Juli1

The Juliana Chronicles

chapter 1: A Crazy Night

~*~*~*~* Installment 1 ~*~*~*~*

Juliana and Nick were oblivious to the pale moonlight that came streaming through the curtains of their penthouse suite in New York's grand Plaza Hotel. And why shouldn't they be? After all, they were in love, as the slept on through the night in the safety of each other's arms. Everything had been peaceful that night; at least it was in their own world.

But everything wasn't quite so well in the next room, where Juliana's brother, A.J McLean paced back and forth. He tried calling his sister's hotel room for the tenth time. " Pick up the phone Juliana" he growled to himself. When she didn't, he slammed the phone down against the receiver and stormed out of his room, clad in only his baggy jeans and socks. Someone had to be

covering for her. Keeping something from him. Just the mere thought of this made him tremble with anger. He decided to try Howie's room first. Howie would tell him anything. He found the room, and banged the door with his knuckles. The sound echoed through the empty corridor. Just as he raised his

hand to knock again, the door opened a crack.

"A.J?" He mumbled. "What do you want? Don't you know its only three thirty?"

"Yo, D, I'm sorry man, but I just thought maybe you would know where my sister was. She never made it back to her hotel room."

"I saw her with Nick a while ago, they went in his hotel room.Penthouse 1. Now goodnight A.J."

Howie closed the door, and A.J heard the sliding bolt lock into place. It took a minute for Howie's words to set in. He couldn't believe his ears. Before he knew it, A.J. found himself standing in front of Nick's door, not quite sure as to what he should do or even say. He decided to wing it, as he usually did, and banged on the door, surprised it didn't cave in. After a few minutes had gone by, no one had answered the door, so he tried turning the knob. The door was unlocked. He opened it slowly, being careful not to disturb whoever was actually in there. There,in the pale moonlight, AJ's eyes could clearly see that Nick was indeed in bed with his sister. Outraged, he flipped on the light and began to shout.

"What the hell are you doing in bed with my little sister? She is only fifteen. Juliana, get your away from him right now. We are leaving!"

Juliana sat upright, woken up by the commotion.

"A.J, what are you doing here. Leave us alone. Weare trying to sleep if you don't mind!"

"Juliana, you ARE NOT sleeping in bed with him! He is twenty for Christ's sake!" A.J grabbed Juliana's arm and yanked her off of the bed.

"Hey! DO NOT touch her like that! She can stay here if she wants!" With that, Nick shoved A.J away from the bed.

"What the hell is your problem? That is MY sister, and you better not touch her ever again!"

A.J yelled as he shoved Nick back. Nick was taller, and stronger, so the shove had no effect on him. He still towered over A.J, glaring into his small brown eyes, daring him to make another move. A.J. stared up at Nick, slightly intimidated by his large size. A.J knew that he wouldn't win, but he took his chances anyway.

"Nick, she is my little sister, and you will not EVER sleep in bed with her again, do you understand me?" A.J growled.

"No"

Without thinking, A.J released a right hook, hitting Nick square in the jaw. Juliana let out a yelp. Before she could move to help her boyfriend, he got back up and returned the punch. After A.J. recovered from the blow, a

full-fledged fight broke out. Juliana screamed for help, but no one heard her. It wasn't until Nickbegan banging A.J.'s head into the wall, when Kevin, Brian, and Howie showed up. Brian grabbed one of Nick's arms, and twisted it behind his back. Howie grabbed A.J and held him up against a wall, while Kevin got in between the

two and shoved them apart. Juliana sat in the corner, shielding her eyes from the view. After the boys had calmed down, Howie approached her. As he knelt down in front of her, he could see that she was crying. He slipped his arm around her, and held her that way until she had stopped crying. She fell back into a deep sleep, her head resting on Howie's shoulder. Once he was sure that she was out, he lifted her up, and carried her back to her hotel room.

