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What you didn't see- Nick and Lauren wake up and rejoin everybody for the next movie, then everyone goes to bed.


December 4th, 2017
7:45 AM

It was an adjustment, but long overdue, for the guys to allow themselves to sleep in the next morning. With all of their kids together though, it didn’t last as long as they would have hoped.

For Brian and Leighanne however, they had never been so relieved to have a teenage son capable of taking care of himself. The couple had been awake since six-thirty, snuggling and frolicking in bed.

Tangling his fingers in her long blonde hair, Brian nuzzled his wife’s slender neck. “Good morning so far, sunshine?” he said softly.

“You know it,” she murmured into his ear, tracing her finger over the faded scar centering his chest. Twenty years had passed since that frightening day, and twenty-four years later he was still her strong warrior.

“Doesn’t have to be over yet…” Brian said smoothly, his hand drifting down her back. Leighanne giggled and leaned in to kiss him, her palms slipping to his shoulders. They held each other, their movements growing more sensuous.
Just as things were heating up, there was a knock at the door.

“Mom, Dad! Breakfast at eight thirty,” Baylee called from outside. “Just wanted you to know.”

Listening as his son’s footsteps disappeared down the hall, Brian looked back at his wife.

“Plenty of time,” he grinned mischievously and in a sudden swift movement swung himself over so he hovered above Leighanne. With her eyes full of desire, she gave herself over to him once again.


8:29 AM

Kristin had slowly made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen, having had a partially restless night. She saw all the kids sitting at the counter, and in front of them plates of French toast drenched in maple syrup and melting butter.

Howie was at the stove, finishing off what amount of egg mixture was left on a piece of bread before slapping it on the griddle. Leigh was next to him with Rochelle fixing a bowl of fruit salad for everyone to share. Nick and Lauren sat on one of the sofas with Odin still sleep in his mother’s arms, and A.J. was reclining in the big easy chair with Sasha dozing on his chest.

“Morning, beautiful,” Kevin rose from one of the other couches and came up behind her, hands on her shoulders as he kissed her cheek. She smiled tiredly.

A moment later Brian and Leighanne walked in, faces bright and alert unlike some of the others. Kristin could tell they had been awake for a while…

“Okay guys, come and get it!”

Howie plated the rest of the batch of French toast, passing them down to all the adults before serving himself. They all stood around the counter and ate with the kids.

“So,” A.J. spoke up after a few moments, “I guess we’re jumping right into it, huh? Soon as breakfast is over, we’ll bring out the snow clothes?”

“Yeah!” Mason cheered. “I wanna build a fort! We can have a snowball fight!”

“Sounds good to me, bud,” Kevin agreed.

“Daddy, what about snow angels?” Ava tugged on her father’s shirt.

“Of course, baby,” he nodded.

“I wanna make a snowman!” James called out. “Me too!” added Holden.

“Woah, alright then,” Howie chuckled looking over at his bandmates. “Guys, I think we better speed things along.”


9:07 AM

After scrambling upstairs to put on layer after layer of sweaters, windbreakers and snow pants and boots, all the Backstreet kids clambered outside with their parents close behind.

Ava trampled through the snowbank and fell onto her back, immediately going to work at a snow angel. A.J. flopped down beside her and followed her lead, while Rochelle looked on with Sasha in her arms bundled up like a snow bunny.

Howie, Brian and Kevin had immediately gone to work with their boys to start building a fort and snowman.

James struggled to learn how to roll snowballs to make the snowman’s body, his dad with him to give him some extra help. Leigh followed after Holden who wondering around looking for any rocks or sticks to put on as features.

Brian and Baylee joined Mason with Max and Kevin who were piling up and shaping mounds of snow to build the fort.

Nick and Lauren were keeping their eyes, and camera, on Odin as they guided his skittering footsteps through the snow exploring his new surroundings.

“Look at all this snow, sweetie!” Lauren pointed to the ground and grabbed a handful of the icy powder with her gloved hand.

