After filming for the day, Peter went looking for Steph. He found her hanging out in his dressing room, reading some random book he had lying around."Hello sweetheart," he said cheerily.
"Hey," Steph answered. She'd been tucked away in Peter's room most of the day, trying to figure out her problem. She hadn't had any luck.
"I was thinking," Peter said, sitting down beside her on his couch and giving her a quick peck on the lips, "for dinner tonight, why don't you come over to my place. I'll cook for you."
"Your place?" Steph blurted immediately. She hadn't meant to. She hadn't meant for that notion to make her skiddish. But it did. It did and that made her even more nervous.
"Yeah. It's nice enough. I use candles instead of lights. Much nicer. And more romantic," he added with a cute dimpled grin.
Steph was melting at that grin. The thought of being alone with Peter in the dim light at his home turf was still bothering her. They'd never done that before, and it was something she wouldn't do unless she was serious about a guy. If she went, she was serious about Peter. And Peter would know that. The anticipation on his face over his invitation said it all.
"I..." Steph began. "I suppose... How about a movie?"
"A movie?" Peter said distantly.
"Yeah there's some great ones out!"
Peter took a moment to recover, but put on a brave face. "Yeah. Yeah that sounds great. Let's go."
They got up and left the studio. Micky and Kari had already left to straighten up their new apartment. Steph and Peter got into the girls' car and they headed to the theater. Peter was very quiet the whole way there, and it made Steph feel uncomforatable and guilty. She wanted to make some sort of save.
"Well... since we have my car, I was thinking that maybe when you dropped me off, you could take it home then pick me up in the morning."
"Great," Peter said. He was extremely disappointed that Steph and very obviously not wanted to be that alone with him.
Steph didn't know what else to say to try and make Peter feel better. For the world she hadn't meant to hurt him. She just didn't feel like doing what he wanted to do. Which was move towards further exclusion. Like Kari and Micky had done by moving in together. And Mike and Ginger had done by Mike moving in with Steph and Ginger. Why couldn't she just have dinner at Peter's apartment? She wasn't moving in with him. Ginger would kill me if I left her and Mike alone to live together... I need to talk to her about the Establishment more... Steph thought absently as she fretted over Peter's hurt silence.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kari and Micky hauled the last of her boxes into Micky's apartment.
"Is that it?" Micky asked pretending to be out of breath and tired.
"That's it."
"Man, I know you're a girl, but you have a lot of stuff!"
Kari looked around and picked up a nearby magazine, rolled it up, and swatted him with it. "You spend more time on you hair than I do!"
"That's not my fault!"
Kari rolled her eyes, laughing. She unrolled the magazine seeing what it was.
"Is this the magazine?" Kari asked, looking at it with mild curiosity.
"Yeah, that's it." Micky said walking over to her. "You sure you want to read it?"
"Yeah, this is old news. You set them all straight yesterday at the press conference. Besides, I need a good laugh."
The two read it together, Kari laughing a bit as they did so.
"Man, Gingie would love this...mother of five?? Oh man that is too great."
"Hey speaking of the love birds, let's go see how they're doing, and make sure you have the last of your stuff."
"Ok! We'll unpack tonight."
They two ran out of the room and headed towards Micky's car.
Micky got in and fumbled with the keys. He put one in the ignition and began to turn it only to have the engine start and then quickly die out.
"You've got to be kidding me," he mumbled in frustration.
"Here turn the key and at the same time press down on the-" Kari offered from the passenger seat.
"And do what?"
Kari kept arching her neck to see what Micky was doing, "No, no...put your foot on the...now turn the...here let me try it!" she said in annoyance as she got out of the car. Micky got out and watched as Kari got in the driver's seat and fiddled around. The engine started and Kari froze.
"I started a car," she said in disbelief.
Micky opened the driver's door and bent down so he was eye level with her.
"I started the car!!" she squealed.
She shot out of the car, nearly knocking Micky over and danced around.
"You want to drive?" Micky asked.
"God, no... but... I STARTED THE CAR!! Oh we have to go tell Ginger." Kari ran over to the other side of the car and jumped in quickly.
Micky smiled and buckled himself in as well.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Well, good night," Peter said trying to muster up a brave face, several hours later.
