FicWad

A/n- Life has been busy. Course. I now have a little brother in my fraternity, so there's that responsibility, and I'm getting ready to move back home, but most importantly...I'm preparing to march in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade....so I thought I would get this done before then. So there ya go, I gave myself a dead line and met it. Go me! Also, most of this is going out unbetaed, I've been kinda protective of it, so I apologise if any of it sounds awkward and for any typos, I typed this up rather late to get it up ASAP.

If you have anything you would like to ask the girls, I'm working on a news article for the EPILOGUE so send me any questions you would like to be answered:

And don't forget to REVIEW!!! My day is made 100 times better every time I get a review!

*

It was amazing how fast the last two weeks of the tour had gone by. One moment they had been bidding goodbye to the girls' hometown, and what seemed like the next, they were pulling into the band's.

It was almost four in the morning as they approached the famed Las Vegas Boulevard, but the city was still a glow in the breaking dawn. Everyone on the performer's bus was still up, still riding off the high that the agency party in LA had provided. Recently they had begun to understand why many artists had a tendency to turn to drugs to control their schedules. In the past three days alone they had managed to get little more than four hours of sleep a night due to early interviews and late sets.

To be honest, it felt very reminiscent of their original jaunt east across the country. Losing hours on an almost daily basis had been what threw them off more than the rigorous schedule. The western voyage had been less disorienting, but once they hit Mountain Time, it was back to long days and short nights.

They weren't complaining though. They were one set short of the end, so any complaints would be worthless. Instead they were reveling the in the giddiness brought on by their exhaustion.

Currently they were all gathered in the living area of the bus, exchanging stories and reminiscing over the last four months.

Tracy was sitting at the table, head resting on her hands, and her eyes drooping as she listen to the others relay crazy stories.

“Remember that one chick that got Dani with the water?” she added gratuitously.

Everyone broke into more peels of laughter while Danielle just stared, “Yes, that was hysterical. Being attacked because of my private life. Real fun.”

Brian laughed from his spot on the floor, “Oh come on Dani, don't you think you overreacted a bit?”

His question was met with a glare, which during the early days of the tour, might have discouraged further persistence of the topic, but now they knew that she posed no real threat. Chris dared to question her further, “You can't tell me that you didn't know something like that would happen. You think it's still possible to have a private life when you're dating someone in the public spotlight? Give a break, no one's that naive.”

Dani frowned at this comment and shot a look at Nikol, trying discreetly to beg for help. Nik just shrugged and looked down at the phone in her lap, hoping to avoid any condemnation herself.

“I dunno. I guess I never thought of it that way until we were forced to go public. In the beginning it was just the two of us, the whole celebrity thing never mattered when we were off the stage.”

Chris was quick to counter, “You're not trying to convince us that you never saw him as a celebrity, are you? 'Cause we all saw how you looked at him in the beginning. Was this whole thing just a ploy for you and Nik to get in the band's too-tight pants?

As he ranted, Tracy silently stood up and sneaked back to the bunks, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire.

“How can you say that? Is that what you think of us? We weren't the only ones that hooked up on this tour, let me remind you.”

“Yea, cause my relationship with Claire is as controversial as your's with Brendon. It's not the same thing and you know it.”

Brian tried to step in, sensing this would turn into one of Dani and Chris' epic verbal battles, which no one needed to deal with today, “Chris, you're not being entirely fair,” he started.

“Oh Brian, it's not like I'm the only one who's though it. We all have questioned their motives at one time or another, I'm just finally asking.”

“You're accusing,” Brian defended.

“Either way, don't you want to know?”

Brian quieted and slunk back against the wall separating the driver from the growing tension in the back of the bus.

“How dare you?” Dani started, but Nikol interrupted.

“No, why not explain? We came on this tour for the same reasons you did. To perform, to travel, to try something new, to have a chance to meet some wonderful musicians. Nether one of us expected to have this happen, and both of us were reluctant to let it because of the repercussions.”

“Besides,” Danielle interjected, “there are less exhausting ways of getting into a band's pants. If that's all we wanted, we would have taken care of that years ago, and wouldn't have neglected Jon or Spencer.”

Brian laughed at this, trying to visualise the part as slutty groupies, “You have to admit though, it does look suspicious. I mean...two best friends make it as part of an exclusive performance group for one of the world's hottest bands, then proceed to bag the lead sing and the lyricist. It sounds like something out of a poorly written romance novel.”
“Poorly written cause there's not enough sex,” Chris added snidely.

Dani coughed a laugh, while Nikol looked back down at her phone, trying to control her blush, “Yea. That's what you think,” she said through a wide smile.

The boys taunted and jeered them like they were in elementary school, “Oh....so the truth comes out!” Brian said loudly.

“Seriously? Those boys are in their sexual prime. It would be doing everyone and injustice not to take advantage of that.”
This sent everyone into another wave of laughter that seemed to ease the tension in the air. They soon quieted down and took to getting ready to deboard the bus for the final time as it pulled into the loading dock at the Hard Rock Hotel. As Danielle gathered her bag, making sure she had retrieved all her belongings, she tried not think about what they had been saying, or what would happen to her relationship the next day when neither of them would be harnessed by the tour any longer.

