Joey was a jittery mess by the time they finally arrived in St. Louis, sitting up with the bus driver because he'd been banished from the back to keep them all from killing him. He emerged from the front, looking at Marissa with an odd expression. She lifted an eyebrow. "Are you calmed down?" she asked as she pulled her water bottle and a can of Dr. Pepper from the fridge.
"No." His hands twisted together. "Nathan threatened to toss me off the bus if I didn't leave him alone."
Marissa nodded. "Such a surprise," she said. She turned to go back to the movie, only to nearly hit Chris. She stared at him. What, was he following her around? It wasn't as if she could go anywhere on this bus! "Hi. Joey's banished back with the rest of us."
"We'll live," he said with a grin. "We're off the freeway."
She gave him a curious look. "How do you know?"
"The road sounds different, and we're slowing down."
"You can tell that without seeing outside?" she asked skeptically.
His smile held just a touch of arrogance. "I've been doing this a long time," he told her, moving aside so she would squeeze past him.
"I know," she smirked. "You're old." She plopped down in her seat, and set the soda within Lance's reach.
"Hey," Chris protested, sitting next to her.
"You can't really talk," Anika piped up from next to JC, who had dozed off some time ago. Marissa lifted an eyebrow at her.
"Sure I can," she said archly.
"Why do you say that?" Justin asked.
Anika smirked. "She's about Chris' age."
"She'd almost have to be," Lance said softly from his corner near the tv. He couldn't see it from there, but didn't seem to distressed; the book he'd borrowed from Marissa looked about half done.
"You are alive!" Justin announced, grinning. Lance glared at him.
"Why do you say that?" Chris asked.
"She told Joey he was too young," Lance said, grabbed his soda with a grateful look at Marissa, and went back to his book.
"Well, he is," Marissa said with a wink at Joey, who was oblivious to the whole conversation. "And if we're almost there, I'm going to gather my stuff." She got up and left. Chris watched her go, then looked at the others in frustration.
"You know, she's really... odd."
There was a stunned silence, then everyone burst into laughter. Marissa looked back in. "Coming from you, Chris, that's quite a compliment."
"That is the worst case of the pot calling the kettle black that I have ever heard," Anika added, and dissolved into giggles when Chris glared at her.
The bus pulled to a stop, and Joey charged out to the front, past Marissa, who pressed herself against the bunk to keep him from running her over. "Slow down, Cassanova," she muttered, shaking her head as the bus started up again.
They were all gathered in the front, each almost as anxious to get off the bus as Joey was, when they finally pulled up in front of the hotel.
"There's Matt," Joey said, and nearly dove off the bus. Both Marissa and Anika grabbed his arms, giving Randy the time to get hold of him as well.
"You don't want to go out there on your own," Marissa added, trying to hide a smirk. "Trust me on this one."
"They'll barely notice me!" he protested.
Anika gaped at him, then reached up and felt his forehead. "No fever. Hello, Joe. There's this thing about your hair... and at least four people are holding pictures of you. Which means there are about twenty who are fans of yours and aren't."
"And we like our middle voices," Justin said with a cheeky grin.
Joey sighed. "Okay, fine, fine, I'll stay until we get off...."
"Good choice," Marissa told him with a grin, and Randy let him go.
"Like I had a choice," he muttered with a glare at Randy. The body guard smiled innocently.
Getting to the hotel was never a lot of fun, but they managed it with a minimum of fuss. Grabbing the key from Tim and ignoring his scowl, Marissa and Anika started up to their room. They reached the hallway and discovered that they had a shadow. Marissa just shook her head and kept walking. "Joey, this is the most pathetic I think I have ever seen you."
"Oh, thanks...."
"I can say the same thing," Chris said, joining them, "and I've known him longer."
"You are such a big help," Joey mumbled. Marissa grinned.
"Good to know this isn't that common an occurrence," she said, and opened the door as Chris was pulled into someone else's room.
The sight that met them was funny; Clara was jumping on the bed closest to the door. She turned to see them and smiled, but didn't stop. With a grin, Marissa and Anika stepped in; Joey seemed glued to the doorway.
