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Turning to the side to assess her profile in the full length mirror of her hotel room, Alana tilted her head and inched up the baggy t-shirt she was currently wearing. Sliding a hand across the lower half of her bare abdomen, she felt just the smallest of protrusions starting to form where the twins were growing. A smile of satisfaction at the growth curved to her lips, though she knew it'd be a miracle if she could keep the protrusion growing. She was losing a significant amount of weight being on stage and performing, trying to eat at least double her usual capacity to sustain. But, at Baylee's bemused giggle, she turned from the mirror to find him standing inside the depths of her large suitcase that Natalie had filled with all her promotional and interview attire. He was searching through the selection of clothing, but not before placing one of her maternity bras over his head like a set of earmuffs. The boy was charming and a perfect gentleman through the whole trip to New York, clinging close to Alana as if she were his salvation. Even at the hotel, he insisted on sleeping in her room and following her everywhere she went. Now, she would be debuting her music video on TRL that afternoon and asked Baylee to help her dress since Natalie was on a vacation of sorts. "So, what do you think, Boogie? What should we wear to TRL? Something comfortable? Something fashionable? Something outrageously sexy? Or maybe a gigantic clown with a big ol' red nose to boot?"

"JJ 'cared of clowns," Baylee informed her, as seriously as he could, considering he was in the process of tying one of her t-shirts around his neck like a cape. Twirling inside the suitcase, he stopped when he faced her once again, placing his hands on his hips in his best impression of every superhero he had seen. "'Lana need com'f'able," he decided.

"I wouldn't mind being comfortable," Alana decided as she dropped her t-shirt, crawling onto the large bed to watch Baylee with a small smile. "And who are you, Boogie? The Bra'ed Boobie Avenger?"

"No," Baylee disagreed, jumping from the suitcase with finesse. Running back and forth across the large hotel room to gain momentum, he leaped onto the bed, grinning from ear to ear. "I The Caped Bra an' Boobie Avenger!"

"Snuggling boobies wherever and whenever they need the snuggling!" Alana exclaimed with a laugh as she grasped Baylee under the arms, tickling him mercilessly while tossing him onto the bed. Jerking up his shirt, she smothered his bare belly in raspberries, reveling in the squeals of delight. She was so thankful that he was feeling better.

"'Lana? You wear the green shirt Mommy got you?" Baylee requested amid his giggles as she flopped onto her back. Sitting up, he reached to pull her t-shirt up over her stomach, leaning close to blow a soft raspberry against the small bump that had started to form.

"The green shirt that your Mommy got me?" Alana repeated with a giggle at his raspberry, helping to pull him over her stomach so he could rest against her chest, tucking his arms beneath his chin. She reached to curl a platinum lock around her index finger, trying to remember which shirt Natalie had purchased. "Oh! The green stripes? That almost goes to my belly button?"

"Uh-huh!" Baylee agreed with a grin. "The one that makes Nicky go--"

"Are you dressed yet, Babe? D's 'bout to piss himself, ready to go," AJ called, knocking loudly on the door.

"Of course I'm dressed! It's only four hours till I have to be there, so why wouldn't I be dressed?!" Alana exclaimed, tickling Baylee's sides to topple him from her body. Sliding off the bed, she gingerly patted his behind to hurry him along. When he dove into her suitcase, she moved to open the door for AJ while calling back to Baylee. "Get out the green striped shirt, Boogie, and I'll go get my ultra low-rise khakis."

"You're not wearing that… Are you?" AJ questioned, removing his cap to scratch his head as he stepped into the room. Taking in the jeans and baggy t-shirt, he shook his head. "No damn way--"

"What's wrong with baggy t-shirts and jeans?" Alana teased as she shut the door behind AJ, slipping around him to thumb through the pants in her closet. Retrieving her form fitting, low-rise, flared khakis, she nodded with approval and draped them over her bed.

"Nothing… If you're a guy," AJ answered honestly as Baylee began tossing things over his shoulder in search of the shirt in Alana's suitcase. "Whoa, Snot Face! What's with the bra earmuffs?!"

