Power to the Players

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters created originally by MonkeyxMonkey and are copyrighted to him/her, any reposting or archiving without written permission is an infringement on the copyright of this series. So in other words You damn well better ask before you steal it.

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Summary: In the ALL NEW 17th episode of 'Power to the Players', the newly single Beck is ready to tell her lady love just the way she really feels when the news of Christmas visitors comes. Those being Beck's family, including her favorite cousin (Mandy) and least favorite cousin, Alexis Fellows. With Natalie's family spending Christmas with the Smith's it soon has everyone asking the same question, are Beck and Natalie together?"

Original Airdate: Monday, September 10th, 2012 @ 9:30 p.m.

Story Codes: no sex

I looked out the window at the snow that seemed to harvest every part of the ground. Brandon was helping my father get the Christmas tree up and my mother was somewhere in the kitchen.

I had spent the whole week thinking of ways that I could get Rachael to "act inappropriately" around me. Lee suggested that I just flirt with her but if I did that, then she would say I initiated things. Natalie was still partially against the entire idea but after talking to her about it, she opened up…slightly.

I've been working eight hour shifts ever since Christmas break started and I haven't talked to Melody since we broke up 2 weeks ago. I knew I was going to have to be the one who broke the ice first (even though our break up wasn't my fault).

My cousins were coming down today and my mom had requested that I take the day off. The only good part about having Rachael as our manager was that I could take off anytime I wanted too; she was just that laid-back. I was actually going to miss that when she gets fired. Oh well I guess.

There was a knock at the door and I quickly looked up, glancing over at Brandon. He was admiring the tree they were starting to decorate and when he heard the knock, he looked my way as well.

"They're here early" I mumbled, pulling myself off the couch and walking toward the door.

"Hey Alexi…Natalie?"

I arched my eyebrows as the Hudson family, minus Natalie's father, stood at the door. "Sorry to bother you but we were wondering if we could spend Christmas here with you" Elizabeth said, smiling at me.

"Uh…mom?" I yelled through the house, watching as Natalie's feet shifted nervously. I knew something was up but I decided to talk to her about it later.

My mom walked toward the door and smiled brightly when she saw our guests. "Elizabeth! Always a pleasure to see you. What's going on?" she asked.

"I was wondering if we could possibly spend Christmas with your family. Richard left on a last minute business meeting. He always seems busy. And the house was just so empty without him. So I was wondering, if it wouldn't be a problem, if we could spend it with your family" she replied.

My dad walked over to the door as well and he nodded his head at my mother. "I don't think it'll be a problem. Although, Betty's sister and brother-in-law are coming down today with their children" I said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I don't think that will be a problem. Thank you Rory". I moved out the way so that they could step inside. Kylie ran over to Brandon and gave him a hug as the two of them started to chat. I grabbed Natalie and pulled her upstairs, slamming the door closed behind me.

"What's wrong?" I said softly. She stared at me for a minute before looking down at my floor.

"He's always gone" she replied in a whisper. "That's why my mother divorced him, you know. He's never here. Always off doing something at some meeting. I'm surprised Kylie even knows what he looks like…and, and Elizabeth just takes it! She just lets him leave for days at a time and then welcomes him back with wide open arms. I knew I should have stayed with my mother. I knew it! But I wanted a fresh start so bad. I just…thought things would be different here" she yelled, collapsing on my bed after she had let it all out.

I sighed and laid down next to her. "Is that why I've never met your dad? I mean, it's been a while and I still haven't met the guy" I said, folding my arms beneath my head.

She just nodded and rolled closer towards me. "It's just weird, you know. Sometimes…I feel like a strange in my own home. I love Kylie and Elizabeth…but it just feels like, I don't belong there" she sighed, resting her head against my shoulder.

"You belong here Natalie. Don't think that you don't. How do you think I would feel if you just disappeared? Or how scared Elizabeth would be if you didn't come home from school one day? We care about you Nats. And I'm sure your dad does too" I remarked, placing my hand against her cheek.

I stared into those beautiful green eyes that I feel in love with all those months ago. I wanted to tell her so bad that my feelings for Melody never matched what I felt for her. She needed to know. She deserved to know. I mean, she was still wearing my sweater for God's sake. I love you Natalie. I love you. I love you. I love you.

"Beck! Uncle Adam and Aunt Barbara are here!" Brandon yelled from downstairs. I groaned and hid myself against Natalie's arm. She laughed and looked over at me.

