Infinite

"Ronnie!" I called from the bedroom of our apartment, "I'm heading to my dad's place! I'm helping him find a new sitter for Nic." I slipped into a pair of tennis shoes and rounded the corner into the living room.

Ronnie sat on the couch, his computer on his lap and his baby of a dog next to him. He was still in the clothes he wore to bed, which consisted of a bare torso and a pair of shorts.

"Ron?" I said again, leaning against the back of the couch, "I'm leaving." I leaned down and wrapped my arms around his neck from behind, my fingers resting on the face of the owl on his chest. "Ron," I murmured into his hair, "You can't be mad at me forever."

He dropped his head back onto my shoulder and looked at me from the corner of his eye. "Says who?" he asked, causing me to roll my own

I sighed softly and pressed my lips against the corner of his mouth. "Even if you stay mad forever, I've still got to go," I said, beginning to stand up.

He grabbed my arm before I could pull away from him completely, so I slid back down to him and kissed him again, more intensely. One of his hands held the laptop from falling and the other reached up and cupped the back of my neck, holding me to him.

"If you give me fifteen minutes I'll come with now," he said when our lips parted, "I just need to get dressed and shit."

I chuckled but gave him a hard look. "If you would've stopped pouting earlier, you could've been ready by now and I wouldn't have to wait," I stated, standing up so I could cross my arms over my chest.

Ronnie had been "pouting" for the last six days about my decision to stay home while he and the band went on another tour in about a month. Last summer, I'd gone with him and the band on Warped tour, and intended to go again this year, but when my father scheduled earlier dates and offered me my dream job back, those plans came crashing to the ground.

I waited on the couch next to Charlie, taking Ronnie's place under the laptop as he raced off to put on something more suitable and do something with his hair, which he was attempting to grow out again. "Ronnie lets go!" I shouted, growing impatient as the man took longer to get ready than I did, "We're going to be late!"

"Oh, relax!" he shouted back from the bathroom at the end of the hall, "Brett can fucking wait."

"If you're going to cause trouble, you can stay home," I replied, turning in my seat to watch as he walked down the hallway towards me. He was dressed in a pair of baggier pants and a black hoodie. "You look nice, now lets go."

"I'm not going to cause trouble, Atti," he stated, feeling his pockets for whatever he needed, "I just want to see Moon."

"Well, you're out of luck," I replied, closing the computer and getting to my feet, "Gina took her and Frida out for the day. It's just going to be you and me, since my dad is busy."

Ronnie rolled his eyes obviously but grabbed his keys and Charlie's leash from the table anyway. "Lets just go," he muttered, "Before I change my mind." He called Charlie off the couch and hooked the dog's studded collar to the black, leather leash.

I grabbed his free hand and we started towards the door. "You sure you don't want to wait here?" I questioned, "You can just drive in for dinner later.."

"I'm fine," he stated, closing the apartment door behind us. He locked the bolt and then took my hand again. We headed down the stairs and out of the locked building to let Charlie use the grass before we herded him into the car.

I wasn't sure how the meeting with my dad and Ronnie would go, seeing as the singer had been unimpressed with the older man for the last week. Despite being boss and client, it seemed that Ronnie and my father would never settle their differences. They were each standing on either side of me, yanking on an arm in attempt to pull me to them.

It'd been over a year and a half and it seemed like a constant war between father and fiance. Ronnie drove us to Pasadena as we listened to one of the stations. When we were half-way there, I grinned widely and reached for the volume on the dash. "Do you remember this?" I asked, a nostalgic smile on my face.

"Our first official date," he recalled, nodding, "You made me sing to you on the way to the party for The Drug in Me is You video release."

I was a little surprised that Ronnie also remembered that long ago. It seemed like that party had been another life time. When the song on the radio got to my favorite part, Ronnie's voice drowned out Nikki Sixx's.

"Well, I don't know what you're doing to me, but it sure feels right. I don't know what you're doing to me, but lets do it all night. When the sunlight breaks through the LA sky, for some damn reason it makes me smile. And I don't know what you're doing to me, but it sure feels right..."

We drove until we got to my father's familiar house. My dad opened the door when we got up to it, surprising us both. He backed up and motioned for us to come on in.

"I thought you were the first applicant," he explained, following us into the living room, "I didn't know that you were coming along." He glanced at the dog between us and frowned unhappily. As children, we were never allowed to have animals for the sake of the floor and the furniture, but he let Charlie through the door without a word.

"You invited us for dinner," Ronnie reminded him, "I figured it'd be easier to come now than driving myself in later.." He didn't show it, but Ronnie was proud that Charlie bothered Brett.

