| *Written by Sammy* (June 18, 2000, Denver, Colorado) �Kate!� Chris yelled as he bounced on her bed like a four-year-old in hopes to wake her up. She groaned and turned away from him, pulling the covers over her head in the process. Her action only made him hop up and down on the bed more. Kate�s eyes shot open with frustration and she unwillingly tore the covers off her body, sitting up. �Okay, I�m up.� Chris knelt down beside her with a bounce. �Good morning sunshine.� She glared at him. �Did you forget to take you medication?� �Hey!� �Ritalin does work wonders when you actually take it,� she said giving him a sweet smile before getting up off the bed and closing the door of the bathroom behind her. After Chris recovered from her insult, he got up and knocked on the bathroom door. Kate rolled her eyes as she turned the shower on, knowing very well who it was. �What do you want Chris?� �Well being the nice person that I am, I came to tell you that we have the day off today and we wanted to know if you�d like to spend it with us.� Kate froze and then opened the door slowly. �We have the day off?� Chris smiled. �Yep, but...� his smile turned into a look of pure patheticness. �Since you had to insult me, I don�t know if we want you to come along anymore.� Kate opened the door a little wider and smiled at him. �I love you, Chris.� �Busta loves me too, but at least he doesn�t insult me.� Her shoulders slumped and she knew he would be like this for the rest of the day. �I know you want me to come along, otherwise you wouldn�t be telling me this.� �Damn, you�re good,� he said snapping his fingers. She smiled again. �I know I am,� she replied shutting the door behind her. Erin opened the door to her room, and took a step back in shock when she saw Chris. �God Chris. You almost gave me a heart attack. Umm...what are you doing in Kate�s room?� �Am I not welcome anymore?� She tugged on his shirt to pull him out of the room while she stepped inside. �Obviously not,� she said closing the door. She then knocked on the bathroom door. �Kate, hun, we�re leaving in fifteen minutes so hurry up. The boys are a little anxious to get out,� she said as she sat down on one of the beds and turned on the television. �What?! That�s how long it takes me to blow dry my hair.� �Well, just throw it all up or something,� she called out as she heard the shower being shut off, and Kate fumbling around for her things. �Are you kidding me? This is Colorado. Even though it�s the summer, it�s still freezing out there, and I don�t feel like traveling around the country being sick.� Erin rolled her eyes when she heard someone banging on the door. She reluctantly pulled herself away the TV and opened the door. She gave the two boys in front of her a lazy look. Justin leaned his arm on Chris� shoulder while Chris had his arms crossed in front of him giving her a smirk. �Yo, I hear that you dissed my friend and shoved him out of da room. What up wit dat?� �Give me a break fro boy.� �Oh, and now you have to dis the curls? I see how it is.� Erin rolled her eyes and turned to sit back on the bed, leaving the door open. �Listen homie g, it�s kinda pathetic that your friend here, who is twenty eight might I add, has to find his nineteen year old friend...� �Who is much bigger than me...� Chris added as he and Justin walked in, leaving the door wide open, and sat down next to her. �...to stick up for him.� Chris leaned in and whispered to her, �It makes him feel special.� Justin threw a pillow at him, and it hit him in the face causing Chris to get a pillow for himself and chuck it at Justin. �I am not getting in the middle of this,� Erin said getting up and moving to the other bed. Kate opened the door, letting out a small cloud of steam, scrambling to find her clothes with only a towel wrapped around her. �Erin, how long do I have before...� she stopped as she realized Chris and Justin were in the room. The two boys froze looking at her, while Kate froze herself staring back at them. Chris pulled the pillow over his face and turned away. �Please god, forgive me for looking at another woman.� A smirk came upon Justin�s face while a deep blush crept up on Kate�s. JC walked by slightly glancing into the room. He back-stepped quickly and froze taking in Kate�s barely clothed body, the mischievous smile on Justin�s face, Chris covering his eyes with a pillow, and Erin carelessly watching the television, oblivious to the situation around her. JC rushed into the room, pushing her into the bathroom, and closing it behind him. A guilty look immediately came upon Justin�s face for looking at his best friend�s cousin like that, and he smacked himself lightly in the head. Chris slowly took the pillow away from his face. �Is she gone?