*

Danielle stepped off the bus moments later, trying to ignore the fact that her hands were still shaking in irritation. She had the unfortunate habit of freaking out oddly when directly confronted. It usually constituted of a rush of adrenaline to her head, making her feel faint. Following this, the adrenaline would course through the rest of her body, causing her to shake uncontrollable for at least twenty minutes. It had been extremely inconvenient when she had been a manager and was now finding it hindering her ability to respond normally to fans and the press. To have it happen because of a friend was beyond disconcerting, and all she wanted to do at that point was find Brendon and talk him into a nap.

After fifteen minutes wandering around backstage learning just how elusive he could be when he wanted to, she finally gave up and let herself into the nearest dressing room. She was relieved to find a couch pressed into one of the corners, collapsing on it in relief. She had enough foresight to take her phone off silent and place it next to her head so she wouldn't miss the call when he finally started looking for her. That call didn't come until about two hours later, and the shock of the music in her ear caused her to fall off the ouch. She winced in pain as the impact ripped through her shoulder and emitted a string of explicatives in the direction of the phone. It was only right before the last ring that she had enough mental clarify to realise that hitting the send button would stop the incessant music.

“'Ello?” she questioned the caller, not knowing who was on the other line due to the fact that her eyes were glued shut in exhaustion.

“Hey gorgeous. Where are you/”

“Sleeping,” she managed to reply, slowly pulling herself out of her haze. She heard a soft chuckle at the other end and her eyes pulled together in irritation.

“That's a verb not a noun. Need a location if I'm to kidnap you for lunch.”

She was slightly coherent by now, but not thrilled at the prospect, “On the floor of some dressing room. You sure you have to take me? You can't get me something and come back and we can nap?” her voice was hopeful.

“No, I was planning on dropping by my parent's to give them their passes for tonight. And I was hoping to show you off a bit if you wouldn't mind...” he trailed off at the end, not wanting to play with fire. Nikol had informed him of what happened on the bus and he knew she was bound to be in a sour mood.

“Well in that case, I guess I have no choice,” she conceded and pulled herself slowly off the floor, “Where are you?”

“Checking the rooms for this gorgeous girl that -” he cut off as he opened a door and found Dani staring at him,clearly still half asleep.

He smiled into the phone, “Hold that thought. I just found a beautiful brunette backstage.”

She closed her phone slowly and stepped into his arms, closing her eyes as he kissed the crown of her head.

“So where lunch?” she asked.

“Port of Subs, naturally,” he said and she smiled. The boy may be a rock star, but old habits died hard. He grinned back and took her hand, leading her to the car that was waiting to cart them off to lunch. She was surprised to find the car empty, having expected to at least be accompanied by Ryan and Nikol. She quickly decided that this was probably for the best. She had something she wanted to discuss with him, and it was probably best done in private.

She climbed into the car behind hi, and settled into his side as the car took off down the strip. Her fingers traced lazy circles on his leg while she tried to figure out how to broach the subject. Finally she decided to just be direct. She took a deep breath and broke the silence.

“Bren? What's gonna happen tomorrow?”

He looked down in confusion and found Danielle staring off vacantly, looking extremely worried, “What do you mean? We rest tomorrow, sleep in, stay in bed too long and pretend we're normal.”

She looked up and caught his eyes, “And the day after?”

“This isn't about itineraries is it? What's going on Dani?”

“I'm just...wondering what's going to happen to us once this tour is over. How do we function outside of it?”

“Like normal. What's changing? We'll just have more time together until the next tour take off. Isn't that a good thing?”

She sighed and shook her head sadly, “You think I'm staying in Vegas, don't you?”

Brendon's face twisted with confusion, “You mean you're not?”
“I can't, Brendon. I've got my life waiting back home. All my stuff is there, and I have a student teaching job waiting when the semester starts. I can't just abandon that, I already put it off for a year you for.”

Brendon averted his gaze staring out the window trying to hide his anger from her. After a few deep breaths he looked back at her, trying to stay calm, “But that wasn't for me, it was for the tour. Things are a bit different now don't you think?”
“That still doesn't change the fact that my life is waiting for me six hours south of here. I can't just change who I am and what I want in life because of you. I'm just not that person.”

“And you don't think mine's here? My family's here, the band's here, you want me to walk away from that?”

“No!” Danielle said quickly, they were now facing each other on the bend seat, voices raised and looking extremely hostile. The driver kept glancing back in concern. Danielle took a breath to calm herself, and then started again in a lower tone, “No, but there's got to be some way of balancing this. I mean, can't you come stay with me for awhile? You've got a month off, and amazingly so do I. Then we can figure the rest out from there.”

Brendon heaved an internal sigh of relief and pulled her to him, “That sounds perfect. Just gotta do a bit of press that we have scheduled, then you and I will disappear for awhile.”

“Sounds brilliant,” she said, relaxing into his embrace again. She was glad they had this issue out in the open, but part of her couldn't help but thinking that this was just the calm in the middle of the storm.

