[ - ]
Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story Microsoft Word Chapter or Story
- Text Size +
Running her hand absentmindedly through her damp locks, Alana opened the door to her hotel room to allow the steam from her hot shower pour out into the cool room, Radar lazily sauntering out of the bathroom he had been so cozy in. It had been an energetic performance on Phoenix Arizona, the fans actually coaxing a few more duets from the performers at the end of the show. Brian had kissed her cheeks and rivaled over how truly confident she was on stage. She made sure to interact with the audience, throwing beach balls into the audience to play with them during songs, making the band dance with her, causing an infectious hysteria for when Brian climbed on stage. She had been proud of that fact as they traveled back to the hotel. But the high of her performance soon died when she was greeted with the loneliness of the hotel room and the quietness of her bath. Nick had yet to call her since his ogling of Natalie during a phone conversation, so Alana merely decided not to call him. But the home sickness was overpowering. She would do anything to feel his arms around her once more, no matter how furious she was with him. Radar even seemed to pick up on the discontent in her heart as he scampered onto the bed, attempting to pull down the covers for her. "Ain't you a doll, Radar," Alana cooed as she retrieved her notebook before climbing underneath the covers, helping Radar do the same.

Yipping with agreement, Radar snuggled beneath the covers, snuffling the entire length of the bed before venturing back up, his head popping out next to Alana's elbow, hassling happily. Rolling onto his back hopefully, he offered his stomach for a rub, whining when Alana turned her attention to the notebook instead of him. Nudging the notebook with his nose, he whined once again before flopping onto his back.

"Sorry," Alana apologized with a sad smile, tucking the pen behind her ear before tickling Radar's stomach. When he wagged his tail with appreciation and writhed beside her, panting excitedly. Turning her tickles to a scratching, she glanced over the phrases she had been constructing. She never considered herself a musician, but the lyrics had been flowing from her since the beginning of the tour. She had tried to form it into a poem, but found herself creating a song instead. Now seemed like the perfect time to place energy into it, since she wouldn't be sleeping.

Another airplane / Another sunny place / I'm lucky, I know / But I wanna go home / I gotta go home / Let me go home…Tapping the pen against the notebook as she read over the lyrics, Alana glanced down to see Radar had curled up next to her, already drifting off to sleep. Grateful for his companionship, she idly rubbed his head, whispering the lyrics to herself as a tune began to form in her head.

Taking the pen in her right hand as she continued to pet Radar with her left, she scratched a soft beat of drum melodies next to a verse. Flipping her pen, she tapped the beat she had created. Gently, bobbing her head to the beat, she sang softly. "And I feel just like I'm living someone else's life / It's like I just stepped outside / When everything was going right / And I know just why you could not / Come along with me / But this was not your dream / But you always believe in me…"

"You're writing songs now?" AJ questioned softly from the doorway.

"Who says they're my lyrics?" Alana returned with a startled reaction, causing Radar to burst onto his feet with several low growls of warning to the intruder. But when Q.T. managed to clamor onto the bed with a new toy in her mouth, Radar yipped and tackled her with playful licks.

"Because you're tapping your pen to a beat and singing to yourself. Classic songwriting clues," AJ informed her with a grin as he kicked off his shoes before climbing onto the bed. Propping himself against the headboard, he glanced down at the paper. "Q.T. couldn't sleep, so we thought we'd come over for a play date… What's that you're working on?"

"Nothing special," Alana murmured with a shrug, watching Radar wrestle Q.T. for the plush chew toy AJ had purchased. She noticed it looked like a blonde haired man, but said nothing as she fixed the covers over her lap. "…Has Nick called you at all?"

"No…" AJ trailed, reaching to take the notebook from her. "Has he called you?"

"No," Alana confided with a soft sigh, slipping to lie beneath the covers fully. "It's only been a week and we'll be home in a week… Maybe he's saving up all the passion, emotion, and talking for when I get home…"

"Or he's porking Nat-Q.T.! Share!" AJ demanded when the puppy began to growl possessively. "Let Radar tear up Nick if he wants, girl."

"Tear up Nick?" Alana questioned in confusion when Q.T. whined at AJ's reprimand, releasing the plush chew toy from her clenches. Radar wasted no time in seizing up the toy, hurrying over to Alana for her to toss it for a game of catch. Gently prying it from his mouth, she held up the toy and actually started to laugh. It was the over exaggerated plush cartoon chew toy of a blonde man with the word 'EX' stamped across his chest, Nick's name scrawled in pen over the back. "…The Ex Chew Toy?"

