AN: Alright, before I say anything else, I wanted to tell you I'm really, really sorry to keep you waiting so long. I know I should have updated sooner, but I just started a new fanfic in Harry Potter, school is beginning tomorrow, and I also recently went on a week-long vacation - to put it lightly, I was busy. Plus, I had writer's block.

But of course, that still gives me no right for making you wait, so once again, I'm sorry. But hey - what are you doing reading this pathetic author's note when you could be reading my new chapter, right? so, to the story...

Dan's POV

If you don't mind me saying so myself, I'm pretty good with girls. I know what to say, I know how to act, I know how to get their numbers - basically I know how to flirt. I've been on tons of dates, had a few girlfriends.

Which is why it is a complete mystery to me why I could only gape like an idiot when I opened the door to find Natalie.

It seemed to take a few moments for her to process that I had actually opened the door, because she blinked several times before regaining herself and starting to talk in her usual, haughty manner.

"Dan, hello. It seems our paths have crossed again," she said. "May I come in?"

She didn't wait for an answer; she just pushed past me and walked inside. I hated when people did that. I mean, if you're planning to come in anyways, why bother asking?

I closed the door and turned around. Now that I had gotten my tongue back, I was ready to confront her about barging into people's houses. But just as I opened my mouth, I was interrupted by a scream.

Of course, it was Tammy who screamed. She had been only a few steps behind me when I had opened the door.

"You came!" Tammy squealed. Yes, I said squealed. You should have heard her. I didn't even know girls could make a noise like that.

Natalie, who had covered her ears when she heard the shriek, now cautiously lifted her hands away.

"Umm, yes, I came. To help you with your designs."

I frowned. It wasn't at all like Natalie to be nice, much less make such an effort to help someone. So why had she come? Something sounded fishy.

"Really, that's why you came?" I said, making sure my tone sounded skeptical.

Suddenly Nellie rushed in from the kitchen. "Is everything -?" Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a perfect O as she saw who was standing in the middle of our entrance.

I had told her last night about my run-in with Natalie. I thought Nellie might have known about Natalie being a fashion designer all along because of Tammy, but apparently she had zoned out during Tammy's one-sided conversations as much as me. Ironic, huh? She was surprised that Natalie had been pretty nice to Tammy, unsurprised that Natalie was as full of herself as always, and agreed with me it was unlikely that I'd ever see her again. I guess we were both wrong. Fate totally had something against me.

Nellie opened her mouth to say something, but Natalie beat her to it as soon as she recognized who Nellie was.

"Oh, you're that - that nanny, aren't you?"

"Au pair," I corrected her automatically.

Natalie ignored me. "Yes, your name…your name is…"

Natalie's eyebrows scrunched in concentration as she tried to remember her name. After a few moments, she hesitantly said, "Nina Lopez?"

I don't think Nellie much appreciated being called Nina. "Nellie.

N-e-l-l-i-e. And Gomez, not Lopez. Got it?"

Natalie pursed her lips, and then assumed a plastic-looking smile. "That was my next guess," she said, in a voice that was dripping with fake sweetness.

And then of course we had to make it even more crowded in the room, because suddenly Jamie came running down the stairs. "How am I supposed to write music with all this screaming and commotion?" she asked angrily.

Jamie was 18, and her style, a mixture of Punk and Goth, was the exact opposite of her sister, Tammy, who was quite the girly-girl. She was the lead singer/guitarist for a band, and she was constantly writing cool new songs that she let us listen to. She prided herself on her individuality and creativeness, and detested stereotypes. And did I mention she absolutely hated fashion shows and fashion designers? This was going to be fun.

Tammy immediately started lecturing her. "Jamie, go away. Not now. Just close the door or something, okay? Natalie Kabra is here," she said this with a proud edge to her voice, "and we're busy."

Now Jamie didn't seem the least bit interested in leaving. She looked directly at Natalie. "Did you say Natalie Kabra? The Natalie Kabra? Do you mean," she paused for dramatic effect, "that spoiled, stuck-up, snotty brat that pairs together different colors of fabric and calls them clothes? That Natalie Kabra?"

Tammy looked aghast and too shocked for words. Nellie just bit her lip.

I was tempted to say, "Yeah, that Natalie Kabra," but decided against it when I glanced over at Natalie. Her smug face had turned into one of anger, and I figured she would have plenty to say to Jamie herself.

"My work is art, and just because you're too foolish and thick-headed to see that, it doesn't mean the rest of the world is. You probably wouldn't know what art is even if it dangled itself in front of your eyes."

Now I can tell you, Jamie didn't like that. She clenched her fists before spitting out her words through clenched teeth. It seemed that both of the girls had quite a temper.

"I'm not thick-headed or foolish. And you're one to talk, anyways. You're just an airhead."

Ouch. Natalie just got dissed. This was actually pretty fun to watch.

