"Wow. New sensation," Lilia commented, a few nights later. She was seated with Carrie, Beth and Janet (Brian's, Kevin's and Howie's special someone, respectively).
"What's that?" Carrie asked.

"Pure hatred. Wow, do you think they could hate us anymore?" Lilia asked, looking around at the people seated all around them, who just seemed to know that they were dating the Boys, and didn't take to kindly to them being there.

"You get used to it after awhile. Well, they've kind of accepted me. Well, sort of. There is the odd fan that will spout off some obscene comments that makes you wonder how exactly an eight year old has such an extensive vocabulary," Carrie sighed.

"They never accept you. You're in denial, Carrie dear. Trust me, I've been exposed to it longer than you have. You may think they do, but then you get some hate mail, and it sucks," Beth interjected.

"That's just because you actually married him and you were the first one. Paving the way for all of us, now. And we thank you for that extensively, Beth. Four years now, four years with Brian, and still it's hard to hold hands in public without some sort of back lash," Carrie complained.

"Wow…sounds exciting," Lilia sighed, her eyes wide. She hadn't been fully clued into what she was getting herself into at first, but the tales of woe that these women were spouting off weren't all that settling.

"Don't scare the poor girl. She's still safe, for awhile anyway. They don't know about her yet," Janet informed them.

"Not fair!" Carrie called out.

"Ooh, should we tell 'em?" Beth questioned, her eyes gleaming.

"You guys seem rather cynical," Lilia said.

"Not cynical, eager to spread the hate around. The more of us, the less of a target we all are," Janet replied.

"You would really make me a victim of teeny-bopper jealousy? That's harsh. I thought you guys liked me," Lilia sulked.

"We're just torturing you. Brian told me about the whole 'Brock' thing, and I gotta stand up for my man," Carrie informed her, smiling.

"That's comforting. That means that this is all Nick's fault."

"What? How do you figure?" Beth asked.

"I did that so that Brian would enlighten Nick to the fact that my name has five letters, not four. But it didn't work, Brian knows how to choose his battles well. So, therefore, Nick started it all, which means that it's his fault and that he will, in turn, be tortured," Lilia explained.

"I told you you'd like her, guys," Carrie said to Beth and Janet.

* * * *

"Lily, I really need to-"

"Ah! Don't tell me he's got to you, too!" Lilia cried in frustration, to a baffled Damon.

"What?"

"You called me Lily. Name's Lilia, please use it."

"Whatever, Baby. Anyway, as I was saying, I really need to talk to you about Paul and this whole thing," he pleaded.

"Okay, talk."

"Not here."

"Why not?"

"You know why not," Damon said, looking around furtively.

"Look, just grow a spine and tell him. He won't be all upset, trust me I don't think he will be. Just sit him down and say, look, I've been sleeping with Jacki forever now, and I think that you should know and that this stupid rule about not dating within the band is stupid, and if you don't like it, that's just too bad because I don't have to listen to you," she said.

"That easily?" Damon seemed uncertain.

"Look, if the same thing was going on with him and, oh say, Sandy, wouldn't you just want him to tell you guys? I don't understand what the big deal is," she said, the back of her mind tingling as she had practically told him all about Paul and Sandy.

"Alright, I will tell him soon. Things are getting serious with Jacki and it's getting harder to hide it," Damon informed her.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, but I just can't see you with that slug-faced, cold hearted-"

"Lilia, watch it. You're talking about the woman I love. Plus, she's kinda changed a bit. She's not as bitter as she used to be. I guess she feels more accepted with us now," Damon said.

"To each his own. Anyway, I gotta fly. I gotta find my blond bombshell before some twelve year old fan steals his heart away," Lilia joked, as she walked around backstage to find Nick.

"Lily!" he called. She turned around, beaming at him stupidly. She walked up to him, smiling away like an idiot. She was amused as she saw his face change from happiness to slight worry.

"What'd I do?" he asked carefully. She just continued to beam at him. His worry increased.

"Lily, you're scaring me. What's wrong?" he asked.

"Oh nothing except for the slight fact that because of my illiterate boyfriend, everyone seems to have forgotten all about the last syllable of my name. It's spreading like a wildfire, Nick," she said with exasperation.

"Oh, that. I told you before, Lily suits you better."

"And there's this whole incident of torture…" she trailed off, as he looked even more bewildered then before. After sitting in silence for a few minutes, she filled him in on the conversation earlier.

"Just for that, you're taking me roller blading again," Nick said.

"Nick, no!"

"It's not my fault that you always end up bleeding-" He stopped suddenly as started to tickle him, making him yelp as he tried to fight her off. Kevin, Beth and Brian and Carrie watched the couple with mild interest.

"Oh to be young again," Beth sighed.

"Don't make me hurt you," Kevin warned, who was two years older than his wife.

"Remember, we used to tickle each other just like that," Carrie reminisced.

"Uh, baby, we still do," Brian whispered.

"Shh, moment. Okay, enough gawking. Time for fun!" she declared, pulling Brian off.

* * * *

"Okay, so now that I have you trapped, it's time for the interrogation," Nick declared, as the two of them set off on their roller blading adventure.

"Trapped? How?" she asked, gripping his hand tighter as she adjusted to the pace he was setting.

"You can't blade to save your life. If you don't like what I'm asking, I can catch up to you in an instant," he replied.

"And they say you've never had a brilliant idea. Okay, genius, what's the questions?" she asked.

"What's going on with Jacki and Damon? Or how about Paul and Sandy? 'Cuz it's getting kind of weird with those four. They seem to avoid each other like the plague," he commented.

"Oh, come on. You must be able to figure it out," she challenged.

"Well, my first guess would be that they're together, Damon and Jacki, but Paul and Sandy object to it, but then that would be too simple. So then, I think, well maybe it's Paul and Sandy that have the secret relationship, but then what's with the whole repressed emotion with Damon and Jacki? So, the only reasonable explanation would be that it's both of them," he concluded.

"Sheer genius! I think he's hit it right on the money!" Lilia laughed.

"Really? Man, you'd think they'd hide it better. Practically everyone knows."

"Except the four of them. They are in denial over the whole thing. Can't wait to see the sparks that will fly when they find out," Lilia laughed.

"So you know, and you won't tell either of them? I've got myself an evil woman," he laughed.

"You damn straight. Race ya," she called, as she speeded up. Nick chased after her, but he could not catch her. She reached the next intersection, and waited for him, smiling smugly.

"What's with this, Miss Incompetent?" he demanded when he reached her.

"You know what they say, practice makes perfect," she smirked.

"You've been blading, all by yourself? Wow, I'm impressed," he commented.

"Really?"

"No, that's a lie. But you do realise one thing."

"What's that?"

"Now its on," he called, and he was off, with Lilia teetering precariously after him, in a vain effort to catch him.