"I thought it was cool," AJ shrugged, grinning when she tossed it across the rooms for the puppies to chase. "And, hey, it looked like Nick, so…"

"I never knew you dated Nick," Alana mused when the puppies snatched the toy together, hurriedly bringing it back for another toss.

"Nah, he always belonged to someone else," AJ admitted with a sad sigh, scooting down in the bed so he was lying next to her.

"He still would have gave you a run, with someone or not," Alana muttered, taking the toy from Radar and Q.T. to toss once more.

"You really think he's--"

"For the sake of his future reproductive years, he better hope to God he's not," she interrupted, shifting to retrieve the pen that had rolled underneath her. Frowning, she glanced toward AJ. "Where's my notebook?"

"Here," AJ murmured, handing it towards her. Glancing worriedly at her when she turned her attention to the words on the paper, he nearly shivered at the icy coldness that emanated from her. "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she promised idly, tapping the beat she had created once more against the paper. Chewing on her bottom lip, she fought to forget the entire conversation she had with her fiancé a week ago. She had tried to tell herself that it was overrated. That the two had just been teasing her. But the conviction in Natalie's accusation and Nick's sputtering had told her otherwise. The very idea that Nick had been watching her best friend's near nakedness out on their deck like some beast was revolting. So revolting that she was far too embarrassed to tell anyone else. "Just trying to avoid that morning sickness by not going to bed, y'know?"

Tossing the toy for the puppies when it was dropped on his chest, AJ sighed, sitting up to look down at Alana. "Did you and him have some fight--"

"I know you think I'm some kind of idiot because I stay with him when we fight so much, but it wasn't a fight--"

"Then what was it? You called and he had his pants down or something?"

"It ain't like I would know whether or not his pants were down-Thanks, Alex…"

"I'm sorry! I'm just trying to understand…"

"You're going to think I'm so fucking retarded it's unbelievable," Alana groaned, feeling AJ's arms gently slide around her form to bring her close. Abandoning the notebook for a moment, she snuggled against him with a frustrated sigh. "When you found Natalie's Playboy pictures on the internet? Did you bookmark the site? Y'know, so you could go back and look at them and enjoy them?"

"I bookmarked it to show other people, not so I could enjoy them--"

"I mean, she was a damn Playboy Bunny, so that makes her gorgeous. I understand that. And I understand that some people love porn and, honestly, whatever floats their boats. But to have him ogle her while I'm away on tour, right there in the fucking flesh--"

"Wait, wait. He was ogling her? When?"

"The other week when I called, 'cause I couldn't sleep. I had that wicked morning sickness and Daddy D was threatening to take me to the ER to get an IV inserted for fluids. Remember?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I called to talk to him and he sounded so damn jumpy. I tried to ask what was wrong, but he said it was nothing. Then Natalie's in the background screeching 'cause she was out back topless sunbathing or what-the-fuck-ever and Nick was watching. Then they start arguing about his erection and how they're always cuddling on one another and… I was sick enough…"

"Whoa…" AJ breathed, flopping back onto the bed as the puppies stayed on the floor, wrestling over the toy. That Nick could be so utterly stupid was a shock to him. He had the greatest woman in the world willing to do anything for him, yet he was at home practically making love to another woman? Shaking his head in disbelief, he reached for Alana's hand. "I'm so sorry, Babe…"

"He hasn't called since I hung up, we've got a week to go on this tour, and I guess I don't blame him," Alana sighed heavily, listening to the grunts and growls of the wrestling puppies on the floor below. Brushing the back of her hand over her teary eyes, she exhaled a shaky breath. "He's got his own Playmate at the house, who could blame him? Just, don't tell Brian, he's hurting enough…"

"I can't believe Nick can be so fucking stupid," AJ growled with annoyance, rolling over to pull Alana into his arms.

"It's nothing to get riled over, Alex--"

"Are you fucking kidding me? Nick's got you, the most beautiful woman in the universe, who can sing, dance, cook, talk, laugh, everything, and he's off getting a fucking boner over some washed up Playmate--"

"She's not washed up--"

"Please. What the Hell has she done, but fuck two Backstreet Boys?"

"She's working on her second bachelor's--" Alana sighed heavily as she buried her face against AJ's t-shirt, tangling her hands within the soft fabric. "Please don't make me defend her when I want to just hate the world right now. She's my best friend and he's been without me for a few--"

"That doesn't make any difference," AJ interrupted, smoothing her damp locks as he softly kissed the top of her head.