Steph just stood there mentally kicking herself. Why was she so stupid?
"Peter?" she asked quietly as he began to walk away.
"Yeah?" he replied turning around.
"I am the classic fool. Here I am going out with an absolutely amazing guy, a guy whom thousands of other girls would gladly take my place... and what am I doing with it?"
Peter frowned wondering what Steph was about to say.
"I mean, back there, when you asked me to go to your apartment, I really wanted to go."
"Then why didn't you go?" Peter asked walking towards her.
"Because... I don't know why, it's just... I've always screwed something up with my past relationships and I don't want to screw this one up, Peter, I really don't. The other guys, now that I look back on it, I didn't really care about, but you? You are the best thing that's ever happened to me. When I'm around you I feel... like one of those ladies in those old, cheesy, black and white films. I am so incredibly lucky to be with a man like you... I... I just don't want to screw this up... I... I love you..."
Peter's whole expression changed. "You what?"
"I..." Steph started as if she was just figuring something out, "I love you... oh my God ...I really love you!"
Peter picked Steph up and twirled her around, much like they did in those old, cheesy, black and white films, the happiest he'd ever felt.
The whole moment was so cliche, but they didn't care.
Steph scrunched her face up and pressed it against his chest.
"Your place tomorrow, ok?" she asked, giggling with happiness.
"Ok. Now that means I'll have to clean it up."
Steph pulled away trying to stop laughing, but finding it hard. "You mean that you were going to let me see it dirty?"
Peter shrugged, smiling. "I guess this worked out for the both of us."
"Hey," Steph said, getting serious again, "I am so sorry that I was such a jerk today. I didn't mean to hurt you or any-"
Peter cut her off, "It's ok. That's all in the past. Don't worry about it."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I forgive you, now go away and sleep."
Steph laughed as he began pushing her towards the door.
"Ok, fine, but come by early and I'll make you breakfast."
Peter agreed with a kiss. "Good night, Bunny."
Steph glared at him. "Ok... no breakfast for you..."
Peter apologized with another kiss.
"You know," Steph started as if she was chiding a you child, "You can't always get me to do what you want just by kissing-"
Peter cut her off with another kiss.
"I hate you," she whispered, playing with his beads.
"I hate you too," he said smiling. "Now, go to bed."
"Fine, but one more thing before you leave."
"What?"
Steph leaned in and gave him a quick kiss before opening the door and disappearing within.
"Why are you so happy?" Ginger asked as Steph walked into the living room.
Ginger and Mike were lying on the couch together, watching the late night news.
"I forgot that he lived here," Steph said pointing at Mike as she hung her coat up in the closet.
"Ha ha ha. Very funny," Mike replied sarcastically. "You just missed Kari and Micky."
"Oh, did she get all her stuff?" Steph asked still in her dream world.
"Yeah. They stopped over and ate some cake," Ginger replied.
"You guys made cake again?"
"Yeah, but after those two, there's not much left. There is, however, some left over frosting in the refrigerator if you want it."
"Thanks, maybe later."
Steph walked over to her room, but saw a somewhat crumpled magazine lying on the one end table.
She looked over at Ginger and Mike, who had already forgotten her existence as they were too wrapped up in each other. Satisfied that they weren't going to see her, she took it and walked over to her room and shut the door.
Sitting down on her bed, Steph opened the magazine to the table of contents, looked up the page number of the girls' story, and located it in the magazine. She quickly skimmed over Kari's bit in the article, then read intently when she came to her name. ... both parents alcoholics... had been beaten severely several times as an infant before being given up for adoption... had at times gone weeks without being fed... father nearly killed her in a rage beating being drunk....
Steph had to put the magazine down. Her head was reeling with all this new information. She'd never known she'd been through so much. Now she was making a connection to some dreams she'd had through her life, which included feeling cold and hungry in a dark room all alone. Visions of a little girl screaming and crying, reaching for her mother only to be knocked away. Someone she was close to had rejected her mercilessly.
As she felt tears stinging her eyes and a headache coming on, Steph laid back on her bed still fully clothed, curled up on top of the covers, and cried silently as she went to sleep.
