Disclaimer: All characters property of Hasbro/ Sony Wonder.

Rio

I woke up early this morning, rising before my alarm started to shrill the beginning of the day. The rain on my window pounded relentlessly, and I groaned as I rolled out of bed and made my way towards the bathroom. The commute to work was gonna be hell today. Not that living and driving in Los Angeles is ever a picnic.

I did my usual morning routine; I relieved myself, showered, and shaved my face, wincing at the pungent sting as I applied the aftershave. I did everything I could to convince myself that nothing was wrong, everything in my life was going as planned. Of course, I never was a good liar. I hate lies in general, as a rule. My family life, and my father especially, had taught me well.

I shook my head to clear it and went out to the kitchenette wrapped in a towel, prepping the single cup coffee machine for some much needed morning elixir. It began to brew, and I went back into the bedroom/ living room to get myself dressed and run a comb through my hair. As I did so, my thoughts swirled around the days' work ahead of me.

Today Video and I had a meeting scheduled with Howard Sands, LinZ Pearce, and the execs at VTV. He had phoned me two days ago, asking if I would like to be in charge of coordinating the performances for the VTV Music Awards. I'd accepted, grateful for the work, since projects had grown fewer and farther between at Starlight Music.

Speaking of which, I made a mental note to call Jerrica today and see how she was doing. Maybe she'd even know if Jem was feeling any better, or if the Holograms were planning on making an appearance. I'd get in touch with her myself, if I knew how or even where to reach her. "Ah, God, why can't I shake these feelings for her?" I asked aloud in frustration, wandering back into the kitchen to pour the coffee into a metal travel mug.

You know the answer, my conscience replied matter-of-factly. Jerrica has been cold to you ever since Emmett died. Life happens like that, grief changes people. And you've been forced to turn to someone new for comfort.

"Bullshit," I hissed under my breath, throwing on my sportcoat and grabbing my keys and wallet off of the nearby microwave. "That's no excuse for my relationship with Jem." I sighed despondently as I walked out the door and turned to lock it.

Something's different, I thought silently in the elevator on the way to the parking garage. Jerrica and I have not been the same since Jem and the Holograms were signed to her label, and a lot of that I've been to blame for, fooling around with Jem and all. And she's been so busy since their runaway success that she rarely, if ever, has any free time anymore. I certainly don't, or at least I didn't in the beginning being the Holograms' road manager. But those things don't explain how fully we've drifted from each other.

"There's still so many things that don't make sense," I muttered as the doors swished open to let me out into the lot, where my red minivan waited for me. I unlocked the driver's side door and hoisted myself inside, turning the key in the ignition. As the engine roared to life, I took a sip of my now lukewarm coffee and switched on the radio. I turned up the sound and pulled the van out of it's spot, heading for the exit.

And of course, I thought of the two of them as the song went on.I laughed a short, humorless laugh as an image of Jem popped into my head. I turned the van onto the wet, crowded interstate and made my way into the middle lane of traffic. The mournful guitar line continued to float through the speakers, and I listened more closely to the words the singer crooned, seemingly only to me and no one else.

As the windshield wipers beat the water off the glass in time to the song, an awful thought returned to me. A thought that had once occurred to me while on location in Paris for the Holograms' first video, and had haunted me ever since. It was so horrible, so utterly unthinkable despite all the evidence to support it, that it had been pushed to the very back of my subconscious.

It meant that the one person I've ever truly cared for has done to me the same as all the rest; she's lied to me. She has deceived me in the worst way, just to hurt me. Just to test me.

That's impossible, my conscience scoffed. How in the hell could your girlfriend and your mistress be the same person? How could she possibly pull off being an in demand executive and a world famous rock star without completely losing grip? And more importantly, why would Jerrica even attempt such a thing? You're thinking crazy again, Pacheco.

But it makes sense, I thought, in a twisted sort of way. They have identical voices, similar personality traits, and something in their eyes is just all too familiar. In fact, it's almost as if Jem were the wilder, looser side of Jerrica. The person she was meant to be, before all of the tragedies.

"And why would she feel the need to test me? What is she hiding from me?" I whispered, so softly I wasn't sure if I had actually spoken the words.

The green sign heralding the exit for Sands' studio shook me out of my trance, and I signaled a right, pointing the big machine towards it. When it was safe, I clicked off the radio and breathed deeply.

No more time for this now, I thought as I found the van a parking space in the visitor's lot. This job is too important to mess up. I sighed and tried to clear my head as I stepped up to the glass doors and reached for the handle.

I'll talk to Jerrica about it later, I resigned, and went to check in with the secretary.

Kimber

The sound of rain and preteen girls laughing and shouting broke through the fog of sleep, and I stretched like a feline in my sleeping bag. Groggily I sat up and took in the sight of my friends, all still sleeping except for Video. She was already dressed, in fact, pulling on her heels and trying to wake Danse.

"Danse. Danse! Come on, I've still got to drive you back to Haven House! Ohh!" She groaned, shaking the slumbering dancer insistently.

"Whatc'ha doin'?" I asked sleepily, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. She frowned. "I've got a meeting with Howard Sands and the VTV execs about the upcoming awards show, and I'm already late!" Video straightened up and began tiptoeing about the room, searching for her purse. "And Miss Dvorjcak refuses to leave her sleeping bag in time for me to bring her back home!" She huffed.

"One of us can give her a ride later," I commented, flipping the bag cover aside and standing up. "It's not a big deal." My eyes surveyed the room again, noticing my sister's spot on the couch was empty, and she was nowhere in sight.

"Do you know where Jerrica is, Video?" I asked timidly, not wanting to get in her way. Video shook her head and dug into the pocket of her yellow slacks. "She left you guys this note, though." I took it from her gratefully, and my eyes widened slightly as I read it's contents. She's back at Starlight Music again. She can't stop drowning her sorrows in paperwork.

Video paused in her pursuits long enough to look at me with concern. "Is anything wrong, Kimber?"

I sighed. "Not right now, no. But the rest of us should really go and check on my sister." I shook my head. "She's going to work herself to death."

Video shook her own head and slung her purse over her shoulder. "I wish I could do more to help." I smiled and hugged her briefly. "By listening to her, you and Danse have helped more than you'll ever know." Video grinned and put an arm around me. I returned the favor as we walked down the hall to the front door, passing the Starlight Girls, who were crowded around the TV set in the family room with bowls of sugar coated cereal.

"Bye, Video!" Christie and Ashley called out, and the others followed. We laughed, and she waved to them as I opened the door for her. She paused, looking up at the rain pouring from the skies and then at her car parked across the street. A sigh rushed from her lips as she looked back at me.

"Thanks for taking care of Danse. And keep me posted on Jerrica, okay?" Video said, and I nodded. "Only if you keep us posted on the awards!" I replied, grinning. "Cross my heart!" She grinned back and bravely ran out into the rain, cursing aloud as she did so. I waited until she was safely in her car before I closed the door.

Everyone was awake and in the kitchen when I returned, concerned looks on their faces as I joined them around the breakfast table. The barrage of worried questions began even before I sat down. I held up a manicured hand to shush them.

"All our questions should be answered when we visit Jerrica at Starlight today." I said simply, and let the matter drop for now. As I sipped my coffee, I wondered how we were ever going to get ourselves out of this situation.