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Chapter Forty-Two :: Shining Stars

"So, what exactly happens when we get onto the red carpet?" Alana questioned with an air of nervousness as she leaned to peer out the tinted window of the stretch limousine. They were in a long line of black limousines leading to the red carpet of the show, where Alana would be performing for an audience for the first time. Her heart hammered against her ribcage as she reached to play with Colton's ring on her white gold chain. The stylist had wanted perfect in her outfit. So, Leslie had decided that seaside blue, lightweight, jersey babydoll dress. It had a sleek empire waist with a twist knot detail underneath the cleavage of her breasts. The hem ended well above her knees, displaying her long, gorgeous legs. Then the stylist had come early to curl her long locks into perfected strawberry golden ringlets. She was a vision of beauty, though now she had a new accessory to play with - her engagement ring.

"We're just going to walk along the carpet and smile and wave for the cameras," Howie informed her, not glancing up from his PDA as he spoke. Idly reaching for Natalie's hand as he scrolled through his emails. "If anyone from an entertainment show calls us over we stop and talk to them, answer their questions, that sort of thing. Everyone will no doubt notice the rock on your hand, so you two have to decide whether or not you're going to say anything about it or not. And when we get inside, you're going backstage to get changed into your performance clothes--"

"The black leather pants and off the shoulder green blouse," Natalie interjected, glancing down at the promise ring on her hand. Carefully twisting it so the diamond was facing her palm, she bit down on her bottom lip. "And then you change back into the dress you've got on now."

"If Nick doesn't want to be a man, then I will most certainly take the heat for that engagement ring, Al," AJ announced as he shifted in the limousine in order to sit next to Alana. Reaching he brought her hand to his lips for playful smack of a kiss. He batted his warm sepia eyes at her as he nestled his head over her bare shoulder. "Ryan already thinks were an item. Should have heard him on Entertainment. 'Course he bashed my name to the fucking ground because I bitched about cold coffee--"

"You're such a savior, Alex," Alana laughed, loving how comfortable he made her feel when it felt as if the world were turning upside down.

"You know it, Al," AJ crooned, lightly kissing the bare skin of her neck.

"Get your paws off my fiancé, how 'bout it?" Nick grumbled, pulling Alana's hands into his. "If anyone asks, we're going to tell them the truth--"

"That you're a dickwad?" AJ inquired.

"And you're a fucking dickhead," Nick fired back quite childishly.

"Tell me again why we brought them?" Natalie asked Howie as he tucked his PDA away. "Couldn't we have had more fun flirting with all the hotties without Tweedledum and Tweedledee around?"

"Nattie, for the hundredth time, I'm not a homosexual," Howie groaned as he pulled his hand from hers, shaking his head in dismay.

"Well, good, 'cause if Vin Diesel walks up to you by chance, send him to me, 'cause I am most definitely willing to be his sex slave forever," Alana offered with an impish grin, her southern drawl peeking from behind the western accent she fought to acquire.

"…Wait a minute," Nick murmured after a moment, scowling as the limousine pulled to a stop. "Vin Diesel?!"

Alana nodded enthusiastically. "Y'know, beefcake from Pitch Black, Fast and the Furious, Triple X, Chronicles of Riddick, The Pacifier--"

"The bald guy?!"

"And just what is wrong with being bald?" AJ questioned.

"I'd rub his cue ball head any day," Alana breathed with a dramatic flutter of her turquoise eyes, causing Natalie to snort with a giggle.

Nick rolled his eyes as the door opened. "…So if I shaved my head--"

"NO!"

"What?!" Nick exclaimed in shock as Natalie and Howie were helped out first.

"Don't shave your head, Handsome," Alana murmured. "I like having something to run my hands through…"

"But you said--"

"I love your hair," Alana interrupted as she pulled him back so AJ could move to get out next. Gently, she brushed her fingers through his spiked locks, helping to flare them out ever so slightly like she truly adored. "I love when your curled up next to me sleeping, your warm breath on my shoulder, and I can just play with your hair till you wake up. Or when you flop onto the couch with Zachie and I can play with your hair and make you both fall asleep. Not to mention I need something to help stabilize me when you throw me into bed…"

"So that means I can grow it longer," Nick decided, offering her a smoldering kiss. Hearing AJ holler for them to get the lead out, he groaned. "C'mon, Beautiful."

