Moonlight

Part 4

June, 28, 2011, USA

Stevie was exhausted but sleep just wouldn't come and find her. There were too many things on her mind than that she could just close her eyes and let sleep claim her. She had never minded the long flights from one coast to the other. In fact she loved that she could still make people sent private planes all around the world to pick her up in London, so she would be able to get to a TV show on time in New York. Only to vanish with another private plane and be on her way to the west coast, on her way home. But now being the only one still awake and no one left to talk to, she wished for nothing more than to be in LA, step out of the plane and rush home. Left with little else to do, she reached for her bag. Pulling out a book, Stevie began to read. She had only been through a couple of pages when her eyes closed and sleep finally washed over her.

Karen and Lori were standing next to her in the aisle, having a hard time trying to wake her up. Meanwhile Sharon was busy somewhere in the back of the plane.

"I can't believe this." Lori threw her hands up in defeat and let herself fall back onto the seat behind her. "You can tell me what you want, but this." She pointed at Stevie. "It's not natural."

"She had a long day." Karan replied but she was at wits end as well.

"We all had a long day. But do we still sleep? No. We all woke up sometime during landing."

"Gods, you don't have to scream." They heard from behind them.

Turning around they saw that Stevie was slowly waking up, just when Sharon came back to them.

"Someone managed to wake her up already?"She asked. "Damn, I was so looking forward to do this just one more time."

"I am." Stevie answered. Slowly she opened her eyes to see Sharon standing not too far away from her, grinning evilly and holding a glass of water in one hand. "There's no need for you to get the ice water out again."

"Only because I did that one... or maybe two times." Sharon rolled her eyes and came to stand next to Stevie's seat.

"Or maybe more than that." Stevie answered.

"Yeah, yeah, good old times." Sharon replied with a voice that indicated it weren't exactly good times she was talking about. "But up and out with you. We're back in LA and I don't know about you, but I sure as hell want to go home."

"It would be nice for a change, even if I'll unpack only to pack again." Despite her playful complaining Stevie was smiling. "I have a feeling that I'll be whisked away somewhere."

Unbuckling the savety belt Stevie put her bag on the seat next to hers, packing up what she had taken out during the flight. Checking if she had everything Stevie realized that her book was missing. Looking around she finally found it laying on the floor. Bending down she picked it up, she packed it in her bag and stood up. Throwing one last glace over her shoulder to make sure she really hadn't left anything behind, she made her way out of the plane and to customs.

Since it was late at night it went fairly quick, compared to the time they usually spent at the big airports. When they exited the building, ready to get into the waiting car, Stevie spotted some paparazzi waiting to snap a newsworthy photo. She was glad that with hardly any make - up on and without wearing, by night extremely suspicious looking sunglasses she went by not being recognized. Maybe Sharon's right she thought after getting into the car that would bring her home and waiting for Karen to get in as well. She and the band had bid their good byes while still in the airport, Lori heading back to Phoenix and Sharon off to Hawaii, while the boys also headed into different directions.

Sighing Stevie leaned back into the seat, closed her eyes and rubbed her hands over her face. She was still tired, even if she had slept for about five hours. But being in three different time zones in one day had taken its troll on her. When they had taken off in London it had been early afternoon and no one had been able to sleep on that flight. But now she just couldn't sleep. No matter how much she tried, her mind was working overtime once again. Stevie didn't like it, but her little run in, or better said the lack of it, with the paparazzi at LAX kept her thinking. Thinking about what Sharon had told her not a week ago. There had been very few paparazzi pictures of her or Lindsey, a fact she had always been grateful for.