"Hello?" She said, only it sounded more like a grunt.
"Kate?"
"Yeah."
"It's Brian."
"Oh hey...what's up?"
"I was wondering if you and Sara and Casey wanted to go out to breakfast with me and the guys. We feel like waffles."
"That sounds good. You have to give us a while, though. Casey will kill me if I wake her up this early."
Brian laughed. "We'll be over in an hour."
"OK...see you then. Bye."
"Bye." Brian hung up the phone and collapsed on his bed. Only it wasn't his bed he collapsed on, it was Nick's.
Nick shoved him off and rolled over.
"Guess what?" Brian said, getting up from the floor and kneeling near Nick.
"How about I'm gonna kick your ass if you don't leave me alone?"
Brian ignored this comment and said, "We're taking Kate and them out to breakfast."
"We are?"
"Yup."
Nick rolled over to race him, "You really like her, don't you, B - Rok?"
"I only met her yesterday...."
"And?"
"I think I may."
"Then get out of my room and wake the others."
"Thanks, man." Brian left the room, so Nick could change. He walked into his cousin Kevin's room next. Kevin got a room to himself because he was the 'oldest' and 'most responsible'. Basically it was because they picked straws and he won. Brian ran over to his bed dived onto it.
Kevin instinctivley leapt out of the bed and got ready to beat the shit out of whoever it was.
"Whoa Kev, calm down it's me."
Kevin sighed and collapsed on the floor. "You scared the hell out of me, B - Rok. It's just a good thing I didn't decide to sleep naked last night."
"I would have been blinded."
"Funny. So what do you want?"
"Get dressed. We're picking up Kate, Sara and Casey and bringing them to breakfast."
"Funny no one informed me of the plans."
"That's what I'm here for, buddy."
"You serious about this girl, B? You haven't been on a second date in let's see...." Kevin started counting on his fingers and Brian shoved a pillow in his face.
"It hasn't been that long."
"Whatever. Go wake up the others and I call the shower."
"Alright." Brian walked out of his room, and into AJ and Howie's room. "HOWIEEEE!!" He yelled. Howie mumbled something and opened his eyes.
"What?"
"Get up, okay we're going to breakfast. And wake AJ up, too."
"No way, he'll kill me. He's got a bad hangover."
"How can you tell? He's not even up."
"I know these things. It's my maternal instinct."
"Pansy," Brian said, then he yanked down the covers to AJ's bed. He filled a cup of water and splashed it on his face. Then he threw the cup on Howie's bed, and when AJ woke up sputtering he saw the cup near Howie.
AJ stood up and walked towards Howie's bed. "Oh you so wish you didn't do that."
"Have fun!" Brian said, then he ran out of the room.
Sara bounced downstairs just as the doorbell rang. She ran over and opened the door.
"Hey guys. Brian, Kate's in the kitchen and Nick, Casey's playing Nintendo in her room."
"Really?" Nick's face lit up.
"Yeah. Up the stairs, take a right, second on the left."
Nick bounded up the stairs. Sara looked at the others. "Well AJ, I can definetly say you look better than you did yesterday."
"Don't get the wrong impression...that doesn't happen a lot. I had a little too much to drink."
"It's cool..." She said. They stood there in uncomfotable silence until Howie spoke up.
"So show us around...what's the tour?"
"Alright....this way gentlemen as we enter the 'Grand Foyer'. Otherwise known as the stairs."
In the kitchen, Kate was trying to make an orange smoothie, but it was coming out a big mess. Brian stood in the doorway, amused by the sight.
"Please don't tell me your occupation is a cook," he said suddenly, and Kate whirled around and flung her cup, which in turn splattered orange milkshake everywhere.
"Oops..." she said.
"Sorry...didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay. And no I'm not a cook." She looked around. "I guess lucky for other people."
Brian laughed. "Lemme help you with that." Kate threw him a towel and he bent down to start mopping up the mess.