"Wait," Alana hesitated, feeling her stomach coil into tight knots as she held tight to Nick for a moment. "If they really ask about the ring, I'm supposed to say that we're engaged? Not the love of my life proposed to me? But Nick proposed to me? Nick Carter?"

"Nickolas Gene Carter," Nick confirmed. "Aren't Nick Carter and the love of your life the same person?"

"Of course, but I haven't exactly linked your name to mine--"

"Then they'll all be shocked as Hell that we pulled something over on them."

"Carter, would you care to get your fat ass out of the car so you can talk to the paparazzi about the House of Carters? Your lovely sisters and idiotic brother are already out there," AJ interrupted with a deep scowl as he popped back into the limousine, throwing a heavy gesture of his hand out to the red carpet.

"Give me a minute," Nick muttered, pushing AJ back outside. Turning to face Alana again, he swept a hand across her cheek. "Let's go dazzle them, Beautiful."

"Just make sure I don't fall," she requested, leaning to kiss him softly.

"You're graceful," Nick promised, nibbling gently at her bottom lip before pulling away. "And I love you," he added as he climbed out. Leaning over, he reached for her hand.

Grasping Nick's hand tightly, Alana held her breath as he helped to pull her out of the limousine in as graceful a manner as possible. His fingers swept over the brilliant engagement ring and it seemed to fuel her confidence. Though, she closed her eyes as she stepped out at the driver closed the door behind her. Instantly, she was greeted with a roar of screams, applause, and her name being called in every direction. Allowing her eyes to flutter open, she was flabbergasted at the overwhelming approval she received from the media, every rushing the velvet ropes in hope to take a glance at her.

"Smile and wave," Nick murmured in her ear, keeping a hold of her hand as they slowly followed the others along the red carpet. Flashbulbs went off in every direction, and when her heel caught on a wire he slid his arm around her waist, holding her close.

"I don't know how you do it," Alana whispered toward her fiancé's ear, pressing a delicate hand against his chest as they walked. She ignored the firm blush creeping to her cheeks from her near fall, hearing the distant scream of her name. Turning slightly, she noticed a little girl on crutches struggling to stand along the velvet rope. Compassionate, Alana gently unwound herself from Nick's arms, quickly reaching for his hand to pull him over to the little girl. "Were you yelling for me or Nick?"

"Both," the girl murmured, speaking so low that Nick had to lean close to hear what she said. "I saw your picture on the internet, you're pretty," she informed Alana with a nervous smile, lurching forward when several fans pressed against her back.

"Get back, you little vultures!" Nick growled in annoyance.

"Well, thank you so much," Alana cooed as she crouched slightly in order to meet the girl's height, reaching out to brush a stray red curl behind the girl's ear. A natural instinct from being a pediatric nurse for so many years. "I think you're pretty, too."

"Can I—" the girl cut off as another roar of screams sounded behind her, quickly turning her face to see who had arrived. "Vin Diesel!"

"Where?" Alana breathed in surprise.

"Nick! Over here!" Angel and BJ suddenly squawked, breaking Nick's attention from steering Alana away.

"What now?" Nick groaned, lightly kissing Alana's cheek before going to meet his sisters.

Alana was swept away in a sea of confusion as Nick's kiss touched her cheek and his arm left from around her waist, just as the crowd reared up and swallowed the little girl backwards. Noticing one man reach out as if he were going to grab at her, she fell backward, tripping against the height of her heels. Gasping, she fully expected to hit the floor and get the cover of People with her bikini briefs zoomed in a circular close-up. But, a firm grip caught her underneath the arms and hauled her upward before she had a chance to hit the carpet. Gasping, she was soothed by the faint scent of cologne as she glanced up into a pair of dark bronze eyes. She had to blink rapidly in order to assure that she indeed was in his arms.

"Y'know, my first carpet, I actually fell into the paparazzi pit," Vin Diesel confessed with a good natured smile. "But, this is how we save ourselves…" Carefully, Vin lifted her to her feet and enveloped her in a large, friendly hug, leaning to press kisses to both of her cheeks as he turned her toward the paparazzi. "Act like we're long time friends and give them the perfect photo opportunity."

"Thank you so much," Alana breathed in disbelief.