“Nooo,” Odin babbled as he gingerly touched it. “Yes, that’s right!” his mother nodded with a smile. “Snow!”

The young parents laughed, and Nick snapped a picture.


9:13 AM

When the fort was finally finished, Mason was determined to have a snowball fight. Some of the others had different things in mind, though; Howie and A.J. wanted to take their kids sledding down the hill nearby.

However Baylee stuck by his cousins and even offered a suggestion.

“Let’s make it kids against dads,” he told them, grinning mischievously over at his father and uncle. “That’ll make things more interesting!”

“Let’s sneak up on them!” Mason whispered. Max nodded, his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter.

After packing and shaping their own snowballs, they turned and stared intently at their targets. Silently, Baylee counted down-

“Three…two…one…”

“CHAAAARRGGE!”

The boys erupted, flinging the snowballs from their hands as they sprinted towards the enemy. Little did they know, they weren’t the only ones armed!

“Oh, it’s on!” Brian called out, he and Kevin beginning to throw snowballs of their own. All five of them chased one another back and forth across the snowy yard, stumbling and laughing together the whole time. It wasn’t long before A.J. and Howie came back with their kids and wives and joined in the fun.

Nothing could have been the perfect start to this vacation than a morning like this.


9:38 AM

A little bit past a half an hour Lauren and Rochelle brought the little ones back inside to get warmed up.

Kristin had stayed in, not ready to go out into the cold, and spent her time planning a special lunch for everyone with Leighanne. They had been hunting through the fridge and pantry for all the necessary ingredients to get ready to prepare them for cooking.

“Do you guys need a hand?” Lauren asked as she set Odin down with Sasha.

“We’re fine,” Leighanne shook her head. “We’re definitely not going to start cooking just yet. We’re just figuring out where everything is.”

Kristin stepped back a moment and rolled her neck, rubbing her right shoulder.

“Someone needs to start slowing down,” Rochelle watched as the expecting mother pressed her hands to her back.
“I know,” she nodded as she shuffled over to one of the couches. “But what can I do? Just lay here all day while you guys have all the fun?”

“It’s not like we’re saying you can’t do anything at all,” Lauren said joining her. “We’ve all been in your place, we’re just looking out for you.”

“Kevin’s already done enough of that.” Kristin sighed stretching her legs across the sofa and resting her head on one of the throw pillows.

It was silent for a while as Leighanne completed the scavenger hunt around the kitchen, joining her three friends in the living area. She glanced over at the untouched fireplace.

“You think there’s some wood?” she asked aloud. “I think everyone’d probably like some extra heat when they come back in.”

“Sure. We can get a few logs going.” Rochelle went and pulled out some firewood from the rack next to the hearth.

As the wood was arranged on the metal gas frame inside the firebox, Kristin shifted her weight from her position on the couch’s loveseat.

“You hear that?” she suddenly asked. The others looked at her, puzzled.

“Hear what? I didn’t hear anything,” Leighanne shook her head.

“I thought I heard scratching on the floor,” Kristin explained.

“Hey there!”

Everyone looked toward the back door, wide open. Leigh had just walked in with Holden following behind her.“Has this been open the whole time?” she asked as she dusted the snow off her and her son’s boots.

“Oh, crap! I was wondering why it was so cold in here!” Lauren rushed over and shut the door behind them. “We better get this heat going.”

Rochelle found some matches in a compartment on the wood rack. Fishing one out of the box, she turned on the propane lighter and struck the match. In an instant, the fireplace ignited.

“Wow, that’s so much better,” Leighanne came over from the kitchen and sat with the others, enjoying the circle of warmth surrounding the living room.

Kristin sat up and craned her neck behind the couch. “Am I really the only one who keeps hearing that?”

“Honey, there’s nothing!” Lauren insisted. “If something was in here, we’d have seen it by now.”

Rochelle looked over at her and shrugged. “It’s probably pregnancy brain messing with you,” she said nonchalantly.

“I guess so…”