hey everyone!  Cimmy and I have updated again! we've actually had these parts planned for a while and had to fill in a few gaps. read and review. by the way, this chapter is really long, so visit the bathroom before you start.

disclaimer: Ducks belong to Disney. Fred and Cecilia belong to Cimmy. Lex, Jeff, Chris, Anthony, Matt, Anna, and Sammie belong to NYgoldfish54.

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Chapter 25: Between Concerts and Friends
By NYgoldfish54 and Cimmy

Chris's POV (By NYgoldfish54)

I'm gonna pass out. I'm gonna pass out…no, first I'm gonna throw up…then I'm gonna pass out.

Or…maybe I'm not.

It's 5 minutes to show time. We're all backstage and nobody's talking. I can hear the crowd yelling and screaming outside. The place is packed.

Lex and Anna are sitting next to each other, looking at music, silently. Although, for whatever reason, Lex looks happier than she did before she left for the bathroom. Go figure.

Anyway, Anthony is sitting on a chair by a table, staring at the floor. Sammie looks like she'd rather be any place else, Jeff looks ill, and Matt is pretending to read. I can tell he's pretending, because his eyes aren't moving and the book is upside down.

And me? I'm just here, trying not to hyperventilate.

After the longest and shortest 5 minutes of my life, some guy with an expensive looking headset and a clipboard says, "Get ready, the curtain's going up in one minute."

"Then what?" Matt asks stupidly.

"Umm…you go on," says the man with the headset and clipboard, looking confusedly at Matt.

"What did you think, moron?" Sammie asks, smacking him in the back of his head as she picks up her guitar and gets into position.

Matt looks as though he's going to puke if he opens his mouth, and doesn't say anything as he takes his place behind his drum set. We all take our places behind various mics and instruments.

I can hear the tail-end of a speech from somebody outside, talking to the audience.

"…ladies and gentlemen, we've got a real treat for you tonight. Seven teenagers, straight out of New York City, let's hear it for Suspended Motion!"

We heard it, alright. The crowd is yelling and screaming. I can't figure out why. They haven't heard us yet. It's not like we're well known, and famous for giving a spectacular show.

The curtain goes up, dragging me out of my thoughts, and the lights are fucking bright. So fucking bright. Suddenly, I hear Lex talking to the now quieter crowd.

"Uh, hi everyone. As you already know, we're competing in this contest thing cause we love the music and we really, really hope that we can give you a good show tonight. Maybe we won't win the contest, or catch a big break. But maybe, just maybe, we'll free you from your problems for a few hours. When it comes down to it, we don't want you to remember us, we just don't want you to forget. So, on with the show," she says, shrugging at us, and nodding.

Ok, here we go. 'Start Me Up' by the Stones is our first song…no, wait! We changed that yesterday, at the last minute. We're opening up with 'Magical Mystery Tour' by the Beatles instead. Right. Ok.

And so, we begin. I'm playing my guitar and not even thinking about it.

I hear Anthony. "Roll up, roll up for the Magical Mystery Tour! Step right this way!"

Then Sammie, Matt, Anna, and Anthony start. Jeff and I don't sing in this song…right? Right. Not until the end, anyway.

"roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (and that's an invitation)
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (to make a reservation)
roll up for the mystery tour"

Then, suddenly, Lex jumps in.

"the magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away
waiting to take you away…"

I can hear Anna, Anthony, Matt, and Sammie again.

"roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (we've got everything you need)
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (satisfaction guaranteed)
roll up for the mystery tour"

Lex's voice…

"the magical mystery tour is hoping to take you away
hoping to take you away…"

The song continues, and I'm feeling better and better about the whole thing as it does.

"ah, the magical mystery tour
roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (and that's an invitation)
roll up for the mystery tour
roll up (to make a reservation)
roll up for the mystery tour
the magical mystery tour
is coming to take you away
coming to take you away
the magical mystery tour
is dying to take you away
dying to take you away
take you today…"

On 'take you today' we all sing, and then…the song's over. The crowd cheers, and all of a sudden, my nerves leave me. This isn't so bad. Lex is smiling, Jeff is smiling. Matt's looking relieved, as is Sammie. Anthony looks like he could cry. Anna's deep breathing, I can tell. And me? I feel so…relaxed, suddenly.

The show continues, the songs continue, and I don't remember much of it. It's all sort of a blur. I remember the crowd cheering particularly loudly for Matt when he sang 'Touch Me' by the Doors. But we all knew that's his best song anyway.

I remember the way the guys in the audience were cat-calling and whistling when Anna, Sammie, and Lex did 'Edge of Seventeen' by Stevie Nicks. They wore these red leather outfits. That was their sex appeal for the night. They were incredible.

Oh, it's my turn to sing a song. Well, Matt, Anthony, and Jeff sing it with me, but I sing the main part. 'Killer Queen' by Queen. This song reminds me of Anna for some reason. I don't know why, but when I sing this song, I think of Anna.