"So just put your arm around me and act like I just said the funniest thing ever," Vin encouraged, resting his cheek against hers as he grinned for the cameras.

"I think I could manage that as long as we hit up the paparazzi for doubles," Alana sighed as she leaned into the muscular man and threaded her arm around his tapered waist. Feeling the strength of his muscles beneath the light white button down shirt actually caused her to shiver slightly. The man had always been gorgeous in her mind. Tall, dark, handsome. His brilliant smile lighting up the media as they all seemed to shift in their direction. Grinning, Alana decided she could do him one better as she wrapped her arms around him and leaned up to press a sweet kiss to his cheek.

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Vin murmured, squeezing her tight against him as they proceeded down the carpet.

"Like you ain't got tons of women kissing your cheeks daily," Alana laughed as kept her arm around his waist. "My name's Alana by the way--"

"Oh, I know who you are," Vin promised. "I have your single in my iPod--"

"No way!" Alana exclaimed as she pulled away from him, shifting to stand in front of him as her teal eyes widened in surprise. A glow of pride seemed to light her face as she waited for his nod of confirmation. She actually squealed with delight, causing him to laugh at her sweetness. "You really do? 'Cause I have all your DVD's in my cabinet at home."

"Well maybe I should come over sometime and… Autograph them?" Vin suggested with a smirk.

"You could come over and autograph my forehead and I think I'd still squeal like a little girl," she confessed with a blush, realizing she was perhaps acting just as bad as what Natalie called the teenage fans - teenyboppers. Immediately biting on her bottom lip with a soft blush, she moved to walk beside him once more. "Sorry, can I just blame this on my first red carpet appearance as well as my first performance?"

"You should have seen me at my first red carpet. After falling into the pit, I managed to put a sweaty handprint on Sophia Loren's silk gown, ripped the hem off of Sandra Bullock's by stepping on it, and literally squealed like a pig when I was introduced to Sly Stallone--"

"Hell, then I ain't doing so bad," Alana whistled as she playfully blew on her French tipped nails and rubbed them against the fabric of her dress with an air of arrogance.

"You're going to the Maxim afterparty, aren't you?" Vin inquired, steering her behind the Carter siblings as they spoke to the Entertainment Tonight correspondent.

"They actually agreed to put me as the cover of next month's issue, so my hands are tied in that affair," Alana explained with a small nod, not even bothering to mention that they had insisted she be on that month's cover as well as the next months. They were quite anxious to get her back into the studio - under a different photographer. "I take it you'll be there?"

"If you promise to save me a dance and let me sit near you and bask in the glow of your radiant beauty--"

"Save you a dance? Bask in my radiant beauty? Do you tell this to all the uprising stars? 'Cause, this is seriously surreal," Alana interrupted with a deeper blush accentuating her cheeks, reaching to carefully tuck her arms underneath her breasts, wanting to hide her shiver.

"I only tell it when I mean it, which is very, very rare," Vin promised, drawing her to a stop when he noticed a young woman darting towards them. "Friend of yours?"

Pulling her burning gaze away from him, she wrinkled her nose as she fought a groan. Natalie was barreling toward her at full speed, wildly waving her hands and seeming to squeal in the process. She looked as if she had just died and gone to Heaven, though, Alana was quite assured that she'd be going in the other direction when she killed Natalie later in the evening. "Yeah, that'd be my best friend… Soon to be my dead friend… Want to attend a wake with me after the Maxim party? I'll even let you pour the lye…"

"We could drive her out to the desert where nobody would even think to look…" Vin trailed.

"'Lana!" Natalie squeaked when she reached them. "Oh, hi," she greeted Vin casually, as though she had known him for years. Glancing over her shoulder at the man conversing with AJ up the red carpet, she suppressed a squeal. "JC's here, AJ's invited him to come with us to the Maxim party. He said yes, so AJ told him he could ride with us, seeing as how he was planning on going to some other party with Justin or whoever, and there's not enough room in the limo for him to ride, so I was thinking--'

"I'll take you in my limo, Alana," Vin offered.

"You wouldn't mind?" Alana questioned in astonishment, fighting the urge to grin exuberantly.

"Not at all. It'll give us a chance to get to know each other better--"

"You are a doll," Natalie decided with a bright smile. "I'll see you inside, 'Lana."