At least now she knew why she'd been having a commitment problem.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
When the news went off, Ginger and Mike were practically asleep.
"Mike?" Ginger said in a sleepy voice.
"Hm?" Mike blinked hard.
"News is over..."
"Yeah."
"We should probably go get in bed now," Ginger said halfheartedly. Neither one of them wanted to stand up and walk all the way to their rooms. And not to mention they were comforatable, Mike leaning in the corner of the couch and Ginger resting on him with his arms around her.
"Probably should."
"I have to get up first, don't I?"
"I think so," Mike answered sounding very tired.
After a moment and with a yawn, Ginger stood up. "I'll check on Steph. I didn't hear her after she came in..." she said as Mike started to follow her.
Ginger opened Steph's door and saw her lying there in a little ball still in her work clothes. "What on God's green Earth..." Ginger muttered to herself as she looked at Steph. Then she saw the magazine. Even though Ginger hadn't read it, she guess Steph's part in the article must've been bad.
She quietly closed the door. Mike looked at her expectedly since he'd seen her confused expression while she was checking in the room. "Well?"
"She got a hold of the magazine Kari brought over. Must've had some really bad stuff in it. Probably about her parents. She doesn't remember them much."
"Oh," Mike said sorrily. "Well... she seemed to be full of it when she came home with Peter-- and did you notice he didn't come in? He's smarter then I give him credit for sometimes, letting us be alone-- but maybe she was in a good enough mood that it won't bother her too much."
Ginger gave a loaded sigh as they walked to their rooms. "I don't know. She was asleep in her work clothes and was curled up in herself. I think it bothered her."
"Let her mention it if she wants to in her own time, then if she wants us to, we'll talk to her about it. See ya in the mornin'." Mike gave Ginger a kiss on the top of her head.
Ginger leaned up and kissed him on the lips, which Mike had deliberatly waited for her to do. She was determined not to let her stupid-spell carry on any longer. She hugged Mike and kissed him again, him doing the same.
Mike was about to tighten his grip on her when Ginger jerked away. "Nite." She smiled faintly and closed her door.
Mike walked away, mind cluttered with concern for her. He didn't want to scare her, but he didn't want to let whatever problem she was having consume her. He closed his door, changed, and got into bed, still thinking about how to achieve some sort of balance to solve the problem as he went to sleep.
Ginger hadn't meant to close the door so abruptly, but she had to. She was furious with herself. Why was part of her enjoying Mike kissing her and another part of her being terrified and ashamed of it? The more she dweled on the question as she changed her clothes, the more furious she got with herself. What was her problem? She'd not let it continue, for sure, she told herself as she went to sleep.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kari was in her new room in Micky's apartment, sleeping after all of the moving and unpacking and work for the day. Earlier her and Micky read that article in the magazine and she thought to herself, 'Why do people have to be so cruel?' She could understand the fans... in some ways and atleast no other windows were broken.
She was dreaming a nice dream. She and Micky were driving along a country road surrounded by grassy hills, with wildflowers and occasional quaint country houses. She could smell the fresh cottony smell of laundry hanging on the clothes lines and the breeze of non-polluted country air. They both were laughing and enjoying themselves, when suddenly Micky asked if she wanted to drive.
"No you know better than that," she playfully hit him, surely her was joking.
"Nope I'm tired, here, take the wheel for awhile," Micky unattatched the steering wheel and hooked it to the dashboard of the car, leaving Kari bewildered. Amost instantly, his head was conked back in a deep sleep. Kari didn't know what to do and panicked. She held the steering wheel, but it kept moving on her like it was controlling itself. The road turned and she found herself on a dark highway, creepily similar to the one she was driving on after the prom. She turned her head looking around and she was in the driver's seat of a red 60's chevy, wearing a light blue dress and matching heels. Grabbing the wheel with both hands in a firm grip, she looked in the rear view mirror and saw Nikki and Burt and gasped in horror. It was the night of the prom. She didn't want to look over in the passenger's seat to see Danny, but she did, only to find it wasn't Danny to her horror... it was Micky. All of a sudden, bright lights appeared in her view and a screech was heard. Kari screamed.
