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Throwing her frustrations into the bulk of the chocolate cookie batter she was preparing, she had to grunt in annoyance at the weakness of her left hand in controlling the electric mixer. After stepping onto the sweet bluegrass of her native town, she had gone straight to the Emergency Room to have her hand looked at. Naturally, her coworkers had squealed over her presence in the hospital, immediately chiding her for not visiting sooner or telling them of her pregnancy. In fact, Alana had almost forgotten about her hand till Dr. Allman hollered at her for her reckless behavior. Needless to say, after her wounds were cleaned and the large ones stitched, her hand had been immediately cast in plaster from the second knuckles of her fingers to just before her elbow. To say she was perturbed with the outcome was putting it mildly, because the stress of Nick's betrayal and anniversary of her son's death had no way of being released. Usually she would be rock climbing or riding her four wheeler or boating, but all were impossible with her hand in a cast. It seemed like God was truly against her at this point in life, even as the doorbell chimed. Cursing at the stinging burn of her fingers when she jumped at the sound of her doorbell over the music, causing her to hold the fresh pan of cookies too long, she tossed the pan to the top of the oven, throwing the mitt down to answer her door. Maybe Jeremy was looking to spend more time with her, he had mentioned about bringing over some home videos later…

“Daddy?! Why you ring the bell? 'Lana wouldn't care if we just walked in,” Baylee chided loudly as Alana neared the door.

"Scooper, no matter how close we are to Alana, we're still guests--"

"You're only guests if I let you in," Alana interrupted, opening the door to find Baylee furiously tugging on his father's pants to make him open the door.

“'Lana'll let me in,” Baylee informed his father with a proud grin as he quickly moved to embrace Alana. “Su'prise, 'Lana!”

"This certainly is a surprise!" Alana agreed, crouching down to embrace the child. Feeling his arms curve around her neck before burying his face into the side of her face and loose ponytail, she sighed softly. Rubbing his back with her good arm, she tilted her head to press a soft kiss to his face. "How'd you ever find my house, Boogie?"

“We looked in the phone book,” Baylee answered, his voice muffled as he pressed his face against her neck. “An' Daddy said we had to come an' see you to make sure you ain't plottin' Nicky's death--”

"And who squealed to you?" Alana questioned of Brian, sliding her arm beneath Baylee's backside to lift him into her arms. She looked to Brian as Baylee continued to babble against the side of her face, watching him look at the array of packages on her porch.

“...Howie called me,” Brian explained softly. “What's all this?”

"They're from Nick," Alana answered, allowing him to step inside before she shut the door. Gesturing for him to follow her into the kitchen, she settled Baylee down at the kitchen table. When he saw the large batch of chocolate and peanut butter chip cookies, his dark sapphire eyes seemed to electrify. Smiling, Alana ruffled his locks and moved to retrieve him a large glass of milk.

“I take it you haven't opened them?” Brian questioned, seating himself next to Baylee at the table. After receiving Howie's call, he had expected to hear from Natalie, sharing her version of events. But his cell phone had yet to receive a call from her.

"Why should I open them?" Alana returned, setting a small cup of milk next to Baylee so he could dunk the cookies into it. She then retrieved a glass of milk for Brian as well.

“Maybe he's sending you money?” Brian suggested with a half-hearted smile, murmuring thanks as he accepted the milk. “Not too many, Scooper, we still have to go to dinner...”

"We stay here for dinner," Baylee decided, pushing a cookie in his father's mouth. "Cookies got milk and eggs! Dinner!"

“They've got protein, dairy, and wheat! And we can drink even more dairy!” Brian cried with excitement.

"I can just see how y'all will survive in Canada. Boxes of cookies and gallons of milk…" Alana laughed with honest amusement, taking the next bag of peanut butter chips off to the side of the boys. Fumbling slightly to open it with her immobilized fingers, she walked back to her sitting batter to mix them in.