"That's it?" Alana questioned in confusion, arching her light brows toward Natalie. "No hurry up? No you've got to get your costume on? No make sure to talk to the media? No--"

"I have to go make sure that AJ doesn't grab the seat next to JC, since he's sitting in our row. And you know what to do, besides Howie's right over there grinning and talking--"

"What exactly is he talking about?" Alana interrupted with question.

"He's telling the chick from E News about the Boys' new album--"

"And Alex is hunting for seats and probably chicks. Nick is talking to some other media about the House of Carter with his siblings. You're about to go fawn over JC. Which means, I actually get a few moments peace… Bye, Allie!"

"See? I knew you'd understand!" Natalie cooed, giving them both a wave before turning to head inside, making sure to hold the hem of her floor-sweeping gown off the carpet.

"I suppose I should venture off on my own and let you get back to what you normally do on the red carpet," Alana suggested toward Vin as she watched Natalie hurrying along and calling out for JC. Her friend was most certainly a sprinkler of fireworks on the Fourth of July. Just a tiny spit of fire when the time called for it. But most of all, beautiful. Brian was an idiot to leave that.

"I'll keep you company," Vin offered, reaching for her hand. "I can't leave a beautiful woman all alone on the red carpet."

"I have a--" Alana's sentence ended before she could gesture toward her fiancé and call him by that very name. Looking ahead, she could see BJ and Angel leaning back to glare at her viciously as they pushed their older brother to one of their many gorgeous friends. Both had smirks of pride on their face that seemed to cause Alana's skin to prickle with a cool awareness. There was no need for the animosity nor a brawl on the red carpet. "I'd be fine on my own."

"I have to stay with you," Vin insisted, leaning close to kiss her cheek softly when he saw the vicious looks other women were sending her. Draping his arm around her waist, he steered her along. "Otherwise you'll slip away, and that'd just ruin my night."

"Well I am going to have to slip away at one point to get backstage," Alana reminded him, flushing once more at the kiss he had pressed to her cheek. Cupping the very cheek with her hand to assure his lips had actually been there, she felt her heart flutter. "Getting into a costume for a staged performance is harder than rigging yourself to the side of a mountain, y'know?"

"You'll have to tell me…"

"You've never rock climbed?"

"No…"

"You should really try it. Rock climbing is one of the best experiences that I've ever had. Y'know, aside from dirt bikes and four wheelers and--" Alana suddenly wrinkled her nose in remembrance as the media begged her to stop with Vin for one photograph. "It just ain't too pretty when you fall off…"

"I heard you'd had a bad fall… But you look like you've healed up nice," Vin murmured with approval, holding her out at arm's distance to assess her figure. "Very nice…"


Alana tensed slightly when she felt the burn of Vin's dark eyes sweeping over her curved figure, suddenly realizing how extremely form fitting the dress was. Squeezing his hands as her cheeks turned to a lush rose color, she didn't know what to say or do. She could have sworn that he was flirting with her, but that seemed preposterous. He had his choice of any woman in the entertainment business. He couldn't possibly have been interested in her, so she treated him like an old friend. "Do you want to see the scar?" she inquired, shifting to her side to pull up her dress slightly to reveal the rest of her thigh. "It's pretty wicked. Snapped my femur like it was a toothpick."

Stepping close, Vin ran the tip of his index up the length of her scar, smiling slightly when she shivered. "Why don't we go inside now?"

"Sounds good to me," Alana agreed with a soft nod, allowing the hem of the dress to fall against her thigh once more. Glancing around the red carpet, she felt her heart dampen slightly when she realized that Nick had already gone inside without her. Was probably in his seat amongst his brother and sisters. Not that it mattered. She was due backstage--

"Want me to walk you backstage? And then I'll know where to find you after the show?"

"Yeah, that'd be great," Alana agreed as she yanked her attention back to Vin. Smiling sweetly to him when he helped guide her arm through his so her hand rested delicately on his bicep, she gave the media a final wave before she was ushered inside. All the celebrities were talking amongst themselves as they found their seats for the show, causing a rush of loud sounds to flood over Alana. But, she kept close to Vin, knowing he would guide her in the right direction.


