“His name is Zachary,” Natalie murmured, shifting the bundle so Baylee could settle into her lap. She had spent the past hour in the master bedroom with Zachary, as much to keep him away from Nick’s illness as to get away from Brian’s attitude. She found herself enamored with the infant, more than happy to spend her time holding him and cooing softly. “Nicky brought him over to meet us… This is his new baby--”
“Nicky ‘regnant?” Baylee murmured in surprise, leaning back to look into Natalie’s eyes. “Him’s chubby?”
“Oh, Bay,” Natalie laughed softly, shaking her head. “No, Nicky wasn’t pregnant. He adopted Zachary. See, Zachary was all alone and needed someone to take care of him, so Nicky’s going to do that.”
“…Oh…” Baylee trailed as he studied the infant slumbering in Natalie’s arms. Reaching for an edge of the blanket to peel it down so he could get an adequate view of the newest family member. “…’Lana baby, too? Her’s no need Boogie now?”
“’Lana will always need her Boogie,” Natalie promised, kissing the top of his head before leaning to place Zachary in the middle of the bed. Pulling the blanket away gently, she smoothed the front of the bright blue shirt, smiling as Baylee immediately moved to lay next to him. “You don’t have to worry about that at all, Bay.”
“But him’s her baby?” Baylee inquired, leaning over the infant to give him a critical gaze. The infant had started to arouse by the sounds of voices around him. Writhing uncomfortably at the warm cocoon being pulled from him, he fussed slightly, though his fingers seemed to pacify him as he started to suck greedily. Baylee sighed heavily as he brushed a few raven locks away from Zachary’s forehead. “You too t’oot…”
“You’ll have to ask her that when Nicky’s feeling better,” Natalie suggested, glancing up as the door opened once again. Seeing the look of complete irritation on Brian’s face as he entered, she quickly scooped Zachary back into her arms, almost afraid he would cast the child out. “I need you to get Alana’s key so I can go over and get some of Zach’s things--”
“I want to talk to you first,” Brian interrupted as he stepped toward the bed, groaning when Natalie shifted the child away from him. He had been relieved when Alana rapped on his front door, hurrying back to be with Nick. He hadn’t the strength to take care of a sick Nick, especially fearing for his son’s health. So, assuring that Alana had everything she would need in Nick’s suite of rooms, he then came upstairs as means of peace. He certainly wasn’t sleeping on the couch tonight. “For goodness sakes, Natalie, I’m not going to hurt the kid… I just want to see Nick’s son.”
Natalie sighed, turning Zachary in her arms so he faced Brain. “Well, you’ve seen him--”
“Don’t be so childish,” Brian grunted, reaching to take the infant into his arms.
“You’re the one who kicked Nick out over Zachary, and you’re calling me childish?” Natalie questioned with a heavy sigh, reluctantly relinquishing Zachary. “Watch out, he likes kicking stomachs…”
"An hour with the kid and you think you know everything about him," Brian mumbled, easily tucking Zachary into the crook of his arm. Watching Baylee stare at him with a piqued curiosity, he sank to the edge of the bed so Baylee could still admire the baby. So, as Baylee stood behind him with his chin resting in the crook of Brian's shoulder, Brian watched the infant. He was an adorable child to say the very least. Alert to his surroundings as he sucked happily upon his fingers, playfully kicking at Brian's chest with his socked feet. Brushing the wisps of raven locks from his forehead, Brian was surprised to hear him coo. "…What's his name?"
"Zachary Allen Carter," Natalie murmured, longing to sit next to him so they could snuggle the baby together. Zachary's presence reminded her that she longed to have children of her own one day. "He has to stay here while Nick's sick, Bumpkin… You don't want him to get whatever Nicky has, do you?"
"No, we can't let him get whatever Nick has," Brian agreed with a small nod, clicking his tongue toward the child who thrust his arms and legs out in a startled manner. He released a soft chuckle as he brought Zachary closer, kissing his forehead. "Where did Nick ever get a middle name like Allen?"
"He said that he chose Allen because it's so close to Alana…" Natalie trailed softly, smiling as Baylee began to tickle Zachary's feet. "We were talking about it in the Bahamas a few days ago, and--"
"You encouraged him to adopt?" Brian guessed with a dry sigh, trying not to smile at the squeal of giggles Zachary was releasing as he tucked his legs close to his body, away from Baylee.