So loud that Micky ran into her room.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ginger tossed and turned in her bed. She couldn't help but feel with instinct that something wasn't right with her friends, both of them. She didn't want to check in on Steph again, as not to wake her for work in the morning and calling Micky's house would be no good, since there would be no answer. So instead, Ginger looked at her alarm clock, seeing it was three-thirty, and got up to make some... tea. She couldn't believe it either, but it helps you sleep, so Steph said, the right kind will, and Ginger would try anything just to get rid of this feeling that something was wrong.
Tying her robe on and quietly opening her door, she crept silently to the kitchen and put a pot of water on the burner. She wandered around the semi-messy living room and heard the kettle go off and rushed to take if off the heat, so that the whistle wouldn't wake anyone.
'Too late,' Ginger thought. She heard a door open. Steph walked into the kitchen.
"You're making tea?!" she asked, shocked in a sleepy voice.
"Yeah," Ginger deadpanned. "I was desperate."
Steph smiled. "Well good for you! Tea is MUCH better than coffee." Ginger poured a cup for her and Steph and they sat at the table.
"Don't add too much sugar," Steph said, watching as Ginger put spoonful after spoonful in and stirred it.
"Sorry, habit," Ginger giggled. "You should see what Kari puts in her coffee."
Steph laughed.
"So, what are you doing up?" Steph asked curiously. She had slipped on her pajamas before she came out to see who was up. She didn't want anyone to suspect anything. Her eye make up had been all over the place and she quickly cleaned herself up before walking over to the kitchen.
"I couldn't sleep. You?" Ginger said.
"Couldn't sleep," Steph replied shortly, practically chugging her tea. "I'm going to go pour myself another glass."
"Pour me one," came a slow drawl from the stairs.
The girls turned to see Mike, in a loose t-shirt and shorts, slowly trudging down the stairs. Steph and Ginger looked at each other, both suppressing giggles.
"Thanks for dressing up for us, Mike," Steph said as she and Ginger finally lost it.
Mike's hair was sticking straight up.
"Yeah, we need to layout a few ground rules," Mike mumbled, sitting down at the table with Ginger. "No more of these."
Mike pointed at the girls' nighties.
"Well, maybe on you," Mike added, "but you," he said turning to Steph, "cover up, kid."
Steph pretended to act hurt by his statement as she traveled back over to the table. "Kid??"
"You heard me, kid."
"And what is wrong with me wearing this?"
"Everything."
Steph hit him in the arm as soon as she set down his cup on the table.
"Why are you up, Mike?" Ginger asked.
"Couldn't sleep."
Ginger and Steph laughed to themselves, sipping their tea.
After a moment of silence, Mike and Ginger looked over at Steph, surprised to see her in almost tears.
"Steph, what's wrong?" Ginger asked setting her cup down.
Steph, startled that they saw her emotional slip, shifted uncomfortably in her chair.
"Hey," Mike said in a soothing voice, "remember the other day when you came into my dressing room and comforted me? Well, I remember thinkin' how nice it was that there was a shoulder to lean on that wasn't one of the guys. It looks to me like you need a shoulder right now."
Steph closed her eyes the pain of that article coming back to her.
"Have you guys read it?" she asked in a very quiet voice.
There was no question on what "it" was.
"No, we haven't," Ginger said cautiously.
"My parents... I mean my real parents..." Steph started, tears welling up in her eyes, she looked down at the table so they couldn't see. "You remember those dreams, those nightmares I've had in the past?"
"Yes..." Ginger nodded, remembering.
"The ones of the little girl? The little girl who's parents never fed her, never cleaned her, never cared for her? The little girl who'd spend hours sitting alone in the cold dark wanting her parents' love, but fearing it at the same time?" Steph paused. "That little girl was me..."
Ginger blinked sitting back in her chair as the news sunk in. Mike, on the other hand, just stayed still. His childhood wasn't the best either. He knew where she was coming from.
"I mean, I had always been lead to believe that my real parents didn't have enough money to take care of me, or that they weren't ready to be parents... but this...? Why didn't they tell me?"
Ginger and Mike identified the "they" as Mr. and Mrs. McKnight.
"To them they were doing the right thing," Ginger said wondering how to comfort her hurting friend.
