex faked a yawn, "Totally. Good night, Michael."

"Keep it down will you?" I asked, "Not only do I not wantto hear it, but I don't want to have Ella wake up. Which reminds me. Where is my sister?"

"Oh, she told me she was going to see an old friend for some drinks," Alex replied.

I thought about any 'old friends' she had...there was Shameeka who was in California...Tina who was currently going to school in D.C...Kenny who...well, let's face it, wasn't all that close to her....and...wait...Boris? "She didn't say who?"

"Nope. They were going to that place that doesn't card the young'ins," Alex said with a roll of his eyes.

"Not, Boris?"

"Yeah, that's it," Evan said. "She said something and I thought of Boris and Natasha from Rocky and Bullwinkle."

I smiled. Evan was a nice enough guy. "That's her first boyfriend. I didn't know he was still around here."

"Boris Pelkowski?" Evan asked, looking at the arts and entertainment section of the paper.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"
"He's performing tonight and tomorrow night at Radio City. You do know that he's huge over in Europe, right? He has a CD out and everything."

I shrugged. "No. Never really thought about him much after the girls and him graduated. He and Lilly broke up and didn't talk. This was an interesting turn of events. "Oh, I see. Well...I'm gonna go to bed. Talk to you boys later."

And that was my life. I would rush to work in the morning with dark circles under my eyes, rush to band rehearsal, rush home to feed and play with Ella. Nothing too spectacular really.

The best kinds of days were in the spring though. Then the sun was out longer so I could take Ella for long walks when I got home. She'd visit with my parents (who I think figured out that she was mine, but not who the mother was), and sometimes spent the night with them.

"How is Alex?" my mother asked one night when I was taking Ella to stay with her.

"He's great," I said with a smile.

"Are you two still....because I was thinking, why not move to Massachusetts?"

I gave her a weird look. "Huh?"

"They are letting homosexual couples mar-"

"Mom, let's not look too far into the future, okay?" I said, trying to hold my laughter.

"I'm just saying...are you bringing him to Dad's retirement party?"

"Dad's what?" I asked in surprise.

"Oh don't look so shocked. We've discussed this so many times. Your father is retiring next month."

My jaw still was on the ground. "When was I told this?"

"Oh right...you spent the holidays with Alex's family! I forgot to tell you about it. He's retiring. We are having a party at Tavern on the Green on May first."

Mia's birthday. Our anniversary. Could it be two years already? Could it be that we only have a year to go before we could be together? That reminded me. "Mom, what would you say if I told you I was converting my religion?"

She glared at me. "I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, it's just an idea I've been considering."

"Well don't. It'd kill your father."

"Mom, it's kind of my personal decision."

"If you do it keep it a secret. Your father would have a heart attack."

Great. Another secret to keep from my parents.

"Congratulations Dr. Moscovitz," Alex said cheerfully, with Ella on his hip.

I smoothed out her hair that was sticking up. Geez, I have become my mother now.

My father looked at Alex oddly. He didn't really like him because, well, he was thinking that Alex was my lover. He was all about gay rights, but didn't want his son to be gay. Who would carry on the family name? Well, I still wouldn't be but let my cousin Jeremy do it.

"Thank you Alex. Michael, how is little Ella?" he asked reaching for my daughter.

Ella adored my father. "Pa," she cooed. She couldn't talk really, but could make certain sounds that resembled people's names.

"She's great. I have to take her for her one year physical in a few weeks."

"She's getting prettier by the day," he said with a smile as she grabbed his nose.

"Yeah," I said softly. She was looking more and more like Mia.

"Does she see her mom often?"

I glared at him. They had never asked me such a blunt question about Ella's origins. "Yes. She sees her sometimes," I lied automatically. Lying was becoming easier and easier.

"That's nice. I'm going to bring her over to some collegues. I'll see you in a little while."

Alex and I sat at a table on our own. Lilly still hadn't shown up. "Hey, there she is," Alex whispered.

I looked at the entrance and saw Lilly walking in with a guy I didn't recognize. I had assumed she'd be with Boris who she had been talking to more and more frequently. "I'll be back," I said to Alex.

"Hey there."

Lilly smiled like she hadn't been this happy in years. "Hey Michael!"
I looked at her guest. He looked familiar. "Hi, I'm her older brother, Michael."

He laughed, "I know you Michael. It is me, Boris."

My eyes widened. "Wow, you've...changed."