� �Unfortunately,� Justin said aloud. He clamped a hand over his mouth almost instantly for his slip as JC gave him a look like he was ready to murder him, and Chris turned around with a sigh of relief. �Out!� JC commanded pointing a finger at the door. �Shh,� Erin scolded waving a hand at him, never leaving her eyes from the television. �All My Children is on.� JC gave a roll of the eyes as Justin and Chris left, and he shut the door behind him. He sat down on a bed and patiently waited for Kate to change into something more appropriate. �But I thought...� �Erica, it doesn�t matter now. It�s over,� the man said as Erica Kane brought a hand up to her mouth, sobbing. JC raised an eyebrow at the television. �How can you watch this junk?� �It�s not junk. This right here, my friend,� she said pointing to the television. �Is quality programming.� JC laid back on his elbows. �Sure it is.� Kate walked out of the bathroom in a turtle necked sweater and jeans, running a comb through her dark hair. She dropped her other clothes into her bag and stood in front of the full-length mirror, trying to get the knots out of her hair. She glanced at JC in the mirror and found him staring at her. �What?� she questioned as she continued her task. �I think you know what.� She sighed as she kept brushing at a knot that seemed like she couldn�t get out. �It was an accident. I didn�t even know they were in the room. I just thought Erin was.� JC lifted his hands up dismissing it. Kate turned and grabbed a hair band off the dresser. �Would it make you feel any better if I said that I was totally embarrassed by the whole thing?� �Yeah.� �Then start feeling better,� she said bending over, her wet hair falling as she started to gather it. Erin looked back and forth between the two and grinned. �Damn, we got our own little soap opera going on right here. It�s no All My Children but hey, it�s a start.� The two cousins raised their eyebrows at her and then turned back to each other. �I�m not going to even make a comment to that one,� Kate said as she secured her hair into a messy bun. �You�re not going to go out with wet hair, are you?� JC questioned. �Well if you guys wouldn�t have been so anxious to get going, and rushed me...� she trailed off opening the door, walking out, and slamming the door behind her. JC turned to Erin in surprise wanting answers to his cousin�s reaction. Erin just shrugged and smiled innocently. �Teenagers...gotta love �em.� Kate was surprised to find the other four members conversing a couple feet away from the room. Justin turned away blushing deeply when she looked their way, and she had to smirk, knowing she caused this kind of reaction out of him. She joined the group seconds later and gave a small laugh when she noticed that Justin couldn�t even look at her. �Are we all ready to go?� Joey ignored her question and went straight to his. �So I hear you�ve been giving a little peep show, mind if you give me one later?� Kate�s jaw dropped in horror while Justin shook his head in his hand, and Lance smacked Joey in the arm before smiling innocently at her. �Please contain you raging hormones for once, will ya?� Chris spat out. Kate put her face in her hands rubbing her forehead and mumbling to herself. �God, not even five minutes and word is already spreading quickly.� Lance spoke up. �Well how about some ice skating to cheer you up?� Her hands slowly left her face and she started to brighten up. �I�d love to.� �Well what are we waiting for then?� Joey piped up. A door opened and Erin jogged up to them. �You�re not leaving me, are you?� �Of course not,� Lance replied draping an arm over her shoulder. �Yeah right,� she said giving him a light punch in the stomach. Kate glanced over her shoulder to find JC slowly following the group in silence and she turned back, feeling somewhat guilty at their argument before. She knew he just wanted to protect her. He was practically her big brother after all. �STOP!� a voice boomed down the hall. The whole group turned around and groaned when they saw Lonnie approaching them. �Now just by that groan, I knew all of you were planning on leaving without any security.� Chris leaned in to Kate. �Damn, I wish I was as intelligent as he is.