Bryan stirred at the sound of someone singing in the hotel room. Forcing his eyes open, he looked around the room to see who was disturbing him from his sleep at such a godforsaken hour. At first, he couldn�t see anything, but then he realized that the voice was coming from beside his own bed. He stared in disbelief as he saw Mark sitting on the floor beside his suitcase, quite happily folding Bryan�s clothes and putting them neatly away in the valise. Bryan was staring at Mark incredulously for a while before Mark finally noticed him and smiled brightly.

��Morning, mate!� he said putting away a shirt that he had just folded. �Did I wake you? Sorry about that. Just go back to sleep and I�ll try to be quieter.�

�What the hell are you doing up at this hour?� Bryan demanded. �It�s � � he turned and grabbed Mark�s watch which was lying on the nightstand and squinted at it. �It�s 7 o�clock in the morning, man!�

�Is it?� Mark replied airily. He got up to pick up a pair of Bryan�s pants that were slung over a chair and folded it meticulously before laying it with the others in the suitcase. �Well, it�s already eleven or twelve in the afternoon in Ireland then, I still must not have gotten over the jet lag yet.�

�But we didn�t get back from Mariah�s until one in the morning yesterday! Or should I say, today? And this is our morning off! How in God�s name can you, of all people, be up this early?! What�s more, how can you be so damn chipper?�

�In case you�ve forgotten, we�ve got to catch a flight to Florida today,� Mark reminded him., patting Bryan on the cheek. Bryan swatted his hand away.

�That�s hours from now!� Bryan exclaimed. �This is the only day this week that Anto is letting us sleep in and you of all people are the one depriving me of it? And why the hell are you folding my clothes, by the way?�

Mark smiled at him, unaffected. �Well, I didn�t want to waste a moment of this beautiful day! And can�t a bloke do something nice for one of his best mates?� With that, he resumed his laundral activities, humming quite unaffectedly to the tune of �Dream a Little Dream.�

�Ohhh�� Bryan said, finally understanding. He rubbed his eyes. All things considered, he should be elated that things were going the way they were going and that Mark seemed to be finally showing some signs of sense, but that would have to wait for a few hours when he had gotten a decent amount of sleep. Bryan yawned and stretched. �You know what Mark, I�m going to try and get some more sleep. Try to keep it down, okay mate?� He started to lean back down to his pillows, then shot back up. �Will you give me that?� he said, irritated, as he snatched away a pair of his boxers that Mark had just picked up. Bryan threw the boxers across the room before finally settling back down into his bed and going back to sleep.

�And singing,� Bryan confirmed. �I�ve never seen anything like it in my life.�

�Wow,� Nicky remarked. �I thought the Second Coming of Christ would come before the day Mark Feehily gets up early on the one morning we have off.� It was early in the afternoon and the lads were gathered in a private conference room inside the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. They had just given a performance and were waiting to be ushered out into the store again for the autograph signing. Mark seemed to have wandered off somewhere at the moment which left them a good opportunity for an impromptu session of Operation Mark and Mattie. They were in the thick of discussing Mark�s �interesting� behavior that morning.

�Well, love does funny things to a fella,� Bryan said knowingly.

�You think that�s what it is?� Kian said excitedly.

�Of course that�s what it is!� Bryan exclaimed. �What else could it be? All this morning he�s been walking around like a zombie, humming to himself, and generally displaying the early warning signs of a fool in love.�

�I don�t know�� Shane said uncertainly. �We�ve got to be careful about this and not jump to any conclusions. It�s hard enough to fall in love, but a hundred times harder if you�ve been best friends since you were embryos.�

�Ah Shane, don�t be so pessimistic,� Bryan said dismissively. �We�re doing great, and we�re getting some major results. You saw what happened last night! Or what almost happened anyway.� He shot a dirty look at Anto�s unsuspecting back as the other guys laughed. Shane, however, remained serious.

�Just promise me that we won�t rush this. The last thing we need is to come this far and screw it up now before anything�s hardly even begun. You got me? Don�t rush it.� The others agreed readily, knowing that this needed to be taken slowly if it was going to work.

�Don�t rush what?� came Mark�s voice from around the corner. He appeared behind them, smiling brightly. The guys shot panicked looks at each other. Had he been listening this whole time?

�How long have you been there?� Kian asked nervously.

Mark shrugged. �I just came back from the loo. Don�t rush what?�

�Uh, don�t rush the fans,� Shane covered hastily. �You know, take your time with each one.�

Mark gave him a funny look. �Don�t we always?�

�Yeah, sure we do,� Bryan said, nodding. He clapped Mark on the back. �And keep up the good work, mate.�

�Huh?� Mark looked thoroughly confused.

�Okay lads, it�s time for the autograph signing,� Anto said, coming up behind them. All the boys except for Mark breathed a sigh of relief. Anto was convenient about some things, after all. He led the way back out into the main store. Screams erupted from all around as the fans caught sight of the guys being seated at their table. The five of them waved and smiled graciously for them and began the long process of signing autographs, taking pictures, and giving kisses to the fans.

