"...Nick? Hello? Earth to Nick... come in, Nick... Do you read?" Aaron joked, waving his hand in front his brother's face. Nick had been staring across the room at his new wife, Brianna. He blinked and looked around at the others at the table with him.

"Wh-What? Sorry, I was just..." he trailed off.

"Yeah, we guessed, space cadet. Don't worry, man," said his bandmate, Brian, who was sitting next to him, "Shes only on the other side of the room. You two have been attached at the hip since you got back from your honeymoon two months ago."

"I know..." Nick replied. He and Brianna had finally gotten married. Nick thought they'd be engaged forever, what with the tour for the album that he and his bandmates Brian, Kevin, Alex, and Howie had just recently released in the summer. He was so happy that he could finally introduce Brianna as his wife, instead of his fiancee... He continued to watch her across the room, smiling, talking to Brian's wife, Leighanne, "Its just, I can't believe we finally made it."

"I can, you wouldn't shut up about it for the last two weeks of the tour." Alex said, taking a swig from the water bottle he had in his hand.

"Nick? Not shut up? I can't imagine..." Aaron trailed off, laughing as he put up his hand to stop his brother's.

"Play nice, boys." Brianna said, standing next to where Nick sat at the end of the table.

"Hey, Brie... Or should I say, Mrs. Carter." Howie greeted. They looked around the table, trying to figure out who should move over first to make room for Nick's wife to sit with him. "Um..."

"Don't bother," she said, stopping them mid-motion as they all got ready to shift over. She sat right down on Nick's lap. "I think I found a better seat..." she put her arm around his neck and kissed him on the cheek.

"If you say so..." Brian said.

"What say we get out of here?" she said, looking into Nick's eyes and raising her eyebrows.

"Uh..." Nick said, pretending to think for a second, then standing up, Brianna in his arms, "I think I'll talk to you guys later."

"See ya later, loverboy!" Aaron called out as they all laughed while he walked away, carrying his new wife.



"Nick!! Put me down!" Brianna exclaimed, legs flailing, as Nick tried to push open the door with his hand while still carrying his new wife.

"Not until," he said, placing her on the bed. "I get you here."

"Thank you!" she said, leaning back onto her elbows as she watched her husband walk over to an ice bucket with a champagne bottle resting inside it.

"You know," he picked up two glasses in the other hand, "We just finished a tour."

"Yes, I know," she said, taking the glasses from him as he began to open the bottle, "And we finished a honeymoon not long after that."

"Do you realize what that means?" Nick asked, popping the cork on the bottle as Brianna shouted in surprise and amusement.

"Should I?" she asked, puzzled as to what Nick meant.

"It means that we'll be staying around here. Working on the next album." he stated as he poured some of the champagne into his glass, having just poured some into Brianna's.

"...And this means you'll be home more?" Brianna said, taking a sip from her glass, unsure if that was all Nick wanted to celebrate... "Nick, what else does it mean?"

"It means," he put down his glass and took hers out of her hand, placing it next to his and taking both her hands in his as he looked into her eyes, "We can start our family."

~Two Months Later~

Brianna shrieked as she stood in the bathroom, looking at the home pregnancy test which had just revealed its results. Extremely happy, she turned to hug Natalie, Aaron's girlfriend.

"Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!!" Natalie exclaimed, looking over Brianna's shoulder to make sure the results were positive. As they let go, they walked into the adjoining bedroom.

"I can't believe it! We haven't really been trying for long." Brianna said as she sat down on the divan at the end of the bed.

"Some people try for a long time, Brie! You're lucky." Natalie said, sitting down next to her and putting her arm around Brianna's shoulders.

"I know, Nat," she put her hands on her stomach, "I just can't believe it happened so soon! I'm gonna be a mom!"

"You have to call Nick. Hes gonna flip out!" Natalie exclaimed, going over to the nightstand and grabbing the cordless phone from its cradle, then handing it to Brianna. She dialed her husband's cellphone number and put the phone to her ear. She got up from the divan and walked out onto the balcony that overlooked the backyard, and the beach behind it.

"Hey baby..." Brianna trailed off as Nick answered his phone.

"Hey," he said, getting up from his chair at the mixing board and walking over by the door, "We're almost done here, then me and Aaron are gonna come back to the house and we'll all go out to dinner."

"Okay," she replied, putting her finger to her lips for a moment to silence Natalie, "But listen, I want you to do something for me."

