AN: Hi everyone, sorry for taking so long in posting the next chapter, but I was trying to post it, and it kept telling me that I reached my limit of 15…anyway, thanks to Andy the Christmas Tree and Arya for explaining it to me. You guys are awesome, and I can't thank you enough for all your help.
I also want to thank xBeautiful, OneWIshMakeItCount, isabel4724, ersy, XOXOXONickJonasluverXOXOXO, AlexaJ, x-xdonna994x-x, Arya, and epobbp for reviewing. I love reading your reviews, and you are the ones who keep me going, even when I'm not in the mood to write. You guys are the best, you are awesome, and you rock! And so does everyone who reads my story.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything, except my own ideas. And maybe an OC or 2.
Chapter 16: Start the Party
Once all of Tess's bags had been put away, Tess suggested that Jason help Caitlyn bring up her bags, once he'd finished putting away all of his. Caitlyn was happy, because then she could spend more time with Nate. Fortunately for Tess, Mitchie offered to help Nate put away his things, once she'd finished organizing her stuff. Nate agreed, and spent that time hanging out with Caitlyn in Mitchie's room. Shane pouted because he couldn't have his Mitchie time, and Mitchie promised she'd make it up to him. Peggy and Ella fought over who would NOT bring their stuff up, and Ella settled it by running over to Jason's room to make out with him. Peggy grumbled, but put away everything anyway, including Ella's lip gloss, which took an hour.
After everyone finished putting away their things, they met back downstairs, and Shane, Nate, and Jason invited the girls to watch them rehearse. Mitchie, Caitlyn, Ella, and Peggy loved the idea. Brown, of course, was going along to watch his nephew, and Tess didn't want to feel left out, so she invited herself to go along.
At the rehearsal, the guys ran through their first song, Gotta Find You.
"OK, guys, that was good, but let's try it a little faster, OK?" Nate suggested.
"OK," Jason said, as he adjusted his guitar strap.
"I don't know, guys, it sounds good as it is," Shane said. "Uncle Brown, what do you think?"
"It couldn't hurt," Brown said. Noticing the look on his nephew's face, he said. "We'll see how it goes, and then we'll take a vote."
"Fine," Shane grumbled.
"1, 2, 3, 4…" Nate counted off, as they launched into Gotta Find You again.
Every time I think I'm closer to the heart
Of what it means to know just who I am
I think I've finally found a better place to start
But no one ever seems to understand
I need to try to get to where you are
Could it be, you're not that far
You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing
I need to find you
I gotta find you
You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me
I need to find you
I gotta find you
Oh yeah
Yeah yeah
You're the remedy I'm searching hard to find
To fix the puzzle that I see inside
Painting all my dreams the color of your smile
When I find you, it will be alright
I need to try to get to where you are
Could it be, you're not that far
You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing
I need to find you
I gotta find you
You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me
I need to find you
I gotta find you
Been feeling lost, can't find the words to say
Spending all my time stuck in yesterday
Where you are is where I want to be
Oh next to you... and you next to me
Oh I need to find you... yeah
You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing
I need to find you
I gotta find you (yeah)
You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me
I need to find you
I gotta find you
You're the voice I hear inside my head, the reason that I'm singing
I need to find you (I need to find you)
I gotta find you (I gotta find you)
You're the missing piece I need, the song inside of me
I need to find you
I gotta find you
Yeah, yeah... I gotta find you
"That one's for you, Mitchie," Shane said, smiling down at her. Mitchie smiled back, as Shane kissed her deeply.
"Aww!" Caitlyn cried, as Nick took Shane's lead and kissed her. "That was for you, Caitlyn," Nick murmured, as he kissed her again. They smiled against each other's lips.
Ella and Jason didn't notice, because they were already in full make-out mode.
"OK, guys, I guess that settles it. Don't you think?"
"I guess," Shane said as Nate looked triumphant.