"she keeps her Moet et Chandon
in her pretty cabinet
'let them eat cake' she says
just like Marie Antoinette
a built-in remedy
for Khrushchev and Kennedy
at anytime an invitation
you can't decline

caviar and cigarettes
well versed in etiquette
extraordinarily nice

she's a Killer Queen
gunpowder, gelatine
dynamite with a laser beam
guaranteed to blow your mind
anytime
ooh, recommended at the price
insatiable an appetite
wanna try ?

to avoid complications
she never kept the same address
in conversation
she spoke just like a baroness
met a man from China
went down to Geisha Mynah
(killer, killer, she's a Killer Queen)
then again incidentally
if you're that way inclined

perfume came naturally from Paris (naturally)
for cars she couldn't care less
fastidious and precise

she's a killer queen
gunpowder, gelatine
dynamite with a laser beam
guaranteed to blow your mind
anytime

drop of a hat she's as willing as
playful as a pussy cat
then momentarily out of action
temporarily out of gas
to absolutely drive you wild, wild..
she's all out to get you

she's a killer queen
gunpowder, gelatine
dynamite with a laser beam
guaranteed to blow your mind
anytime
ooh, recommended at the price
insatiable an appetite
wanna try?
you wanna try..."
After 'Be My Wife' by David Bowie, 'Changing of the Guard' by the Stone Coyotes, and some other songs, I check my watch. 11:00 PM. Jeez, this time really flew, huh?

The last song we do is up next. It's one of the ones the people telling us what we had to play classified as "non-traditional rock n' roll." In real life, it's classified more as "punk rock." It's Blink 182. Lex and Jeff sing lead.

"shut the fuck up she said, I'm going fucking deaf
you're always too loud, everything's too loud
now that all my friends left, this place is fucking dead
I wanna move out, when can we move out? This shit has got to stop

I'll run away

give the fuck up, she said your life is meaningless
it's going nowhere, you're going nowhere
you're just a fuck up, she said I'll live alone instead
she said you don't care, I know I don't care

I'll never ask permission from you,
fuck off I'm not listening to you
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away

I got too fucked up again, and passed out on the bridge
have to forget you, I can't forget you
no sleep on this flight, I'll think about the nights
we had to get through, how did we get through?

I'll never ask permission from you,
fuck off I'm not listening to you
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away

I think it's time that I should leave
I think it's time that I should leave
I think it's time that I should leave
I think it's time that I should leave"

At this point, there's a short interlude where we play and there's no vocals. Lex closes out the show with these final words.

"Hey everyone, that just about wraps it up for Suspended Motion! You were a great audience! For Jeff Delricci, Anna Eukovich, Chris Mitchell, Matt McDougal, Anthony Nicholson, and Sammie Blackburn, I'm Lex O'Leary, have a great night everyone!"

Then, she and Jeff start with the vocals again.

"I'll never ask permission from you,
fuck off I'm not listening to you
I'm not coming home, I'm never going to come back home

I'll run away

I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)
I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)
I think it's time for me to leave (I'll run away)
I think it's time for me to leave."

The curtain falls, and we pull our stuff off stage. We get back into the dressing room and collapse on to the furniture. I didn't realize it until just now, but I'm so relieved. Hyper, but relieved.

"I can't believe we just did that. I never thought we'd actually get it done," mumbled Anna, looking around. We all nod in agreement.

The Ducks come crashing into the room about thirty seconds after we do, yelling and screaming. They're not the only ones.

I can hear the crowd. They're yelling and hollering and screaming and clapping. I guess they liked us. I'm so relieved. We didn't mess up. We did ok. Maybe we weren't the best group ever, but we did alright. We're all 15 years old and we've come closer to the limelight than most people in their lifetimes do. Many people dream of becoming rock stars. We've come closer than many of them ever will. That's not too bad. In fact, it's-

"Hey Chris!" Jeff yells over the Ducks and snaps me out of my thoughts. "Let's go party!"

-pretty damn good.

***
Fred's POV (By Cimmy)

While I'm walking through the hallway, still searching for my girlfriend, I can't help but think about Lex. And Charlie. It hurts inside for some reason, whenever I picture them kiss. That image is burnt on my mind, ever since I saw them before the show. I went to find Charlie, and then I just stumbled right into the hallway where they were kissing. I've been trying to feel happy for them; woo-hoo, she's not alone and miserable anymore, but I'm just jealous right now.

To think, just a couple of moments ago, I was actually happy. This is why I don't trust that feeling. I always know that something is going to show up and ruin it, no matter how good a feeling it is.

There are lots of people running around backstage. I hope Cecilia's okay. There's a lot of drinking going on everywhere, and I just assume that there must be drugs going around too. To leave my thoughtless girlfriend here all alone will only result in disaster.

Lex doesn't love me. I don't know why I can't let that feeling go. Am I really this pathetic? I have a girlfriend whom I love, and I still feel envious because one of my closest friends doesn't declare her love for me.

"Hey, Fred!"

I turn around, and it surprises me when I see that it is Sammie who's shouting. Last time our roads crossed, she almost beat me senseless with a broom. Why does everyone have to be so violent?

"What's up?" I ask her. She stops dead, to avoid crashing into me. "Great show, Sammie. You were really outstanding."

She smiles happily, until she remembers it's me she's talking to. "Uh, yeah, thanks. I was just going to ask if you've seen my band? I'm lost."

"I think they're in that green hallway, where all the equipment is in storage," I tell her. "You haven't seen... my girlfriend, have you?" I better not mention Cecilia's name. Some people are still not all that happy with her. Sammie doesn't seem too upset by my question, and she announces that she thinks that Cecilia is right behind the stage somewhere.

I meet Julie when I hurry towards the stage. Jeff probably let her borrow his pass so she could meet some of the other bands in the VIP-room. Charlie also has a pass, Lex probably gave it to him. Like I care, ha! I managed to get in just by using my own skills. I wonder if Anthony has lent his pass to Cecilia? Maybe she's in the VIP-room too?

"Have you seen Cecilia?" I echo the same question as I've been asking ever since Lex and the others went off stage. Julie shakes her head, but suggests that I should look in the bathroom. Why do I always end up in the bathroom?

