The love they made that morning was bittersweet; so much to say and so many ways to say it, but still no resolution. Nick loved Lexie and she loved him, but there wasn’t anything more they could say to each other at this point.

They stood outside on the front step as the van with tinted windows carrying AJ and Alex pulled up to the house. The door swung open to reveal Alex and AJ in the back. Alex squealed when he saw Nick lean in. He threw his hands up and away from the buckles that AJ was trying to undo. Alex scrambled out of his seat, crawled over AJ, and launched himself into Nick’s waiting hands.

"Uncle Nick!" he laughed wickedly as Nick swung him up onto his shoulders. He took hold of Nick’s tail, but didn’t pull too hard because he and Nick had done this many times before.

After spotting Lexie, he instantly wanted down and leaned until he fell into her waiting hands. He hugged her tightly around the neck until she started choking and laughing at the same time.

AJ stepped forward as the driver began to unload their luggage. He reached to take both Alex and Lexie into his arms.

"How’s my baby girl?" he asked softly, his dark eyes flooding with his love.

"I’m fine, Dad." She blushed. He kissed her suddenly warm cheek and then turned to Nick.

"This big lug taking care of you?!" he joked, punching Nick in the arm. Nick took a playful swipe at him, and they tussled a bit in the front yard.

Lexie instructed the driver to take their bags inside, and they all gathered on the veranda as Cook finished up with the details. Alex peered out between the columns at the play yard and then turned to AJ.

"Can I go play there?" He asked pointing.

"No, not yet." AJ smiled as he settled into a seat.

"Where’s CJ?" he asked without moving from where he was.

"CJ’s still at school. She’ll be home soon." Lexie said.

"When is soon?"

"After your nap." AJ said.

"I’m not tired!" Alex protested.

"You didn’t sleep at all on the plane. You need to go take a nap. C’mon, let’s go lay down." AJ said, getting to his feet. Alex screaming at the top of his lungs in protest heralded AJ’s efforts. He wasn’t happy with the idea of a nap, and he was pretty much going to let the whole neighborhood know.

Nick and Lexie laughed in sympathy as AJ headed upstairs. Nick watched them disappear into the house and then reached across the table and took Lexie’s hand.

"I love you, baby." He said softly.

"I love you too." She smiled just as softly. She always loved the gentle part of him that needed reassurance. Amidst the turmoil of the last couple days, they both needed some.

Nick and AJ went to pick up CJ at school. Lexie was left to finish up some email correspondences with Karen and Nikki at the fan club. The phone rang, and she absently reached to pick it up.

"Carter residence."

"Are all the Carters in their places with bright shiny faces?" Brian teased her.

"Well, no, I’m the only one." She laughed.

"The As make it there okay?"

"Yep. AJ and Nick went to pick up CJ and Alex is still sleeping."

"Hey, kiddo, I got some bad news about Nick’s old Tampa house. It slid into the ocean a couple years ago during a hurricane."

"Oh, no." she groaned.

"Yeah. We had some good times there, but it’s gone." Brian said. "I’m going to email you the real estate info I got from a lister. You still looking into Tampa and not Orlando?"

"I don’t know, honestly. I’d like a place with an ocean view, and I know Nick would, too. I also want to be close to my parents."

"Orlando’s only about an hour away."

"True, but I need a pool house and a guest house. . ."

"You guys could just build something."

"I don’t have that kind of time."

"Lexie? What’s going on?" Brian asked. Lexie suddenly realized she almost let her plan slip.

"Nothing. It’s just great having one here that I’d like one in Tampa as well. It’s great when Nick is gone and the girls come over." She lied.

"Okay." Brian’s tone told Lexie that he believed her.

"Want me to tell them you called?"

"Sure, but I’m just going to see them Monday."

"That’s right. Okay."

"Love you, kiddo. Take care."

"You too! Give my best to the girls."