"What? Do we need groceries or something?"

"No, Nick, I want you to write a song for me."

"I've written songs about you before, Brie."

"No, this is a different kind of song."

"What kind of song?"

"A lullaby. I'm pregnant."

"A- you're what?" Nick said in utter disbelief.

"You heard me, I'm pregnant. You're gonna be a daddy."

"I am? Really? You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Oh my God, baby, I'll be right home. The guys can finish without me. I love you so much!"

"I love you too." Brianna said with a laugh.

"I'll see you in a few!" he replied, "Yes!" she heard him shout before the phone hung up.

"Jeez, I heard him from here!" Natalie laughed.



"What was that about?" Kevin asked Nick.

"I gotta go, you can finish without me, right?" Nick asked while putting on his jacket, a huge smile on his face.

"If we have to. Whats going on? Is everything okay?" Alex questioned. The others all looked at Nick as if he'd gone insane.

"Better than that. Brie's pregnant. We're gonna be parents!" he announced. Brian jumped up from his chair and hugged Nick.

"Congrats!" he said, letting go. The others all got up to congratulate him.

"I told Brie that I'd be right home, I've gotta go!" Nick said. He ran out the door as fast as he could, with Aaron only seconds behind him.

Howie laughed as he walked over and closed to door. "I hope Aaron catches him before he ends up walking home."



"Brie!" Nick exclaimed once safely inside the house, lifting her up and spinning her around.

"Baby, be careful!" she called as he set her down and kissed her.

"Right, sorry. I'm just so happy!"

"I told you he'd flip out!" Natalie said. She hugged Nick tightly. "Congrats! You're gonna be a dad!"

"I know! Maybe you'll be an aunt..." Nick said, smiling at his brother.

"Maybe she will..." Aaron replied, winking back. He stood behind Natalie and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"So, where do you wanna go for dinner? Tonight's your night, baby." Nick asked, his arms around her shoulders as he rubbed her arm.

~About Seven Months Later~

"Push, Brie, push!" Natalie said, helping Brianna breathe as she screamed in pain in the hospital bed. The doctor looked up at Brianna from the end of the bed.

"You're doing great! I can see a head, keep pushing." the doctor reported.

"Where's Nick?" Brianna asked breathlessly. "Hes gonna miss it!"

"No hes not, Brie." Aaron said, looking up at her from the camcorder viewfinder. Natalie looked up at the door and smiled. Brianna yelled as she kept pushing.

"Yeah, Brie, he wouldn't miss this for anything." Nick said, walking in the door and grabbing his wife's other hand. She smiled at him as he kissed her forehead. "Sorry I'm late, baby."

"You're here now." Brianna said.

"Here we go, one last big push, Brianna!" the doctor shouted.

"Come on, Brie! You can do it!" Nick said as she squeezed his hand while she pushed as hard as possible. Seconds later, they heard a cry.

"Congratulations, its a boy." the doctor announced, handing the baby to a nurse after showing him to the proud parents. "Ready for round two?"

Brianna nodded, trying to catch her breath before screaming in pain as her contractions returned.


~Two and a half minutes later~


"Another boy! Congratulations, Brianna, you were amazing." the doctor said, standing up straight. She threw away her gloves after handing the second baby to another nurse and walked back over to the trio.

"Thank you so much, doctor." Nick said, shaking her hand.

"You're very welcome, Mr. Carter. A nurse will be in in a moment to help you fill out the birth certificates. I'll be back to check on you later." the doctor said before leaving the room.

"I'll go update the guys and leave you two alone. Congrats!" Natalie said, hugging Brianna and Nick, then walking out the door with Aaron following behind her.

"We did it, baby..." Brianna said, her hair plastered to her forehead with sweat.

"You did most of the work, Brie." Nick said, kissing his wife. A few minutes later, a nurse came in, followed by two others carrying the babies. The two nurses handed the babies to their parents.


Aaron, Natalie, Brian and Alex came quietly into the room.

"Hospital rules, four at a time." Brian explained quietly as they stood around the hospital bed.

"Meet Trevor Gene and Cedric Miles Carter." Nick said, holding Trevor.

"Trevor Gene, huh?" Aaron asked, standing next to Natalie and smiling at his nephews.

Nick nodded as the baby held his finger with his tiny hand. "Gotta keep the family name, right?"

"Yeah," Brianna said, carefully placing Cedric in Natalie's arms, "And Miles is a family name on my side."

