Big Time Questions

"James Diamond! James!" As the band made their way backstage after performing on the Tween Choice Awards microphones and recorders were shoved into James's face. "Do you mind talking about that kiss?" "Can you tell us more about your relationship with Lucy Stone?"

Kendall, Logan, and Carlos pushed James toward the dressing room. Keeping his head down, James almost made it there.

"Lucy Stone, would you like to talk about what happened onstage tonight?" a reporter asked.

James looked up to see Lucy looking bewilderingly at him. He figured she didn't want to talk about this, either, until she pulled him towards her.

"Talk about what? This?" She pulled him closer and planted her lips on his.

James looked at her shocked and yet extremely happy.

"What's your reaction, James?"

James, for once, was at a loss for words.

"Lucy, will you be returning to your tour in Europe?" the reporter continued not waiting for a response from James.

"I owe it to my fans," she replied without glancing at James.

"What?" James squawked.

"Not now," Lucy hissed trying to keep a smile on her face. "I don't want to disappoint my fans," she said to the reporter.

"Oh, but you don't mind disappointing me?"

"You'll be on your tour."

"Not for like another month!"

"I can't bail on the tour!"

James sighed. This was true. He couldn't ask the girl of his dreams to ruin her career for him.

"You did for tonight," he said truthfully.

Yes, she did, but truth be told, she didn't have a concert scheduled for the next 48 hours. But, she couldn't say that to James.

Kendall chose that moment to grab James and push him into the dressing room which was not more than five feet away.

"What was that for?" James asked him.

"Just saving you from saying something dumb and ruining your relationship before it even starts."

"Like getting mad at Lucy for returning to her European tour," Carlos said. "By the way, has anyone seen Alexa?"

"Well, I have a right to be mad," James said ignoring Carlos's question.

"Do you have the right to air it through the national media?" Logan brought up.

James cocked his head.

"OK, maybe you're right about that. But, but…I gotta go talk to Lucy."

James darted out of the room and around the hallways looking for the black and red headed girl.

"Have you seen Lucy?" he asked Kelly who he found with Gustavo and Griffin.

"Over there," she pointed to the girl talking amongst a group of people that include Jo and Camille. "Good luck!" she winked at him.

"Lucy!" James ran over to her. "Can we, uh, can we talk in private?"

"We'll see you at the after party at the Palm Woods," Camille said.

"Um…" she hesitated. James pulled her to a deserted corner of the backstage anyway.

"You want to talk about the two kisses?"

"I want to talk about that and about you going back to Europe! How can you do this to me?"

"Do what to you?"

"I don't know, go back to Europe?"

"You're being really stupid about this."

"So now you think I'm stupid?!"

"I think you're acting stupid!"

"Hold it, hold it, hold it." James pushed Lucy down so they both sat against the wall. "We're not going to fight about this. That won't get us anywhere except maybe where we were before we kissed."

"OK, I'm sorry, James. You're not stupid."

"Thank you. But, I am hurt that you come back here just to kiss me and still want to run away to Europe."

"Who says I came here to kiss you?"

"You did."

"No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did."

"No, I came here for the award show. My American fans deserve me just as much as my European fans."

James's face fell.

"I'm sorry." Lucy patted his shoulder which just so happened to be the red costume he had just performed in. She looked at the cold concrete floor. "OK, I'm not being truthful. But, I'd kindly like it if you didn't tell anyone else. I did come back for you and only you. And I'm glad I kissed you. Now, I can forget about you."

"What?! You didn't—you didn't like the kiss? What the hell!" James screamed. "But, you kissed me again."

"Calm down, calm down! People are starting to stare. Do you want to garner the attention of the media?"

"I don't freakin' care! You—you—"

Lucy leaned over and kissed James. He pushed her away.

"Oh no, don't think you can just do that whenever you please even though you…why would you do that if you want to forget about me?"

"Because I don't want to forget about you."

"But, you said—" she cut him off with another kiss, this time a little bit longer and a little bit deeper. "I've waited longingly for the day I'd get to kiss you and now I've gotten four."

"Would you like another?" Her lips were centimeters away from James's when he put up a finger to stop her.

"I would like you to stop being coy with me and give me a straight answer."

Lucy sighed.

"I like you, James Diamond. I never thought I would as more than a friend, but I do. Every single second I was away on the tour you consumed my thoughts. I'm singing songs I wrote about Kendall and I'm thinking of you." James pulled a face. "Well, I mean, those songs are about breakup and him being a horrible boyfriend, but instead I'm thinking about how you might be a good one. Never thought I'd think that. The only way I could come see you, see if what I was feeling was true, was to come here to the Tween Choice Awards. Y'know, I really liked spending time with you this last time," she added as an afterthought.

"So, you like me? Lucy Stone likes James Diamond?"

Lucy nodded.

"But what about Europe?"

"I have to go back. I have to finish my tour. I'd be such a disappointment to my fans over there if I didn't. It would set a reputation for me and well… my manager said he might drop me from my label if I don't."

James sighed. He was getting his girl and losing his girl all in one night.

"But, you know, we got phones; we got Face Talk; we got email; we got the future," she said. "And we got tonight."

James smiled bigger than he ever had before. Lucy Stone was his.

I thought about having the interviewers ask about Sharky as well, but then I got to thinking maybe they don't know about that.

Writing James and Lucy seems to come so naturally to me. It's not my favorite ship (that'd be Jendall), but it's just so easy to write for some reason (I do like Jucy, just not as much as Jendall).