*

Nikol's nerves were on fire as she stood in the wings waiting for the stagehands to finish changing the set. Tonight was very reminiscent of their first show in Vegas. They had completely redone the set list, and uped the visual component for their final send off. It had led to a long day of rehearsals and a lot of nervous tension in the air, but if everything went as planned, it would be a show that would have the internet buzzing for weeks to come.

That wasn't to say that the day hadn't come with its benefits. After she had left the tense air of the bus, she had found Ryan and they had rested for a bit before taking off for lunch. He had walked hand in hand with her down the Strip, pointing out places he wanted to take her in the near future. They had settled in at a cafe, and eaten in relative peace despite the swarm of tourists and paparazzi that seemed to find them at every turn. Then, with lunch finished they haded back to Hard Rock, cutting it rather close to make it on time to the rehearsal for that night's show.

Nothing was being held back that night. The set list had been completely redone, allowing for numerous guest singers and performers. They figured if this was the last time they were going to perform like that, then they were going out with style...or at least not quietly. She and Danielle had spent most of the rehearsal goofing off back stage, only really paying attention when it was required of them. About an hour before the show was to start they were ordered to clear the stage and they took off for their final meet and greet. Between that and their set they spent their final moments cramped into a dressing room, reminiscing and waiting. After what seemed like no time at all, Zack beckoned them to the stage, and they took their spots under the spotlights for the final time.

Slowly but surely they worked their way through the setlist. Nikol was still on edge though, somehow her solo had ended up as the second to last song, sandwiched between the mash up with Fall Out Boy, and their finale, a rendition of Mad As Rabbits that had a record amount of people on the stage at any time. She stood nervously in the wings, scarf wrapped around her tiny waist, obscured from view by her heavy jacket. Right before her cue, Danielle pulled her aside to wish her luck, wrapping her in a tight hug with a mischievous look in her eye. Next thing she knew, she was out on the stage, taking her spot for the final time.

Somehow, despite her nerves being completely on edge, she managed to make it through the routine flawlessly. A bend here, flip there, a play to the crowd, a kick, a spin and a pose and then it was all over. She waved to the crowd's applause as she began to exit stage left. Her progression toward the wings was halted suddenly as Jon threw out an arm and turned her around to face centre stage.

She was greeted by the sight of Ryan standing alone in the spotlight, holding Brendon's microphone and looking particularly vunerable. She stood frozen to the spot, rather clueless to what was unfolding before her as the crowed drew quiet in anticipation. Finally, Brendon stepped forward out of the shadows and pulled her into the circle of light.

“Hello,” he said, microphone still cradled at his chest.

“Um...hi?” she said hesitantly, still not comprehending what was going on. Whatever he had planned was some kind of spectacle that seemed beyond both of their comfort zones. She smiled tentatively at him as he raised the microphone to his lips.

He smiled widely at her and turned slightly to address the crowd, “So, I'm sure you're all wondering what's going on, right?”

The crowd roared in affirmation, and he gestured with his hand for them to quiet down, “Basically, I just had something that I needed to get off my chest, and I thought you guys wouldn't mind.”

Once again the crowd cheered him on and he turned back to Nikol, grinned rather cheekily, while somehow managing to still look nervous and out of place. He stepped forward, grasping one of her hands in his and pulling her to the centre of the light with him.

“Nikol Corbett, you are the one person in the world that's done the most good for me in a long time. I don't know of anyone, save my mother, who's been so caring, so thoughtful and so selfless as you have been. From the moment we met at the try out you were funny, shy and genuine in your concern about my well being, as well as the band's. However, this is about you and me at the moment, not them, as kind as they were to let me do this here and now. Any ways, I want you to know exactly how much I enjoyed every early morning jaunt to capture the sunrise on film, even before 'we' were an 'us'. You were there for me when things were good, but more importantly you were always there when things were bad. You've adjusted easily to the fans, the press and our friends, and you are truly an amazing woman, and I couldn't ask for anything more in a girlfriend. Because of you I can honestly believe that people aren't as bad as they seem, and that fame doesn't have to change everything. You taught me how to balance out my life, and I don't think I could be the same man without you by my side. You make me happy, Nikol. Complete. So basically, I'm just trying to ask you one simple question.

The whole time he had been speaking, gasps and idle chatter had spread throughout the mass of people in the venue. More importantly though, the wheels started to turn in Nikol's brain, and slowly everything fell into place. Tears filled her eyes as her comprehension became evident. Her mind began to race, trying to remember every conversation they had ever had on the subject, while watching him let go of her hand and fish in his pocket.

And then, time slowed to an almost stop as he revealed a small velvet box and lowered himself onto one knee.

“Nikol Leigh Corbett, will you marry me?”

FIN

Post A/n- So there ya go. Thank you so much for sticking with me this long, I hope it was worth the ride. I promise that the sequel will be on it's way soon, I'll hopefully get to start working on it when I get home from the City!

Please review, and don't forget to stop by my Yahoo!Group and check out the girl's Facebooks and drop off some questions for the epilogue!!! Much love and thanks!!!!