Natalie looked like she was going to kill Jamie. For Jamie's sake, I hoped she didn't still carry her dart gun around with her.

"I know your type. You're desperate to do anything to stand out of the crowd, so you choose a famous person everyone likes and you go against them. Well, let me tell you. You're completely unoriginal, uncreative, and pathetic, and you're never going to make it anywhere." Natalie finished her outburst with a "hmph."

Never mind, Natalie was as mean as always.

Now, I was totally positive it was going to turn into a full-blown catfight. They both looked like they wanted to kill each other, but while Jamie's face was made into a scowl that didn't make it look too pretty, Natalie managed to look angry and hot at the same time - whoa, I did not just think that.

I was about to start shouting, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" when Tammy snapped out of her stupor.

"Stop!" she yelled. Both girls looked at her. I was sure Tammy was going to side with Natalie, but I should have known better. She was all for justice and peace.

"Look, you both said some mean things to each other, so you both should apologize to each other. Jamie?"

Jamie muttered something under her breath which I was pretty sure was "Sorry you're so stupid," but Tammy took it anyways.

"Natalie?" she said.

Natalie regained her original smug look as she said, "I suppose I'm going to have to be the better person here. I'm sorry for all the things I said." For some reason I didn't think she was all that sorry.

Jamie grimaced. "I'm going upstairs," she said, and once she got to her room, she slammed the door.

Tammy turned to Natalie. "I'm really, really sorry for my sister. She's kind of moody today. I - I hope you're not too offended."

Natalie, who had by now fully recovered, waved her hand. "Not at all," she said in a superior voice.

For a few moments there was awkward silence, eventually broken by Nellie. "Are you staying for lunch?" she asked.

Natalie nodded. "Of course I'm staying," she snapped. Then she called to someone outside. "Jason, bring my luggage in."

I frowned. "Your luggage? How long are you planning to 'stay', as you call it?"

Natalie rolled her eyes as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A week, of course!"

And that was when Tammy fainted.

Natalie's POV

If you don't mind me stating an obvious fact, I have quite an effect on boys. I know plenty well how to flirt, and I have had so many boyfriends I've lost count (I think it is rather redundant to point out that I was always the dumper, and never the one being dumped). When I'm around, they get overwhelmed with my beauty and radiance, poor things, and they rather forget how to speak. They usually end up staring at me like complete fools.

Which was why I was not the least bit surprised that Dan could only stare at me with his mouth wide open when he opened the door to find me there. No - what surprised me was the fact that I rather lost my train of thought at about the same time. I rather got distracted by the fact that without my high heels, Dan was half a head taller than me. I didn't like that at all.

Blinking my eyes several times to clear my head, I raised myself to my fullest height, and when I spoke, I was relieved to find it was with my usual voice.

"Dan, hello. It seems our paths have crossed again," I said with as much casualness as I could muster. "May I come in?"

Of course I didn't wait for him to answer - it would have taken ages for him to recover. Instead I saved myself a few minutes, pushing past him and walking inside his house.

I heard him close the door, and I just had enough time to see Tammy standing in front of me in shock before I heard a loud, ear-shattering scream. In a desperate attempt to block it out, I put my hands over my ears, and then, realizing it had stopped, I slowly lifted them away just as Tammy shrieked, "You came!"

It was then that I realized that that ungodly scream had come from Tammy. Who knew that a teenage girl could have such vocals?

"Umm, yes, I came. To help you with your designs," I said weakly. I wasn't quite ready to tell them yet that the real reason I came was because there was a lack of a place for me to stay. Who knew - I might not even tell them at all. This place suited me, after all. It was the perfect place to hide from my fans, and the paparazzi would never track me down here. In ways, it was even better than a hotel.

And yet, already I could see the doubt in Dan's eyes as he frowned. He knew my character too well, unfortunately. He knew I would never willingly help someone if there was no benefit for me.

"Really, that's why you came?" he asked, his voice layered thick with doubt.

Just as I was about to shoot back a scathing reply, someone burst into the entrance hall from a separate room.

"Is everything -?" she started, but stopped as she stared at me with surprise. I recognized her immediately, just as she had recognized me - it was that ring-nosed nanny that had been helping Dan and Amy during the hunt. Apparently, she still lived with them.

She opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off. "Oh, you're that - that nanny, aren't you?" I said, proud of myself for remembering her face.

"Au pair," Dan corrected me. I ignored him.

There was only one problem. I couldn't remember her name.

It was slightly embarrassing, yes, but not surprising. Being a top fashion designer, I could only keep so many names in my head. The one thing I've learned, however, is that you can never let the other side get the upper hand by losing your confidence.

"Yes, your name…your name is…" I started offhandedly, although at the same time, my mind was racing. Come on, what was her name? It has to be in my brain somewhere.