Brian and Lexie finished up their goodbyes as CJ came tearing into the room. She hugged Lexie, said ‘hi’, then ran out of the room to go upstairs and change into play clothes. Nick and AJ were laughing as they came into the den.

"Think she’s happy to be home?" Lexie laughed, getting to her feet. She dutifully kissed them both on the cheek.

"I’d say." AJ laughed.

"Oh, Brian just called."

"What did he want?" Nick asked.

"Wanted to make sure AJ and Alex got here okay and to say he’d see you guys on Monday." She shrugged.

"I can’t believe you guys are going to use him on this album." Nick sighed.

"Just for backup vocals on a few tunes. We might not even use those songs. We’re just trying stuff out." AJ said. "Relax, Nick. It’s not going to be a Backstreet reunion."

"It’s been a couple years, you just need to try out all different kinds of material." Lexie said.

"I know, and you don’t want me wearing a suit on the cover." He sighed.

"Please, God, anything but another suit." She groaned playfully.

"I think you need a haircut, too." AJ added.

"I am not cutting the hair." Nick said firmly.

Lexie threw up her hands to AJ and headed out the door. AJ began to follow her out as they heard CJ calling for help with Alex.

"I’m not. I mean it!" he protested as they left the room.

Nick and AJ took the children outside onto the play yard for the rest of the afternoon. Lexie sat on the deck talking to Jill on the phone and watching them play.

"So, have you guys decided what to do about Christine?" she asked.

"No. We’ve argued about it, but that’s it. Sabrina hasn’t heard from her, has she?"

"No. Lexie, what did Christine say to you? What does she want?"

"I don’t know if I should say yet. I told Nick, and he hasn’t settled on anything. I don’t want to rock the boat with him right now. AJ and Alex are here."

"It’s that bad?"

"Yes, it’s that bad." Lexie sighed. "But I’m sure it’ll work out."

"For your sake and happiness, I hope so." Jill said gently. "So, onto a happier note. You guys got plans for Friday?"

"No. We were going to take them out to dinner at some point." Lexie said.

"Aaron and I were thinking it would be great to take the kids to Disney."

"Really? Oh, that sounds great, but can we really get Aaron Carter, Nick Carter, and AJ McLean in the same public place without causing a riot?"

"Well, we could do it without them. Aaron is itching to get over there and give his input on Nick’s new album. Maybe I could get Angel to come too."

"Wait a second. You’re going to take a day off?" Lexie laughed.

"It’s been known to happen."

"Jillian Carter, are you pregnant already?!" Lexie demanded.

"No, no, not yet!" she laughed. "Not for a lack of trying, that’s for sure."

"You guys still taking most of March off?"

"Yes. We’ve got it narrowed down to Fuji, Monaco, or Italy."

"What will you do without Jane around?"

"Oh, we’ll have her with us for part of the trip. Angel has agreed to fly and pick her up where ever we end up."

"Sounds like you guys are on your way, then."

"The question is, what will you do without Nick around?"

"I’ll survive." Lexie sighed.

"You guys haven’t been apart in a long time."

"I know, I know, but we’ll be fine. CJ needs to stay in school, and I’ve got that job with Gina."

"But you won’t have Nick."

The way things were going, it might be a relief. Lexie thought. Pangs of guilt filled her for a moment.

"Lex, you okay?" Jill softly asked.

"Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll tell the guys about your plans." She said suddenly.

"Okay. Give me a call later."

"I will. See ya, Jill."

"Yeah, see ya."

After dinner, AJ and Nick put the kids to bed and joined Lexie for drinks in the living room. AJ watched as they sat at opposite ends of the couch and barely looked at each other.

"Jill called. She wants to take the kids to Disney on Friday." Lexie said.

"I don’t think we can arrange that kind of security by then." Nick said.

"No, just me and her, the kids, and maybe Angel." Lexie said. "Aaron wants to drop by and work with you guys."

"Sounds like fun." AJ said.

"What do you think?" Lexie asked Nick.

"Sure. It’s fine." He said distractedly.

