(December 7, 2000)

"What are we doing for supper?" Jon asked as they stepped in the kitchen of the Harless home. Alexandria had been staying with him since the day before. Lynn and Paul had left in the afternoon.

"I don't know, you want pizza, McDonalds?" She asked as she put the keys on the hook beside the door. They had spent the afternoon at the beach. It was too cold to go swimming, but neither cared. They had fun chasing crabs and seagulls, picking shells off the shore, and cloud watching, a new hobby that she was teaching Jon to love.

"Nahhh."

She stopped in the middle of walking to the answering machine. "WHAT? Did I hear you correctly?" Jon always wanted McDonalds or Pizza.

"I was thinking, could you make that chicken spaghetti stuff you made me one time?" He smiled brightly, resting his chin on the island counter of the kitchen.

"Sure can. Let me go see if yall have all the ingredients. You go put us some GOOD music on OK?"

"OK!" He ran out the room.

Alex smiled and walked to the fridge and pantry to see if they had what she needed to make her pasta. Everything she needed was there, but the chicken. She'd have to go and get that anyway.

She heard the sounds of "Tearin' up my heart" come through the Boze system in the den. She groaned and yelled for Jon. He came in the kitchen with the remote control for the system in his hand. He pressed a button and made the volume decrease.

"Put on your jacket. We gotta go to KFC."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Jon went and grabbed his jacket after shutting the CD player off and they went outside to get in that trusty Chevy.

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"I feel like chicken tonight, like chicken tonight." Alexandria sang as they entered back into the kitchen.

She was singing, holding the bag that contained the major part of their meal and he was dancing around like a...chicken.

"Go put some music back on. Some GOOD music."

"Nsync IS good music!" Jon retorted and ran to turn the CD player on.

As Jon did that, she got out everything she needed. She turned on a burner and placed a pot on top of it. She poured some olive oil in the pot and let it warm.

As Alex started to chop onions the sounds of "Bye Bye Bye" came on. Even more hated than "Tearin' up my heart." It had been at least a day since she had heard Nsync's first CD. But No Strings Attached, well, that had been the ONLY CD she had heard all day. Too bad one of the only songs she liked by them was on the other CD, "Sailing". And "Here and Now", her other song she tolerated wasn't on a CD as far as she knew.

But she couldn't help but smile when Jonathan came in the kitchen perfectly doing every dance move. She swayed her hips, trying best she could to at least have fun.

She put all the chopped onion in the pot with the oil and let the two mix and simmer. As they did that she opened two cans of Crushed Tomatoes.

Oh no, the hated song: It's gonna be MAY.

That got on her nerves so bad. She thought if you couldn't get the words to rhyme, please don't try and change the way they sound. I mean who would literally go around and say "It's gonna be may." Hello? "It's gonna be ME" Thank you.

Before she knew it her thoughts had taken her all the way through "Space Cowboy" to "Just got paid". A tolerable song. Jon had been dancing and singing the whole time. By now, the pasta sauce was cooking and she was ready to cook the noodles.

She filled a pot with water and set it on the stove. She put a bit of salt in the water and turned on the burner, setting the lid on the pot.

She looked up to sing and dance with Jon, put he was no where in sight.

"Jon?"

"Hold on." He called from the den. She heard the music stop and a minute later he came back in and pressed a button on the remote with a bright smile.

A piano came through then electronic beats. She squealed.

Dream's "He loves you not", was her favorite new song. She picked up a spoon she was going to use to stir the sauce and began singing with it.

"You can bite you cherry lips..."

Jon and her danced around each other. "Break it down Lexy!!" Jon giggled.

She gave him the spoon as he sang and she danced. The girl had moves. She DID work in a club.

"You are better than my brother." Jon yelled over the blaring music. It was loud. But neither cared. This was what they usually did. Danced and sang to loud music.

"He's never going to make it with you." She pointed to Jon and walked over to him. She grabbed his hands and they began dancing together. Bouncing around the island, grooving around each other. Gosh, she never felt more free in her entire life.

Until the music stopped abruptly. The song wasn't over. She heard the whistle of the boiling water and a female giggle. Then an amused male voice asked, "What's going on guys?"

Then she heard an excited boyish scream. "JUSTIN!!!!"

She turned around quickly and smiled at the site before her. Justin had his brother in his arms swinging him around and laughing. "Jon, you are HEAVY! What have you been eating?" Justin asked.