"I should have figured it out though," Steph said, suddenly looking up at the ceiling. "The unexplained scars I have, the reason why Mum and Dad always freaked out if they found out that I had any alcohol to drink or if they didn't know where I was, I mean, the reason why I was four when they adopted me when I was four should have sent the alarms off. God, why did they do that? How could you beat your own child? Starve them like that? Nearly kill them?" Steph sobbed, nearly losing it on the last question. "I mean, was it something I did? Did they not like me?"
"Hey," Mike said getting up and walking over to her chair. Ginger got up and did the same thing. "It is not your fault that your parents where idiots. They we stupid, stupid people to do that to you," Mike said, furious at the thought of Steph blaming herself. "No one is to blame but them and hopefully they are locked up far away so they can never hurt you again."
Steph looked at Mike, unable to speak.
"They are not your family," Ginger said, grabbing Steph's hands. "The McKnights are your family. Kari, Micky, Peter, Mike, and I... we're your family. Hell, even Patty is family."
That made Steph laugh a little.
"We love you very much and I promise you, they will never hurt you ever again."
Steph just sat there, letting what Mike and Ginger had said sink in.
"I love you, Gingie!" Steph said bursting out with a new kind of tears. She leaped forward wrapping her arms around Ginger. "You too, Papa!" she added as she opened her arms motioning for Mike to join the hug.
Ginger was right... she had a new family now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"What??!!? What's wrong?! Kari! Are you ok? I heard a scream!" Micky said in panic.
"Nothing... I had... I had a bad dream..." Kari said sitting up in her bed.
"About that night?" Micky asked cautiously.
Kari nodded.
Micky went and sat beside her on the bed. "It wasn't your fault."
"I know... but this time it wasn't..."
"Wasn't what?"
"It was... you were in the car, Micky."
Micky frowned at this.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I... I don't know why, but it was you, not Danny. God, it was like I killed you."
Micky sucked in his breath and took her in his arms.
"It was just a dream," he soothed, "I'm safe. You're safe. Nothing bad happened."
"Yeah, I know, it just... freaked me out, you know?"
"Yeah, I know..."
They sat there a moment, hugging each other in the dark.
"Uh... Micky?" Kari asked realizing something.
"Yes?"
Kari pulled away. "Do you have a shirt on?"
"Uh..." Micky started embarrassed, "...no. When I heard you scream I didn't have time to put on a shirt..."
Kari laughed. "Can I turn on the lights?"
"What? No!"
"Too late!" Kari said flipping the switch.
Micky overacted to the sudden light, screaming and twitching on the bed.
"Knock it off, you goof," Kari said taking a pillow and hitting him with it.
"No you knock it off," Micky retorted taking the other pillow and hitting her with it.
The two stopped and looked at each other, grinning.
"PILLOW FIGHT!!!"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Steph and Ginger went back to bed shortly after their conversation in the kitchen, but Mike stayed up a little longer, thinking about Steph. He remembered all to well being alone all of the time and being hungry, not because his mom had refused to feed him, but because they couldn't by food. All the same, he connected with Steph on that level. Not having anyone to turn to as a boy made it worse, and because of that he intended to do all he could to be there for Steph.
After all three of them had gotten some more sleep, Steph got up, got dressed, and began making the breakfast she'd promised Peter. Ginger and Mike both got up and got ready as she did so. This would have been comical to someone watching them sharing the bathroom.
"But I have to take a shower!" Mike said.
"I have to do my makeup and get dressed!" Ginger countered as the two stood in the middle of the one bathroom.
"Fine, you do your makeup while I'm in the shower."
"What? No!"
"Look, I'll get in the shower, then you can come in, that way you won't see anything. All right?" Mike finally said.
"Okay..." Ginger left the bathroom and went back in when she heard the shower start.
She was finishing her lips when Mike cut off the water. "Are you finished yet?"
"With my makeup. I have to change my clothes really fast. Stand still in there, I don't have a shirt on."
Mike didn't say anything. Then he laughed rather evily.
"I'm serious Mike!" Ginger said throwing her clothes on.
"This is an awfully thin shower curtain, you can see right through it..."
"WHAT?! You can not, shut up..." Ginger said as she zipped her dress up.
"Hurry up, I'm freezing," Mike complained.