Although, she's not way off this time, the adorable Julie. I find Cecilia on the floor in one of the bathrooms, leaning her head against her knees. At first I think she's crying, but then I realize that she's drunk. At least that's what I expect.

I'm wrong, as usual.

"Cecilia? What are you doing here? Are you feeling bad?"

"No," she answers slowly. "I was feeling bad, but it's passed now." Okay, great, she's not drunk. She's completely stoned from Connie's, or Guy's, muscle-relaxers. Connie owes me big time for this.

"Why did you eat those?" I moan loudly and take the jar away from her. "I thought you weren't going to use them!"

"Do you know how much pain I was in?" she mumbles back. "I thought I was going to die! And now I can't feel any pain at all!"

My God, she's thick sometimes. "That's the whole concept of pain-killers!" I shout.

"It's not pain-killers, it's muscle-relaxers," she points out, talking so slow that her words almost doesn't make sense in my head. I lean down and pick her up in my arms, and she doesn't struggle at all. Not until I've carried her through five hallways, she starts to twist and turn, so I let her down.

"Where are we going?" she asks, leaning against me to keep from falling. I think I'm mostly carrying her on my own, since she's so reluctant to use her feet. Suddenly I hear angry voices from one of the rooms on our right. At first I decide to just get the hell away from there as fast as possible, but then I recognize one of the voices.

"No, it's not like that, and I would appreciate if you stayed away from me!"

It's Sammie, and she sounds upset. I look around for a guard or any of our friends. Cecilia looks up when I stop. "Is that Sammie?" she asks worriedly. I nod and tries to let go of her, but she tumbles into me again. I can't leave her like this, but Sammie obviously needs help. Where's Matt when you finally need him?

I knock on the door, but no one answers. Instead of waiting for an invitation, I shove the door open and go in. It's one of those big VIP-rooms, and there are five or six guys in there, three of them surrounding Sammie. "Hey!" I yell. Cecilia jumps at my scream, but I can't help it. Even though Sammie might not be such a close friend of mine, I can't let them do this to her.

"Who are you?" one of the guys asks me, taking a menacingly step towards us. I quickly move up in front of Cecilia, and wave at Sammie. "Come on, Sammie, let's go!" She seems happy that I'm there, although the other guys are not...

"She's not going anywhere. Do you know this guy?" this big, intimidating guy asks Sammie. She folds her arms and nods. "Doesn't matter, you're staying. You, on the other hand, must leave."

He pushes me out in the hallway, and now I'm angry. Sammie keeps objecting from the room, and I'm beginning to panic. Cecilia pulls my arm, looking scared. "Fred, do something!" she exhorts worriedly. What do I do now? I drag Cecilia over towards a chair, but before I have time to tell her to stay there and not move, Sammie screams from inside the room. I let go of Cecilia, and she looses her balance and falls over with a crash. Never mind, she's not my highest priority right now, she'll survive.

I try to push the door open, but it's locked. If Connie was here, she probably could've picked the lock open. She's scary like that. But she's not anywhere near, and I thank God for that. I don't need more girls to look after. Finally I decide to kick the door open, even though I know that plan rarely works. I've tried it too many times whenever Cecilia's locked herself into a room of some sort, refusing to come out.

I'm beginning to see Matt's point, because I feel an urge to really hit something right now. So I let the door handle my rage. It doesn't open anyway, at least not because of my kicking. Someone opens it from inside, and I tumble in. Sammie's there, looking ready to attack, and I quickly head over to help her.

"Fred!" she exclaims when she sees me. "Help me!"

I nod, feeling the fear grow stronger. I can't handle this. But I have to help her when I know that she's in danger. So I take her hand and try to lead her out of the room, without getting too much attention.

God, do my plans suck. One of the guys step in front of me, and I push Sammie towards the door. "Go!" I tell her, but she refuses to move. Maybe it's because she's scared, or because she doesn't want to leave without me. Either way, it's a stupid move.

This guy in front of me grabs my arm and shoves me back into a table. It hurts, but I still manage to get up again. I know I have to defend myself, otherwise I'll be killed in some unpleasant way. I remember all those times my Dad slapped me around, and I refused to hit back just to prove that I was better then him. I've never hit anyone outside the ice. It'd be a lot easier if I had my hockey gear on right now, with the pads and my stick as help. I'll write a tribute to my helmet, once we get back home.

There's no time to ponder, because this time the guy punches me right in the face. Why does everything have to hurt so bad!?

"Fred! Oh my God! Are you okay?" Sammie shouts and rushes up to me. She grabs my arm to help me up again, and I feel a bit light-headed. This can't be healthy.

Sammie's shouting has made other people react, and suddenly Charlie comes bursting in to the room. My first thought is, of course, 'you bastard, you kissed Lex'. Hi, my name is Fred, and I have issues.

"Fred? Sammie? What's going on?" Charlie wants to know. Then he realizes what all the screaming is about, and he looks terrified. "Let's go!"

Yes, I'm trying, but I never seem to get there. Instead I watch how that idiotic guy grabs Sammie and shoves her into the wall. This time I can't take it anymore. I throw myself over him, and we both fall. I tell Charlie to get Sammie away from there, and he does as told. Now, what's going to happen to me?

Not much. I receive another punch, so I decide that sticking around for better times isn't an option. I move towards the door, and run right into Matt, Anthony and Jeff. Yeah, now they show up! I don't have time to explain myself, instead I look around for Sammie and Charlie. They're gone.

And damn! So is Cecilia!

Matt grabs my arm. "What the hell is going on? Why are you bleeding?" I haven't even realized that yet, so I decide to worry about that later. Instead I search the hallway in panic.