Kian, who was first in the row, was busily signing autographs when the UK version of their CD was put down in front of him. He looked up in surprise because it was the first UK copy of the cd he�d seen that day and was met by the mischievous grins of Mattie and Georgina.

�Like, ohmigod!� Mattie squealed in a dodgy American accent. �It�s Kian! Ohmigod Kian, you are sooooo sexy!�

�Like, totally,� Georgina agreed, giving Kian a seductive wink. The other four at the table looked up at the two familiar voices and started laughing.

�Ohmigod Kian, can I touch your hair?� Georgina reached out and ruffled Kian�s hair so that it stood up in a unbecoming blond mess. Kian gasped and tried frantically to pat his hair down to its original position, trying desperately hard to give the girls evil looks while keeping down his laughter. Mattie and Georgina, in the meanwhile, had moved onto Mark, who was beside Kian.

�Well hello hot stuff,� Georgina said in a sultry voice. Mark blushed brightly and quickly signed her cd insert and pushed it over to Nicky. Mattie followed Georgina, laughing too hard to keep playing along. Georgina however, was doing fine on her own. She shoved her cd insert at Nicky impatiently.

�Do you mind? I haven�t got all day,� Georgina said rudely, a hint of a smile twitching at the corner of her mouth as she muttered something about �arrogant popstars.�

Nicky grinned slyly, an idea coming to him. He raised his hand to catch the attention of one of the Virgin Megastore�s security guards. �Excuse me,� he called. �Could you do something about these two young ladies please?� Nicky said, gesturing to Georgina and Mattie. �They�re asking us to sign naughty body parts.�

�Nicky!� Mattie and Georgina exclaimed in shock as the other lads started cracking up. To their embarrassment, the security guard made their way over to them, a stern look on his face.

�Alright you two, you�re outta here,� he said firmly. He took them both by the arms as they protested vehemently and led them outside while the guys continued howling with laughter. Outside, Mattie and Georgina stood sheepishly as they received a lecture from the guard about the necessity of propriety in the current society which would crumble without some sense of respectability and decorum. Once he had finally walked away, Mattie and Georgina took one look at each other and started laughing uncontrollably.

�I cannot believe they did that to us!� Mattie gasped, holding her stomach.

�I don�t think I�ve ever been so embarrassed in my entire life,� laughed Georgina. �Imagine what those people in there must think of us!�

�You have to admit, they got us that time,� Mattie said, smiling.

�Oh, don�t worry.� A glint came into Georgina�s eye. �They�ll pay. They won�t know when and they won�t know how, but they�ll pay.�

�Ooh, that sounds evil.�

�Oh, it will be.�

�No.�

�Please?�

�No.�

�Please?�

�No.�

�AAAUUGGHH!!!�

Everyone in the van turned around to look at Bryan who was gripping his hair with a exasperated look on his face.

�Georgina! Will you forgive him already?! You guys did this all the way to the airport in New York and all the way on the plane here to Miami. It�s doin me nut in!�

Georgina raised an eyebrow at Bryan. �Well how would you feel if your boyfriend made you look like a desperate whore in front of an entire record store, and you had to receive a lecture about the merits of not being a whore from a security guard as old as your grandpa?�

Bryan thought. �Well, I�ve never had a boyfriend, and I doubt that anyone�s ever thought of me as a desperate whore.� He dodged as Georgina�s sandal came flying at his head.

�Come on, G, I�m sorry, will you forgive me?� Nicky said, giving Georgina his best pathetic puppy dog look.

�No.�

�Aww!� Nicky�s shoulders dropped. �I bet Mattie will forgive me.� He turned to Mattie, who was lying across the backseat, her head in Shane�s lap and her legs stretched across Kian and Mark. �Mattie? Do you forgive me for making you look like a desperate whore?�

Mattie tapped her finger on her chin, contemplating. �Sure!�

Nicky turned back to Georgina. �See? Mattie forgives me.�

Georgina grinned. �Mattie is desperate.�

�You know it!� came her voice from the backseat. Everyone started laughing as the van pulled up to the hotel.

�Okay, everybody out!� Anto called from the front. One by one, they all hopped out of the car and into the humid Miami air. Mattie fanned herself with her hand.

�I don�t think I could ever get used to this heat,� she remarked as they headed into the air-conditioned coolness of the hotel. After room assignments, they trudged towards the lift.

�So what are we going to do today?� Nicky asked Anto as they got in.

As usual, Anto checked his trusty clipboard. �You�ve got two performances tomorrow, but you�ve got today off so you can do what you like.�

�Alright!� There hi-fives all around as the guys celebrated the prospect of one of their few breaks from tour life.

�So what do you guys want to do today?� Nicky repeated, rubbing his hands together.