“Do you need some help?” Brian questioned, already getting to his feet. Taking the bag from her, he moved to mix the chips into the batter.

"I think that would be the understatement of the world," Alana sighed with frustration, relinquishing her hold on the batter and bag, allowing him to do the work. Leaning against the nearby counter, she noticed Baylee happily munching on the cookies without a care in the world. It left her freedom to actually carry a serious conversation with Brian. "…What all did Howie tell you?"

“Not the X-rated version... That duty was left to AJ,” Brian muttered bitterly, still irritated over the way AJ had told him in painstakingly carnal detail what had been occurring between Nick and Natalie in Howie's office.

"I'm so sorry, Brian…" Alana sighed, pushing off the counter when Baylee asked to watch TV. Helping him into the living room with cookies and milk, she turned on the TV for the boy and showed him how to work the remote. When he was engrossed in cartoons, she returned to the kitchen to see Brian scooping balls of cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. Retrieving a spoon, she dipped into the batter for a taste.

“It's not your fault,” Brian promised softly, stooping to place the cookie sheet into the oven. Glancing towards her injured arm, he smiled wryly. “Don't beat yourself up about it...”

"I didn't beat myself up," Alana objected, hopping onto the counter for a seat. "I broke Nick's nose."

“I heard about that... Why didn't you break Natalie's too?”

"Because the bitch was smart enough to stay away from me."

“Too bad... But how are you doing? Howie told me you put a fist through a mirror...”

"I didn't like the reflection I saw…" Alana sighed when Brian stood in front of her, taking the cast into his hands for inspection. "Nothing the Emergency Room couldn't fix. A few stitches from the cuts to minimize scarring and a cast for the broken bones in my hand and wrist. Good as new."

“If I hadn't taken Leighanne back this never would have happened,” Brian sighed.

"So… That means I should break your nose with my cast?"

“If it'll make you feel better, go ahead--”

“You definitely fucked up when you took Leighanne back, but you thought you were doing the right thing by your family. You assumed she was pregnant and gave her the benefit of the doubt. If anything, you're guilty of being naïve," Alana murmured softly, watching Brian rummage for the purple permanent marker in her junk drawer. "…But, you're fooling yourself if you try to admit that you don't love Natalie still. She's in every single waking thought and probably visits your dreams, too. You have every right to be upset with what she did. About being lied to and betrayed. But… She's pretty much a foolish twit. She didn't have any idea of what she was doing…"

“She was laying on her back with her skirt pushed up to her chest and Nick's dick in her hand. I think she knew what she was doing,” Brian disagreed with a shake of his head.

"Let's not push me into another panic attack."

“Sorry,” Brian mumbled, reaching to take her casted arm gently in his hands again. “Where can I sign?”

"Anywhere you want…"

“Will you come to dinner with me and Scooper? We're going to Mom's, and I know she'd love to have you.”

"Are you trying to hit on me?" she suddenly teased.

“Would it work if I did?” he returned.

"Sure, why not?"

“In that case, let's dump Scooper at Mom's and I can take you out in style!”

"Y'mean we can go to a restaurant that don't have hay on the floor?!"

“I'll even take you to one that won't let people spit their scraps into the corner!”

"Well holy damn!"

Brian laughed softly, leaning up to peck Alana's cheek softly as he finished signing her cast. “What do you say?”

"…Wait, we're serious?"

“About dinner, yeah? I'm not sure about the whole hitting on you part--”

"I see how it is, everyone and their mother in the Backstreet Boys can hit on Natalie, but I'm just some goofy friend," Alana huffed, sliding off the counter to retrieve the cookie sheet from the oven. Setting it on the top of the stove to cool, she looked to Brian. "I really wouldn't want to intrude on a family dinner."

“Come on, Alana. You're more than a goofy friend,” Brian attempted to assuage. “And it's not a family dinner--”

"A pregnant goofy friend."