Alex laughed a bit as Trevor began to cry. "I think Trevor has his daddy's pipes." Nick placed the baby in Brianna's arms and she shook him gently.

"Nick, don't expect Brie to do all the calming down." Brian said.

"I'm not expecting her to, I just don't know if hes hungry or something." Nick explained.

"He might be. The nurse wanted to show me how to breastfeed later, she said she'd be back in a while." Brianna said.

"I'll go get her for you." Natalie said handing Cedric over to Nick and pulling Aaron by the sleeve behind her as she walked away. "Did I say 'I'll go'? I mean 'we'll go'. Come on, guys." They all waved goodbye as they exited the door.

Nick and Brianna looked lovingly at each other as they held their children.

~Four and a Half Months Later~

Brianna closed the curtains in the nursery, then walked over to Cedric's crib and fixed his blanket. She peered into Trevor's crib and smiled as she watched him peacefully resting. She jumped slightly as her husband quietly came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"They had a long day today." Brianna whispered. Nick kissed her right cheek.

"I know, Brie. I just hope the photogs'll back off soon." Brianna moved his hands from her waist and moved away from him.

"'Hope they back off soon'?? Nick, what if it gets worse??" She walked out of the nursery, not wanting to disrupt the slumber of her infants.

"It won't get worse. I won't let it, I promise." he responded, following his wife downstairs and into the kitchen.

"You can't promise that. I know you can't control what they do, but-"

"But the longer we try to hide them, the worse it could get."
"I don't want them selling pictures of our kids! We haven't even taken our first family photo!"

"We can't stop them from taking photos of the kids forever, Brie." Nick told her, walking over and taking her hands in his. "But," He began as he guided her over to the couch in the living room. "I can call someone tomorrow and we can have our first family photos taken. Then we'll take it from there."

"But what if-"

"Please, Brianna, don't worry. I'll take care of you. All of you." He lightly kissed her on the lips. "I love you."