"I just hate that he hasn't called…"

"Maybe he knows your upset and he's trying to avoid a confrontation," AJ suggested softly.

"I'm not upset--"

"Have you called him?"

"No, but--"

"Then you're upset."

"No, I'm fucking pissed!" Alana contradicted, leaning up to catch his dark sepia eyes, offering the smallest of smiles.

"Then why aren't you calling him and telling him how fucking pissed you are?"

"Because I'm one of those weepy girlfriends that hopes he'll call first?"

AJ shook his head, his eyes staring straight into hers. "The Alana Moore that I know is not some weepy chick who lets men use her as a doormat…"

"He's not using me as a doormat," Alana disagreed, leaning over him to snatch her notebook once more. "I have a week left of this tour and I owe it to the fans to be one hundred percent. So, I can't be flaky and worrying about him calling me. If he calls, that's fine, but I'm not going to get on my hands and knees like some mutt and apologize for hanging up on him. Not when I'm the one that's supposed to be hurt in the first place. I wouldn't care if she was some inanimate object like those damn magazines. But he told me that I'm ten times the woman that he's ever going to need for the rest of his life and then goes off and gets all twitterpated over Natalie? My best friend? It's not fair to me."

AJ nodded, knowing she was right. Kissing her cheek gently, he laid back as Q.T. and Radar hopped onto the bed. "I know it's not, Babe… But, they've had--"

"History together?" Alana guessed, not knowing exactly where he was going with his statement as Q.T. licked her face for means of a greeting.

"Yeah, that…" AJ trailed, not really knowing what his original thought had been. "I'm sorry, Babe. I really am. And how you can deal with this shit all the time is beyond me."

"Well, what do you suggest I do?" she asked as Q.T. flopped onto the pillow above their heads, Radar quickly joining her in a pile of a fur-ball.

"…Asking your dog to get his dick out of my face would be a good start," AJ muttered, pushing at Radar's side.

"Be nice to him," Alana chided protectively, gently scooping the puppy to help him settle in the little dip between them.

"Don't get mad, Babe, okay? 'Cause getting mad doesn't solve a damn thing," AJ murmured, reaching to cup her hand with his.

"Get mad at you over muttering at my dog?" she inquired with an innocent confusion, bring their hands to her lips for a grateful kiss.

"Get mad at Nick for being a dickhead…"

"So, what are you suggesting?"

"Get even?"

"You mean take Mark up on his offer?"

"Who the fuck is Mark--"

"Vin Diesel."

"I was hoping you'd take me up on my countless offers…" AJ trailed with a dejected sigh.

"If I get to that point, you will most definitely be my first," Alana promised, not wanting to break the man's heart as she leaned to brush her lips delicately across his.

"And I'm allowed to gloat like a motherfucker in front of Nick, right?" AJ requested with a wicked grin.

"Like your life depended on it," she agreed with a laugh, offering him her notebook.

"You're letting me read the song?" he asked, shock lacing his voice as he cradled her notebook in his hands. Eyes wide, he looked over at her, chuckling when she rolled her eyes.

"It's not my song, remember? So if you blast the Hell out of it, I don't have to act like I care. And, if you love it, then I'll take the next step to nudge you into letting me put it on my début CD," Alana answered easily, shifting to rest her head on his chest to look at the lyrics with him.

"Babe, you don't have to nudge me into letting you do anything," AJ reminded her, reading over the words. Lyrical, soft, he could imagine an acoustic guitar to go along with the drum beats she had scratched out. Idly smoothing her hair as he read, he realized suddenly how hard the tour had been on her. Separated from Zachary, and from Nick, the only family she had truly had in a long time. "I love it, Babe…"

"Yeah? You love it? It's that good?" Alana murmured hopefully, resting her hand gently on his wrist, knowing his vast knowledge of songs. If he approved of her lyrics, then she knew it was top notch material.

"I'm thinking ballad…" AJ trailed thoughtfully, reaching to scratch out guitar tabs next to the lyrics. "What do you think about doing a video for it? 'Cause I'm seeing you in a little jazz-type club, onstage singing, and you keep looking out the window…"

"You really want to do a video for it?"

"Yeah."

"Alex… It's that good?"

"It's beautiful, Babe."

"So, we can work on it when we get home? It'll be my second single?" Alana inquired excitedly, moving to lie over top of him, resting her arms over his chest so she could press her chin against them. "And there can be rain outside for the video!"

