Sorry for the delay in getting this next chapter to you. Unfortunately real life has intruded and I haven't been able to write for a while. Hopefully this next chapter will suit. And for those who have asked, yes I am working my way towards a reunion between our two favourite gentlemen, but I am following a timeline here, so I do apologise for the delays.

Cheers,

Musicfan

It took several days to get the plans finalised for Keith and Lisa's wedding. As Stephen and Ronan stood off to one side in the Chapel of Love, they could see Keith nervously pacing back and forth. Stephen nudged Ro and pointed him out and they both grinned at each other. Even knowing that Lisa had said yes and that she was right outside the door, Keith was still nervous. Stephen thought it rather sweet.

Alex stood off to one side, waiting to give them the go ahead to start singing when Lisa was ready. The Justice of the Peace stood patiently behind Keith, smiling benignly. Yvonne walked in, holding a bouquet of flowers. She moved up the isle and after sharing a smile with Ronan, stood in front of one of the seats at the front of the room. Alex snapped his fingers to get Ro's attention and nodded. Lisa stood in the doorway, sunlight shining on her hair. She was wearing a simple white sheath dress. Her bouquet, which was similar to Yvonne's white roses, was framed by greenery. Stephen could hear Keith gasp behind him as they all stood staring at her. As she began to walk down the isle, Stephen nudged Ronan's elbow. This was their cue. Together, they began singing one of her favourite songs, R. Kelly's I Believe I Could Fly. She gave them both a radiant smile as she passed them on her way down the short isle to where Keith was standing. They finished the song and Ronan, wearing a rented tuxedo, moved to support Keith in his role as best man. Stephen, wearing the dark suit he had taken with him in case of a record company dinner, moved to stand next to Alex, who gave him a nod and a smile.

With a nod of his own, the Justice of the Peace looked at the couple and began the ceremony. It was a short one, but it was special to everyone who was there. There was one dicey moment when Ronan almost dropped the rings as he took them out of his pocket. Luckily, his reflexes were good and he saved the moment, handing the rings over to Keith. Yvonne was crying softly, happy for her friend. When the couple kissed, they all applauded and rushed up the isle to give them hugs.

The Justice of the Peace and the woman who normally played the organ congratulated the couple. Ronan insisted on pictures, and the woman took them of the group, both inside and outside in the gardens surrounding the chapel entrance. They all had a laugh when Mr. Grant, the Justice, commented on how good Stephen and Ronan sang together, and how he knew of someone who could get them started in the business if they wanted to sing for a living. They gracefully declined his offer, each grinning at the other as they moved outside to take more pictures.

Love Me Tender was playing on the speakers outside, and Keith and Lisa had an impromptu dance, much to the delight of tourists who were walking through the gardens. They posed for some more pictures before heading to dinner at the Stratosphere. Ronan, as best man had booked the venue, and they got into the waiting limousine, which whisked them to the centre of town and the tallest landmark west of the Mississipi River.

Alex got excited when he found out that the restaurant had a rollercoaster on the roof, and tried to talk everyone into going on it later in the evening. Though the other men were keen to do so, the women were not, and Keith reluctantly acquiesced to his new wife's wishes.

The restaurant staff was expecting their party, and sat them at a table away from the rest of the patrons. A flower arrangement graced the table and they all sat down, delighted with the view of the city behind them.

"Oh, this is perfect!" Lisa said, smiling at Keith, who looked like the happiest man in the world at that moment. Ronan gripped the arm of his friend as he sat down, and Stephen went to give them both a hug as he made his way to his seat next to Alex. The waiter immediately brought over a magnum of champagne for their celebration, opening the bottle with a flourish.

The champagne continued to flow throughout the meal, with much laughter ensuing throughout the night. Keith and Lisa danced a number of times, Ronan and Yvonne joining them on the dance floor. Stephen took turns with Alex in dancing with the bride. Lisa gave him a tight hug and a kiss as a thank you as they danced.

"Thank you for singing, it was beautiful," she said, eyes sparkling.

"Thank you for allowing me to sing at your wedding," Stephen said with a smile. "It was my pleasure. Lisa, I can't begin to tell you how happy I am for you both. We all knew you were always meant to be together, but to be here at such a special moment means more to me than I can say."