"I hear you have as well," he said, looking past me at Alex.

"Yeah well, a lot has happened in the past few years."

"I bet. Do you still talk to Mia?"

Lilly grabbed his arm, "Hey, let's go see my dad, okay?"

I got home late that night. My parents wanted to take Ella home with them so I let them. I loved that little girl, but at times it's nice to have a room to yourself. No chance of a cry in the night waking you up.

The phone rang almost the minute I walked into the apartment. Lilly was out with Boris and Alex was over his friend Cal's house. Cal has some fashion emergency going on and only Alex could handle it.

"Hello?" I asked, not looking at the caller ID."

"Hey," a voice said softly.

Great. A perv phone call. "Sorry, not inter-"

"It's me," the voice said, "Mia."

"Mia?" I asked softly for some reason.

"I can't talk long. I am hiding out in a secret passage so the reception is terrible."

My wife was calling me for the first time in about nine months. "Happy birthday," I said after a few seconds of thinking.

She laughed, "Happy anniversary babe. Where have you been all night?" she asked worriedly.

"My dad is retiring. I explained that in the letter I sent last week but I guess you haven't gotten it."

"Oh. Was there a party or something?"

"Yeah. Alex was my date. Oh, you'll never guess who was there."

"Who?" she asked. I could tell her eyes were all wide right now.

"Boris Pelkowski. He and Lilly are together again."

"No way! That's awesome. I just bought his CD. Michael?"

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to talk about him or anyone else. How are you and my little girl?"

"She's with my parents tonight. And happy. And missing you."

"Has she started walking yet?" she asked.

"No. Not yet. She's crawling around still and getting into everything."

She laughed. "I wish I could see it all."

"And me...I'm getting along. I'm still playing with the band. How about you?"

"The rumors about me and Evan are running rampant so Grandmere is happy. We are supposedly secretly married, did you hear that?"

"I tend to not read tabloids. What is being said?"

"That we got married sometime last year and last summer was our honeymoon. How funny huh?"

Yeah, I find it hiliarious that the world at large thinks some gay man is my wife's husband. The comedy never ends.

"Oh yeah. What did lover boy give you for your birthday?"

She sighed, "You sound jealous."

"No I do not."

"Yes you do."

"Whatever."

"Well, HE didn't give me anything. But I got a lovely drawing of a baby girl in a frame. Any ideas who sent me that?"

I smiled. Alex, an artist, was always sketching Ella while she was asleep or playing. He did a large copy so I could send it to Mia. "You like it?"

"Yes. Grandmere thinks some major artist drew it. She thinks Evan is a genius when it comes to art. Little does she know that it is his boyfriend that is the expert. Tell Alex it is lovely. It's going right up in my room as we speak. But I....I got to leave now. Grandmere is waiting for me for a morning ride."

I forgot that it was about seven in the morning there. "Okay babe. I miss you."

"I miss you too," she said in a shaky voice. I could tell she was about to cry. "More than you can even imagine."

With that she hung up.

"Happy birthday to yoooou!" Alex said terribly to Ella on her birthday. We were all at my parents cabin in upstate New York.

I could hardly believe that it had been a year since my daughter was born. This time last year I had never even changed a babies diaper, but now I could do it on the subway with hardly anyone even noticing (not that I normally did that, but desperate times call for desperate measures). She giggled and smiled. She had such a good nature about her. Other people I talked to about kids said that their babies cried throughout their birthday celebrations. But no. Ella was always cheerful. I really lucked out I guess.

She was sitting on my lap and threw her hand into the whipped cream frosting of her birthday cake. "Oh Ella, no!" I cried. She was going to get it all over her brand new birthday dress.

"Oh calm down Michael!" my mother said, laughing. "You are only one once!"

My parents were so different with Ella. They were relaxed. Not so...psycho analysist-y. "Mom, do you have any idea how much I spent on this?" I complained.

She laughed. "Michael, I never thought I'd hear you say something like that! My son, a father!" she said laughing. "You need to relax."

My dad said nothing though. HE was just observing. Looking at Ella. "She looks like someone I know," he said suddenly. Lilly was pushing her on a baby swing in the yard.

"Oh?" I asked, scrubbing the dishes.

"Like a young lady I used to know."

"Oh?" I repeated.

"I can't figure out who though."

"Maybe Mom?" I suggested.

He looked at me, "Maybe. Make sure you get the blue frosting off those plates."

