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Author's Chapter Notes:
Yay another chapter! lol I always say that don't I? Anyways the wedding is nearing and will be here before you all know it. However there's alot to come in the process too! Anyways I hope you all enjoy! Lemme know okies?
Chapter Thirty-Two: Head Over Feet

Leigh and Leighanne looked at the two girls disapprovingly because of their giggling. Alyssa shrugged and mouthed ‘sorry' to them. It wasn't' that they were doing anything particularly wrong but at the same time, their muffled laughter was noted by the radio deejay's who were currently quizzing their men on the new album, life, relationships and such.

"So AJ you recently got married..." One of the deejays began making AJ grin and nod at him. "So how's married life been treating you?"

AJ shrugged, "It's been fantastic. And she's due really soon so I'll be a dad in what..." He said turning to look at his wife. "A few weeks?" He asked making her smile brightly and nod in return confirming his question. "It's a really exciting time for me right now, being married, starting a family and being on tour it's really amazing." He added getting a giddy look on his face.

Nick grinned and chuckled at him. "Yeah Kellie's all excited too, there's like pregnancy books all over their hotel room." He said hearing a snicker emanate from Alyssa and Kellie.

"You're getting married soon yourself aren't you?"

Nick nodded, "Yeah in mid-May."

"So have you been one of those guys whose like ‘whatever you want honey' and doesn't help at all?" The female deejay asked making him smirk.

"I try to help wherever I can. I guess you should probably ask her, she knows better of how much I've helped."

The deejays all turned to Alyssa repeating their question to which she grinned and nodded.

Nick smiled at her looking happily back at them, "See I do help. I mean a guy who doesn't want to help plan his own wedding is either uninterested or he's just too lazy to have fun with it. If you think about it and you want it to be fun for all your friends and all that then you kind of have to be involved." He explained. "Besides you get major brownie points for it so it's a win-win situation I think." He replied giving Alyssa a knowing smirk that made her smile back as he returned his attention to the deejays' various questions.

Kellie leaned in to Alyssa's ear and whispered, "Brownie points eh? He seems to get a lot of those, maybe you're a little too easy on giving those out!" She quipped making Alyssa giggle slightly.

She leaned over to Kellie and retorted, "When the sex is that good you don't really need a point system." She said whispering back to her. Kellie bit the inside of her cheek and covered her mouth to disguise her more than amused expression and to silence the laughter that threatened to erupt within her.

The girls continued their quiet conversation throughout the rest of the interview and once they'd walked out with the guys they finally allowed their laughter to take hold as they got into the SUV to take them back to the hotel. "I can't believe you two." Leigh snickered laughing with them. "When your mom comes I'm so asking her if you two have always been like this." She joked.

Alyssa shrugged, "Teachers used to separate us in class because we were a little too chatty. I guess we never grew out of it."

Kellie snickered, "Yeah but then we learned how to pass notes and I think they kept trying to put us in different classes but that didn't work because we'd pass notes in the hall on the way to class and then spend class writing notes. It got pretty bad until high school and we had a few classes together and we were lab partners in freshmen science." She explained.

"That's the bad part of knowing each other growing up. She knows all my secrets because she was there when they happened!"

Later that day...

"So are you ready to go shopping?" Kellie asked as she and AJ came into Nick and Alyssa hotel suite. She looked around noticing how tidy it was compared to their room and chuckled. Alyssa must be wearing off on Nick as far as being a neat freak. She remembered back to Nick's solo tour how Alyssa would grimace disapprovingly at Nick's room and the multitude of clothing strewn about, video games, empty condom wrappers on the floor.

Alyssa came walking out at that moment, barefoot her shirt rumpled and her hair mussed as she stuffed her cell phone and wallet into a small purse. "Yeah just give me a sec."

Kellie giggled and Alyssa gave her a look. "You have the I just had a quickie look going on." Kellie retorted making Alyssa roll her eyes.

"We didn't just have a quickie I was lounging on the bed doing some reading." She defended as Nick came walking out rubbing his neck from looking down at his computer screen.

He smiled and wrapped his arms around her while she smoothed out her hair. "Where are you two off to?" He asked knowing that he and AJ would probably just hang out and play video games or watch some movies to keep them occupied.

"Shopping..." Alyssa said with a smirk beginning to form. Nick gave her an odd look then looked at Kellie who looked about ready to burst out laughing.

"Well do you mind if we join you?" Nick asked looking at the two girls who exchanged a mischievous glance.

"Are you sure? I mean you don't even know where we're going..." Kellie began making the two men even more intrigued as to where they would be going.