"Okay. I’ll call Jill and let her know." Lexie said, getting up and heading into the den.

"What’s going on with you two?" AJ asked once Lexie was out of earshot.

"Nothing." Nick sighed, sitting back into the sofa.

"Bullshit." AJ snapped.

"Look, we’re just having a little disagreement. It’s nothing." Nick said. "She’ll get over it."

"Her? You’re the one pissed off right now."

"No. I’m fine." Nick said. "Just forget it okay? I’ve got a headache. I think I’m gonna turn in early."

AJ watched as Nick got to his feet and lumbered painfully out of the room toward the upstairs bedrooms. Lexie came in about 10 minutes later stopping dead in her tracks.

"Where’s Nick?" she asked.

"He said he had a headache and went to bed."

"Yeah, probably his sinuses again." She nodded. "Jill said she’d make all the arrangements for the kids on Friday."

"I hope you guys have fun." AJ said quietly.

"What’s wrong?" Lexie said, coming around to sit across from him.

He leaned his head on his knuckles as his elbow was propped on the arm of the chair. He looked at her intently.

"AJ?"

"What’s wrong? You guys okay? He giving you any problems?"

"Who? Nick? No, everything is fine." She smiled nervously.

"You have some kind of disagreement?"

"You could say that." Lexie said quietly.

"Was it about me? You guys don’t have to put us up, you know."

"Oh, no! AJ, you can stay here, you know that’s not a problem. It’s over something he and I have been discussing for the last couple of days."

"Is that why you made me wait until today to come out?"

"Yes."

"Is it serious?"

"Yes." Lexie admitted quietly. "But it’s going to be okay. I’ll work it out." Lexie looked up and saw the disbelief in his eyes. She shook her head ‘no’ as she spoke. "Don’t, Dad, be fair to him. I know you didn’t want this, but it’s going to be alright."

"I don’t want you to get hurt." AJ said, leaning forward and cupping her chin. "I love you, baby girl."

"I love you, too." She swallowed.

"You want to talk about it?" AJ asked, but Lexie already had with her. . .Howie.

"No. We just have to resolve it ourselves." Lexie smiled softly. "That’s what being married is about, isn’t it?"

"It doesn’t matter. If you ever need me, you know you can call me, don’t you? Day or night."

"Of course." She said with a nod, but tears began to well in her eyes.

"He has hurt you." AJ declared.

"NO, no!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck and landing in his lap. "I just miss you, Daddy. I just miss you so much."

"I miss you, too, baby." He said, holding her close in his arms.

AJ looked up and saw some movement by the doorway. He focused on it and realized it was Nick. He saw him turn and leave them alone again. He had no idea what was going on, but he knew if Nick Carter was hurting his daughter there would be hell to pay.

Lexie entered the dark bedroom to hear Nick’s heavy breathing. She went to the bedside, sat down, and put her hand on his forehead. He woke and in the dim light, she could see his eyes open.

"You okay?" she asked softly.

"It’s just my head. Too much up and down probably." He mumbled.

"You want a hot pack to drain your sinuses?"

"That would be nice." He yawned.

Lexie got up and changed for bed, then headed towards the bathroom to run a wash cloth under warm water for him. She wrung it out and carried it back to lay over his eyes and nose.

He reached up and took her hand.

"Baby, what did you tell him?"

"Tell who?" she asked, startled.

"AJ. What did you tell AJ?"

"Nothing." She said. "I didn’t tell AJ anything."

"I don’t want it getting out that Christine is trying to make contact with us."

"I didn’t tell AJ anything." She said, getting up to move to her side of the bed. She had told Howie, but she didn’t tell AJ a thing.

"Or anyone else." He said as she lifted the covers.

"I won’t say a thing until we settle this." Lexie said, making a point to let him know that the discussion was not closed, and that she still expected him to talk about it.

"Thank you, Lexie." He sighed.

Lexie closed her eyes and snuggled up to his arm. She only hoped he would be thanking her later once he found out what she was doing.