�Well you can do what you want, but you�re not doing it with me,� Georgina said icily. The lift stopped at their floor and she stalked off with Mattie scurrying behind her. Once they were in their room, Mattie put down her travel bag and gave Georgina a worried look.

�You aren�t actually mad at Nicky, are you G?� she asked nervously. �Cause you know he was only joking.�

Georgina laughed. �No, I�m not mad.� She took off her light windbreaker and slung it over a chair. �He knows I�m just messing. We do this kind of stuff all the time, see who can hold out the longest.�

Mattie laughed. �That certainly keeps it interesting,� she commented. �So when are you guys going to get back to normal?�

�Usually when he finds some kind of way to get me to forgive him,� Georgina said, smiling. �And it had better be good.�

Just then, they heard a knock at the door. �Come in!� Mattie called.

Bryan came strolling into the room, giving the girls a breezy smile. �Don�t mind me ladies, carry on with your business,� he told them as he went over to the window. Mattie and Georgina exchanged amused looks as Bryan leaned out as far as he could, looked around outside, then came back in, leaving the window open.

�Bryan, what - � Georgina began, but Bryan held up his hand.

�No time to talk,� he said briskly. �We�re on a mission.� With those cryptic words he left the room and shut the door behind him.

�What do you suppose that was all about?� Georgia questioned.

Mattie shrugged. �With Bryan, who knows?� She sat down on her bed and picked up the phone. �Who are you calling?� Georgina asked curiously.

�Front desk. It�s Sunday, remember? I�m going to ask them if they know of any Catholic Churches nearby. So help me God, I am going to get these guys to go to Church and like it no matter what. You want to come?�

Georgina nodded. �Of course I�ll come. It�ll be interesting to see how Masses are in America.�

Mattie smiled. �What do you think of going to a Mass in Spanish?�

�Really?�

�I�m listening an automated listing of services at a local church and they�ve got Masses in both English and Spanish. There�s a Spanish one at three thirty, and that�s just a little less than half-and hour from now.�

�Oh, then let�s definitely go to the Spanish one. It should be interesting to say the least.�

Mattie hung up the phone and stretched out on her bed. Suddenly, she lifted her head and tilted her head to the side, listening.

�What�s the matter?� Georgina said, noticing Mattie�s expression.

�Do you hear something?� Georgina stood still for a moment, trying to listen. �I think someone�s calling your name!� Mattie said, surprised. �It sounds like it�s coming from outside.� She and Georgina both went quickly over to the open window and look out. There, on the sidewalk, stood all five of the guys, staring anxiously up at the hotel.

�Hey, there she is!� Bryan exclaimed, pointing upward. The other guys jumped up and down and waved at them.

Mattie and Georgina looked at each other, completely confused.

�What on earth�?� Georgina began.

�Don�t go away, we�ve got something to do for you, G!� Shane shouted up at the window. By now, a small crowd had formed around them, all looking up at the two perplexed girls at the window.

�Okay, this is for you, G! I love you!� Nicky yelled. Then, all at once, they began to sing.

�I don�t wanna fight no more! I! Forgot what we were fighting for! And! This loneliness that�s in my heart! Won�t! Let me be apart! From you! I don�t wanna have to try! Girl! To live without you in my life! So! I�m hoping we can start tonight! Cause I don�t wanna fight! Nooooo more!!!�

By now Mattie and Georgina were all but falling over with laughter. �Oh, that�s terrible!� Georgina managed through her laughter. �They sound like complete crap!�

�HEY!� Nicky shouted up at them amidst the applause when they had finished the chorus. �HAVE YOU FORGIVEN ME YET, GEORGINA?!�

�YES, I�VE FORGIVEN YOU!� she called back down.

�WHAT?!�

�I SAID �YES�!�

�HUH?!�

Georgina sighed and laughed. �HOLD ON! I�M COMING DOWN!!!� She disappeared from the window, with Mattie following behind. The guys waited impatiently at the bottom for her to appear. Then, Georgina came flying out of the hotel entrance and straight into Nicky�s arms. He lifted her up before putting her down and giving her a kiss.

�Awww�� was the reaction from the other guys and from Mattie, who had just emerged. Mark smiled at Mattie over Nicky and Georgina�s heads. She smiled back at him and blushed, a reaction duly noted by the other three lads.

Georgina pulled back from Nicky and laughed. �Do you know how horrible that was?� she asked him.

Nicky grinned. �Well, why don�t you try staying in harmony while you�re attempting to serenade someone from five floors up!�

Georgina kissed him on the tip of his nose. �You know I loved it.� Nicky smiled at her before drawing her in for another kiss.

�Alright you two, break it up,� Bryan said in mock disgust. �No one needs to see that.� Everybody laughed and Georgina blushed.

�So you girls got any plans today?� Shane said, looking back and forth between the two of them.

�As a matter of fact, we all do,� Georgina confirmed.

�We do?� Shane looked confused.