"Where's Cecilia?" I ask Anthony. I figure he of all people should know that, but he shrugs. No, this can't be happening! "Where's Sammie?" I continue my questioning, and this time they all react.

"What do you mean? What's wrong with Sammie?" Matt demands to know. I open my mouth to answer when I hear her voice from down the hallway.

"Fred! Fred, there you are!" she runs up to me and throws her arms around my neck, and I almost fall over. Good thing Jeff and Anthony support me, otherwise I'd be dead by now. Okay, maybe not.

Sammie starts to cry violently, and Matt looks at me. "What happened!?" he bellows, but I'm too shaken up to answer. Instead I wave at Charlie.

"She's gone!" I exclaim. Charlie opens his mouth, probably to ask who I'm referring to, but I answer before he asks. "Cecilia is missing!"

"Where was she the last time you saw her? Maybe she went to get some food or something," Charlie tries to sooth. I'm not in that kind of mood right now, so I hand Sammie over to Matt, and run back to the other hallway. I run right into Connie and Guy, and they both stare at me for a second.

"What have you been up to? Another fight with Cecilia?" Guy asks me, and Connie slaps his arm. "No, seriously, what happened?"

"Cecilia is missing!" I howl. "They tried to hurt Sammie, and I just left her in the hallway!"

"Sammie?" Connie asks.

"No, Cecilia!" I scream, and I don't think I've ever been this upset in my entire life.

More Ducks show up, and among them is Portman. "What are you yapping about?" he mutters. "Psycho? I saw her out on the parking lot two minutes ago."

My brain isn't really following, and I begin to panic even more. "She's still missing!" I scream, starting to jump up and down. "You gotta help me!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Guy replies, sighing. "Calm down!"

That request is not something that my brain is willing to process. I continue to freak out, pulling Charlie's arm violently. I'm shaking and gasping for air. "Help me find her!"

"I told you where she was," Portman rolls his eyes, but I somehow manage to disregard that. I try to get my words together, but it all comes out as incoherent sobbing.

"For God's sake, make him calm down!" Guy whines. "He's annoying when he's like this. Make him stop!"

Portman sighs deeply. "Yeah, yeah, yeah," he mutters and walks over to me. I hope he's not going to punch me. I've had enough of that for today. But no, he doesn't punch me. He grabs my face and gives me a kiss, and this definitely makes me shut up. "Things you do for the team, man."

For a second, there's a complete silence, which doesn't happen very often when the whole team is present. Then Guy snorts out a laugh, making Connie giggle too. "Way to handle the situation, Portman," Fulton says, shaking his head. I just stand there for a moment, trying to get my act together again. What was I doing? Oh, yeah, Cecilia...

"So, where is she then?" I ask, distracted, confused and somewhat surprised.

"Psycho's out on the parking lot," Portman explains slowly. "Do I have to spell it out for you, or should I just kiss you again?"

"No, I'm fine," I say, giving him a suspicious look. Anyway... Cecilia is out on the parking lot. Wow, I didn't know relief could feel this good. Although, it doesn't last long. Matt comes running and pulls me back. Oh, right, I never explained myself to him.

"What did you do to Sammie?" he yells at me, and now I'm startled. Why is this guy out to get me? Sammie pushes herself in between us, taking my side.

"He helped me!" she explains. "Those guys tried to... I don't know... And Fred was the only one there to save me! He went up against those guys all on his own, right Charlie?"

Everyone turns to look at Charlie, and he nods. "Yeah, he did. You should thank him, Matt. Otherwise Sammie could've been badly hurt."

Matt still seems like he's going to hit me, so I hide behind Sammie. "Matt! Quit being a jerk for five seconds and listen to me!" Sammie says, putting her hands against his shoulders.

I decide to let them work things out on their own, while I'm being hysterical on the parking lot. Connie calls my name, and I know that she's following me. That means that the rest of them are too. I head outside, and find Cecilia sitting on the ground next to the sidewalk. Thank you, God.

I run over and throw myself down next to her on the ground. "Are you okay?" I ask her. She's still spaced out, but she grabs my arm to tell me something.

"They took her," she murmurs. "Lex is gone."

"What?" I snap. This is not the time for jokes. "Of course she's not missing! Don't be ridiculous."

I grab her by the waist to get her up on her feet, but she's just a lump right now. Matt comes bursting out to us, and I let go of Cecilia in pure surprise. Once again she falls down with a thud. Oops.

Matt just stands there and looks at me, as though he's been stunned. "You really helped Sammie?" he asks me, and somehow, his voice isn't so angry.

"Yeah," I say, somewhat annoyed.

"Oh," he says. Then he just sort of shuts up, until Jeff hits him in the back of the head, two seconds later.

"What?" Matt asks, looking at Jeff.

"I dunno, maybe you could apologize?" Jeff says. "He wouldn't hurt Sammie, Matt, he wouldn't." This look comes over Matt's face, and I'm strongly reminded of someone who's being wheeled away in a strait-jacket to the mental ward, then his expression clears.

"Alright. Alright. I give up. If you really saved her, Fred, then I'm sorry."

I smile happily, feeling like an ass for letting something so trivial lighten up my life. Then I remember that Cecilia is still on the ground. She's been pushed around a lot today. Good for her she's already on pain-killers. Oh, sorry, muscle-relaxers.

"Where's Lex?" I suddenly ask, reminding myself of what Cecilia had been ranting about earlier. "She's here, right?"

"She went to load our stuff into the bus," Jeff replies. "She should be out here on the parking lot somewhere."