“A gorgeous woman that I truly love and care for and hate seeing hurt,” Brian argued softly. “Come on, I'll take you to the Olive Garden...”

"Do you have any idea how good their chicken alfredo is?"

“Better than sex.”

"And I certainly won't be getting that for a long damn while…"

“That makes two of us...”

"…When Howie called you, did he tell you to come and check up on me?"

“No. He thinks I'm still in California.”

"You didn't even let him know you went home?"

“I figured he'd tell Nat, and I really don't want to see her now...”

"Are you ever going to want to see her again?" Alana asked, watching Brian turn off her stove and then retrieve the sling for her arm. When he handed it to her, she slipped it around her neck and gently slid her hand inside. Retrieving her keys, she followed him to the living room where he told Baylee to get his shoes on.

“I don't really know,” Brian murmured in answer to Alana's question, dropping to his knees in front of Baylee in order to tie the boy's shoes. Natalie had hurt him far more than he had ever imagined anyone could. It would be a long time before he would even be able to speak to her on the phone.

"And Nick?"

“If I saw him right now I'd probably break more than his nose...”

"Yeah…" Alana sighed, reaching for the remote to turn off her large TV.

“Where we going?” Baylee questioned as he was shooed towards the door. Turning back to grab a handful of cookies off the plate, he glanced up to his father. “Go get Mommy?”

"We're taking your 'Lana out to dinner at the Olive Garden. The monsters are hungry. You can either go to Gramma's for dinner or you can come with us," Brian answered, pressing a hand to the small of Alana's back to help her out the door. He had been plagued with questions about Natalie since the very beginning and he had done his best to keep a civil attitude about her with Baylee. The little boy loved her like no other.

“Will G'amma have 'roni an' cheese?” Baylee requested hopefully, his words muffled around the cookie he chewed diligently.

"Gramma will make you anything your little heart desires. You know that," Brian returned, opening the passenger door of his vehicle to help Alana in. Once she was seated comfortably, he closed the door and scooped Baylee into his arms, helping him into the booster seat in the back.

Once buckled in securely, Baylee leaned forward to whisper to Alana as his father walked around to the driver side. “G'amma'll let me call Mommy--”

"Aren't you lucky…" Alana trailed brokenly, not wanting to dash Baylee's hopes, but unable to keep from wishing ill for the woman who had wrecked her happiness. She had known from the start that women were cold and calculating. That's why she had kept far away from that gender. She thought Natalie had been different…

“Scooper, you going with us or do you want to go to Gramma's?” Brian questioned as he climbed in. Glancing over his shoulder to his son, he saw the glimmer of excitement in the sapphire eyes. “Well?”

“G'amma's!”

"Guess we have time after dinner to stop at the hotel now," Alana drawled, glancing out the window.

“Remind me to stop at the adult store and get some feathers,” Brian returned with a teasing smirk.

"As long as I'm allowed to pick out the edible body oil."

“Maybe we can get some chocolate body paints as well?”

"God, I love chocolate…"

“I'd bet it tastes really good if someone licks it off your neck...” Brian trailed thoughtfully.

"Off my neck as in any woman's neck in general?"

“Off your neck as in your neck--” Brian cut off with a firm blush, quickly starting the engine. “I mean--”

"You're really horny if you're hitting me up for sexual favors, Littrell. After all, I'm just the good friend that you couldn't possibly hit on," Alana mused, lightly shrugging her shoulders before reaching over to secure his seatbelt.

“Why couldn't I hit on you?” Brian questioned.

"Because you just said in my house that you couldn't possibly hit on me…"

“I'm allowed to change my mind, aren't I?”

“Daddy, if you're going to hit on 'Lana, can you take me to G'amma's first?”

*~*~*

“Mama!”

Hearing his son's hopeful cry, Nick furiously rubbed his temples as he made his way into the nursery, knowing that his face was the last one Zachary wanted to see. He had been able to assuage the fiercest fits so far, with empty promises of finding Mommy soon. Though he knew that shortly Zachary would realize that his mother would not be returning anytime soon. Sighing, he was about to scoop Zachary from the crib when he heard the front door bang open.