"He's wanted to be a Daddy for ages… Since before you had Baylee--"
"He never told me that…"
"He… Well… Told me," Natalie whispered, reaching to take Zachary when he began to fuss. Moving to the foot of the bed, she grabbed a clean diaper off the dresser and cooed softly as she laid him down to change him. "This is really important to him, Bumpkin… And whatever Alana's reaction was, it wasn't what he expected, and… He needs someone's support right now."
"She said she didn't want kids," Brian answered expertly as he seized Baylee into his arms, falling back onto the bed. "Her son died for God's sakes. I told Nick from the beginning that adopting this kid wasn't going to make Alana stay. If anything, it was going to make her run. But he never listens--"
"Please stop referring to him as 'this kid'… And Nicky didn't adopt Zach to make Alana stay. For crying out loud, can't you understand that?"
"That's Nicky's baby! Him's a Daddy, Daddy! 'Lana's baby, too!" Baylee announced as he was propped up on Brian's feet and made to clutch his father's hands to fly high into the air.
"You tell him, Bay," Natalie cooed, scooping Zachary into her arms just as Baylee leaped into the center of the bed. Depositing the baby into Brian's arms, she glanced around for her purse. "I'm going to go get--"
"Stuff for Zachary," Brian finished. "You need Alana's keys--"
"Which I'm going to get first," Natalie interrupted. "Just… Support Nicky on this, okay? Please?"
"Natalie, for you--"
"For Nicky. Not anyone but him, Bumpkin--"
"Natalie--"
"Support him like he's always supported you."
Sighing, Brian shifted Zachary so he laid across his chest, idly rubbing the child's back as Natalie leaned to kiss Baylee. "Okay…"
"Stop being such a horrible Bible thumper," Natalie teased as she pressed a soft kiss to Brian's cheek. She moved to stand, but Brian grasped her shirt and pulled her over him once more. Her eyes widened in surprise as his lips softened against hers, easily coaxing her lips apart for a soft flick of his tongue. "Bumpkin--"
"I'm sorry," he murmured as Baylee cuddled into his side.
"Tell that to Nicky," she whispered against his lips. "He needs to hear that more than I do."
"When he's conscious," Brian promised vaguely, rubbing her back gently as he delivered another kiss. "Now go get Zachary's stuff. We'll do some male bonding up here while you're gone. Maybe talk Baylee into talking you into giving him a little sister…"
"Only if you're planning on marrying me before he starts talking me into that," Natalie whispered. "Change the sheets for me? Zach needs a clean bed to sleep in--"
"He's sleeping with us?" Brian questioned in surprise.
"Do you feel like going to the attic and digging out Bay's old crib? And you can't make him sleep in a playpen, it's too uncomfortable. Besides, he needs snuggling--"
"I can 'nuggle him!" Baylee offered with a small yawn, reaching up to pat Zachary's back.
"You want to 'nuggle with Daddy and Zach tonight?" Natalie offered with a smile, grateful Baylee had taken to Zachary so quickly. "Why don't you talk Daddy into getting some movies and we can all snuggle--"
"Let me just get you some money," Brian groaned as he wrapped an arm around Zachary, leaning to the side to pluck his wallet from his back pocket. Hearing Baylee make an obnoxious squeal, he had to laugh, realizing he was crushing the youngster. Leaning further into Baylee, Brian fussed to pluck some bills from his wallet, grinning toward Natalie as Baylee writhed beneath him. "What's that sound, Rosie?"
Natalie's eyes widened with innocence. "I have no idea… Do you think it could be termites?" she questioned worriedly, reaching to tickle one bare foot that stuck out from underneath Brian. Hearing Baylee's squeal, she bit back a giggle. "We may have to call an exterminator!"
"Here I thought it was another elephant in the wall…" Brian murmured in a incredulous tone, bouncing on Baylee lightly.
"Nope, sounds like a termite to me…" Natalie trailed with a regretful sigh, listening to Baylee's playful squeals. "You know what might work, though?"
"Finding a boot to squish'em good?"