"Hey, come on up, the bouncing's fine," Clara said. Marissa laughed, then dropped her suitcase and joined her. Anika did the same thing. "Come on up, Joey!" she called again.
He leaned against the door. "No, thanks. There are already too many people up there. I don't want to hurt anyone."
Marissa jumped down. "Don't let that stop you. It's all yours," she said with a gesture, and moved her suitcase over to the other bed.
"I don't know," he hedged.
Clara didn't stop, and neither did Anika. "She's sleeping on that bed," Marissa told him flatly, indicating the other bed, and vanished into the bathroom. Anika laughed, and after a short pause, Joey joined them on the bed designated Clara's. Clara grinned in victory.
Anika tired of the game soon and got down. "I'm gonna find JC," she said to the room in general, and left.
"So, we're finally alone," Clara said, winked mischievously, then in a move Joey didn't quite follow, reached down and snagged a pillow. She hit him upside the head before he could duck, but he was concentrating on what he was doing. Just after she hit him, he grabbed her and tossed her onto the other bed. She landed on her stomach, surprised. He stood on the bed, a superior look on his face, then reached down and grabbed the other pillow.
"You know, that means war, Red," Clara said as she turned over. "And I don't think you're ready to deal with me and a pillow war."
He smirked. "Oh, I have learned from the masters of pillow wars, Blondie."
"Blondie?" she demanded, affronted, and sat up. "Blondie? Oh, you're so going to die, Fatone!"
"Hey, you called me Red... turnabout is fair play." He got down off the bed, the smirk still on his face.
"Who said I was talking about your hair?" she demanded, trying in vain to keep a straight face.
He shrugged. "I did. Besides, it doesn't matter."
"What does then?"
The smirk eased into a real smile. "That you're finally here."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Really? And here I was thinking it was those dang fifteen year old girls down in the lobby that got you all hot and bothered."
Marissa laughed from the bathroom door, where she was looking out. "And we are so glad you are here. He's been driving us to distraction for the last day and a half. We even banished him to his bunk and it didn't work. Now maybe we can get some rest. And if you're planning on hitting anyone with that pillow, Joe, you'd better leave at least two with filling. I'm not sleeping on a dead pillow. Understand?" She looked perfectly serious, but both of them could see her eyes dancing in mirth.
"Gee, Marissa, you're harsh," Clara said in awe, and Marissa winked at her.
"So I'm a troll before my shower," she said.
Joey looked indignant. "But she started it!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!" Joey insisted. Marissa laughed and ducked back into the bathroom.
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"I'm not listening!" Marissa called, her voice echoing eerily.
"Did not did not did not!" Clara announced, then stuck her tongue out at Joey.
Joey's eyes narrowed a little, then he shrugged. "Right. You didn't start anything. Right." He nodded condescendingly, a smirk on his face.
"I didn't! My evil twin did!"
There was a knock on the connecting door, and Joey started over to open it. "Evil twin. Hm.... I'll have to remember that one." He turned and winked at her.
"Don't go stealing my excuses, Fatone," Clara whined. "What'll I use when I need one?"
"Oh, you'll make up new ones." He opened the door and smiled. "Hey, Lance. What's up?"
Lance didn't smile back, and even looked a little pale. "Nothing," he said. "Hey, Clara. Did Anika leave already?"
"Yeah, she did. And Joey, what if I don't want to make up new ones? You know what they say.... you can't teach old dogs new tricks!"
Joey laughed and walked over to her, standing over her. "And since when are you old?"
"I was talking about you!"
Lance stepped further into the room, hesitantly, one hand half lifted as if trying to get their attention.
"Oh, I see." Joey sat next to Clara, and gently pinned her down. "Well, if I'm old, so are you. No other way around it." His smile was just a bit evil. Both of them jumped when a door crashed shut, but Joey didn't take his eyes from hers.
"Maybe so. But still, did not!" Clara insisted.
"Did too," he said softly.
"Did not, to infinity!"
"Did too, to infinity plus one," he countered, and grinned at her astonished look.
"There is no such thing as infinity plus one! I win by default!" she announced.
