"The girl you love?" Meredith repeated. She rose from her chair. "Hold on a minute, Heath. You know that the whole world thinks that I'm the girl you love, right?"

"Uh, babe?" Jason spoke up. "What about me? You flew me out here so we could give it another shot, right?"

"I flew you out here because you're good with computers and are half-way decent with your tongue," Meredith said without looking away from Heath. "Now shut the fuck up, please."

Jason swallowed and shut up.

"Oh, come on, not even you are that clueless," Heath said, looking up at Meredith from where he sat with his arm around MJ. "You didn't really think that song was about you?"

"Well, I suppose not," Meredith said, her voice uncertain. "But my initials--Meadow Rain?" And MJ could hear vulnerability in Meredith's voice.

How sad.

"Oh my god," Heath said, his voice filled with disgust. "When I talked to MJ about this, I never believed for a second that it was actually possible that you didn't know her name--" He broke off and looked around the room. "Other than brainiac stoner boy over there," and he gestured toward Jason, "everyone here knows MJ's real name is Meadow Rain but you, Meredith."

"But her name is MJ--" Meredith said, continuing to sound confused.

"My name is Meadow Rain Jassemolada," MJ explained. "I just go by my first and last initials.

Meredith just stared at her.

"Of course you do."

Heath had smiled at MJ when he heard her say her last name.

"One of these days I'm going to get it right, darling, I promise," he murmured to her, pulling her close for a kiss.

Meredith stared at them.

"So this is really a thing?" she asked, waving a finger between Heath and MJ. Her voice was starting to get dangerously high and out of control. "Out of all the women in the world, including me, you choose her? Are you kidding me?"

"Hey!" This time Archie was on his feet before Heath could even move.

"What?" Meredith turned on him. "Are you saying I'm wrong? You know I'm right! Come on!" Incredibly, MJ could tell that Meredith's tears weren't fake. She was watching one of the most successful women in the world have a full on breakdown, right in front of her eyes.

Poppy, Jason, even Sally, all were staring, too thunderstruck to even move.

"I mean, this is so unfair," Meredith sobbed, sitting back down in the chair and reaching for a tissue. She gestured vaguely in MJ's direction. "She's got a father who adores her, she's smart, she got to go to college, she knows how to play the guitar and read music, plus she can write songs--" she stopped to wipe her beautiful eyes and gave MJ a venomous look. "Oh, please, I saw your notebook and your laptop, don't bother to deny it, MJ, they're full of songs. You can write as many as you want, what do you care if I take one? Why are you so fucking greedy? You have everything, you've gotten everything you've ever wanted, your whole life, just handed to you on a silver platter, you spoiled little bitch!"

Now it was MJ who was too thunderstruck to move. Next to her Heath, too, had sat up straight, shocked by Meredith's words.

Was that how Meredith really saw this situation?

"And now you have Heath, too? I mean, are you fucking kidding me? Do you know how hard I've had to work, for everything I have? You, you flat-footed sow, you waltz off to UCLA, get a job as my PA two weeks after you fucking graduate, and you're on your back in Heath Spencer's bed three months after the tour starts? I mean, have you ever had a hard day in your fucking life, Moose Jugs? Just give me the fucking song, for god's sake, you selfish bitch. I want it, so why can't I just have it?"

MJ could only stare.

But Heath found his voice. "You are certifiable," he said. He rose and approached Meredith where she sat. "You were born into a filthy rich family. I've seen your house in Georgia or Virginia or wherever the hell it is, it's a fucking mansion. I've visited the tacky place, remember? You have two parents who spoiled you rotten from the day you were born, who indulged your every whim. You literally had fucking rainbows painted on your fucking ceiling, and ponies at your birthday parties that were shitting glitter all over the place."

Heath got right up in Meredith's face, causing her to push herself back using the arms of the chair. "The only reason you didn't go to uni was because you were barely literate, you pathetic minger. You're considered one of the most beautiful women in the world, and you've had everything dropped in your lap, yet you'd want to steal something so precious from a girl who's had to fight for everything her whole life, who lost her mother when she was practically a baby?" The silence stretched out like pulled taffy, with no one daring to make a sound.

