A Little Bit Longer

The coach drive seemed like a whole age passing by. Mia was asleep in Nick's arms and Joe and Kevin had fallen asleep beside each other too, on the couch opposite. Everything was silent, until the coach suddenly came to a halt and everybody was jerked awake.

"What? What the hell is going on, dude...?" Joe murmured, his eyes still closed. Nick felt Mia stir on his shoulder, and then she lifted her head, looking around in be-wilderness.

"Why have we stopped?" She asked wearily, rubbing her eyes and looking up at Nick. He merely shrugged, not enough energy to care. He hadn't slept for hours. The door suddenly flew open, and in strolled a police officer, holding a torch. Big Rob suddenly shot up like a bullet, asking the officer what it was he wanted. The officer handed Big Rib a picture and explained how they were looking for a man. A man, whose name was Dex Turner, and was being tracked down for robbery and attempted murder. Woah, was this trip turning out to be amazing. I'm totally kidding. Mia thought to herself as the officer looked underneath the mini table. He then made his way to the toilet, opening the door and looking around with his torch. Once he'd come out, he told Nick and Mia to move out of the way so he could lift up the top part of the couch.

"You won't find anybody here," Big Rob assured the officer, although he wasn't even acknowledged. He then shook Joe and Kevin to wake up, as it normally took more than a sudden jolt to for them to come round. Joe groaned and rolled over Kevin, and they both ended up toppling over and onto the floor. After hitting his brother a couple of times, Kevin stood and laid down onto Nick and Mia's couch instead, oblivious to what was happening. He immediately started to snore. As the officer shook the torch to keep it going, he lifted the top of the couch and looked inside. Joe was still lying on the floor, but once he'd come to terms with the fact a police officer was standing next to him and inspecting where he'd been sleeping, he stood immediately and started to ask questions. Mia told him to be quiet, as the officer shut the top and crossed his arms.

"Seems pretty clear to me," he began putting his hat back on, "but you all keep your eyes open. This guy isn't a man to be messed with." He told them, making his way out of the coach. But then he stopped at the door, leaning against it.

"Um, I'm not supposed to do this on duty, but I don't suppose I could get an autograph for my little girl, could I?" He asked. Nick knew Joe and Kevin wouldn't be the first to respond, so he nodded and the officer handed him a piece of paper and a pen. Nick scrawled down his signature and the handed the piece to Joe. Joe took the pen and did the same, and then shook Kevin rapidly. Yawning, Kevin opened his eyes and told Joe to piss off. He still wasn't aware of anything going on around him.

"Dude, just write your name," Joe told him, thrusting the paper and pen into his brother's hand. Moaning, Kevin wrote his name without asking questions and then handed it back to Joe, instantly closing his eyes again. As Joe was about to hand the paper back, the officer asked for Mia's too, saying how his daughter loved her fashion style. After she'd wrote it, he thanked the four, and shut the door behind him. Big Rob told the four to go back to sleep, even though Kevin didn't need telling.

"Gonna be up early tomorrow people, so get some sleep," he said, looking at his watch to find it was half eleven and getting back behind the wheel. Mia decided to go into one of the little bedrooms, knowing she couldn't spend any more time on the couch. As she threw herself onto the bed without getting under the covers, she heard Nick yawn and a door shut. He'd let his brothers have the couches to themselves. Dex Turner... Sounds scary, too. Why would they be searching for him here? Thoughts ran through the troubled teenagers head as she slowly but surely fell asleep. Within moments, Nick fell asleep too in the other bedroom, laid sideways across the bed. His eyes felt sore and his whole body had been feeling like it was going to collapse on him for days. With the pressure and stress of releasing a new album, 'Lines, Vines & Trying Times', he'd been getting hardly any sleep. He'd guessed that was what the Ellen show was going to ask them about, the new album.

*

After waking up the next morning, Mia made her way out of the bedroom to found all three Jonas's up and dressed and eating bagels. Joe chuckled slightly at the sight of her, and when she looked in her pocket mirror, she found her hair all over the place and her make up had all worn off. She laughed at herself.