*~*~*

"Wasn't Alana fabulous?" Natalie sighed to Nick as she sipped her daiquiri. The Maxim Grammy afterparty was in full swing, several couples packed onto the large dance floor in the center of the hotel ballroom. Eyes scanning the room, she had to smile when photos from Alana's shoot gazed at her from every corner of the room. Glancing towards the entrance, she grinned when she saw Alana coming in, on the arm of Vin Diesel. Her friend looked so happy and relaxed. She had changed into a pair of khaki capri cargos that hung low on her hips, an black tunic over it, the collar sliding low on one tanned shoulder. She looked radiant. "She's here!"

Jerking slightly, Nick cursed when he felt the slosh of his beverage on his hand, but still craned his neck in order to find his fiancée. And he dampened when he saw the gorgeous smile accentuating her face as well as the outfit she was wearing. The shirt was far too revealing for her to be wearing when he wasn't by her side. Her right shoulder bare as the long sleeves swept down her arms. The tunic form fitted to her sensuous curves and ended just beneath her bra line, baring her taut midriff. Why he had let his siblings push him around on the red carpet, he would never understand. He should have been with her, announcing their engagement. "Why isn't she wearing the dress that she went to the show in? And why the Hell did you let her get a ride from fucking Vin Diesel of all people? It's not like we've even met the man in social circles. What if something happened between them--"

"He's a perfect gentleman. Besides, it was either her ride with him or you ride with him, and something tells me he wouldn't have been too keen on that idea. And she's not wearing the dress she went to the show in because she wanted to be comfortable at the afterparty, and there ain't no way in Hell that a woman can be comfortable in freaking high heels," Natalie explained, wriggling her toes inside the ballet slippers she'd opted to wear to the afterparty.

Nick whined quite loudly as Howie and AJ passed, causing both of the men to stop and look at him. "Damnit, Nat, she's my fiancée--"
"Who you completely abandoned on the red carpet because of your whoring sisters," Natalie immediately defended. "You're lucky that someone was there to help her through the red carpet. It's a freaking brutal mob!"

"I was doing my job!" Nick defended. "Which is what you should have been doing, instead of creaming your panties over that punk!"

AJ sighed, resting his elbow on Howie's shoulder as they watched Nick and Natalie argue back and forth. "I love it when the kids start acting normal…"

"It just does wonders for our publicity," Howie groaned.

"-And exactly what is my job description, Nick? Her babysitter?! Because, if you haven't noticed, she might actually be more mature than both of us combined! She knows what the Hell she's doing, which is the very least that I can say for you!"

"Yeah?! Well… Fuck you!"

AJ actually began to laugh loudly against Howie's shoulder. "All else fails, bring out the fuck you's!"

"Just go to Hell," Natalie snapped, shoving Nick away. When AJ began to cackle, she turned her glare on him. "All of you-JC! Hi!"

"Am I interrupting something?" the tall, lithe man of a former boy band inquired, raising his dark brows skeptically that cast a bewildered look over his angular features. "…I just wanted to see if I could congratulate your friend on doing such a wonderful job at the show and also compliment her for these fantastic photographs, which I'm sure you had quite a hand in, Natalie…"

"I helped choose the wardrobe," Natalie confirmed with a nervous smile, sharply kicking AJ's legs when he snorted. "Why don't I take you over to meet Alana?"

"You'd really do that for me?" JC asked with a wide grin, offering her his arm. "I'd really appreciate it. I was hoping to see if I could get her vocals on my new album."

"Oh, fuck me raw," Nick muttered into his drink.

Taking JC's arm, Natalie grinned. "You'll have to talk to her managers about that… But come on, I'd love for you to meet her-She is my best friend, you know--"

"Fuck me raw seven ways from Sunday," Nick whined as they headed away.

"What the Hell is your problem?" AJ muttered.

"Nothing."

"Why don't you go talk to the paparazzi about getting a few photographs of Alana in front of her photographs?" Howie commanded more than asked of AJ, gesturing toward the man hurriedly traveling around the grand room to take snapshots of various celebrities. Waiting till AJ was moving away with a string of curses, Howie glanced up at Nick. "Now what's really wrong?"

"Nothing… Everything," Nick sighed, watching Alana move around the room on Vin's arm.

