Beneath the Northern Lights

“Oh! Bam will be back at the hotel, you should come in and see him!” Ali smiled as she leaned against Lauri’s shoulder yawning ever so softly. Bam had just texted her so she knew where he was. The bandmates had headed back to their own places a few hours ago. Only Lauri and Ali occupied the van now. Lauri’s guard was at the wheel. Ali looked out the window and watched as the downtown lights and bars were shining brightly. This day had been perfect.



“I could probably do that.” Lauri responded and enjoyed the company. He watched her rest. Not many thoughts ran through his head, he was content. She enjoyed herself and that was all that he really cared about. Soon they were pulling in. Due to the time of night most people were clearing off the streets. Lauri jumped out of the van and then held the door open for Ali. They walked the halls. Whispers were circulating in the lobby. Lauri didn’t think much of it. Once they were on their floor, Ali could hear laughing and rowdiness. Ali rolled her eyes. She smiled and walked straight to Bam’s room. She pushed open the door and smiled as she saw her gang sitting there with Ville. They were in the middle of a game of Kings. 



“4 is for whores!! Drink up Nicole...” Bam laughed laying down his card and laughing as Nicole whined about doing another shot. Thankfully they came early enough and they weren't drunk out of their minds yet. Bam twisted his head as he heard the door open. He smiled and got up,

“Well, I hope you guys had as much fun as us today!”

“Today was NOT fun, Bam....” Ryan proclaimed as he rubbed his neck, “Your brother decided to drag us out to the middle of nowhere to those fucking falls and thought it would be great to go in a barrel and over the falls. EXCEPT....” Ryan paused and looked at Ali’s brother who was holding back a laugh, “He didn’t have the balls to fucking do it himself....so who was put in the barrel with nothing but one pillow????”



“We could have put you in there without the pillow....” Ville added darkly sitting proper on the floor with Nicole. He smiled and then sipped his glass of wine. Ryan was not amused. Ali smiled and took a step forward,



“Ryan I’m glad you survived, and as I’ve said many times, I am not responsible for the actions of my brother. Lauri and I had a blast, I wish you all could have been there. It was just so much fun. I never noticed that Finnish people are so happy here.” Ali smiled.



“I’m glad you are home safe and had an awesome time, although, I do wish you could have seen Ryan at his finest.” Bam added and then lifted his glass in the direction of his best friend who was too busy flipping him off. Ali laughed and shook her head, “I know you guys are probably tired, but if you want to stay, please stick around Lauri. I think we are going to go out to head to Kontula tomorrow, Lauri why don’t you come with?” Bam asked with an inviting smile. Ali looked back at the other man and held her breath.



“Kontula? Of course. What time?” Lauri asked and looked at Ali hoping that was answer she was hoping for. Ali smiled and folded her hand in excitement. Bam shared information with Lauri. He decided to head back and get some sleep. Spending the night tonight would not be a good idea for anyone. After everyone had said their goodbyes, Ali and Lauri walked back into the hallway. She leaned against her door with her key in her hand.



“Thank you for everything, glad I will see you tomorrow.” Ali smiled up at him. Lauri nodded,



“I love your brother and his shenanigans, plus I get to spend the majority of the day hanging out with you. I don’t skate. I sing, remember?” Lauri laughed, “I will see you there. Hyvaa yota, Ali. Goodnight” Lauri smiled and leaned forward and kissed her cheek one last time before heading out of the hotel. Ali watched him and blushed,



“Goodnight, Lauri.”



_________________________________

Ali fell asleep cuddled up with Bam in his bed. She never made it back to her room. Ville and Nicole were in the other bed while Ryan was laying in the bathroom once again. Ali moved to get up and she sat up looking around. There were empty solo cups, shots full oh whiskey and cards everywhere. Ali laid back down wanting to pretend she just imagined it. She laid back and felt her hair being played with. She turned to look at her brother, “I’m not Jen....” She said worried about the state of her brother’s consciousness.