"My ears cold?" Baylee returned in a questioning tone, popping up from the suitcase and freezing mid throw of another t-shirt. "It 'mells good?"

"If it smells good, why do you have it over your…" AJ trailed, shaking his head in disbelief. Though, when Baylee turned back to his work, he caught sight of the t-shirt tied around him like a cape. "Hey! You've been watching Lilo and Stitch again, haven't you?"

"No! I's the Caped Bra an' Boobie Avenger!" Baylee declared with a low baritone growl, leaping out of the suitcase with the two piece shirt clutched in his small hands, waving it like a badge of honor. "Dun-Na-Nah!"

Falling backwards when Baylee landed on his chest, AJ cursed with pain as his back slammed against the dresser. "Well I ain't got any bras or boobies!"

"Liar!" Baylee cried, poking at AJ's pectoral muscles. "You got nips!"
"Before we get into this debate of anatomy, can I please have my shirt?" Alana questioned, halfway through with buttoning her khakis as she turned to the feuding boys.

"You made me miss Al stripping," AJ growled at Baylee before tossing him playfully onto the bed. "Do you know what that means?"

Baylee grinned with triumph as he handed the shirt to Alana. "Means Nicky buy me 'resents!"

"Oh, really?" Alana laughed, taking the shirt from Baylee and exchanging it with a sweet kiss to his forehead. "Did Nicky promise to buy you stuff if you kept Alex from taking peeks at me?"

"Peeks, touches, kisses, 'nuggles--" Baylee began to tick off the items on his hand.

"That sneaky bastard," AJ hissed in disgust.

"And you thought Handsome was an idiot," Alana decided with a smirk, sauntering into her large bathroom to change her top.

"I getting' a Big Wheels Cadillac for this!" Baylee announced with a squeal, leaping off the bed to retrieve his backpack. Pulling out the toy catalogue that Nick had given him to choose his presents from, he rushed over to AJ, flipping to the appropriate folded page. "See?! I get it in red! An' drive Lizzie 'round in style!"

"That fucking sneaky-ass, two-timing bastard," AJ cursed, seizing the magazine to see Secret Agent Baylee: Killing AJ's Mojo scrawled in a permanent marker. Leaning to his side, AJ yanked his picture capable cell phone from his back pocket. Remembering Nick's distinct death threat the night they left for tour, AJ stomped toward the bathroom door. "I'm nixing that Cadillac deal, Snot Face," he grumbled, throwing open the bathroom door to snap a picture of Alana attempting to cover her bare upper half.
"Alex, what the Hell is wrong with you?!" Alana yelped in shock as she yanked down the short emerald green striped tube top over her breasts.

"The Caped Bra and Boogie Avenger to the rescue!" Baylee shrieked, throwing himself against AJ. Delivering a sharp kick to the man's leg, he growled in triumph when AJ's phone went clattering to the floor. Quickly diving away before AJ could grasp him, he caught the phone, pressing the button that would delete the picture. "Dun-Na-Nah!"

"Damnit, you Green Snot Faced Weasel!"
"You're so damn busy taking a picture to send to Nick to get him all upset that you could have at least copped a feel and a look in the freaking process!" Alana exclaimed with annoyance as she pushed AJ onto the bed, pretending to throw heavy punches against his stomach as she discarded the swooping tunic that layered the tube top for a moment.

"HEY!" Howie bellowed from the open doorway as Baylee darted into the bathroom and shut he door. "What the Hell is going on here?!"

"Alex threw the bathroom door open while I was getting changed to get a picture of my bare breasts!" Alana squealed as AJ tossed her onto the bed and pinned her quickly.

"Well I don't care if he slipped in while you were taking a shower! We have to get ready to go! Hair, makeup, preliminary interviews, not to mention you have that stack of promo shots to autograph," Howie explained. "AJ, get your scrawny ass off her or I'll personally make sure that you're rooming with Leighanne in the next hotel."