"Okay, I'm going to need a little bit more insight if you want me to play big brother…"

"Ugh, where's the damn leather couch? Alright, Doc, I hated my father and wanted to marry my mother," Nick muttered, rolling his eyes. When Howie opened his mouth, no doubt to lay down serious Spanish curses at his feet, he held up one hand in defense. "Alright, alright. Up until right after we got on the red carpet, she was with me. And then I got pulled away to do the House of Bullshit crap and she slipped away… And I haven't had two seconds alone with her since."

"To say your two sisters are conniving bitches would probably be putting it lightly at this point," Howie murmured as he looked over to see Vin retrieving Alana a glass of punch. In truth, Howie was proud of the young woman for all her accomplishments. She had gotten over her fear of being on stage and performed so wonderfully that he was sure that wasn't a dry eye in that award show. And now she was working the entire room with her charm and splendor. She made sure to speak to everyone, not just the key celebrities at the party. If someone wanted her attention, then she did so as soon as she possibly could. She was being herself and everyone loved her. "…Why don't you go ask Vin if you can have your fiancée's arm back?"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Have you actually seen the man?! He could fling us both out the windows with just a flick of his thumb!"

"Then I guess you should just go find those rail-thin models you were oh-so-sweetly embracing on the red carpet?"

"One model, Howie. One fucking model. Leslie's friend, excuse the fuck out of me for being nice--"

"And the one that grabbed at your crotch? Was that part of the niceties?"

"I've never seen her before in my life-What is this? The Inquisition?"

"More like an enlightenment."

"Y'know what? Nat had the right idea. Go to Hell!"

"Hey, Daddy D, before you go to Hell… Can you hold this?" Alana asked as she accidentally entered the heated conversation, not truly prepared for whatever was happening between the two. But, her mind was elsewhere as she held up a blush pink handbag for Howie while gesturing toward the beautiful woman being dipped in the center of the dance floor by an enchanted JC. Vin had wanted to speak to one of the owners of Maxim for a moment, so Alana had excused herself and was pleasantly surprised to find Nick without a woman near him. "I never bring a purse anywhere. That's what pockets were made for. And it clashes with my outfit…"

"You want me to hold a… Pink purse?" Howie questioned incredulously, his eyes on the couple in the center of the dance floor. If the man dipped her any lower she'd be lying on the floor, he thought with a slight scowl.

"It matches your tie?" Alana cooed sweetly as she brushed her hand over his shoulder, playing with the lapel of his sports jacket. Though her gaze was settled on the couple as well. She had to fight a proud smile at the enchanted look radiating Natalie's face. It was as if Brian hadn't mattered anymore. It was the first smile she had in days.

"Fine, I'll hold it," Howie acquiesced after a moment, turning his attention back to Alana. "But only if you'll--"

"Alana? Care to dance?" Vin interrupted, stepping up behind Alana, hands moving to rest on her waist.

"If a fast song hits the DJ, sure," Alana agreed, fearing her slow dance skills were not up to par with JC and Natalie's romantic movements. Though, when she realized it was Vin, she had to turn to look at him to assure herself. "Wait, you want to dance with me?"

"Well, yeah--"

"Y'know that just because you brought me to this party doesn't mean you're inclined to stay by my side all night. If you find someone who intrigues you more, then by all means, please--"

"Actually, Nick already claimed the next dance," Howie intervened, hitting Nick's arm with the purse he held.

"I did? Oh, yeah! I did!"

Vin narrowed his eyes at Nick, actually causing the man to take a step backward. "Wasn't his friends the ones giving you those hideous--"

"They're his sisters," Alana interrupted with a sigh.

"And also, Nick is Alana's--"

"If you want to dance with him, that's cool," Nick offered, taking a hasty sip of his drink. "I don't mind."

"You're sure?" Alana questioned in surprise when she felt Vin's arm curve around her waist to bring her close, accepting Nick's decline in the offer to dance. Though, Alana wasn't as compliant with his causal answer. In fact, it stung a little, especially when he hurriedly intervened to keep Howie from revealing their engagement. Immediately, she cupped her right hand over her left, hiding the engagement ring. Was she that much of an embarrassment? Did he purposely ditch her at the red carpet? The very thought made her ill. "C'mon, Vin, I'd love to dance… It's been forever…"

"Don't fucking start," Nick warned Howie as Vin pulled Alana towards the dance floor. Turning to face the bar, he motioned for another drink.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?!" Howie screeched in disbelief, forgetting Nick's blatant warning as he slapped the purse against Nick's back. His dark chocolate eyes widened in horror as he looked to see Vin pull Alana close till their bodies melted together, signaling for a faster song. Turning back, Howie slapped Nick twice as hard. "Would you pull your head out of that bottle of booze or have you fucking forgotten that's what got you into trouble in the first place?!"