"Don't, Joe," Nick warned his brother, as he stood from the mini table and kissed Mia on the cheek. She smiled weakly, and then grabbed her bag from the floor and headed to the toilet. After she'd taken a shower, she put on her make up, which was some foundation and black mascara, she then pulled her hair into a scruffy bun. Once she'd gotten dressed she headed back out and took a bagel from Big Rob.

"When does the show start?" asked Kevin, taking a sip from his latte.

"A while yet. We've been on this coach for about a day, but California is still hours away. We're going to an airport where I'm getting a private plane, it's quicker," Big Rob replied, looking at his watch. The Jonas's just nodded, but Mia was taken back by the thought of flying in a plane. Her whole world suddenly stopped moving, as she thought of her past. A plane. I can't fly in a plane, not after what happened. She didn't tell them that, though. She didn't want to be thought of as trouble. Tightening her bun and trying to block out the memories that had never haunted her before, Mia sat down next to Nick and sipped at the coffee she'd been made.

*

As he stepped out of the coach and was hit by sunlight, Nick covered his eyes and made his way towards the private plane they had paid for. Reaching the top of the stairs, he waited for Mia to catch up with him. He handed his bag to the hostess who was waiting by the doorway, and was joined by his brothers. As they took their seats in the plane, Nick looked down at Mia who stood motionless and the bottom of the stairs. Thats when it hit him, that Mia was afraid of planes. He walked down to her, holding out his hand in a hope she would come with him.

"I... I can't. I hate it... I can't come with you," she stammered, looking down at his hand.

"Yes, you can. I'm here with you. Come on," he assured her, still holding his hand out.

"No. I... I'm just scared. My sister..." she said, a sudden tear rolling down her face. Nick as both shocked and afraid. Her sister?

"M, what do you mean, 'your sister?' You don't have a sister," he said, immediately wishing he didn't. Another tear fell from her eye.

"Crash..." she simply said, stepping backwards away from the plane. Nick looked at Big Rob, who was now waiting at the top.

"You go, Nick. I'll... I'll wait at a hotel for you to come back. You just... Go." walking back towards the coach, she sat down and held her knees close to her chest. Her sister is someone she hadn't even spoken of for years. Her parents never spoke of her, either. She was like a faded memory, like she never happened. Not even Nick knew about her. Nick heard Joe calling him, but he didn't go up. He came down, sitting next to the little lady in front of him. He asked her what she meant.

"Mia? Is there something you haven't told me...?" he questioned, removing a strand of hair from her face. She shook her head, not able to bring herself to admit it. Not quite sure what was happening, she looked up at the plane in front of them and shuddered. She thought about it, how it happened. But every detail of her past made her feel sick with shame. This was the first time she'd thought about it. About Annie. About that poor girl.

"Annie," She simply said, beginning to rock herself back and forth, as she felt her insides curl up in hatred for herself, "my sister. She died in a plane crash on the way to England. I've never... Never spoken about her. I was just so scared, Nicky. I couldn't speak about her, because I didn't know how to. I...I didn't want you to hate me for it. For never thinking about her. Please. Please don't hate me, Nicholas..." she said, not being able to control the tears streaming down her porcelain face. Nick pulled her towards him, his hand stroking her head. The other held her tight, and then moved down her lower back as she looked up at him, eyes red with misery. His lips molded into hers, and when he pulled away he told her, "I could never hate you. Never. Don't think that. I understand. But nothing, I promise, nothing is going to happen." He stared deeply into her sea blue eyes, and saw the poor little girl that she'd really always been, suddenly appear. His finger traced around her jaw line, then his hand found hers.

"It was so scary. She was flying over to England to meet a guy she met online, and... Oh, you should have seen the way her red hair blew in the wind. She got her red hair from our mother, you know. And her eyes. They used to sparkle when she moved..." Mia told Nick, more unforgiving tears falling. She managed a weak smile as she remembered the way her sister would beam at her in the morning, and nothing could ever dampen her good spirits. I won't ever forget her, not really. All those years without even mentioning her name, all those years she's been watching me, probably in disgust... Mia closed her eyes to prevent the hurt and misery flowing out of her, all the hurt and misery she'd been enclosing for so long. She suddenly felt Nick lift her chin up.

"She knows you love her, Mia," he said softly, rubbing his nose against hers. And then, again, he stared deeply into her eyes and whispered,

"I love you."