"You, me, shower later?" AJ invited with a growl as he leaned down to nuzzle Alana's neck before nipping at the tender flesh.
"Since Howie condones it, sure," Alana consented.

"And don't forget, Nick'll be meeting us tomorrow," Howie added.

"And that stops my plans for tonight how exactly?" AJ questioned with a wicked smirk, following the sleek curves of Alana's bare torso before brushing gently over the curve of her breasts. Though he yelped with pain when Howie's fist caught his collar and twisted, wrenching him up with a cut of oxygen.

"Because you're rooming with me, remember? And if you so much as open the door, I'm calling your mother."

"But if I never come in the room--"

"I'll call Kaci and tell her you want to reconcile."

"Al, you and I will talk later about this--"

"With Baylee as a chaperone," Howie interrupted.

"Not Baylee no more! The Caped Bra and Boogie Avenger!" Baylee squealed as he raced from the bathroom.

"What were you doing in there with Alex's phone?" Alana questioned in surprise as Baylee darted between her legs to attack Howie. Shaking her head with a small smile, she ducked into the bathroom to retrieve her tunic, carefully pulling it over her body. The sleeveless fabric was emerald striped like the tube top, snugly resting against her like a second skin with a deep plunging neckline that bared the lower half of her torso from her belly button to the bra-line of the tube top.

"Nothing," Baylee defended with a wicked grin. "Just deleted all his pictures an' emptied the folder of deleted stuff--"

"ALL OF MY PICTURES?!" AJ roared in disbelief. "DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY WICKED SHOTS OF AL--"

"A lot," Baylee informed Howie. "But I sent'em to Nicky before I deleted--"

"Why'd you send them to Nick you little pisser?!" AJ moaned as Howie continued to yank him toward the door.

"A-duh," Baylee huffed, scooping up the catalogue. "Big Wheels Cadillac! With MP3 player now!"

"I think we better nix that whole shower deal," Alana suggested as she smoothed the tunic over her abdomen, glancing toward Howie. "Does this look alright, Daddy D?"

"It looks great," Howie promised with a nod.

"Boogie picked it out," Alana announced as she stepped into a pair of faded khaki Converses. Turning to look at her reflection in the mirror once more, she ran her fingers through her straightened strawberry locks, knowing they would be fussed with at TRL. Exhaling a soft breath, she twisted her locks into a messy clip before picking up her necessary gadgets - MP3 player and a vibrating cell phone. "Why do I think I'm in trouble because of my Boogie Bandit?"

"I didn't do nothing!" Baylee declared.

"Which means you did everything!" Alana growled playfully as she swooped to catch the little boy before he could run away.

"I didn't take the pictures!"

"But you got me in trouble instead of Alex!"

"I'll swear to Nicky that Alex is a pervert!"

"You don't even know what a pervert is!" AJ growled as he was thrown into the hallway, knocking his head against the wall. There was a distant bark of Howie ordering AJ to get his ass in gear, but he waved it off with a grimace. Reaching to cup the back of his head, he noticed Brian standing in the hallway, eyeing him curiously. "Your kid is the fucking death of me!"

"If you didn't take pictures of Alana when she was half-naked, you wouldn't have to worry about that, now would you?" Brian questioned honestly.

"If you aren't all things pure and holy," AJ scoffed, slowly moving to stagger to his feet.
"Guess your Uncle Howie decided that you're spending the day with your Daddy, Boogie," Alana announced, stepping into the hallway with Baylee on her hip, insisting that she open up her phone to read the text message. But she craned her neck and kept her hands hidden so she wouldn't have to intercept. All high spirits that she had before the interview and debut now ruined as she gazed to Brian, knowing he had forgiven Leighanne for all that she had done. Again.

"Daddy taking me to the zoo," Baylee whispered conspiringly, resting his head on her shoulder. "And her can go to He--"

"I'll send her there myself if she hurts you again," Alana promised, pressing several reassuring kisses to Baylee's forehead as she snuggled him close. "…I love you so much, Boogie. You have fun today and wish me the best of luck."

"I buy you a 'tuffed lion? Like Simba?" Baylee suggested hopefully.

