A/N: Hey all. I know, I suck. I am so sorry that this is so late. I went from having no jobs to having four, and becoming overwhelmed with work. But now that I've settled in, I've got things under control. Once I finally had time to write, I ended up going to the secret Jonas concert in NYC on Thursday. Awesome show! Can't wait for the new album and the tour. Anyway, after being inspired by seeing those boys put on a kick ass show, I finally sat myself down and managed to finish this chapter. Enjoy!

Kadence

Disclaimer: Camp Rock and its characters are the property of the Disney Channel. I own nothing…I merely borrow for my amusement, as well as yours.

Chapter 8

"You are going to be very successful, Mitchie," Ellen said, back in the greenroom after the taping.

"Thanks," Mitchie replied.

"Come back any time. And boys you know you're always welcome," Ellen said.

There were hugs all around and then Mitchie gathered her things.

"Okay, we've got about five hours before the Tonight Show taping," Brown said. "You're welcome to go home and rest. We do have a long night ahead of us still."

"I think I'd like to do that," Mitchie said. "I really should get Sky down for a nap, and I think I might take one myself at some point before the Tonight Show."

"Alright, then I'll have the limo drop you all off at home and then I'll make sure it's back by 3:30 PM to get you to the Tonight Show taping," Brown said. "You've done great so far today. I know this is new to you, but you're adjusting really well. And Ellen's right…you are going to be very successful."

"Thanks," Mitchie replied.

**********

Mitchie had put Skylar down for a nap and managed to fall asleep herself for almost two hours. Sky's fussing over the baby monitor woke her up and she headed into the nursery to bring the baby downstairs for her bottle.

When she got there, she realized Sky was no longer fussing. Shane was holding her and he, Nate and Jason were singing to her. She was surprised and curious so she hung back for a minute watching what appeared to be a scene straight out of Three Men and a Baby.

"Hi, um, I hope you don't mind," Shane said. "We thought we'd let you sleep a little more."

"Thanks," Mitchie said. "I thought you guys went home."

"No, we just crashed on the couches downstairs," Jason said.

"Yeah, for some reason, even though we've mentioned that we're neighbors, no one knows where you live," Nate said.

"But everyone knows where we live," Shane said. "And there's a lot of paparazzi surrounding our house."

"Why?" Mitchie asked.

"Um, guys?" Caitlyn said. "You might want to check out some of the gossip sites."

"Oh no," Nate said. "What happened?"

"Apparently everyone thinks that Mitchie, Shane and Sky making a really cute family," Caitlyn said. "A few of them are even claiming that Sky's yours Shane."

"Oh no," Mitchie said. "This is exactly what some of the execs from the label were afraid of. What do we do now?"

"You told your story on Ellen earlier," Nate said. "You can tell it again on the Tonight Show later."

"I'm going to call Uncle Brown," Shane said, taking his phone out of his pocket.

"This is a disaster," Mitchie said. "I never meant for you guys to get dragged into this. I'm so sorry."

"Hey, you've got nothing to be sorry about," Jason said, hugging her. "Those gossip sites are always spouting crap. It'll blow over in a couple days. Stuff like this always does."

"What did Brown say?" Nate asked, seeing that Shane was off the phone.

"He thinks we need to at least address it…reiterate the story she told earlier on Ellen. But since Mitchie's pressed for time, we're all going to be on the Tonight Show later," Shane said.

"That's a good idea," Nate said. "Are you bringing Sky, Mitchie?"

"No. The sitter should be here soon," Mitchie said. "We're supposed to be heading right to Planet Hollywood for the party."

"Hey, is anyone else hungry?" Jason asked.

"Starving," Shane and Nate agreed.

"I could eat," Caitlyn said.

"Sure," Mitchie said, though Shane noticed that there was still something bothering her. "I'm just going to get Sky's bottle. You guys can order whatever."

Mitchie carried Sky out of the room and everyone else immediately looked at each other.

"Anyone else think that was weird?" Nate asked.

"Something's wrong," Shane said.

"I think this shook her up a bit," Caitlyn said. "But she's still upset about her parents."

"Her parents?" Nate asked.

"What happened?" Shane added.

"They're not coming tonight," Caitlyn said. "Actually, I don't think they're coming back at all."

"What?" Shane exclaimed. "They said they're not coming back?"

"How could they do that?" Jason asked.

"Mitchie told me this morning that they called and told her they wouldn't be back for the party," Caitlyn said. "But the way she was talking about how happy they seemed to be away, I wouldn't be surprised if they stayed away."