"They took her!" Cecilia shouts, crawling back up. "I'm not making it up, she was here, and they took the bus and she followed them, and then they just took her with them!"

"Who?" Jeff asks, irritated because she speaks so incomprehensible.

"Those guys, Fred, from the room. I recognized them, because they asked about you and Sammie. Maybe they knew what band Sammie's in. Anyway, when Lex told them that she didn't know Sammie, they told her to go find her, while they were guarding the bus."

"Lex would never fall for something like that!" Jeff howls. "I don't believe you!"

"Well, she didn't! She told them that if they didn't leave, she was going to get the guards."

"Did they hurt her?" I want to know, feeling hysterical again. "We have to go get her. Does anyone have a car?"

Matt and Jeff stares at me like I'm from outer space. "We're 15 years old! Who's got a car when they're 15?" Matt yells, all mad at me again. It was just a question! "None of us can drive anyway."

"Well, some of us can, but no one has a license!" Jeff points out and grabs Cecilia's sweater to pull her closer. "You better be wrong about this."

It's up to me now. I have to solve this, it's all my fault. Plus, the others have been drinking, and all I've tasted was that yucky drink of Connie's, hours ago. I run over to the car closest to us. It's locked, of course, but I decide to do something really out of character. I knock my elbow against the window the hardest I can, and it brakes. And, shit! That hurt!

"Fred, are you out of your mind?" Portman laughs from behind. "Are you going to steal that car?"

I nod. "Yes, I am. Why?"

"No reason. Can you even drive?"

"Of course," I say and open the door, thanking everything in sight that the car didn't have an alarm. "I have to do this."

"Why?" he exclaims.

"Because I was a jerk to Lex, and if I save her, I can repair some of the damages," I explain. The rest of the team comes rushing, and Cecilia falls into my arms again. I have to bring her along; who knows where she could end up otherwise.

"Don't go," Connie begs. "Let's just call the police instead."

"Are you crazy? Lex could be halfway to Mexico by then!" Matt shouts. "Give me the keys, I'll drive."

"You can't drive," Sammie points out. "Let's just be reasonable, guys."

I have no time for that. I shove Cecilia into the car, and look at the others. "I'm going, and if anyone wants to tag along, I suggest you get into the damn car!" Matt grabs Anthony by the arm and drags him along.

"I'll go," Jeff says quickly, and opens the door to the backseat. I get into the driver's seat and realize that I have no keys. This is what you have your girlfriend for, right?

I shove at Cecilia, who's almost passed out by now. "Cecilia, you have to do that thing, to start the car." Her grandfather used to be a mechanic, and she knows how to bypass the ignition switch. God, I love her.

I back out of the area and make a U-turn out on the road. There's not many cars out, yay. Jeff pulls Cecilia into the backseat, so he's able to climb up front. Then he points at a sign. "There's a speed limit!"

"So? I can afford to pay for a ticket," I growl and turn into one of the larger streets. Cecilia falls down on the floor, and Matt and Anthony try to help her back up.

"What's wrong with her?" Matt asks.

"I'm fine," Cecilia says, climbing up on the middle seat.

"You're stoned," Matt points out. "My God, you are SO amusing!"

"Hello! We have a real problem here!" Jeff bellows. "Where's the bus?"

I make another U-turn, and this makes Cecilia fall again. I sigh when I look in the rear-view mirror. "Anthony, could you please remove my girlfriend's head from your lap?" I beg, while he's trying to get her face away from his crotch. That's another mental image I'm just going to have to live with forever. Great.

When we pass one of the gas-stations, Cecilia finally comes to life again. "There's the bus!" she says, hitting Anthony's arm. "Isn't it?"

It's a bus, yeah. Not the right bus, though. I'm beginning to think that I'm out of my mind, listening to Cecilia when she's on pain-killers. I decide to turn back, and I'm just about to turn back into the parking lot again, when Cecilia yells once more. "Now I know it's the right bus!"

I'm really close to strangle her, when I realize that she's right. The bus is parked right outside the approach. We all jump out of the car to see if we can find Lex. Cecilia is still back at the car, slowly sinking down on the grass. I'm sending her to a clinic when we get back home. Sheesh.

"She's not here!" Jeff cries out, banging his head against the bus. "Where is she?" We all begin to panic again, thinking up the worst scenarios possible for poor Lex to end up in.

"What are you guys doing?" Lex's voice comes from behind. We slowly turn around to see if it's really her. It is.

"Lex!" Jeff exclaims and runs over to give her a violent hug. "Where have you been? What happened?"

"What? I decided to move the bus," she says and shrugs, handing me the keys. "I suck at driving buses. I think I dented this one. You can drive them from now on."

We all just stare at her, then we go over to squeeze her to death. She objects loudly. "What's up with you?"

"We thought you'd been kidnapped!" Matt laughs, picking her up into his arms. "Cecilia said that you went into a fight with some guys and that they stole the bus and took you with them."

Lex starts howling with laughter, almost falling down on the ground. "No! They only asked if I knew Sammie, and when they wouldn't leave, I threatened to go tell the guards! Then I decided to move the bus, in case they came back, so I did." She looks at me and her laughter dies. "You were worried about me?"

"Of course!" I reply. "You're one of my best friends, I can't let you go and get kidnapped just like that, can I?"

Lex smiles at me, looking like she's going to cry. "Thank you, Fred." She goes over to hug me, and for once, it doesn't feel weird. I'm just glad that we're okay again.

Matt, Anthony, and Jeff continue with hugging Lex, after we've parted, and I start to miss my girlfriend. Then I realize something. I rather be with her, then with Lex right now. Is this a breakthrough?

