Howie's skin was crawling. He didn't like doing business like this; it wasn't his style. When he hung up the phone, he felt dirty and cheap. Jill Carter's partner would be coming out to look things over for him and Lisa before she left. He didn't like the taste it left in his mouth.

"That's some face." Michelle, his assistant, laughed as she walked into his office. "Your phone call didn't go well?"

"No, it was fine."

"You don't like her, do you?" Michelle asked, setting some files on his desk.

"No, but you'll learn that about me." He said grimly.

"I'm not that new. I did work downstairs in legal for almost a year." She smiled.

The petite blonde had interviewed well for the job. She was definitely Leah's first choice. They had hit it off instantly. Her background in legal had made her quite an asset to the executive staff.

"What's all this?" he asked of the files.

"Department budgets you have to approve."

"Did you look at them?"

"Yes."

"Are they okay?"

"I made some notes."

"Where do I sign?" he sighed, looking for a pen. She pulled one from her sweater pocket and handed it to him. "Why do you wear sweaters? This is Orlando."

"I'm from Massachusetts. It's a habit." She smiled.

He smiled back and took the pen, signing his name where she told him. She closed up each file and began to pile them up. She leaned over and peered into his garbage can. He looked where she was looking.

"I'll give you a raise if you don't tell my wife." He joked.

"What was that?" she said, trying to see what he was covering up.

"Chalupas. . ."

"And?"

"A couple burritos. . ."

"You mean those kind from that little hole in the wall place, The Border Run?" she smiled.

"Oh yeah!" he smiled sinfully.

"I am so gonna tell her." She said quickly.

"Oh, damn, girl don't do this to me!" he groaned.

"Tsk, tsk, Howie!" she laughed.

Nick stretched out and felt the crick in his back. Lexie had gotten up already and was heading out to pick up CJ from school. Cook had left earlier because they would be having dinner at his mother's tonight. Him and 30 other people.

Oh man.

He got out of bed and headed to the bathroom, then straight into the shower. Lexie had laid out a dark suit for him and everything he would need. She may hate his suits, but she had a few favorites.

He hadn't heard from any of the guys, but that wasn't anything new. After he started hating his birthday, everyone had left him alone. Only CJ's birth had renewed the family's interest.

He wiped the steam from the mirror and he searched for his razor. He stared at his face for a moment.

Forty-Five.

Damn.

He barely looked a day over 35. The stress of the last couple of years and the draining weight loss made him look a little older than he would have liked. Lexie and Cook had fattened him back up since the end of the trials and he was lucky for the returning weight to plump up some of the lines in his face. A little while after they lost the baby, they both returned to the gym. It did well for both of them. Kept them in surfing shape for sure! He turned sideways for a glance, running his hand over his cotton covered rear end.

"Lose something?" he heard Lexie ask.

"Damn it!" he started.

She laughed gently at him. She walked up and smoothed her hand over his briefs.

"Don't worry about it." She smiled softly.

"I've always had the biggest ass. . ." he muttered.

"You don't have a big ass." She chuckled, pulling her hair out of the ponytail.

"Thanks little Miss-I-can-eat-whatever-I-want!" he grumbled playfully at her.

She just gave him a playful shrug and shook her hair loose.

"I can't help it! But even I've gained a few pounds living here with you and Cook!" she laughed. "Finish up and go help CJ. She's having a shoes crisis."

He shaved, brushed out his hair, and went into the bedroom to get dressed. He was up to pulling a tie on when CJ came in. He heard the shower cut off a while ago and knew Lexie was dressing by now.

CJ pulled the silk from his hand and climbed up on the bed. She silently called him over and he stood there as she looped the tie over his head.

"I thought you were having a shoes crisis." He smiled.

"I don't have any to go with that dress that Grandma bought. I told Lexie that." She sighed.

"So, you're wearing that dress?"

"I have to! I don't have any shoes!" she sighed dramatically.

"It's a very pretty dress. . ."

"Whatever." She sighed.

Nick chuckled gently as she tightened the knot at his throat. Her little hands pulled his collar down and brushed off his shoulders.