She leaned forward and gave him a kiss. "It means as much to Keith and I, Stephen. You and Ronan are his best mates. I can't imagine anyone else here with us tonight. It was truly magical."

"Yes, it was, wasn't it?" Stephen quipped with a grin. Lisa laughed, the sound of her laughter akin to crystal chiming. Stephen beamed at her, delighted with her response. "Oh honey, I'm so happy for the two of you." As the music ended, he escorted her back to the table, where Keith was sitting, smiling at the couple as they made their way back to where they were sitting.

"You always could dance better than I could," Keith said in admiration, having watched them throughout the song.

"Oh, that's not true!" Stephen said, laughing. "You do quite a fine job of it yourself, you know." Keith shook his head, unconvinced, but accepted a kiss from his wife as she sat down next to him at the table. Ronan and Yvonne had stayed on the dance floor, picking up the beat of the faster music and moving along to it. Stephen watched them as other couples made room for them on the floor. He had to stifle a grin, watching Ronan's gyrations. Yvonne was grace personified, but his friend seemed to be all elbows and knees as he moved with abandon. Eventually, Stephen had to look away as he began to laugh at the sight.

"You want to see bad dancing, look at Ro," he wheezed, feeling a stitch in his side as he tried to catch his breath. "God love the man, but he really does have two left feet."

"Three of them, actually," Alex said in a sotto voce next to Stephen. That caused Stephen to laugh even harder, and eventually he had to get a drink of water to stop himself from hiccupping.

They continued the night on a similar vein, enjoying themselves immensely. Keith eventually talked Lisa into going on the roller coaster, and they all had fun riding it, though Lisa refused to do it more than once. At the end of the evening, Alex parted company with them, saying he needed to get the sugar out of his blood by finding something raunchy to do. He invited Stephen along, who politely declined, not at all interested in trolling the nightspots of Las Vegas.

Together, the rest of them headed back to their hotel, pleased with the way the day had gone. They crowded into a taxi together, Keith pulling Lisa into his lap, and Ronan doing the same with Yvonne. Stephen smiled at them, happy for his friends. Though at times through the night he had felt wistful about being on his own, he was determined not to allow it to affect everyone else's evening.

The elevator was empty when they got in and headed up to the penthouse suites, all laughing at a joke that Ronan had made. Stephen gave both women a hug and a kiss, whispering goodnight in their ears before heading towards his room. Yvonne watched him enter his suite alone, a slight frown on her face, but Ronan didn't pay attention as he tugged her down the hall, intent on having the night alone with her. Keith and Lisa had already entered their suite and had shut the door behind them. Yvonne had a thought about stopping Ronan from his romantic advances, concerned that Stephen was going to feel alone all by himself, but she was quickly distracted by the touch of his hand and the feel of his lips on her neck. She willingly followed him down the hall, unable to deny him when he was acting like that. Soon thoughts of Stephen in his suite at the end of the hall flew out of her head as Ronan's hands eagerly stroked her body through the thin material of her black dress.

Stephen leaned against the door, smiling as he thought of the events of the past day. There were snapshots playing through his head of each of his friends, and he hummed the Kelly song to himself as he disrobed and got ready for bed. The champagne had made him a little unsteady, and he moved with exaggerated care as he washed in the bathroom. Carefully, he crawled into bed, still caught up in the events of the day. He drifted off to sleep, content.

#

"The sign of good champagne is the lack of a hangover when you get pissed," Ronan said knowledgeably as Stephen and Alex sat at breakfast with Yvonne and Ronan.

"Is that what it is?" Alex said, his chin resting on his hand. "I thought the sign of good champagne was how long it stayed bubbly as you lick it off your lover." Stephen rolled his eyes at the comment while everyone laughed.

"I wouldn't know," he said with an innocent look on his face. That caused Alex to choke on his coffee and Ronan helpfully patted him on the back.

"Don't play innocent, Stephen. For all I know you have a leather dungeon stashed somewhere with that boy of yours. Lord knows what you two get up to." Alex said, glaring at Stephen for making him choke.