"You don't have to buy me anything, Boogie," Alana assured, vaguely aware of AJ telling her to hurry as he loped toward the elevators, away from her vibrating phone.

"Biggest 'tuffed lion they got!" Baylee decided with a grin, hugging her tightly.

"I'll use it as earmuffs while your Nicky is screaming at me," Alana suggested, pressing a smooch of a kiss against his cheek before handing him to his father.

"Why's Nick going to be screaming at you?" Brian questioned, shifting Baylee onto his hip.

"Because your son decided to dump out Alex's cell phone and send all the incriminating photographs to Nick so he can get a Cadillac to impress Lizzie with," Alana explained in a monotone, staring at the LCD screen of her flip phone, debating on throwing it open or not. Sighing, she slowly walked down the hallway, ill pressed to find Brian following her.

"Have you heard from Nat lately?" Brian blurted, flinching when Alana stopped and whirled around to face him. Taking a cautious step backwards, he cleared his throat. "Forget I asked—"

"You are such a selfish bastard it's un-fucking-believable," Alana breathed, staring at him as if she had never seen him before. Her hands clenched at her sides as Baylee's sapphire eyes widened in shock at the anger radiating from her voice. "You have the audacity to come up to me and if I've heard from her? After what you did? After who you dumped her for? You can go to Hell."

"C'mon, Sweetie, we need to get to the car," Howie called from the elevator.

"I talk to her every day and, trust me, she is a hell'uva lot happier without your drama. In fact, she's talking about taking a trip up to visit JC while he's recording his new album. You're just as replaceable as she was in your life. Match made in Heaven, huh?" Alana growled, stepping into the elevator as she crossed her arms against her chest in a defiant stance.

*~*~*

Tiptoeing down the stairs, Natalie paused, holding her breath as the monitor in her hands emitted the sounds of Zachary's soft whimpers. He had cried himself to sleep; completely inconsolable as she had rocked, cooed, rubbed his back. She had done everything she could to calm him, but he only wanted his mother. Releasing her breath when she heard him shift in his crib, his whimper dying into a deep sigh, she continued down the stairs. "Nicky?" she called softly, stepping into the kitchen to find him bent over in front of the open oven. "The pizza ready?"

"Yeah," Nick mumbled, retrieving the pizza sheet with a pair of oven mitts that Alana had purchased for the household. No more using a raggedy, thin washcloth that only resulted in burnt fingers. Exhaling a hard sigh, he pushed the sheet onto the oven to cool as he rummaged for the pizza cutter. To say these three days had been easy would have been a bold lie. He had been miserable sleeping in the master bedroom, even with Zachary curled on his chest. Everything in the house reminded him of Alana. And then receiving the overwhelming amount of lurid photographs from AJ's phone had flared his jealous rage. He had sent several text messages to Alana, but she hadn't replied. Glancing sideways to see the monitor that Natalie continued to clutch, he glanced up to the ceiling. He couldn't hear the sharp echoes of Zachary's wails, so he hoped things went well. "Did he get to sleep without a lot of fuss?"

"Once I gave him one of 'Lana's shirts," Natalie answered softly, deciding it best to stretch the truth a bit. Nick was so miserable without Alana. Nearly as miserable as Zachary was. Setting the monitor on the counter, she reached to take the pizza cutter from Nick, offering him a gentle smile. "Want to fix the drinks while I cut it? Then I'll toss the salads and we can go to the living room…"

"You're really going to eat a salad?" Nick questioned with skepticism, rubbing his hands on the back of his jeans before glancing to the clock. TRL would be on in a few minutes, which meant he'd actually be able to see Alana for the first time in days. "Why eat salad with pizza? It doesn't counter the calories. Not that you can't stand to put on some weight."

"We're both going to eat a salad," Natalie corrected, rolling her eyes. "And we're going to eat it because it's good for us, and because I have tons of toppings to add so we won't even notice the lettuce and what do you mean I can't stand to put on some weight?"