Sara came into the kitchen followed by Howie, Kevin and AJ and her chin practically dropped to the floor. "Kate what did I tell you about cooking? I mean the part where I told you never to cook?" Brian laughed, and Sara looked over at him and shrugged. "She's a horrible cook, you know. She can't even manage cereal. Like once, I came in and she had the fruit loops all over the counter. And she was like 'well, we didn't have any bowls.' " Brian started laughing histarically. "And Casey, don't even get me started on Casey. Every Sunday Casey comes down and tries to make breakfast. See all those yellow spots on the ceiling? Those are egg stains. Don't even ask me how she got them up there. I end up cleaning everything, and then I have to go to the store and stock up on all the stuff she wasted."
All of a sudden there was an 'ahem' from the doorway, and Sara spun around to see Casey, with Nick behind her trying to control his laughter with a hand over his mouth. It wasn't working very well. "Oh please carry on Miss I'm - Such - A - Great - Cook," Casey said, crossing her arms.
"You know it's true," Sara retorted.
"Oh please. Let's tell them about the time you tried to clean the bathroom."
"I'd rather you didn't, actually," Brian stepped in.
"Or the time you tried to make lassanga," Sara retorted.
"Guys?" Howie said...looking at Kate. Kate shrugged.
"Let's not forget the time you 'dusted' my Nintendo." Casey turned to Kevin and AJ. "See according to Sara 'the dust just wouldn't come off. So in my little mind I think - water! Let's pour water all over Casey's Nintendo.' "
Nick walked over to Brian and buried his head in his shoulder trying to control his laughter.
"And Casey let's inform everyone about the time you tried to cook soup." Sara turned to Howie. "She ended up with this boiling pot of water. PLAIN water...no ingredients. And then she's like 'Sara, why doesn't it taste good?' I was like - let's take a wild stab at it, Case."
"Oh and you're forgetting about - "
Kate finally interjected. "GUYS OKAY. We get the idea. Casey your a HORRIBLE cook and Sara you can't clean to save your life."
"And?" Sara asked.
"And I can't make cereal. OK...I admit it. I CAN'T MAKE CEREAL. Now let's go." Kate threw the dirty rags into the sink and grabbed Brian by the arm. She pulled him out on the step. He was still laughing. "They are sooo unbearable sometimes."
Nick came out then, followed by Casey, who was followed by Sara, Kevin, Howie and AJ.
"Let's settle this, Kate. Who's worse around the house?" Casey asked.
"Oh no....I'm not picking sides."
"Come on, who's your REAL friend?" Sara asked.
Kate looked around nervously. "Fine...I side with....Kevin. He says let's go eat. Right Kevin?"
"Um....yeah...let's go." Kevin and the rest of them (minus Kate and Brian) walked to the car.
Kate placed her head on his shoulder. "See what I have to live with?"
Brian placed a hand on her back. "There, there. It will get better my love."
Kate lifted her head up and eyed him suspiciously. "And you're no help, either, thank you very much." She smiled at him and walked out the door. He made a face, then followed her.
Breakfast was pretty much uneventful, save for a few times where the guys got recognized. The fans basically signed autographs, took some pictures, and then left. After breakfast, Kevin, Howie, Nick, AJ, Sara and Casey left. Brian had brought his own car, so he was going to take Kate somewhere.
"So what do you feel like doing?" He asked her. They were both seated in his car.
"Um...let's go to Disneyworld!" She said, joking around. But Brian ignored the joking around part and started the car.
"Where are we going?"
"To Disneyworld."
"Like that? Just like that we're going to Disneyworld? On the second date?"
Brian hesitated a moment...he liked how she reffered to it as a date. "We did a lot of stuff out of Disney...I have free passes. They're in the dash somewhere...could you look?"
Kate opened it, in awe they were really going. She found the tickets, closed the dash and just stared at them for a minute. "Kate, there's a lot more stuff to see inside Disney. You can put the tickets down."
"This has been like....such a dream of mine forever. I had a friend once. he was going to take me to Disney. We got halfway there and he changed his mind. He pulled into a motel and he rap....oh God....I can't believe I just said that."