She hugged him tightly. "I love you, too."


~~~~~~~


"Stop calling here! We're NOT selling the photos!" Brianna yelled, slamming down the cordless phone on the couch. She picked up Trevor, then shook him gently in her arms as he screamed, while Cedric lay quietly in the playpen.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, having heard the front door open and shut. She walked over and leaned on the archway between the living room and den to greet her husband as he came home.

"Hey, baby!" Nick said with a smile. He walked over to his wife, who kissed him on the cheek before slightly adjusting the position of the child in her arms.

"Hey..." she trailed off, thankful that Trevor had stopped crying once he saw Nick.

"Let me take him..." Nick offered, putting his arms out to hold his son. He could tell Brianna was tired. She sat down on the couch and sighed deeply. "Are you okay?"

"Not really," she said, picking up the phone and resting it ontop of the couch, "That phone has been ringing all day. It stops for like, 45 minutes, then starts again. People -reporters -asking about the babies, about the photos, asking about stupid rumors, even a few asking about Aaron and Natalie! One of them even asked me a question about Paris!"

"Baby..." he sat down next to her after placing a now calm Trevor back in the playpen with his brother, "I'm so sorry. They shouldn't be calling here. I've been trying as hard as I can to keep them away from the house, but-"

"I know, Nick." she put her head on his shoulder. "Maybe we could all go out tomorrow. You, me, Aaron, and Natalie. With Cedric and Trevor. Natalie and I could bring the kids somewhere and we could all go for lunch or something."

"Sounds good to me. I'll call Aar later and ask if he and Nat are interested." Nick replied, kissing his wife on the lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too. I love our boys."

"Our family." he smiled.

~Later the Next day~

"Nick, please." Brianna said coldly, feeling Nick's hand on her shoulder. They sat in silence: Brianna trying to keep calm, Nick unable to think of anything to say to his wife.

Earlier in the day a girl had come up to him and his family and began harassing them. Halfway through the girl's accusation of Nick having had an affair with her, and Brianna was squeezing his hand so hard that his fingers were turning purple. He knew she didn't believe the girl, he just didn't understand why she was so upset. "Brie, I-" he began, stopping as he realized that wasn't what he wanted to say.

She sighed and walked over to Natalie and Aaron, who were keeping the babies entertained.

"Can we talk?" she looked at Natalie, who exchanged a silent look with Aaron and nodded. He passed Cedric to Brie and walked over to his brother, who was sitting at the patio table.

Nick stared at his wife as she talked to Natalie. What couldn't she talk to him about?

"Are you alright?" Aaron asked from the seat next to him.

Nick nodded, then let his gaze rest on the waves of the ocean in the distance. "I just don't understand it. No matter what I say, they just won't leave my family alone."

"Nick, theres nothing more you can do. Maybe this outing we had today will calm things down a bit."

"Or maybe it'll make them worse." Nick sighed. "I want my wife and my kids to be safe."

"They are safe."

"I want them to be able to feel safe. Brianna was about to lose her mind yesterday when I got home."

"She seemed fine today. Maybe she just wanted to get out of the house."

"Maybe..."

"See? Shes happy." Aaron pointed at his girlfriend and Brianna, who were laughing and smiling, as were the babies.

"Yeah. I'm gonna have our phone number changed tomorrow or something."

"Thats an idea." Aaron said, putting his arm around his brother. "Things'll work out, bro."


~Later that night~

"GO!" Nick hollared, slamming the door angrily in the face of the person behind it. "Brianna!" he called, but she was already up the stairs. Trevor began to cry and she walked into the nursery to console him.

"I'm not leaving that easily!" the young girl at the door called. The same girl from earlier had shown up at their front door. He didn't know what exactly she said to Brie, but he heard enough of it to know that this girl had crossed a line. A line beyond the one she'd already crossed in his mind.

"LEAVE MY FAMILY ALONE! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!" he shouted as he pulled open the door. He didn't care that there were photogs at the bottom of his driveway, he wanted this girl away from his family. Nick prayed his bodyguard showed up soon as he balled his hands up in tight fists to try and control himself.

"JUST TALK TO ME, NICK!" she shouted. Thankfully, Nick's bodyguard showed up just in time to pull her away, screaming.

"NO! AND I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU ANYWHERE NEAR MY FAMILY AGAIN!" he said, giving his bodyguard a thankful look and a nod before closing the door. He darted upstairs and paused outside the nursery. Silence. He slowly opened the door and peered in. Brianna was sitting in the rocking chair, Trevor in her arms.

"Is she gone?" Brie asked, looking up at her husband from her son. He nodded, walking in and standing by Cedric's crib.

"I had her carried away and tomorrow I'm gonna get a restraining order against-"

"This is getting too crazy, Nick."

"Brie, it'll calm down."

"No!" she exclaimed, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No. Nick, I thought it would calm down, but I was wrong. Our kids don't deserve this!" she said in a whisper-like tone.