"You're like a kid at Christmas," AJ chuckled as he nodded. "Whatever you want, Babe. And I can be the love interest in the video--"

"You'd do that for me?" she cooed with an innocent smile, perfectly content lying over him as he rested his arms on her back, continuing to scratch out guitar tabs for each section of lyric. "If we're putting it in a jazz club… You could be in a suit? God, you'd look great in a suit… Though I'm partial to your low-rise jeans…"

"If we're putting it in a jazz club and I'm in a suit… You could be in one of those swanky dresses from the forties…" AJ murmured, giving her a smile. "And we could dance…"

"You'd really do this for me?" Alana breathed in admiration.

"I'd love to," AJ promised, leaning his head down to offer her a quick kiss.

"You think Daddy D'll go for it?"

"Once he reads these," AJ murmured, tapping the lyrics with the pen as he let his lips linger over hers.

"You'll have to make sure the melodies are fantastic so he can't refuse," Alana ordered, enchanted by the warmth of his hot breath breezing over her lips. She inhaled the soft scent of peppermint, realizing he had made sure to freshen his breath from the stale scent of cigarettes that she condemned daily.

"We can work on it tomorrow," AJ suggested, letting the notebook slide to the mattress as he wrapped his arms around her. Letting his tongue dip between her lips, he breathed in the fresh scent of her shampoo. "Hey… I taste peaches…"

"Yeah? What else do you taste?" Alana invited with a small laugh against his lips, bringing his tongue further into her mouth with a small sweep of her tongue.

"Mmm… Strawberries," AJ whispered. "But I think it's going to take further exploration to be sure…"

"It's kind of hard for me to get pissed at Nick when I'm laying in bed making out with his best friend, ain't it?" Alana inquired, fighting a soft moan as AJ nudged Radar till he jumped off the bed with a whine. Not that it bothered the man, simply rolling her onto her back to cover her with his body.

"Nick who?" AJ murmured, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth for a gentle suckle as her legs parted to cradle him close.

"The fiancé--"

"I don't remember any fiancé…"

"Alex…" Alana trailed with a soft sigh, feeling his body melt against hers when his tongue thrust inside her mouth for a heavier kiss. For a moment, she thought about pulling away, but the sensuous flicks against her tongue suggested otherwise. Releasing the softest whine, she reached to lock her arms around his neck, pulling him closer so her tongue could intertwine with his.

"If you want me to stop I will," AJ mumbled against her lips, praying she would let him stay. Resting his hands on her hips, he allowed them to slide beneath her t-shirt.

"I can't do this to Nick…" she whispered dejectedly, holding her breath when she felt AJ's fingers against the taut skin of her hips.

"Okay," AJ whispered, pulling his hands away. Offering her a final, gentle kiss, he rolled away, sucking in a deep breath in hopes of calming his racing heartbeat as the puppies leapt onto the bed.

"I'm sorry, Alex," Alana murmured, shifting toward the opposite edge of the bed as she pushed herself into a seated position. Welcoming Radar into her lap, she gently scratched his back and bowed her head in shame. She was always apologizing for the same mistakes with AJ.

"Hey, Babe, it's okay," AJ promised, patting her thigh reassuringly. "I'm just going to run out on the balcony and have a smoke, okay?"

"Yeah…" she trailed, nodding meekly when she felt the shift in the mattress followed by the opening and closing of the balcony doors. Groaning with frustration, she slid deep underneath the covers, Radar and Q.T. attempting to curl up with her once more in hope of finally getting some rest. "He's so lucky he's the father of my children, Radar, because Alex is a gorgeous man and I so should have tapped that…"

*~*~*

Glancing up when she heard the soft tapping on her bedroom door, Natalie set her novel aside and pulled the covers up over her legs. She had been attempting to ignore the heavy rain that fell outside, knowing that rain always brought depression with it. Muting the old movie playing on the TV, she sighed when Nick pushed her door open several inches, peering around the doorframe at her. Seeing Zachary nestled against his shoulder, she smiled, motioning for him to come in. "He's finally asleep?"

"I only had to put Beautiful's CD on repeat in his bedroom, dress him in one of her t-shirts, and rock him endlessly with his favorite pacifier till his eyes drooped even a centimeter," Nick confessed with a heavy sigh, continually rubbing his aching arm over Zachary's back to assure that he would stay asleep. Easing the door shut behind him, he shifted carefully from foot to foot. What he really wanted to do was curl up next to a warm body for the night, hating how lonely he felt in the master bedroom. Having to keep Alana's scent around him daily was causing a large ache in his heart. Especially considering he hadn't spoke to her for a week since his ultimate blunder.