"YEAH!" Jason went over to Ella and lifted her in the air. Ella squealed happily as Jason pulled her down for another kiss.
"OK, guys, why don't we go through Play My Music? It has to be perfect for tonight," Nate suggested. Jason got excited, and Shane loved the idea.
The guys ran through it once, and the girls danced along to the music.
Afterwards, they listened as the song was played back. Then Brown spoke up.
"I think that's good for today. It's about time to go to the after-party," Brown said, reminding them.
"No way! Let's party!" Jason said, breaking away from Ella's lips. He grabbed her hand, and ran toward the door.
"Hey, wait up!" Shane said, taking Mitchie's hand and following them.
"Come on, Nate!" Caitlyn loved parties, and Nate was dragged along in Caitlyn's enthusiasm. "Let's go!"
At the party…
"This is soooo cool!" Mitchie and Caitlyn shrieked, while the music was blasting at full volume.
"I can't hear myself think…this is awesome!" Ella said. Peggy laughed at her friend.
"OK, guys, now we all know why we're here. Give it up for Connect 3!" The MC yelled the last part. Everyone cheered, as the guys took the stage.
"How's everyone doing tonight?" Shane called out. He smiled as everyone cheered back.
"That's good. Well, we're going to be playing a new song for you, I hope you like it."
"1, 2, 3, 4!" Shane yelled, as the guys launched into Play My Music.
Meanwhile…
"Hi, I need 3 drinks please," Tess said. "They're for the band."
"Here you go," The person gave her the drinks, and Peggy helped her carry one.
"That's really nice of you," Peggy said to Tess, as soon as the person left to serve someone else. Then she saw Tess putting something into the drinks. "Wait, Tess, what are you doing?"
"By the end of tonight, Shane will be mine," Tess vowed.
"How? By poisoning him? And the guys?" Peggy was ready to stop Tess, but Tess ignored her.
"Shh, not so loud. Over here," Tess said, taking the drinks and moving over to an isolated spot where no one could hear them.
"I'm not going to do anything bad to them," Tess explained. "This will just knock them out after they get back to the hotel, and tomorrow morning, they won't remember a thing."
"And how will this help you get Shane?" Peggy was lost.
"You'll see," Tess smiled.
Then everyone cheered, as the guys finished their song.
"Looks like everyone loves them, as usual," Tess said, trying to change the subject. Not for long…
"Yeah," Peggy clapped along with everyone else.
Back at the hotel:
"OMG, you guys were so awesome!" Mitchie said, kissing Shane.
"Thanks," Shane grinned as Mitchie wrapped her arms around him. He hugged her back.
"Yeah, you were great," Caitlyn said, before Nate kissed her.
"Let's not go that long without kissing again, OK? I hate not being able to kiss you," Nate told Caitlyn, who instantly blushed.
"OK, guys, I guess this is our stop," Mitchie said, pulling out her key. She fumbled with the door, then frowned.
"That's weird," Mitchie said. "Maybe the cards are mixed up. I'll go try the other rooms."
"I'll go with you," Nate said. He wanted to talk to Mitchie about Caitlyn.
"OK, I guess we'll stay here then," Shane grumbled.
"Way to state the obvious," Caitlyn said quietly.
With Mitchie and Nate…
"OK, spill," Mitchie said, noticing Nate was quieter than usual.
"Do you think Caitlyn really loves me?" Nate said.
"Of course she does, why would you think she doesn't?" Mitchie looked shocked.
"I don't know, it's just that I overheard Peggy and Ella talking, and Peggy said Caitlyn only likes me because I'm famous." Nate looked worried.
"They said that?" Mitchie couldn't believe they'd say something mean. Tess, definitely, but not them. She'd deal with them later. "Trust me, Caitlyn loves you, just as much as you love her. And now you'll get to spend more time with her, now that she's on tour with you," Mitchie promised him.
"I guess," Nate said, falling back into silence. "Maybe I'll get her something, to show her how much I love her. But what can I get her, now that I've showed her how I really feel by writing a song for her?"