“I know... you are my little sister.” Bam replied opening one eye, “I’m glad you came on the trip, little monkey, I haven’t seen you so happy in a long time. I’m glad you and Lauri are friends.” Bam whispered. Ali smiled she wouldn’t admit it to Bam that she was happy as well. She bit her lip and nodded. “Have you talked to Zacky?” Ali shook her head,



“I thought I would call him when I woke up.” Ali sighed and looked at the time, “He’s either asleep or getting ready to go to bed.” She stretched and sat up. Bam didn’t have enough energy to sit up yet so he laid their still in his outfit and shoes from last night. Ali got up and grabbed her purse and searched for her phone. She sat in a chair and looked to see there weren’t any texts from Zacky. She went a head and called the other. She sat for only a few rings before her beloved picked up. Her smile spread hearing his voice. 



“Al, whats up?”


“Hey baby!!! It’s been forever, I thought I’d just see how you were doing, we are heading off to a skate park today and I wanted to get a call in before that madness took place.”


“Everything is going good. Having a bit of a house party here at Matt’s.”


“Oh, well I hope you are having fun, I can’t wait to be out there with you again. I miss you so much.”


“I miss you too baby...” All of the sudden there was a muffled voice of girls laughing. Ali didn’t think anything of it, he did say he was at a party. He waited. “Sorry, babe, some people didn’t know I was on the phone.” Ali went to respond before hearing a girl clearly say:
“Zee, come with us out to the beach tonight....” Ali heard Zacky try to hush the other.


“Zacky, who is that? The one that called you Zee?” Ali asked holding her breath a little bit.


“Umm, it’s just Lena and all of the girls...” Zacky blew it off. “We are heading out to the West side tonight.”


“I’ve never heard Lena call you Zee. I’ve only heard one person.....”


“Baby, I really need to go, but I will text you when I get back home. I love you, you are my world. Be safe and come home quickly. The sooner you get home the sooner we will be together.”


“I love you....have...fun” Ali responded before hearing Zacky say good bye one more time before hanging up. Ali bit her lip and hung up as well. She looked up from her lap and saw Bam watching. She didn’t say anything to her brother. She shook her head and then stood up taking her purse and leaving his room and crossing the hall and going to her own room. She laid on the bed and began to cry. Her throat was full of emotion. She held the pillow close and was thankful Nicole wasn’t in there at the moment. She sighed and after a few moments she gathered some clothes. She had no reason to be upset. Zacky admitted infront of his company that he loved Ali. Zacky said that the others around him were Lena and the girlfriends plus his bandmates. Ali could do the math, Zacky was by himself. All the other guys had their girls to party with. Who did Zacky have? “Gena....” She whispered answering her own thoughts. She recalled the time she met Gena. Zee was the name that Gena used to talk to Zacky. Never had she heard anyone else call him that. She got her clothes and went to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for the day. There was no way Zacky would do this to Ali, they just bought a house. Ali figured she was over reacting. She took a shower and prepared herself for the day.



Soon they were all ready to go. Bam drove the Lamborghini to the park with Ali in the passenger seat. Neither one of them said much. Bam had nothing good to sat if Ali asked. Ali knew it and thought it was better to avoid the topic for that reason. Ryan, Ville and Nicole took off in another car. Once they were there Bam parked and looked over at Ali. She sat there for a moment spinning the wheels on one of Bam’s skateboards. He rubbed her arm and smiled.



“Cheer up little monkey...it will be a good day.” Bam said before getting out. Ali picked up one of Bam’s extra boards that he brought and got out of the car. Bam was already greeting skating friends once out of the car. He grabbed his main board and took off in the direction of the ramps. Ryan grabbed his board and followed after. Nicole and Ville made their way towards Ali. She took a seat on a cement ledge and played with the wheels of the extra board. She looked around for Lauri. She hoped he came. It would be the only thing to keep her sane right now. Ville looked at her,



“So I never heard much about your day at the festival. I hope you thoroughly enjoyed it. I know you were with the best of company” Ville said leaning forward to talk to Ali around Nicole. Ali smiled at Ville’s words and nodded.



