It was 5:20. The girls were dressed to impress, taking the back entrance into the o-rena, Danielle leading the way.
A large, well-built man stopped them at the backstage entrance.
"Passes," he demanded.
"Steve!" Danielle cried. "Since when do Britt and I need passes?"
"Britt?" he looked at the girls. "Danielle?" Realization crossed his face. "Brittny and Danielle! Hi!"
"Hey," Brittny smiled.
"I didn't recognize you girls with the baby, and," he looked at Katie. "This lovely lady you have with you."
Katie stepped forward. "Hello, Steve is it? I'm Katie McGraw."
Steve shook her hand. "It's a pleasure."
She smiled.
"And who are you baby-sitting for this evening? Actually, the question is why are you baby-sitting a kid at a concert?"
An uncomfortable look crossed Danielle's face. "I'm not baby-sitting. This is my son Noah."
Steve looked startled at the news. "Wow. Joey never told me you hooked up with anyone. The guys always talk about you two and. . I thought you had been single since. . . you know. . . Justin."
"Yeah, I have been."
Brittny knew Danielle didn't want to have this conversation again, and frankly, she didn't want to hear it, so, she stepped in.
"So, ya plannin on letting us in anytime soon?"
"Oh, yeah. Sure. I'll talk to you ladies later."
"Bye, Steve." Katie smiled flirtatiously.
Danielle laughed, as they passed through the door Steve was holding open. "You got over JC pretty fast." she said when Steve was out of earshot.
"You like JC?" Brittny asked.
Katie nodded.
"Can't blame you. What a hottie."
They laughed, and entered the lounge. Phyllis sat on a couch reading a magazine, a janitor was emptying a trash can, and a rolly polly man was eating a doughnut off the snack table. The guys were no where in site.
"Girls!" she cried.
"Hi, Phyllis." Danielle smiled.
"It's nice to see you again." Brittny said. "This is Katie."
"Hi."
"And this," Danielle said, shifting the baby in her arms. "Is Noah."
Phyllis gasped. "He's simply precious."
"Thank you for watching him for me."
"No problem at all. " Phyllis took Noah from her as katie set the diaper bag on the table.
"The guys insisted we come."
"Speaking of the guys," Brittny quipped. "Where are they?"
"Dressing rooms."
"Should we go see them?" Katie asked.
Danielle and Brittny burst out laughing.
"In the dressing rooms?" Brittny asked.
"You so do not want to go in their dressing rooms." Danielle said.
"Why not?"
Now even Phyllis looked amused.
"For one," Danielle began. "The guys are most likely changing.. Second, those dressing rooms are hell holes. They totally trash them. And third, and finally, there is the hyperness factor."
"And what would the hyperness factor be?"
"Before every show the guys get to hyper. They somehow get this. . . energy. Usually they are pretty good about containing themselves, but you walk into their dressing rooms. . .it's like a death trap."
"They've got pranks up their sleeves like you wouldn't believe, and for some reason, they feel that you going in there justifies them pulling them on you." Danielle said.
"Oh. Then dressing rooms are no good." Katie giggled.
Phyllis bounced Noah in her arms. "It's so nice to have girls around here again-other then fans, of course. Joey's been thrilled about being home, but even more ecstatic about seeing you girls again."
"It's good to have him back." Danielle said.
"What about JC's new girlfriend? Lance said that she's been hanging around a lot." Brittny said.
"Yes, she has. Alexandra is her name. I'm not fond of her myself. I'd much rather have you around."
The girls beamed.
"Are you still touring with the guys?" Danielle asked.
Phyllis shook her head. "I fly out to wherever they are every other weekend."
"That's good. I know Joey misses you a lot when he's gone/"
Phyllis smiled.
"Well, I'm hungry for something not on that table over there." Brittny said.
"Me, too." Katie agreed.
"I'm gonna go drive through somewhere. Wanna come?"
"Sure."
"Danielle?"
"No. I'm gonna stay and wait for the guys. Talk to Phyllis about Noah. Pick me up something, ok?"
"Ok. Come on Katie."
"See ya."
With that, the two left.
Phyllis and Danielle sat down on the couch.