� Lonnie glared at him before flipping his radio on and calling for more bodyguards. The group groaned again, disappointed by the fact that they couldn�t go anywhere without having security following them around like puppy dogs. A few minutes later, two burly men came out of the elevator and joined the rest of them. Chris� smile brightened at the two newcomers. �Yo, Big �E�, Big Dogg, what up g�s?� Randy, also known as �Big Dogg�, laughed at the man as they slapped each other�s hands. �Boy, have you looked in the mirror lately?� �Is this �Pick-on-Chris� Day or something?� he asked as he gave their other bodyguard, Eric, a brotherly hug. �Plus I think you should be asking Justin that question,� he smirked as Justin shot him a glare. Erin was practically bouncing up and down with impatience. �Come on,� she complained. �I wanna go,� she said grabbing Lonnie and Eric by the arms and pulling them along with all her strength. �No, we�re not impatient...at...all,� Lance cracked at his girlfriend as she continued to drag the two large men into the elevator. Justin continued to stare at Kate, and she finally turned to him as they put their skates on. �What?� �You�re not going to skate with wet hair, are you?� She rolled her eyes and continued to lace up her skates. �Please, don�t start acting like Josh.� He raised an eyebrow, confused, but decided not to question it. �Don�t worry about him,� he reassured, taking off the knit hat he wore and gently shoving it onto Kate�s head, covering her eyes. She stopped tying her skates and waited patiently as he tried to adjust the hat on her. She laughed as he fidgeted with pulling the hat up over her eyes and tucking her damp hair under it. �Hey, hey now,� he said concentrating on getting all her hair into the hat. �I haven�t exactly done this on someone else before.� He tucked a strand behind her ear and their eyes locked for a single moment before both turned away slightly blushing. They finished lacing their skates up in silence and got up off the bench walking on the rubber like floor to the rink. The two laughed when they saw Chris and Joey racing each other around the rink until Joey got caught in the toe pick of his skate and tripped over himself. Erin motioned for the two to come out on the ice as her and Lance skated past. Justin stepped out onto the slippery ice, hanging onto the sides as he adjusted to the feel of it. Kate came onto the ice and almost immediately her feet slipped out from underneath her. She laughed at herself as Justin helped her up with one hand while the other still held onto the sides. �I take it you never skated before,� Justin asked as she clung to the walls like it was her only lifeline. She shook her head furiously, and he grinned at her terrified look. He pried a hand of hers from the wall and held onto her gloved hand tightly. Her other arm stuck out as she tried to balance herself as best as she could while she glided on the ice with baby steps. He had to smile at the look of pure concentration and determination on her face. She looked utterly adorable especially with his knit hat on top of her head. Once she got the hang of it, her death grip on Justin�s hand loosened up somewhat. But the tides turned, and Justin squeezed her hand so tightly she felt as if he was going to crush it. �Umm, Justin? It�s usually a good idea not to break every bone in your partner�s hand.� When he still didn�t loosen up his grip, she tugged, trying to pull her hand away from him. �Justin, what�s the matter... with...you...� she said as she caught a glimpse of the group of teenage girls. She sighed and shook her head slightly. �You and I are gonna have ourselves a talk later. Got it mister?� He seemed to come out of his daze and nodded his head slightly letting his head drop. She nudged him playfully in the side with her elbow. �Come on, Justin. Just enjoy yourself. This is your day off. You don�t get too many of those so enjoy it while it lasts.� A pair of large arms separated the two as the skater wobbled, desperately trying to keep their balance. Kate and Justin laughed at Lonnie who looked absolutely ridiculous as he skated past them. His arms were flailing everywhere, and his skates looked way too small on him. He tried turning his head around to glare at the two, but he fell down on the ice in the process. Justin and Kate skated up to him, Kate using Lonnie�s bent knees to stop herself. �Damn kids,� Lonnie mumbled as Justin and Kate tried helping him up. �Making me skate...I�ll shove one of those skates right up their...� �Hey, hey now. No one held a gun to your head and forced you to put those things on,� Justin said as they successfully lifted Lonnie to his feet. �Yeah, yeah. Please tell me that we�re going to be leaving this place soon.