Dad gathered his things and quickly said goodbye, thanking Ronnie and I for taking the time to do this for him. "Keep your dog off my couch," he ordered Ronnie, giving the puppy a harsh look, "This is expensive furniture. I don't want it messed up."

Brett left quickly as he was running late, and just as he closed the door, Ronnie called his Pit onto the couch next to him. I scowled at the singer but didn't force him to kick Charlie off the couch. Dad had left the gate open so that the first applicant could get in. When the door bell rang, Charlie barked loudly and followed me to answer it.

"Hello," I greeted as I pulled the door open and shoved Charlie back before he could ambush her. "Ronnie, call Charlie!" I demanded. The woman in front of me couldn't have been any older than twenty-three. She smiled politely and pushed her shoulder length hair out of her face. "Come on in. I'm Atticus," I introduced, standing up taller since I didn't have to defend her from our dog.

She walked into the entry way of the house and introduced herself. "I'm Paulie," she said, looking over the interior of the humungous house, "This place is beautiful."

"Thanks," I replied with a smile on my face, "It's my father's. We're just interviewing sitters for my younger sister because he's busy today." She followed me into the living room and around the couch that Ronnie was standing in front of. Charlie was sitting calmly on the cushion, watching us with his tongue lolling out of his mouth. "Paulie, this is my fiance Ronnie, Ron this is Paulie."

Ronnie and the young woman shook hands. I could see that she was a little surprised by the sight of him, but she composed herself well and sat down in the chair across from the couch. "It's nice to meet you both," she said politely, crossing her legs, "and you, Charlie."

I pulled my feet up onto the couch and leaned my side against Ronnie's. "You too," I replied, glancing down at the list of questions my father had written out. "So, have you nannied before?" I asked, hoping that was the right word to use since she would be a full-time, on call babysitter.

She nodded her head. "Yes, I'm in college in Los Angeles, so I do this to put myself through my classes. I've worked with one other family before, they had a little boy about the same age as your sister."

"Does your schooling get in the way?" Ronnie asked, stealing the question from the tip of my tongue, "What if Brett needs you to watch Nico and you're in class?"

She poised on the edge of the chair, having previously prepared for the question. "I only have classes two days a week since I have most of my credits, so there's really no time that doesn't work for me."

I nodded, noting that next to the little list. "What days are those?" I questioned, glaring at Ronnie as professionalism left him and he pressed his fingers against the bit of bare skin that showed between my pants and the hem of my shirt..

"Monday night and Thursday night," she stated.

"Would you feel comfortable watching Nico overnight?" I asked, as Ronnie nodded beside me, "A lot of time my father and Gina are away on business for a couple nights and need someone to keep Nico for a night. Would you be able to do that?"

Paulie seemed a little surprised by the question. "I suppose I could," she replied, nodding slowly, "I hadn't really considered it, but I'd feel more comfortable staying overnight in Nico's own surroundings. Since it'll take time for her to get to know me, I feel that it would be best to stay the nights here."

"That's a good answer," I murmured, meeting Ronnie's eyes.

"Do you mind if I ask what your parents do that keep them away from Nico?" she questioned politely, folding her hands in her lap, "I'm just surprised, is all."

"Brett owns a record label," Ronnie explained, "And Gina runs part of it and owns her own business as well. They each run their own companies, so they're pretty busy all of the time."

She nodded, putting that behind her. "That definitely sounds time consuming," she admitted, smiling politely as Charlie hopped off the couch and went to sniff her out. She nonchalantly moved her legs away from the dog and smiled politely, holding onto the papers in her lap.

"Charlie," I called, snapping my fingers at the Pitt, "Get over here." I huffed when the dog ignored me and continued to snoop around Paulie. I tried to call him back, but he didn't listen, so I jabbed Ronnie in the side, demanding that he do something.

Ronnie chuckled and called the dog back to him in a laid-back voice. "Charlie, come 'ere, boy." Charlie didn't look too pleased with the command, wanting to keep exploring, but he listened anyway, climbing back into his spot at Ronnie's side.

"Show off," I murmured, causing Ronnie to laugh under his breath.

"Jealous," he retorted, shaking his head at me.

"Anyways," I chuckled, turning my attention away from the singer and his dog, "I assume you understand that nobody will be allowed in this house except for you. Brett is a pretty well-known guy and we don't want strangers in the house, even if they are just watching TV with you while Nico sleeps. Also, my other sister, Frida, lives here but she's here and then gone all the time, so you can't expect her to watch Nico for any period of time."

