After getting back to her small studio apartment Kat did some cleaning. Made herself a small snack, to munch on. Hopped into the shower. Than sat back in her chair and relaxed watching some lame ass show on her television. Glancing over at the clock on her microwave she realized it was almost time to go. Getting up she got dressed in a three-quarter sleeved black and white striped shirt, blue skinny jeans, and a pair of her favorite peep-toe heels. She put her blond hair up in a twist with a clip. Pulling out a few strands of her bangs.

After she had gotten the address from Megan she had mapped it on her phone. Finding that 'The Ritz-Carlton'that Megan had booked one of the meeting rooms from, wasn't to far from her place. She grabbed some cash out of her wallet and put it in her pocket, along with her phone. Than grabbed her keys, walking out of her apartment she locked the door behind her and shoved her keys in her pocket.

She had no clue where to go once she got to the hotel. Megan hadn't discussed the finer details of the party with her. She didn't even know Megan's boyfriends name, to ask the desk clerk for which room the party was being held in. She was only hoping that Megan's boyfriend was the only birthday party being held there tonight.

"Can I help you?" The desk clerk asked, as Kat walked up to the desk.

"Uh yes my friend is holding her boyfriends birthday party here tonight. I was wondering if you could tell me which ballroom it's in?" Kat asked.

"Name?" The clerk asked.

"Excuse me?" Kat asked.

"What's the name the party is being held under?" The clerk said, slowly and with her face twisting into a 'duh' look.

"Uhhhhh I don't know," Kat replied guiltily, shrugging her shoulders.

"Look it's not in our hotels policy giving out people's information. So I suggest you either call your friend or someone who knows that information and than I maybe able to answer your question," the clerk responded snootily.

'Right, why didn't I think of that to begin with?'[i />Kat asked herself. Nodding and backing away from the desk. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and pulled up Megan's name. Hitting dial once she found it. It rang for a few seconds and was answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" Megan answered breathlessly.

"Uh yeah hi, Meg. It's Kat," Kat replied.

"Oh hi Kat, what's up?" Megan asked.

"Well I'm here at the hotel for the party. But evidently we forgot to talk about where I was supposed to go when I got here," Kat replied, sheepishly.

"Oh right, right. Ummmmm...." Megan started, Kat could hear the sounds of several voices in the background. Several of them male voices, which Kat could only assume one was Megan's boyfriend. "I'm ummmmm running a few minutes late, because someone has to be a slow poke. But actually the party is going to be held up on the outdoor pool area on the roof. So just go up to the twenty-sixth floor and walk into the bar area and they'll tell where you go from there," Megan told her quickly.

"Ok than I guess I'll see you when you get here," Kat replied, hitting the end button and pushing her phone back into her back pocket.

Kat walked by the receptionist desk and waved at the clerk, who gave her a scowl as she walked by. Making her way into the nearest elevator she pushed the twenty-sixth floor button and leaned back against the wall, as the elevator made its way up. As soon as the elevator stopped on the twenty-sixth floor and the doors opened, Kat stepped out. Looking around the place she knew this was one place that you wouldn't find her. Not that she thought she didn't deserve to be there. But obviously this Ritz-Carlton was meant for people with money. Sure she had been to a couple of Ritz-Carlton's when she was younger, but none this nice or fancy.

The bar area was wide and open, colored in tans and light and dark browns and white. There were several large plush chairs that had tan covers and pillows on them, with small tables in between them. There was a huge bar situated in a corner, with a wall of windows behind it. Where she could see the pool area and people already starting to gather around there.

"Can I help you?" The bartender asked her, putting a glass back and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Uh yeah I'm here for the birthday party," Kat replied.

"Well the party's in here or out there. But it seems like most of the party is heading out there," he told her.

"Ummmm actually I'm working the party," Kat replied.

"Really? Your to pretty to be working a party like this," the bartender told her, placing his hands firmly on top of the bar and staring at her intently.

"Thanks," she squeaked, than cleared her throat and could feel her cheeks take on a slight red tint. She was just glad that the lights in this bar were semi-dim.

"Well than you can head right over there and go through those doors. Walk down the hallway just a little bit and you should find the people your looking for. Just before the kitchen area," he said with a chuckle, and pointed towards the doors.

"Thanks," she replied again, with a nod and turned towards the door.

Walking through the doors and down the small hallway. She made her way towards the voices. She noticed several girls she knew standing there in the hallway, by the kitchen area and a huge birthday cake.

"Oh you have to be kidding me," Kat muttered to herself, shaking her head.

