The Cost Of Winning

FIANNA'S POV:

"Look out the window, and tell me what you see, cutie," I hear Ash say to Bren from across the aisle.

She cranes herself up in her seat to look, and her eyes get big, "It's all water, Daddy! Where do all the gwound wented?"

"This is the ocean, Bren," he explains. "Do you remember when we went to Calfornia, and played on the beach?" When she nods her head, he continues. "Well, this is a different ocean, but they're both very big, and we have to fly over the water to get to where we're going."

"To that place that you will does yours conthert. What it is called?"

"We're going to England, cutie. And we'll have some time before the show to celebrate your birthday, and do something fun."

Tomorrow is Bren's birthday, and the four of us, along with Ryan, Miki, and the twins, are on a flight to England, where the band will be playing Download Festival on Sunday. Apparently, when they were originally asked to play, they weren't sure what the actual dates were going to be, and when they finally got the details, both Bren and Ash were absolutely crushed at the idea of him missing her birthday. So we talked about it before he left for their last US dates, and decided to go along with him. We had her birthday party earlier this week, and Ron McCoy is staying at our house for a couple of days to watch the dogs. His mom is visiting with his sister for a few days, so this gives him a chance to spend some time with Laverne and Shirley, and he won't have to worry about them leaving fur and stuff around his house to aggravate her allergies.

When we told Miki and Ryan about our plans, and that we wouldn't be able to be there for the girl's birthday, they informed us that they were going to be changing plans for that, as well. Miki's dad had been scheduled to speak at some sort of conference that he wasn't able to get out of, so her folks were going to be out of town on the twin's actual birthday.So, since they had been trying to decide where to take their vacation, they decided to postpone Abby and Haylee's party until next week, and come along with us.

Ryan leans forward in his seat, behind Ash, and says, "You guys are gonna have to show us the sights when we get there, since this will be our first time overseas."

"Whaddya mean, 'you guys'?" I call back across the aisle. "He's the one you need to arrange that with, since this is my first trip, too."

"Don't worry, I've got it covered," Ash informs us. "When we get there this afternoon, we'll get checked into the hotel, grab something to eat, and rest up from the flight. Then tomorrow after breakfast, we're all going to go sightseeing, and maybe to the z-o-o."

"Mommy, you hears that? Daddy say we goes to zoo and sees the ammals!" Bren squeaks, bouncing in her seat.

Looking somewhat puzzled, Ash asks, "How did she know that? I specifically spelled it so she wouldn't understand, in case it doesn't pan out."

"Reruns of 'Sesame Street', love," I reply. "They had an episode on the other day where they talked about the zoo, and spelled it in one of the songs."

"Okay then," he continues, shaking his head. "After that, we're gonna meet up with the guys, and let them wish Bren a happy birthday, and I'm gonna have to skip out for a little while for a couple of interviews we have scheduled. Then after that, we can just play it by ear for the rest of the evening. And on Sunday, we do whatever you guys have in mind for the twins, and go to the festival. Then, after we finish, I've set it up with Alice and Inna to watch the kids for a while, so we can catch Shinedown's show, since I know you're all fans. And then we fly back on Monday."

Just then, Ian starts fussing, so I take him to the bathroom to change him, while the others continue to talk.When we come back, the attendants are just getting ready to serve the meal, which Ash tells us is actually pretty good, as far as airline food goes. Eventually, all of the kids fall asleep, and we chat for awhile, until we doze off, one by one, and wake up when the pilot comes on the intercom to announce that we're approaching the airport.

After we leave the plane and find our bags, we find a cab, and Ash gives the driver the name of our hotel. When we found out that Miki and Ryan were coming along, and would be pitching in for the hotel, Ash made arrangements for a large suite, with three bedrooms around a "sitting room" area, so Ash and I have one room, with a crib for Ian, Miki and Ryan have one, and the three girls are in the third, so everyone isn't crowded up together.

We finally get to the suite, get everything sorted out in the rooms,and take turns showering before going down to dinner.During the meal, our waiter, who's name is Desmond, talks a bit to the kids. Bren very proudly announces that they're having their birthdays this weekend, and they're all ecstatic when he comes back at the end of the meal with a dish of ice cream for each of them, compliments of the restaurant.

"Sweets for the sweet little birthday girls!" he announces, as he puts the dishes down in front of each of them.

"Wook, Mommy! We gets some ice kweem for a birfday pesent!" she squeals excitedly.

"I see that, Smidge," I reply. "And do you remember what you're supposed to say now?"

"Tank yous, Mr. Dessy!" she says, giving him a big smile

"Fank 'oo," the twins both burble, with a bit of prodding from Ryan, as they reach for their treat.

He gives them a grin, and says, "You're welcome, sweeties. I always enjoy having families with wee ones come in, it makes me think of my own youngsters when they were this age."

"How old are they now?" I inquire.

"Emma is ten, Michael thirteen, and my Katie-Girl is eighteen, and about to start university this fall," he says. He then scans our group, and asks, "So is this a birthday trip for you folks, or are you here on business?"

"A little of both, actually," I respond. "We're here for the Download Festival."

"My's Daddy am gonna does a conthert, and us comed to sees they pway musics!" Bren interjects.

"Really, now? Which group do you belong to, then?" he queries. When Ash tells him the name of the band, his eyebrows shoot up, and he grins, saying, "Well, that being the case, I'm gonna be quite popular with my darlin' Katie when I tell her that you folks were here. She's quite a fan of you lads, and she'll be goin' to the show with her young man, as a matter of fact."

Ash smiles back, and responds, "Well, I'll tell you what, Desmond. Since you've been so cool with us, and so nice to the kids, I'll catch up with you when we get back from the zoo tomorrow, and I'll give you a couple of passes for your daughter and her friend to come backstage and meet the band before our set, if you think she'd like that."

He's a bit surprised, but assures Ash that his daughter will love it, and tells him what time he comes in tomorrow. We let the girls finish their dessert, then settle our bill and go back to the suite. We sit down to watch a bit of TV, but the jet-lag starts kicking in, and we're all practically ready to pass out before nine o'clock. So, we get the kids put down for the night, and kind of stagger to our own rooms. Ash and I get undressed, and collapse into bed, and he looks at me, saying, "Would you be terribly upset if I tell you that I don't think I'm up for any, um... action tonight?"

"Shockingly enough, no, I'm not," I mutter into his shoulder. "After the day we've had today, I'm honestly not sure that either of us could stay awake long enough to finish if we tried. So lets get some sleep, and maybe we can manage some 'shower time' before we go out in the morning."

"Sounds good to me," he mumbles back. "Then afterwards, I'll show you guys the sights, and we can all experience Download together."


A/N: This will be a two-part thing, so you'll get to read about Bren's birthday next week. See ya then, hope you enjoyed this!

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