NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Not much to say in this chapter. It just wraps everything up in a nice big bow.:)

Chapter Twelve

"Yes! Finally!" AJ pumped her fists in relief as the Roadmaster zoomed towards the curb and screeched to a stop in front of the bus station. Daniel had left for his trip to Las Vegas after giving AJ his phone number and making her pinkie-promise to call him once she got home.

Chase threw the rear passenger door open and stepped out so that AJ could slide into the back seat between him and Phil. The older Irvine-Hardy climbed back in, and Anna pulled away from the curb before the car door slammed shut.

"About damn time you guys showed up!" AJ exclaimed. "Where've you been?"

"Long story," Anna sighed. "I'll explain everything later."

AJ snorted. "You'll never believe the night I had!"

"I can only imagine."

"Can you drop me off at my house? I gotta call Daniel and let him know I made it back okay."

Anna cocked her head. "Daniel? Who's Daniel?"

"Long story. I'll explain everything later."

~~~BABY~~~

Finally! Anna thought as she steered the Roadmaster onto the highway. Almost home! Her thoughts were interrupted by a tiny voice in the passenger's seat:

"Anna! I lost my skate! It's not in my backpack!"

"Maybe you left it someplace," Anna said kindly, her eyes on the road.

Tempest was frantic as she pawed through her bag. "Anna, we gotta go back and find it."

"No, Temper, honey, we can't," Anna admonished her, gently.

Tempest sighed and dropped her bag on the floor. "I can't believe I lost my skate," she mouthed.

In the back seat AJ was resting her head on Phil's shoulder. A cheeky grin crossed Phil's face as he tried to lift AJ's jacket to have a look underneath it...

...Until AJ opened her eyes and smacked his hand. "Watch it, Pal!" she hissed, fixing Phil with a look that could peel paint.

The drive was uneventful until Anna spotted a familiar shape in front of her. Anna pointed to it. "Chase, Temper…that's not your parents car is it?"

Tempest glanced over and gasped. "Yes it is!"

Chase was frantic. "Yes it is! What are we gonna do?"

Anna thought for a moment. "Everybody duck!"

They all lowered their heads, and Anna floored it.

The Roadmaster went flying past the Irvine-Hardys' car, and the kids raised their heads after they were way ahead of them on the highway.

Anna asked, "Chase, how fast do your parents drive?"

"About...45, 50?"

"We'll go 80. Hang on! AJ, I'm afraid I can't drop you off. We're in too much of a hurry..."

~~~BABY~~~

In the passenger's side of the Irvine-Hardys' car, Chris watched in wide-eyed disgust as the station wagon zoomed past them. "Matty! Look at that lunatic. You know Chase and Temper are going to be driving soon and they're going to be on the road with people like that."

Matt sighed. "They're not getting a driver's license until they're 40."

~~~BABY~~~

The Roadmaster screeched to a stop in front of the Irvine-Hardys' garage, and the kids spilled out of the car and into the house.

Anna barked orders. "Okay, Chase, Temper, Phil, upstairs and into your pajamas!"

Phil bounded up the stairs behind Chase and Tempest. "I don't have any pajamas here."

"I don't care, just go upstairs! AJ, go home!"

"Not yet! I'll help you clean up," AJ said, following Anna down the hall into the kitchen. "Least I can do!"

Anna tossed her jacket over one of the chairs and began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. AJ pitched in, putting things back in the fridge and wiping down the counters. Anna ran the garbage disposal and put dishes in the dishwasher.

AJ wrung out the sponge she was using and put it in the sink, just as the the Irvine-Hardys pulled up into the driveway. "They're here! I know I owe you big time-"

"You certainly do, AJ! Now go! "

AJ rushed out the back door. "Thanks again! I'll call you tomorrow." She rushed back to her own house and found the hide-a-key in the backyard. She unlocked the door and slipped inside. Her dad and stepmom would never know she snuck out.

~~~BABY~~~

Anna flopped down on the couch in the living room grabbed the TV remote and pulled a throw over herself just as the front door opened. She pretended to be dozing in front of an episode of Coast Guard Alaska when the Irvine-Hardys entered the room.

She pretended to stretch and wake up. "Oh, hi."

"Hey Anna," Matt greeted her. "Sorry we're late."

"Oh that's okay."