Stephen was in a wicked mood this morning, and decided to give as good as he got. "Oh, but leather is so gauche, you know. Nothing but the best latex for my boy." That comment caused Ronan to choke on his eggs and Yvonne had to pat him on the back to help him. She was giggling uncontrollably as they sparred back and forth, only pausing for a break when Alex got up to get some more food from the buffet.

"Well, I take it he wheedled the story out of you?" Ronan asked, still shaking his head over the last repartee Alex had made as he left the table.

"More or less," Stephen said noncommittally, stirring some sugar into his coffee. He didn't go into detail and Ronan decided not to press him. He was happy just to see Stephen in a good mood and able to give as good as he got from Alex's sharp tongue. "Less than he'd like to know, and more than I really had wanted to tell him." He grinned at the couple on the other side of the table. "Which is usually the case with that one."

"What one?" Alex asked as he sat back down next to Stephen. Stephen just smiled at him, ignoring the question. "Oh look, isn't that some famous actor?" He said, looking over Alex's shoulder. Ro cracked up as Alex got suitably distracted from his question. "Oh, you just missed him, he went through the door there." Stephen said, looking down to mask the twinkle in his eye.

"Damn, who was it? Was he cute?" Alex asked, craning his neck to see if there was someone on the other side of the door.

"Oh, you know, the one from that television show," Ronan said helpfully, Yvonne still in giggles at the antics of the two. They pulled this one on Alex more times than they could say, and he fell for it every time. Before he could go back to his question, Ronan asked him how his night had been, and whether he had gotten lucky.

"How can I get lucky when I don't have a room to invite the poor lad back?" Alex said with a pout. "That gorgeous room with those impish cherubs and all I have is this one to share it with." He waved a hand in Stephen's direction, tone suggestive of the waste of such an environment.

"It's okay, I could go knock on Ro's door if you wanted to bring someone back," Stephen suggested with a sly smile.

"Feck all you would!" Ronan said in indignation. Stephen couldn't contain himself, he laughed outright at the look of outrage on Ronan's face.

"It's okay Stephen," Yvonne said, jumping into the fray. "You're always welcome to stay with us wherever and whenever you want." Ronan tried glaring at his wife but couldn't hold it for long. Stephen smiled, knowing that had Yvonne truly felt that way, Ronan wouldn't stand a chance at fighting her wishes. She had him wrapped around her little finger and he didn't seem too upset by the idea.

Their antics served to distract Alex from his earlier comments and Stephen silently said his thanks, not wanting to get into any more in depth discussion so early in the morning. None of them expected to see either Keith or Lisa until much later in the day, and Ronan had predicted that they wouldn't see the couple at all. They made plans to go off sightseeing on the Strip and after they finished their meal, they headed for the street where they could walk up and down Las Vegas Boulevard. They wandered around the sights, wandering into shops at each of the casinos and making purchases as they went. Stephen was always on the look out to get gifts for his family. But while they were in the shops at the Aladdin hotel, he saw something that he knew he was just going to have to buy. It was a gold chain necklace with heavy links, that when he saw it, knew it would be perfect for Eloy. Without checking the cost, he pulled his credit card out and purchased it on the spot while Alex was in a shop across the hall.

"Oh, that's lovely." Yvonne said, peering over his shoulder. "Is that for your friend?" She asked. He nodded with a shy smile, a little embarrassed to be caught buying jewelry for Eloy. "I think it's a grand idea," Yvonne said, admiring the necklace as the woman put it in a box and bag for Stephen.

"Lord knows when I'll be able to give it to him," Stephen said with a wry smile. Yvonne linked arms with him as they walked from the shop and headed out onto the concourse. Off in the distance down the hall they could hear the siren call of the slot machines. Ronan was looking at a stall of Arabian blankets and they made their way over to him.

"The time will come, I'm sure," she said, smiling down at her husband's friend. "Maybe you can just send it to him, so he knows you're thinking of him." She felt more than heard Stephen's sigh at the suggestion. "No?"

"Maybe," Stephen said reluctantly. He kept on walking, but was stopped by Yvonne's tug on his arm. "Yeah?"

"Stephen, don't let him go," she said softly, looking at him in concern. "Don't let your careers come between you."