"You don't deserve it, either. Baby, I love you so much. I love our kids so much. I'm gonna make sure you're safe, I swear." he said as he knelt down next to her. She smiled and kissed his forehead. "You go to bed, I'll put him back in his crib." she nodded and gave Trevor to him.

"I'll see you in bed," she said, blowing him a kiss before she left the room.

He smiled at his son, as he put him down gently in his crib, then stood and watched Cedric sleep for a few moments.

He kissed his wife passionately on the lips as he sat down on the bed next to her. "I love you, Brianna."

"I love you, Nick." she replied. He held her tight as they lay in bed together. The rage that had been pumping through his veins ten minutes ago had since disappeared at the sight of his wife and children. He wanted to stay in this moment forever: him and his family.

He never would have guessed...

Nick woke up, a smile on his face, and rolled over, hoping to surprise his wife with a good morning kiss. What he found instead made his heart race. He prayed it was a joke. Getting out of his bed, he threw on a pair of baggy pants and a t-shirt and grabbed the phone off the nightstand. He tried to remain calm as he dialed his brother's number on his way to the nursery. He heaved a sigh of relief as he found his sons, safe and sound in their cribs.

"Hello?" Aaron answered wearily.

"Aaron? Is Brie there?" Nick asked.

"Nick? No, shes not."

"Shit!"

"Is everything okay? Did something happen to the twins??" Aaron quizzed.

"The twins are fine." He heard a sigh of relief on the other end of the line, then a voice that sounded like Natalie's. "Has Natalie heard from her?"

"From who? Brianna?" he asked. "She said no. Nick, whats wrong??"

"I- I think Brianna- I can't..." he said, unable to piece together his sentence. He didn't want to believe it.

"Listen, Nick, calm down. Natalie and I will be right there. Whatever happened, we're gonna help you." Aaron stated.

"Yeah..." Nick said before hanging up without waiting for a response. He walked back to the bedroom, sitting down on the bed. He looked down next to him and picked up the note he'd found on his wife's pillow earlier:

---

Dearest Nick,
It hurts me to do this, Nick, it really does. Thats why I've decided to write this to you, I couldn't say it out loud. You've given me everything I ever wanted: children, a home, a man who loves me... And I thank you for it all. But I'm sorry, I have to do this. I'm not as strong as I thought I was, I'm not as strong as you. I can't handle it.
You and Cedric and Trevor have been and always will be the biggest blessings I've been given. Once again and a million times more, I'm sorry. I love you Nick, but I can't stay here with you anymore. For my sake, and for the sake of you and our sons, please don't blame yourself.
I love you and always will,
Brianna

---

He tried to hold back tears as he slowly re-read her letter. Why was this happening? Why couldn't she just come back and tell him it was a joke? 'Please, God, give me back last night. Last night, when I fell asleep with my wife in my arms...'

His head jerked up as he heard the door open. He tried even harder to hold back from crying.

"Nick... what happened?" Aaron asked, Natalie standing behind him.

"Brie... Shes... Gone." Nick said, unable to hold back the tears any longer. Aaron rushed over and hugged his brother tightly, letting him sob. He'd almost never seen his brother like this...

Natalie picked up the letter Nick had dropped on the floor near the bed and tears began to well in her eyes. She walked over and rubbed Nick's back, handing the note to Aaron. He stood in disbelief as he read Brianna's words. He and Natalie squeezed Nick tightly once more before letting him go.

"I'm gonna go take care of the babies." Natalie said, hugging Nick once more and kissing him lightly on the cheek.

Aaron sat next to his brother on the bed, rubbing his back. "I should call Kev and the others." Nick nodded silently and went to the nursery, where he found Natalie holding Cedric in her arms, humming to him. She stopped humming and looked up when Nick cleared his throat.

"I'm so sorry about this, Nick." she consoled.

"Me too..." He said, running his fingers over Trevor's light brown hair as he slept. "The last time I was in here with her, she was holding Trev."

"Oh Nick..." she stood behind him, watching as he carefully picked up his other son and held him in his arms.

After a few silent minutes Cedric stirred and began to cry, but Natalie quickly quieted him. "Do you think they can tell?" Nick asked, looking up at her with bloodshot eyes.

After taking a moment to think, Natalie finally said, "I think that they know that something's different, but that their Daddy and their Uncles and their Aunts all love them and will take care of them."

She put Cedric down and walked back over to Nick, who was letting Trevor hold his finger in his tiny hand. Moments later Aaron, Kevin, and Kristin walked in.

"Nick," Kevin said, walking over and hugging him gently, not wanting to disturb the baby, "Aaron told us everything. I called Brian. He and Leigh are on their way."

"And I called Alex and Howie. They'll be here in a few minutes." Aaron reported. Kristin walked over to Nick's other side and rubbed his back. Tears began streaming down Nick's face again as he looked at the baby: Brianna's baby. Kristen cautiously took the baby from Nick, who found himself in a tight embrace with his bandmate. Nick felt Natalie and Aaron join their group hug. Once he had calmed down enough, they all let go and Kristin hugged Nick for a few moments after laying Trevor back down to sleep.

"It'll be okay, Nick..." she whispered.

"Have you eaten anything?" Kevin asked. Nick silently shook his head.

"You need to eat something."

"I'm not hungry."