"Beck, come on. I wanna meet your cousins. What's wrong?" she asked, smiling at me.

"I hate Alexis!" I growled, holding her closer to me. She arched her eyebrows at me and then smirked.

"Is that your cousin? I wanna meet her!" she exclaimed, hoping off my bed.

"Natalie! No" I yelled, pulling her back to me. She laughed and tried to get out of my grip.

"Beck, what's so bad about her?" she asked, squirming as I tickled her. "She calls me Becca. Can you believe that?" I replied.

"Um not really. Even though Becca is your real name" she said sarcastically. I frowned at her when she got loose and reached for the door. I grabbed her hand and wrapped my arms around her waist, picking her up and tossing her back on my bed.

She shrieked and tried to push me off of her. "You need to see your cousins!" she yelled, laughing when I bit her shoulder like she had bitten mine.

"No I don't" I mumbled, lying on top of her. "Yes you do. Your mom will think some things going on if we don't go downstairs" she said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking up at me.

I paused for a second. "No she won't" I said, nervously. "I don't know. We have been jumping on your bed a lot, plus…I did scream just now" she countered, grinning at me playfully.

I groaned and climbed off of her as she laughed. "Fine. But don't blame me when you find out how mean, cruel, and…mean Alexis is" I pouted.

"You said mean twice"

"She's extra mean!"

Natalie started laughing again and I put my hands in my pockets before slowly walking downstairs. So much for having a peaceful moment at home.

My Uncle was the first one to notice me and he smiled as soon as I walked in the room. "Beck! Long time, no see! Man, you've gotten tall on me, haven't you? Come here and give your Uncle a hug" he said, opening his arms for me.

I smiled back as he pulled me into one of his 'bear hugs'. Picking me up off the ground and dropping me back gently on the floor.

"Looks like I've still got it" he said flexing. I laughed and he looked over at Natalie.

"Oh yeah. Uncle Adam, this is Natalie Hudson. She's a good friend of mine and she lives down the road. Her step-mother and her sister are here visiting" I introduced.

"Well, aren't you a pretty thing? I hope Beck's been treating you well. If she hasn't, just tell me and I'll set her straight" he said, pointing a playful finger at me.

I chuckled a bit at his pun. Set her straight? I'm gay? Come on! That was funny. Natalie must have known what I was thinking because she just rolled her eyes and smiled at me.

"She's been perfect Mr. Adam. No problems at all" she said. "Oh, don't call me Mr. Adam. Makes me feel old. If you want, you can call me Uncle Adam or just Adam" he said, smiling at her.

Natalie smiled back and I was attacked by my Aunt as she walked in behind my mom.

"Becky!" she yelled, hugging me. I hugged her back and laughed when she kissed my forehead. "How have you been, Becky?" she asked.

"Good. Been working a lot but so far, so good. What about you, Aunt Barbara?" I asked, letting her go.

"Oh I can't complain. Who's your friend? Is this Melody?" she asked, looking over at my mom.

I shook my head quickly and corrected her. "No, no! This is my friend Natalie. She lives down the street".

"Oh! So you're Elizabeth's daughter?" she asked. Natalie shook her head. "I'm her step-daughter. I no longer live with my mom" she replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that dear. Well, your step-mother is a very nice woman. Your step-sister as well. Becky, I want to talk to you tomorrow morning, Ok?" she said, running her hand over my head.

I nodded and she smiled before walking in the living room with my mom. I arched my eyebrows and just shrugged, walking in the game room with Natalie next to me.

"Your Aunt and Uncle seem nice enough to me" she said smiling. "Yeah, I'm not worried about then. It's Alexis I'm watching out for" I groaned.

"Beck, how bad could she be?"

"Hello Becca"

I cringed and slowly turned around to see Alexis Fellows. She was 5'5" and had tan skin. Her eyes were brown like mine but her hair was down to her butt and perfectly straight. She was wearing her steel-brimmed glasses along with hip hugging blue jeans, a yellow 'Hollister' shirt and a white snow jacket. Since my Uncle Adam was part Indian, her facial features were slightly different from mine but besides that, it was easy to tell that we were related.

"Hey Alexis. Nice to see you" I mumbled. Natalie looked at me and then at Alexis.

"Is this your girlfriend?" she asked bluntly. "What?" I shot back. "Your girlfriend? She was on your profile picture a couple of months ago. I sent you a message about it…remember?" she said, putting her hands on her hips.