"What on earth is the matter with you?" Heath finally asked, his voice barely audible. "I want it, so why can't I have it?" he repeated. "That's the story of your life, isn't it?" He finally backed away from her. "Well, not this time."

He sat back down next to MJ. "Like I said, I have a copy of the song on my laptop, from weeks ago, that proves I had it before you say you 'wrote' it," and Heath used air quotes around the word "wrote." "Not to mention the fact that MJ and I performed the song for my entire family over a week ago in Surrey."

Meredith recovered quickly. "There's no way in hell you or your family are going to go to court to prove that," she said, shaking her head. "You guys hate having your names and pictures in the paper, that's one thing I remember about you pokers up your asses blue blood aristocrats." She looked over at Jason. "Jason will back me up all the way. We wrote this together in Ibiza and St. Tropez."

Jason just nodded. However, he looked so spaced out that it was questionable as to whether or not he really knew what was going on.

"Plus, I've already registered the song, and I've already performed it, in front of eight thousand people," Meredith went on. "And I'm going to perform it again, in Buenos Aires, and at every show we have from now on." She looked positively smug by the time she finished speaking. Her morale came back fast, MJ noticed.

"You don't want to fuck with me, Meredith," Heath said quietly. "I'm a bigger star, more popular by far, and worth way more money, both personally, and to the label. Douglas is on his way already, and you don't even want to know what we have planned for you, you feckless cunt."

MJ snorted out a huge laugh, she couldn't help it.

Meredith glared at MJ.

MJ bit her lips together and tried in vain to hold in the laughter, but couldn't. This, in turn made Heath laugh, too, which made MJ feel good, in spite of the absolutely awful circumstances.

"Ah, god, I love you, so much it just makes me want to cry sometimes, MJ," Heath declared.

"Go ahead and laugh, Moose Jugs," Meredith said, her voice low and furious. "Just wait and see the shitstorm that's in store for you, we'll see who's laughing when this is all over." She raised one perfect eyebrow. "For one thing, you are so, fucking, fired. Effective right fucking now."

MJ snorted again, just a little one this time.

"Well, Meredith, I think we'd all sort of assumed that," she said, as kindly as she could, as if she were talking to a small child.

This time her words set Poppy off into laughter that started with her shoulders shaking as she gripped her stomach, obviously trying to hold the giggles in.

"You all right, Pops?" Archie asked, whacking her back and nearly knocking her off the bed.

"Stop, Archie, that hurts!"

"Sally, please arrange for billing to cut MJ a check, okay? Half of what her contract stipulates, please." Meredith's voice was clipped.

"Sally, please draw up a contract for me and MJ to sign, effective today, to have her hired on as my PA, okay?" Heath said with out missing a beat.

MJ sat up, looking alarmed.

"What?" She looked from Sally to Heath. "I never agreed to that!"

"Are you saying you don't want the job?" Heath asked her. "It pays very well, I've heard--"

"What?" MJ said again, confused. "No, I'm not saying that, but that's not--I mean--"

"If she doesn't want the job, I certainly do," Archie interrupted. "I'm available immediately, too."

"I believe the fringe benefits are quite fun also," Heath added.

"Oh eww, no, no fringe bennies for me, please," Archie said, making a face of distaste.

"Wait a minute!" Meredith said, her voice strident and obnoxious. "That's not allowed, is it?" She looked at Sally.

Sally sighed with exhaustion and lifted an elegant shoulder in a half-shrug. "Well, actually, I think it is. You fired her a minute ago, you see. 'Effective right fucking now' were your exact words, I believe, so Heath can hire her immediately if he wants. And if MJ wants the job, of course."

Heath looked imploringly at MJ.

MJ stared at Heath, brows drawn together. "This can't be okay, this is wrong on so many levels, I think."

"Please, MJ, please. I'll pay ten percent more than that slag over there was paying, I promise," Heath beseeched. "Twenty?"

"Heath stop!" MJ said with a laugh. "Okay, okay! I'm tired, I need to sleep, so okay."

"Ace!" Heath said. "We'll deal with all the other legal stuff tomorrow."

He turned back to Meredith, all traces of his smile leaving his face. "I seriously suggest you reconsider your position and your future actions.

"Good night."

He turned back to MJ. "Let's get all your things and move them to my room, okay?"