A/N: Try and survive the little bits of romance in this story. I'm horrible at writing romance, which is why I don't write it! :)



Prologue




Brian smiled. God, he loved his life. His smile turned into a smirk and a twinkle entered his blue eyes. God, he loved his wife. He looked at her, getting ready for their evening out. She was looking into the mirror in the living room of their house, her head tilted to the side as she put her other earring in. She had on a formal, deep blue dress. He himself wore a sleek, black suit, along with a blue satin shirt and tie. Brian had to thank Regis one of these days, he loved the tone on tone thing. It was one of the few suit styles he felt comfortable in.

Getting back to the point, it was Brian and Leighanne's anniversary. The anniversary of the first day they met, that day on the set of the music video for 'As Long As You Love Me'. It was kind of ironic, that he had met his future wife with that song being played over and over again throughout the day. Brian chuckled. That song said everything about he and Leighanne. Maybe it was more fitting than ironic. It was just meant to be.

Leighanne turned away from the mirror and smiled at him. He flashed his own beaming smile and offered her his arm, which she took with a shake of her head and a coyness in her voice, "Am I to assume that my husband is going to be as dashing as ever tonight?"

"Absolutely," Brian stated firmly in his southern drawl, the twinkle sparking even brighter in his eyes, "I've prepared a royal evening for my queen."

Leighanne laughed outright as Brian opened the door to their house and they stepped onto the porch, Brian turning to lock the door as she waited, "Now you're just being a brownnoser, Brian. I am no queen."

"You are to me," whispered Brian as he reclaimed her hand and leaned close for a soft kiss to her lips, "And never forget that," he continued at her blush.

"You always make me feel like a girl going on her first date," spoke Leighanne, a pleasant smile on her lips, "I never know what you're gonna do next."

"That's my intention," said Brian as they walked to his car, the stars twinkling above them. "The day our lives get too predictable, you be sure to tell me. I like not always being in a routine. With the music business, we are always on a tight schedule. I, we, need some spontaneity in our lives."

Leighanne nodded her head in understanding as they stopped alongside Brian's car. Brian was just reaching for the door latch, when a cell phone rang. He looked at Leighanne, a questioning expression on his face. Leighanne's face reddened once again, white teeth capturing her bottom lip at her forgetfulness.

"I borrowed your cell today and I guess I forgot to take it out of my purse," she spoke, reaching in to grab the ringing phone and putting it to her ear, an apology for the interruption in her eyes as she looked at her husband and answered the phone, "Hello?"

Brian watched as Leighanne's eyebrows scrunched up, confusion and frustration framing her face, "What?... No, no. Slow down..."

She glanced at Brian, "Well, Brian's right here-"

Her mouth twitched in slight irritation as she was obviously interrupted. Brian smirked and crossed his arms, leaning back on the car's support as he waited, enjoying the show.

"Yes, I-"

Brian watched the anger as it brightened her eyes.

"Okay, just-"

He snickered as her mouth turned into a scowl, her hand gripping the phone more firmly.

"ALL RIGHT!!"

The shout caused Brian to jump, eyebrows raising in surprise. He knew of only one person that could get Leighanne to yell like that. Leighanne thrust the phone at him, her face livid, "It's for you."

Brian took the phone and had to chuckle as Leighanne began to pace, trying to work off her frustration. Without waiting for the person on the other end to speak, Brian put the phone to his ear and spoke, "Hello, AJ."

"Hey, how'd you know it was me?" asked AJ's surprised voice.

Brian glanced at Leighanne, who kicked the front tire of his car with one high heeled shoe. Brian cleared his throat, "Lucky guess. So, what do you want? We were kinda-"

"We need a ride." Was AJ's answer, interrupting Brian's narrative.

Brian frowned, he hated when AJ did that. It was something the rebel had a tendency to do on the phone, especially when he was agitated.

"And who is 'we'?" asked Brian as Leighanne threw him a smirk, amused that AJ managed to ruffle Brian's feathers as well.

"Me and Nick," answered AJ.

-- "Hey, Brian!" -- came a distant shout over the line. Then the same familiar voice, closer this time. - "Hey, 'J... C'mon, man. Let me talk to 'im!" -

"No! Damn it, Nick..."

Both voices were far away now, and Brian realized that AJ was holding the phone away from himself and Nick.

"Nick! I told you, I'm payin' for the call so I'm the one talkin'! ..."

A sharp clank caused Brian to wince and pull the cell away from his ear briefly. Then he listened for what was going on.

"Ow! Gol-dang it, kid! I done told ya there ain't enough room for both of us in here at the same time!"

Brian quirked an eyebrow and scratched his head with his free hand, sparing a glance at Leighanne as she now leaned against the car instead of him, arms crossed as she waited.

"I don't care, I wanna talk to him! He'd prob'ly listen to me better anyways, AJ. Now, c'mon! Let me talk!"

"No! ...Hey!"

The sound of scuffling carried through to Brian and he smiled, waiting for whoever won the tug of war.

"Ow! Grrr... Give it, Nick..."

"No, let go! ...Hey, watch it!"

"I'm warnin' ya, kid. Let go!"

"No, damn it! ...AJ! Ow- Ouch! Hey, yer twistin' my arm!"

"Then let GO!"

"No! ...Ouch! ...Hey- WHOA!!"

Brian straightened. Now, what just happened there? "Hello?... ...AJ? Nick?... ...Hello?!"

A squeak and slam reached Brian and he tilted his head, "Hello? Nick? AJ?"

"I'm here, B-rok," answered AJ with a breathless voice, "Um... Nick can't talk to ya right now."

Brian's eyes narrowed at the smirk in AJ's voice, "What did you do, AJ..."

"Oh, just threw Nick out of the phone booth," smiled AJ, leaning against the booth's glass wall with one foot raised and pressed against the door to keep it from being opened. His eyes shined with amusement as Nick picked himself up from the ground outside, brushing the dust from his clothes, "Ya see, Frick. We're stuck out here. Nick's Durango overheated and we had to walk until we found this abandoned gas station. It has a phone booth that still works, so we decided to call ya for a ride."

Brian now heard a loud pounding and surmised that Nick was demonstrating his thoughts on being thrown out of the booth, "A phone booth? Why didn't you guys use yer cells?"

"They're dead," AJ spoke above the pounding, pausing slightly, "Well, Nick's cell is dead, mine's kinda busted."

Brian rolled his eyes. Leave it to them two to find trouble whenever they did something together. It never failed, they were just a bad combination of too much craziness and youthful ideas. With Nick's crazy ideas and AJ's rebel nature... Not to mention that they just plain had the worst luck. Brian sighed, he didn't want to ruin his date with Leighanne, "Why can't somebody else come and get ya's? I'm kinda tied up."