"You're skinny as Hell and I don't eat anything green," Nick mumbled, pushing off the island counter to retrieve canned sodas from the fridge. Two for each of them, then trundled into the living room, trying to avoid all the photographs of Alana.

"You used to eat vegetables," Natalie muttered as she dished up the pizza. Pausing as she reached for the bag of salad, she glanced down at her figure, wrinkling her brow. Skinny as Hell? Kicking the fridge door shut with her foot, she grabbed the plates, following Nick to the living room. "Do you think I'm too skinny?"

"No, Nat, I think your fat as Hell," Nick answered, really not wanting to delve into a fight as he reached for the remote. Groaning when he felt a sharp kick to his shin, he looked up to see Natalie's dark glare. "Damnit, Nat, you've lost some weight since you and Brian broke up. What can I say? You don't look horrible, but you don't look like yourself."

"I haven't had much of an appetite lately," Natalie shrugged, dropping his plate into his lap before moving to sit on the far end of the couch.

"Could have fooled me," he mumbled, glancing to the four slices of extra cheesy pizza on her plate.

"You're one to talk, Mr. Half Gallon of Ice Cream for breakfast."

"Beautiful ain't here to cook for me."

"You know how to cook, Nick."

"It doesn't taste the same."

"I know," she murmured, glancing towards the muted TV.

"Do you think she's going to do alright?" he asked as he reached to turn up the volume on the TV when the show began to play.

"She's going to be great," Natalie promised, setting her plate on the coffee table.

"You touched all those pieces, you better eat them," Nick threatened as he leaned back on the couch, pushing a large bite of pizza into his mouth while watching the host of the day welcome the audience and announce the big guest for the day. MTV had begged for Alana to do the entire show with the host, wanting her to help introduce videos as well as her début music video. She was the hottest thing to hit the music scene in years. Everyone craved information about her, though she kept her personal life so hidden. "…Do you think she'll talk about me at all?"

"No, Nick. She's engaged to you, living with you, carrying your twins, has a son with you, loves you more than anything in the world… I seriously doubt your name will even pop into her mind," Natalie answered, straight-faced as she reached to get her soda. Wincing at all the ear-piercing screams coming from the audience in the TRL studio, she glanced towards Nick. "Can we mute it again? Till 'Lana comes out?"

"She's supposed to be out right away…" Nick sighed, though he muted it just the same, studying the pan of the crowd. "God, there are a lot of guys there today… You really think she won't even think about me?"

"I was kidding, Nicky. They're going to premiere her video. Considering the fact that everyone's favorite Backstreet Boy is in the video with her… She'll talk about you, Nicky."

"Yeah, as a co-star who is just so great to work with," he grumbled suddenly, chewing on his inner cheek instead of the pizza in his lap. "Bet AJ coached her to say nothing about the relationship."

"Hell, you could always just call the studio and announce over TRL that y'all are engaged," Natalie chuckled, shaking her head at his grumbling.

Nick's ocean eyes widened at the idea. "Do you think they'd put me through--"

"Nicky! Let her do this, okay? She's going to do awesome, she'll say wonderfully romantic and sweet things about you and everyone's going to love her."

"Well of course they're going to love her, look at what she's wearing!" Nick exclaimed in horror as he threw his pizza to the coffee table and threw an accusatory finger at the TV screen. To say she was beautiful was an understatement. The stylist had decided to keep her hair straightened for the event, causing it to illuminate in a glossy shiny underneath the lighting. Her makeup was natural as always with the faint touch of shimmering lip gloss to her lips. There was a faint blush to her cheeks as she reached to shake the hand of the current female host, thanking her for the opportunity to be on the show. But her outfit, how did Howie let her go out of the hotel in that?!
"It's the shirt I bought her!" Natalie squealed, diving for the remote to turn up the volume. "I knew she'd be hot as Hell in that! Look at her tummy! Gorgeous! And that tiny tube top!"

"YOU GAVE HER THAT?!" Nick bellowed, jerking the remote away before she could grasp it. "You are so dead when this is over."

"She's gorgeous!" Natalie breathed in disbelief. "Why the Hell are you bellyaching?!"