"Dada! No! No! No!" Zachary actually growled when his father stood in front of the crib. Already on all fours within the crib, he thrust one pudgy hand through the bars as if he were going to throttle his father. But waivered at the shift in his gravity, falling onto his stomach with a grunt. His large cobalt eyes widened in horror when Nick turned. "Mama! D'es! Mama! Mama! Mama!"

“NICK! Where are you?!”

Nick winced at the defined shriek in his sister's tone, turning back to scoop Zachary into his arms. Thinking perhaps he could ignore Leslie for the moment, he cringed when BJ and Angel's voices joined into the cries. After changing Zachary, who continued to beg for his mother, he headed to the top of the stairs, only to see his sisters waiting at the bottom, like fat spiders awaiting their flies.

"No, no, no," Zachary moaned at the sounds of his aunts, clapping his hands onto his reddened ears before throwing himself back against Nick. "Mama! Yes!"

“It's okay, Son,” Nick murmured in a soothing tone, offering his sisters an offended glare as he moved down the stairs. “What do y'all want?”

"For you to take us out to dinner to celebrate your dumping the redneck whore!" BJ crooned with a grin. "Angel said she'd even bring one of her model friends for you to forget your troubles on. She's had the hots for you for years. We'll take pictures and really make the bitch freak!"

“You'll do no such thing,” Leslie warned with a scowl. “Nick, did you really--”

“Yes, I really did that,” Nick finished with a sigh, brushing past so he could go prepare Zachary's breakfast.

Angel rolled her eyes with disgust, pushing on Leslie's shoulder so she could follow her eldest brother. Flipping a thin piece of brunette hair behind her thin shoulders, she elongated her body in a proud posture. "Don't be such a moron, Leslie, of course he fucked another girl. Everyone knows Nick is just like Dad and Mom. Can't stay in a relationship long enough without getting the itch for another place to sink his--"

“Enough!” Nick growled in annoyance.

"Don't yell at Angel for just for speaking the truth, Nick," BJ growled, pulling open his fridge to retrieve a bottle of Mike's Hard Lemonade. Popping the top, she hopped onto the counter, making no move to take Zachary in her arms when he fussed at his father to be put somewhere else.

“But it's not the truth,” Nick argued. “I didn't do anything with Natalie. I mean, yeah, we were about to, but--”

"Where's the Dumbass of an older brother that ruined the best thing I ever had going in my whole fucking life for some two-bit Playboy Bunny?!" Aaron suddenly bellowed from the front door, following a rush of barking dogs.

“Would you be fucking quiet?” Leslie admonished her younger brother, taking Zachary into her arms as BJ made rude gestures towards the child. “It's okay, Sweetheart... C'mon, Daddy made you your favorite! Let's eat!”

"When have you ever told me to- What the fuck happened to your face, bro?!" Aaron hissed in shock when he sauntered into the kitchen, looking at the overwhelming amount of swelling enlarging Nick's nose combined with the dark raccoon-eyed-bruises wrapped around his eyes and over his nose. Reaching over the counter, he pressed his fingers to the bridge of Nick's nose. "Did Hercules' come at you with a golden bat--"

“Goddamnit! Get off me!” Nick shrieked, jerking away as the pain bolted through his face from his brother's touch. Reaching across the counter, he slapped Aaron sharply against the cheek before getting Zachary's plate and taking it to the table.

"Nick!" Angel screeched in horror, reaching to grab Aaron's face to make sure he was okay, though he stumbled back in horror, clutching his face. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!"

“I'm sick of you all acting like I'm some hormone-driven fuck-off!” Nick growled.

"Then what the Hell were you thinking when you threw Natalie onto Howie's desk?! What? You're madly in love with her now? You don't give a flying fuck about Sis or the twins she's carrying?!" Aaron howled, shoving Nick hard into his seat before rubbing his aching face.

