Author's Note: In honor of my one year anniversary (and on the request of a very kind friend) I am posting. Also, nine more months and I am legal to drink alcohol in the States, which makes me happy.

And register soon for that website. It is the only way you'll see the last chapter I believe (right Liss?)

Jacki: All I can say is what I've said in previous chapters. Stop reading and pick up later when the sequel starts. And thanks for the info on Queen, the soundtrack to the movie didn't say anything so I didn't see that (and I don't listen to Queen….)

Erasde: Of course I take every opportunity to mention the Sox.

Melissa: We've already discussed the Vegas thing. And I'm sending the full list tomorrow when things are less crazy.

Liss: I made her hypocritical on purpose silly. (I tried breaks, but they didn't work)


MIA:

"Let's go," Louie whispered into my ear at eleven o'clock.

"We must look casual."

"I got some stuff in my room," he said softly. "I'll meet you and Michael up there in a bit?"

When he said stuff, he meant marijuana. I had been surprised to hear that he did it on occasion. Whenever he was stressed out. And tonight, he was definitely stressed out. He was more surprised to hear that I've tried it before. That my bodyguard had allowed me to.

"I'll get Michael and meet you in ten minutes in your room. Take the private passageway to the residency, got it?"

He kissed my hand and left the room, all eyes on him. "Is your brother feeling right?" Andrew asked, coming up beside me.

"Oh Andrew!" I exclaimed, wrapping my arms around him. I knew Michael's eyes were watching me. And considering he had no idea just how platonic Andrew and I were it was okay. "Where have you been hiding all evening?"

"I only just arrived an hour ago. Alyssa was having trouble with her dress again."

"Is everything okay?" I asked, noting the hint of annoyance on his once love-filled eyes.

"Everything is just fine," he said with a smile. "Just dandy. Now, who is this that is throwing daggers at me?"

I turned and saw Michael. He was standing with a trio of ladies. I waved my wine glass at him and turned back to Andrew. "Just my friend from New York. Remember Michael?"

"Oh, right….right. The singer, right?"

"Right. I'm terribly sorry to leave you," I said leaving my glass on a passing tray. "But I promised Louie I would go meet up with him. Escape this."

"I wish I could go with you," he said with a hint of sadness. "But Alyssa wants to show off her ring."

"Oh right! Congratulations!"

He offered a slight smile, "Thank you. You will come back for the wedding, won't you?"

"Dur, course I will. When will it be?"
"This upcoming winter."

I raised an eyebrow. He had always wanted a long engagement. "I'll be on winter break. Sure. I have to go see if Michael wants to join my brother and I upstairs."

"Ever the good hostess," he said kissing my cheek. "Think that'll drive him nuts?"

I giggled, "Oh please, he's in heaven right now. All these girls fawning over his New York accent."

Andrew shook his head, "Stupid man. Behave tonight."

"Be bad tonight," I said with a wink.


"Michael dear," I said huskily.

He turned and smiled thankfully to me. "Mia."

The girls curtsied. "Your highness."

I nodded regally to them, "I'm going to bed now. Will you walk me out?"

I almost asked if he'd join me. Then it'd be in all the tabloids. "Yeah, sure thing. Nice meeting you ladies."

We started walking out, arms linked together. "Thank you," he whispered. "You have impeccable timing."

"Those are what Andrew and I call the Troublesome Trio," I explained, not looking at him.

"Who's Andrew?"

"My friend. I was just speaking with him," I replied slowly. "Anyways, whenever they see me attached to a guy they always go in for the kill while I am away. The one that was in the middle is currently dating this man named Nicholas who chased me until he realized just how young I was."

"And the others?"

"Are….well, they figure that any guy I'd be with, must be wealthy and well-to-do."

"Do I look well-to-do?"

"You look dapper," I teased. Had we really been fighting only an hour ago?


"Hey guys," Louie greeted us in his pajamas from his bed.

"What's going on?" Michael asked cautiously.

"I dunno about you," Louie replied, pulling his stash out of the nightstand drawer. "But I need some herbal supplements."

Michael looked at me for advice on what to say next. "He'll share," I said squeezing Michael's hand.

Michael pulled me aside quickly, "Have you been doing this all-"

"Thanks for the lecture," I replied, "But no. This is the first time since that time with you."

"I dunno-"

"You don't have to do anything," I whispered. "I just wanna try some. And you know I wouldn't do it without you."