"Well," answered AJ, sounding a little offended, "We only had enough change for one phone call and you were it, but since you're SO busy that you can't come get us... I suppose the kid and I can sleep out here tonight, freezing our butts off..."

"All right," sighed Brian, closing his eyes briefly, "How about I call one of the other guys and they can go get ya?"

"I guess that could wor-" AJ stopped, barking out an annoyed, "WHAT, NICK?!?"

Brian winced. Next time, AJ, he thought, Yell with the phone AWAY from your mouth!

--"LOOK!"-- came the distant call. AJ suddenly sounded nervous, "Uh... Brian? I don't think waitin' on the others will work for us.... You are the closest and... Well, a whole bunch of seriously mean lookin' bikers are comin' down the road..."

"Crap," muttered Brian, earning a curious look from Leighanne. He shook his head, "I'll be there as soon as I can, AJ. Where are you, exactly?"

"Uh..." AJ's voice carried a slight tremor of fear, causing Brian to become worried. "We're at an old gas station around twenty miles south of Orlando. Um... Brian?"

"Yeah, AJ?"

"Get here fast, I-" AJ cleared his throat, "The kid here is pretty scared, okay?"

"I'm comin', bro'," assured Brian, knowing Nick wasn't the only one scared.

"Okay, Brian."

Brian heard AJ opening the booth's door with a squeak, the distant sound of motorcycles carrying through the line.

"We'll, uh... We'll be hidin' around here... somewhere. Thanks Brian, and... please hurry. 'Bye."

Brian disconnected the call at the dial tone, swiping a hand through his hair. He smiled suddenly at Leighanne, "Leighanne, baby... Would a rain check on tonight be okay?"

"Rain check?" asked Leighanne, disappointment in her tone, "Why?"

Brian explained the situation to her, tilting his head to the side when he finished, "So, is it all right? I mean, I can't just leave 'em there. They really are scared and..."

Leighanne touched his arm, smiling, "I understand, Brian. You go and get 'em before they find even more trouble."

Brian chuckled, relieved, "With them two, that's entirely possible. Thanks, Leigh. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

Leighanne smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "I have no doubt. Now, you be careful. Okay?"

"I will," promised Brian as he walked to the driver's door of his car, unlocking it, "I'll be back before ya know it."

As Brian started the car and then drove away, Leighanne waved after him. Then, she let her hand fall to her side and sighed deeply. She looked up at the star filled sky and then walked slowly back to the house.

Chapter 1



A half an hour later, Brian passed a large group of bikers heading the opposite way. He grimaced. They didn't look friendly and he couldn't stop himself from scanning over them to see if his two friends were with them. He sighed, thankful that he couldn't see them. Of course, that didn't exactly mean everything was fine. It was pretty dark out and those bikers still could have found Nick and AJ...

Brian shook his head, trying to forget the sight of the bikers as a lonely gas station soon took form in his headlights. He bit his lip. The whole abandoned station was dark, save for a lone dim lamp at the store's door. The light barely made a difference. Brian stopped the car and left it running, headlights on. He closed his eyes before opening the door. Nick was going to be a wreck.

Brian stood, pushing his door shut. He walked toward the station, away from the noise of his running engine, "Nick? AJ? ...It's Brian!"

A loud crash caused Brian to jump nearly a foot in the air and his heart to momentarily forget its job. Then relief sliced through him as familiar voices carried across the night air.

"OUCH! Damn it, Nick!"

"I'm sorry!" Then after a second's pause, "Brian?!"

Brian stood still as Nick's tousled visage appeared around the corner of the gas station, stumbling away from the dumpster that sat there. The light from the station's door and his car's headlights bathed Nick in an eerie glow. The blond looked like hell and the sight caused Brian to step forward, concern on his face, "Nick? Are you okay?"

Nick grinned widely and ran toward Brian, enveloping the southerner in a suffocating hug. Brian's eyes widened in surprise, his toes dangling several inches above the ground and his arms pinned to his sides as Nick's voice stuttered in his ear, "Thank God! Brian, you have no idea how scary it was. Those bikers stopped and wouldn't leave for what seemed forever! They were huge! Real nasty lookin', too! I thought for sure they'd find us, I've never been so scared... and it's dark. I hate the dark..."

"Hey, Nick. C'mon, yer babbling," smiled Brian as he tried to breathe, "They're gone, okay? Yer okay." Brian wriggled back and forth, "Nick... Nick! Ya wanna put me down?"

Nick stiffened, then realized Brian wasn't exactly on solid ground. He quickly set Brian down and gave him a sheepish smile, "Sorry, Bri'."

Brian shook his head, his expression amused, "No prob'." Brian then looked around, his eyes searching, "AJ?"

"Yeah, I'm here," came AJ's voice, his form looking much like Nick's as he walked toward him. A wince of pain was on his face as he rubbed the back of his head.

"You okay, AJ? What's wrong with your head?" asked Brian with a tone of concern.

AJ stopped before Nick and Brian, sending Nick a glare, "Blondie kicked me when he heard you." At Brian's confused expression, AJ explained, "When we got off the phone with you, those bikers were almost here and we ran to hide. I wanted to hide in the gas station, but Nick was too chicken to go in. So, the spaz grabbed me and basically threw me into the dumpster!"

Brian's eyes widened, then he noticed the odor his two friends were carrying and scrunched his nose. Then he thought of his suit and Nick hugging him. He sighed. Well, now he had a trip to the cleaners to look forward to.

AJ was glaring daggers at a contrite Nick, continuing his story, "Nick got in just as those bikers got here. They hanged around for a good twenty minutes before leavin'. Then you came and when you yelled at us, Nick tried to get out of the dumpster and he kicked me in the back of the head in the process."

"I didn't mean to!" cried Nick, seriously apologetic as his blue eyes darted around the shadowed station apprehensively, "I- I just want ta get outta here..." Nick looked seriously freaked out, causing AJ to lose his anger in a flash of regret.

"Aw... damn it," sighed AJ, "I know ya didn't mean it. I'm sorry I jumped down yer back like that, Nick." AJ looked around at the abandoned station with nervous eyes and admitted softly, "Actually, I'm not too interested in stayin' here any longer than you."

"AJ," ventured Nick, raising an eyebrow and continuing in an accusing tone, "I thought you said you weren't scared."

"Yeah, well," muttered AJ, looking at Nick briefly before returning his gaze elsewhere, "Maybe I am--I mean, WAS... just a little."

Nick seemed to calm down at the admission and relax somewhat. Brian, meanwhile, shook his head. Nick and AJ. He'd never figure them out. Nick alone, yes. Brian knew what Nick felt and why he did things then. Same with AJ--Well, almost same with AJ. He was hard to figure out sometimes, but when ya put the two of them together it was a totally different story. AJ would be more surely than normal, yet at the same time, more open. Nick would try too hard when he was with AJ, ending with the blond becoming overemotional and, at times, acting far younger than his age.