"I can't believe you thought I was kidnapped," Lex giggles, making me snap out of my thoughts.

Okay, the fun is over. "I'm going to kill Cecilia," I mutter and look at my passed out girlfriend. "She really scared us with the kidnapping story."

"At least we got an adventure out of it," Jeff smiles, probably just happy that Lex is back. "I don't know why we trusted her in the first place. She's so high that it's scary."

This makes it official. This headache I have right now can only be caused by Cecilia.

We bring Lex with us back to the others, and they seem relieved and shaken up about that whole thing. I don't even care that Charlie is probably hugging her too tight and too long, I'm just glad I'm alive.

I go over to see if my girlfriend is okay. She looks up when I approach her. "So, are you happy now? You made us panic over Lex," I say and sit down next to her on the grass.

"I didn't mean to, I was so sure that the bus was gone because they'd taken it!" she answers, avoiding my eyes. I put my arm around her shoulder and pull her closer.

"Well, I'm still sending you to Betty Ford when we get home," I say, kissing her forehead.

"That's expensive," she points out.

"Don't worry, I'll pay for it," I smile.

Cecilia leans against my chest and sighs. "So, when does the killing begin?" she wonders, I guess she overheard our conversation earlier.

"Don't worry, the night is still young," I laugh, looking at my watch. Did that whole insanity ride only take fifteen minutes? Felt like an eternity. It's only 11:45, and the people that I haven't been able to startle to death are probably planning on staying up at least another five hours.

I also realize that I'm going to have to pay for that broken window. I hope they don't sue me or anything, I'll gladly pay up for a brand new car if the owner wants it. This vacation has already cost me thousands of dollars, thanks to Lex and Cecilia crashing one of the expensive glass ornaments in the restaurant.

"Did you save Sammie?"

"Yeah, I guess I did," I reply, rather proud that I achieved something like that.

"Are you mad?"

"Not at all," I smile at her. "I'm going to get us a cab or something, so we can go home. You're really not the most normal human being right now."

"Ha," she snorts. I stand up and pick her up in my arms again. Then we head inside. If I can manage to keep her alive, maybe we can stay for a while longer. The show must go on, since it was never over to begin with.

God, I could really use some of those muscle-relaxers right now.

***

*Fred's POV continued* (By NYgoldfish54)

I am leaning against the wall across the hall from my door. Lex is in there, tending to Cecilia. From the muscle-relaxing pills, Cecilia was only semi-conscious when we got back to the hotel. The others are still downstairs partying and dancing. Good for them. I want to know how Cecilia is. Lex had taken Cecilia upstairs while I had cleaned up in the bathroom downstairs. Blood really isn't all that attractive. Matt followed us upstairs and disappeared into his room, and I haven't seen him since.

The door to my room opens, and Lex steps out.

"How is she?" I say standing up straight immediately, and walking over as Lex closes the door.

"Well, she feels kind of nauseous, but I put on her pajamas and got her into bed. I left a garbage can by the bed so she doesn't even have to move is she hurls, and then she fell asleep. She's gonna be sleeping for hours, so leave her alone. But other than that, she'll probably be fine."

I heave a sigh of relief and look at Lex for a moment.

"Thanks," I say, sounding stupid.

"Forget about it. I'm gonna go find Anthony and console him," she says. She turns to go.

"Lex, wait," I call and she stops and turns around. She's been good to me. She deserves more than a brush off.

"What?" she asks, looking intently at me.

"Listen, Lex, I'm really sorry for all the trouble and pain I caused you this week. I flirted with you and led you on, and then I chose Cecilia, and I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. I'm really sorry, and I understand if you never want to be friends ever again-"

"What?" she cuts me off. "I was stupid Fred! It was dumb of me. I knew you loved Cee. I actually kind of saw your rejection coming. I guess rejection just hurts, even if you're expecting it. And of course I still want to be friends with you! Who told you I didn't?"

"Well, nobody, I just sort of figured…"

"Don't figure, Fred. You come up with too many wrong conclusions."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't," I say, feeling somewhat stupid.

"Fred, of course I want to be friends with you," she says.  "I just can't believe you and Cecilia stole and hotwired a car for me. Thanks for that. Even though I wasn't in any danger, it was a nice gesture."

"Well, what did you think I was going to do? I couldn't just leave you, could I? You're one of my best friends."

"One of your best friends? Since when?"

"Since you came into my life and gave a damn. Listen, I love Cecilia very much, but she's stubborn, hard to talk to, occasionally violent-" Lex smirks here, but I continue, "-and not always the easiest person to get along with. But you're different. You just came and took care of me. I'm usually the one doing the caring. You listened to me when I talked and you took me seriously and you helped me save a relationship that was going down in flames. You gave a damn, Lex. I wasn't used to that…and I liked it. I like you. If Cecilia and I didn't work out, some time in the future, you'd be the next person I'd be willing to give it a try with. But for now, you're one of my closest friends. I guess I should thank you for that. So thanks," I finish breathlessly.

She smiles and takes a minute to process what I said. "You're welcome. I want to be friends with you too, Fred. I love you," she says finally.

The look on my face must have urged her to keep talking. I'm pretty sure I'm looking at her as if she has three heads. She loves me? What?

"No, no! Not like that!" she exclaims, even though that's not what I'm thinking about. "Listen, I love you, and you love me. We're just not in love with each other. We love each other, we're just not in love."

"Huh?" I ask, totally lost now.

"You don't get it?" she asks me.