�It�s Sunday,� Mattie reminded him. �And you know what that means.�

There were groans all around. �I was hoping you had forgotten about your crusade to lead us from our degenerate lifestyles,� Bryan said.

Mattie laughed and shook her head. �Not a chance,� she said, patting Bryan�s cheek. He sighed.

�Well then, if we�re going to have to go to Church today, then we have to do something fun after, to balance it out.�

�What do you suggest?�

Bryan thought for a moment. �We could go to the beach! We�re in Miami, aren�t we? The tropical paradise? We�ve definitely gotta go to the beach.�

�That sounds like fun,� Georgina agreed enthusiastically. �We could bring our swimsuits and pack a picnic for an early dinner. Do you guys want to do that?�

There was a chorus of agreement all around. �Well, we�re going to have to get this together soon,� Mattie said. �Mass starts in twenty minutes!�

�Is it me�� Kian began. �Or does it seem like we�re the only people here who are�erm, well��

�White?� Nicky suggested helpfully.

�Em�yeah.�

Shane looked around. �Are we really?�

�As far as I can tell.�

The five of them surveyed the crowd, and indeed, it seemed like everyone there seemed to be of the Latino persuasion, and many of them were speaking rapidly in a language none of them understood. Kian, Mark, Shane, Bryan, and Nicky all exchanged suspicious looks. Then their gazes fell on the two girls who were standing and conversing quite unaffectedly on the front steps of the church. When they turned to see all of the guys staring at them, they waved and smiled brightly.

�Okay, I know they know something we don�t,� Mark said.

�Come on, let�s find out,� Shane said, leading the way over to the girls with the other four following behind. When they reached them, Mattie and Georgina turned to them.

�Yes?� Mattie addressed them, smiling expectantly.

�Mattie, we want to know why we�re the only ones here who�who�.�

�Who don�t know what Noostre Sinora dee Gwadaloop is,� Bryan cut in, interrupting Shane.

Mattie laughed. �Bryan, that�s Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe,� she corrected him.

�Who cares? I wanna know why no one here is speaking any English.�

�Because this is the Spanish Mass, Bryan,� Georgina informed him patiently.

�What?!� all five of them exclaimed.

�You dragged us to the Spanish Mass?!� Kian exclaimed.

�Shh!� Mattie admonished him. �Keep your voice down! And what�s so wrong with attending a Spanish service, hmm?�

�Well, maybe the fact that we don�t speak Spanish? We�re going to look stupid!�

�Oh, no you are not,� Mattie said dismissively. �Quit being so small minded. This will be a broadening experience for you all!�

�Being a member of one of the biggest pop groups in Europe isn�t broadening enough?� Bryan said under his breath.

Mattie smiled at him. �Come on, it�ll be fun! Tell me where are you ever going to get the chance to attend Mass in Spanish in Ireland?� Seeing their skeptical faces she tried another tactic. �Well, at least here you won�t have to pay attention to the homily?� At that, their faces brightened.

�Okay!� they all agreed readily. Mattie and Georgina both shook their heads and smiled.

�Oh these boys,� Georgina sighed as they walked into the Church and the music for the entrance hymn struck up.

The service, to the surprise of the boys, was more interesting than they had originally thought it to be and was over quickly. The Mass had been said in both English and Spanish, so they understood most of what was going on and were surprised to find that many of the same things were familiar. All in all, their holy expedition had been a success. Outside the church, they all stood conversing with the other church-goers, all of whom were curious to know who these newcomers were. When they discovered that the five lads were part of a famous singing group, everyone insisted on having them sign their autographs on small fliers that had been handed out after the Mass. It wasn�t long until the priest noticed this little crowd gathered outside and made his way over to it.

�Well, well, what is going on over here?� he said in lightly accented English as he smiled at them.

�Oh, hello,� Mattie smiled back. She stuck out her hand and they shook cordially.

�You are all new here, aren�t you?� he addressed them all. �This is a small church, in a small community, so I would have recognized you.�

�Well, we�re visiting from Ireland. My name is Mattie O�Shaunessy. Your name was Father Hernandez, I believe?�

�Yes, that�s right. I was glad to see some new faces. It is always a pleasure when we can have some visitors from out of town. Please, whenever you come back, feel free to come and visit us again.�

�Gracias, Padre,� Mattie replied, smiling.

�Oh, you know Spanish?� he asked her, surprised.

�Un poquito,� Mattie answered, holding her thumb and forefinger a little distance apart to indicate that she only spoke a little. �Yo tom� solo un a�o del espa�ol a universidad, y mi espa�ol es bastante malo.�

Father Hernandez smiled benevolently at her. �No, tu espa�ol es muy bien, mu�eca.� He switched to English. �It was wonderful to meet all of you. I hope to see you here again. Vaya con Dios.� With that, he turned and went back to conversing with his congregation. Mattie smiled and turned around. She was faced with six faces staring at her incredulously.