Brian thought that Nick looked up to AJ in a different way then the rest of them. AJ was the "cool" one. Nick wanted to be cool like AJ. He liked the style AJ put out, the uniqueness and creativeness of it. Brian remembered when he had caught Nick with a bottle of green hair dye when the kid was sixteen. He was going to dye his hair green, like AJ had died his red that day. Brian had talked him out of it, saying it just wouldn't look right. Plus, the added fact that Kevin would have killed him helped.

AJ, on the other hand, seemed almost envious of Nick in some ways. Brian thought that was why he'd sometimes take cheap shots at Nick when the blond did something that was considered stupid, but was really an honest mistake on the youth's part. AJ would grasp any little thing and shove it in Nick's face. Oh, he wouldn't go as far as to hurt the kid's feelings, but it would sometimes offend the blond and when that happened AJ would immediately become the open, more sensitive person they knew he was the whole time. AJ loved Nick just like the rest of them, but Brian thought AJ felt like he was pushed aside sometimes by their affection for the youngest in their group. The classic middle child syndrome, Brian surmised. Even now, both of them in their twenties, they still bickered like rival siblings of a third of their age.

Brian rubbed his forehead and stopped trying to figure them out, then grimaced at the smell of his two friends. He dreaded the ride home. The windows were going down. Then, Brian grimaced, he would most likely have to have his car cleaned out.

Brian sighed, then looked at his two friends, "Are you guys ready to get out of here now?"

"Yes!" They both cried with urgent tones, causing Brian to smirk. He gestured to his car and they walked toward it.

As Brian opened his door, Nick just noticed something, "Hey, Brian. What's with the suit?"

Brian hesitated, then looked over the car's roof at the two pairs of curious eyes, "I was takin' Leigh out on a date for our anniversary."

AJ's face fell and he slapped a hand over his eyes, swearing to himself. Nick looked confused, "Anniversary? Of what? It's not your wedding anniversary."

Brian shook his head, "No, it's for when we first met."

Understanding dawned on Nick's face and he grimaced, an apology in his blue eyes as he looked at his best friend, "As long as you love me... God, I'm sorry, Brian. We both are."

Brian shrugged, getting in the car. Nick got in beside him and AJ in the back. Brian put the car in gear and turned back on the road, "It's okay, guys. You needed help. Leigh and I will just have to celebrate some other time."

Nick suddenly got an idea as Brian put his window down, "Hey! Let me and AJ make it up to you. We'll put on a private dinner for you and Leighanne."

"Hey, yeah," agreed AJ, a smile forming on his face. He hated that they had taken Brian from Leighanne on such an occasion, "That's a great idea! We'll make the dinner and everything. What do ya say, Bri'?"

Brian did not like the idea. They wanted him to put the two of them in charge of making a dinner, in his kitchen, by themselves??? Nuh-uh. No way. That was not going to happen. Brian turned to tell them just that, but stopped. Aw, dang it. Why do they have to look at me like that? Brian looked back at the road, feeling his resolve crumble as Nick spoke.

"Brian? Can we?" Nick practically begged, they wanted to make it up to him so badly. "We are so sorry for takin' you from your date, we gotta do this to make it up to you. Please, Frick?"

"C'mon, B-rok," added AJ, "Please?"

Brian blinked in surprise. AJ never begged. He had to give in now. Lord, Leighanne was going to kill him, "All right, you can make dinner for us."

"Wahoo!" whooped AJ, giving Nick a high five.

"Thanks, Frack!" smiled Nick, eyes bright as the memory of the terrible gas station fled from his mind to be replaced by ideas for the coming dinner. "I guarantee it will be a night you'll never forget!"

Brian sighed. He didn't doubt that for a second.







"WHAT?!"

Brian winced, capturing his bottom lip between his teeth. This was exactly why he had waited until morning to tell Leighanne of their new dinner plans. Brian's blue eyes grew wide as he gazed at his wife, asking for understanding, "They wanted to make it up to us, and it was so important to them to have a chance to do that."

Leighanne crossed her arms and turned her head away, releasing a puff of air to blow a strand of blond hair from her eyes. She didn't understand what Brian had been thinking. Nick? AJ? Making them dinner? It was a disaster waiting to happen.

Brian pursed his lips in thought, then his eyes caught on an idea, "If you don't want them to do it, just call them and tell them we've got other plans. You'll have to do it, though. I won't."

Leighanne looked back at him, "Fine. That's just what I'll do. This was just supposed to be about us, Brian. It's our time."

"I know," sighed Brian, watching as Leighanne picked up the phone and dialed, "But what better way to celebrate than with some of our friends? They want to do it for us, Leigh."

Leighanne just gave him another look as she placed the phone to her ear. A fake smile came to her face as well as her voice when someone picked up on the other end. Brian always wondered how women could do that. They could be in the middle of arguing with you when the phone rings, and they answer it as if nothing were going on, like the sun was shining and it's a glorious day. Shaking his head, Brian sat on the couch and listened, a secret smile now on his face as he waited.

"Hello? Nick?... ...Hey! This is Leighanne, I just wanted to call and talk about this anniversary thing. I- .... .... ....Yes, I'm glad you are looking forward to doing the dinner, but-.... ...." Leighanne frowned, her eyes losing all anger at the situation, "Nick... Really, that's not necessary. You don't need to-..." Slowly, a real smile formed on Leighanne's face, a trace of laughter in her tone, "Now, Nick... You don't mean that... ... ... ...Hun, we already know how much we mean to you and AJ, you don't have to do this-.... ...." Leighanne suddenly laughed, "Okay, yeah. If you say so, Nick... ... ..."

Brian chuckled softly, wondering how AJ's interruptions on the phone caused annoyance, when Nick's caused smiles. Brian guessed it was because when AJ interrupted, he was being impatient. While when Nick interrupted, it was because he was just plain excited. Returning to the present, Brian's smile turned secretive as a thoughtful expression took over Leighanne's face and she blinked.

"Nick, that's so sweet," she spoke softly, then she straightened. "Well, I just wanted to tell you how much we're looking forward to your dinner."

Brian raised his eyebrows, letting out a soft chuckle while letting his smile widen.

Leighanne ended the call, "Yeah... ....Okay, thanks Nick. Bye."

Leighanne hung up the phone, standing with her back to Brian for a moment before facing him. She narrowed her eyes at his smiling face, "You knew that would happen, didn't you."

