"Welcome to St. Louis boys!" Alex spread her arms out and turned in a circle as they stood under the arch. They had landed a couple of days before and Alex was playing tour guide for them in between practices. They had already toured the brewery the day before. They decided to take a break on the hill under the arch and watch the river.

"Wow, I can't believe we've never been here on tour before." Jungkook was staring up at the arch with his mouth hanging open.

"Well, in the past it wasn't really known for its safety ratings and BTS fandom, however in the last few years everything took an upturn and it ended up making the cut this time around." Alex had plans for them the whole week while they were there, so they wouldn't be catching up on sleep anytime soon.

"So how far is your house from here?" RM was looking through a pamphlet on the St. Louis Art Museum.

"About an hour north. I rented a couple of vans for us for the week."

"Won't we have to take the guards with us?" Jimin was lying on the grass with his sunglasses on. It was a pretty spring day and the trees were blooming everywhere.

"The house is on a farm. You don't have to worry about fans and media out there."

Jin was putting suntan lotion on his face, "What's for lunch?"

Alex wiggled her eyebrows at him, "A St. Louis treat. Italian style. It's different than most italian food you've had before."

Jungkook sat down next to Alex, "I'm in. Where's it at?"

"It's in old St. Charles, at a restaurant I use to work at when I was a teenager. It's still run by the same family as when it first opened. They're like another little family of mine."

"Well let's quit talking about it and go, I'm starving." Yoongi was sitting there in long sleeves and pants with his black hat on.

"OK hangry, let's go."

They piled into the cars and headed out. When they arrived, Alex lead the guys down the sidewalk along the old cobblestone streets. It was the historical part of the city and was popular for shopping and dining. They walked into the restaurant, and a short robust woman came to greet them.

"Ginny!"

"Alex?!" She walked up and grabbed Alex in a hug. "We haven't seen you in so long, what have you been up to? Come, grab a seat, how many do you have?"

"Nine, I'll help you put the tables together." On nights and weekends the place was crowded with families, but during the week days it was quiet and relaxed. Alex was grabbing chairs and the guys swooped in to help. They got everything moved around and sat down to order.

Ginny went back in the kitchen with their order while Alex filled the guys in on who was who.

"Alex!" Lenny, Ginny's brother, came out from the kitchen where he made all the magic happen. "Come give me a hug!" Alex jumped up and was caught up in a big bear hug. Alex brought Lenny over to the table to introduce him to the guys.

"Guys, this is Lenny, Lenny these are the guys."

"Are they the group you've been working with? We saw you on tv not too long ago."

"That's them." She told him all their names, and filled him in on everything they had been up to.

"Well, I'm glad you're happy. You look really happy. So which one's the lucky fella?"

Yoongi raised his hand. He got up out of his chair and went over to shake Lenny's hand. "It's nice to meet you. Alex was raving about you guys before we got here."

"Aw, she knows we love it when she visits. We'd take her back if she ever wanted to waitress again."

Alex laughed, "I'm not in the market, but I'll come help for old times sake." She went to the back to fill their drink order, then brought out fresh bread and butter to go with their food.

"Alex, you're a natural. Do you think he'd let me go back there and help make a pizza?" Jin wanted to see the kitchen.

"He would, c'mon, I'll take you back." She led Jin to the back and stayed with him while Lenny had him help prep the dough. Jin was a kid in a candy shop. After, they went back out to the table to join the guys again.

Alex sat down by Yoongi while they waited for their food. "You're like a little social butterfly, I've never seen you this animated."

She shrugged her shoulders, "I know this place, and these people. Its comforting."

Their food finally arrived and everything was placed in the center for them to try. Pastas, pizzas, fried ravioli, calamari, Italian meatballs. Alex was in heaven.

"MM, oh my gosh, this is amazing. I'm going to be so puffy tomorrow." Hobi was sampling the pasta and the meatball.

"Yeah, its pretty salty. Good thing you have the rest of the week to lose the water weight." Alex was eating a slice of pizza. So many memories of this place came back. She loved being home.

After they had finished, Alex helped buss the table, then they said their farewells.

"Don't wait so long to come see us next time." Ginny gave Alex a hug goodbye. "It was nice meeting you boys!" The guys gave her small bows and waved goodbye.

"Oh I'm stuffed, I could take a nap." Yoongi was stretching as they walked back to the cars.

"That's not a bad idea. I'm all for a nap when we get back." Alex hopped in the car and scooted over for Yoongi.

"It's a date." He put his arm around her as they drove off.

________

Saturday night at the concert, Alex was standing with her mom and Neens in the front row, center. If they were going to experience BTS, that was the only way to go. She watched Neens' eyes light up when the guys came down to the front of the stage to dance. Her mom was rocking out next to her in true concert fashion. When it was over, she gave the guys a few minutes to change then took her mom and Neens back stage to meet them.

Alex knocked on the dressing room door, "Ladies entering." They walked in and the guys stood up to greet them. "Guys, this is my mom, Sabrina, and Neens. Mom and Neens, well, you know the guys."

"Oh, that was an awesome show! You guys were great." Neens was still smiling from the concert.

Mom held her thumbs up, "Great show, it was definitely an experience, that's for sure."

"We're glad you liked it. Alex has told us so much about you. I'm RM." He shook Sabrina's hand.

"Oh, I know who you are, sir." Her cheeks had gone a little pink. Alex smothered her laugh. RM was her mom's bias. She had been dying to meet him for years.

Alex watched Yoongi walk over to her mom. "Hi, I'm Yoongi, it's nice to finally meet you."

Sabrina gave him a knowing look, "Well, it's nice to finally meet you too. I've heard a lot about you."

He smiled, "Good things I hope."

"Well, of course." They both laughed. They fell into some discussion and that was all it took for Alex to relax.

The rest of the guys came up and introduced themselves to Neens. Jimin was shaking her hand. "Oh, I know this one. He's that little one you just wanna take home with you." Neens put her arm around Jimin's shoulders and pinched his cheek.

Everyone in the room busted out laughing. Alex was somewhat mortified, but at the same time was delighted that Jimin was getting picked on. He was always being the shit disturber. His face had gone ten shades of red.

They sat and talked for a while after the show, when finally Sabrina decided it was time to get Neens back home. "I was thinking, before you guys go back to South Korea, if you have some extra time, you should come stay at the farm for a couple of days, then maybe we could go out to our lake house. It would be quiet and relaxing. You could get some rest before the last shows."

RM looked to the guys. They all seemed to like the idea and nodded their heads. "I think that's a great idea. We'll talk to the managers and see if we can arrange it."

They said their goodbyes and then Sabrina and Neens left. Alex looked over at Jimin, "You're Neens' favorite." They all started laughing again.

When they got back to the hotel, Yoongi went to stay with Alex. "You know, I had a really good time tonight. I liked your mom, and Neens is hilarious."

"Yeah, they're pretty cool." Alex went into the bathroom to change, then came back out and crawled into bed. "I'm wiped. It's a good thing we have a late flight tomorrow. I wanna sleep in."

"Same." Yoongi scooted in next to her and pulled the covers over them. He kissed her on her forehead then flopped his head on the pillow. He was out in thirty seconds.

Alex looked at him while he slept. Mom gave her approval before she had left that night. Alex was happy. She hoped they were able to get the extra week stay so they could see the farm and the lake. It would be nice for all of them to relax and not have a schedule to follow for a bit. The guys had earned it.