Joey grinned. "Ah, well...." He let her up with a regretful look, and stepped away from the bed.
"So, what's my prize?" Clara asked, sitting up with an odd feeling.
"Dunno. My prize was a kiss from you, but I lost." He sighed.
Clara stared at him. "Oh. Well, then, I'll just have to modify the outcome, then, won't I? I forfeit, you win."
Joey laughed. "We could ask Lance...." He looked around, and only then realized that Lance had gone. For an instant, he felt a little guilty for ignoring his friend, then he grinned at Clara. "Besides. I already lost. You'll have to come up with your own prize, lovely lady." It bugged him a little; Lance had kept to himself a lot lately. He shrugged it off mentally and firmly turned his attention to the woman in front of him.
"Fine, then," she said. "My prize is two kisses from you."
"If you guys are kissing, then stop. If you aren't yet, wait until I get out of the room." Marissa stepped out of the bathroom, changed and with wet hair. She deftly twisted it up, using a claw to keep it off her neck, then smiled at the couple. "Thanks. I'll go now, back to your regularly scheduled program." She knocked on the connecting door and vanished out of the room.
"Does she always do that?" Joey asked Clara.
"Do what?" Clara asked.
"Quip something like that, then disappear?"
"Probably. It's all part of her charm." Clara looked at him narrowly. "Now where were we? I think I was claiming my prize."
"Charm," Joey snorted. "She's been hanging around with Chris too long. Oh. Your prize.... right. If you can, of course." He smirked at her, somewhat amazed at how easy it was to be comfortable around her.
"Somehow, I don't think I'll have a problem with it," she said confidently, stepping closer to him.
"Oh, really, now," Joey said. "Odd... I was just thinking you'd have to fight for it."
"If I do, I suppose I could go find Lance. He was supposed to talk to me about something, and I should find out what. I'm just not in the mood to fight with you."
Joey grinned. "If I know Marissa, Lance is long gone. She always helps him find things to do in the evenings. And you were in a fighting mood a minute ago - you declared war on me, remember? What happened?"
Clara shrugged. "You know the saying 'make love, not war'? I think that fits right now."
Joey laughed, stepped closer to her, and hugged her tightly. "I missed you. Thanks for coming."
"Joe, Joe, Joe," she said with a grin. "I missed you, too."
They stood there in silence for a while, both relieved to be where they were. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" Joey asked after a minute.
"No idea," Clara murmured dreamily. "I kinda like the idea of staying in, watching a movie or something with you."
Joey took a deep breath. "Movie sounds great." Only he didn't want to move, and the attachment his thoughts implied frightened him.
"But...." she said softly.
"But what?" She couldn't have picked up on that.
"Joey, I've known you for a while now. Whatcha holding back?"
That I'm almost afraid to let you go. That I'm almost afraid to keep holding you. That I'm terrified you'll do something that will hurt so bad I'll wish I could die. That I'm terrified you'll stay. "Absolutely nothing," he said with an easy grin. "I think that's a great idea. Want to see one in here, or go find out what everyone else is doing?" He kept his voice neutral, wanting her to know the options, hoping to keep his thoughts from her. He honestly didn't care as long as they were together.
"How about we stay here, then?" She drew back just enough so she could find his eyes. "Joey, I missed you. A lot," she added with a small smile.
"Here is good. I missed you, too. I hope we don't drive you nuts," he added in a lighter tone, "but it's nice to have you here."
Clara smiled. "As cheesy as this is going to sound, Joey, even if you drove me nuts, there's no where else I'd rather be."
Joey chuckled softly. "I guess it's a good thing I like cheese. And nuts." He paused, then tipped her chin up, leaned down, and kissed her sweetly.
Clara was somewhat floored when he finally broke the kiss, staring up at him. "Wow," she whispered, her fingers on her lips.
"Wow is right," he said softly, then they both became aware of the pounding on the door. With a wry look, Joey let her go and went to open the door. He'd barely got it open when Justin burst in, blue eyes bright with excitement.
"Hey. You going out tonight?" he asked Joey, then leaned around him and grinned at Clara. "Hi. How was your trip?"