"No… We got to tickle'em really hard--"
"OH JUS' SQUISH ME AND GET IT OVER WITH!" Baylee groaned.
"Well, what do you know, Bumpkin? It's Baylee!" Natalie squealed.
"My God!" Brian exclaimed as he rolled over, causing Baylee to twitch with relief before sagging into a death-like position, rolling his tongue out of his mouth for added effect. "Oh! No! Mouth to mouth needs started--"
Suddenly, Baylee jumped to life and tumbled off the bed. Hurrying toward the hallway, he turned slightly to offer his father a look of disbelief. "Are you nuts, Daddy?! I need 'Lana for that!"
"Beautiful… I'm okay… I just need to get up and take care of Zach," Nick attempted to explain as Alana gently mopped the cold sweat from his brow. Heaving a groan, he fought the shiver that followed before giving in and allowing the sudden chill to wash over him. "Zach needs--"
"To stay the Hell away from you when you have the flu," Alana interrupted with a sigh when he weakly batted away the damp cloth from his forehead. Exhaling a frustrated breath, she slid off the large bed to toss the washcloth into the basin at the nightstand. She had been trying for hours to take care of Nick, but he was resistant to her care. He didn't want to change into comfortable clothing. He didn't want a bath to soothe the aches of his muscles. He didn't want to lie down. He didn't want her touching him. Why she had climbed off a mountain and raced to get a shower just to be pushed away was a mystery to her. "If he gets sick with the flu, he'll never survive, Nick. He's too young."
"But Nat's completely fucking useless," Nick whined. "What if she puts him on the couch and lets him fall--"
"Allie is fully competent in taking care of a child. Not to mention Brian is helping as well as AJ and Howie. He's not in danger. In fact, he's probably in the best hands he could possibly be at this moment," Alana contradicted once more, squeezing an ample dollop of no-rinse antimicrobial soap on her hands, furiously rubbing it against her skin. She called off of work for several days for him and now she was regretting the decision.
"Okay… Can you…" Nick sighed, tugging the heavy comforter up to his chin. Each time he attempted to voice his apology for earlier it seemed something else that needed telling came to mind. "…Snuggle me?"
"Great, now you turn cute," Alana groaned as she reached to throw her curls in a high ponytail, hurriedly catching the tips to twist them into a messy bun. Satisfied that her hair was away from her face, she pulled off her shoes and socks, knowing she couldn't resist the pucker of his bottom lip. "…How do you want me to snuggle with you? Lay down next to you? Your head in my lap? Both of us sitting--"
"Lay down with me?"
"I wish you would think about getting in more comfortable clothing," Alana sighed as she watched him uncomfortably shift in the bed so he could move over. Waiting till he settled amongst the pillows, she moved to lay on top of the covers.
"…Wait a sec…" Nick sighed, struggling to sit up. With her assistance, he managed to wriggle out his jeans before sagging back with a shudder. "Is that better?"
"You tell me. I was just looking out for your well being," Alana murmured as she cast the jeans to the floor, watching him tug on the blankets to lift them. She arched her brows in confusion. "You want me under the blankets when you're roasting like a pig?"
"I'm freezing to death and you're the only thing that gets me warm, Beautiful--"
"You mean horny," she attempted to tease as she lifted the blankets to slip underneath. Once she was curled beneath the softness of the blankets, she reached for Nick. Though, he met her halfway as he nestled his head against her chest. Carefully curling her arms around him, she tried not to frown at the sweaty heat radiating from his flushed skin, leaning to press a delicate kiss to his forehead. She wished he'd admit how sick he was. It killed her inside to see him so miserable
"I hate to break it to you, but the last thing on my mind right now is sex," Nick admitted groggily, wrapping his arm around her waist to hold her close to him.
"Good, maybe I can catch up on my sleep then," Alana decided with a sigh of relief, gently rubbing his back to alleviate the painful pressure of aching from his muscles.
"I love you," Nick whispered.
"I love you, too, Handsome," Alana promised softly, kissing his forehead once more as she tucked the blankets tighter around his body, feeling him tremble significantly. "If you need me to do anything, just tell me."