"There's a naked girl in the room with you and you're freezing?" Ginger said in a breathy voice. She knew she was fully clothed, but Mike didn't. She grabbed his towel, walked over to the shower, and ripped it back.
Mike jumped and gasped. Then he saw Ginger had her eyes closed, holding out a towel.
"Want this?" she asked playfully, eyes shut tight.
Mike yanked the towel out of her hand, wrapped it around him, and stepped out of the shower. "Very funny. You can open your eyes now."
Ginger did. She wished she hadn't. Mike was over at the sink with the towel around his waist and his chest and hair still wet. She was acutally staring at him, mouth open.
"I... I'm going to check on Steph..."
"Wait, I can't find my razor..." Mike stopped her while going through the vanity cabinets. "Oh geez, okay... Not ever going to go through two chicks bathroom again..."
Ginger thought to be embarassed, but she instead about bust a gut laughing.
"You all need to hide that stuff or something..." Mike continued, his cheeks a little red.
"Will do," Ginger said, pulling open a drawer beside Mike, handing him his razor, and then turning to leave.
"Wait a second," Mike stopped her again, starting to shave. "Will you go get me some clothes?"
"No, I think you should go for the Roman look today..."
Mike just gave her a look in the mirror.
"What do you want me to get?" Ginger was more than happy to leave the room. Watching water drip off a half-nude Mike as he was shaving was about to do her in.
"I don't care, whatever you like."
Ginger went into Mike's room, picked out a black western shirt and Levis, then returned to the bathroom.
"Thanks. You like this shirt?" Mike asked her as she was leaving.
Ginger didn't want to say 'heck yeah!', but she'd seen him in it before, and if he was going to wear a shirt, it should be that one. She shrugged. "Good as any. I'm going to go make up your bed. Don't make me have to tomorrow." Ginger left the room again. She had to.
Mike finished getting dressed, and he and Ginger went dowstairs. As soon as they entered the kitchen, Steph greeted them.
"Out."
"What?" Mike asked, picking up a glass of orange juice on the table.
Steph yanked it out of his hand before he drank it and set it back down. "I made breakfast for Peter."
"Oh, is he moving in, too?" Ginger asked sarcastically. "I just invited him over for a little early date. And not a double date, so you two will have to go out if you want to eat."
"Well fine then, I don't want to eat anything you'd cook anyway..." Mike muttered as he and Ginger were being shooed out the door.
"See you at work! Have fun!" Ginger called as Mike closed the door behind him.
"What car are we takin'?" Mike asked. They could choose the girls' car, his truck, his Riviera, or his GTO. Getting his cars over to their place was the most time-consuming part of the move, and he still had other cars he'd parked at the studio after they'd run out of room.
"The GTO," Ginger answered. It was a hard decision. The truck was always nice.
"That it is," Mike said as they both got in the car. "You drive. My eye's still bothering me a little."
"Oh whine whine..." Ginger said as they pulled out and headed for a resturant.
Not long after that, Peter arrived and Steph greeted him at the door with a kiss.
"Not a bad apatizer..." he said, leaning his head on hers.
Steph lead him into the kitchen, where the table was set full of tea, juice, and pancakes.
"Oh man, Steph, it looks great," Peter said sitting down.
"Thanks," Steph said as she sat beside him.
They both started eating and talking lightly, then Peter suddenly looked at Steph.
"You know how you said you loved me last night?" he asked.
Steph smiled big. "Yes. And I meant it. I've never felt this way."
Peter held her hands. "I feel the same. I love you, too. If you want to take it slow, that's fine with me. Good things come to those who wait, and I'm willing to wait for you any amount of time."
Steph threw her arms around her love. "Oh Peter..." The two kissed.
Peter stopped and licked his lips. "Mmm. Maple syrup."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mike and Ginger had finished eating, and Mike got a paper to read while they drank some coffee.
"Honestly, why do you bother with that?" Ginger asked, throughly disgusted with the media lately.
"I know, I know..." Mike said. "Just curious. Uh oh. Here it is."
"What?" Ginger asked leaning in closer.
"Says, from that bitch reporter, that Micky and Kari are living together without commiting to an engagment, and that I've got a harem going which I share with Peter. Nice."