"Great, Justin."
"Cool. So?" He turned his attention back to Joey.
"We're staying in, watching a movie."
Justin looked disappointed, then grinned again. "Can I join you?"
Joey looked at Clara.
"Fine by me," she said with a shrug. "As long as one of you volunteers to be my pillow."
Joey's hand shot up in the air. "Me, pick me!!! Me!!" he said, looking for all the world like a small child in a class. Justin looked at him like he'd lost his mind, but he was also trying not to laugh.
"Hmmm," Clara said musingly, her eyes going between the two young men. "This is a tough decision. I think I'll have to go with Justin, though."
Joey stared at her in mock surprise, although not so much of one that a smile wasn't trying to break free. Justin laughed, backing away from her with his hands up. "Oh, no. 'Cause when you're gone, he'll get revenge, then I'll have to get him back, and that would just cause more trouble than Tim is ready to deal with." He glanced at Joey, glad to see the insecurity had all but disappeared from his eyes.
Clara shook her head. "Justin, I was joking. Why would I want to lie on your hard stomach when my Teddy has the most comfy stomach?"
Joey grinned and flushed a little. Justin shook his head, perplexed, then shrugged and bounced onto the messed up bed Marissa had claimed was Clara's. "So, what movie are we watching?" he asked.
"One of my favorite movies," Clara said.
"Which is?" Joey asked, reaching for the hotel phone to notify them of their movie choice.
"Scream 3," Clara said.
"You don't know?" Justin asked, astonished.
"Joey, you don't know my favorite movie?" Clara repeated as he gave the request over the phone.
"Ah..." he said as he hung up. They both grinned at him. "I don't think we ever got around to talking about favorite movies," he said contemplatively.
"Oh. We didn't," she said. "Talk about favorite movies, I mean."
"I didn't think so," Joey said.
"What do you talk about?" Justin demanded.
"Other stuff," Joey said vaguely, and winked at Clara.
"Very other stuff." Clara returned his wink, and they both laughed.
Justin rolled his eyes and shuddered. "Okay, I don't want to know."
Joey laughed again. Clara smiled. "Come on over here, Teddy. I need my pillow," she said.
Joey turned the tv on, switched it to the correct channel, then walked over to the bed she was on. He casually shoved Justin off the bed and lay across it, the wall to his back.
"Justin, you okay?" Clara asked as she lay so that her head was cushioned on Joey's stomach. He began wrapping locks of her hair around his fingers, smiling slightly at the silky feeling of it sliding over his skin.
Justin looked up at her. "For some reason, he feels the need to pick on me more when you're around," he said, but there was a smile twitching at his lips as he got up. He sat on the other bed long enough to lose his shoes.
"Keep your feet off the pillows or face Marissa's wrath," Joey warned him as he stretched out on the bed, his head towards the foot of it.
"Yeah, and my wrath. You haven't seen anything until you've seen my wrath," Clara added.
Joey tickled her gently. "Those aren't your pillows," he reminded her softly.
"I know, but shhhh. Justin doesn't!"
"I heard that," Justin muttered as the movie started.
When there was about fifteen minutes left, they both became aware of a faint snoring. Joey started laughing, which got Clara giggling. The sensation of have having her pillow laugh was a completely foreign one, and it was funny.
"I didn't think it was possible for anyone to sleep through this movie," Clara muttered incredulously when they finally calmed down. "I would have sworn it wasn't possible. It's too loud."
"I guess he was a lot more tired than he thought," Joey said.
"I guess," Clara agreed, and they were quiet until the end of the movie.
"So, now what would you like to do?" Joey asked as he turned the tv off.
Clara grinned at him. "Cuddle?"
Joey laughed and sat next to her. "Done," he whispered softly, and leaned down to kiss her.
A particularly fervent snore broke them up as Clara giggled. She glanced over at the bed. "Too bad he's asleep," she said, cuddling closer to Joey. "I can't put the moves on him."
Joey mock pouted at her, but it wasn't long before he was smiling again. "Is that so? I could wake him up, you know. Or you could. What a way to wake up...." he murmured.