"Because there's a studio full of hot guys younger than me getting massive hard-ons, that's why!" Nick growled, pushing her away from him.

"Your point?! Every guy's flag pole stands at full attention when she walks into a room!"

"That doesn't mean I want to see it on national fucking TV!"

"I thought guys got hard just at the thought that other guys get hard over their girlfriends?!"

Nick stared at her for a moment. "What the fuck have you been smoking? Does it make you wet at the thought that other chicks get wet over your boyfriends?!"

Natalie blushed furiously as she glanced to the flat-screen TV. "Look! Alana's talking!"

"I forgot, you're screwed up in the head somewhere. You probably get wet over the women checking out men," Nick muttered, reaching to turn up the volume.

"Oh, shut--"

"Shut up! She's talking!"

"When the Hell are you leaving again? I need a vacation," Natalie groaned as she slumped down on the far end of the couch, crossing her arms against her chest in a furious pout. Though, she turned her gaze to the High Definition screen, noticing Alana was laughing at something the host was saying. "What'd she say?"

"Fuck if I know, considering some annoying gnat keeps buzzing in my ear," Nick mumbled, increasing the volume.

"There aren't any bugs in here…" Natalie trailed, glancing dubiously around the spacious living room.

"The only thing that I have gotten from my fiancée in the past three fucking days has been text messages! I haven't heard her voice! I haven't felt her beside me! I haven't even heard her soft breathing when she's sleeping! Not to mention the fucking batch of photographs that I have to kill AJ over today. All I want to do is sit here and listen to her talk for a fucking hour! Is that so much to ask from women?! To be quiet for a fucking hour?!"

"You don't have to be rude about it," Natalie whispered, tucking her feet beneath her. "And if you keep raising your voice like that, you're going to wake Zachary up--"

"Natalie," Nick whined dramatically. "They're talking about the video!"

"Well do you want me to just leave the room so you can jack off in private this time?!"

"Don't even think I didn't see you rubbing at yourself while you watched my dick!"
"You were watching me?!"

"I heard you moaning and I thought you were getting sick-You fucking admitted to it, you slut!"

"Do you realize how long it's been since I had sex?!"

"Then go jump on JC!"

"He's in New York--"

"Well, I ain't fucking you, that's for sure."

"I'd as soon go to bed with Flavio," Natalie growled as a commercial came on. "Now see what you did?! We totally missed it! You're TiVo'ing it, right? Rewind it so we can see what she said!"

"What I did?!" Nick spat with disgust when Natalie snatched the remote from him.

"Yes you!" Natalie hissed, rewinding back to Alana's entrance.

"I was trying to listen from the very beginning yet you were this buzzing little greasy gnat yapping in my ear!" Nick defended, throwing a pillow toward Natalie.

"Shhh!" Natalie admonished, letting the pillow fall to the floor as she settled back on the couch. "She looks so nervous…"

"She hasn't exactly been on television for an entire hour yet," Nick murmured as he leaned against the arm of the couch, narrowing his eyes to study Alana closely. He could see the small tremble in her hands as she walked out, waving to the crowds screaming her name. She smiled toward all of them, looking like she wanted to greet them all individually, but the host pulled her toward the center of the stage near the windows where masses of fans were screaming below. "I should be there…"

"Hop on a plane, then…"

"I wouldn't make it in time for the show, dipshit."

Rolling her eyes, Natalie pulled the blanket off the back of the couch to wrap around herself, watching Alana laugh and blush when the host mentioned Nick's name. There were screams following the mention, then the host began to talk about the video. "You both looked so good that day," she breathed softly as a tiny clip was shown.

"As opposed to when?" Nick accused with a small scowl. "Y'know, I got a copy of when I proposed to her. They kept the audio on, so you can hear everything. I'm giving it to her as a wedding present. I thought about sending it to my mother and father so they'd know… But… God, she was so beautiful…"

"How many times have you watched it since she left?" Natalie murmured.

"What?" Nick questioned, feigning ignorance.