"Yep," replied Brian, the smile never leaving his face. "I knew you'd call Nick , you wouldn't call AJ after your last phone conversation attempt with him." Brian chuckled, "And, with Nick... I knew that you wouldn't be able to say no to him. I knew he was gonna say things that would get you to let them make the dinner."

Leighanne pressed her lips together and raised an eyebrow, "And just what did you know he would say to me?"

Brian just continued smiling, "Oh, that he and AJ were so happy to be doing this for us and that he had all these ideas. That we would love what he had planned and..." Brian looked straight at her, "That he wanted to show us how much we mean to him and AJ."

Leighanne walked over to Brian and sank down on the couch next to him with a deep sigh, hands resting on her lap, "He's too dang honest and happy for his own good."

Brian laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulders, "Yeah, but that's why we love him."

Leighanne gave him a sheepish half smile, "Yeah, I know. AJ's gonna be just as bad. He gets on my nerves sometimes, and I swear he does it on purpose. Honestly, I actually get a kick out of arguing with him. I mean, he acts like such a little kid sometimes, especially when he teams up with Nick." Her smile fell slightly, "I'm still nervous with them being in control of our kitchen, though. They always seem to get into trouble with the simplest of things, Brian."

Brian nodded, "It's definitely going to be... interesting."

Leighanne chuckled, "Yeah, interesting."







Nick let his eyes roam over the kitchen critically, one hand scratching his chin in contemplation. Brian fidgeted nervously at his side, continuously tugging at his satin tie. Finally, Brian sighed and smacked Nick on the arm, "Well?! What's the deal?"

Nick put on a fake scowl as he rubbed his arm, then smiled, "Nothin', Frick. I'm just messin' with ya!"

Brian huffed, but smiled at his best friend, "Well, knock it off. I'm stressed out enough as it is!"

Nick feigned hurt, a hand pressed to his chest, "Why, Brian. Do you not trust me in your kitchen? I'm hurt, Brian. Really hurt."

"Yeah," spoke Brian slyly, "I bet you are." Brian paused, looking at the clock, "Where is AJ, anyway?"

"He'll be here, Frick," assured Nick, placing his hands on Brian's shoulders and steering him out the kitchen's two-way door and into the dining room. Before them was a glazed, mahogany colored round table with white lace table mats and two long stem white candles in the center, burning with an opaque hue that cast the room's setting in a warm glow.

Nick smiled and shoved Brian into a chair, "You just sit and wait for yer wife. Let me and 'J take care of the rest, got it?"

Brian sighed, but smiled, "Okay, fine. I won't worry. Happy?"

Nick chuckled, "The day that you stop worrying about things is the day that AJ stops wearing sunglasses."

"What about me?"

They both looked toward the voice, smiling at the young man that walked toward them, juggling several containers in his arms. They could just see his blond highlighted hair over the stack of containers.

"'Bout time you got here," smiled Nick.

"Yeah, well," came AJ's voice behind the containers, "I ain't the one that told me to get all this crud."

Brian noticed that AJ wasn't stopping his approach and warned the rebel, raising his hands in a useless attempt to stop him, "AJ, stop! Yer gonna walk into the candles!"

AJ stopped, turning so he could see them, "Chill, 'bro! I got it under control." AJ looked at Nick as Brian rolled his eyes and raked a hand through his hair, "Where ya want all this stuff?"

"Kitchen," answered Nick, "Where else?"

AJ scowled, letting out a frustrated, "Well!"

Nick giggled as AJ stomped to the kitchen door and gently kicked it open, then sidling through the opening. Nick smirked, throwing out a sarcastic, "Well!!" after AJ.

"Shut up, Nick!" was the reply through the closed door, then the sound of several containers crashing to the floor, "Aw, damn it! ...and shut up, Nick!"

"What?!" laughed Nick, "I didn't say anything!"

Brian stared in disbelief as Nick shoved the kitchen door open, seeing a glimpse of AJ on the floor, picking up a couple of containers.

"No," replied AJ, shaking a container up at Nick, "But you were thinkin' of sayin' something!"

"I was not," denied Nick, letting the door fall shut behind him and closing the scene off from Brian's wide eyes.

Brian stared at the door. Lord, they were killin' him. This was not a good idea. Brian was so wound up that he felt like screaming. Blinking, Brian snapped his gaze to the stairs at a noise, putting on a smile for the astonished visage of his wife, "Hey, Leigh. You look beautiful."

Leighanne pulled her gaze from the kitchen door, blinking at Brian, "Uh, yeah... Thanks." She plopped into the chair opposite Brian, shaking her head, "I can't believe we're letting them do this."

Brian laughed, but it sounded forced, "Yeah, well... too late now. We're just gonna have to make the best of it." Brian glanced at the closed door at the sound of a muffled curse, "And pray our kitchen is still in one piece when their done."







Nick started going through the cupboards and turned the oven on while AJ took the stuff out of the containers and onto the kitchen table. Nick spoke without looking at AJ, "Ya got the appetizers, AJ?"

AJ stopped what he was doing and swallowed, offering up in an unsure tone, "Uh... I think so?"

Nick froze, then slowly turned to face AJ, "What do you mean, 'you think so'?" At the guilty expression Nick's jaw dropped, "AJ! Ya didn't get the appetizers?!"

AJ ducked his head, "Oops."

"Aw, AJ!" cried Nick, "How could you forget the appetizers?"

"Hey!" defended AJ, "I guess they slipped my mind when I was picking all this other crap up! Do we absolutely need appetizers?"

"Yes!" replied Nick. He sighed, falling into the chair beside him. His head fell into his hands, his elbows on the table, "I knew it. This is gonna be a disaster..."

AJ frowned, "What do you mean? It's not that big of a deal, Nick. Bri' and Leighanne won't mind. We'll just go straight to the main course."

"But that's not the way it's supposed to go!" wailed Nick, raising his head, "It's the appetizers, then the main course, then the dessert! 1, 2, 3! Not 2, 3! It doesn't work that way, AJ! It just doesn't. God, I'm such a screw up!"

"Nick!" shouted AJ, stepping forward and grasping Nick's shoulders and giving them a shake, "Relax! It's just a dinner, man! Ya gotta chill. Bri' is your best bud, he won't care. AND, you are not a screw up. What made ya think that?"

Nick stared up at AJ, reaching out and smacking the rebel upside the head, "Hello?! Do you not know who you are looking at? I'm the master of screwing up! Whether it's getting mixed up about what we're doing at promos and stuff, to when I can't talk worth a damn! You should know this, AJ. You've reminded me plenty of times. I screwed up Brian's date with Leighanne and now I'm screwing up the dinner we are putting on to make up for it." Nick looked away, shaking his head, "What more proof do you need?"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" argued AJ, squatting down to be more level with the blond, "Back up a bit, bro'. First of all, we're both to blame for ruining Brian's anniversary thing with Leighanne, not just you. Secondly, I'm the one that forgot the appetizers, not you. So you didn't screw this up, I did."