"Joey! Let the poor guy sleep!"
He grinned. "Hey, if he's tired, it's his fault."
"It might be his fault," Clara started.
"But?" Joey asked.
"But we're still his friends that should let him sleep when he can."
Joey gave her a look of mock-surprise. "We're his friends? Oh... well, I guess I'll have to be nicer to him." He grinned and kissed her gently.
"Joey, you're bad to the bone." She paused, giving him a mischievous look. "But I want it that way," she sang softly.
Joey chuckled. "Quoting your own song, now?"
"Hey, whatever works," she said with a shrug. "It was big, if I remember correctly."
"Yes, very, and only knowing you wrote it makes it in the least bit bearable," he told her, trying and failing to hide his smile.
"Joey Fatone, I think, secretly, you're a Backstreet Boy fan!"
Joey grinned. "That's why they gave me the line "we listen to the Backstreet Boys" in that skit on Saturday Night Live. And I do like the guys. They're cool. As people, anyway." He smirked a little.
"Well, then," Clara mused. "I'll just have to be sure and sing them whenever I'm around you. Sing them loudly, at that!"
"I can stop you, you know," he said, then paused. "But that would be a bad tactic, because then you'd do it more...."
The door opened right then, and they turned to look at Marissa, who looked slightly miffed. "Oh, good, you aren't kissing, and what are Justin's feet doing on my pillow?"
"We can arrange it for you to walk in when we are kissing," Clara told her cheekily. "Just walk out that door and give us ten seconds or so."
"Uh, no, thanks. And what are Justin's feet...."
"I warned him!" Joey protested.
"You already said that, Marissa," Clara said.
"Well, I get to wake him up," Marissa said as she started toward Justin. "And I repeated myself because I didn't get an answer."
"Yes you did. Joey warned him."
"Why are they there in the first place?" She shook Justin's shoulder. "Hey, Bounce, go sleep somewhere else that isn't my bed."
Justin groaned but didn't even move.
"I'm not helping," Clara said firmly. "I value my life."
After a second shake that didn't even earn a groan, Marissa cast a pleading look at Joey. "How do you get this thing up in the morning?" she asked plaintively.
Joey grinned, dropped a kiss onto Clara's cheek, and got off the bed. He knelt next to it so that his mouth was by Justin's ear. "Justin, Marissa is looking like she's gonna find some honey and coat your hair with it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Justin's body jerked once, then he rolled over, away from Joey, and right off the bed. "Ouch," he muttered, and climbed groggily to his feet.
"What were your feet doing on my pillow?" Marissa demanded as he paused long enough to get his shoes.
"Sleeping," he mumbled, and staggered out the door.
"Feet don't need a pillow to sleep on," Marissa told him matter-of-factly as he opened the door. It closed behind him without a reaction.
"I swear, you guys are the weirdest," Clara mumbled.
"And you'd know," Marissa told her, then stopped. "Or is it me? And I'm sorry, but if you're doing anything more together, you'll have to get another room. I'm going to bed."
"Go to bed in my room, Marissa... Wait," Clara protested, "this is my room!"
"And mine, silly. Which is why you'll have to go to Joey's." She smiled suddenly. "If you can get Lance and Chris to leave. It's the only one with game controllers." She grimaced.
Joey laughed. "Which is why you're here, right?"
Marissa nodded. "Of course."
"Marissa... please?" Clara begged. "Just one more hour?"
"What? I want to sleep. Got get Lance's..." She slapped her head. "For Pete's sake, Lance's room is right there," she pointed to the connecting door, "and he's in Joey's room. Go in there and keep it quiet." She smiled as she said it.
"Why don't you go in there?" Clara asked. "There's less chance of Lance walking in on us in a... delicate situation."
Marissa burst into laughter. "Oh, and instead he crawls into bed with me? Give the poor guy a heart attack? Besides, I don't want to have to move again! Go tell him you'll be in there...." She sighed as Joey gave her puppy dog eyes. "You so owe me, Fatone. And you, too, Clara." She grabbed her PJ's and walked through the connecting door.