On a whim, a few weeks later, I picked up a Young Royal magazine. It was an import version of one of Europe's best selling magazines.

The cover was Mia and the headline, "The first REAL interview with Everyone's New Fave Royal"

At home, after Ella fell asleep I sat down on my fire escape where it was cool to read the magazine. I must have looked ridiculous buying such a teeny bopper magazine, but who would remember me buying it?

I opened it up to the interview with Mia. The first page was showing pictures of her shopping with friends in Genovia and having a romantic picnic with Evan. I loathed him for a minute. He was feeding her fresh strawberries and drinking champagne with her. He was lucky I knew he was gay or I'd have him killed.

Genovia's Princess Amelia: Get's Real

For close to seven years now the world has known who Mia Thermopolis was. While we now know her as Amelia Renaldo she still harbors a love for her old home, New York City. In the seven years she has known of her royal status she has never given a real personal interview to any European newsprint, and has decided that it is about time to embrace her new home in Genovia.

Young Royal: Your Highness, it is an honour to finally meet you. You have proven to be so elusive in the past.

Princess Amelia: Well, I am twenty years old now I thought it was about time to get close to the people that I am going to rule over one day.

YR: Everyone is thirsting for some more information about you!

PA: I'm not sure exactly why. I'm just your average twenty year old-

YR: With three hundred million dollars at your disposal?

PA: laughs Well, yes but if you notice I don't spend much of it on myself. gestures to current out fit of an old concert t-shirt with the American band Phantom Planet on it, and ripped jeans I still wear the clothes I've always worn.

YR: Why though?

PA: It seems silly to spend so lavishly on myself when I don't need anything. All I want in my room back home is a computer with internet connection. That's all. But yet my grandmother won't allow it because it'll destroy the beauty of the palace charm. Whatever that means laughs

YR: You seem like a philanthropist.

PA: Well...I dunno. I always have wanted to help save the whales and other endangered species around the world. I hope when I become the dowager princess that I can do something about that.

YR: Like turn the palace into an animal shelter?
PA: laughs You remember that huh? Well, not exactly a shelter. My goals have changed a little bit.

YR: That was back around the time you started dating your high school sweetheart, Michael Moscovitz. What happened with him?

PA: Well...last I heard he was pretty happy. I don't really get to talk to him anymore. It's hard to when I'm here and he's...well, he is somewhere else. He was my first love and I won't forget him.

YR: But I'm sure it's hard to think about him the same way you think of Evan Chambers!

PA: laughs Well, of course it is! They are very different men. Evan...well, he's more understanding. But it isn't fair to compare a man who is twenty four to a guy I dated when I was a teenager.

YR: Tell us about your relationship with Evan.

PA: Well, my Grandmere introduced us when I was eighteen, almost two years now. We really didn't get along at first but that's how the greatest love stories work don't they? Well, we got together during my first semester at the university and have been inseperable ever since.

YR: Rumors have been going around about the real relationship you two have. Are you secretly married?

PA: blushing Me and Evan secretly married? No. We have discussed marriage but it's a long process. I'm trying not to jinx it. Let's cross our fingers!

YR: You can be sure we will be doing so! If you weren't a princess, what would you be doing? Where would you be?
PA:Honestly?

YR: Totally.

PA: I'd be in New York, probably going to NYU. I'd be with all of my old high school friends still.

YR: Even the Moscovitz boy?

PA: Who knows? Maybe. At the very least we'd still be friends...I'd like to think so at least.

YR: What would you want to do for a career?

PA: Well, ideally a vet, but I'm not all for seeing blood and guts even of animals. I think maybe a writer. I love writing but I find very little time to do it with all my obligations as a princess.

YR: Do you regret accepting your role as the heir to the Genovian throne?

PA: What kind of question is that? If I said yes then everyone would hate me. If I say no then I sound like a little brat complaining that I don't see my old friends or that I can't write anymore. I don't mean to sound like a little brat but honestly...

YR: Sorry...but thank you so much for talking with us today.

PA: My pleasure.

YR: Where you off to next?

PA: blushes I have a meeting with Evan. We're going to have a picnic this afternoon in the park near my summer home.

I read this over and over again. She mentioned me barely, but the thought that she was telling the whole world who I was and exactly what I 'once' meant to her was amazing. Sure, she was saying that she could never think of me the same way as she thought of Evan, but that is a good thing. She thought of me as the love of her life and him as a great shopping partner.

But then came the big announcement.