"Any problems?" Chris asked, as he hung his coat up.

"No, not really. Well, Chase stayed home and Phil's sleeping over."

Chris chuckled. "Phil? What a nightmare for you."

Anna smiled knowingly. "Yeah."

~~~BABY~~~

Anna, now back in her coat, entered Chase's room, where he, Tempest and Phil were watching a scary movie. She picked up the remote and muted the TV. She grinned and sat down at the foot of Chase's bed.

Chase sat up. "So, how'd it go?"

"Everything is cool," Anna said, as the kids sighed in relief.

"Anna," Tempest asked. "Can we do this again next Friday?"

"Oh, Temper. Um, I think I'm retired."

"Oh come on, you gotta sit for me again."

Anna thought for a moment. "We'll see, okay?" she offered as Tempest nodded and smiled.

Chase glanced down at the floor, and then glanced over at his crush. "Anna, I know that Seniors don't normally hang out with Sophomores. So if I see you around school and I say Hi and you ignore me as usual it's okay."

"I don't ignore friends, Chase," she reassured him, and shared a smile with the older Irvine-Hardy.

Phil was the next to say something. "Anna, I'd just like to say thanks for giving me what is probably the best night of my life..." he paused, grinning. "So far."

Chase nodded. "Me too."

Tempest chimed in with her own, "Me too."

Anna pondered for a moment. Tonight had been a lot of fun. Dangerous, crazy, harrowing, heartbreaking...but she couldn't help but smile at the memories. "Me too. Alright, group hug everyone..."

~~~BABY~~~

After some cordial chat, the Irvine Hardys saw Anna to the front door. They sent her off with a couple of twenties and a lot of thank-yous. Before Anna was able to head back to her car, someone else appeared at the doorstep.

It took Anna a moment to recognize him. "Hi!"

Jay—the Good Samaritan from the frat party—stood on the porch, holding Tempest's missing skate. "I thought the little girl might be missing this. I saw the If Found tag on it and looked up the address."

"She must have left it at Menchie's," Anna chimed in.

Chris took the offered skate. "Thanks. You know, I'm kinda hoping she loses those skates. She uses them in the house, and it drives me crazy. Thanks again."

"You're welcome." Jay paused. "I'll walk the young lady to her car."

Once the front door was shut, Jay escorted Anna to the Roadmaster. Anna noticed Jay's vehicle parked behind hers. "You came all the way out here just to return a skate?"

Jay stopped in front of Anna's vehicle. "Actually I was…"

"Oh…oh you came for the money. I've got my checkbook in my purse, and..."

"No, no, no," Jay chuckled, and then smiled. "I'm looking for a babysitter."

Anna laughed. She and Jay were now standing very close to each other, and Anna couldn't help but notice how handsome Jay was, and how nice he smelled. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I think tonight was my last job."

Jay sounded genuinely disappointed. "Really? That's too bad."

"Who was the baby sitter for?"

Jay paused and his eyes twinkled. "Me."

"That's a heck of a pickup line." Anna let a slow smile play across her lips as Jay wrapped his arms around her. "Maybe I can come out of retirement one more time-"

"Hey! Kiss him!"

Startled, Anna and Jay glanced up to see Chase, Tempest, and Phil watching from an open window upstairs. Anna and Jay looked at them for a moment, and then busted up laughing.

"Guys!" Anna exclaimed, after she managed to stop laughing. "Go to bed!"

Laughing, the kids ducked back inside. Chase was the only one left. He watched his crush...make that his friend, now...wrapped in Jay's arms, and nodded. Yeah, it's more fun being a friend, he decided, as he closed the window and the blinds.

As Jay reached up to cup Anna's cheek and kiss her gently, Anna decided that yeah...this was the best night of her life.

THE END

After the credits:

"Yeah!" Daniel laughed (he was on his cell phone talking to AJ). "You wouldn't believe it. We drove past that building, and I coulda swore I saw some guy hanging from the windows! Dead serious. Yeah. There were fire trucks there and everything. Some jumper, I don't know. Glad you made it home. Hey, don't spike your stepmom's Diet Pepsi, okay? You promise me, okay? I'll call you when I get to Vegas. Yeah. It was fun. Talk to you later..."

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: YAAY! FINISHED! Stay tuned for more stuff from me.

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