�What the heck was that?� Bryan said, none too eloquently.

�Just a little bit of Spanish,� Mattie answered.

�How on earth do you know Spanish?� Shane asked her.

Mattie shrugged. �I took a year of it at University. Since we had to take French and Irish since primary school, I thought it would be interesting to learn something different.�

�I had no idea you could speak Spanish,� Mark told her, smiling.

�Well, there�s a lot of things you don�t know about me,� Mattie responded cheekily. �Like when I worked as an exotic dancer at the Ecstasy nightclub up in Dublin.�

�You what?�

�I�m just kidding.�

Bryan laughed and slung his arm around Mattie�s shoulders. �Ah, Mattie. You never cease to be a wonder.�

Mattie laughed too, and blushed. �Well, what are we standing around here for? I don�t know about you all, but I�m ready to hit the beach and get some of this Florida sun while it lasts.�

�Alright, let�s go then!� Nicky said enthusiastically. They all piled into the van that was waiting for them and were soon on their way to the beach.

�You seem to be a good mood,� Bryan remarked as he waded up beside her.

Mattie smiled brightly at him. �How can I not be in a good mood?� she asked him. �Just look at that sky!� He looked to see her gesture at the brilliantly blue, almost cloudless sky. The clouds that could be seen were white and billowy, like wisps of cotton candy floating around in the heavens. Mattie sighed again, a dreamy smile on her lips.

Bryan looked at her skeptically. �You can say what you want, but I think it takes more than a blue sky and a couple of clouds to put a smile like that on someone�s face.�

Mattie looked at him in surprise. �What do you mean?�

�Oh, I dunno,� Bryan said airily. He kicked at the water unconcernedly. �I mean, I�m no expert, but I think there�s something else on your mind. Or someone else, I might say.� He let his gaze drift over to where Mark was sitting on the sand, who was content to watch as everyone else played about in the water. He had gone for a swim earlier, but now was content to just sit back and relax. Mattie followed the direction of Bryan�s eyes and her gaze also settled on Mark. Just then, he noticed that both Mattie and Bryan were looking at him and he waved. Mattie smiled again in spite of herself and waved back. She turned back to Bryan to see him looking at her with a knowing expression. Mattie blushed.

�What? He waved at me, so I waved back. Is there something wrong with that?�

�Is there a reason you�re getting so defensive?�

�I am not!�

�Yes you are.�

�No, I�m not!�

�You�re yelling.�

�No, I�m not!� Right then, Mattie caught herself, and she blushed again. She was silent for a moment, thinking, before she spoke again. �I think you�ve got the wrong idea, Bry�� Mattie began.

�Have I really?� he interrupted. �Well, if I�ve got the wrong idea, I certainly didn�t get it on my own.�

�What are you talking about?�

�I�m talking about the way you two have been acting towards each other lately. You look at each other differently and you talk to each other differently. When you see each other, your eyes light up. When he talks about you, there�s a different tone in his voice. When he looks at you, there�s something there that wasn�t there before. When you�re together, it�s like no one else is around. You two are closer than you were before, and I don�t mean just on a friend level. On the surface, things might seem the same, but I can tell that something�s different.�

�That�s not true-�

�It is!� Bryan exclaimed. �It is true, you can�t tell me that it isn�t. Some things are different between you two. And I think I might know what it is.�

Mattie looked up at him in a panic. �No! Don�t say it. That�s not what it is.�

�Don�t say what?� Bryan asked her, the knowing look still one his face. �What�s not what it is?�

�I-um-I didn�t mean�I don�t � � Mattie stammered, trying desperately to find the words to get her out of this situation. A million thoughts were whirling through her mind, all fighting each other. This wasn�t what she needed right now. She had been fighting for too long to keep the feelings down for anyone to just come up and pluck them out of obscurity and back into the forefront her mind so easily. It had been too hard to get where she was now, and she couldn�t let a few promising words give up what she had gained. When he looks at you, there�s something there that wasn�t there before. Mattie shook her head, trying to forget Bryan�s words, trying desperately to believe that what he had said wasn�t true, although a part of her wanted it to be. But that part wasn�t stronger than the part of her that knew that she needed to disregard it, for her own sanity, for everything that she had worked for since the day he told her he was leaving her. She wasn�t about to go through that again, she couldn�t. It had hurt too much. Mattie shook her head again, more vehemently this time.