"Just hold me… And tell me you forgive me for the way I acted…"
"Nickalicious, there's nothing to forgive--"
"I just showed up with Zach and expected you to… Do the whole Mommy thing--"
"Well, yeah…" Alana sighed with accidental interruption, running her fingers through his damp, sweaty locks in a soothing motion. She really didn't know how she was supposed to react when Zachary was brought into her home. She just knew that there was no way she could fall in love with another child only to risk the chance of losing him. She couldn't take the heartache of longing to hear the child call out for 'Mommy' only to an ominous tombstone in her wake. "But, you've adopted him, Nick, and there's nothing I can do about that."
"But I've pushed you away and I didn't want to do that," Nick whined softly, burying his face against her chest.
"…I don't know what to say, Nick…" Alana murmured after a painfully long hesitation. "Zachary is going to be a large part of your life and I don't want children… I'm not sure how it could be fair to him… He needs a mother…"
"But I need you," Nick argued softly.
"This really ain't the thing to talk about when you're so sick, Handsome," Alana chided, not wanting him to muster his energy for a fight when he was supposed to be resting. She shifted slightly to retrieve a washcloth for his sweaty brow, but felt his arm immediately tense around her. "Nick, I'm just getting a washcloth..."
"Okay… What can we talk about when I'm sick?" he questioned softly, toying with the drawstring of her pants.
"I think you should be sleeping," Alana answered, carefully dabbing at his brow with the washcloth. "Actually, I think a warm bath would do you some good, but everything I suggest sounds like medieval torture--"
"Sleep with me?"
"I thought you said you weren't thinking about sex--"
"I mean sleep," Nick interrupted with a mirthless chuckle.
"Oh…" Alana trailed as she tossed the washcloth back into its basin. She did her best to hide the flush of her cheeks as she entangled her fingers in his locks once more. "I'm not really tired, but I'll lay with you. I'll watch you sleep."
"Okay… Wait… Did you want to make love? 'Cause--"
"Nick, you don't even have the strength to stand up by yourself!"
"But all I have to do is lay here--"
"And transfer disease to me."
"I'm not diseased… Can you put a movie in, then?"
"Yeah, I can put a movie on," Alana quickly agreed, sliding from beneath him as she freed herself from the sweltering warmth of the blankets. Fanning herself lightly as she tugged at her form fitted tank top, she crossed the large room to Nick's DVD cabinet. Pulling it open, she leaned slightly toward the side as she started to play with the band of her light blue track pants absentmindedly. "What do you want to watch?"
"Anything with zombies and sex--"
"Because that narrows it down significantly," Alana replied with a teasing note of sarcasm, moving toward the opposite door of the cabinet where Nick stored all of his zombie movies. Leaning over to get an adequate view of the DVD titles, Alana became oblivious to the way her track pants tightened against her firm backside, slipping every so delicately to reveal the hollow of the small of her back as she tugged on her tank top to raise it.
"Why are you stripping?" Nick whined, weakly tossing a pillow towards her.
"I'm not stripping," Alana yelped as she felt the pillow connect lightly with the backs of her legs. Turning to glance at him, she raised her brows with confusion. "What is your malfunction?"
"Your pants are falling down and you're peeling your shirt off--"
"My pants are loose and I'm not taking my shirt off… Wait, that's your malfunction? I thought you weren't even thinking about sex, Nicky?"
"I'm not thinking about sex… I'm thinking about you getting naked… Which is a wonderful thought--"
"Which leads to sex," Alana concluded as she plucked Dawn of the Dead from his selection. Moving to pop it in the DVD Player, she then tossed the remote toward Nick, waiting for it to load. "Glad to know you're not knocking on death's door like Brian said. If it wasn't for the fever, I'd think you were faking."
"You can take your pants off if they're loose," Nick suggested with a tired smile.
"You're definitely not as sick as you first claimed to be," Alana decided with a rueful smile, turning on the TV and hurriedly adjusting the volume. Once she was satisfied, she moved back toward the bed, though the introduction of music caught her attention. Glancing at her lover, she immediately bit on the side of her bottom lip. Stopping halfway to the bed, she brought her hands to the drawstrings of her pants, slowly undoing them with the beat of the music as she rolled her hips. Allowing the material to go slack, she played with the waistband, allowing it to fall slowly to reveal several inches of bare flesh before rolling her hips in a circle as she turned her back toward him, popping her hip from side to side when she ran her index finger under the string of her string bikini briefs extending over her hip.