AJ paused, then looked straight at Nick, "You ain't a screw up, Nick. Ya just tend to work on impulse. Yer good at talking when ya think about what yer sayin'. And... I'm sorry for getting on yer case about it... You know, when you made mistakes. It wasn't ever your fault and I don't know why I did it, maybe I was a bit pissed at ya sometimes."

Nick blinked, taken a bit off guard at AJ's suddenly open words, "Why?"

"Aw, I don't know..." AJ shook his head, "It's dumb. It's just that, well... When we were younger, touring overseas and stuff, well... You'd get all the attention. Not just from the fans, but the guys, too. I guess I felt a bit left out or shoved aside. I mean, I'm only a few years older than you. I got homesick and scared just like you did, I just acted all smart assed to not let anyone know, made myself out to be so tough." AJ looked away, "I'm not."

After a moment, AJ shook himself, straightening and looking back at Nick, "Anyways, it was stupid, and I don't feel that way anymore." AJ cracked a grin, "Hey, we're buds. I just like to rat on you. It's fun tradin' insults with ya, Nicky. Ya got a quick mind for it."

Nick looked wary and raised an eyebrow, "Ya mean it? Yer not strummin' me along right now, are ya?"

AJ sighed, "No. C'mon, Nick. I don't do that anymore. Well, unless it's just to tease ya." AJ smiled, "C'mon, let's think this over and figure somethin' out for the appetizers, 'kay?"

Nick looked at AJ for a minute, then let a smile brighten his face, "Okay, 'J. Let's just have some fun with this, huh?"

"Whoo!" whooped AJ, standing quickly, "Now, that is what I'm talkin' about. Let's just have some fun!" AJ started doing a little dance, "Oh, yeah! Make a little noise, 'cause we're da cookin' boys! Yeah! Uh-huh, uh-huh!"

Nick laughed, shaking his head, "Where'd that come from?"

AJ stopped, smiling at Nick, "No idea. Spur of the moment, I guess. It was fun though."

Nick grinned, then thought for a moment, "It couldn't really get any worse now, anyways..." Nick paused, giving AJ an unsure look, "Could it?"

AJ raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

Chapter 2



Brian and Leighanne were trading nervous glances. They didn't like how the kitchen was first noisy, then silent, and now noisy again. Brian cleared his throat, making a move to stand.

"Um, maybe I should go and check on them. Maybe-"

Brian stopped as Leighanne reached across the table and grabbed his arm, pulling him back into his seat with a thump. Leighanne kept her voice low when she spoke, her eyes riveted on the kitchen door, "You go in there, you might not make it out."

Brian's eyes widened and eyebrows rose in realization, "Ooh, good point."

They both settled back, leering at their kitchen door as if it were a mad dog looking to bite their hands. Both of them silently swore they'd sprout several gray hairs before the night was out.







"Appetizers, appetizers, appetizers," droned AJ over and over, going from cupboard to cupboard and searching the contents.

Nick had his head buried in the refrigerator, "Any luck, AJ?"

"Um, no. Not really, I don't think- Oh! Hey, looky here..." smiled AJ's voice suddenly.

Nick stood, letting the 'fridge door close as he turned to look at AJ, "What? Wha'dya find?"

Grinning, AJ held up a box of Ritz butter crackers, "Crackers!"

Nick stared at him blankly, "Uh, yeah... So?"

"Well," continued AJ with a smile, "I saw some pizza sauce in one of the cupboards."

Nick's face didn't change, his head leaning forward as he prodded, "And..."

AJ sighed loudly, frustrated at Nick's lack of understanding. He thought it was as plain as day, "Is there any mozzarella cheese in the 'fridge?"

Nick checked quickly, shutting the door with a bag of the cheese in hand, "Yeah... I don't get it, AJ."

"Don't tell me you've never made these before, Nick," uttered AJ, looking shocked, "Please, say you've had these before!"

"AJ!" cried Nick, becoming frustrated himself, "It'd be nice to know what the hell yer talkin' about!"

"M.P.'s!!" yelled AJ, "Haven't you ever had M.P.'s before?!"

Nick's blank look was back. AJ gasped.

"Nicky!"

AJ went and put an arm around Nick's shoulders, shaking his head, "You poor, poor child. To be deprived of such a delicacy." AJ sighed.

Nick shrugged him off, "What the hell are you talkin' about?! M.P.'s??? What's an M.P.?"

AJ stared at Nick like it was the most common thing in the world, "Mini Pizzas!"

Nick stared, not sure if he heard right, "Mini piz-... AJ! You want to give Brian and Leighanne mini pizzas for their appetizers?"

"Yeah, sure!" nodded AJ, "Why not? You haven't had them before and they're just the thing for an appetizer!!"

Nick looked doubtful. AJ placed a hand on his shoulder, a twinkle in his brown eyes, "Trust me, bro'. Once you taste one, you'll be sorry to see them all go to Bri' and Leighanne!"

"Okay," relented Nick, curious if nothing else, "Show me how you make them. If I like them, we'll give 'em to Bri' and Leigh."

"Sweet!" cried AJ, grabbing the cheese from Nick's hand and placing the cracker box and the cheese bag on the counter. He grabbed the pizza sauce from the cupboard and then a butter knife from the silverware drawer.

"It's real easy to do, Nick," explained AJ, taking out a bag of crackers and opening the sauce and cheese. "Hey, grab me a plate, would ya?"

Nick got a plate and placed it on the counter before AJ. AJ smiled, "Thanks. Now, here's all there is to it. Ya take a cracker, like this." AJ grabbed a cracker, "Ya spread some pizza sauce on it, like this." AJ spread some sauce on one side of the cracker, "Then, ya take some cheese like this and put it on top." AJ covered the sauce side with cheese. "And then ya just pop it in the microwave for a minute or two, basically until the cheese is all melted." AJ put the lone cracker with the sauce and cheese on it, on the plate and then put the plate in the microwave. He punched in a minute and pressed start. It took less then a minute for the lone cracker's cheese to melt, and AJ took it out. "Ya let it cool a bit and then... ya eat it!"

Nick stared at the cracker, it smelled and looked pretty good, but he was still wary. This was AJ, after all. You never knew, "That's it?"

"Yep!" smiled AJ, "Go on, try it."

Nick looked at AJ, then the cracker. Tentatively, he reached out and picked it up, the cracker still slightly warm. He again looked at AJ, then took a deep breath and popped the cracker into his mouth. He chewed and then let his eyes widen. AJ grinned knowingly.

"Hey!" cried Nick, "That's actually good! Where'd ya learn to make it?"

