January 02, 2002 Tampa, Florida

The rest of the drive home was quiet. Tina kept her fingers running through Nick’s hair, her nails running along his scalp lightly until she realized that he had fallen asleep. He was snoring and she was worried that he was going to drool against her bare thigh but she couldn’t help but be jealous. She had been up just as long as him, she had been the one running around trying to find him while he just had to chill out in a cell yet he was the one who got to sleep on the way home? He’d never even asked her if she was okay, or offered her any support. She was always the one giving and giving without getting anything in return. She wouldn’t complain because he now had ammunition to use against her. She knew that if she said anything he would use her engagement ring as an example of how she got what she wanted. Getting one thing out of a million wasn’t exactly her ideal but she didn’t want to seem selfish.

She lightly ran her fingernail around the shape of his ear, taking a moment to look him over. She wasn’t sure how it had happened, how she had become completely dependent on this man. She’d had a world of opportunity knocking at her door. She was strong, smart and independent and in a flash something as simple as a positive pregnancy test had turned her essentially into a servant. Nick had everything he could ever ask for; millions of dollars in the bank, an infinite amount of people who adored him, a son that held him on a pedestal and a daughter that was always happier in his arms. He had her also; the person who took care of him, washed his clothes, cared for his children, and took all of his shit no matter how dramatic it was. He had everything while she was drowning in unhappiness.

“How can you sleep next to that?” Max teased from the front seat, looking at the two quickly in the rear view mirror.

Tina glanced up at her with a smile, “He’s not always this loud. It’s just when he’s really tired that he snores this bad. I made him go to the doctor about it actually because I was paranoid he had sleep apnea or something. The first night home after tour I usually don’t get any sleep for the noise.”

As they stopped at a red light Max turned in her seat taking in Tina’s tired eyes and weary expression, “What did the doctor say?”

Tina shrugged, “Just that he snores like anyone else. He did tell him that it might not be so bad if he lost a little weight but that just made him angry. He made a huge deal out of never going back to the doctor again.”

“He’s not even that big,” Max shook her head in confusion, “So I have to ask... aren’t you tired?”

“Exhausted,” Tina answered immediately, quickly nodding her head.

“Then why are you still awake?”

Tina didn’t know how to answer that question. Why was she still awake? There was really no reason why she couldn’t have leaned her head over on the window and gotten a few minutes of sleep during the nearly half hour drive back to their house. Instead all she could think about was making sure she didn’t wake Nick up or that he didn’t wake up alone. She wasn’t sure how her brain had become programmed to only think about other people but she wished that she could remember how to think about herself.

“Home sweet home,” Max sang softly as they pulled into her driveway. She threw the car into park and Tina went about trying to wake up the sleeping giant on her lap.

“Nick,” Tina said softly, shaking his shoulder.

He grunted and rolled onto his back, his legs folded awkwardly against the door. Taking a deep breath he opened his eyes slowly, blinking against the morning light.

“We’re home,” she explained, running her thumb over his eyebrow.

He took a few deep breaths then reached up for her, “Kiss?” he asked and Tina took a quick glance to see what Max was doing outside the car before she leaned down to press her lips to his quickly. He kept her there with a hand on the back of her head, deepening the kiss before reluctantly letting her pull away.

Tina’s nose crinkled slightly, “Your breath is absolutely terrible,” she told him honestly before kissing his forehead.

“I just need a shower,” Nick agreed, his voice gravelly from his nap, “and some aspirin.”

Tina dragged Nick out of the car, both of them stretching as soon as they were out of the cramped confines of the car. After thanking Max for her hospitality they turned for home. Looking across the street everything looked quiet but it was nearly eight and Tina knew that her parents were probably already up and chasing after Parker. She made her way down the driveway and was about to step out into the street when Nick’s hand grabbed hers, linking their fingers together tightly. He gave her a reassuring squeeze as they crossed the street and made their way into the house.