"Finally," Clara whispered, before leaning into Joey for a kiss, which he delivered.
It was only fifteen minutes later that Anika walked in the room and sank down on the other bed. "You know," she said, breaking a kiss and causing them to look at her in some irritation, "that's really scary."
"What?" Clara asked.
"You two. It's just.... I don't know. Weird." She gave them a half smile. "I'm going to bed. Go away, Joey."
He pouted at her. "But..."
"Anika, please, can you go sleep with Marissa in Lance's room? I'm sure he'd love to have two girls in his bed for once...."
Joey burst into laughter.
"He might, but do you know what JC would do?" She paused, looking around, then focused back on Clara and Joey. "You made Marissa go in there? You guys are cruel!!"
"We try," Clara grinned.
Anika turned her gaze on Joey. "Out Fatone. Now. I'm going to bed, and you are not going to be here to see it."
"Yes he is!" Clara protested. "'Cause he is sleeping in here. You are going to Lance's room, and that's the end of the story."
Anika calmly got up, took Joey's arm, and started walking him firmly towards the door. "Oh, no, he's not. And not end of story. You can go with him, if you want."
Clara pouted a little, then got up and followed. "Will I be allowed back in?"
Anika looked surprised. "Yes. He's not. Well, not tonight, anyway."
"Hmmm." Clara looked at her suspiciously, then leaned close to Joey. "Should I trust her?" she whispered.
Joey glanced at Anika, who narrowed her eyes at him. "Probably," he said. "Besides, if all else fails, you could get through Lance's room. Or stay in mine."
"I like the last idea. Talk to you later, Anika," Clara said, and took Joey's arm as he opened the door.
"Thank you. Good night." Anika smiled sweetly and closed the door behind them.
They walked down to Joey's room in companionable silence, and opened the door to a groan from Chris. "You can't do that!"
"Hey, I learned from the best," Lance said as he set the controller down. "Justin gives pointers when he plays, if you're careful enough to catch them."
"Game over?" Joey asked.
Lance nodded. "Yep. And I even beat him. Never happen again, but I did it once," he grinned.
"I was distracted," Chris protested. Lance chuckled.
"Marissa left twenty minutes ago," he said.
"Who said she was the distraction?" Chris asked, defensive. Lance just grinned knowingly.
"Guys, I want my room back," Joey said calmly. "So you have to go somewhere else."
Chris leaned back on his hands. "Actually, I think you two need a chaperone, and I volunteer."
"No way," Clara told Chris, glaring at him.
Lance got to his feet. "Is it quiet out there?"
"Yeah, it's quiet," Joey told Lance, "but you might make sure Marissa is back in her room before you start changing."
Lance flushed. "What?" he demanded, causing the argument between Clara and Chris to stop.
"Clara banished Marissa from their room, and offered yours," Joey said, confused. Lance had never over reacted quite that badly before.
"Oh." And before anyone could say anything else, he was gone.
Joey turned back to Chris, who hadn't moved. "And you, go, or we start on interrogation."
Chris climbed leisurely to his feet. "Go ahead. There's nothing to ask or to answer."
"And we're not going to," Clara said impatiently, pushing Chris towards the door. Joey snapped his open mouth shut with a knowing look. "Just go away, Chris."
"I'm going, sheesh," he muttered, pausing long enough to give Joey a wink. Joey grinned.
The door closed, and Clara turned around. "So, where were we?" she asked, and Joey wrapped his arms around her again.
"Right here," he said, and kissed her.
They both groaned at the knock that broke them apart. Joey strode to the door and ripped it open. "You'd better...." His words trailed off.
"It's time for bed, Mr. Fatone. Send your girlfriend out here, please," Tim said evenly.
With a sigh and a rebellious roll of the eyes, Joey turned to Clara. "You have to go back now," he said softly. "The manager says so."
With a pout, Clara left the room, and to her surprise, Tim accompanied her down to her room. "Good night, Clara," he said, and waited until she went into the room. She sighed and closed the door. Maybe next time they would leave, hide in his room so they wouldn't have to move.
Go on to Next Chapter | Chance