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Nick woke slowly, rolling over and reaching for Lexie. He cracked his eyes against the morning sun to find her gone. He opened his eyes fully and sat up, wiping the sleep from them. The silk sheets slipped down his chest to his waist as he turned toward the other side of the room and spied her.


She was wrapped in the hotel’s plush robe, her legs peeking out at him and her dark hair falling nearly to the floor as she lay sleeping on the couch. No doubt she had woken at some time and moved there to watch him sleep. She had taken to doing that since they first heard of Christine coming back.


Quietly, he got out of bed and sat on the floor in front of her. He let the silky strands of her hair run through his fingers until he heard her raspy, "Morning."


"Morning, sweetheart." He smiled, leaning over to kiss the tip of her nose and listening to her giggle. "Will you marry me?" he asked.


"I already have." She chuckled, stretching to wake up.


"Oh, yeah. I just thought that was a dream." He smiled as she sat up.


"No, it was real. Last night, now that was a dream." She smiled down at him.


"You enjoyed yourself?" he asked.


"Immensely." She said.


"That’s some mighty high praise." He smirked, getting to his feet.


"I like to reward good behavior." She said, getting up and moving past him toward the bathroom. His laughter followed her into the shower.



Sabrina stretched and listened to each of the bones in her hands crack. They were still sore from all the work she had done last night. She threw back the covers, dislodging the cat from its spot and headed about her morning routine.


She went to the bathroom; pulled on a robe; headed to the kitchen; made toast, fruit, and tea; and headed out onto her deck, which was six stories above the city. She read the paper, aired out her toes in the morning sun, and then reached for the phone when it rang.


"Malta." She heard Jill say. "We’ve settled on going to Malta for our vacation."


"Italy is nice." She replied.


"Are you set for those interviews?"


"I’m flying out this afternoon to catch the woman in Phoenix and then that guy in St. Paul."


"You’re an angel for doing this. With both me and Tina gone, I’m worried you’ll have too much work."


"It’s no big deal. You’ll be back in a month, and she’ll be back after she’s beheaded all of their leaders, and it’ll be just fine." Sabrina chuckled.


"You’re next, I promise." Jill said.


"Yeah, I know." Sabrina sighed. It didn’t even matter really; she didn’t have much of a life to be torn from. Hell, her life was so boring that the orange tabby at her feet didn’t even have a name. He was and always would be 'the cat'.



The drive home was relaxed and delicious. They had packed and then had breakfast downstairs before heading out. She had her hair tied back in a scarf and his was braided down for the convertible ride home. They pulled up to the house right on time for lunch, which AJ had made and the kids were eating outside.


"Daddy! Lexie!" CJ said excitedly, running into the house once she saw them, hugging them both. "Where did you guys go? Was it romantic? Was it pretty? Did you take pictures?"


"Wait, wait, wait!" Nick laughed.


Lexie quickly took her hand and headed towards the bedroom, whispering in CJ’s ear. The last thing Nick heard was, "Really? Can I see them?"


"So, how’d it go?" AJ smiled, holding a peanut butter and jelly smeared Alex.


"Great. Well, not perfect, but it went well." Nick said, pinching Alex’s sticky nose.


"I heard what happened." AJ said.


"Yeah, come with me. I got to get the bags." Nick said, headed back out the front door.


"Are you coming back for the trial?" AJ asked as they climbed into the car with Alex and pulled into the garage. Nick turned off the car and turned in his seat to face AJ and Alex.


"I don’t know. I want to, but she and Aaron are trying to talk me out of it. Jill says it’s just some minor questioning, but what happened last night proves to me the issue isn’t minor." Nick sighed.


"I can talk to Howie for you."


"Naw, I can do that. We’ll see, I guess."


"Let’s go inside then." AJ smiled.


They got out of the car, and each took a couple bags. Nick let Alex carry a paper bag with a pastry from breakfast, which he began to eat on the way up the stairs. Once in their bedroom, Lexie showed them Nick’s presents and wrapped the gown to send out to be cleaned. AJ let out a low whistle when he saw the jewels, and that had satisfied Nick to no end.


Everyone headed downstairs, picking up the pastry Alex left on the carpet, and went out to the veranda for lunch. Lexie warmed up some leftovers for the grown ups. They were done eating and watching the kids play when the conversation about AJ’s new house began.


"So, how’s the decorating going?" Lexie asked, having spied all of the swatches in the kitchen.


"You mean how is the decorator going?" Nick chuckled.


"They are both quite fine, thank you very much." AJ cackled at him.


"Oh, you know, maybe we should tell him." Nick said suddenly, laying a hand on Lexie’s. "About the house and. . ."


"Oh, maybe we should." She said.


"What?"


"Okay, don’t be mad." Lexie warned.


"What?" AJ insisted.


"We’re going to be moving back to Orlando." Nick said.


"Or Tampa." Lexie added.


"What?! I just bought a house here." He groaned.