�No, Bryan,� she said resolutely. �It�s not what you�re thinking. Mark and I�we�ve been separated for so long, it�s only natural that we�re spending more time together. It�s not anything more. If we seem different towards each other, it�s because we are different. We�re not the same people we used to be. How could we stay the same? Especially after everything that�s happened in these past years? People change, Bryan. Things change.�

�Some things change and some things don�t.�

Mattie looked at him. �You�re right,� she said softly. �He�s still my best friend. I�m still his. That won�t ever change.� She looked out at the ocean as the sun glistened off it. �Please Bryan, I don�t want to talk about this anymore. Don�t make this into something it isn�t.� Mattie reached out and took Bryan�s hand in hers, looking up at him with pleading eyes. �Please.�

He stared down at her. Bryan could see in her eyes that Mattie wanted to believe him, what he had told her, but there was something holding her back. He wasn�t sure why, but he finally relented. �Fine,� he sighed, his decision to give up for now based on Mattie�s request as well as his promise to Shane not to rush things. He just had to trust that everything would work out the way it was supposed to. Mattie smiled up at him, relieved that they were going to stop talking about it. She reached up and hugged him around the neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

�Thank you,� she said softly before pulling away. They stood in silence for a moment, and the only sound was the waves lapping at the shore. Suddenly Mattie laughed.

�What?� Bryan said.

She pointed. �Look there.�

Bryan looked, and laughed also. Mark was still sitting on the sand, a soda in his hand, but there was a hint of terror on his face as he warily eyed a seagull that was lurking near him. He looked tense, ready to spring away if the dreaded beast dared attempt to move closer. Mattie and Bryan both shook their heads, grinning.

�Poor Mark,� Mattie said fondly. �I had almost forgotten about his bird thing.�

�Are you kidding?� Bryan replied. �You really have been away from him for too long. We�re reminded every single day. The lad is crazy! This is even worse than Nicky�s elevator thing. At least I can understand Nicky�s phobia. But birds? Come on! How can anyone be afraid of birds?�

�Well, that�s Mark for you,� Mattie said shrugging. �I can�t say I blame him. Did you ever see that Hitchcock movie, �The Birds�? That�s where his abnormal phobia of birds comes from. We saw it together and it both freaked us out so much that we had nightmares for a week after that. I got over it, but I guess Mark never did.� Mattie laughed again. �You know, we should really put the food away. I heard that if you leave so much as a crust of bread around, there�ll be fifty seagulls on it in a second from out of nowhere.� At that same time, Bryan and Mattie�s gazes both fell on the half full bag of bread still sitting on the beach from where they�d abandoned it earlier during their picnic, when they had made sandwiches. A familiar mischievous glint appeared in both their eyes.

�Are you thinking what I�m thinking?� Mattie asked, smiling

Bryan grinned. �Let�s do it.�

The others, in the meanwhile, had busied themselves with strategizing their course of action. Mattie had taken over the generalship of the operation with a firm hand, directing the processes of maneuvering for all the others. It was put upon Kian to be the decoy for the deed, and he executed his part effortlessly and flawlessly. His task was to distract Mark by initiating a conversation about the upcoming release of the duet with Mariah, a topic that they had all decided was sure to keep him occupied for an indefinite period of time. The plan worked like a charm. While Mark babbled on incessantly, Kian watched as the rest of the group, minus Nicky, inched their way up behind him.

The others were excitedly and anxiously watching Mark as well as eyeing a small group of seagulls that had gathered suddenly, which he had not as yet noticed no doubt because of his occupation with the topic at hand.

Mattie stopped suddenly, and when the others noticed that she was still, they stopped also, waiting on her command. She contemplated the situation, gauged the conditions, then nodded to herself.

�NOW!!!� she cried, flinging her handful of bread towards Mark and Kian. Kian immediately scrambled away from Mark as the others heeded Mattie�s order and flung their own handfuls accordingly. In an instant about a hundred seagulls descended upon Mark. Mariah Carey and the Isle of Capri were promptly forgotten as he yelled out and tried to make his escape from the formidable beasts, running towards the ocean in a frenzied panic. The others, meanwhile, were still on the dry sand, laughing hysterically. Kian, Shane and Bryan were laughing so hard at the panicked look on Mark�s face that they had to sit down, clutching their stomachs in uncontrolled spasms of laughter. Nicky tried to repress his own merriment but had to give in, and soon he was laughing as hard as the rest of them.

The laughter grew louder as Mark trudged back toward them, now dripping wet from his hasty escape to the ocean. He stood in front of his friends, who were laughing uncontrollably, his hands on his hips. In spite of himself, a smile was twitching at the corner of his mouth, although he was trying desperately to look angry.

�Now�� he said slowly. �Whose brilliant idea was that?� Mark asked, although he had a good idea of what the answer was. Immediately, everyone pointed to Mattie.

�Hey, thanks a lot guys!� she said, insulted. �That�s a lovely way to flake out on your leader-� Mattie broke off her sentence as she noticed Mark advancing toward her purposefully. �Mark, what are you doing � Mark!� She started backing away from him warily as he stepped closer to her. Then Mattie realized what he was going to do and took off in a mad dash away from him. Everyone started laughing again as Mark ran after Mattie while she shrieked and tried to get away from him. She managed to keep ahead of him for a few seconds but he was faster than she was and quickly caught up. He picked her up despite her vigorous protests and started to make his way over to the water as Mattie kicked and shrieked violently, laughing the whole time. He waded in as far as his waist and promptly dropped her in the water. Everyone who was still on the sand cheered and applauded before running into the water themselves to join Mattie and Mark.

