Where You Belong

It had been three weeks since the guys all went on tour, and the girls and I were definitely feeling it. Lacey threw herself into her school work to keep herself occupied while Val searched high and low for small modeling gigs that she could get her hands on. Michelle was only needed to oversee things relating to production with Brian's clothing line every now and then, and Leana and I spent the majority of our time together.

I was now twenty eight weeks along, officially in my third trimester, and the more difficult pregnancy symptoms had returned. I was absolutely humongous; because I was so small, there was no room for the baby to grow vertically, so my stomach grew outward. Therefore, with the additional ten or so pounds I'd gained, putting my total weight gain at about twenty five pounds, the leg cramping had returned, and the insomnia only got worse. I was still working, but once I hit thirty weeks, I was going on maternity leave.

The guys called often, just as they'd all promised. I would get a phone call at all times of the day from them all, sometimes individually, sometimes as a group by speakerphone. It made my day to hear from them all, whether it was during their down time or while they were walking to the stage for sound check. Hearing their voices gave me something positive to think about when I was in a miserable mood and alone.

"Britt, I'm back!"

I turned my head from the newly developed pictures I'd been putting together in the scrapbook by my legs and saw my mom walking into the house with bags full of food. I smiled and set the scrapbook aside, thanking her when she handed me a small bag.

"What'd you get?" I asked curiously, opening the bag to see a white box with red Chinese characters painted on it.

She smiled, sitting next to me on the large couch as I opened the container, "Chicken Lo Mein," she said, and I smiled at the fact that she'd gotten me one of my favorites.

"Thanks, Mommy!" I grinned, reaching over and pulling her into a quick hug.

She chuckled and watched me as I ripped open the plastic silverware and used it to dig into the food. I took a bite and swallowed, allowing a soft sigh to fall from my lips as I enjoyed the lunch my mother had brought me. Maria appeared in the doorway and smiled, coming over and hugging me from where I sat on the couch.

"What are you doing here?" I mumbled through a mouthful of food, much to my mother's disapproval, causing Zack's mom to smile cheekily at me.

"I had some stuff I wanted to add to the nursery," she smiled innocently.

I sighed loudly, "Maria!"

"What?" she laughed, and it was then that I noticed Michelle and Leana lugging several white bags upstairs to the room that Zack had cleared out for the baby. I shook my head and continued eating my food, knowing there was no point in arguing with her. When it came to buying things, Zack and his mom were just alike.

"I got a couple of baby name books while I was out the other day," Michelle grinned, walking back down the stairs as I finished my food, setting the empty container down to take a sip of the sweet tea it'd come with.

"You're a live saver, Chelle," I sighed happily, leaning forward to stand up. It didn't happen on the first try. I groaned, "Stupid fucking legs...can't even motherfucking stand up on my own without help..."

"I guess I am," she smirked, walking over and pulling me up by my arms so that I could stand, "You wanna look at them now?"

I thought about it, chewing on my bottom lip before nodding, "Yeah, I do," I said, cringing as a sharp pain when shooting through my back. I groaned, placing a hand on my back before waddling in the direction of the stairs, hoping to grab my bikini from Zack's room.

I had taken to staying at Zack's house since he'd left. Now that I was approaching the last few weeks of pregnancy, I was a lot more emotional and worn out. After speaking with Zack over the phone, he suggested that I use the spare key hidden on his front porch and just stay at his place whenever I was feeling stressed out or upset. He'd somehow known that my being there would keep me calm, and he was right.

I traveled back and forth between my apartment and Zack's house, since all of my belongings were in my apartment. I'd also taken the liberty of watching Icky for Zack while he was gone, and I knew that as much as the dog loved me, he liked being in his own home, too. For the most part, I stayed at Zack's, since both Icky and I found it to be comforting.

I walked into Zack's room and straight over to his dresser, where I knew he kept some of my clothes from when I'd slept over before. I rooted through each of the drawers, searching through things that belonged to the both of us before I finally came across one of my bikinis. It was a new one; my recent weight gain had caused my cup size to change, so I'd had to buy a few new suits. I grabbed it and hurried to the en suite bathroom to change into it.

Changing was more difficult these days, as was everything else. The top was a strapless bandeau style, giving me enough support but didn't cause my sensitive skin any discomfort. The matching bottoms were also a size bigger than usual so that things wouldn't fit so tightly with my new weight. After changing, I waddled my way backstairs, where Leana, Michelle, Maria, and my mom were all going through the scrapbook that I'd been working on.

"This is so cute!" Leana gushed, passing the book over to Maria, who shared a look at it with my mom. I smiled in thanks as Michelle handed me two books, which I assumed had the baby names in them.

"You going to the pool again?" Maria asked with a knowing smile, looking up from the book as I slowly walked over to the sliding glass door. I nodded and opened it, gaining Icky's attention. Icky barked and hurried over to my side before shooting out the door, causing me to giggle.

"He's got so much energy for someone so tiny," I mused, watching as he ran around the pool in circles, black ears flopping and dark eyes wide open.

My mother snorted, "Remind you of anyone?"

I fixed her with an evil glare, one which she ignored completely, and followed Icky outside. Michelle and Leana flanked my sides, leading me over to the steps of the pool. I stuck my toes in the water and sat down on the steps, allowing the water to flow around my stomach and lower back in a soothing manner as I leaned into the stone steps. The girls both sat on either side of me, neither dressed in their bathing suits, yet allowing their legs to dangle in the water.

"So, have you thought of any names so far?" Michelle asked, sipping on a can of diet soda. I shook my head, taking a deep breath settling myself further into the cool water.