"I know, I know, and I hadn’t even realized that until Lexie started talking about decorating. . ." Nick began.


"You can still keep it, AJ." Lexie said.


"I only got it to be closer to you." He said gently.


"We’re not selling this place." Lexie said.


"We’re not?" Nick asked.


"No. We’re not." She said firmly. "Don’t be mad, AJ."


"I could never be mad at you." He sighed, rising to kiss her temple. "He’s a whole other story." He added, eyeing Nick. Nick spared him a simple, but forgiving, grimace.



Nick and Lexie told AJ that only Brian knew and not to say anything quite yet, but they were planning to be in Florida for the summer. They spent the rest of the afternoon with the children before their plane left at seven that evening. Lexie tried not to cling, but at small moments, her resolve would falter and her grip on his hand would tighten. She would stay too close to him or touch him for no apparent reason, other than to feel him under her touch. Cook had packed before she left for the weekend, so there was little they could do at this point except say goodbye.


The last chore for the day was to get CJ ready for school the next day. Nick spent the time to sit with her in her room and go over her homework and lay out her uniform.


"When are you going to be back?" she asked him as he sat next to her at her desk.


"I’ll be back for the weekend in a month."


"How long will you be staying in Orlando?"


"For a while. It’s hard to say for sure." He smiled, reaching out to touch her silky cheek.


"Are we going to visit you?"


"Yes, but we haven’t worked out all those details yet."


"How come I can’t go with you? I used to always go with you." She sighed.


"Well, Lexie and I decided that it was best to keep you in school this year."


"Before Lexie I used to go everywhere with you."


"No, because of Lexie, I can still do this. I was going to quit until you were older."


"You were?"


"You need to stay in school, have a normal life." He said. "It’s just one album, you know how it is."


"What about the tour? Are you going to tour?"


"I might, probably." He sighed.


"Are we going to go with you then?"


"I don’t know. You might not want to." He smiled. "You might just want to be with your friends instead of hanging out with your old dad."


"I don’t think so. I miss going on tour, this is boring sometimes." She said. "I have an idea, why don’t we move to Orlando? I mean, if Grandpa is doing your record, shouldn’t we be there? We’d be closer to him and Poppy and Alex and John and Tyler and Baby Caroline and Marta and Aria and Great Grandma Dorough and. . ."


"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Nick laughed. "What about Aunt Jill and Uncle Aaron, Jane, and your other Grandmother here?"


"They can come visit us." CJ shrugged.


"What about all your friends in school?" he asked.


"I can make new ones. I’ve done that all my life." She smiled. "Can we move to Orlando, can we?"


"Actually." He smiled with a sigh. "Lexie and I talked about that."


"Really?!" she said excitedly.


"Maybe you can help her look for a house? Maybe in Tampa?" he asked carefully.


"That’s great! I’d love to! I can’t wait to tell Jane!" CJ squealed with delight.


"Wait, wait, wait!" Nick called as she climbed off her chair and headed for the door.


"What, Dad?!" she said dramatically.


"I haven’t told them yet!"


"Don’t worry! I will!" She laughed at him.


"No, no, no!" he laughed, racing to scoop her up in his arms. "Let me tell them, okay?"


"When?" she asked as he set her down on her feet.


"Not now, but later, okay?" he smiled gently. "I don’t want anyone to panic or get hurt feelings, okay?"


"Okay." She sighed.


"I love you, baby." He grinned.


"I love you, too, Dad!" She smiled, throwing her arms around his neck.



The car pulled up promptly at 6 p.m. and waited for Nick and AJ. The driver loaded the car as Lexie followed him out with CJ. Nick came from the garage to meet her on the front step. CJ reached up to him, and he hoisted her into his arms, settling her on his hip.


"Checking on your babies?" Lexie teased him.


"Yeah, they are all tucked in." He chuckled, giving her a quick kiss. "Where is the terrible twosome?"


"Alex is taking his last potty break before we go." CJ smiled.


"How about you?" Nick asked her.


"I went." She said, with a roll of her eyes. "You don’t have to ask me that all the time, Dad. I’m not a baby."


"I know, that’s part of the problem." He said, bringing her closer so he could kiss her temple.


"They’re kissing." They suddenly heard Alex say. Nick laughed, and so did Lexie.


"When you find a pretty girl, you’ll kiss her, too." Nick said, tapping his little nose.


"I’m gonna kiss CJ." Alex said plainly.


"No you’re not!" CJ groaned.


"Hey, keep your son away from my daughter." Nick joked as Alex and AJ got in the limo.


"They all eventually succumb to the McLean charm, sooner or later." AJ joked as Nick, CJ, and Lexie followed him into the car.


"Not my daughter." Nick insisted.


"I think it’s fair. You got mine." AJ smirked with a wink, eliciting a loud groan from Lexie.



The ride to the airport was filled with bad jokes and puns, pushing away the enviable separation of all of them. It was getting harder by the minute as the airport got closer. Security let them out onto the tarmac, and they pulled up right next to AJ’s private plane.