"Poor little thing," Natalie murmured, flipping the TV off as she pushed her novel onto the bedside table. Glancing up to see Nick hovering by the door, she offered him another smile, wondering what he wanted. "You want me to keep him for the night?"

"No, then I'd be by myself for the entire night," Nick whined with frustration, nuzzling his face against the side of Zachary's face.

"You can stay with me too," Natalie offered softly, reaching to pat the opposite side of the mattress. She could understand Nick's need for companionship. She felt the same way, dreading the idea of sleeping alone. "If you want to that is--"

"You don't mind?" Nick blurted, wasting no time in fully entering her bedroom. Pulling back the covers, he gently laid Zachary in the middle of the soft mattress. The infant whined slightly at the transfer, but groped a clutch of his mother's t-shirt, pressing it to his face for comfort. Sticking his fingers in his mouth, he easily pacified himself. Exhaling with relief, Nick then climbed in second, burying himself amongst the pillows.

"Make yourself comfortable, Nicky," Natalie murmured with amusement, leaning against the headboard as she reached for her novel once more. She would finish the chapter, then settle down and get some sleep. Though, the moment she had found her place, Nick took the book from her hands and tossed it towards the foot of the bed. "Nicky, what--"

"I want your attention more than that stupid book does. Whoever the heroine is, she ends up with the hunky hero, they have some feverish sex, and then have lots of babies and live happily ever after. There. The end. Now, pay attention to me," Nick explained, pouting miserably.

"It's a murder mystery…" Natalie trailed, rolling her eyes as she turned to face Nick fully. Placing her hands together at the center of her chest, she bowed her head. "Alright, Master, you have my attention now. What would you have me do?"

"Don't tempt me," Nick suddenly warned, averting his eyes away from the flimsy camisole draped over her body. Instead, he shifted to bring Zachary close to his body, knowing those thoughts had already gotten him into trouble with Alana. Far too much trouble, considering he had already received an all-Spanish-threat from Howie at least once per day.

Shifting closer so she could gently rub Zachary's back, Natalie smiled when the infant sighed in his sleep. "So… What do you want to talk about? Do you want me to turn out the light?"

"It doesn't matter what we talk about," Nick answered, gesturing for Natalie to turn out the lights. Perhaps in the dark he could better control his hormones. He was convinced in the deeper recesses of his mind that he was no where near attracted to Natalie. But miserable weeks without his fiancée was doing nothing for the pent up energy he was storing. Without Alana, he was pretty convinced he'd even hit on Ru-Paul at this point…

"How long do you think it'll rain?" Natalie inquired once the room was dark. Pulling the covers up to her neck, she rolled to face Nick, trying not to breathe in the scent of his cologne as he shifted to make himself comfortable. It had been so long since a man had shared her bed, she was suddenly at a loss as to what to do. Not, of course, that she could do anything with Nick, other than talk.

"We don't get much rain in Los Angeles. It's always so damn sunny. Maybe a few days'll do us some good?" Nick suggested, feeling the soft breath of Zachary against his bare chest, listening to the rustling of Natalie's bare legs beneath the covers. If Alana could sleep with AJ in her bunk, then he could invite Natalie into his bed.

"Yeah, I'm sure it will. Wash away some of that city grime--"

"I enjoy the sound of the rain. Quiet and soothing."

"It depresses me… Unless it's a storm…"

"You just need someone to share it with."

"…I suppose… But when it storms is when I really need someone," Natalie murmured, quickly pulling her feet back when she felt her toes brush against Nick's legs.

"Stop acting like some skittish squirrel or something," Nick mumbled when he felt the giant jerk of the mattress, causing Zachary to whine. Shifting, he brought Zachary over his chest and reached underneath Natalie to pull her close. "C'mere, you can have me for this storm."

Curling close to his side, Natalie shifted to rest her head on his shoulder, carefully draping her arm across his stomach. "I love storms, though… They're so wonderful, you know? That starting calm, then the distant thunder and lightning… The mounting tension, and then when the rain begins it's like this slow release of emotion, getting heavier and heavier, like anger lashing out until it fades into a gentle shower. And then that pause before it starts to drizzle, showing that the end is near, but so much emotion remains. Then darkness until a break in the clouds and there's one steady beam of sunlight that filters through the despair of the soul…"

"Like making love with someone who's your everything," Nick agreed, burying his face into the soft, silkiness of her short locks.