"Okay?" he asked.

"You look fine." She smiled up at him.

"You both do." Lexie said from the doorway. They looked over at her and Nick let out a low whistle.

Something short, something black and something tight. Just how he liked it. Her dark hair was tucked neatly at the nape of her neck and her silk stocking feet were still shoeless.

"Dad!" CJ groaned.

Nick laughed as Lexie came closer for a kiss.

"You know, you'd better sit down." Lexie said.

"Oh oh. . ." He groaned.

"Sit, sit! It won't be too terrible." Lexie said as she and CJ guided him to a chair by the window. "Now, go get them." She said to CJ.

Giddy, CJ ran from the room and Lexie pulled up an ottoman to sit at Nick's feet. CJ returned with two presents, handing them to Lexie as she climbed up into her Dad's lap.

"You guys. . ." he sighed.

"Happy Birthday, Nick." Lexie smiled, ignoring him. She handed him the larger of the two. He gave it a gentle shake and put his ear to it.

"It's for your trip." CJ laughed at him.

He finally opened it and pulled out the silver-framed picture of CJ and Lexie. It was one of the black and whites he had had commissioned before the wedding.

"This is beautiful." He smiled.

"You have to take it with you and put it in your room! Are you going to be staying with Poppy?"

"AJ? I don't know. I'll probably just get a hotel suite. . ." he began. "Thank you very much, ladies."

CJ quickly threw her arms around his neck and kissed his lips.

"Happy Birthday, Daddy!" she giggled.

"There's one more from us." Lexie said, resting her hand on Nick's knee. She handed him a small box and he smiled at her.

"What's this?" he asked.

"You have to open it!" CJ giggled.

Nick playfully opened it and creaked open the small wooden box.

"Wow." He muttered.

"Look at the inside of it." CJ said.

"To Nicholas, all my promises, Alexandria and Christine. . .uh, my name is spelled wrong." He said, looking up.

"It's not you!" CJ said.

"Huh?" Nick asked. Lexie watched his brows knit together and she smiled.

"Tell him the story about those dead people and. . ." CJ began eagerly.

"Wait a second! Dead people!? What is going on?" Nick said with surprise.

Lexie laughed and reached for the box and the ring. He dropped it into her hand and she held it up between them.

"Do you know what this is?" she asked.

"A ring?" he said.

"No, not that."

"Oh, uh. . .a dragon."

"That's right. What kind of dragon?"

"Uh. . .mmm. . .Japanese? Chinese?"

"Chinese, good!" Lexie said. "Do you know how old it is? CJ figured it out."

"Uh. . .I don't know." He shrugged.

"Tell him, CJ."

"It's around 100 years old. You see how the dragon's tail leaves the ring and then wraps around the side like that? They started making them like that in the 1700's, but this one was made around 1870?" she began, not quite sure of the facts.

"It is most likely that this particular ring is a 1920's reproduction of the 1700's style, including manufacturing style." Lexie added.

"But it's still a hundred years old isn't it?" CJ asked her.

"Well. . .give or take. I know that the previous owner, Nicholas Farmer was married in 1923 and that's his wedding ring." Lexie smiled.

"So there is a real Nicholas and Alexandria. . .I mean, another one, uh. . .couple?" Nick tried to asked. Lexie nodded and Nick continued with his questions. He arched a dark brow at her and asked, "So these are the dead people?"

"That Nicholas was Nicholas Farmer of Bath, England. His wife, Alexandria Lowery was from London originally. She moved to Bath after they were married." Lexie began. "This came from an estate Gina was working on. You see, the estate was owned by Alexandria's great-great niece Prudence Williams."

"Okay." He nodded.

"Well, Nicholas and his wife were in King George VI's service at the time as ambassadors to France. Some time after they were married, they were given a post in India. A very high ranking post. The problem was that Alexandria was very, very pregnant at the time of the posting. Seems that she was also having a very difficult pregnancy as well. Nicholas made plans to go ahead and set up a household in India and Alexandria would meet him after the baby was born. Hours before he was to depart, the neighbor reported Alexandria was so distraught at Nicholas leaving her that she wailed loudly for hours. It went on long into the night, but the neighbors had all gone to bed and it was quiet by morning."