My eyes widened and I glared at her. "That was you?" I asked. She just nodded. "You still haven't answered my question, Becca" she said, smirking at me.

I shook my head and decided to attack Alexis later on once Natalie left. "No. She's my friend. She lives down the street" I replied.

"But she's gay too?" she asked, motioning to Natalie as if she were a thing. I nodded once again and Alexis smiled before walking over to me and wrapping her arms around my neck.

"It's nice to see you too cousin" she said, before walking past me. I clenched my fist and watched her walk away.

"Ok…what the hell was that?" Natalie asked, frowning after Alexis as well. "That, was Alexis Fellows. My cousin" I replied.

Natalie ran her hand down my arm and I quickly looked at her. She smiled at me and gave my arm a quick squeeze. "If you want…we can play with her a little" she said mischievously.

I smiled back at her and took her hand, interlacing my fingers with hers. "What do you mean by 'play?" I asked. She leaned in slowly, running her hand over my neck and moved her lips towards mine…

Before going towards my ear and gently biting it. "Wouldn't you like to know" she whispered.

Natalie pulled away and walked back towards the game room. "Natalie, that wasn't funny. Come on. You can't play me like that!" I groaned, listening to her laughing before I closed the door.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

"Beck!" I looked to my left to see Amanda, Alexis' little sister and my favorite cousin.

"Mandy!" I yelled, picking her up and kissing all over her face. She giggled and tried to get out of my hold as I tickled her.

Amanda looked very much like my Aunt with her high cheek bones and light brown skin, sometimes; I wondered how someone so sweet could be related to Alexis. She was wearing a Christmas sweater that was red and green with glitter all over it and "Ho! Ho! Ho!" plastered all over the front. Along with that, she had on dark green pants and her favorite red shoes.

"Well, don't you look like Santa's little helper" I said, smiling at her. Alexis rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Becca, don't encourage her. I tried to tell her her outfit looked ridiculous but she wouldn't listen to me" she mumbled, flipping open her cell phone.

I glared at her when Amanda started to pout. "Don't listen to old sour puss Alexis. I think you look adorable Mandy" I said, putting her back on the ground. She smiled and said, "thank you Beck" before noticing Natalie.

"Oh, sorry. Natalie, this is my favorite cousin Amanda 'Mandy' Fellows" I introduced. Amanda did a little curtsy and Natalie laughed.

"It's nice to meet you Amanda" she said, smiling at the 6-year-old. Amanda just giggled and pulled me over toward the couch where Brandon and Kylie were playing some game.

"Am I gonna get to meet your girlfriend? Mommy told me you had a girlfriend and that I should be extra nice to her" she asked, hopping up and down giddily. Natalie looked over at me and squeezed my head as I shook my head at Amanda.

"Sorry Mandy. I broke up with her awhile ago" I replied. Amanda frowned but then quickly smiled at me. "Is Natalie your new girlfriend?" she asked, pointing at Natalie.

"Why does everyone assume that?" I asked to no one in particular. "No, Natalie is a good friend of mine" I added.

"Don't worry Amanda. I asked the same question and Becca refuses to tell the truth" Alexis spoke up, smirking over at me.

I glanced over at her as she walked over towards us and sat on the ground next to her sister.

"Tell me the truth Becca. You can trust me" she said softly. "I sincerely doubt that Alexis and there's nothing to tell. Natalie and I are just friends".

I saw Natalie fidget a bit and for a moment, I felt like I should have reworded that. I mean, I wasn't lying but…I wasn't telling the full truth either.

Alexis covered Amanda's ears and looked over at Brandon and Kylie before saying, "Bull shit and you know it. I saw the way you were looking at her in that picture Becca. You can't fake that" she said, letting go of Amanda and telling her to go play with Brandon and Kylie.

My cheeks warmed and I glared at her. "Alexis, don't start this" I growled. She glared back at me. "Start what Becca? What am I doing exactly?" she asked, feigning innocence.

I tried really hard not to get up and storm out the room but I felt Natalie's hand fall into mine. The look on her face was a challenging one; an expression that I had only seen once…with Melody.

I was starting to realize what each face Natalie made meant and this one was a force to be reckoned with.

"Ok, you win" she said to Alexis…before wrapping her arms around my neck and kissing me!

I didn't know what was going on but I slowly got into the kiss. I heard Alexis gasp and almost felt Natalie smile against my lips before she bit my lower lip and pulled away.

I stared at her for a minute, completely confused as to what the hell was going on until Natalie spoke up.