AJ shrugged, "Honestly? I don't remember. I've known how to make 'em since I was little. So," continued AJ, "Are they worthy enough for appetizers?"

"Hell yeah!" grinned Nick, "These things would be great for parties. We should make a bunch for the next Super Bowl party. People'd love 'em!"

"Sounds good ta me!" laughed AJ, "C'mon, let's get these done before Brian and Leighanne starve out there!"







Brian and Leighanne both jumped at the door opening, sharing a quick, fearful glance. Lord, what were they about to eat...

"Good evening!" greeted AJ, a sly smile on this face, "I'm AJ McLean and I will be your waiter tonight, as well as your chef."

A loud thump came from the kitchen. AJ looked annoyed, "Oh, yes. My mistake. I'm the assistant chef to the GREAT supreme chef, Nick Carter!" AJ shouted the last bit with a sarcastic tone, giving the kitchen door a glare.

Brian and Leighanne blinked.

"Anyways," continued AJ, oblivious to the astonished faces before him, "I- er, WE, shall start your evening with some delectable appetizers. We hope you enjoy and your main course shall come shortly. Thank you."

AJ set a covered platter in the center of the table, between the candles, and then went back into the kitchen.

"You were gonna take all the credit!" Brian and Leighanne heard Nick exclaim through the open door as AJ stepped through it.

"Oh, I was not! I was gettin' to ya, you didn't give me a chance!" replied AJ, then the door shut.

Brian and Leighanne slowly tore their eyes away from the door, soon looking at each other in shock. Brian spared a glance at the platter, "I'm afraid to look."

"Aw, it can't be that bad," reasoned Leighanne, trying to find the courage to remove the platter cover. Slowly though, hunger gnawed at both of them.

Brian stared at Leighanne, then the platter. Brian's stomach growled loudly, "Aw, hell! I'm hungry and food is food!"

Brian removed the lid. They stared.

"What the-" blurted Brian, tilting his head.

Leighanne let a smile turn her lips, "How cute!"

Brian quirked an eyebrow at her, "Cute? What are they?"

Leighanne smirked at him, her eyes twinkling, "They kinda look like little pizzas, don't ya think?"

Looking the small crackers over, Brian had to agree, "Yeah, they do. Looks can be deceiving though. They could taste like dirt."

"Brian!" admonished Leighanne, giving Brian a stern look, "They're just crackers. Even Nick and AJ can't mess that up."

Brian looked doubtful.

"Oh, c'mon!" toned Leighanne, reaching for one of the crackers, "I think they look good, they certainly smell good anyways."

"Leigh," advised Brian as his wife brought the cracker to her mouth, "I don't know. Maybe you shouldn't-"

Too late. Leighanne popped the cracker into her mouth. As she chewed, she smiled, "Hey! That's pretty good!" Leighanne reached for another, "Try one, Brian. They really are good."

"Okay, fine," relented Brian, reaching out for one of the crackers as Leighanne ate another one. He took a deep breath and then ate the cracker.

"Hey!" he cried, eyes wide and grinning, "These things are great! I wonder where they got the idea?"

Leighanne shrugged, now on her forth cracker as Brian reached for another, "Who cares? AJ and Nick made 'em and they're actually good. Maybe there still is hope for them."

A loud crash and a curse came from the kitchen. Brian raised an eyebrow at Leighanne, "Uh, yeah. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, Leigh."







"Ow, ow, ow, OW!" whined Nick, shaking his hand in an effort to shake off the pain.

AJ laughed, shaking his head, "That'll teach ya to try and take a pan from the bottom of a pile without moving the ones on top, Nicky. Real smooth."

"Oh, shut up, AJ," sulked Nick. He didn't think they'd all fall like that, and on top of his hand to boot. Nick flexed his hand, wincing. Damn, that hurt. Nick decided to change the subject as he bent to pick up the pans, AJ moving to help, "Ya got the main course here, AJ?"

"Yep," answered AJ, standing to place several pans back into the cupboard, "It's still in my car. Ya want me to get it?"

"Yeah," nodded Nick, standing to add more pans to the cupboard, "I'll finish pickin' up these pans."

"Okey dokey!" smirked AJ, skittering to the back door of the kitchen so as to not interrupt Brian and Leighanne.

AJ jogged around the side of the house and to his car, taking out a half gallon white bucket. He gave a grunt as he hefted it up, then quickly made his way back to the kitchen.

Nick looked to the door as he shut the cupboard, seeing AJ walking in, "Good. I'll get the water boiling while you get 'em ready, 'kay?"

AJ set the bucket on the table and gave it a doubtful glance as Nick filled a tall pot with water and placed it on the stove, "Say, uh... Nick? How do I do that?"

Nick spared him a quick, confused glance, "What do you mean? Ya just take 'em out and bring 'em over here. We'll put 'em in the water when it's boiling. No biggy."

AJ bit his lip, thinking he might have just made another boo boo, "Maybe you better do it, Nick."

Nick sighed, "Fine."

Nick walked over to the bucket and took off the lid, barely looking in as he reached his hand in. An audible snap caused him to jerk his hand out and he stared wide eyed into the bucket.

"AJ!" cried Nick in disbelief, switching his astonished gaze to the contrite rebel, "You got live lobsters?!"

AJ winced, "I take it that wasn't what you meant to get... Hey, don't look at me like that! How was I to know?"

Nick blinked, "AJ, how are we gonna do this now? They don't even have their claw things taped shut... and they don't look too happy."

AJ looked at the two red lobsters in the shallow water inside the bucket, the red creatures seeming to glare up a him, "I don't know. Don't we just reach in and grab 'em?"

"Go right ahead!" guffawed Nick, giving the bucket an exaggerated gesture with his hand, "Be my guest."

AJ shrugged, tentatively reaching into the bucket. Several snaps emanated from the lobsters as they tried to clamp onto AJ's hand, causing AJ to yelp and jump back, his arm catching the bucket's rim and toppling it from the table.

"AJ!" cried Nick, jumping back as the bucket crashed to the floor, "Aw, crap!"

Both AJ and Nick shuffled back as a small rush of water overtook the kitchen floor and two lobsters slid across it, now free. Nick and AJ looked across at each other as the lobsters came to a rest between them, AJ beside the table and Nick with the counter at his back.

Slowly, the dazed lobsters started moving around and Nick swallowed, "This is not good."

AJ stared at him, "You think?!"

Suddenly, the two lobsters seemed to become aware of them, perking up at AJ's voice. They charged toward AJ, skittering over the linoleum floor with surprising speed. AJ yelped and jumped to the side, the lobsters overshooting him.

Brown eyes wide, gasping for breath, AJ shook his head and ran over by Nick, "This is nuts! What the hell do we do? The God-damned main course is trying to kill us!!"