"That is so fucking unfair it's unbelievable," Nick groaned, yanking a pillow over his face as his body trembled.
"So… You want me to stop?" she guessed, her pants falling far below her hips to reveal the purple and blue striped string bikini briefs.
Nick whined softly, fighting a wave of nausea. "Not unless you want to have sex with a sick man--"
"You fucking faking fucker!" AJ bellowed as he burst into the room.
"AJ!" Alana yelped in shock as she reached to yank up her track pants, only to find herself being thrown over AJ's bony shoulder. She groaned as a rush of air was pushed from her lungs by the sharpness of his shoulder, feeling her pants being shucked from her long legs. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?!"
"Nick's so sick, you really shouldn't be in here with him. I mean, what if you catch it, and then when you go back to work you give it to one of the kids? I could never forgive myself!" AJ exclaimed, lightly tickling the back of her legs. "So… We're going to play Grand Theft Auto--"
"In my underwear?" Alana questioned in confusion.
"Why not? We're not going to be moving from the couch," AJ enticed with a wicked grin as he turned to head out the door.
Alana groaned as she reached for the frame of the door, causing her body to stretch slightly when AJ attempted to continue forward. "AJ, Nick needs me to take care of him--"
"He's got a cell phone… If he needs you, he can call--"
"He wants me to snuggle with him," Alana argued with a soft yelp as AJ leaned back to pry her fingers from the door. "Nick? Right? Or are you okay by yourself?"
"I'm fine," Nick promised sleepily, unable to garner the strength needed to fight off AJ.
"Okay…" Alana trailed as she released her grip on the frame of the door, watching his eyes droop with exhaustion. "Call me if you need me, Handsome, alright?"
"He will," AJ answered. "Sleep tight, Nicky," he called over his shoulder as he headed into the hallway.
"The poor guy is absolutely miserable, y'know? Can't even keep any water down without getting nauseous and heaving it back up," Alana explained as she was carried into AJ's guest room, thinking nothing of it as she was tossed onto his bed. "Hey! Every race I beat you, you've got to lose a piece of clothing!"
"Ha! Every race I beat you, you lose a piece of clothing, and I choose the piece," AJ decided, dropping a controller in front of her before sprawling next to her.
"Then we'll do one race," Alana suggested with a glorified smile, straddling AJ's backside as means of a seat.
"Sounds good," AJ agreed with a wicked smirk.
"And… You'll decide that I need to remove my tank top," Alana decided as slammed her thumb down on the button to accelerate her vehicle, hurriedly speeding off on the city track.
"Not fucking likely," AJ muttered under his breath as he quickly caught up with her.
"You know, letting me win would be a grand gesture," Alana attempted to persuade as she concentrated on the flat-screen TV mounted to the wall. Poking the tip of her tongue out from the corner of the mouth, she hurriedly eased her car next to AJ's, taking a sharp turn that caused him to careen into a wall. "Score!"
"I'm not into grand gestures," AJ informed her absentmindedly, quickly recovering from the spin. Humming softly to himself as he eased the front end of his bumper against Alana's rear bumper, he followed her closely through the next series of turns, chuckling when she attempted to shake him off. Raising the volume of his humming, he accelerated abruptly through the next turn, smirking when her car went into a tailspin, making sure to keep out of the way as she slid haphazardly into the barrier. "Double score!"
"You bastard…" Alana mumbled in disbelief as she watched her car go up in a blaze of messy flames as AJ's car hurdled ahead past the first checkpoint. Growling with disgust, she tapped on every key as if it would hurry the process of her car returning to a normal state. But AJ was gaining too much of a lead for her to even catch up. The brutality of her wreck was going to cost her a vital piece of clothing. Whining softly with disgust, she leaned over him to see the wicked smirk cross his face. Deciding she had to keep her clothing on, she started to rock her hips against his in a tantalizingly sweet motion. Softly at first to catch his attention as she concentrated on catching up.
"That's not going to work," AJ informed her in a singsong voice.
"Well what is going to work?" Alana whined.