"Yeah I think we can handle just about anything you two can throw at us...Don't you think so Alex?" Nick asked challenging his friend.

He smirked and nodded, "Oh yeah I'm game if you are."

Both girls exchanged a glance and shrugged, "Okay then follow us." Alyssa replied making them both smirk at each other. The two couples made their way down to the lobby and out of the hotel to a car that was waiting to take them shopping. The first stop the girls made was at a small trendy boutique not far from the hotel. Once inside Alyssa got an idea and took a stack of clothing she found within minutes and piled them on Nick. "Go try those on, you need some new clothes too."

Nick smiled and walked into the dressing room trying on a few of the different outfits. Within about five or ten minutes later there was a slight rapping on his door and Alyssa's voice on the other side. He smirked thinking of her impeccable timing of finding him in just his boxers. He opened the door letting her slide into the room with a mound of jeans and shirts on her arm. "Jesus woman..." He said marveling at the clothing.

"Well you wear the same clothes a lot and even the fans are noticing so I think it's time for some new clothes that you can add to the circulation. It's a good thing you came with so you could try these on." She said with a grin as she took her seat on the small bench and watched as he tried on the various outfits and she admired her own selections.

Once they were done and made their purchases they joined Kellie and AJ as they placed their bags in the car and decided to walk a little bit down the boulevard to the various shops window shopping here and there. The girls found their destination quickly and smirked to each other as they went for the door having to halt and turn back seeing both of their men standing looking dumbfounded and a little hesitant at going into that particular store.

"What's the matter lover? I know for a fact you've been to one of these before on more than one occasion..." She said as she tugged on his shirt pulling him into the store with AJ and Kellie not far behind.

"Boys, you'd think they'd never been to a sex shop before." Kellie giggled as both of them chuckled at their men's' expense.

Nick gave her a glance and shook his head, "No just not used to being in one of these, with either of you..." He said as both girls clustered off together. "Where are you..." He began being cut off.

"We're going to look around we'll meet you guys back up here when we're done. It's tradition for us. We try to do it in every new city on the tour but we don't always have the time so we go when we can. It's just fun to look around and make obscene commentary."

"Besides Alex babe, look for some fun things for Nick's bachelor party. I know Aaron wants to throw him one but I'm sure you and the boys are going to make it a night to remember." She said as she linked arms with Alyssa and they walked off in the direction of the various skimpy clothing available. She giggled loudly seeing the very tall clear heels that just simply screamed stripper. "Ali you should try them on." She laughed making Alyssa roll her eyes.

"Oh yes because I need even more reason to be called a hooker by the fans." She retorted dryly making Kellie cover her mouth to stifle her giggles. Alyssa looked around seeing some lingerie and some corsets and wigs that she thought were interesting.

"Like I don't get the gold-digger comment enough with being pregnant first and married second." Kellie added noting the ludicrousy of some fans logic.

"This little shopping excursion is definitely going to get them talking then, you all preggers and in a sex shop? Why you little harlot!" She replied giggling as she grabbed a few packages of thigh high stockings. Kellie eyed her and grinned. "Oh shut up he likes them! Something about the whole secretary/teacher fantasy is what kills him with these things."

"Oh believe me I know, I can't wait until this little one is here. Then maybe I can get back some proper lingerie. I hate being this huge." Kellie added as she sighed placing her hands on her lower more rounded tummy.

"Have you two thought of any names?" She asked hoping they'd settled on something.

"We have, and we've already decided on one, but we're not saying a word until he's born. I don't want anyone leaking it accidentally. It'll just be even more annoying, especially with this Hollywood baby boom that's going on, everyone from Christina to Nicole Richie and Jessica Alba are having babies! It's like there's something in the water or something you know?"

"Obviously I haven't been drinking the water then because I'm not pregnant..." She reasoned back.

Kellie narrowed her glance and stood as they walked over to the counter full of honey dust and massage oils and various other flavored things. "Ooh they have my favorite! Strawberry and champagne." She said holding it up. "Alex loves this stuff...He's very much into the whole foreplay aspect. Especially right now since I feel far to fat to have sex."

"You're not fat!"

"I know that I'm not fat but I just feel like a whale. You know I've always been a little on the small side... but now it's like bam I have huge boobs that hurt like fuck! My back aches and I have no clue where my feet are half the time." She said ranting a little as they made their way around to the sex toy section of the store.

Alyssa wrapped an arm around her friend and laid her chin on her shoulder. "Kellie sweetie this is completely normal. You're about to become a mother and you're stressing am I right?"

"Yes....and Alex has been so wonderfully understanding. I'm so glad I married him." She said sighing contentedly.