"And you know that the next time will be just as wonderful," Natalie whispered.

"And, through the calm of the storm, you wait just to make love all over again."

"Yeah," Natalie agreed softly. "…Why are you kissing my forehead?"

"…Sorry," Nick mumbled in surprise, pulling his lips away from her soft skin as he cleared his voice, pressing his lips to Zachary's forehead instead. What the Hell was he doing?

"I didn't mind it," Natalie breathed softly.

"Yeah?"

"You weren't supposed to hear that," Natalie sighed, wondering why her hormones were raging now of all times.

"Why?"

"Because we shouldn't… I mean, we can't… And… You know…"

Nick grew silent over several moments as if he were contemplating her speech, though it quickly ended with a moronic, "Huh?"

"God, you are the dumbest dumb person I know," Natalie groaned. "You weren't supposed to hear that because we hate each other--"

"You hate me?!"

"No, of course not! But we don't exactly get along very well--"

"We get along fine--"

"And I'm already horny as Hell with you just laying here--"

"Why?"

"Because I just am," Natalie muttered, jerking the covers up over her head.

"Natalie…" Nick trailed with a groan at her hiding, moving Zachary to the crook of his opposite arm so he could get hold of her. Pulling her over him, he was surprised at how light she was and how easily she lay over his chest. The soft cushion of her breasts caused a cascade of heat to flood his body, especially as the hardness of her erected nipples brushed against his bare chest. Anxiously licking his lips, he was beside himself with decisions, finally leaning up to capture her lips in a soft kiss.

"Nicky," she breathed in surprise as her legs effortlessly straddled his hips, attempting to get over the shock of his kiss. The feel of his body beneath hers caused her to tingle with anticipation, her lips parting unconsciously when his tongue brushed against them. Allowing her fingers to creep over his cheek, she faltered for a moment before returning the kiss.

"I don't hate you," he promised, sliding his hand against the back of her neck to pull her closer, crushing his lips against hers.

"I don't hate you either," she returned, arching against him as she drew his tongue deeper into her mouth.

"Thanks for letting me in your bed," he murmured, fighting her tongue passionately as his hand moved down the length of her back in a soft stroke.

"Anytime," she promised with a stifled moan when his hand slipped beneath her camisole.

"I had to protect you from the rain," he whispered, massaging the small of her back before bringing his hand to the pit of her stomach, trailing his fingers upward.

"I appreciate it," she murmured, biting down gently on his bottom lip as she let her hands glide down his chest.

"God, Beautiful-Shit!"

"…What did you call me?" Natalie murmured in shock, jerking up until she sat up fully.

Nick hurriedly pulled himself into a seated position to knock Natalie off his throbbing arousal, bringing Zachary to his chest for protection as he furiously rubbed his face. "Nothing--"

"God, this was a bad idea," Natalie groaned, jerking a hand through her hair as she moved to the opposite side of the bed.

"Goddamnit," Nick cursed. "I'm sorry--"

"It's okay, Nicky," Natalie promised, switching on the light.

"You're not going to tell--"

"I won't tell anyone." Reaching down to grab her book, Natalie propped several pillows against the headboard before leaning against them, flipping through the pages quickly.

"I think we're going to go to bed," Nick mumbled, hurrying into the hallway without even bothering to offer her another glance.

"Nicky," Natalie called softly, tossing her book to the floor. "I want you both to stay… Just… Put Zachary in the middle and keep him there this time, okay?"

Nick hesitated. "…Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. Come on, we'll find some stupid comedy on TV," she offered, reaching for the remote.

"Nat, you know that I love Alana--"

"I know. And you know that I love Brian--"

"I know."

"Then, let's keep it that way."

Sighing, Nick pushed the door shut with his foot, moving to get back into the bed. Laying Zachary down in the middle, he carefully pulled the covers up over him before laying back. "Just… Don't go groping me in the middle of the night, alright? And when you wake up in the morning don't go swaggering out of bed with that scrap of fabric you call pajamas the only thing covering you. In fact, wear nothing but baggy sweatpants and sweaters for the next week--"

"You are not blaming this on me!" Natalie exclaimed in sudden horror, disrupting his sanctions of sleeping in the same bed.

"Well I can't help it," Nick grumbled. "Good night, Nat."

"What do you mean--"

"I'm just a guy."