"Let's see… I have the choice of stripping some of your clothes off and having the thrill of victory, or…" AJ trailed thoughtfully, reaching back to trail his fingers down the length of her thigh. "What do you suggest?"
"Are we talking erotic? Kinky? Sensual?" Alana murmured softly as she caught her foot against his calf, slowly stroking in a loving fashion as she kept full concentration on the game, her heart rate accelerating as AJ's car began to slow and veer.
AJ shook his head slightly as his car slid past the second checkpoint. Jerking his hand back to the controller when he realized what was happened, he growled in annoyance. "I think I'll go with being able to slowly peel those panties off you… And I may even do some caresses while I do it…"
"Al," Alana sighed softly as she shifted on his back, watching his car speed up just as she neared. Frustrated, she tapped the pause button as she lifted up her tank top and lay down upon his back, melting patches of their skin together. Circling her arms around his neck with her controller below him, she nuzzled the crook of his neck as she returned their game. "Why can't you concentrate on me?"
"Because it is damn obvious that you want me to concentrate on you so you can take advantage of me and win the race," AJ explained dispassionately as possible, grateful he had selected only one lap of the race. Seeing the final checkpoint on the screen, he whined softly in relief.
"You're just perturbed because I thought of it first," Alana purred against the left side of his face, pressing the barest of kisses to his jaw line. Then, before she could weigh the consequences of her actions, she brought his earlobe into her mouth for a seductive nibble, trailing the small gold hoop with her tongue.
"Fuck," AJ whined, hurriedly pressing the button to pause the game. "…Al, Babe? What're you doing?"
"Trying to win the game?" she mumbled hopefully against his ear, nipping once more before releasing his ear.
"I could just quit the game and let you continue…" AJ trailed with a rasp, tugging her controller away to toss it to the floor.
"Continue nibbling on your ear?" she questioned as she shifted to grasp the controller from the floor, attempting to finish the game. "Does that mean I win?"
Smirking as he easily flipped her to her back, AJ caught her hands in his. "You forfeited, Babe," he murmured as she whined softly in protest. "And you cheated, so I win by default."
"I did not forfeit!" Alana protested as he raised her arms above her head to pin them. "I was still racing when you threw the controller away! And you cheated me, too, so there's no way you win by default--"
"There's no damn way I cheated you! I didn't start grinding on your ass and nibbling your ear--"
"You were humming!"
"I always hum when I'm playing a game!" With a wicked smirk, AJ leaned over, lightly tracing the hollow place beneath her collar bone with his lips.
"…What are you doing?"
"Seeing if your skin tastes as good as it smells," AJ answered softly, letting the tip of his tongue trail across her skin.
"Why don't you ask Nick?" Alana suggested as she arched against him in surprise, writhing slightly in attempts to slip away, knowing the situation was gaining a dangerous momentum.
"He's too sick for me to bother him now…"
"Then take a lick and let me know… Then all your questions about me will be answered… Like a miracle!"
"You're wiggling too damn much," he growled softly, lightly nipping at her skin. Smirking when he heard her soft squeal, he lifted his head, allowing his body to settle between her legs. "Besides, it takes more than a lick…"
"Then you're going to have to take notes from Nick when he's feeling better," Alana suggested, tensing at the burning sensation of his growing bulge pressing through his jeans to the thin material of her panties. "I love him--"
"I love him too, but that's not stopping me from having fun."
"I ain't hurting him like that--"
"Just one kiss, that's all I ask--"
Alana leaned up to peck a playful kiss to his cheek. "Wish granted!"
AJ sighed, shaking his head as he leaned down. "You know what I--"
"'LANA! NICKY TRYIN' TO GET OUT OF THE BED!" Baylee screamed from the hallway. "SAYS HE'S GOTS T'SHIT--"
"Oh, God, that means a serious mess," Alana groaned in dismay as she bucked AJ off her hips. When he fell backward on the bed, she hurriedly rolled off, scrambling toward Nick's master bathroom.
"Might want to pull down your shirt, Babe," AJ called after her, flopping back against the pillows with a grin. Shrugging when she shot him a glare over her shoulder, he reached for his cigarettes as the door slammed behind her. It was definitely fun to get her worked up.