“It was a blast. My favorite would have to be the....” She was going to say ferris wheel, but she paused. She didn’t want to explain that to Ville. “I loved the boat race. It is such a cute tradition and it’s great for all ages.” Ali smiled looking at Ville, “The boys really got into it. Fighting and betting...it was intense for a moment” Ali laughed and then shook her head, “I would come back every year if I could” Ali looked up to watch Bam take to a half pipe. She always admired his skating. He seemed so natural and fearless when he skated. Ali and Nicole looked at the skater guys and gave them ratings. She decided to keep her mind off of the phone call. It was nothing she could deal with now anyway.



“Clearly he is a 4....hoodies are meant to hide non existent 6 packs... now your brother on the other hand.... 8.” Ville said taking a drag. Ali leaned forward and raised a brow. 


“An 8? Let’s try a 6.” Ali said rolling her eyes, “He’s got a good body I guess...but his hair and lack of....care...” Ali rolled her eyes crossing her legs. Nicole looked around and spotted Lauri.



“I would call him an 8...what do you think, Ali?” Nicole smiled and pointed over to Ali’s left. Ville nodded in response to Nicole’s statement. Ali turned her head and couldn’t help but smile as Lauri came walking towards them with his crow feathers. She smiled and jumped off the ledge and dropped Bam’s skateboard out of her hands. Ville smirked and stopped it with his foot as he watched his friend's sister scramble off. Lauri pulled his sunglasses off and opened his arms to Ali. She jogged into them and hugged him tight.



“I wasn’t sure if you were going to come.” Ali said before walking back to the ledge. Ville thought it was nice to see her happy. He patted Nicole’s back and smiled. Nicole knew what was going on in Ville’s mind. She looked back at Lauri and Ali. 



“Of course, I have all the time in the world, and you are only here for a short bit. I need to make the most of it.” Lauri responded and helped Ali back on ledge. He wallked over and shook hands with Ville and kissed Nicole’s cheek before taking a seat on the ledge next to Ali. “So where is that brother of yours? Ahh, yes I see him. Hasn’t lost his skills I see.” Lauri laughed and then turned his attention on Ryan for a small whiled. Ali smiled and couldn’t help but look over at Lauri. 



“Did you sleep well?”


“Like a baby...the festival always takes a toll on me.”


“I did too...I spent the night in my brother’s room. I couldn’t even make it back to my own.”


“I don’t think my sister would be that nice if I did that to her.”


“I never said I would do the same in return for Bam!” Ali laughed and looked down at her hands and then sighed and looked up at Bam being a showoff to all of his Finnish friends. Lauri smiled and looked down at her. She wasn’t the same that she had been at the festival. He started to say something, but stopped and looked up and watched Bam as well. About an hour went by of the four of them talking. Finally Lauri looked down at Ali.



“Hey, Ali, would you be interested in a drink? The sun is getting the best of me. Waters all around... on me?” Nicole laughed and nodded. Ville smiled and also said to count him in. Lauri motioned for Ali to go with him. Ali jumped down and put her hands in her pocket as they walked. Lauri looked down at her as they strolled through the park. “Are you ok that I’m here? You don’t seem as happy as you did yesterday?” Ali turned her head quickly and shook her head.


“I couldn’t be happier actually. I am a little down I guess. I guess I miss Zacky...or something” Ali said crossing her arms and looking down. Lauri didn’t need to hear much about Zacky. He didn’t like that response, but it was better than her telling him to leave. “I’m sorry, I guess I just need to focus on the time I have in this awesome country, I can see Zacky much more easily than I can see this beautiful place” Lauri nodded and rubbed her back.



“Nah, I understand. I would feel the same if I was parted from a loved one. We will take care of you, Zacky shouldn’t worry at all” Ali smiled and looked up at him and hugged him tightly.



“Thanks. I have a million and one reasons to smile, I need to start remembering to do more of it” Ali said and then waited as Lauri got their waters. Ali thanked him and they returned to their friends. Lauri passed water to the other two just in time for Bam to come over. Bam smirked as he saw Lauri and Ali being all happy and friendly. Nothing made him happier.



“Well well...look who showed up. Hey brother...” Bam said hugging Lauri as Ryan came up. “Should have brought your board!”



“I don’t do that kind of thing, Bam. Only when no one is watching and I can hold on to the wall.” Lauri and Bam shared a laugh.