Juliana woke up with a slight headache. Her nose was stuffy, and she felt generally icky all over. She remained in bed for a while longer, and then took a long, hot shower. As she got dressed, she heard a knock on her door. She pulled her robe on over her underclothes, and pulled the door open just wide enough to see the visitor. There, in the dimly lit hall, stood A.J, his face a display of cuts and bruises. Juliana gasped at her brother's complexion.

"How could Nick do that to someone?" she thought. Nick had always been so gentle with her, and seeing what he was actually capable of shocked her.

"Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to invite me in?" AJ joked in his raspy tone.

"Oh, umm yeah, come on in" she stammered,opening the door to let him in.

The couple sat on her bed, which wasn't nearly as nice as the bed in A.J or Nick's penthouse suite. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity to Juliana until at last, her brother spoke out.

"What's going on between you and Nick? You know he could get arrested for what you two were doing back there? I'm disappointed in you, Juliana. I never would have thought you were that kind of girl. I'm not sorry I hit

nick. What you two were doing was wrong. From now onI wan t-"

" I don't care what you want! Nick and I weren't doing anything! Do you understand me? We were just sleeping. I tried to get him to do more, but HE is the one who stopped it! So why don't you just stay the hell out of my life! It's none of your business!" Juliana yelled.

She was furious with her brother. She could not believe that he had the nerve to tell her what to do. He was never like that before. He had always told her to follow her dreams, so what happened?

"Juliana!" he hissed.

He looked at her,and knew that he couldn't stop them. He repeated her name, and stormed out of the room.

He stalked down the hall, not sure where his feet were taking him. All he knew was that he was walking, and at a very fast pace. He caught sight of the elevator on his right. Before he knew it, the doors were sliding open and

he found himself hitting the button that would take him to the hotel lobby. He was thirsty, and he wanted something that would take his mind off of everything that had just happened.

~*~*~*~*Installment 2~*~*~*~*

~~*~~*~~*Nick~~*~~*~~*

He lay in his bed, the world spinning. The night's events now seemed like a blur to him. He had never seen A.J. so mad. Sure, they had seen their fair share of fights and ass-kicking's, but never one like this, never one over a girl. He couldn't sleep, not without holding Juliana. Sighing, he sat up and flipped on the TV. After flipping through the channels, he settled onESPN. Nick cursed out loud when the reporter announced that the Buccaneers had lost the Super Bowl playoffs. He glanced at the clock: nearly 4 am. Nick contemplated calling Juliana, but his thoughts were interrupted when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His left cheek was a showcase of purple bruises, and his upper lip had been busted open. He couldn't believe that A.J., one of his best friends, had done that to him. A tear coursed its way down his battered face. Before he knew it, he was sobbing, and he soon drifted off to a night of fitful, dreamless sleep.

~~*~~*~~*AJ~~*~~*~~*

Meanwhile, A.J. had decided to drown out his sorrows with five shots of Jack Daniels, his personal favorite. When he had asked for the sixth shot, the bartender gave him a weird look. A.J ignored it, and gulped it down. He paid his tab, and wondered back to his room. He saw Ro-Ro flirting with three young girls in front of the elevators, but pretended not to see him. He decided to take the stairs instead. As he reached the top of the stairs, the alcohol kicked in.

"Stairs" he mused. He laughed at such a word. He giggled and smirked his way down the dim corridor and back to his empty room. A.J flopped onto the stiff hotel bed, and soon fell asleep.

~~*~~*~~*Juliana~~*~~*~~*

Juliana couldn't recognize her own face as she stared into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying for so long. She couldn't sleep, and she missed Nick. She picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone. He

answered on the first ring. Without even returning his hello, Juliana blurted out

" Nick I need you. Now. Can I please come over?I can't sleep."

"Sure honey, but make sure A.J. doesn't see you. I don't want you to have to see another fight like that."

Juliana smiled. She knew Nick would make it all better. Without saying goodbye, she hung up the phone and got dressed again. She left her room with a smile across her face. Juliana snuckdown the corridor and rapped gently on Nick's door. He opened the door and pulled her inside. She giggled at the goofy smile that played across his lips.Nick bent down and kissed her softly and picked her up.