He sighed and looked past me. "Fine. Peer pressure sucks."

An hour later the three of us were pretty well gone. Between the drinks earlier in the evening and this, we were basically incapable of coherent thoughts. "We should go to bed," I giggled.

I tried to stand up, but fell onto Michael's lap. "Mannnn, where'd you get that stuff?" I asked Louie.

"I know a guy," he replied. "It's totally clean."

I turned to Michael as he played with strands of my hair. "You have shiny hair," he said, looking dazed.

"It happens," I replied. "Let's go to my bed."

"No one sleeps with baby sister," Louie replied, laughing. "No. Moosssokicks."

"My name is Moosssokicks?" Michael said laughing, slapping Louie on the back. "Nooo, it's Moska-vitz!"

I laughed, "You'se BOTH wrong."

Michael lifted me up in his arms like a baby. "He's wrong about me not sleeping on your bed with you."

"No I'm not," Louie argued weakly, focusing on his feet.

I twisted Michael's hair around my fingers. "Let's go to bed already. I'm sweepy."

"I'll take you to bed," Louie replied, not moving from his bed. "Hey, how many toes do I have?"

"Ten," Michael replied, pulling away from my fingers in his hair.

"Dude, I think I have eighteen. Look…."

Michael studied my brother's foot. "You have ten. D'night Lou."


I kissed his neck as he carried me to my room. The guards tried to pretend they weren't noticing this strange young man going into my room late at night. "Goodnight good gentlemen," I said waving my hand princessly. Not how Grandmere taught me.

He dropped me on my bed and fell on top of me. "It's so furking hot," I whined.

He turned me over and unzipped my dress. I stood up and let it fall into a puddle at my feet.

"I like your underwears," Michael said, studying my lingerie.

I giggled. "Grandmere made me buy it. Racy, no?"

"Certainly no Princess Amidala."

I crinkled my nose. "No," I ceded. I climbed into bed and pulled the sheets to me. He kicked off his shoes and pants and climbed next to me. It was unquestioned that he was staying the night.

I stuck my bare feet snugly between his legs. I liked how my clean feet felt against his hairy legs. "You didn't wear any boxers?" I asked.

"It was too hot," he replied sleepily. "I like to leave my mark on the loaners."

I giggled, then turned to face him. "Your mark?"

He kissed the tip of my nose, "Let's go to sleep, Trixie. We're both over tired."

I read his eyes. He didn't want to fool around? "Why?"

"Because," he said slowly. "Between the champagne and the weed, I think I'm incapable to do anything other than sleep."

I bit my lip. "Okay then. Good night, Michael."


I woke up the next morning and he was already awake. But on the balcony. "Hey," I said tiredly, wrapping my robe tightly around me. "Asprin?"

He handed them back to me. "Aren't hangovers so much fun?"

"Oodles," I replied, sitting down. I noticed he was fully dressed. "For someone who just got here twenty four hours ago, you look good."

"I never believed in jet lag," he replied, reading the paper. "It's all mental. What are we doing today?"

He was acting so casual. So damn casual. "I have to go out with Grandmere. I thought you and Louie should hang out a bit. He'll be in New York a lot now."

"Okay. No problem."

"And uh…"

He peeked over the paper, "Yeah?"

"Thanks, for last night."

"Thanks?" he teased.

"You know, for being my escort. It must have been so boring."

He shook his head, "Anything but boring."


We returned to New York to find that my mom had already packed up my stuff. "I figured you would be tired when you got back," she explained to me. "Hi, Helen Thermopolis," she introduced herself to my brother.

"Louis Pfitzer," he replied shyly. Probably since she was wearing her 'Abolish Monarchy' tank top without a bra. "Nice to meet you."

He was terribly shy. Which is surprising. Usually guys that are good looking (at least people tell me he is good looking) have no problem talking to a lot of people. I wonder if my dad was like that when he was younger. If we'd inherited that from him. Cuz my mom was definitely NOT shy.

"Do I get to see the new place today?" he asked as we taped up a box.

"I dunno. I think Felix might be home."

"Felix?" he asked.

Oh. Crap. This whole time I never even mention to my brother that I have a boyfriend named Felix. "Oh, um…he's my boyfriend."

"You have a boyfriend?" he asked, surprised. "And yet are in love with-"

"Sssh!" I hissed, covering his mouth. I looked to see what my mom was doing. "My mom doesn't know."

"That you have a boyfriend or that you are in lov-"

I smacked him up side the head. "Knock it off."