"What the Hell is that supposed to mean?" Nick questioned darkly, whirling around to snatch the purse from Howie's hand. Dropping it onto the bar, he pushed his drink away.

"Do you have any idea what you were like before you went to Kentucky to see Baylee? Because, trust me, the rest of us have a picture perfect view. Alcohol, sex, cigarettes, God help us but we didn't even want to know about drug involvement. You were a damn mess when Brian got married. Then you drop everything to go to Kentucky and you meet Alana. You stop smoking right off the damn bat, which surprised the Hell out of us. Then we stopped seeing you with alcohol bottles glued to your hands. Then you tell us you want to be a father. Adopt a son, no less! And you ask one of the most beautiful women on the planet to marry you. You have everything, Nick, why are you fucking up?"

"I'm not fucking up! I'm having fun. You know what that's like, don't you, D? To actually relax and not worry about every little fucking thing that's going on in everyone else's life? Because no offense, man, but you're a fucking drag--"

"Howie?" Natalie interrupted, tapping Howie's arm. "Can you put this in my purse for me?"

Howie tensed significantly at the feeling of Natalie's hand on his arm, causing him to turn and giving Nick a chance to flee with his beverage. But, Howie reached for the piece of paper nonetheless, glancing toward the scratch of digits. "Why am I even holding your purse in the first place, Nattie? It's pink and totally clashes with my-JC's number?"

"God I hope it's JC's number… You don't think he'd give me a fake one, do you?" Natalie worried her bottom lip for a moment, glancing towards the man in question as he spoke with AJ. "Go ask AJ if it's really JC's number--"

"He's been talking about you all night, I hardly doubt that he'd be giving you a faulty number," Howie snorted with a chuckle, handing over her purse.

"He's really nice, Howie--"

"I know he's really nice, just don't let him dip you so much on the dance floor, he might end up hurting you," Howie interrupted as he leaned to affectionately kiss Natalie's cheek. He couldn't blame her for wanting to get to know JC better. He was an extremely friendly man with an infectious personality. And with Brian being so concerned about Leighanne the past two weeks… No, Howie couldn't blame Natalie at all.

"Don't worry about that. JC's very skilled on the dance floor," Natalie assured him, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek before he pulled away. "Oh…" she breathed, seeing the diamond of her promise ring glint in the soft light. Fighting back the wave of hurt, she lifted her gaze to Howie's, reaching to pull it off. "Keep this safe for me? Just for tonight?"

"…Sure…" Howie agreed, taking the ring and tucking it into the inner pocket of his sports jacket. Unable to help himself, he leaned forward to press a soft kiss of assurance to her forehead. "You have fun with JC, Nattie."

"But not too much fun," she promised, embracing him quickly as JC headed over. "Don't forget to ask AJ that very important question for me, okay?"

"I won't… And you keep an eye on Alana while Nick's being a dickhead?"

"I will."

"Can I take her away now, Howie?" JC interrupted with a wide grin as he clapped a hand to Howie's shoulder, keeping his gaze fixed upon Natalie.

"I suppose… Be careful with her, though… She's fragile," Howie teased with a smirk.

"I still owe you for that!" Natalie warned with a bemused grin, taking JC's hand so he could lead her away. Though she was sure to tug on his shirt so he could lean down to hear the entire story.

"You've got me back!" Howie called after her. "Ten-fold!"

"Man, this party fucking blows," AJ announced as he came over to stand with Howie. Snorting when he saw Vin and Alana dancing closely--too closely in his opinion--on the dance floor, he turned his gaze to the couple heading for the doors that led to the gardens outside. "She's bonking JC now?"