Mattie sensed someone was coming up behind her and turned around. She smiled when she realized it was Mark. Wordlessly, he took her hand and they stood silently together, watching as the sun set in a sphere of fire over the ocean. The sky, which had been a steady blue all day, was now ablaze with streaks of red, yellow, orange, pink, and purple. Mattie sighed contentedly.

�Will you look at that?� she said in an awed voice, breaking the silence. �Have you ever seen anything quite so amazing? It�s a shame Ireland doesn�t have sunsets like this. Then everything about that country would be perfect, and I�d never have to leave it.�

Mark smiled at her. He wanted to say something, but he wasn�t sure what. He racked his brain for a comment or a just a word, but finding none, he gave up, content to just stand there silently. Mark closed his eyes, allowing the sound of the surf at the shore to surround him. Somewhere up the beach, a song was playing on someone�s radio. It was �Breathe� by Faith Hill..

I can feel the magic floating in the air

Mark�s fingers tightened around Mattie�s hand.

Being with you gets me that way

Almost without knowing it, he pulled Mattie�s hand towards himself, bringing her closer to him. Mattie stepped willingly into his arms, both of them still facing the ocean. Mark�s arms went around her waist, and she leaned back into him, her head resting just below his shoulder. She closed her eyes as the music washed around them.

I watch the sunlight dance across your face
And I�ve never been this swept away

The last dregs of light flickered over the ocean as the sun continued its descent from the sky. Mark looked down at the girl in his arms, unable to take his eyes off her as the glow of the sky illuminated her features. He thought she had never looked so lovely as she did at that moment.

The whole world just fades away
The only thing I hear
Is the beating of your heart

Mark�s arms tightened around her and he closed his eyes also, absorbing the feeling of being so close to her. All he could feel was her body against him, all he could hear the sound of the water lapping at their feet, and somewhere in the background, there was the music�

I can feel you breathe
It�s washing over me
And suddenly I�m melting into you
There�s nothing left to prove
Baby all we need is just to be
Caught up in the touch
The slow and steady rush
And baby, isn�t that the way that love�s supposed to be?
I can feel you breathe�

Mark inhaled shakily, and as he did, he caught the scent of her, and it was of the ocean. He rested his cheek against Mattie�s damp hair, still holding her close. She fit so right against him, and it was like his arms had been made to hold her. He didn�t think he ever wanted to let her go.

In a way I know my heart is waking up
As all the walls come tumbling down
Closer than I�ve ever felt before
And I know, and you know
There�s no need for words right now

They stood together, silently, both content to just feel the moment wash around them. Then, Mattie broke the silence. �You know,� she began softly. �I�m not sure where I heard it, but people say that if you watch the sun set, the moment the sun touches the horizon, you can hear it.�

�What does it sound like?� Mark asked in a low voice.

�I�m not sure.� Mattie thought. �I would imagine it would sound like�like a bell, like the cadence of some kind of mystical fairy bell.� She smiled to herself. �I�m sure it�s probably not quite so romantic as that, but that�s how I would like it to sound. You know what I mean?�

�Mmmhmm�� Mark answered absently. His eyes were still closed, letting her lilting voice fill his senses. He breeze was warm, and scented with the aroma of the ocean, and of flowers. The music, the air, the way Mattie fit in his arms�he couldn�t think of a more perfect moment, and he never wanted it to end. But just then, Mattie giggled against him. Mark looked down at her in surprise as she smiled up at him.

�I�m sorry,� she said, still smiling. �But I think I�ve been standing in the water for too long and my toes are getting wrinkly.�

Mark smiled back at her. �Do you want to go sit up on the sand, then?� Mattie nodded and they both made their way out of the water and onto the dry sand. The two of them sat down together, side by side. Instinctively, Mark�s arm went around Mattie�s shoulders, and her arms circled his waist as she leaned her head against him. They sat silently, watching the rest of the sunset until the fiery sphere was finally hidden behind the darkness of the blue ocean. Mark looked down at Mattie, who was still gazing out at the sky with an enraptured look on her face as night began to fall. The dark purple and pink streaks in the sky were beginning to fade, giving way to the deep blue shade of twilight. One by one, the stars began to appear in the sky, surrounding the moon as it rose and glowed over the water. Not far from where they were, a family was gathered around the bonfire they had created, and they were all speaking rapidly in a language that seemed vaguely familiar. Mark smiled, remembering where he had heard that language.

�Say something in Spanish, Mattie,� he urged her.