~*~

The quiet that could be seen from outside the house was not actually the case on the inside. As Nick and Tina breached the front door hand in hand they were greeted with a flurry of activity. Curiously they walked through the house towards the source of the noise and discovered both of Tina’s parents talking loudly on the phone while a local morning news program played on the television.

As soon as Lynn saw the two of them in the same room she muttered a quick goodbye to the person on the phone and tossed it on the couch.

“Where the hell have you two been!?” she exclaimed wide-eyed, her hands on her hips.

“What do you mean?” Tina wondered, “Didn’t you get my message from last night that we wouldn’t be home?”

Just then the telephone started to ring again and the older woman ignored it, “I don’t know,” she admitted, “The phone has been ringing off the hook for hours; managers, and publicists, and reporters...”

“Oh fuck,” Nick cursed with a heavy sigh, “It got out that fast? Are you kidding me?”

“What’s going on?” Lynn asked bluntly, “I’ve just been blowing everyone off but your parents have called three times looking for you Nick. They told me to turn on the television, that there was going to be something on about you but we haven’t seen it yet.”

“Shh,” Tina’s fathered quieted them, moving quickly across the room to grab the remote, “this is it! It’s on!”

They all turned to the television to see a middle aged woman, blonde and dressed in a red suit, sitting behind a desk with a shoulder graphic of Nick’s face just above her.

“A Backstreet bombshell,” she announced, “The baby of the super group, 21 year old Nick Carter, lead away in handcuffs, busted after a bar room brawl here in his hometown of Tampa.  The pop star’s squeaky clean image is tarnished after police say Carter ignored orders to leave the Pop City nightclub last night. Channel 5’s Yolana Cruz is in Channelside with more...”

As if in a trance all of them moved to the long leather couch, falling into seats to watch as Nick was publically humiliated. Another woman was now on the screen, a petite Latina who was standing outside of the now closed club.

“Thanks Paula,” the woman smiled and Nick wanted to punch her perfect teeth in, “I just spoke with Tampa police who said that Nick Carter received multiple warnings to leave before he was detained and charged with resisting or opposing a police officer without violence. The officer I spoke with did say that the pop star wasn’t being violent but he wouldn’t stop arguing with a woman...”

“Bullshit!” Nick exclaimed wide eyed, unable to believe that the cop would have said he was arguing with a woman instead of with the male paparazzo. Coupled with whatever the photographer was going to say about him, and potentially what Wes might squeal about, it would look like he was fighting with Tina and that’s the last thing he needed.

“Shh,” Tina calmed him, rubbing her hand over his knee as the reporter continued.

“Eyewitnesses say Nick was drunk, loud and flashed more than the peace sign he’s usually seen showing in fan photos. A few people we spoke with who were there last night said he pulled down his pants, waved his appendage around in the air and screamed “Hey everybody I’m Nick Carter!” just before the officer intervened...”

This time it was Tina who couldn’t hold back her comment, “Now that’s just not true! How could they say that about you? It’s not true!”

Nick grabbed her hand and brought it to his mouth, kissing the back of her knuckles reassuringly. He knew that as soon as he finished listening to what supposedly happened the night before he was going to spend the rest of the day on the phone with his publicist trying to clean up the mess.

“His arrest is just the latest blow to the band’s squeaky clean image. Band mate, 23 year old AJ McLean, recently spent time in rehab for depression and alcohol abuse forcing the group to postpone their summer tour. Carter is due in court later next month. If he’s found guilty he could face up to a year in jail for misdemeanour loitering... back to you, Paula.”

Tina gasped and looked over at Nick who was still transfixed on the screen, “Is that true?” she wondered, “Could you go to jail for a year for this? Did you know that?”

Nick sighed heavily turning to look her in the eyes, “I didn’t do anything wrong,” he stressed, “That cop only arrested me because of who I am. There’s no way a judge is going to put me in jail for a year for being drunk and stupid. Besides, once I get a chance to tell people what really happened this will all fizzle out, I know it.”

“How can you be sure?” she asked, knowing her parents were anxiously listening in on their conversation.

“I’m not sure,” Nick admitted, reaching out to push a piece of hair out of her face, “I just have to hope.”