"Nope," I say. This is probably something really simple and I don't get it. Now she probably thinks I'm stupid.

"It's ok," she says. "It's a tricky concept, really. It's the difference between loving someone and being in love with them. I'm just beginning to understand it myself. The best I can explain it is like this: it's the difference between how you feel about Cecilia and how you feel about me."

I must still look puzzled, because she smiles and says, "Don't worry; you'll understand it someday, Fred. You're a little slow, but you understand everything eventually." I guess I have to take her word for it. She's not usually wrong about these things.

"It's not really what I was thinking about anyway," I tell her.

"What?"

"You loving me like that. It's just...well, nobody besides Cecilia has ever told me that. Not my parents, family, or friends. That's why I'm so eager for Cecilia to say it all the time. Nobody ever tells me that."

She looks nothing short of horrified. "That's...that's...that's terrible!" she stutters, looking as though this is some kind of horrible crime.

"What's terrible?"

"Your parents never tell you they love you?"

"Nope. I'm sort of the family failure. Everyone hates me."

"Fred, don't say that. Not everyone hates you. I don't anyway. And I'm the family failure too...well, my father's failure, really," she smiles sadly at me.

"What? How is that possible?" I ask. Lex O'Leary, family failure? That just doesn't make sense.

"I don't get it either. My father beats me. He just does. He also drinks a lot. He beats up Robbie sometimes too, but not like me. Robbie's bigger than me, he can get away easier. My mom's good to me, but she can't really leave. The twins are little. She works a ton, a complete and total ton. I hardly ever see her. She makes a lot of money, but she doesn't have time to do much else. She knows about my dad and me, but she doesn't do anything. She doesn't leave. She doesn't stick up for me, she can't. I think she loves my father cause she's got nowhere else to go. She tells me she loves me though. My brothers and sisters tell me they love me. Jeff tells me he loves me. Fred, it's absolutely, flat out inexcusable that nobody ever tells you that."

"It's not that bad," I mutter.

"Yes it is, Fred. You grow up thinking nobody loves you? That's just not fair, Fred."

"Well, what can I do about that?" I snap for some reason, but I'm not sure what the reason is.

She doesn't seem to care that I snapped. She stands on her tiptoes, leans me against the wall, and wraps her arms around my neck, murmuring in my ear "I love you, Fred. I love you, I love you, I love you. Cecilia loves you. Jeff loves you. The Ducks love you. Don't you ever forget that, Fred. There are people out there who love you, don't you forget it."

That means so much to me. So much I start crying silently into her shoulder. She doesn't say anything, she just lets me stand there, crying quietly. I feel like such an idiot for crying, but she doesn't say anything. I owe her big for this.

We stand together like that for some time. After who knows how long, she whispers, "I love you, Fred," one more time, and turns to go.

"Lex, wait," I call out. Damn, I just suck at letting her leave, don't I?

"What now?" she asks.

"Does Matt still hate me?" I can't help but ask.

"Matt? Matt McDougal? No, I don't think so."

"He seemed so mad before."

"He was mad. You made me cry. There are laws against that in Matt-land. It's punishable by everything just short of death…but he's a good guy. He's got a good heart, but he's a jerk sometimes. He doesn't mean it. He just talks before he thinks…sort of like you," she says, smiling. "You can't take everything he says to heart, not when he's mad. He gets to this point where he seems like he's beyond reason, but he's not really."

"He wanted to hit me," I say, thinking back on it. "He said he would have, but didn't because Sammie and Anna held him back."

"Yeah, he did want to hit you, didn't he?" Lex says, laughing. "Don't worry about him. Let him unwind. He's a good guy, Fred, he just doesn't like to show it. Give him another chance. He'll give you one, trust me. You've earned it."

"I guess I will, I mean, you like him, so he couldn't be that bad, right?" I say, returning her smile. We stand silent for a few moments.

"Hey! There's a party still going on downstairs, and we're missing it! Let's go!" she exclaims finally.

"Nah, I think I'll stay up here and wait for the aspirin to kick in, and then probably go to sleep," I say.

"Don't stay up here and mope, Fred, it's unhealthy, all the moping you do. Come down and hang out with us for a while," she says, begging me with her eyes.

For some reason I'm reminded of that line from 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds' by the Beatles. 'Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly, a girl with kaleidoscope eyes.'

"Alright, fine. I'll be down in a few minutes. Let me change my shirt though, ok?"

"Alright."

"Thanks," I say, and she turns to leave. "Lex, wait," damn, she gonna kill me if I keep doing that.

"What is it now, Fred!?" she says rather loudly.

"It was a great show tonight. You were incredible. I'd be surprised if you didn't win."

She smiles gratefully and says, "Thanks Fred."

She turns to go, then she stops and turns around again.

"What?" I ask her.

"Well, every time I go to walk away you say 'Lex, wait' so I figured I might save you the trouble."

"Go," I tell her, smiling at her logic. "I'll be down in a few minutes."

"Hey Lex, wait!" I call out.

"What do you want!?" she yells.

"I love you, too."

"I'll save you a dance, Fred," she says, shaking her head, and then I watch her turn the corner.

I'm just about to go into my room to change my shirt when I hear a voice from behind me.

"One of a kind, isn't she?"

I turn around to look who the voice belongs to. It's Matt. I'm a little surprised, as it doesn't really sound like him.

"Yeah, she is," I say to him.

"She's pretty special. And she was right about you, ya know. You're really not such a jerk, Fred," he says. Damn! Why does he sound so different?

"Why are you here?" I ask him.