Knowing that her audience was quite captured by her story, she continued.

"Knowing that Nicholas was leaving that day, it didn't surprise them that the house was quiet. They didn't expect to see Nicholas, but they did expect to see Alexandria from time to time, but she never appeared. A couple days later a neighbor insisted that a Constable break into their loft and find out where she was. When they entered the apartment; they found Nicholas' luggage and trunks beside the front door and not a soul in sight. They were never seen again."

"When did they disappear? What happened to them?" Nick asked, but Lexie just shrugged. "They didn't just disappear did they?"

"They disappeared, or rather, the day they were last seen was July 27, 1926." Lexie began.

"Wait a second! That's your birthday!" Nick said excitedly.

"Well, not 1926. . ." she laughed. "You're still older than me!"

"This is too creepy. . ." he sighed. "You're pulling my leg!"

"Nope, 'fraid not. They never appeared in India and never again in their flat." Lexie said. "They did a lot of traveling before the pregnancy and we suspect that she bought the ring for Nicholas in China. We're not sure. That estate is one of the ones I'll be working on with Gina after you've gone to Orlando."

"You'll have to tell me if you find out anything. . ." Nick said. "Promises. We say that all the time and the names and that date. . .that's too creepy!"

"But if they were married in 1923 and this is 2025, then it is a 100 years old!" CJ declared.

"Now remember, the age is considered from the manufacturer's date. We don't know exactly when this was made." Lexie said. "It's at least 100 years old. This is one of the estates Gina is hiring me to look into."

"You'll have to call, you know, and tell me what you find." Nick said.

"Oh! I will. G and I both have our hearts set on finding the bill of sale or something. It's amazing what the niece kept." Lexie smiled. Lexie finally took the ring from him and slipped it over his middle finger, next to his wedding band. "I was hoping it wouldn't be too big."

"No, it's pretty big, but it fits." He nodded after he swallowed hard. He lifted the gold to catch the light.

"You like it Daddy?" CJ asked.

"Like it? I love it! This has got to be the. . .coolest thing anyone has ever gotten me. This is so cool!" he smiled. "I'm just amazed."

"I'll let you know what we find out." Lexie said, getting to her feet. "Meanwhile, Mr. Carter, Ms. Carter. Grandma Carter is going to kick our fannies if we aren't at dinner on time."

"Well, get your shoes on!" CJ laughed, climbing off of Nick's lap. "Dad? What car are we going to take?!"

"The Mercedes, the black one! Get the keys!" he hollered after her.

Nick walked over to Lexie and caught her arm as she twisted her feet into simple black pumps, bringing her closer to eye level to him, but not quite. He kissed her cheek.

"Thanks, babe. This is really great." He smiled softly.

"I'm glad you liked it." She smiled back at him. In the distance, they heard a horn honking. "I think she's catching on to us."

Nick laughed as he picked up her shawl and she reached for her purse. He held out his other arm for her.

"Mrs. Carter?" he smiled wickedly.

"Mr. Carter." She smiled back, slipping her hand into the crook of his elbow.

"Time to face the Lioness." He said as they walked into the hall.

"And to feed with the pack." She answered him.

There was no hiding the obvious from Nick. There were a ton of cars outside his mother's house, a lot more than for 30 people. She couldn't even look at him as they pulled up. CJ climbed out and Nick handed his car off to the valet. Nick held the door for her as he waited for her to get out. He was silent as they walked hand in hand to the front door.

"I swear Nick, I only approved 30 people. . ." she whispered.

"I think the Lioness ate your guest list." He sighed heavily. She stopped in on the walkway.

"I'm sorry. Really, I am."

"I know baby. It's okay." He smiled for her, kissing her cheek.