"I don't know!" yelled Nick back, his blue eyes darting around in search of the two lobsters that were now nowhere to be seen. Nick paused, "Where did they go?"

AJ caught a flash of red, "There!"

AJ then ran to the other side of the room, leaving Nick alone.

"Hey!" sputtered Nick, then he saw the lobsters coming at him.

"Yikes!" he yelped, bracing his hands on the counter behind him and hoisting himself up. The lobsters crashed into the lower cupboards with a soft chink. Seeming unfazed, they backed away from the cupboards, their legs clinking on the hard linoleum as Nick huddled on the counter above them like someone would from mice.

AJ bit his lip, looking for something to catch the lobsters in. He spotted the bucket a couple feet from him and quickly snatched it up. He glanced at Nick and then slowly crept up on the two lobsters, being careful not to make a noise. AJ was about to drop the bucket over them when they seemed to sense his presence and they bolted away, disappearing once again.

Slumping, AJ looked at Nick as the blond hopped down from the counter, his sneakers making a slight squishing sound in the thin film of water that coated the floor. Nick rubbed his face, looking tired, "Now where did they go?"

AJ shrugged, looking dejected, "I don't know... ...I'm sorry, Nick."

Nick straightened, giving AJ a perplexed look, "Huh? What for?"

"The lobsters," replied AJ softly, "You ain't the screw up here, Nick. I am. I forgot the appetizers and now I've screwed up the main course. I'm sorry."

"AJ," argued Nick firmly, "It's no big deal. Like we said before, we're just having fun. Let's catch these red hellions and get on with the dinner, 'kay? It ain't yer fault, bud."

AJ stared at Nick for a moment, seeing only a quiet conviction in the blue eyes and he sighed, nodding his head, "Okay. Now, where did they get to?"

Nick looked around the room, then gasped, "Oh, no..."

AJ became alert, looking around, "What? What is it?"

Nick just pointed.

AJ groaned, "Shit."

The two-way hinged door that separated the kitchen from the dining room was still swinging slowly back and forth before finally settling to a stand still.

Nick took in a deep breath, then expelling it in a whoosh before speaking, "We gotta find them before Leighanne and Brian see them, especially Leighanne. She'd freak."

"How are we gonna do that?" inquired AJ, looking up at Nick.

Nick thought for a moment, then spoke slowly, "I'll distract Bri' and Leigh while you find and catch the lobsters. How's that sound?"

"Yeah, okay..." began AJ, then he blinked. "Hey! Wait a second!" he protested, straightening slightly, "Why do I have to be the one to catch them?"

Nick stared at AJ, raising his eyebrows. AJ ducked his head, sighing dejectedly, "All right, all right. I'll catch 'em." AJ went and grabbed a couple of oven mitts, mumbling under his breath, "How the hell was I supposed ta know he wanted dead lobsters. I thought people always bought them alive, they are in those fancy shmancy restaurants. But nooooo... Guess not!"

Nick chuckled as AJ went out the back way of the kitchen, then he took a deep breath before shoving the door open and entering the dining room in a rush, greeting loudly, "Hey!"







Brian gasped in surprise and almost choked on the cracker he was eating, making a startled coughing sound and grabbing his throat, eyes squinting. Across from him, he saw Leighanne's eyes widen in fright as she threw her arms up in reflex, the cracker she had in her hand going airborne to splat against the dining room's white wall.

While trying to calm her breathing, Leighanne glanced at the cracker that stayed plastered to her white wall, then reached across the table to pat Brian on the back, the southerner still coughing, his face red and blue eyes watering.

Nick looked sheepish as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his stance apologetic from where he stood beside their table. He sighed, the action of raising his hand to rake it through his hair a nervous habit as he tried to apologize, "Oops... Um, sorry?"

Brian took the glass of water his now smiling wife offered him, sending her a brief glare as he sipped the liquid. Finally, Brian cleared his throat and stared at Nick, absently rubbing his throat, "Nick... What the heck was that?!"

Nick stuffed his hands into his pockets, worrying his bottom lip for a moment before answering his best friend's question, "I'm sorry, I just- Um..." He paused, thinking quickly, "I just wanted to know if you liked the appetizers and if you're, um... happy? I guess, uh... Yeah, that's what I wanted to know."

Brian stared at Nick, one eyebrow quirked. He then shook his head, smiling. Only Nick would burst into a room, just to find out if you were happy. The blond lived to please. Sighing softly, Brian glanced at Leighanne and then looked up at Nick.

"The appetizers are great and we're having a good time," Brian smiled, seeing an almost imperceptible feeling of relief brightening Nick's features, "We were wondering though, where did you learn to make these crackers?"

Nick smiled and told them about AJ's little treat, doing his best to keep them distracted as AJ rounded up their wayward lobsters.







AJ crept around the living room, his hands covered with the flowered oven mitts. He crouched low to the ground, his dark eyes searching for anything moving and red.

"Here, lobsters!" he whispered out, "Come to AJ! I won't kill you! I'll set you free in the ocean. I promise!"

AJ saw a flash of red in the corner of the room and froze. There. They were both right there. They were under an end table. AJ didn't think they had seen him yet.

AJ smirked and now began to talk in an Australian accent, his voice low as he spoke to some unseen specter behind him, "Hey, all. This is Steve the Crocodile Hunter. Today we're huntin' lobstahs. Now, what we're gonna do is... We're gonna sneak up on da unsuspectin' lobstahs an' rescue 'em from becomin' bait if ole Leighanne gets a hold of 'em."

AJ crept up behind the lobsters, the red crustaceans no more than a few feet away now. He continued in his Australian accent, "The trick with catchin' these crustaceans is gettin' a hold on their forcep claws. If those things catch us, we could really be hurtin' for a bit. What I'm gonna have ta do is, real quick like, get my hands 'round their claws and lift 'em up 'fore they get awares." AJ put one of the gloves up to his lips, "Shh, now. I don't want ta blow the element of surprise..." AJ stepped up right behind the lobsters, ready to spring, "Now!"

AJ lunged. The lobsters ran. AJ slammed into the table.

Cursing, AJ rubbed his head and then looked back at the camera only he could see, still in his Australian accent, "Oh, crikey! Them buggers are right quick, aren't they now?"







"What was that?" asked Leighanne, referring to the muffled crash from their living room.

Nick silently cursed, thinking quickly, "What was what? I didn't hear anything."

"Nick," toned Brian, "Something just crashed in our living room. How could you not hear it?"

"I have no idea what you are talking about, Brian," Nick continued the charade. "Are you two feeling all right? You aren't coming down with something, are you?"

Brian dodged Nick's hand as it tried to feel his forehead, "No! I'm not sick. I'm sure I heard something. You did, didn't you, Leigh?"