"I came to apologize, actually. Lex is right about me too, ya know. I'm a jerk sometimes, but I'll give you another chance," he says. Oh! That's it! His voice is lacking those angry and bitter tones that it usually has when it's talking to me.

"You overheard all that?" I ask him.

"Yes. I opened the door and heard you both talking, so I decided to eavesdrop."

"That's nice," I say sarcastically.

"Yeah, but that's not why I'm here. I told you, I'm here to apologize."

"So get on with it so I can go downstairs and have some fun," I say.

"Ok. Fred, when I first met you, I didn't like you. I thought you were a jerk who was only out for himself, who made Lex cry, who caused everyone trouble. But after what you did tonight, for Sammie and for Lex, you proved me wrong. I don't want to hit you anymore. I'm sorry I was a jerk and accused you like I did. I'm sorry I prejudged about your childhood. I'm sorry I was so wrong. You're not a bad guy, Fred, and can you tell I rehearsed this before I said it?" he says. He's wearing this sort of goofy smile, and I wonder if that's how he looks when he's not being the band's resident tough guy.

"That's ok, and I can only tell a little," I say, smiling. "I guess tensions were running a little high this week. I apologized to Lex. I'm sorry for making her cry. I'm sorry I was such a jerk."

He says 'forget about it,' but it sounds like 'fuged aboud it.' I guess that's his New York City accent creeping in.

"So," he continues, "what do you say? I'll give you another chance, and you give me another chance?" He holds out his hand for me to shake.

"Sounds like a good deal," I say, taking his hand.

"Go change your shirt, I'll wait for you," he says to me.

I change my shirt and Matt and I head back downstairs.

"So what about it?" comes Jeff's voice. "How are you two getting along now?"

"We're giving each other another chance," Matt says, grinning.

"Good, that'll save us all some headaches," says Sammie. "I wanted to thank you, Fred."

"No problem, it's what any one of your friends would have done," I answer her. She smiles at me, and falls into Matt's arms.

I look around. Portman and Fulton are dancing so exuberantly that people are backing away in fear injury. Anna is dancing with Averman, and Julie is standing next to Jeff, who's right near us. Adam and Goldberg are trying to 'twist' but it looks more like they're in extreme pain. Russ and Kenny are doing what looks like some form of the chicken dance and laughing hysterically. Connie is dancing with Guy. Chris is talking with Anthony. They come over to join us.

"So?" says Anthony. "What's up, Matt?"

"We're all clear," says Matt.

I realize I'd probably better say something to Anthony. I open my mouth. "Anthony, listen, I-"

"Let's not talk about it now, Fred. It's been too good a night. We'll worry about it later," he says, giving me a weak 'I-don't-really-care' sort of smile. It's not really convincing, but he's right, I don't really want to talk about it now either.

"I guess I'd better give you another chance too?" Chris says, smiling, and I shake the hand he puts out for me.

Lex comes over, and she's dragging Charlie along. He's smiling at her, and I haven't seen him smiling like that in a long time.

"Good news, Lex, we're friends," I tell her, indicating Matt and me.

"You're jerks, both of you. But I'm glad you're friends now…or at least, not ready to kill each other…I believe I owe you a dance, Fred?"

"Yeah, but if you don't want to I'm not holding you to it," I say.

"Of course I want to! Charlie, you don't mind?"

"Nah, have a good time," he says.

She runs over to the DJ, says something, and runs back.

'A Little Help From My Friends' by the Beatles comes on. I'm glad. It's just a Beatles kind of night.

I take Lex's hands and I lead her around the dance floor.

"what would you think if I sang out of tune
would you stand up and walk out on me?
lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
and I'll try not to sing out of key.

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

what do I do when my love is away
does it worry you to be alone?
how do I feel by the end of the day,
are you sad because you're on your own?

no, I get by with a little help from my friends
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

do you need anybody
I need somebody to love
could it be anybody
I want somebody to love

would you believe in a love at first sight
yes, I'm certain that it happens all the time
what do you see when you turn out the light
I can't tell you but I know it's mine

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
mm, I get high with a little help from my friends
mm, gonna try with a little help from my friends

do you need anybody
I just need someone to love
could it be anybody
I want somebody to love

oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
with a little help from my friends"

Toward the end of the song, we're both laughing at Adam and Goldberg, who are now being told off by a very angry looking woman who they apparently knocked over.

I forget my troubles for a while, and when the song ends and Lex goes to find Charlie, I'm left all alone. But not for long, because Sammie comes over and asks me if I want to dance when the next song, 'Good Vibrations' by C+C Music Factory comes on.

"Thanks for saving me tonight, Fred. I really, really appreciate your helping me, even though I wasn't really happy with you the last few days."

"It's not a problem," I tell her.

"I'm glad you and Matt are getting along. Lex is right about you, Fred. You're really not bad."

"Neither are you, Sammie, neither are you."

Russ and Kenny are now being yelled at by the same angry woman who was yelling at Goldberg and Adam before. I laugh, and then sigh a bit.

If this is a show, it's really not a bad one.

"Guy! Ouch! Don't step on my feet!" Connie shrieks.

Oh boy. The show goes on.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

we mentioned and borrowed lyrics and song titles from the following bands:

'Start Me Up'-Rolling Stones
'Magical Mystery Tour'-Beatles
'Touch Me'- The Doors
'Edge of Seventeen'-Stevie Nicks
'Killer Queen'-Queen
'Be My Wife'-David Bowie
'Changing of the Guard'-Stone Coyotes
'Shut Up'-Blink182
'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds'-Beatles
'With A Little Help From My Friends'-Beatles
'Good Vibrations'- C+C Music Factory