"Put me down!" she cried.

Chapter 2


	The Juliana Chronicles chapter 1: A Crazy Night ~~~~ Installment 1 ~~~~ Juliana and Nick were oblivious to the pale moonlight that came streaming through the curtains of their penthouse suite in New York's grand Plaza Hotel. And why shouldn't they be? After all, they were in love, as the slept on through the night in the safety of each other's arms. Everything had been peaceful that night; at least it was in their own world. But everything wasn't quite so well in the next room, where Juliana's brother, A.J McLean paced back and forth. He tried calling his sister's hotel room for the tenth time. " Pick up the phone Juliana" he growled to himself. When she didn't, he slammed the phone down against the receiver and stormed out of his room, clad in only his baggy jeans and socks. Someone had to be covering for her. Keeping something from him. Just the mere thought of this made him tremble with anger. He decided to try Howie's room first. Howie would tell him anything. He found the room, and banged the door with his knuckles. The sound echoed through the empty corridor. Just as he raised his hand to knock again, the door opened a crack. "A.J?" He mumbled. "What do you want? Don't you know its only three thirty?" "Yo, D, I'm sorry man, but I just thought maybe you would know where my sister was. She never made it back to her hotel room." "I saw her with Nick a while ago, they went in his hotel room.Penthouse 1. Now goodnight A.J." Howie closed the door, and A.J heard the sliding bolt lock into place. It took a minute for Howie's words to set in. He couldn't believe his ears. Before he knew it, A.J. found himself standing in front of Nick's door, not quite sure as to what he should do or even say. He decided to wing it, as he usually did, and banged on the door, surprised it didn't cave in. After a few minutes had gone by, no one had answered the door, so he tried turning the knob. The door was unlocked. He opened it slowly, being careful not to disturb whoever was actually in there. There,in the pale moonlight, AJ's eyes could clearly see that Nick was indeed in bed with his sister. Outraged, he flipped on the light and began to shout. "What the hell are you doing in bed with my little sister? She is only fifteen. Juliana, get your away from him right now. We are leaving!" Juliana sat upright, woken up by the commotion. "A.J, what are you doing here. Leave us alone. Weare trying to sleep if you don't mind!" "Juliana, you ARE NOT sleeping in bed with him! He is twenty for Christ's sake!" A.J grabbed Juliana's arm and yanked her off of the bed. "Hey! DO NOT touch her like that! She can stay here if she wants!" With that, Nick shoved A.J away from the bed. "What the hell is your problem? That is MY sister, and you better not touch her ever again!" A.J yelled as he shoved Nick back. Nick was taller, and stronger, so the shove had no effect on him. He still towered over A.J, glaring into his small brown eyes, daring him to make another move. A.J. stared up at Nick, slightly intimidated by his large size. A.J knew that he wouldn't win, but he took his chances anyway. "Nick, she is my little sister, and you will not EVER sleep in bed with her again, do you understand me?" A.J growled. "No" Without thinking, A.J released a right hook, hitting Nick square in the jaw. Juliana let out a yelp. Before she could move to help her boyfriend, he got back up and returned the punch. After A.J. recovered from the blow, a full-fledged fight broke out. Juliana screamed for help, but no one heard her. It wasn't until Nickbegan banging A.J.'s head into the wall, when Kevin, Brian, and Howie showed up. Brian grabbed one of Nick's arms, and twisted it behind his back. Howie grabbed A.J and held him up against a wall, while Kevin got in between the two and shoved them apart. Juliana sat in the corner, shielding her eyes from the view. After the boys had calmed down, Howie approached her. As he knelt down in front of her, he could see that she was crying. He slipped his arm around her, and held her that way until she had stopped crying. She fell back into a deep sleep, her head resting on Howie's shoulder. Once he was sure that she was out, he lifted her up, and carried her back to her hotel room. Juliana woke up with a slight headache. Her nose was stuffy, and she felt generally icky all over. She remained in bed for a while longer, and then took a long, hot shower. As she got dressed, she heard a knock on her door. She pulled her robe on over her underclothes, and pulled the door open just wide enough to see the visitor. There, in the dimly lit hall, stood A.J, his face a display of cuts and bruises. Juliana gasped at her brother's complexion. "How could Nick do that to someone?" she thought. Nick had always been so gentle with her, and seeing what he was actually capable of shocked her. "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you going to invite me in?" AJ joked in his raspy tone. "Oh, umm yeah, come on in" she stammered,opening the door to let him in. The couple sat on her bed, which wasn't nearly as nice as the bed in A.J or Nick's penthouse suite. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity to Juliana until at last, her brother spoke out. "What's going on between you and Nick? You know he could get arrested for what you two were doing back there? I'm disappointed in you, Juliana. I never would have thought you were that kind of girl. I'm not sorry I hit nick. What you two were doing was wrong. From now onI wan t-" " I don't care what you want! Nick and I weren't doing anything! Do you understand me? We were just sleeping. I tried to get him to do more, but HE is the one who stopped it! So why don't you just stay the hell out of my life! It's none of your business!" Juliana yelled. She was furious with her brother. She could not believe that he had the nerve to tell her what to do. He was never like that before. He had always told her to follow her dreams, so what happened? "Juliana!" he hissed. He looked at her,and knew that he couldn't stop them. He repeated her name, and stormed out of the room. He stalked down the hall, not sure where his feet were taking him. All he knew was that he was walking, and at a very fast pace. He caught sight of the elevator on his right. Before he knew it, the doors were sliding open and he found himself hitting the button that would take him to the hotel lobby. He was thirsty, and he wanted something that would take his mind off of everything that had just happened. ~~~~Installment 2~~~~ ~~~~~~Nick~~~~~~ He lay in his bed, the world spinning. The night's events now seemed like a blur to him. He had never seen A.J. so mad. Sure, they had seen their fair share of fights and ass-kicking's, but never one like this, never one over a girl. He couldn't sleep, not without holding Juliana. Sighing, he sat up and flipped on the TV. After flipping through the channels, he settled onESPN. Nick cursed out loud when the reporter announced that the Buccaneers had lost the Super Bowl playoffs. He glanced at the clock: nearly 4 am. Nick contemplated calling Juliana, but his thoughts were interrupted when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His left cheek was a showcase of purple bruises, and his upper lip had been busted open. He couldn't believe that A.J., one of his best friends, had done that to him. A tear coursed its way down his battered face. Before he knew it, he was sobbing, and he soon drifted off to a night of fitful, dreamless sleep. ~~~~~~AJ~~~~~~ Meanwhile, A.J. had decided to drown out his sorrows with five shots of Jack Daniels, his personal favorite. When he had asked for the sixth shot, the bartender gave him a weird look. A.J ignored it, and gulped it down. He paid his tab, and wondered back to his room. He saw Ro-Ro flirting with three young girls in front of the elevators, but pretended not to see him. He decided to take the stairs instead. As he reached the top of the stairs, the alcohol kicked in. "Stairs" he mused. He laughed at such a word. He giggled and smirked his way down the dim corridor and back to his empty room. A.J flopped onto the stiff hotel bed, and soon fell asleep. ~~~~~~Juliana~~~~~~ Juliana couldn't recognize her own face as she stared into the mirror. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying for so long. She couldn't sleep, and she missed Nick. She picked up the phone and dialed his cell phone. He answered on the first ring. Without even returning his hello, Juliana blurted out " Nick I need you. Now. Can I please come over?I can't sleep." "Sure honey, but make sure A.J. doesn't see you. I don't want you to have to see another fight like that." Juliana smiled. She knew Nick would make it all better. Without saying goodbye, she hung up the phone and got dressed again. She left her room with a smile across her face. Juliana snuckdown the corridor and rapped gently on Nick's door. He opened the door and pulled her inside. She giggled at the goofy smile that played across his lips.Nick bent down and kissed her softly and picked her up. "Put me down!" she cried. Chapter 2