"We're together…we just don't want anyone to know yet. Beck, just went through a tough break-up and the last thing we needed was for people to think the only reason she broke up with Melody was to be with me" she lied, interlacing our fingers and running her thumb over my knuckles.

I chuckled a bit when she emphasized my name but quickly shook it off when I saw the look of shock on Alexis' face.

"Um…yeah. Yeah that's true! I just…didn't want people talking bad about Natalie" I said, coming up with my own lie to add with the story Natalie was telling.

"Oh snap! You two are together! Heck yeah, time to tell everyone" Brandon exclaimed, getting ready to run out the room before I tackled him to the floor.

He groaned and I rolled over him. "What part of 'we just don't want anyone to know yet' do you not understand?" I growled through clinched teeth. He crossed his arms over his chest and got up off the floor with an "alright, I get it. Geez!"

Alexis frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well Becca, I can't say I'm not surprised. I am…deep down, I always knew you liked girls" she said, smirking at me.

I got up from the floor and crawled over to her before sitting in front of her so that Natalie couldn't see or hear what I was about to say.

"This isn't about us, Alexis. Drop it!" I hissed in a whisper.

"I didn't say it was. Why didn't you tell me?"

"There was nothing to tell. You don't need to know everything. You were the one that changed, not me"

"We used to be close Becca. We used to be able to tell me everything"

"That changed when you did. You wanted so badly to be accepted by everybody else. Did I tell you I saw Danielle's brother at the beach? Do you ever wonder how crushed she is about you?"

"I don't want to be like you. My parents wouldn't accept it like yours do"

"I used to think the same thing but that changed when I actually told them. You'd be surprised how well they took it"

"Becca, don't. I don't want to talk about Charlie"

"You never want to talk about Charlie! And that's the damn problem. When are you going to realize that this is who you are? You can't change that"

"Fuck you Beck!" she yelled, before storming out the room and slamming the door.

Amanda jumped by the sound and I quickly picked her up in my arms. Tears trickled down her face but I just wiped them away.

"Alexis…scared me" she sobbed, grabbing on to my shirt. "I know Mandy. I'm sorry. I should have talked to Alexis somewhere else" I whispered, rubbing my hand up and down her back to comfort her.

All eyes were on me in the room and Brandon was the first to speak up. "Why did our cousin just run out the room?" he asked. "She just got a little upset. You should be used to it by now Brandon" I replied.

He nodded and told Kylie that "everything was Ok" before going back to their game. Natalie, apparently, didn't believe that because she was giving me the 'we have to talk' look.

I nodded and we walked in the back of the room. Amanda had fallen asleep in my arms and I smiled at her before looking over at Natalie.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Let's just say I'm not the only 'gay' in my family" I replied. "What?" Natalie shrieked, her eyes widening in shock.

Amanda fidgeted and I put my finger up to my lips. Natalie smiled sheepishly and I continued.

"About…3 years ago, Alexis and I went to Ocean City with our grandparents on my mom's side. Back then, Alexis and I were really close. I could honestly say she was my best friend. Anyway, we met this other family while we were up there; the Charles family".

"Their son was away at camp that summer and their daughter was left alone with just them, so my grandfather thought it would be nice if we all hung out together. Their daughter's name was Danielle Charles and she was my complete opposite. She was quiet, she didn't like people, and she seemed kind of mysterious".

"Alexis made it her personal mission that summer to crack Danielle out of her shell…but things don't always go the way you planned. Over the next 2 months, they did everything together. I was actually kind of jealous; I felt like Danielle was stealing her away from me."

"On the last 2 weeks there…things changed. Danielle pretty much jumped out of her shell and admitted that she hated being called Danielle and that she would much rather be called 'Charlie'. We agreed that would be her name since I didn't like being called Becca".

"But Alexis…she didn't know what was happening to her. She started having feelings for Charlie. Feelings that she believed you would normally have for a boy. She was so afraid to admit that she was falling in love with her that she avoided Charlie. But she wouldn't stand for it."

"She came to the house one day unexpectedly and Alexis answered the door. I was walking downstairs to get something to drink when I heard crying. Alexis kept saying 'it's not true' and 'I can't feel this way about you' over and over again. When I was walking back upstairs, I saw Charlie grab her and kiss her."

"At first, I was shocking. I had never seen two girls kissing before and even though I knew I was gay by then, I never thought Alexis would be as well. She fell into the kiss and started to kiss her back…but she spotted me on the steps and started flipping out."