Brian looked at her, saw the pain in her eyes, and took her hand. "There's nothing wrong with what you just said, Kate. What happened? What did he do?"
"I just...I mean....I'm sorry I never should have said anything."
"Kate? What's wrong?"
"I never told anyone that before. And I almost told you."
"Look...that doesn't leave the car if it's so important to you. Are you okay?" Brian still held on to her hand, and now he gripped it a little tighter. She nodded. "Kate, we're going to get to Disneyworld...we're going to go in the gates and go on rides and eat junk food and have fun. And at the end, I may even let you keep your ticket."
Kate laughed. And pretty soon after that they were at the gates of Disneyworld. They entered the park, and Brian put on his Kentucky hat and kissed her on the cheek. "Where shall we go first, my lovely?"
"Um...I've never been here before, remember?"
"Right...well we're right here," he pointed on the map, "and we can go basically anywhere!"
Kate took the map from him. "What's this big castle?" She said, pointing.
"That..." he pointed to the map, "is that," he pointed ahead and she saw the most beautiful sight she had ever seen before.
"It's a castle...." She said. She let go of his hand and walked a few steps toward it. There were old fashioned buildings on either side of the road, and Mickey and Minnie Mouse were hugging kids over to her right. Brian walked up to meet her. She turned to him. "I'm in Disneyworld....I'm really here."
"Honey, we're only at the enterance. There's about 50 million more acres to it," Brian said.
She turned to him, and kissed him softly on the cheek. Then she glanced past him to some little girls gaping at him. "I think you've been spotted."
"Right," he said. He took off his cap and placed it backwards on her head. "I shall go mingle, and then we shall have the best time possible.
So Brian went to 'mingle' with fans for a minute, and Kate wandered a bit away from him. She was busy trying to make sense of the map (she really had no sense of direction) when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned, expecting to see Brian, but instead she saw a man. She squinted into the sunlight to see his face, and when she saw who it was she gasped. She started backpedeling when he grabbed her arm.
"Hello Katie. It's been a long time."
"Let go of me Michael." Kate glanced around, looking frantically for Brian, but he had his back to her, signing autographs. The man tightened his grip.
"Nice hat. Did you get it from Mr. Lover over there?"
"Stay away from him. And stay away from me."
"Oh Katie, you never should have left. I've missed you so much."
"Jesus Michael, don't you know it's over?"
"It isn't over until I say it is. Do you understand that perfectly?"
Kate glanced over at Brian. He was still busy, but the line of little girls had shortened considerably. "Just let me go."
"I said it isn't over. And I mean it. See lover boy over there? Next Monday, 8 o' clock, 405 Willow Lane, room 8912. Or bye bye lover boy."
"Please don't hurt him."
"You do what I want, I'll think about letting him live."
Brian finished signing autographs and turned to find Kate. He didn't see her right off the bat, so he walked a ways. Finally he saw her, and he also saw a man grabbing her. He started running and reached her just as the man ran away. Brian gently touched her arm, which she was rubbing.
"Kate lemme see your arm...." She removed her hand and he gasped silently when he saw the red mark already turning into a black and blue. Brian spun around to try and find the guy, but he was long gone. "Kate...who was that? What the hell did he do to you?" Brian felt an anger he had never felt before, and Kate placed her hand back over her arm.
A million things ran through her mind...Should I tell him the truth? Then she thought of Michael. She thought of him the day he had promised to take her to Disneyworld. The day he had taken a detour and shoved her on the bed of the run down motel room. The day he took off his belt and repeatedly whipped her over and over. The day he took her innocence. And she saw the gun in his hand that day, and she remembered his threat. 'If anyone ever comes between me and my girl, I'll kill him'. She knew he was serious, so that's why she lied.
"I...I don't know."
Brian looked at her strangely, as if wanting to question her, but then he shook his head and hugged her. "Let's get you to first aid," he said. And while they were walking, Kate looked behind her. And though she was looking into the sun and she couldn't really be sure of it, she thought she saw him. And she thought she saw the glint of his gun.