"Anything about you adopting all my kids?"
"Uh, yeah. Right here. And we're expecting our first. Congratulations."
"Oh my, we've got so much to do..." Ginger said in mock concern.
"Yeah, buy a crib, buy clothes, get the room ready, make the baby... Let's start there."
Ginger rolled her eyes.
"Oh and look," Mike continued, looking at the paper, "Peter and Steph are thinking of moving to England and he's quitting the band and show."
"Good, I don't like him anyway," Ginger said. "It'll be better for you."
"Yeah. Apparently it's to get Steph away from me, and due to the fact my ego's too big."
"Sounds about right."
"You hurt me, you know that?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Peter and Steph were waiting for the others on the set when Kari and Micky came in.
"So how did you two enjoy your first night in your new love nest?" Peter asked them with a teasing grin. "You must have had a nice night, you're late."
"Yeah, we did!" Micky said excitedly and smugly.
At Peter's raised eyebrown, Kari interjected "We had a pillow fight!". She left of the part about Micky being shirtless.
"Oh," Peter laughed.
After Micky had gone through makeup, Mike, and Ginger came in the studio.
"And what was going on at your house last night?" Peter asked. He was enjoying teasing everyone else about living together immensly.
"Pete, don't be cute," Mike instructed, hiding behind Ginger but mostly six-foot Steph from the makeup lady.
The powder-puff toting little lady finally found Mike, though, and starting slaping powder on him right where he was standing. "Oh, no... No this won't do..."
"Sorry, I was just born this way..." Mike drawled.
"Yes, I know. I mean the bruises from... whatever. We'll have to use a liquid foundation..." the makeup artist said as she drug Mike over to a chair and proceded to pull out the makeup.
The others were laughing very hard yet in silence at this.
"WHAT? No, please. Please don't. You can put on as much powder as you want, even eyeshadow, but just please don't put any of that--"
Mike was cut off by the cold liquid makeup being dabbed all over his face.
"Well at least don't cause anymore bruises!" he barked at the ruff way the lady was applying it.
After she'd mercifully finished fixing Mike up, he joined the others at the coffee hang out.
"Oh Michael... You look so pretty!" Micky enthused in a pretty girly voice.
Davy and Patty finally came back over, having arrived while Mike was in makeup and filled in on where he was.
"Don't be like that. There's nothing wrong with a man wearing makeup," Davy said.
Mike turned his head very slowly to look at him with one of his death looks. "What color eyeliner are you wearing today?"
"Brown. My shirt for the day has red tones."
"Right," Mike muttered, the others laughing.
"Personally," Ginger said to Mike, "I liked the bruises better."
"Thanks for making me feel better about having to wear this stuff, then," Mike said back.
"That just means I like the way you look without that junk," she defended her statement.
"Well..." Mike wanted to be pouty. "Okay thanks." He couldn't figure out how to be at the moment. "Oh, guys, did you hear? Ginger and I are having a baby."
Everybody gasped.
Mike continued. "Yeah, and Peter and Steph are moving to England to get Steph out of my harem, and Peter's quitting the band because I apparently control your every move. Which is just as well because all five of Gin's kids are movin' in, too."
"Oh," Micky said with realization. "The paper knows about our living arrangments then."
"Veronica," Mike nodded.
"Denying all of this is getting hard," Steph said. "Peter, let's just move to shut them up."
Peter laughed. "I couldn't. I have to stay here and be the dummy. It makes Mike looks smart and Micky not so dumb. Although I do give Davy a run for his money on the cute thing."
The rest laughed as Davy prentended to pout. It also turned out that they had to wait a little while longer before the scene was ready so they talked awhile longer.
"Oh! Micky! I forgot my purse in the car," Kari suddenly remembered.
"Here I'll go get the keys," Micky replied and went to his dressing room. He came back dangling and jiggling them. "Gotta reach for them!" He held the keys above her head.
Kari stood there for a moment and then quickly jumped and grabbed a hold of them. She walked off sticking her tongue out.
"Awww," Micky prentended to whine.
"What did you want her to do?" Mike asked raising an eyebrow. The rest snickered.
Micky shook his head. "Nothing," he said as innocently as he could.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~