"Lexy's cooking."

Alex rolled her eyes and took the top off the pot and put noodles into the boiling water. "Oh, pulease. I cook only 1 thing and it's heathly."

"It's good too. Hey Britney." Jon said. Alexandria hadn't even noticed her.

"I'm sorry I'm not introducing myself, I don't want this to burn. Be with you guys in a second." Alex said with a chuckle and turned back to the sauce. She took a spoon and took a bit of the sauce in it. She blew on it several times before tasting it.

"Mm, girl, you did it again." She smiled at herself. She COULD cook marinaria sauce.

She turned to the two new people in the house. "You guys hungry? I got enough for everyone."

"What is it?" Britney asked as Justin started tickling Jon.

"Pasta with my marinaria sauce and Kentucky fried Chicken. It's really good."

"Sure, make us some." Justin said as Jon tackled him on the kitchen floor.

Alex put more noodles in the boiling water and set the timer for 7 minutes.

"OK." She sighed and wiped her hands on a dishcloth. She walked over to Britney. "I'm Alexandria, the baby-sitter." She and Britney shook hands.

"Hi."

"Hello, Justin. Nice to finally meet you." Alex said raising an eyebrow at him. He was still on the floor. Jon hopped off him and looked at Britney then Justin strangely.

"What are you doing here? You are supposed to be at Granny's."

"Surprise. That was just a trick so I could surprise you all." Justin smiled at Jon charmingly.

"Oh nooooo." Alex groaned and then laughed.

"What?" Justin asked standing up off the floor.

"Your mom and step dad went to your grandmother's in Memphis to surprise YOU! They are up there right now. Oh, my gosh, I bet she left a message saying you weren't there either." Alex groaned and walked over to the blinking light on the answering machine.

"Hey, Alexandria. Umm, this is Lynn. Justin pulled a trick on us and isn't here. He never made plans to visit my moms. So, we don't know where he is. But, I have a feeling he is in Orlando trying to surprise us. If you hear anything give me a call. Well, just give me a call anyway. The number is on the fridge. Thanks girl. And Jon, I love you. Bye you two."

Justin looked at Jon and made a goofy face. "My planned backfired."

"That's OK. You got me!" Jon hugged his legs tightly.

Alex smiled at the two and then moved her gaze over to Britney. She didn't look like you she did on TV. She was still beautiful. But much more plain without tons of makeup and T-shirt and jeans.

"I'm going to set the table. Why don't one of you call Lynn. What does everyone want to drink?"

"Brit you want a diet coke?"

"Of course J." She smiled at him.

"OK, two diet cokes. Jon?" Justin asked his brother.

"She knows what I want." Jon smiled and pulled his brother into the living room to show him something. Justin grabbed the cordless phone on the way. Britney followed them.

And there she was. All Alone again.

-God Lex, you are obsessed with the idea of being alone for the rest of your life. LET IT GO!-

She walked back over to the stove as the timer went off and tested a noodle. IT wasn't quite done yet. She remembered the fried chicken and warmed it in the microwave.

She got all the food ready and called out through the house. "Food's ready."

Britney came in first and giggled as Justin ran to the table racing Jon. Jon lost and pouted. But Alex came over and set his Capri sun in front of him. "It's OK Jon. I still love you." She kissed his head and went to the stove to make her own plate of food.

"I called mom. She and Paul thought it was funny. She'll be back in a couple of days." Alex nodded in response to Justin. She grabbed a Snapple from the fridge and went towards the sunroom that was connected to the den.

"Lexy, where are you going?" Jon called after her.

"Jon, spend time with Justin and Britney OK? You see me ALL the time."

"Yeah, but....but you are my best friend." Alex watched as Justin stopped midbite and turned his eyes to her then Jon. Alex new she couldn't interfere. Justin had every right to think he was Jon's best friend. She could see the look of pain on his face.

"You know how I get sometimes?" She moved her eyes back to Jonathan.

"Yeah, when you like to be alone."

"Well, I feel that way now." She smiled softly. She hated lying to the kid. She didn't want to be alone. But thought it was necessary.

She turned around and silently walked to the sunroom and set her food on the coffee table, sighing loudly.

-God I want that. I want a boyfriend. I want a little brother. I want someone I can talk to. - She thought as she heard the 3 people's laughter from the sunroom. Suddenly, she wasn't that hungry.