� �We just got here,� Kate stated her eyebrows lifting. Joey skated past her, grabbing her hand on his way by. She let out a shriek as he tugged at her, pulling her across the ice while she tried to gain her balance. Lonnie shifted his gaze from Kate to Justin frequently and smiled knowingly. He crossed his arms over his chest as he watched Justin�s dreamy expression while he watched Kate still being pulled around the rink by Joey. Justin eventually tore his eyes away from her, as he turned to Lonnie who was just staring at him. �What?� he questioned. He held up his hands in defense. �I�m not even going to say a word,� he said, chuckling. He took one glide, and his body collided with the ice once again. Justin rolled his eyes and laughed at him while he peered down at him from above. �Now look who�s laughing.� Kate waited impatiently as the phone rung continuously. �Come on...pick up,� she whispered to herself as her leg bounced frantically. It seemed that her calls to her mother have been becoming more and more frequent lately. She felt a need to check on her mother always, and she would often have this gut feeling that something didn�t seem quite right since lately all she had been getting was the answering machine. The recording on the answering machine picked up once again and she slammed the pay phone back down in its place with a frustrated growl. She decided to give her mother�s work a call to see if something was up or if she was just working overtime. �...Hi Dawn. This is Kate,� she brightened up, glad to not have gotten a machine recording. �Hey hunny. What�s up?� the receptionist replied. �I was wondering if my mom was still there, since I can�t seem to reach her at home.� There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. When she spoke, the tone wasn�t a pleasant one. �You didn�t hear did you?� �Hear what? What�s wrong?� she asked, her heart rate quickening. �What happened?� �She�s at the hospital. Nothing was told to us other than that except that she won�t be at work for a least another few days.� �What?!� she exclaimed, her eyes immediately clouding over with tears. �What do you mean nothing else was said?� �We don�t know anything else.� �Well, what about my dad?� she said quickly. �Where is he?� Silence enveloped the two as Kate feared the worst. �Oh God. Please don�t tell me what I think you�re going to say.� She heard a sigh on the other end of the line and she immediately broke down. She let go of the phone and let it hit against the metal as her body fell limp into an Indian style sit, tears streaming down her cold face. She could hear Dawn�s voice faintly, asking her if she was okay. She shook her head and buried her face in her hands, her elbows propped up on her knees. How could she let this happen? She should�ve never left in the first place. She knew she should�ve stayed so she could protect her mother. She finally pulled herself together and dried her tears with her gloved hand. She looked around the lobby hoping to find her cousin. She finally spotted him talking to a blonde haired girl several feet away. She quickly walked over to him and nudged him slightly in the arm, her head down. JC tore his eyes away from the beautiful girl to see who interrupted them. �Kate?� She looked up at him. �I need to talk to you...now.� He took notice of her bloodshot eyes. �Kitty, what�s wrong?� He turned back to the girl. �Will you please excuse us a moment?� he said taking Kate�s arm and pulling her a few feet away. The blonde just rolled her eyes and walked off. JC sighed, then turned to Kate. �Now what�s wrong?� he asked again. �It�s my mom. She�s in the hospital and I need to go back Georgia...right now. I can�t wait any longer.� �What? Why is she in the hospital?� �I talked to one of my mom�s friends at work and she said they don�t know anything.� She remained quiet for a moment before speaking again. �I think it might be my dad,� she said slowly. JC quickly scanned the room for any one of their bodyguards. He found Lonnie sitting on a nearby bench looking very relieved as each skate came off his feet. Pulling Kate along with him, he went over to Lonnie. �You don�t know how glad I am to get these wretched things off,� Lonnie complained not even looking up to see who he was talking to. �Lonnie, get your shoes on. You need to drive us to the airport.� He looked up at JC like he was crazy. �And may I ask why?� �No,� he said firmly. �We just need to get Georgia as soon as possible.� He looked to Kate tear stained face back to JC�s serious one. He obliged by giving a silent nod of his head. �Okay. Let�s go then.� |