"Trust your heart, Nate," Mitchie said. "I can't tell you what to get her. You'd know better than anyone what Caitlyn wants. But I think that would be you."
"Really?" Nate smiled. "Caitlyn's the one I want too. Thanks, Mitchie,"
"That's what friends are for," Mitchie said, as they arrived outside Jason's room.
"Hey, guys," Jason said, coming outside. He looked confused. "What are you doing here?"
"My key doesn't work, so I thought maybe the keys were mixed up," Mitchie said, trying the door. It wouldn't budge.
"Here, I'll take that key, and you try this one," Nate said, switching keys with her.
"OK," Mitchie said, waiting for the guys to go in and close the door. She tried the door, and couldn't open it. "Guys?"
"No luck, huh?" Nate poked his head out the door.
"Nope," Mitchie responded, as Caitlyn and Shane came up.
"What's up?" Mitchie asked them.
"I missed you," Shane said, just as Caitlyn said, "My key doesn't work either."
"Try opening Jason's door," Mitchie suggested. Caitlyn did, and looked puzzled as the door opened.
"OK, that's creepy," Caitlyn said. "Why did I get a key to Jason's room. Wait, I got mine from Jason, so maybe he mixed them up?"
"YEAH!" Jason tried to hi-five himself, then gave up. "Oh, hey guys," Jason greeted them.
"AWKWARD!" Shane said, then yawned. "I'm tired, so I'm going back to my room."
"OK," Mitchie said, as Shane kissed her goodnight. "I'm gonna talk to Caitlyn a little bit longer, and then I'll be back, OK?"
"Sure," Shane said, stealing another kiss from her. He walked away.
"WAIT UP!" Jason said, running out of the room and practically bowling Mitchie over. "Sorry, Mitchie," Jason said over his shoulder, as he tried to catch up to Shane.
"It's OK, Jason," Mitchie said, turning to talk with Caitlyn…
Minutes later…
"Hey, guys," Jason said, coming back. He yawned.
"Hey, Jason," Mitchie said, noticing how tired he looked. "I think I'll let you get some rest."
"Yeah, man, I think I'm gonna crash too," Nate said, just as Brown came by.
"Still up, I see?" Brown looked stern with them. "That's it, you both are going to bed whether you like it or not."
"But…" Mitchie said, trying to tell him that her key wouldn't work.
"No buts, remember?" Brown looked at her, as Nate interrupted.
"We know, no buts," Nate repeated, glancing at Mitchie. "Come on, maybe the other room will work."
"Why not?" Mitchie said. "All the other rooms don't."
Nate and Mitchie went to the last remaining room, and to their surprise, their keys worked.
"That's odd," Mitchie told Nate.
"Yeah, it is," Nate said, unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. "We'll figure it out in the morning, I'm beat. Night, Mitchie." He collapsed on the bed, and Mitchie fell asleep next to Nate soon after.
The next morning…
"Mmm…morning, babe," Mitchie murmured sleepily, thinking she was with Shane. She pulled the person next to her close.
"Good morning to you too," mumbled a sleepy Nate. "Kiss me…" Nate murmured. They kissed, then opened their eyes.
"AHHHH!!" Mitchie and Nate screamed. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?" They screamed, pointing at each other. "WHAT AM I DOING HERE?" They pointed at themselves. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE??"
Nate was the first to calm down, while Mitchie was seriously losing it. "OK, this never happened, we just…"
"Just what?" interrupted an angry Caitlyn.
Mitchie and Nate froze, not knowing what to say. They were still in bed together, and Caitlyn had burst in to see what all the screaming was about.
AN: So, what'd you think? What will Mitchie and Nate say? Will Caitlyn believe them? What about Shane and Tess? Oh, the drama.
Next up…ha ha, made you look. I'd tell you, but I don't want to spoil the surprise. You can probably guess anyway. Please review! I live for them.