AJ and Alex both kissed Lexie goodbye, and CJ went with them inside the plane, leaving Nick and her a few last moments together. They stood out in the bright L.A. sun, Nick taking Lexie’s face in his hands and kissing her one last time.


"I’m going to miss you." He whispered below the airport noise.


"I’ll miss you." She said, willing herself not to cry, but it was no use when he began.


"Stop it, or we’ll be a mess." She joked.


"I know, I know, but I can’t help myself." He sighed, pulling her into his arms.


"I love you."


"I love you." She whispered in his ear and he finally let her go.


"Mr. Carter?" They heard from the pilot. "I’m sorry, but we’ve just gotten clearance. We need to leave."


"Thank you, I’ll be right there." He nodded. Lexie reached down and handed him his carry on, keeping it between them.


"You’d better go." She choked.


"I’d better." He agreed, finally releasing her hand and turning to go. Nick helped CJ out of the plane, hugged and kissed her, then she ran to stand by Lexie. They waved as he boarded and remained there as they closed up the plane. Lexie blew a kiss to Alex and then climbed into the limo to get a distance away from the plane.


AJ watched as Nick sat heavily in the seat across from him. He and Alex were buckled in, and they waited for Nick to do the same. He did, smiling as Alex began to color in a book, then twisting back to watch Lexie and CJ pull away in the limo. His eyes followed it as they taxied out to the runway.


Nick’s eyes never left the field until they were off the ground, and then he buried his face in his hand, pretending to be rubbing his eyes. AJ knew Nick was covering what he was feeling. Once airborne, AJ released his belt and got to his feet. Alex was required to remain buckled and he knew that, but he was coloring to his heart’s content.


"I know it’s early, but you want a drink?" AJ asked.


"Yeah." Nick answered, finally looking up at him. Nick turned his attention to Alex as AJ went to the bar. "Hey, little man. Whatcha’ got there?"


"I’m coloring." Alex said. "See?" He flipped the book up and showed Nick.


"That’s pretty good." Nick smiled, reaching for the glass that AJ offered. AJ sat next to Alex with a glass of his own and ruffled his hair. A glass Nick knew had no alcohol.


"He’s a regular Picasso." AJ smiled. "What did you bring for the trip?"


"Depends what book Cook has read recently." Nick smiled, pulling his carry on close to him. "That’s what she usually packs."


Nick unzipped the bag and reached in absently, not really looking. His fingers wrapped around something soft and fuzzy and he pulled it out instantly. It was Fairy Bunny, and he burst out laughing.


"She sent you with a rabbit?" AJ chuckled. "Some housekeeper you got."


"Naw, Lexie did this." Nick chuckled, wiping the sudden surprised tears from his eyes.


"Got anything else in there?" AJ asked.


"Yeah, the girls gave me these pictures for my birthday." He said, pulling the frames out to show him.


"These are great." AJ said, going through them.


"Yeah. I had them commissioned last year, and they had them framed so I could take them with me." Nick smiled.


"CJ really looks like you." AJ smiled. "It’s really amazing how all you Carter kids look so much alike. I could be looking at BJ."


"Yeah, I know."


"Even Aaron’s kid has that look." AJ said with a nod, handing back the framed photos.


Nick shuffled a few things in and out of the bag, trying to get everything resituated. A white linen envelope fell out and floated down to the plane’s floor. AJ got up and handed it to him, watching Nick’s brow furrow. Nick put everything else aside and opened it up to read Lexie’s neatly penned words.


Dearest Nick,


You’ll be on your way when you find this, but I wanted there to be something for you to find after we had parted. Fairy Bunny would not be happy here without you. I didn’t write the following poem, it was in a book I found in an estate a few years ago. It says everything I could have hoped.


I’ll love you always. Near or far. Not distance, not time.


Lexie


I close my eyes
and I can feel your arms holding me
the sound of your laughter filling the room
the warmth of your breath rippling across my skin.

I can feel your heart beating...a slow and steady rhythm.

The shrillness of grinding metal brings me back from a memory,
and I stare at cold walls and lonely rooms.

My heart is empty...my mind full, and I race along my memories
faster than the speed of light.

Before I can stop, I slam into a brick wall of broken dreams,
and I have to go on alone.

Just as dawn breaks...in that perfect moment between dreams and
reality...I feel you lying next to me.

Then the sun fills the room and you are gone.

Everyday it gets a little harder to picture your face
or remember your voice.

Sometimes, the pictures get a little fuzzy,
and it takes a moment longer to remember everything we’ve done.

I wonder if I’ll ever be able to see a rainbow or touch a flower
or gaze at a full moon and not turn to find you
and tell you about the beauty I’ve discovered.

When will the anxious moments stop haunting me--
the moments when I realize you are never coming back?

And when will the ache from not holding you stop torturing my heart?Poem © Gabrielle Bessey, reproduced with permission of author