"Yve, it's so hard, though. Right now he's on the other side of the world. I haven't seen him in months, and even when we do talk, one or the other of us is so damned tired from work that all we do is commiserate. Sometimes it just all seems so impossible." Stephen shocked himself with his outburst. He glanced around, but no one had seemed to notice. Yvonne tugged on his hand, urging him over to a bench. Reluctantly he followed her and sat down beside her. "It doesn't help to talk about it. It really doesn't, Yve."

"Answer me this one question," she said, watching him steadily. "Do you love him?"

"Heart and soul," he admitted softly, glancing down at the bag in his hands.

"Then don't you owe it to yourself to do something about it?" She asked. "Stephen, you have a right to be happy. Do you think any of us like seeing you all alone? I know you'd rather be with your friend here than with Alex. It's understandable. You need someone to love, and obviously that someone needs you. Please don't fight it."

"I'm not," Stephen said, moved by her comments. "It's the last thing I'd want to do. But if you couldn't take time off to travel with Ronan, wouldn't you feel the same way at being separated all the time?"

"Yes, I would. And I have," she said, knowing exactly what he was getting at. "But at the same time, when we were dating, we made a point of making time for ourselves. You need to do that, too."

"I can only wish," he said with a sigh. "Yve, the thing is, even if our schedules were better, it's not like we can be seen together in public." He closed his yes, willing himself to be positive and to change the conversation. If she kept this up, he was going to turn into a puddle in the middle of the shopping concourse, and he really couldn't deal with that. "Maybe someday..."

"All I'll say is that you can't live your life wondering what people are going to see, or say," Yvonne said. She was just beginning to get an idea of how impossible it seemed for Stephen. Just as she was going to continue, two arms wrapped themselves around her waist and she was inundated with kisses from her husband.

Stephen smiled, glad that she was suitably distracted. She wasn't the person to have this conversation with.

"Did you rob me blind, woman?" Ronan asked, looking down at the bags in her hands. She laughed, shaking her head. "No? Stephen, did you keep her from bringing back half the store then?"

"I think she left you a quid or two," Stephen said with a grin. "At least I think she did."

"Oh, at least one," she assured them with a smile. "After all, you're to buy me dinner later, are you not?" All Ronan could do was smile at her cheekiness and he laughed.

"Then we better get moving, if you're not going shop me out of house and home." Ronan looked around at the other shoppers. "This is nice, isn't it, Stephen?" He smiled down at his friend who nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. Here in this large group of tourists, they were unknown. While they had been regretful that their group hadn't achieved the same success with their last album here, privately they had also been quite relieved. There weren't many places that they could go where they could enjoy themselves the way they could in America. Stephen remembered Gary trying to tell his friends in a bar in New York how famous they were and his friends laughed at him. None of the lads had been inclined to try and change their minds, either.

"Where's Alex?" Ronan asked.

"Lord knows," Stephen said with a shrug. "He's a big boy, he can find his own way home." He and Yvonne stood up and together with Ronan, started wandering their way through the concourse to the street.

"How's that going, rooming with him?" Ronan asked. "He isn't driving you loony, is he?"

"No, he's fine," Stephen said absently. In truth, Alex had been a great roommate. And he was enough of a loner that he could go off on his own without having to have company. For which Stephen was grateful. He wasn't the type to go clubbing, which Alex liked to do. So not having to tag along just to be polite was a nice thing.

They had to wind their way through the casino on their way out of the hotel. As was their wont that day, they would stop at slot machines at random and put money in, just to see how they did. So far, Stephen had won about ten dollars from a slot machine in Bally's and Yvonne had won fifty at the roulette wheel in The Mirage. This time, they weren't so lucky, and with a laugh they left to make their way back to their hotel. They had agreed that if they were to split up, that they were going to meet for dinner back at Caesar's.

Stephen donned his baseball cap as well as fishing his sunglasses out and putting them on to shade them from the late afternoon sun. They made their way back to their hotel, strolling down the sidewalk with their purchases. Buskers on the street called out to them for free tours, and tickets to shows in the evening. They had already made their plans for the evening, their concierge getting them much sought after tickets for EFX show starring David Cassidy. While none of them had ever been a fan of Cassidy, they had heard a lot of good things about the show. Stephen helped Ronan carry all of Yvonne's various bags and packages and they had fun as they made their way back to the hotel.