Lexie McLean Dorough-Carter was no match for Jane Carter. Hell, most of the time she still caught Nick off guard. The only one who could handle her at all was Jill. It took some brawls, but Jane learned to back off of Jill and Aaron. She didn't dare take any kind of shot at Lexie. She and Nick had an understanding over that subject. One bad word and Jane knew she risked her visits with CJ.

They entered the house to a rousing "surprise!" and the hundreds or so faces swam in front of them. Lexie clutched onto Nick's hand, but he reassured her it was fine. Nick knew by the faces present that most were record industry people, reporters, and music columnists. . .anyone Jane thought could jump-start his career. The only faces he was happy to see were Nikki and Karen, the current president and vice president of his fan club. Nikki was still pretty new, but Karen had been around through thick and thin.

"Hi, sweetheart!" Nick smiled, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her close.

"Look at you! You look fantastic!" Karen laughed, squeezing him just as hard. "Married life agrees with you."

"Lord, I hope so!" he laughed, taking Nikki in his arms next. "It's great to see you guys."

"People can't wait for the new album!" Nikki giggled in his ear.

"I've got a ton of new material." Nick said, letting her go.

"What's with all of this? You hate your birthday and Lexie said this was going to be small." Karen said of his mother's grand plan.

"Kitty, please. How long have you been around?" he sighed, rolling his eyes.

"I know, I know. How stupid of me. So, where is Lexie? I haven't seen her all night!" Karen asked.

"You know, I haven't seen her in awhile either." Nick said, scanning the crowd.

"He's not going to be pissed at you. I can tell you that right now." Jill laughed as she and Lexie huddled in a corner by the bar.

"I know, he'll be more pissed at her. I can't believe I got suckered like that!" Lexie groaned, bringing the champagne to her lips. "I feel so stupid."

"You'll learn. I did." Jill laughed. "Have you met anyone? I mean, you are Nick Carter's new 24-year-old wife. . ."

"Oh, stop it right now!" Lexie groaned. "I've met freakin' everyone. If Nick didn't introduce me, his mother did."

"Good, don't refer to her by her name." Jill said.

"I've gotta go find Karen and Nikki." Lexie sighed.

"Good, you'll need the allies." Jill said.

"Can I count on you?"

"Got your back, chica." Jill winked.

"Good, cover me." Lexie sighed heavily.

Nick finally found sight of Lexie and waved her over. She traded her empty glass for another full one. Nikki had grabbed Nick's hand and was admiring the ring when Lexie finally joined them.

"Some bash." Karen smirked.

"Oh, please." Lexie groaned.

"This is beautiful." Nikki said of the ring.

"Thank you. A friend of mine found it in an estate." Lexie smiled.

"So when are you heading back to work? Or is it school?" Karen asked.

"Well, I took this quarter off with Nick going to Orlando and we're keeping CJ in school here." Lexie said. "I took a temp job with Gina for when he leaves."

"Nick! Nick, honey, come here!" Jane called for him.

"Good luck." Nikki laughed.

He pointed a finger at her and gave her a playful evil eye, leaving them each with kisses on their cheeks.

"I can't believe he's leaving so soon after the wedding. . ."Karen began. She saw the emotions flutter across Lexie's face. "I'm sorry, sweetie. . ."

"It's okay. It's got to be done."

"How long is he going to be gone?"

"I don't know. Depends on what they decide once he gets there, who is going to be playing on the album and whatnot." Lexie nodded with a heavy swallow of the lump caught in her throat.

"Well, I hope you stop by the fan club. . ." Nikki smiled sweetly.

"Oh! I plan to. I'm going to get Nick to agree to do the pre-release concert here in L.A." Lexie smiled.

Karen and Nikki began to contribute to the plan. They began to sweep Lexie away with talk of updating the fan newsletter with album news she would give them in the future.

Everyone was startled, especially Lexie, when Nick's squeal was heard well over the drone of the party.

"Lexie!" he hollered! "Come here, quick! Brian is here!" He had run into the living room and then ran back out.

"Hasn't seen Brian in awhile?" Nikki laughed.

"He hasn't seen his mistress in a while." Lexie winked.