Meanwhile just about ten feet away from the girls Nick stood trying to remain interested in the handcuffs AJ had handed him just a moment before. He had to admit, the idea of the girls talking about sex in a sex shop made him want to eavesdrop a little and see what he could learn without Alyssa knowing.

"I bet the sex isn't half bad either....I mean I was horny as fuck when I was pregnant but we never had the time nor the privacy which believe me infuriated me to no end. All I wanted was to have sex with my fiancé and I couldn't."

"What about the truck? Didn't you stop him from fucking you?"

Alyssa sighed and then shrugged, "I still need to apologize to him for that. I was scared with the tabloids and all and getting caught. I mean could you even imagine if we'd been photographed in such a compromising position? God my career would be over for sure. But even still he has no idea how much I wanted it...and still want to make it up to him. I get now that he was just trying to be romantic and give us some alone time and all that but being hormonal and touchy did not help the situation one bit."

"Yeah I remember he was so frustrated. I tried joking with him about it and whoa the look he got was killer."

"Oh I totally believe that one. But in a way I'm glad everything happened the way it did. I mean I know that sounds completely horrible but we're better than we've ever been now...and it's because of all the shit that happened."

Nick smiled as he listened to  them moving behind them on the opposite side of an aisle divider hearing their conversation shift yet again.

Kellie grinned and snickered slightly "Better eh? I think you two are down right amazing together now. I mean Alex and I have our hotel suite next to yours the last week or so and damn girl..."

Alyssa giggled and shrugged, "Believe me sex is impossibly good right now."

"That's good to know, Alex and I are slowing right now with the baby coming and all. I miss the really hot intense sex you have when you're just completely in love. I mean granted we fool around and all right now but still...no intercourse really."

"Maybe you should get something with a little battery power to it?" Alyssa postulated and Kellie dismissed the idea.

"Yeah because that won't threaten his masculinity. I haven't even brought up the fact that I have a vibrator and we're married for Christ's sake."

Alyssa giggled, "Nick knows about mine. Has probably seen it in my night stand drawer which is where it is at the moment, back home in LA."

Kellie's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "I'm shocked with how you two are that you didn't bring it with to play with."

Alyssa chuckled, "Yeah because getting randomly searched at an airport and them finding a blue vibrator that happens to be smaller than my fiancé in my bag wouldn't embarrass me one bit now would it?" She retorted sarcastically. "But seriously, aside from the fact that a vibrator doesn't travel well, I don't need it. Only reason why I use it at all is when Nick is unavailable and I'm in the mood. Like if I'm at home and he's away on business or at a meeting for the day and I don't want to wait until he gets home. Even still I end up having sex with him when he gets home because it may have battery power over him but aside from that I much prefer Nick to that piece of plastic." She replied making Kellie nod.

"Still you don't think Nick would be threatened by it?"

"No, because I've mentioned it before and it's kind of turned him on that I get off without him around." Alyssa replied shrugging. "I mean it's not like I don't find the idea of him getting of without me hot so it's really just the way we are."

"Hmm yeah I can see that. So how are the wedding plans going?"

"They're going...I just kind of want it over with all ready. I mean I just want to be married all ready. All this pre-wedding romantic crap is getting to me."

And then Kellie gave Alyssa a what the hell are you smoking look. "Are you kidding me?" She said the incredulity evident in her voice.

Alyssa let out a long drawn out sigh. "It's not that I don't appreciate the sweet gestures and the intimacy or even the really intense lovemaking but seriously...It's just almost too much right now. I'm marrying him for Christ's sake and he thinks that he has to win me over still. He's already done it...he has me no more courting necessary. Once in a while yeah it's nice to go out to dinner and have him do all those romantic things for me but sometimes I just want to be normal."

"But you're not normal Al. Your relationship has never been normal. Even when you two were friends you were never normal."

"I know...and I love the romantic stuff to a point really I do."

Kellie eyed her for a moment and sighed, "Is it the romantic gestures or the super intimate sex you two have been having?"

Alyssa was quiet for a moment causing Nick's stomach to flip at the thought of there being something wrong with what they had been doing. "No the sex I love. It's amazing...and it's not always slow and such. I don't think I could stand for that for very long...sometimes you just need bent over the counter wild sex."

Kellie shrugged and laughed, "Well maybe some good sex toys will boost that." She said with a grin. "What about this?" She said holding up a vibrating tongue stud.

Alyssa snickered and put it back, "We have two of those. They're fun to use but it makes my tongue go numb and then I talk with a lisp for a few hours afterwards, totally not sexy. I think Nick and I laughed for about an hour when I tried talking after the first time we used it."