Mattie looked up at him, surprised. �What do you want me to say?�

�Anything. It doesn�t matter.�

�Then just give me a phrase and I�ll try to translate.�

Mark thought for a moment. �How about, �My refrigerator is broken and I have to call somebody to fix it�?�

Mattie laughed. �That�s pretty random.� She squinted in thought. �I�m pretty sure it�s �Mi refrigerador esta rota y necesito llamar alguien para repararlo.�

Mark grinned. �That�s so cool! How about, �The very first time you go skydiving, you have to go with a person strapped to your back�?� Mattie laughed at him again.

�This is only my first year, Mark,� she reminded him. �I�m not that far advanced just yet.�

�Then how about something simple,� he suggested. �How do you say��I love you�?�

�Te amo,� she responded simply.

�Te amo�� he repeated.

�You could also say �te quiero�. Te amo means, �I love you� and �te quiero� means �I want you�. But they both basically mean the same thing. People say it both ways.�

�Oh.� He looked down at her again. �How come you never told me you know Spanish?� Mark asked her.

Mattie shrugged. �Oh I don�t know. It just never came up, I guess.�

�There was a time when there was nothing we didn�t know about each other,� Mark told her softly. A cloud came over Mattie�s eyes. He didn�t know how far his words reached. She was remembering the day, the day he told her he was going away. The day she had realized� Mattie shook her head abrupty before the tears had a chance to come up. This wasn�t the time.

�Well, you can�t know absolutely everything about a person,� she responded quickly.

�You can try,� Mark said. �So let�s try. We can try to know everything about each other again, catch up on the past two years. You can go first. What do I not know about you, Madeline Rose Margaret O�Shaunessy?�

�Hold on while I think,� Mattie smiled, tapping her finger to her chin as she smiled. �Well, I have always wanted to be a lion trainer for the circus. And someday I would like to go to the moon, and walk around there for a while. I�m planning on having the world�s biggest collection of celery stalks that resemble famous people. Most people would rather do potato chips, but I�m convinced that the celery will be a definite money maker.�

By now, Mark was laughing. �No, I�m serious,� he told her, still smiling.

�Well, what do you want me to say?� she exclaimed, laughing also.

�Tell me�tell me what you want to do with you future,� Mark said, calming down. �We already know what�s in my future. But how about you?�

Mattie fell silent, contemplating. �I want to do great things. I want to touch this world in a way that will make people remember me fondly. I want people who knew me to look back on their lives and remember me with a smile on their face. I want to travel the world, and that�s already half done, thanks to you,� she said to Mark, smiling. �I want to live a simple, happy, uncomplicated life. Once I�m finished exploring the world, I�m going back to Sligo, and I�m going to live in a lovely little cottage that�s at least a hundred years old. I�m going to find myself a fine upstanding lad to make my husband and we�re going to be busy taking care of our numerous little ones.�

Mark smiled at her humorously. �Numerous? Exactly how many are you planning on having?�

�Oh, about five or six,� she said airily. �Not any more than six. I don�t think I could handle it. But I want at least five. And I want more boys than girls. I want a lovely big family so that the house will always be full of people, happy people. I know what it is to be an only child, and quite honestly�it sucked.� She laughed.

�But you had Barry, and Colin�and me.� Mark touched her cheek gently, turning her face to look at him. Mattie smiled up at him.

�I did have you. And honestly�I don�t know what I would have done without you, all of you. Although I never had any brothers or sisters of my own, I really don�t feel that I missed out on anything. I couldn�t have been me if it hadn�t been for you�you made my life complete.�

Mark just stared at her, unable to speak at this revelation. All this time, he had known that he couldn�t have lived his life without her. And knowing that she felt the same�it brought a new, inexplicable, undescribable happiness to him. He wasn�t sure why, but he felt that she had never said anything more important to him in his life. The blueness of his eyes burned into hers as he softly stroked her cheek. Mattie felt tears coming to her own eyes as she gazed at him. When he looks at you, there�s something there that wasn�t there before. At that moment, she was beginning to think that what Bryan had said was really true. Maybe, just maybe�but no. Mattie shut her eyes and shook her head almost imperceptibly. Not now. Not when she had come so far. She couldn�t let herself get weak like this. She turned her head away from his and looked back out towards the ocean. Her arms loosened around Mark�s waist and she sighed quietly. Mark leaned his forehead against the side of her head, closing his eyes, and Mattie�s heart started to beat faster. He exhaled slowly, and his warm breath on her neck caused Mattie to shiver. Mark pulled back, surprised.

�Are you cold?� he asked her concernedly. Night was falling, and the air, though still warm, was indeed getting chillier. He shrugged off his jacket and put it over her shoulders, and Mattie didn�t protest. She drew the fabric of the jacket around her and breathed in, closing her eyes. It smelled so good, like him�she shivered again. �You really must be cold,� Mark told her, smiling. �Come on.� He stood up and reached his hand down to help her up. �Let�s go back to the others. It�ll be warmer around the fire. Mattie nodded wordlessly and followed him back up the beach. As they walked, Mattie stared up at the sky helplessly, silently asking the stars why this had to be so hard.

Chapter 18

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