“Of course I'm not madly in love with Natalie! For God's sake she's the one that dragged me up there! And you know that I love Beautiful and the twins more than anything--”

"So fucking her best friend was just a way to get closer to her?" Aaron spat.

“I really don't want to talk about this with you,” Nick sighed.

"Because he has no excuse for what he did," BJ sang, draining the rest of her glass bottle. "He's a Carter."

“Go to Hell,” Nick hissed.

"Like you're really going to miss her," Angel sighed, leaning on the counter while playing idly with her hair. "You'll mope around for a week, then find some other pretty girl who catches your interest better. And now you don't have to worry about supporting her sorry ass."

“You're wrong,” Nick vowed, making sure Zachary was eating before he turned to glare at BJ and Angel. “I'll never find anyone who can catch my interest better than Beautiful ever did. You're just jealous-both of you-'cause you know that she's ten times better than you are in every way. So just get the fuck off my back.”

"Would you stop your--"

"Bje! Ang! Let me show you something!" Aaron whistled suddenly.

"The front door…" Leslie murmured with a small, bemused smile while she handed Zachary another chunk of seedless watermelon from the plate. She held a towel on their laps to catch the runny excess of juicy water while he gnawed happily on the fruit, satiated for the moment. Though, she looked to her older brother with an expression of hurt, bewilderment, and sadness. "Nick… Why'd you do it?"

“I really don't know...” Nick sighed, raking a hand through his hair as he watched his son eat happily.

"You just set an atomic bomb off on your love life and you don't know why you did it?" Leslie groaned. "What did Natalie have that Als couldn't give you? Is it because you have feelings for Nat--"

“I don't have feelings for Nat, okay? God... I honestly don't know why I did it. She doesn't have anything that Beautiful couldn't give me. I just...”

"Just what?"

“She wanted to see what would happen if we both weren't drunk, and--”

"You just went along with it? No feelings for her whatsoever, engaged to her best friend, having twins with her best friend, and you decide that you might as well try her out?"

“God, what was I supposed to do? She had my dick in her hand--”

"Tell her you're in love with another woman and couldn't bear to do anything to hurt her?"

“That didn't occur to me,” Nick admitted with a guilty groan.

"That much is obvious," Leslie snorted, brushing her fingers lightly through Zachary's locks. "I think he's going to end up being a really light brunette or a dark blonde… Oh, and Howie called me."

“...What'd he want?” Nick questioned softly.

"Als went to Kentucky for a few days because the anniversary of Colt's death was this week. She told him that she wanted to find a small apartment around here for a minimal cost. As long as it's comfortable for her and the twins. He asked me to come over here and get her clothes so she at least won't have to buy those. I wasn't supposed to tell you, but you're my big brother and…"

“How long is she going to be in Kentucky?”

"A few days, I guess… Why?"

“Can you book me a flight out there for today or tonight?” Nick requested.

"Is she the one that broke your nose?"

Nick winced at the memory. “Yes...”

"Then you better stay right here--"

“Don't you understand that I need to see her?! God, I'd give anything to take back what happened, I really would. But damnit, I need to talk to her, to get her to understand--”

"She doesn't want to see you."

“But, Les--”

"If you think you're going to do any good by going to Kentucky, then you book that flight yourself, 'cause I'd have serious guilt issues about sending my older brother to his execution," Leslie interrupted, hoisting the sticky infant into his arms when he was finished eating. "I need to go get her clothes around."

“Where are you taking her clothes to?”

"To Howie's place…"

Sighing, Nick turned to carry Zachary upstairs for his bath. “When she gets back out here, you'll tell me where she's staying, right?”

"If she wants me to…" Leslie trailed, stepping into the master bedroom, not really having the heart to tell her brother that she had already spoken to her.