"The video? The proposal?" Natalie clarified slowly, glancing towards him.

"What's the big deal?"

"Idle curiosity?"

"Why?"

"Because you're killing yourself slowly? You don't go anywhere, don't do anything but sit around the house and watch TV and play with Zachary. You hardly eat, and you threw a fork at me this morning--"

"I am not killing myself--"

"After the show's over, I'm booking you on a flight out to New York," Natalie decided as the commercial came on. Handing the remote to Nick, she reached for her plate of pizza.

"What the Hell--"

"And I'll get all your stuff and Zachary's stuff packed so you can spend the weekend with her. Y'know, like you were planning to do anyway but you never got off your ass to make any plans? I'll take care of a car to get you from the airport to 'Lana's hotel--"

"Are you kicking me out of my house?"

"I wouldn't call it kicking… More like a gentle nudge in the ass…"

"I owe you a date when I get back…"

"Just don't tell 'Lana that… She tends to-Turn it back up!"

"What?" Nick questioned as he jerked the remote toward the TV in an involuntary reflex. Rewinding it a few paces, he pressed play and increased the volume. They had just finished debuting Alana's video and were getting comments from the crowd as well as questions. "Why do you look like you just saw a ghost?"

"Because my freaking picture is posted on TRL!" Natalie squeaked, sitting up straighter.

"Why would they want to show some washed up playmate--" Nick's voice halted halfway when the picture was enlarged on the screen. "…Holding my hand in an expensive restaurant…"

Natalie grabbed the remote, pausing the picture for a moment. "Oh, my God," she breathed in surprise, realizing that the picture would be misconstrued by everyone. Tilting her head to one side, she stared at the image critically. "Are my breasts really that perky?"

"So perky it's looks like you had a fucking boob-job, Nat," Nick spat with disgust, running his hands raggedly through his locks as the host blatantly asked Alana how uncomfortable it was working with her supposed best friend's lover in such an intimate manner in the video. His heart wrenched at the sight of Alana shifting the engagement ring inconspicuously to hide the diamonds.

"Oh, God, they think you're my boyfriend," Natalie groaned, burying her face in her hands as Alana quickly murmured an answer. Her heart hurt to hear the tone of her friend's voice as she explained it was very easy to work with Nick.

"They're going to beat this to death," Nick moaned as he slid off the couch, yanking at his locks in dismay. The host seemed to find Alana's quiet nature intriguing, pressing on with questions about the relationship. If Natalie would appear in the House of Carters. If things were serious between them. If she approved of the relationship. If they were good together. If Natalie was pregnant, because she had been caught at a baby store with Alana.

"I'm not setting foot outside of this house ever again," Natalie decided, jumping when her cell phone began to ring. Leaning to retrieve it, she whined when she saw the name on the ID screen, quickly tossing it towards Nick. "Tell Howie that we're not fucking!"

"He's the love of your fucking life and it's your damn phone - take it!" Nick screeched, hurling the phone back in her direction as he turned off the TV. He couldn't even bear to see Alana have to take that kind of abuse. She was already too skinny from the stress and overwhelming amount of exercise. This wouldn't help the pregnancy in the least.

"He's not the love of my fucking life – Howie, hi!" Natalie answered softly as she flipped the phone open. Glancing worriedly towards Nick, she chewed on her bottom lip. "How are you? How's New York? Alana's looking really good--"

"Beautiful looks like she's about to--" Nick released a heavy string of curses at the ringing of his phone, noticing Brian's name pop up on his LCD screen. "Fuck that, I ain't answering it! I'm going to pack my shit and get the fuck out of here!"

"Don't go stomping upstairs, you'll wake up Zachary! Howie, quit cussing me out in Spanish and take a fucking chill pill!" she growled into her phone, hurriedly cutting the connection as Howie once again began to speak. Heaving the phone into the arm chair, she picked up Nick's cell phone, seeing Brian's name.

'Good,' Natalie thought with satisfaction as she opened the cell phone and hurriedly shut it to end the phone conversation. "Choke on that hurt, you prick."