"She slapped Charlie and claimed that she never wanted to see her again. I tried to talk to her about it but each time I did she would yell, "Nothing happened Becca" and that was the day when we grew apart."

"She began to act different; cold almost. She wouldn't talk to me like she used to. She got new friends. She denied ever knowing someone named 'Charlie' or that there even was a 'Danielle Charles'. She hasn't called me 'Beck' in 3 years…so I'm actually kind of surprised that she had a slip of the tongue back there".

"The guy we met at the beach, remember Dylan? He's her twin brother. I could tell as soon as I saw the guy. He never met Alexis and me, but I knew instantly who he was".

Natalie's jaw dropped and she looked down at the ground. "How come you didn't say anything?" she asked.

"It wasn't my place. This was Alexis' story but since she's too stubborn to talk about it, I had to" I replied, sighing a bit.

"Sounds like Kendra and Alexis should meet and go hang out somewhere" she said chuckling. I laughed a bit and then adjusted Amanda in my arms.

"So…nobody else knows this but me?" she asked. I nodded. "Like I said, it wasn't my story to tell. I just wanted to share it with you because you're my 'girlfriend" I replied, using air quotations around girlfriend.

She smiled and her eyes lit up. "Sorry about that. I hope I didn't make things weird between us" she said, smiling at me.

"No. Of course not. Believe it or not but…I was kind of hoping you would kiss me" I said in a whisper.

"Why?" she asked, whispering back. I had to tell her. This was the perfect time. "Because I lo-"Beck! Dinner is ready!" my mom yelled from the other room. I groaned and stared up at the ceiling.

Why God? Why now?

"Food! Come on Beck before I eat it all" Brandon exclaimed, running to the kitchen with Kylie laughing behind him.

"Beck, what were you going to say?" Natalie asked, still looking at me as if she didn't hear my mom call.

I took her hand and smiled at her. "Natalie I lo-"Beck! I know you hear me!" my mom yelled again.

I growled before getting up off the ground and putting Amanda on my shoulder. Natalie got up after me and I smiled at her.

"I'll tell you after dinner" I assured her, walking out the room.

The Guest Room

Alexis ran into the spare guest room before slamming the door closed again. Her mother had asked her what was wrong but she just closed the door on her and leaned against the door, crying.

"How dare Beck remind me of her! She doesn't even know how I feel about her! She doesn't know anything!" she thought, holding her legs against her chest and crying harder.

She flipped open her cell phone and quickly let her thumb move across the keypad in a familiar rhyme.

She clicked on locked messages and scrolled down to 'Charlie'. Before clicking on the message and staring at the screen.

Date: August 3rd, 2007

I know you hate me. I know I messed things up with you. But I will not, and I cannot get over you…I love you.

Alexis sobbed and went to her pictures, clicking on a familiar picture of Charlie and her on the beach, both of them smiling and Charlie's arm around her waist. She threw the phone across the room and stared up at the ceiling as tears rolled down her face, thinking of the all too familiar message that she was going to write back but never did.

Charlie…I love you too.

Beck's Room

I patted my stomach as I collapsed on my bed, feeling delightfully full. I was wondering why Alexis didn't come to dinner but a part of me already knew the answer to that question.

I heard the door open and knew it was Natalie just by the sound of her footfalls. I knew practically everything there was about this girl, just from the fact that I was crazy about her.

I felt the bed dip down as she laid on top of me. I laughed a bit and ran my hand across my bed, just to feel her running her fingers over my wrist and interlacing over fingers again.

"If my mom or dad walks in, we're dead you know that? It's bad nothing you have to go back home tonight" I groaned, enjoying the feeling of her on top of me.

"I know. I wish I could stay the night again" she sighed against my ear. I bit down on my lip as I felt her other hand running through my hair.

"Although the last time you were here was 2 months ago. It would be too risky having you in here again" I said, relaxing against her touch.

"Why?" she purred, kissing my neck. I groaned and tried to turn around to look at her but she pushed me back down.

"Because I wouldn't be able to control myself" I replied, laughing when she giggled a bit.

"You're being naughty Beck" she said seductively. "Says the one who's kissing my neck and lying on top of me" I shot back, groaning when she bit down.

"What do you want for Christmas Beck?" she asked, kissing around my shoulders. I didn't even have to think about the answer. I already knew what I wanted. It's the same present I've wanted since October 12th.

I flipped us over and she gasped when I was the one on top of her. "…You" I whispered, before crashing her lips against mine.