Alternatively If… 12A

Shane and Tanner were too glued to the screen to hear the phone ringing on Shane's bed. Peggy wandered over, lured by the ringing than anything. Until it hit her that Shane's phone is ringing. She looked at the heavily focused boys and at her parents talking by the table with the reading lamp before looking down to see who was calling. "Hannah Barbra?" She blurted much to her own dismay. She'd been hoping to answer and… she hadn't thought that far.

Everyone turned to her. Suddenly realizing what she'd said, Shane scrambled to his feet just as she was about to pick it up. "S- Peggy, don't!"

"What's going on?" Travis asked over his shoulder, Steph peaking from in front of him.

Tanner got up. "Peggy said Barbra and Shane ran. I didn't even know when he left here."

Shane was glaring at her, warning her of things to come if she spoke. Like her access to his room and his presence. His silent message wasn't received. "Just let me answer it. Please."

"No."

"Is there a new girlfriend? Oh come on Shane, moving on after a year?"

Shane looked at his mom, she'd stepped out of Travis' frame. "Sherry has a boyfriend mom. Plus I've moved on. But she's not my girlfriend."

"Well some of us haven't moved on." She planted her hands on her hips.

Tanner and Travis laughed at her. "Mom that's weird." Tanner pointed out. "You make it sound like all three of you were dating."

Travis stopped, realizing what Tanner said. "I didn't think of that."

While everyone was busy… "Hello?" "Peggy!"

She flashed Shane a smile. "Hi Hannah this is Peggy, Shane's sister. He's told me about you."

Shane stretched out his hand. "Give it. Or I'll take it by force. You choose."

She knew he meant it. "Okay bye." "All I'm saying is that they were good together." Steph went on like nothing happened.

He took his phone from Peggy. "Hannah? Hi. Sorry my…" out the door he went.

"Everyone's good together to you Steph." Travis pointed out.

"That's not true. Sure Tanner and Abby look good together and Shane and Sherry did too. But honestly Trav. You should know, anyone standing next to your boys looks good with them."

"My boys? Are they ever yours?" He raised a brow.

She raised hers as well. "When you're here, they're yours."

"Good one mom." Tanner nodded in acknowledgement. "You can't get rid of us that easily dad."

"Where do I fit in all of this?" "Obviously with us Pegs. It's not like you're with him when he travels."

Travis smirked. "Only in my heart." "How does that help?" Tanner asked, needing an answer.

"That's sweet daddy." "Perhaps even more so if he… called more often?" Steph suggested.

He sighed, looking down at her. "He'll try." Perhaps he should. "Just, no promises."

Fifteen minutes later, Shane returned. A glare for Peggy and everyone else, he ignored. "Are you insisting she's not your girlfriend?" Travis asked. "Cause that's an awful lot of time you spent talking to her."

He spun around and faced his dad. "Dad, it's not a whole thing. We're just friends."

"For now." Tanner added. Mother and father looked at him expecting him to agree with what Tanner had said. He could feel Peggy looking at his back. "Guys. This is invasive."

"No. He means no." Steph decoded.

"Maybe he doesn't know yet." Travis offered.

"Or maybe, he doesn't want to talk about it with his parents." Thank you Peggy. "It's…" He searched for the words.

"Uncomfortable." Tanner found it.

"Yes exactly so can you stop? And forget that Peggy" He looked back with another glare for her. "Ever spoke her name or picked up my phone."

Now Peggy understood. And felt bad. "I was just curious. You'd told me about h-."

"Well dial back the curiosity okay?" Shane sounded hostile.

"It's okay Shane. No one's going to bring her up, or anything about a girlfriend." Travis said calmly.

"Killjoy." Steph muttered. "Stop it Steph."

Steph sighed. "I'm just playing. Come on. You're all glued to the screen and we came in here to hang with you guys and got nothing. Something had to be done."

"You could always watch with us." Peggy gestured to the tv.

Travis looked at Steph. "Did we not think of that?"

Steph smiled. "Since you've asked us to join you. Start it from the beginning." That didn't go over well.

***

Since they came over to spend the last month with Shane, every time Peggy walked along the street in front of the hotel, she'd had an urge to draw it. The buildings and every little thing she noticed, with a little bit of something she conjured up in her mind. There was always so much to draw: the people sitting in the out door café, the buildings and the cars that passed by. Despite the deep urge to put it down on paper it took her a while to finally sneak away from every one and take a sit at a table with her pen and pad out to let her imagination and eyes go to work on what she'd seen for days and only now decided to draw.

Her headphones on, music swirling around in her head while she paid no attention to it, her eyes moved from the site before her to the image she was creating. Reminded of the Vincent van Gogh painting. "Café Terrace At Night". Of course it is morning. The sun, bright and beautiful and cars zooming past her and all the people walking around or sitting at the café. Still, it inspired her to keep up, and she did. Having so many artistes to look up to, both dead and living filled her drive even more. She was there, at it, page after page for hours, perspective after perspective and adding things that weren't even in the site at all. More than two drawings. The works of her imagination took over what she was drawing right in front of her and pushing the sites into the background. Completely caught up until her phone rang and broke her roll and made her put a hole in the page she was working on by mistake. A scowl invaded her face.