"How old is he?" Phyllis asked.
"About seven months."
She nodded. "I was. . .talking to Lynn this morning."
"Oh, really?"
"And she said Justin came to her last night with some pretty interesting news."
"What was that?"
"That Noah is his son."
Danielle gulped. It seemed like she was always having this conversation.
But, before she could say anything, the door in the corner of the room flew open.
"Danielle," he said slowly. "Hi."
Danielle stared at him a moment, before saying, "Hello."
Justin sighed, happy that she hadn't answered hostilely. "How are you?"
"I'm. . better."
"Good."
Phyllis looked back and forth between the two. "Do you two want me to leave?"
"No!" Danielle cried a little too quickly. Justin looked hurt.
"Are you sure? Because it's really no problem."
The door burst open, and Joey burst in.
He grinned when he saw Danielle. "Hey babydoll."
Danielle grinned grateful that Joey had saved her ass, and hopped up, standing next to him. "Hi, Red."
Joey's grin widened. "You like that, huh?" he asked playfully.
Danielle ran her fingers through the mass of red spikes on his head, moving them around messily.
Noah let out a little giggle as Phyllis made face at him, causing Joey to look in that direction.
"Hi, mom."
"Hi, Joe."
Joey's voice changed to a slightly higher pitch. "Hi, Noah."
Noah squealed.
Everyone laughed.
Soon Chris, Lance, and JC had come in, and Danielle had skillfully managed to a voice Justin by sitting between Joey and Phyllis.
"Where are Brittny and Katie?" Lance asked.
"They went to get food." she replied.
"Food?!" Chris cried. "Yesss!"
Danielle shook her head, laughing. "I don't know if they were gonna pick up anything for you guys."
Chris topped jumping around the room. "Awww."
"I think Brittny has the cell is you want to call her and tell her to grab something."
Chris shrugged. "Naw, we have the snack bar."
Danielle shook her head. "He's easy."
"Not half as easy as you."
Danielle's mouth dropped. She stood up, and strutted over to Chris. "What are you trying to say?"
"You wanna take this outside?"
"No, I think we can settle this right here." She set the cookie he had been eating down on the snack bar.
Danielle help up her hands, motioning for him to come to her. "Let's go."
Chris lunged at her, but she hopped out of his way, and jumped onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck, and her legs around his waist. They thrashed around until Chris purposely fell backward and landed on her.
"AAaaaaaa!" she screamed. "Your crushing me!"
Chris rolled over, and began tickling her as she screamed and squealed.
"No! Aaa! Stop!"
"Never!"
Danielle glanced over at Joey. "Help!"
Joey jumped up, and placed his hands on his hips. "Superman to the rescue!"
He ran over to them, and began wrestling Chris.
Suddenly the stopped. Chris and Joey glanced at eachother. They both nodded.
"One. . . " Joey started.
"Two. . . " Chris continued.
They both grinned, "Three!"
They charged at Danielle, Joey grabbing her ankles, and Chris her arms, and pulled her up off the ground.
"Noooo!" Danielle cried, as they swung her back and forth. "Gosh! Louis Lane always gets picked on!"
Justin jumped up. "Louis Lance always gets saved by the devastatingly handsome superhero."
"Devastatingly?" she laughed. "I'd rather get picked on."
"Your wish is my command." Chris said.
They swung her harder, and suddenly let go.
"AAAAAA!" she squeezed her eyes shut.
Someone caught her.
When she opened her eyes, she found Justin's crystle blue eyes starring at her.
For a moment it seemed almost like old times. Before the tour, before they broke up, before Noah.
Everyone fell silent, as they starred at eachother, neither one making a move to break the stare.
"Hey everyone!" Brittny cried.
Justin let Danielle down, another aommotion of grettings begining.
Danielle went to walk to the group, but Justin grabbed her.
"Can we talk?"
Danielle looked over to everything, then back at Justin. "Not now. I want to talk to you, but. . . now isn't the time. All right?"
He nodded, a slight smile on his face. "Yeah. All right. When?"
She puased. "Tonight. After the show."
Part Thirteen
Home
Part Fifteen