Finally I gave up, simply going with a typical Mexican name. "Nina Lopez?" I suggested, purposefully adding hesitation in my voice to show I knew it wasn't right. I would get her name now, one way or another.

The nanny, or au pair, as Dan would have said if I had been thinking aloud, seemed indignant at this.

"Nellie. N-e-l-l-i-e. And Gomez, not Lopez. Got it?" she said.

I wanted to tell her she was getting upset over nothing, but instead I put on a fake smile and said with a sugar-coated voice, "That was my next guess."

Before Nellie could reply - and I could tell she wanted to - a girl came down the stairs. "How am I supposed to write music with all this screaming and commotion?" she asked angrily.

She was about my age, and I could tell she looked a lot like Tammy (perhaps a sister?) and also looked similar to Nellie (perhaps another sister?). She had dark hair and dark eyes, which seemed to match what I could instantly see was a Goth personality. Her whole attitude and persona radiated darkness and pessimism.

Tammy instantly shooed her away. "Jamie, go away. Not now. Just close the door or something, okay? Natalie Kabra is here, and we're busy."

Jamie's - I knew that was her name now - eyes widened as she acknowledged my presence.

"Did you say Natalie Kabra? The Natalie Kabra?"

I smiled smugly. She knew me, and she was obviously a fan. Who knew a Goth girl still keeps up with fashion?

"Do you mean," she continued, "that spoiled, stuck-up, snotty brat that pairs together different colors of fabric and calls them clothes? That Natalie Kabra?"

My smile instantly faded. How dare she insult me? I was on so many levels better than her - richer, smarter, more beautiful. Jealousy was all it was.

Knowing this, I should have probably responded with a calm tone and no insults, but I'm afraid I let my temper get the better of me. I chose my words carefully, using her stereotypical personality to pick the insults that she would find most irksome.

"My work is art, and just because you're too foolish and thick-headed to see that, it doesn't mean the rest of the world is!" I shot back. "You probably wouldn't know what art is even if it dangled itself in front of your eyes." I knew that that would particularly hurt her. Being a musician - I remembered the first thing she had said when she had come down was that she had been writing music - she would consider her work art and take offense at it being called anything different.

Just as I suspected, she made her hands into fists, the knuckles growing white, and clenched her teeth.

"I'm not thick-headed or foolish. And you're one to talk, anyways. You're just an airhead," she said.

I had been expecting something like that. It was a typical shield - she was trying to convince herself that all I had was meaningless and worthless. I knew exactly how to deal with that.

"I know your type. You're desperate to do anything to stand out of the crowd, so you choose a famous person everyone likes and you go against them. Well, let me tell you. You're completely unoriginal, uncreative, and pathetic, and you're never going to make it anywhere!" After a second's silence I added a "hmph!"

I wasn't going to say anymore, even if she insulted me again. I knew exactly how far I could push, and if I pushed any further, then I was positive that Jamie would hurtle straight into a fight with me. I would win, of course - but such a waste of breath, after all.

It was Tammy, however, that was the next one to yell. "Stop!" she shouted. Jamie and I both looked at her. I could tell at once that Tammy was going to play the judge.

"Look, you both said some mean things to each other, so you both should apologize to each other. Jamie?"

I could tell at once that Jamie wasn't going to do it the polite way. She muttered something inaudible I didn't even waste effort trying to hear, knowing it was some form of an insult to me.

Tammy accepted it either way, knowing she wasn't going to get much more. "Natalie?"

I knew this was my time to show how high-class people apologized. "I suppose I'm going to have to be the better person here," I said, not trying to keep the smugness out of my voice. "I'm sorry for all the things I said."

A "Thank you" from Jamie would have been in order, but instead she grimaced. "I'm going upstairs," she stated dully, and then stomped up the stairs and slammed the door to her room shut.

I figured she would do something like that. So immature of her.

At least Tammy had the decency to apologize for Jamie. "I'm really, really sorry for my sister. She's kind of moody today. I - I hope you're not too offended."

By that time I had completely regained myself. "Not at all," I said breezily, waving a hand as if to push away such a foolish idea.

For a few seconds there was silence, and then Nellie spoke. "Are you staying for lunch?"

Well, I was certainly staying considerably longer than lunch. "Of course I'm staying," I snapped at her. Then I remembered Jason, outside in the car, still waiting for my call.

"Jason, bring my luggage in," I shouted to him.

Dan seemed thrown off by this. "Your luggage? How long are you planning to 'stay', as you call it?"

I shook my head. Some people catch on so slowly. Did it really matter how long? However long I wanted to stay, that's how long I would stay. Still, to avoid as much conflict as possible, I answered.

"A week, of course!"

And that was when Tammy fainted - right onto me.

Well, hope you liked it. And remember, R/R! I will try really hard to update quicker this time.