It was with some relief that they entered the confines of the lobby, the temperature a hot 38 degrees Celsius. They decided to stop in the café on the first floor to get some drinks, replenishing the moisture that they had lost on their walk. Afterwards, they made their way upstairs to relax for a few hours before they needed to get together for their dinner that evening. When they arrived at the penthouse floor, their concierge for the day shift, Susan, passed them messages. One was from Alex saying that he had gotten bored with shopping and would meet them later, and the other from Keith confirming their plans for the evening.

Stephen helped Ronan carry Yvonne's purchases back to their suite. He dropped the packages on the small table off to one side and announced he was going back to his room to take a nice cold shower. Ronan laughed in agreement as he peeled his shirt away from his chest. Stephen waved to him and made his way back to his room, knocking briefly, just in case Alex had decided to entertain someone while he was out. After a short pause where he decided he hadn't heard anything, he entered the room.

Only the whir of the air conditioning greeted him, and he was happy to shuck his clothes in favour of a shower. He dropped them on his bed and went into the bathroom to cool down. He found that he spent longer in the shower than he had originally planned, but the cool water streaming down his back seemed the biggest luxury. He let it cascade down, the cold water feeling really good against his back. It was with some reluctance that he finally turned off the water and got out of the tub. When he got back to the bedroom, he saw that there was a message light flashing on the phone. Idly, he wondered if it was Alex, leaving a message. After a moment's pause, he dialed up the number for the messages, retrieving any that might have been there throughout the afternoon. There was only one message, from his sister who asked him to call when he had a chance.

Stephen felt a pang of guilt, knowing he owed her a call. He quickly picked up the phone, punching the numbers in by heart. It didn't take long for his sister to pick up the phone, it being evening in Ireland. They chatted for a few moments before she started asking him about the wedding. He described it in as much detail as he could remember.

"So what's next on the agenda, and when are you coming home?" She demanded and he laughed. He had been waiting for her to get to that point. Earlier in the conversation she had been bemoaning the fact that he had been away so long, and wanted him home again.

"I think we're here for a couple of more days, but after that, I'm not sure where we're headed. We'll probably make our way back before Yvonne breaks Ronan's wallet." Stephen said with a chuckle. He had told her about their shopping spree earlier, and Ro's claims of poverty.

Alex came in while they were chatting, and he waved in Michelle's direction. Stephen relayed his hellos and Michelle passed them back through Stephen to his friend. While she knew he and Stephen were good friends, she had never warmed to Alex in the few times she had met him. Alex went to take a shower in preparation for their evening out, and after a few more minutes, Stephen rang off, bidding his sister good night, and promising to let her know his plans when he found them out.

That night they headed out for dinner and the show, each of them teasing Keith and Lisa mercilessly over their absence earlier in the day. They had a fabulous time together and got back to their hotel quite late, all agreeing that they would sleep in and just laze around the hotel the next day.

Stephen barely remembered hitting his bed before waking up late the next morning. Alex has left a note to meet them all down at the pool, so he dug out the swimming trunks he had bought and put them on, also adding a tee shirt, shorts and his sunglasses. He made his way downstairs and to the gardens that hid the swimming area, smiling at the people he met as he went. His stomach was growling slightly, but not enough to warrant immediate attention.

He had to use his key to enter the pool area and once the attendant at the gate got a look at the key, he escorted Stephen away from the main swimming area and over to a less crowded area. Stephen could see his friends already there and he thanked the attendant as he made his way over to them. The sun was hot on his back and he tossed the towel the attendant had given him over his shoulders to keep the heat off. He was grateful to reach the relative coolness of the shade. The rest of the group greeted him and Keith offered him a glass from the tray next to him. Stephen gratefully accepted it, the desert air making him parched.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead," Ronan said with a grin, lying out on a lounge chair for two with Yvonne beside him. He was just in his trunks, and Yvonne had a flattering one-piece suit on. Stephen smiled as he watched them play footsie on the lounge chair.