“...You've talked to her, haven't you?” Nick accused, whirling around to stare at her. “How is she? How are the twins? Did she say anything about me--”

"We didn't talk that long--" Leslie squealed in shock when Nick sat Zachary on the floor, closing the bedroom door so he couldn't go into the hallway, then cornered her on the recliner toward the side of the room. She fell into the plush furniture with a thump, groaning when Nick sat on her. "Before you screwed up we had been talking about my next gig. Mike wants her to get up and sing with us and I was all for it and--"

“Answer my questions!” Nick demanded.

"Stop abusing me!"

“I will when you tell me!”

"She didn't want to talk about--"

“How is she?”

"You ripped her heart out and then ripped it to pieces, Nick. During the same week that she had to mourn the memories of Colt's death. How do you think she is? She's falling apart and she just wants to be left alone. She can't exert her energy in the way she wants to exert her energy because she broke her hand--"

“When she broke my nose she broke her hand too?!”

Leslie winced, knowing she was breaking far too many confidences between herself, Alana, AJ, and Howie. "Your hard head kind of started it, but then she put her hand through a mirror--"

“Is she okay?”

"She got all the glass out herself and then got stitches and a cast when she got to Kentucky…"

“When are you going to talk to her again?”

"…I don't know--"

“When you do, tell her I need to talk to her,” Nick said, sliding off of Leslie's lap.

"And you think that's going to make her pick up the phone?" Leslie blurted, immediately flinching when he turned.

“Tell her I need to talk to her about the twins.”

"What about the twins?"

“They're my twins, too. And I want to know what she plans on doing when she has them.”

"Make sure to throw around some heavy macho-bullshit and make her burst into tears with threats," Leslie corrected with a scowl, crawling over the rumpled bed to reach Alana's closet.

“Hey, I have to do what I have to do to get her on the phone,” Nick sighed, leaning down to scoop up Zachary.

"…Are you still going to let her see Zach?" Leslie inquired after busying herself with packing the necessary items. She tried to remember exactly what Howie suggested she pack, but she wanted to keep herself alert to any of Nick's possible tricks and prying more information from her.

“...Does she want to see him?”

"Just because she's pissed at you doesn't mean that she's pissed at her son--"

“You'll tell her that he misses her, won't you?” Nick interrupted, peeling the romper off of Zachary.

"Yeah," Leslie agreed with a nod, chewing haphazardly on her bottom lip. "Do you think I could have him this coming Monday?"

“For what? Going to do the whole Auntie thing--” Nick cut off with sudden realization. “You're going to see her!”

"I just want to take him out for lunch with Mike--"

“You fucking lie! She has an appointment Monday with the obstetrician!”

"I do not fucking lie!" Leslie growled, pulling a few dresses from the hangers to place in the dress bag. "Mike and I were planning on going out to lunch on Monday. It just so happens that we're taking Als and thought it'd be nice to take Zach as well. And, the obstetrician appointment is early Monday, so we're going to do some shopping afterwards, so take it back!"

“How much would it cost me to get you to bring her here?”

"Hell no, I know what she does to windows and Mike just got a new car--"

“Leslie!”

"She would know what I was doing from the very beginning! She lost all her trust in Natalie and I'm not about to make her do the same with me! God, I don't care if you're my big brother or not, I can't do that to Als."

“But--”

"Can I take Zach on Monday?"

“I guess...”

"It'll do him good to see her."

“I know that.”

"Then don't act like I just went out and shot your favorite dog--"

“It's just going to make it that much harder on him when he comes home without her...”

"Then I can't take him?"

“You can take him, Les... On one condition,” Nick suggested as Zachary squirmed in his arms.

Leslie gave him a skeptical glance. "What condition?"

Walking over, Nick leaned close, offering her a quick kiss on the cheek before depositing Zachary in her arms. “Give Snot Sucker a bath.”

"Glad to see your sense of humor is still so intact," Leslie snorted, carrying the sticky child into the bathroom. "You can finish packing Alana's clothes."