Went to the store. Be back around 7. Don't eat anything!
AJ

I smiled, then played back the messages on the answering machine. One from my manager listing all the people who wanted to interview me, one from "Johnny"'s manager listing all the people who wanted to interview him, another one from my manager about someone who wanted to duet with me, and finally, one from Brian.
"Hey, Mary, it's me. I picked my life up. Call me on my cell before six, home afterwards. Hope I talk to you soon."
I called Brian at home. He was smart; he had his line set up so you could only reach him if you knew a special code. The people who needed to know it knew it, including Christina.
I listened to the ring three times until the phone was picked up.
"Hello."
"Hey, Brian, I got your message."
"Hey, good, I'm glad you called. I have to apologize for my selfishness-"
"I know you're sorry," I broke in. "It's cool."
"Okay." He was smiling now. "So, about this song..."
We talked for a good while about first the song, then just things in general.
We hung up at around 6:45 after agreeing to meet tomorrow. A few minutes later, AJ and Christina came home.
"Mommy!" Christina yelped, giving my legs a hug. I laughed and picked her up.
"Ooh, you're getting heavy." I sat her on the back of the couch and smiled at her.
"How was your day?"
"Good! Ms. Diane read to us, then she taught us a song.
"Yeah? What song?"
"Itsy Bitsy Spider."
I smiled. "Let me hear."
She sang it to me, complete with the hand motions. I clapped when she finished.
"Fabulous, dah-ling."
She giggled. "And then we got to color."
"What did you color?"
"AJ has it."
On cue, AJ walked in with a piece of paper in his hands.
"Award winning artwork," he said, grinning. I looked at it and smiled. It said, "I love u, Mommy and AJ."
"That's great, baby." I hugged her. "I love you, too."
"Daddy's in there, too."
"Where?"
She pointed at one of the many hearts on the page. Inside, it said "Daddy." I smiled again, a little less exuberant this time.
"That's good."
She smiled at me and I felt a little better.
"Go put your stuff in your room and watch TV 'til dinner's ready," AJ said. Christina nodded and jumped off the back of the couch.
AJ and I walked into the kitchen where AJ stuck Christina's picture on the fridge.
"Right next to Nick's. Whose looks better?"
AJ grinned at me and I laughed.
"So, how was your day?" he asked, turning towards the stove.
"Okay, I guess. Recorded mostly. I do honestly think that tabloid reporters are the spawn of satan."
"Oh, I saw that in the store. Bastards."
I smiled ruefully as I stood up. I pulled a soda from the fridge for me, a beer for AJ. He was entitled to one a night. At least if Christina was around.
"Thanks. I did see y'all's Teen People. Good picture." He smiled. "I got it for you."
I smiled. "Thanks."
"You cried today, didn't you." It wasn't a question, it was a statement. I looked at him a minute, then nodded.
"Yeah, at the studio, actually."
"I figured. I did, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. After you and Christina left this morning, I had the time alone to think and I guess I needed to cry. So I did."
I put my arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. He was so skinny. Not like I'd just noticed it, just kinda caught my attention.
"What're you cooking?" I asked, breathing in. "Smells good."
"Nothing special. Fettucini with shrimp and a kind of buttery sauce." He grinned at me and I grinned back.
"You're a real gourmet."
"I'm gettin' there."

"Christina," I called after a while. "Dinner's ready."
She came into the kitchen and took her seat at the table. While I was fixing both hers and my plates, I heard her gag.
I turned and looked at her, my heart pausing a brief moment.
"AJ, your soda went sour," she exclaimed, wrinkling up her nose. When we realized that she had accidentally taken a sip of AJ's beer, we laughed.
"Don't drink AJ's soda, honey," I said, setting her plate in front of her.
"No problem." She wrinkled up her nose again. "Why does it taste so bad?"
"Because it's a special kind of soda. Only for adults." AJ grinned as he sat down.
"Adults?"
"Grown ups," AJ clarified.
"How come mommy doesn't drink it?"
"'Cause mommy doesn't like it," I said, setting her glass of milk in front of her.
"Oh. Okay." She paused a minute. "I can see why."
We laughed again and finally settled down to eat.

When we finished, AJ took up the plates and I told Christina to go get ready for her bath.
"That was good, AJ."
"Thanks." He smiled at me as he loaded the plates in the dishwasher. I returned it, then headed back to the bathroom.
As I washed Christina's hair, she looked a little thoughtful.
"Mommy, what's a divorce?"
"When two married people decide they don't love each other anymore, they go see someone called a judge and get unmarried."
"Oh." She wrinkled up her nose. "Why would two people stop loving each other?"
"A bunch of reaons."
"Oh." She nodded, seeming to understand.
"Why'd you ask?"
"Michael told me that his mommy and daddy are getting a divorce."
"Oh, I see. Did he tell who he was going to live with?"
"What do you mean?"
"When people get divorced, they don't live together anymore, usually."
"Oh. Does that mean Michael might never see his daddy again either?"
I felt a little stab in my heart and I shook my head.
"I don't know, baby. It's up to the judge."
I looked at her.
"You don't think me and daddy got a divorce, do you?"
She shook her head.
"Honest?"
She nodded. "Honest. I know daddy loved you. AJ read me some of that... that..."
"Interview," I offered. She nodded again.
"Okay, good."
She finished her bath and I got her dressed.
She spent a little time in the livingroom, with AJ, watching TV while I took a shower. When I finished, I put her to bed.
"'night, baby." I kissed her forehead and turned her lamp off.
"'night, mommy."
Back in the livingroom, AJ was still watching TV.
"I called Reg," he said, glancing at me as I sat down beside him.
"And?"
"I'm going to New York Thursday. Be back Monday. Gonna do an RS interview and shoot, then Teen People. Fun stuff."
"You betcha. Okay, that's cool."
"You know RS wants you to do an interview with them."
"I know. I'm thinking about it."
"Everyone wants to you to do an interview. They all want to know what life is like without Kev." He looked at me, his eyes soft.
"Here's the answer for the them all: 'It sucks.' Shortest interview I've ever done."
He nodded. "I saw the tabloids," he said, bringing up the topic again.
"So did I. Matt brought in a whole stack of them."
"Lying bastards. It's sad how they make up this shit."
"I know. I mean, Kev and I had no reason for a divorce. We'd never even had a huge fight."
"You were never around each other long enough for anything to get started." AJ smiled softly and I did too.
"What was the last fight you two had?"
"Stupid or serious?"
"Whichever."
"I can't remember. The biggest one I can remember was Kev thought I was working way too hard and stressing myself out. He said I wasn't paying enough attention to Christina. He was right, of course, but I didn't think so then."
"I remember that. Christina was what, two? And you were blowing up into a megastar. Everyone wanted you. Then you got sick."
I nodded, laughing slightly. "That was kinda what got me. Made me realize he was right."
AJ grinned. "You always listened when he told you to stop and breathe after that."
"Yep. So did he. Listened to me, I mean."
"You guys were so great together."
"I miss him so much," I murmured, the tears coming again.
"So do I."
I looked at AJ and noticed his eyes were brimming, too. Without another word, we hugged each other tightly and stayed like that for a long time.

Part 16
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