"Wow," Nate said.

"I'm gonna go talk to her," Shane said. "But guys, we just…we have to be there for her. She shouldn't have to do all this alone."

"She won't," Nate, Caitlyn and Jason agreed.

**********

"Mitch?" Shane asked, entering the kitchen to find Mitchie heating up Sky's bottle. "Caitlyn told us about your parents. Do you want to talk about it? Or about what's being posted on those gossip sites?"

"I'm fine, Shane, but thanks," Mitchie insisted.

"Hey," Shane said, grabbing her wrist. "This is obviously bothering you. You can talk to me."

"The gossip thing, whatever. People are always gonna talk. I knew that when I signed on with Lava," Mitchie said. "But my parents…I don't get it. When Cassidy and James died and I took custody of Sky, they promised they'd be there. And now they're gone and it doesn't sound like they want to come back."

"I know it sucks," Shane said. "And I know it's hard. But never forget that you have us."

"Thanks," Mitchie said.

She kissed Shane's took and turned her attention back to preparing Sky's bottle. Shane blushed a little and brought his hand to touch his cheek. Shane knew he was attracted to Mitchie, and he had definitely been jealous that one time Mitchie had mentioned her dating life, but he was still afraid to act on his feelings. Mitchie had had so many changes to her life lately; the last thing he wanted was to complicate things further.

Pushing any thoughts of a relationship with Mitchie out of his head, Shane dug through the drawer looking for a takeout menu.

**********

"My next guests have new singles off both of their upcoming albums out now. One of them is new to the music scene, but is already getting rave reviews. The others are sure to elicit screams from the females in the audience," Jay said. "Please welcome Mitchie Torres and Connect Three."

Sure enough there was a lot of screaming from the audience as the four walked out and took their seats on the couch.

"Welcome," Jay said. "Okay, so Mitchie, I understand you were signed by Lava a few months ago and you've been recording your first album and preparing for your first tour."

"Yes," Mitchie said. "It's definitely been a crazy couple of months, but these guys have definitely helped me adjust to all the changes. And we've written and recorded some amazing music together."

"Now there was an interview earlier today, which has now given rise to some suspicions about your relationship with one of these guys," Jay said.

Brown had made sure to inform Jay that the rumors coming out had to be addressed.

"Yes," Shane said, deciding to take the heat off Mitchie. "Mitchie became the legal guardian for her niece, who is almost six months old. During an interview with Ellen earlier, I brought Sky out onstage. We thought it would be a good way to introduce people to her, and hopefully, prevent any rumors or questions when Mitchie was photographed with a baby."

"I see," Jay said.

"Unfortunately, that gave rise to some rumors popping on some a lot of gossip sites earlier this afternoon," Nate added. "So we just want to quickly put an end to those. Sky is a beautiful baby girl, and she is Mitchie's niece, who Mitchie has stepped up to raise after the tragic loss of her sister and brother-in-law. We have all become very close friends and it just happened to be Shane who brought Sky out to Mitchie on Ellen this afternoon."

"Sky is not my daughter. Sky is not Mitchie's daughter," Shane added. "We know people are going to talk. We are in the limelight and that is to be expected. But this is a matter very personal to Mitchie and we wanted it addressed and the rumors quashed immediately."

"Very well said, all of you," Jay said. "Obviously, being famous, you hear a lot of crazy things about yourselves, but when innocent children, especially babies, are dragged into it, that crosses a line. I'm glad you were able to set people straight here tonight."

"Thank you for giving us the opportunity," Nate said.

"So, what has been going on in your lives besides that craziness?" Jay asked.

"We're finishing recording our new album, as well as Mitchie's first album," Jason said. "We've also got a tour coming up, so we're planning that."

"We've got some big surprises, so stay tuned," Nate said.

"The tour schedule should be released soon, and we're excited to get back out on the road," Shane said.

"And we're excited to be bringing Mitchie along with us," Jason added.

"Are you excited for your first tour Mitchie?" Jay asked.

"Definitely," Mitchie said. "I can't wait to get out there and start sharing my music with fans all over the world."

"And I'm sure the fans can't wait to hear it," Jay said. "We're going to take a break, and when we get back they are going to perform their new single This Is Me. Don't go away, we'll be back, after this."

A/N: Again, sorry about the delay. I'm in the middle of the next chapter now, all ready, so hopefully it won't be too long. Thanks, as always, for reading and reviewing. I appreciate it!

Kadence