MICHAEL

Things were weird with me and Mia after that ball night. We were never alone, only with Louie or her dad. But I got to know Louie really well on the trip. About how before all this he had planned on playing football, but had hurt his knee.

After our return Manny decided to throw a party. That is, after Mia moved all her junk in and everything. This was the kind of 'introduction' Louie was hoping for. ,l

I liked Louie. He was a cool shit. Could hold his alcohol. And was a hell of a lot more protective over Mia than I would have ever expected.

Things were going great. Mia was acting crazier than I would have expected her to. She and Louie were probably the loudest people in the party. He didn't want her drinking ,but realized she didn't like being told what to do.

I kept drinking more and more. I liked seeing her so loose. So crazy. But I didn't like seeing her dancing with Orlando on a table. It wasn't really her dancing with him…more like him dancing with her. She hardly noticed him. I jumped up there and pushed him off the table and onto the couch.

Kevin put on a really old cheesy song, Faded by Soul Decision. I pulled Mia close to me; she definitely noticed that I was dancing with her. No one was paying attention to us though…there were too many people there. I didn't even realize I knew so many people. I was about to kiss her, our first public kiss when Lilly tugged Mia's skirt. The skirt my hand had somehow started going up.

"What?" Mia said giggling and putting her hand on mine on the top of her thigh. "I'm busy."

"You'll be a hell of a lot busier if you don't get down. Felix is here."

She jumped down and followed Lilly to the kitchen. Fuck Felix. Who needs him anyways?


Things were really calm after that. I was now in my senior year of college so I was really busy making sure I had all my credits ready. I had taken those extra summer courses to make up for the time I was gone. I focused on school, the band, and oh, right, Sadie.

"When?" Sadie demanded over the phone.

"Not now," I replied. "Did I leave my hat over there?"

"Huh? Which one?"

"The leather page boy."

"Oh, no-"

"Shit, I left it at Mia's."

"Why were you there?" she asked.

"Oh, the guys helped Katie move in. Plus, I had to bring her cat over."

"That was her cat?" she said softly. "I didn't know that."

"Why?" I asked.

"No reason. What's its name?"

"Mattie."

"Mattie?"

"She names pets after people names. Anyways. I gotta go get my hat from her. I'll see you after my gig?"

"Yeah…after the gig."

"See ya babe."


I ran over Mia's to find her and Felix making out in her living room. I had let myself in with the key she'd given me, out of courtesy I'm sure. "Don't mind me, just getting my hat ," I said blocking my eyes.

She jumped up, "Oh, hey. Uh yeah, here it is," she said handing it to me. "I figured you would be missing it. Do you realize that a poor animal-"

I covered her mouth with my hand. "Shut up and let me enjoy my hat, okay?"

She nodded and blushed.

"Hey Michael," Felix said from the couch in the living room.

I pretended not to hear. "I'll see you later, kay?"

"Yeah," she said softly. "Later."

MIA:

How uncomfortable is it when Michael sees me and Felix kissing? VERY much so. I don't know why though. At this point, October, I'd kind of fallen head over heels for Lix, that's his pet name.

He's smart and funny, and soooo good looking. Think….a shaggy haired Rivers Cuomo with a goatee. Very adorable, very good kisser. I cannot report to you yet on anything else with him as we have yet to consumate the relationship. But I do believe that will happen in good time. All in good time my friends.

That night Felix was going to play in Jersey, that's why he was over during the day. I was going to hang out with Louie after the show since he was coming to hear us play. "For a little sister," he started, before the show, "You look hot."

I hit him playfully, "Gee, thanks buddy."

"Mia, we're on," Michael's voice called for me.

"Go sit with Lars and Ulger."

Louie rolled his eyes. "Don't forget Dee."

"I can't wait to pretend to like her," I teased. "See ya."

We did our set, but half way through I noticed Michael turn scarlet. "What's wrong?" I asked when he came to the side for water. "You okay?"

"I'm fine. Just….Just fine. After the show just go out the back door, okay? Meet Louie at your place or s-"

"Why?"

"My girlfriend is here."

I stared at him. "Girlfriend?" I know we haven't hung out much since I got back, but I never realized he had a girlfriend. I mean, yeah, Sarah Jane was his girlfriend before, but Manny told me that they'd broken up around the same time I left for Genovia. Something about the distance. I'd assumed that they'd get back together. Perfect couples always did.