Kellie giggled hard at Alyssa's explanation of what had happened. "Okay, what about the liberator pads, could be interesting to see the different positions."

Alyssa cracked up at her, "Back on the NG tour at some press event Kevin and Nick were both looking at those the looks on their faces were priceless."

Nick sighed glad the subject of the conversation had gone back to making funny commentary. He turned and saw AJ looking at a few bottles of massage oil and walked over to him. "Okay question..."

AJ's eye brows raised in curiosity. "Yeah?"

"Okay does it ever bug you that they talk about us?" He asked wondering what his thoughts were on the subject. It wasn't that it really annoyed him or anything but at the same time it still got slightly under his skin.

AJ smiled and patted his shoulder, "Think about it this way. She's only telling Kellie because she trusts her. She's not gonna run off and tell the fans or post their intimate thoughts on some blog so I think it's good they have each other to talk to. At least you know that way it will stay in confidence." He explained and Nick nodded. "It bothers you though sometimes doesn't it?"

"A little, like the sex talk doesn't bother me so much it's just sometimes when there's something she doesn't like and hasn't told me about it, she tells her first."

"Hey it's just validation man, she just wants advice or someone to see her point in case you don't."

"True." He said keeping the rest of his thoughts to himself.

Later that afternoon...

Nick walked back into the bedroom of the hotel room and looked at the multitude of post-it notes and Alyssa's drawing of the seating arrangements for the reception. "Do you have to do that right now?" He asked softly.

Alyssa shrugged, "Where do you think your mother should go? That's what I'm trying to figure out. I definitely don't think putting her anywhere near your father would be wise considering their volatile history." Nick sighed and pushed the drawing and post-its onto the floor despite Alyssa's protests. "What the hell! I need to figure this out."

"Isn't that for the wedding planner to decide?"

"I'm giving her my input on it. It'd be nice  if I had yours as well."

"Why not just ask Kellie, seems you've always valued her opinion over mine anyways." He said absently thinking aloud. He definitely didn't want to have said it out loud but he did.

Alyssa gave him a look. "What did I tell her now? Should I be surprised that you overheard yet another conversation of mine. I mean seriously is that what you do? Just follow me around to know what I'm thinking when you're not around?"

"No...I didn't mean to. I mean hell I walked away after a minute or two."

"After a minute or two!?"

Nick scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well you're the one who is getting sick that I like doing things for you."

"Oh God...you don't even get it! It's just a little much sometimes is all. It's not like I don't appreciate what you do but you can back it off a little."

"Why because it makes you feel like you don't deserve it? Is that why?"

She bit her lip and shook her head, "No....just we're happy right now and I'm just getting reacquainted with how that feels and it's different than before. It's a major adjustment period. And you know some times I wish we could just sit and watch a movie and drink beer like we used to when we were friends. It's like we can't just have a mellow night together, it has to be some planned out romanticized affair. I mean don't you get that I don't need all of that?"

Nick sunk onto the bed and sighed, "I know you don't need it but I like doing it for crying out loud."

Alyssa sighed and went to his side. "But you've already won me over, in spite of me. You've stated your case for us a million times I had no choice but to hear you." She explained.

Nick gave her a look and kissed her cheek. "I just want you to know how much I appreciate you is all."

"I know, but you don't have to do it so much. You really have a tendency to over do it when it comes to me. You've been that way since we've been friends. Do you remember my 18th birthday? Or hell the fact that you bought the house in LA just because I was pissed off at my roommate and a little homesick?"

He smiled and sighed. "Yeah I guess you're right." He said a little defeated at the realization that he did tend to overdo things. Just then Frank walked in carrying a few bags and a grin on his face as a short familiar redhead stepped in behind him.

"Momma!" Alyssa squealed getting up and flying her arms around her. Mary smiled and looked over her daughter's shoulder seeing Nick standing there a pensive yet happy smile on his face.

She broke away from the hug and went over to Nick pulling him into a hug as well. "You look like you need it." She whispered as he gave her an odd glance breaking away form her. "So my dears what are we doing today?"

"Well Kellie wants to take us wedding dress shopping and then we're going to the show then hanging out afterwards." Alyssa said wrinkling her nose slightly.

Mary grinned at her daughter and sighed, "And what are you doing today?" She asked turning her attention to Nick.

"Sound check, meet and greet then the show and sleep probably knowing me. I think Frank is taking me over to the gym while you shop so I can get in a good work out before the show." He said as Frank nodded in agreement.

"Well we'll leave you to that, I'm here on a mission to get this wedding planning done so you two can relax until the big day." Mary said with a smile.

"Mom you really don't have to."