Ronnie rolled his eyes at the thought of Frida being responsible. I playfully glared at him and hit him in the side with my arm.

"She's a great girl," I continued, trying to clear up the impression we left on her, "But Frida is really busy and my father isn't interested in making his kids watch their siblings when they have plans. Except for me, of course," I added when I saw the indignation on Ronnie's face.

"We're usually the babysitter," Ronnie informed her.

"Oh, do you mind if I ask why that's changing?" she questioned, glancing between us.

"I'm going back to a full time job," I informed her, "And Ronnie's band is getting ready to go on tour, so there won't be much time for either of us to spend with Nico."

"Seems like your entire family lives such interesting lives," she noted, smiling at us as Ronnie scratched Charlie's stomach, "I couldn't imagine being the daughter of such busy parents and having a fiance who's in a touring band."

I grinned and nodded my head. "It's definitely a handful," i agreed, "but at the same time my life is relatively normal... at least it was before Ronnie started bothering me." I smirked at him and the look he gave me in response to my words.

"How long have you been together?" she questioned, seeming honestly interested in our story.

"Almost 20 months," Ronnie said, since he was the one who always kept track of our time together, "We met two Aprils ago."

Paulie smiled at the both of us and dipped her head in a nod. "Well, you're very cute together," she said which people didn't say to us often. It wasn't that we weren't cute together, because I was often sickened by our own cutesy-ness, but it was because we were both very independent people.

"Thank you," I said, feeling proud of us, even though that wasn't quite the right emotion, "Ronnie's a giant pain in my ass, but I don't know what I'd do without him, anymore."

Ronnie rolled his eyes so we both could see. "Yeah, I'm the pain," he retorted, giving me the look.

My eyes widened. "What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded to know, turning to face him almost completely, "You're the high-maintenence one. You have to wear the perfect clothes, and have every single strand of hair in the exact place it belongs, you like expensive watches that don't even work, and buy enough shoes to give everyone in Africa a pair!"

Ronnie's dark eyes looked menacing as he turned his attention back to the smiling woman in front of us. She covered her mouth with her hand and composed herself, reverting back to 'business-casual' as we did the same.

"So," I changed the topic, "When are you open to meeting Nico? I just want to make sure that you and her get along before I leave you in her care. I'd hate for her to get iffy about you."

The blonde woman shrugged her shoulders. "Any time this week," she said, "but I doubt there will be any kind of problem between Nico and I."

"Just want to make sure," I commented before turning to Ronnie, "What day are we free, babe?"

Ronnie seemed to take a glance at the mental calendar in his mind. "This weekend we're helping Ryan and Jenn move into their apartment and Derek into Ryan's room, Monday we've got Arch, Wednesday is the last day in the studio, but you don't have to be there for that."

"And Thursday is the album release," I finished, "So how's tomorrow?" I asked, turning my attention to the blonde, "It's our only open day for awhile."

She nodded enthusiastically. "Tomorrow is great. What time should I be here?"

"How about we meet you for lunch?" I inquired, "How about that Chinese restaurant on twelfth street here in Pasadena? It's delicious. We could meet around two?"

"That sounds great," she agreed, gathering her things, "I'll see you then?"

Ronnie and I both stood up so we could follow her to the front door. Ronnie grabbed Charlie's collar as I opened the door to let Paulie out, despite the fact that the dog never left his side.

"We'll see you tomorrow," I promised cheerfully, "Bye, Paulie."

"See you then. It was great meeting you both," she responded, stepping down the front steps.

I closed the door as she got into her four door car and backed out of the narrow driveway. I clapped my hands together and grinned at Ronnie. "I guess we can cancel the other applicants!"

Ronnie tilted his head to the side as he crouched down next to his dog. "What if Nico doesn't like her?" he asked. "We should probably meet a couple more people just in case."

"Nico likes everyone," I reminded him as he stood up and held his arms out for me to walk into, "There won't be a problem."

Ronnie pulled me against him and smiled down at me. "So what do we do now?" he asked, a strand of his hair falling in his face. "Someone better cancel the other appointments."

"Hmm," I murmured, not meeting his eyes as I looked over his shoulder to the second floor balcony, "Dad and Gina want to have dinner with the whole family, but they won't be home for a few hours."

He looked back in the same direction I was. "Yeah?"

I nodded, a smirk on my lips. "You lock the front door and close the gate, I'll meet you up there." With that I pushed out of his grasp and climbed the steps to the second floor landing. I pushed open the door to my old bedroom and grinned as Ronnie walked in behind me just moments later, shutting the door before Charlie could follow him in.