"Too bad. You need to-"

"Kevin-"

"We'll go make something, okay?" Kristin offered before she and Natalie left the room.

"I can't believe this is happening." Nick stated.

"I can't either..." Aaron added. He walked over to his brother. The three men stood silently in the room for a few moments before Brian walked in, Leighanne following behind holding Baylee.

"Uncle Nick!" Baylee said, beaming.

"Shh..." Nick said, taking Baylee from Leighanne and holding him so he was face to face with the toddler.

"Wheres Auntie Brie?" the child asked. Nick closed his eyes for a moment, letting the tears stream down.

"Its okay, Leigh." Nick said to Leighanne, who quietly offered to take Baylee with her downstairs. He then looked back at Baylee, the little boy still smiling and happy. "Well, Bay," he said, sniffling, "Auntie Brie went away." Nick wasn't sure if Baylee was old enough to understand such a grown-up thing, but he knew he wasn't.

~Two and a Half Months Later~

"Aaron, where are we?" Natalie asked, blindfolded, as Aaron led her slowly along the beach. He stopped her in front of a blanket and took off the blindfold.

"Here." he said. He sat down on the blanket and pulled her by the hand to sit down next to him. Looking around, she realized they'd been to that beach before. But never had the view at sunset seemed this amazing... And she wasn't talking about the beach. There was something about Aaron's eyes tonight that seemed... different -- in a good way...

"Okay..." she said, still unsure of what exactly her boyfriend was up to. Could this be the day she'd been waiting for for just less than a year and a half? She held her breath as Aaron reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box.

"Natalie," he said, still holding the box in his hand, "I have something I want to give to you." She nodded slowly as he showed her the box, frowning when he opened it, revealing that it was empty.

"Um..." she said, still staring at it, confused.

He laughed. "Look at me, Natalie." he said, taking her left hand in his right and inconspicously tampering with the small box as he kissed her on the lips softly. "You've been there for me and my brother ever since Brie left, and you're irreplaceable to me." he swallowed, then continued as Natalie looked into his eyes and he looked into hers, "I've been falling more and more in love with you since the day we met. I've been putting this off for a while." he explained, "But... I can't anymore. I won't and can't lose you." he kissed her again and held the box out in his hand once again. "Natalie, I want you to have this."

"All that to give me an empty-" she stopped, unable to speak as her teary eyes came to rest on a beautiful ring Aaron had slipped into the box. Aaron stood up and kneeled at her side. She had told him once before how much of a romantic she was, and he couldn't think of anything she deserved more than a truly romantic proposal.

"Natalie Jameson, will you marry me?" he asked after taking the ring out of the box and preparing to place it on her wedding finger. She sat stunned for a moment, unable to form an answer. "Natalie?" he asked, his heart pumping faster. Before he had any time to worry about his timing, Natalie pulled him into a passionate kiss, which he took enough of his focus off of to slip the ring on her finger.

"Nothing would make me happier on this earth than knowing I'll spend the rest of my life with you, Aaron." she smiled. They embraced for a few moments before looking out at the sunset, Natalie's head resting on Aaron's shoulder. Truly what she'd always dreamed of.


~The Next Morning~

Natalie and Aaron walked hand-in-hand down the stairs that morning and found Nick on the couch in the den, a big smile on his face at the sight of the happy couple, and in particular the ring now on Natalie's finger.

"Finally! I've been telling him to ask you ever since you agreed to move in." Nick commented. After Brianna had left Nick and the twins, Aaron sold his apartment and moved into Nick's house to support his brother. Natalie also agreed to move in and sell her apartment, and had been helping take care of all four boys ever since. Aaron wasn't the only one who had come to depend on her.

Natalie smiled and pick up Trevor, who had been sitting in the playpen with his brother. "I'm glad he waited. It was perfect." She lifted Trevor up, making him giggle. "Now I'm really your Aunt Natalie!"

"You've always been their Aunt Natalie." Nick stated. She knew Nick has always seen her as a part of the family and more recently as more than an aunt to his kids, but she knew that if he wanted to talk about Brianna he would.

"But now its official." she stated. Nick got up off the couch and hugged her tightly after she'd put Trevor back in the playpen.

"I'm happy for you two." he told her. "I was worried you'd dump him and leave."

"I wouldn't do that, Nick, you have no reason to-" she began, stopping before her sentence was finished as she looked at Nick's face. "Sorry."

He gave her a fake smile. "Don't be." he paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, I need to talk to you. In private." he said, looking up at Aaron.

"Shes almost my wife now, Nick." he argued, sighing as he saw Natalie's hands rest on her hips. "Okay, okay..." he said, walking out of the room.


Natalie frowned as she noticed that the smile had faded from his face. "Nick, whats the matter?"

"Aaron's not the only whos been waiting to ask you something."

"Nick, I've told you a thousand times. I'm in love with your brother, I can't marry you."

He smiled, which was the exact reaction Natalie had hoped he'd have. "I know," he responded, "And I've told you a thousand times that hes a lucky bastard but I'll find my own girl. I wouldn't even try and steal you away from him. But thats not what I've been wanting to ask you about."