"Hardly," Howie muttered, never in the mood for AJ's insinuations when it came to Natalie's romantic life. Instead, he leaned over the bar to order another drink, making sure it was nonalcoholic as he ordered AJ once as well. The only reason the younger man was perturbed with the party was because Alana was no where near on his arm. Instead, she was in the middle of the dance floor, among the people that would skyrocket her career. She was smiling beautiful and interacting with everyone, though when an older remix played, she reached for Vin with an excited laugh. And then she stepped closer to work her hips against his with the sensual beats of the music. "By the time we get her album out… She'll be absolutely mesmerizing on her solo tour…"

"…Nat's doing a solo album?"

"Sure, J, you go try and sign her. As much as I adore that woman, she would send our label to ruins."

"Helluva way to talk about the love of your life, D…"

"And the love of your life is out in the middle of that dance floor about to experience Vin's mammoth… Did you hear that Playmate on Howard Stern talking about having sex with Vin Diesel and his…member…actually hurting her?"

"I never pay attention to Howard Stern unless the chicks are stripping--" AJ cut off, whirling around to stare at Howie. "His fucking dick's that big?!"

Howie shrugged helplessly as he actually blushed. "You can ask Alana in the morning since Nick's going to be too wasted to care…"

"Nick cares," AJ informed him, his eyes on the dance floor once again.

"I'm sure…" Howie sighed, crossing his arms against his chest, looking to AJ to see him grossly interested in Vin. "…Do you want to take him into the bathroom for a peek?"

"No thanks. If it's big enough for a chick to hurt, who knows how bad it'd… Atta-boy, Nicky!" he exclaimed, elbowing Howie in the ribs. Pointing towards the dance floor, he made sure Howie saw Nick dancing up behind Alana, hands on her waist. Their bodies moved together in a rhythm that made AJ feel the heat of it, and he was certain Vin was about to get burned. "Halle-fucking-lujah the boy has balls!"

Seeming to feel as if she were being dragged into a conversation, Alana glanced over her shoulder to see AJ and Howie waving wildly behind her. Furrowing her brows in confusion, she looked back to Vin only to have arms snake around her waist and pull her backward. She yelped slightly in surprise till she felt the gentle grind against her backside complimented by the sweet smell of her favorite cologne. More importantly, her favorite man. Smiling apologetically toward Vin, she turned to wrap her arms around Nick's neck, rolling her hips against him as she dipped slightly. "What's it like to have your own little frat party where ever you go?"

"So far so good," Nick murmured, dipping his head for a quick kiss.

"You taste like alcohol," Alana mentioned as she leaned back to touch her lips, not even wanting the taste of the fetus-harming liquid in her mouth.

"That means I can't even kiss you?"

"I just don't want anything to happen to the--" Alana's objection was halted as Nick's lips found their way back to hers. Exhaling a soft sigh, she leaned up to intensify the kiss, knowing she'd never be able to even win the argument.

"Are you almost ready to go home?" he whispered into her mouth, drawing her bottom lip between his teeth.

"Whenever you're ready," Alana complied with a whimper, oblivious to the finishing of the song.

"Don't you need to tell what's-his-face goodbye first?" Nick murmured, pulling her tighter against him so he could feel her entire body. Nothing ever felt as good as holding her close.

"…Who?" Alana questioned in confusion as she teased his lips with her tongue. She was far too aware of the fact that it had been too long since they had made love. The proposal evening had been beautiful. They had taken Zachary out to eat and then to the beach to watch the sunset. But then he had grown fussy in the middle of the night, stopping their celebration. Not to mention how exhausted she had been. For the first time in weeks, she actually felt a thrill of energy race through her. "Oh! Vin!"

"…Unless you want to invite him back to the house?" Nick teased softly.

"Can I?"

"Is that a trick question?"

"I don't think so…"

"Do you want to?"

"Do you?"

"I asked you first, Beautiful--"

"Kristin wanted Zachie for the entire night and, for the first time in weeks, I'm not exhausted. I would really like to go home with you and only you. Natalie's tied up with JC. Howie's caught in the business world. AJ's entertaining friends. Your siblings are at another after party. The house would be quiet. Just for us…"

"That sounds like Heaven." Peeking over Alana's shoulder, Nick gave Vin a smile. "See you 'round, man… C'mon, Beautiful."

Shivering as Nick's hands slid down the length of her body to hold her hands, she turned to smile politely at Vin. "Thank you so much for the ride and the dances and… Well, everything. I hope to hear from you soon, but I have to go home with my--"

"Fiancé," Nick finished for her.