Leighanne suddenly looked unsure. After all, why would Nick lie? "Um, I don't know, Brian. Maybe I didn't."

"What?!" cried Brian, shaking his head, "You heard something. I heard something. I know I did."

"I didn't hear anything, Brian," said Nick, his tone worried. "Are you sure you're feelin' all right?"

"Yes!"







AJ was running. His mitt covered hands were stretched out in front of him as he ran though Brian's back yard. A silent scream was plastered on his face as the lobsters clutched in his hands writhed, trying to either clamp their free claws onto AJ or get away.

As he arrived at the kitchen's back door, AJ pivoted to back through the door and into the kitchen. He stopped in the middle of the room, at a loss of what to do next. Frantic, his dark eyes locked on the swinging door and the voices he heard beyond it.

Nick.

Nick could help him.

AJ fairly sprinted to the door, stopping before it to lean into it just enough to let his head poke through, "Nick!"

The blond, as well as the two dinner guests, jumped at the shout. Nick spun around, "What?!"

"Nick," AJ ground out, "If you'd be so kind, I'd like some help in here!"

"Oh," understood Nick, flashing a smile as AJ's head disappeared back into the kitchen. "Well, gotta go! Duty calls. Oh, and Brian?"

"Yeah," was the wary reply.

"You didn't hear anything," then Nick disappeared after AJ.

"Yes, I did!"







"Whoa!" Nick backed up, hands up in defense. "Keep 'em away from me."

"Away from you!?" AJ exclaimed, arms still held as far from his body as possible. "What about me here, huh? What am I supposed to do with these things?!"

"Where's that bucket?" Nick asked, searching the room.

"I don't know, but you're getting it 'cause I ain't movin'!"

"Found it!" yelled Nick, filling the bucket with water. He approached AJ carefully, "Okay, put 'em in here."

Eyes closed and face turning away, AJ dropped the lobsters back into their bucket. Once he heard the splash, he opened his eyes and looked at the two trapped lobsters.

He looked at Nick, "Now what?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we can't kill 'em," answered AJ, "They obviously don't want to die. I mean, hello! They made an escape attempt!"

"Then what are we gonna have for a main course, AJ?" asked Nick, staring hard at the rebel.

"Well," AJ started, "There's a couple pounds of hamburger in that bag over there. I figured we could make ourselves some hamburgers when we were done here. I mean, we have to eat, too. Why don't we just make them hamburgers?"

Nick stared at AJ, "Hamburgers? You want to give them hamburgers?! AJ, what kind of anniversary dinner is that?"

"A good one," answered AJ, "This is about more than just food, Nick. Brian and Leighanne will appreciate us doin' this no matter what we serve them. It's the thought that counts!"

Nick thought for a moment, "Okay, we don't kill the lobsters. Instead of hamburgers, though, let's make barbecue.

"What's the difference?" asked AJ.

"There is a huge difference, AJ," argued Nick, "C'mon, man. We made your crackers. Now I get to make my barbecue."

"All right, all right," relented AJ, crossing his arms, "We'll make barbecue. I don't know why, since plain hamburgers would be easier, but since your so dead set on it... fine."

"Good!" grinned Nick, already getting the things they'd need to make the barbecue, "And hamburgers would just be too easy, 'J. That's something even the most simple minded bachelor can make. Hell, I practically lived off of 'em when I first got my own place."

"Nick," AJ deadpanned, "You're rich. Why didn't you just hire a chef or go out to eat?"

Nick placed the pan he'd taken from a cupboard on the counter, then slowly turned to look at AJ. Nick's face was serious as he raised his hand to count off of his fingers as he spoke, "Reason number one: I wasn't gonna have someone wait on me like I was better than them. Reason number two: Me, Nick Carter, go out to a public restaurant, by myself??--You must be joking. I'd get killed! Reason number three: It's not what normal people do."

AJ understood. Just like the rest of them, Nick wanted to live as normal a life as possible. That was a harder thing to accomplish than you'd think, especially when your face plastered the walls of bedrooms all over the world. It was hard to 'get away' sometimes.

Sighing, AJ stepped up along side the blond and looked at the ingredients on the counter, "Okay, kid. What do we do first?"

Nick smiled and proceeded to show AJ how to make barbecue al a Nick Carter.







Brian rearranged his silverware for the fifteenth time, glancing at the kitchen door. His stomach suddenly growled loudly.

"Dang it!" he hissed, hands moving to clutch his gut in a vain effort to silence it.

Across from him, Leighanne laughed, "Somehow, Brian, I don't think that will help any. Getting a little hungry?"

Brian scowled at the smiling tone of voice his wife used, releasing his stomach, "Well, the total amount of food that I have consumed this entire day would be those crackers. I've been so nervous all day, waiting for this dinner and imagining all the disasters Nick and AJ could cause... I just couldn't bring myself to eat anything."

"Aw, you poor thing," cooed Leighanne, but was unable to wipe the smile from her face, "Brian, you worry too much."

Brian straightened at that comment, "Me? Worry too much? What about you, huh? I seem to recall you going over the kitchen from top to bottom at least ten times today!" Brian leaned forward and wagged a finger at Leighanne's now contrite face, "I saw you remove all the breakable things that didn't need to be in there: the ceramic figurines on the window sill, the crystal vase centerpiece we got from our wedding, and all of the ceramic and glass containers on the counter!"

As Leighanne ducked her head, face red with embarrassment, Brian leaned back and couldn't hold back the smile, "You even took all of the magnets off of the refrigerator!"

"I know!" gushed Leighanne, "But I couldn't stop myself! I didn't want them to break anything, and that crystal vase was a gift from your mother and-" Leighanne stopped explaining herself, having looked up to see Brian's face grinning back at her in obvious amusement.

Leighanne's jaw dropped and she stared at Brian when he chuckled. Put off, Leighanne grabbed her napkin and threw it in Brian's face, "Oh- You! It's not funny!"

Brian's shoulders began to shake as he pulled the napkin off of his face, now laughing.

"Brian!" whined Leighanne in protest, but she found she couldn't stop a smile from turning her lips. Brian just kept on laughing, harder now, his face going red and tears falling from his smiling blue eyes. Leighanne couldn't help herself, she started laughing, too. Soon, she was laughing just as hard as Brian.

After a few minutes, they calmed enough that only an occasional giggle burst from them. Brian wiped his eyes, looking at Leighanne, "Well, that was refreshing."

"Yeah," smiled Leighanne, "That felt good. I don't even know why we were laughing."

A high-pitched yelp came from the kitchen, followed by a, "Hot, hot, hot! Damn it, that's hot!"

Leighanne giggled and looked at Brian, "I take that back."