“Ha! I see. Well hope you are watching my sister. She’s a handful.” he threw a smile at his sister who was smiling back. Lauri nodded,



“Oh yah...” Lauri responded sarcastically, “I’m having a very difficult time keeping up with her.” Lauri wrapped an arm around her and smiled up at Bam. Bam couldn’t help but smile back. The wheels were turning in his head. Bam looked at his sister and then Nicole.



“Nicole....you still meeting up with Adam and Sauli tonight?” Bam asked as he looked at the brunette and gave her a stern look that no one saw but Ville and Nicole. Ali and Lauri seemed to be in a different world until Ali heard Adam’s name. Nicole fumbled with her words and she looked at Ville who gave her a slight nod.



“Umm.. Well.. I...yes... just waiting for Adam to text me back????” She said hesitantly. She looked at Ville for an answer then at Bam. Ville smirked and drew a drag before crossing his legs.



“Good, because we are having a boys night tonight. Lauri, we do ask that you come as well. It just wouldn’t be right without you.” Ville smiled up at Bam and cocked his head to the side waiting for an answer. Lauri looked at Ali and then Ville.



“I was hoping to show Ali the mall....”



“That can wait Ylonen, she knows what that is! She’s a lady for fuck’s sake, the women’s ‘cave’ IS a mall.” Bam responded, “Come on...we are going to the ice bar and then Ville’s. Bring your bandmates! You can do the mall shopping thing tomorrow.” Ali looked at Lauri with a smile. She loved the fact that he had plans for them. However, happiness turned to annoyance as Bam shattered their plans. She looked at Ville who was encouraging. She shook her head,



“Brandon....Lauri had plans...” Ali said intensely. Ville chimed in quickly as Bam started to get heated. Ville stopped the siblings from fighting before it had begun. 



“And they shall resume tomorrow!!!! We’ve had this evening planned for a bit, my love. However it is up to Lauri....” Ville leaned forward and gave a look to Lauri that could kill. Lauri was in fact disappointed, but he thought a gentleman’s evening would be fun. He nodded as he looked back at Ville. He didn’t bother getting Bam’s reaction as he leaned in and smiled rubbing Ali’s back.



“The mall will still be there tomorrow, don’t worry. I won’t let you miss it” Lauri smiled widely and whispered. Ali paused and couldn’t believe Lauri was playing into Bam’s desires. She was annoyed. She didn’t let it show though. She nodded and smiled up at Lauri. Ville sat back satisfied and winked at Bam. Bam nodded and then grabbed his skateboard. 



“Good it is settled. We will see you tonight at the ice bar at 6 for dinner” Bam saluted and then skated off with Ryan in tow. Ali watched Bam and wanted to push him off his skateboard but she kept that feeling hidden as she talked with Lauri about growing up around skateparks all her life. 

The evening passed quickly. It wasn’t until 4 that even started packing up. A man with black hair and a vibrant shirt came walking up. He was well groomed and very stylish.



“I’m here to collect a couple of ladies.....” Ali looked up at the strangers voice and smiled as he ran into other man’s arms. Bam smiled and motioned for Ville and Ryan to follow back to the Lambo. “I heard that we needed a spa night, Helsinki style?”It was the one and only Adam Lambert. He smiled as he pecked Ali’s lips lightly and gave her a huge hug. Nicole walked up and secret her sunglasses on her face.



“I guess... I just want to get out of this sun!” Nicole complained as she walked to Adam’s car. Ali smiled and pulled back in time to see Lauri slipping away. Ali called out for him.



“Have fun tonight...keep my brother safe. God knows how he is around Ville and Dunn.” Ali walked up and hugged him. Lauri hugged her back and nodded ever so softly.



“Of course. Have fun with Adam. I will see you tomorrow? I will text you a time.” Lauri kissed her cheek like always and then headed in the direction of Bam. Ali watched as Bam invited him into the group. Maybe a girl’s night was just what she needed in the wake of this ‘Zee’ craziness. She walked hand in hand with Adam back to his taxi to spend the evening with Nicole, Adam and his boyfriend.