"Well why not?!" Leana all but shrieked, causing Michelle to smirk.

I shrugged, "I'm no good with names. I figured I could just wait until the baby gets here, and then--"

"Wait until the baby gets here?!" Maria shrieked, walking outside with my mom, the both of them carrying drinks, "You'll do no such thing!"

"What do you mean?" I frowned, turning my head to look at her as they both handed us drinks before settling in two of the lounge chairs behind us. "What's wrong with wanting to wait?"

"Nothing's wrong, per say," my mother chimed in, staring off into the distance thoughtfully, "It's just that it's not traditional. Common, sure, but...just..."

"We won't have anything to call him, except the baby! He deserves his identity!" Maria gasped, flailing her arms about in exasperation as she tried to convey her message. I giggled quietly, watching as she and my mother both fussed back and forth about why I should pick a name.

"But what if I pick a name and it doesn't fit him once I see him?" I answered pointedly, and at that point, I knew I had them both.

Maria huffed loudly, as my mom crossed her arms over her chest in defiance, but I didn't care. I knew they didn't see things my way, but they also knew I had a valid point and a fair argument on my hands. I smirked triumphantly as I faced the water again, closing my eyes and allowing the hot sun to beat down on my face.

My thoughts drifted back to the guys, knowing that unlike the rest of the females, they'd be all for me waiting to name the baby. Zack himself had asked if I'd thought of a name, and when I told him I hadn't had any in mind, he'd told me not to worry about it and to wait for the time whenever a name actually came to me.

I smiled, knowing that if he were here, he'd get all the women of the family off my case before taking me out for all the ice cream my little heart could ever want. I wondered what he was doing now. It was roughly three in the afternoon, but the last I'd heard from the guys, they were nearing the east coast somewhere, so the times were different for us all.

It wasn't long before Maria and my mom both went back inside, complaining of the heat, when Leana and Michelle both grinned at me. I eyed them suspiciously, knowing that they were up to something. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what was going through their minds.

"Can I help you two?" I asked cautiously, noticing that the two of them had been eying me simultaneously for a long time.

Michelle smirked widely, "I wouldn't say that you could help us necessarily,"

"Cut the shit," I rolled my eyes, "What are you getting at?" I asked seriously, finishing my glass of juice and swiping Leana's since she hadn't touched hers.

"Well," Leana piped up, trying to conceal the grin tugging at her lips, "From what I've heard from my lovely fiance, there's a certain rhythm guitarist in the band who can't seem to focus on anything but a once red-headed, now golden-haired spitfire best friend of his."

I was confused, "Huh?"

"Yeah," Michelle giggled, splashing some of the water on me, "I heard through the grapevine that he takes a picture of this person wherever he goes."

"Okay, and?" I frowned. So Zack carried a picture of some girl in his pocket. What were they telling me this for?

"Oh my God," Michelle sighed with a roll of her eyes, "It's because he misses you, you dumbass!"

"What's him carrying a picture of some girl got to do with me?" I asked dumbfounded, eying my two friends as if they'd lost their minds.

"Because you're the girl in the picture!" Leana nearly shrieked with laughter.

I snorted, slapping my forehead, "Oh. Well why didn't you just say that? And what's the big deal with that? The guys carry pictures of you guys, too." I stated pointedly, causing both girls to smirk wildly at me. I cocked an eyebrow.

"Yeah, they're supposed to," Michelle smiled, "They're our boyfriends--"

"Fiance," Leana interjected with a dreamy smile, staring off into space momentarily.

Michelle shot her a nasty glare, "It'll happen eventually." she grumbled before turning her attention back to me with a smile on her face. "My point is, as I was saying, that Zack carries several pictures of you wherever he goes and you're not even his girlfriend."

I shrugged my shoulders, "So? We're best friends."

"You mean, you don't find anything strange or like...insanely flattering by that?" Leana asked with a pout, and I eyed her strangely.

"Why should I? It's just a picture." I shrugged, standing on my feet and wading a little further into the water.

"Well what about the other stuff?" she asked incredulously, and I rolled my eyes to myself, grabbing a noodle that had been left in the pool and hanging onto it, allowing it carry me towards the center of the pool.

"What other stuff?" I asked in a bored tone, knowing she would tell me whether I asked or not.

"He calls you religiously for one," she began, and I looked over my shoulder to see her counting off on her fingers, "He's mentioned you in several radio interviews, he dedicates songs to you when he's onstage--"

"Ooh, don't forget the fact that he cuddles with one of her body pillows at night," Michelle added with a smirk, high fiving Leana in the process, "Dude, your pictures are plastered all across his bunk wall, and he orders the same foods you usually ask for or crave when they go out. Not to mention he talks about you nonstop, whether awake or unconscious, apparently."

I sighed, "He's just worried about me, is all."

"I think he's a little more than worried." Michelle muttered, and I shot her a quick glare over my shoulder.

"Yeah, so do I," Leana giggled, standing up and grabbing her phone from one of the lounge chairs next to Icky, "Which is why we're all going to visit the guys in about two months."

I felt a smile crawl across my lips as I thought about seeing my best friends again. Even though they hadn't been gone for even a full month yet, I'd missed them like crazy. I was so used to having them around at all times of the day and night, that I almost didn't know what to do with myself now that they were gone. I knew I had to get used to it though; they hadn't even been gone a month, and they'd be gone for another seven months once we got through this first one.

But for now, I knew I wouldn't have to worry about adjusting to not having them around. I couldn't wait for the next two months to be over so that we could all go see the guys.