Natalie sat down on the couch with Nick, still eyeing him closely. "Okay. Whats on your mind?"

"The day before Brianna left..." Nick trailed off.

"Yeah, I remember that day. What about it?" she asked.

"Brie wanted to talk to you about something, right?" he paused, waiting for her to confirm before he continued, "What did she talk to you about?"

Natalie sighed. "She was telling me how much what that girl did bothered her. She asked me how I dealt with all the girls doing that to me, and I reminded her that we'd had girls do worse to us. I told her that I love Aaron and that thats what kept me going."

Nick sat, silent. At least now he knew what was going through her mind. Sadly, now he wished he hadn't.

"Nick, she loved you. I don't know why she left and I'm sorry that I don't, but if I'd known she was gonna do what she did I would have-"

"She didn't want me to blame myself, but I won't let you blame yourself either." Natalie leaned over and hugged Nick.

"I better not have any reason to worry." Aaron said, leaning in the entryway to the den. Natalie got up from the couch and pulled Aaron into a passionate kiss.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked. Aaron's answer was a simple nod. He looked past his beautiful fiancee at his brother.

"I told you things would work out, bro, and I meant it."

~A month later~

Nick was sitting on the couch in the den while his sons napped upstairs. Things had finally died down a bit after the media found out what happened with Brianna. He'd released a statement two weeks ago about it, not wanting to have the photogs camped out on his front lawn bothering him about it constantly:

---

"I am filled with regret and saddened to have to announce that I am filing for divorce from my wife of just over a year and the mother of my children, Brianna. I will always love her and ask that you respect the privacy of her, myself, and our families."

---

He almost didn't release the statement, but decided if anything, it would at least get Brianna's attention. 'Maybe she'll realize what she really wants and come back to me...' He knew in his heart that after over three months of leaving people to wonder where she was, having to lie every day and say she was at home resting and nothing was wrong with his marriage... That she wasn't coming back to him. She'd left him a single father of two infant twin boys. Just thinking about it still tore him up. 'It probably always will...'

The day before he released the statement, he filed for divorce on grounds of abandoment. He hated that word; abandonment. It made her sound like a horrible person who'd left him and their kids to die on the street or something. Every night as he looked at his sons Nick prayed he'd wake up and it would be the day she left, but instead of a note on her pillow, he'd find her sleeping beside him once again.

Tears began to form in his eyes as he remembered how happy Brianna was the night of their wedding...

"Nick?" Aaron asked, standing by the arm of the couch. He had an expression of concern on his face as he looked at his distraught brother.

"Hey bro."

"Are you okay? You look like you've been crying." Aaron sat down on the couch as he looked in the playpen. "Are the twins sleeping?"

"Yeah, and I'm fine..."

Aaron sighed. "You were always a shitty liar when it came to your feelings. Especially the sad ones." he put his arm on the back of the couch. "Now whats wrong?"

"I told you, I'm fine..."

"And I know you're lying to me." He frowned. "Did you have another dream about Brianna last night?"

Nick shook his head. "No." Lately he'd been seeing Brie in his dreams: the last one he'd had involving her she'd come back to tell him she was pregnant again.

"But you were thinking about her."

Nick nodded with a sigh. "I just don't understand why she left us..."

"I wish I knew, Nick." He gave his brother a hug. "I wish I knew..." He sat up again and cleared his throat. "Well, I think what you need is a guys night out."

"Nah..."

"You've been stuck in this house for months." Seeing the look on his brother's face, he continued. "I know you miss Brie. A lot. We all do. But you have to move on, Nick, even if its only going out for a night. Not just for yourself, for all of us. We're worried about you, bro."

Nick took a moment to think. 'He's right, I can't sit here for the rest of my life - of Cedric and Trevor's lives - wishing Brie would come home. If she was here, she wouldn't want me moping around the house this long no matter what had happened. I still miss her and I still love her, I just can't deal with feeling trapped anymore...'

Just then, Natalie came home. She walked into the den and found the two brothers on the couch. "Hey guys!" she said cheerfully. From the looks on their faces, they needed it. "Whats up?"

"Hey, Nat..." Nick asked, smiling as he looked up at her. "Can you watch the kids tonight?"

"Sure!" She smiled, "You're going out tonight??" She was downright shocked. Nick hadn't want to leave the house these days for anything more than work or errands. Natalie had been hoping this day would come soon.

"Yeah, I guess..." he trailed off.

"You won't regret this, Nick." Aaron said, getting up from the couch and grabbing his phone. "I'll call Alex, see if hes interested."

"I better not regret it..." Nick said quietly to himself as he watched his brother leave the room to make his phone call. Natalie walked by Nick and gave him a pat on the shoulder before going upstairs to check on Trevor and Cedric.

Nick was once again left alone in the den to think...