"Hey Kat," several the girls, called over to her.

"Here," Megan's girlfriend Jennifer said, thrusting an outfit into her hands.

"Uh what's this?" Kat asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at the outfit shoved into her hands.

"I don't know. But Megan told me to give it to you to put on," Jennifer snapped.

"Ok.... Kay," Kat trailed off. She noticed a bathroom off to the side of the hallway and snuck into it.

Sitting down on the toilet seat she rubbed at her temples. Than started looking at the articles of clothing. 'Oh hell no...... Nope.... There's no way in hell she was wearing that small ass outfit'she thought to herself. She was not going to embarrass herself in front of a bunch of strangers. It wasn't like she hadn't worn the outfit before. But she wasn't going to be caught wearing that outfit in a swanky hotel like the Ritz-Carlton.

She figured she could wear the small black tight fitting booty-shorts and her shirt and heels and get away with it. At least the black and white mask she had been handed would match her shirt. She quickly took off her heels and than stripped out of her jeans and slipped on the shorts. Pulling up the shorts and than slipping her heels back on. She moved over to the small mirror and slipped the mask over her face. Fixing her hair clip on her long blond hair. She had to admit to herself if this was a full length mirror, she would think of herself at HOT.

She picked up her jeans and folded them neatly. Than opened the bathroom door and walked over to where the girls were standing. There was also a set of shelves sitting there, she set her jeans down on one of the shelves. She moved around the cake than and realized it was one of those huge cakes, made that someone could hide inside of it.

Bending over slightly looking inside of it. She could feel her shirt start to slide up her side. But didn't pay any attention to it.

"Kitty Kat is that you?" A slightly slurred voice asked from her.

The voice that had just called her, her old nickname had Kat freezing to the position she was in. Shirt sliding half way up and ass sticking out. She knew that voice, very well. It wasn't his voice, but it was a voice she would never forget. It was a voice that had basically tormented her and gave her shit for years. That voice couldn't belong to anybody but his best friend Michael Richards, which meant if he was around that he wasn't far behind.

What were the odds, her avoiding him all this time and on the one night she really didn't want to see him. It was most likely she would, especially if Mike was here. It was like they were attached at the fucking hip. It was one of strangest "bromances" she had ever seen.

'He seems really drunk or at least well on his way to being drunk. Maybe I can just ignore him and he won't be the wiser that it was me'she thought to herself.

"Kitty Kat you can't ignore me forever," Mike said in a slightly taunting voice. It wasn't meant to be mean taunting, but friendly taunting.

Kat couldn't decide which was worse the mean taunting or the friendly taunting. As she felt her eyes fill with tears, it felt nice to hear a voice from home. Kat straightened herself and fixed her shirt. Than turned slowly around to come face to face with Mike Richards. He had an arm thrown around his long time on again off again girlfriend Lindsay. Obviously they were on again if she was here with him, but she didn't look happy to see Kat at all.

"Lindsay..... Richie," Kat said quietly, nodding at both of them.

"Oh My God Kitty Kat it's been like forever. Where the hell have you been?" Mike slurred, pulling his arm off of Lindsay and stumbling towards her. Wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly.

The friendly gesture made the tears slip from her eyes. And she tried her best to hug him back, but he was holding her arms hostage.

"Mike..... Michael I think your squeezing her to death," Lindsay said quietly, walking up behind him and gently putting her hand on his shoulder and lightly pulling on it.

"What? Oh right, sorry about that," Mike said, pulling back from her and looking her up and down.

"It's alright," Kat replied, looking down at the floor.

"So are you going to tell me where the hell you've been?" Mike asked again.

"I've been here Richie," she answered quietly.

"Seriously you've been in LA this whole time? Does that mean you made it?" He asked, putting his arm back around Lindsay's shoulders.

"Yeah I've been here for eight years and No I haven't made it yet," she replied.

"I'm sorry Kitty Kat. For everything you know?" He said.

"Don't worry Richie, it was nothing and definitely not your fault," she replied.

"So how did you know it was me? And what are you doing here?" Kat asked, moving her mask up and wiping under her eyes.

"Uh your tattoo. I would know that tattoo anywhere," he answered cheekily, leaning forward and pulling Lindsay with him as he reached for the hem of her shirt and lifted it slightly.

To show part of her Phoenix tattoo that she had on her side. She had gotten it years ago. In fact she had gotten it with Jeff and Mike in tow. But it had been there for so long she forgot it sometimes.