"No I think it'll be good for you two to have the time to relax and enjoy yourselves before you get married besides you've only got what a few things left? You've already picked out the dresses for the girls, the tuxes, flowers, food, location and gotten almost all of the RSVP's in according to what you told me on the phone. Pretty much it's just your dress and the little things like that left so I really don't think I'm helping much at all." She said giving Nick a reassuring grin. "Besides you two have enough going on with both of your careers, you deserve this."

Alyssa grinned and wrapped her arm around Nick's waist. "All right...as long was whatever we do decide on Nick gets consulted about it as well...it's his wedding too."

"No problem there, that's why cell phones with cameras were invented." She replied happily.

Later on...


Alyssa sighed as she slipped the dress over her head. This whole process of elimination was really getting to her. It seemed as if the longer they tried and the more dresses they threw at her the less and less she knew of what she wanted. Alyssa stepped out of the dressing room making both women gasp. She looked down at herself, the pleated chiffon gown and sparkling braided empire waist belt that had an ornate clasp at the front not really giving her the effect they were seeing from her distorted angle. "What?" she asked wondering why they stood mouths gaping open at what they saw before them.

"Look in the mirror..." Kellie managed to get out as Alyssa looked at herself in the tri-framed mirror. Alyssa did so and her jaw dropped at the sight of herself. The dress wasn't as traditional as most wedding dresses were, it almost had a Roman goddess appeal to it with its light material flowing simplicity and its clean sophisticated lines.

Alyssa twirled a little and imagined her hair down in tousled curls, light makeup and simplistic jewelry. "My...God...I think...I found it." She said with a smile. She smoothed her hands over the bodice of the dress loving how it enhanced her curves and yet still looked very flowing and almost ethereal in it's charm with its two inch thick straps and was coy enough for a wedding but had a quiet sexiness to it as well. She looked at the neckline and how to the casual observer it looked rather tame but the standard u-shaped neckline then had a small v-drop in the middle that gave a much more feminine curve to the silhouette of her torso.

Mary stood up and looked at her daughter with a quiet pride and admiration. "You look so gorgeous darling." She said keeping her voice just over a whisper.

She beamed at her mother feeling more and more confident in the dress by the second. "Nick's going to lose it when he sees me coming down the aisle."

"Most definitely." Kellie replied, "It's perfect. It's just so...so...well so you."

Alyssa grinned and turned to the sales lady. "I will definitely take this one." She said proudly handing the lady her credit card. She walked back into the dressing room and changed quickly coming out with the dress in hand giving it over to the woman so she could pack it in a garment bag. Mary wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulders as she sighed and thought to herself. Alyssa glanced at her mother and grinned. "What's with the expression?"

Mary squeezed her shoulders gently and grinned widely. "It's really happening. My baby's getting married."

Alyssa grinned even more widely and wrapped her arm around her mother's waist. "Aww Momma..."

Mary sobered up a moment later as the three women left the boutique triumphantly the dress in hand. "Now sweetheart are you and Nick..."

"Are Nick and I what?" She asked knowing that her mother was getting to the sex question.

"Well some couples tend to stop having sex before their wedding to sort of recapture something when they do get married. I was wondering if you two had given that any thought."

Alyssa smiled, "No not really I mean, for a few days before the wedding possibly but nothing too far in advance it would drive us both insane." She said her face flushing in embarrassment. "God I cannot believe I'm having this talk with you..."

Mary smirked as the women deposited the dress in the car that had taken them from the hotel to go shopping. "Your father and I didn't do that either you know. We eloped and I was pregnant with your sister so it wasn't really a traditional wedding either. I know you and Nick have sex, I mean you were pregnant twice and you've done it quite a bit back at the house in Arizona. I just wanted to know if that's what you two were planning."

"It's a great idea in theory but I think we'll stop probably about a week before the wedding. Can I ask you a question?" She replied wanting to know if her experience was as unique as Kellie and Lori would have her believe.

"Of course...."

"As much as this is going to gross me out but when you and Dad would...well you know...was it like super intense no matter what type it was?"

Mary grinned and took pity on her daughter, "Yes...we had an amazing connection the two of us. I see it between the two of you whenever you're around each other. It's nice to see. And I even see it with you Keller and your husband."

"Really?" Kellie asked a little shocked.

"Oh yes. It's a nice and rare gift to see my children and my children's friends so happy and settled. Now we just have to work on Nick's siblings and nudge them in the right direction to finding love and we'll be set." She finished making the three of them laugh heartily at her joke.

"Somehow I think that it will work itself out eventually for all of them." Alyssa replied with a content grin.

Chapter End Notes:
thank you so much for reading!