"Good morning to you, too." Stephen said with a grin, taking the spare seat and scooting it further into the shade. He took a sip from the glass of lemonade, savouring the taste. He turned to smile as Lisa made her way over to where they were sitting. She had been in the pool, and her hair was slicked back from her face. She gave Stephen a hug as she passed him, and he relished the cool touch of the water against his skin. "Hey, beautiful."

"Hey handsome," she said, sitting down next to Keith and snuggling under his arm. "We missed you. Be careful of the sun, you'll probably burn all too fast."

"I know, I'm aware of that." He was very much aware of the heat reflecting off the pavement, despite the automatic sprinkler system that was spraying mist in their direction. "That's why I think you're all daft, staying out here." They all laughed, but no one argued his point. Lisa gave him a bottle of sun block, which he rested on his chair while he took off his shirt. He spread the lotion over the parts he could reach, and Keith cheerfully helped him with his back, which he couldn't reach. "Where's Alex?"

"Trolling for boys in the pool," Keith said with a grin.

"Did anyone warn them there's a shark in the water?" Stephen asked with a chuckle, looking over his shoulder. Keith shook his head, giving his back a last pat. Stephen shucked off his shorts and added the lotion to his legs. The heat was oppressive, and the thought of getting into the water was an inviting idea. "Maybe I should go protect them, then."

"You do that, Steo," Ronan said, watching as Stephen got up, giving himself a last swipe of the lotion as he headed towards the pool. He had kicked off his sandals when he had sat down, and the hot pavement made him walk quickly across to the shaded palm trees. The flagstones underneath were cool, thanks to the shade of the trees, and he slipped into a quiet area of the pool. Most of the people were in the sun, playing with the inflatable balls provided by the hotel. He kept to the shady area, keeping an eye out for his friend. He didn't see any sign of Alex, so he decided he was going to keep in the shade and would enjoy the cool water.

He spent an enjoyable time in the water, luxuriating in the breeze before dipping into the cool water for a while. Alex swam over to him and they chatted for a while, making idle comparisons about the other patrons of the hotel, and guessing which ones might be eligible for Alex's advances. On that front, Alex was definitely more hopeful than Stephen was in his assessment.

After a while, he made his way out of the pool to lie on his own chair for the afternoon, enjoying the lazy time spent with his friends. There was a lot of laughter and joking as they teased each other. Eventually, the discussion turned to future plans and they all wondered what to do next. They still have some time before they had to be back in England.

"Let's see. We went to New York to record. And because Gar was there," Ronan mused, going over the places they had already been. "This was Keith's idea..."

"Actually, it was Mark's," Keith said, referring to their tour manager's suggestion that he get hitched in Las Vegas. "But yeah, I wanted to come here. So now it's Steo's turn. Where would you like to go?"

Stephen shrugged, at a loss. "I dunno. I'm happy anywhere, really." Alex barked out a laugh and Stephen glared at him. He knew damn well what Alex's suggestion would be, which would be to go shag Eloy in Amsterdam. "No comments from the peanut gallery, thank you very much."

"I know where we could go," Ronan said with a grin. "Where is the one place that would drive us all batty?"

"Disney!" They all cried out together. Stephen laughed and raised his glass to the group.

"Nah, I won't make you do that," he said, shaking his head. "I know none of you are into that."

"No, RoRo's right," Keith said with a nod and a glance at his wife, who smiled and nodded. "I think we could have a go at Disneyworld. What do you say, Steo?"

"Aw, you don't have to," Stephen said, touched by the suggestion. He knew that they weren't all the biggest fans of it, but that they were willing to go for his sake meant a lot to him.

"No, let's do it!" Yvonne said, cuddled under Ronan's arm. "It would be grand." Ronan nodded in agreement.

"Good, it's settled then. That's our next stop before heading home." He said emphatically. Try as he might, Stephen couldn't talk them out of it. By the time they all left the poolside, they had already made plans for where they wanted to stay. Stephen laughed at their antics, seeing that they were actually excited by the idea of going to Florida. The more he thought of it, the more he looked forward to it. He had never been there, and had always wanted to go. Keith could see from the yearning look on his face that it had been a good suggestion. He felt bad for his friend who had been so good about helping him out over the last week or so, when he was so filled with angst over his impending proposal. He felt like Stephen deserved some time for himself for a change.