"And it's New Years and we're out to celebrate. You know tomorrow's his birthday?" Mike asked.

"How could I forget. Tonight is the night he always got extra drunk, because he thought it was his god given right to do so," Kat answered chuckling, slightly at Jeff's reasoning for getting extremely drunk off his ass on New Years.

"Yeah," Mike chuckled, than sighed. "You know Kat he's extremely sorry and he's been miserable without you."

"Michael," Lindsay gasped a warning, tugging on his shirt that was fisted in one of her hands.

"Richie don't. Honestly I'm over it and I've moved on. Besides if he was really sorry he would say so himself," she sighed, shaking her head.

"How is he supposed to say sorry if he hasn't known where you've been? But now I can tell him your here in LA and now he can say sorry," Mike smirked.

"Mike," Kat warned, still shaking her head.

"You know Kitty Kat I know we weren't always close. I know at times I was down right mean to you. But back than I thought we were all just kids and Jeff couldn't have been that serious about you. That he couldn't have actually Loved you and that when you all broke up he would fall in love again just as easily." Mikes said, now shaking his head. "But I was wrong and I didn't realize how wrong until I saw how much you're break up, tore him to pieces. And I know it may not mean much coming from me and coming so late, but I'm sorry. Plus I can't stand his girlfriend. I liked you much better than her Kitty Kat."

"Richie you're un-fucking-believable," Kat chuckled.

"Oh there you are Kat. I'm glad I found you," Megan said, coming up to us.

"Hi Meg," Kat replied.

"So Kat the girl I was going to have get in the cake couldn't make it. So I need you to take her place," Meg said.

"Why can't you get in the cake?" Kat asked confusedly.

"We'll because that wouldn't work very well since I'm going to be next to my boyfriend. Plus you've got that old pin-up girl kind of vibe going on. Or that sultry kind of Marilyn Monroe thing going on. Plus you can sing, I can't for the life of me." Megan replied.

"Yeah Kitty Kat you've got that Marilyn Monroe thing going on," Mike chuckled.

"Oh hey Michael and Lindsay, what are you both doing back here?" Megan asked confused, just noticing them standing there.

"Shut it Richie," Kat sighed.

"Richie?" Meg asked, now looking at me and raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah Richie, Megan. Kitty Kat, Lindsay and I go way back," Mike answered.

"Kitty Kat?" Megan squeaked, looking like she may cry.

"Meg are you ok?" Kat asked worriedly, moving towards her to comfort her.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just confused, so you all know each other?" Meg asked, pointing back and forth between the three of us.

"Yes, like Richie said we go way back," Kat answered, nodding her head.

"Why does she get to call you Richie? I've been trying to call you that for the pass year. But you told me to only call you Michael," Megan said, looking at Mike.

"Uh well," Mike said, scratching the back of his neck. A nervous habit of his when he can't think of a lie. "I don't like you." He muttered.

Kat couldn't help the chuckle that escaped her lips at his answer. She had definitely heard what he had said. Mike looked up at Kat and smirked.

"Kitty don't you know who Megan's boyfriend is?" Mike asked.

"Of course she does. She knows its his birthday," Megan answered for her.

"Yes but have you not told her his name?" Mike asks, not taking his eyes off of Kat.

"Oh no. I think I've forgotten that. His name is is Jeff. Jeff Carter," Megan replies, looking at her.

Kat felt like the air had been sucked out of her lungs. Or that she had been sucker punched as she leaned back against the wall.

"You ok Kat?" Megan now asks worriedly.

"Yeah fine," she mutters, shaking her head.

"Come on Mike. I think you've done enough damage," Lindsay says cutting in and pulling her drunk boyfriend off.

"You sure your ok?" Megan asks her, still looking worried.

"Yep," she replies.

"You think you can go through with this. And sing a sultry version of Happy Birthday to him?" Meg asks.

"Yep can do," Kat replies, nodding her head and pushing off the wall.

"Ok if your sure," Megan replies, biting down on her lip and looking her over.

"I've never been more sure of something in my life," Kat replies.

Walking over to the cake Kat climbs in the back and crouches down so she can fit in. Pulling the mask down over her eyes, she nods as Megan makes sure that she fits in there ok. Than they shut the back of the cake. She can feel as the cake is being rolled to where the birthday boy is. The sound of voices getting louder as they get closer and the sound of 'Happy Birthday' starting to be sung around the room. Kat takes a deep breath as she readies herself for her big entrance and for coming face to face with Jeff Carter for the first time in eight years.