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Nick Carter stood outside of the iron gates that closed the house off from the outside world. He was an outsider looking in. Like the teenage girls who came in packs, waiting to just catch a glimpse of the famous family. His family. It was his family in the house that was protected by the iron gates. His parents and siblings lived there. He didn't, they did. They may have been his family, but, like the others standing along the gates, to them he was not family, but just another face in the crowd. Another face looking in.

"But not anymore," he decided. "I'm not going practically another year without seeing them."

It was May now, he had last seen them at Christmas time. Five months ago. And though mathematically it might not have been a year, it sure had felt like one. It might as well have been one. It hadn't felt like Christmas. It wasn't Christmas. At least not the kind of Christmas he knew. Not at all.

"Christmas time, time to share our love..." he sang a bar of his group's hit Christmas song. What love? Christmases should be full of warm smiles and happy holiday chatter, he thought bitterly. Not tight lipped smiles that are forced, awkward hugs, and one or two word answers to any and everything. But that was what it had been. That was his whole Christmas in a nutshell. Sounded like a real barrel of fun, huh? Nick hadn't seen his family since that May (before the bad Christmas), and he'd been on pins-and-needles with his parents, especially his mother, for awhile. Then he hadn't come home for Thanksgiving, he'd spent it with his then girlfriend, Mandy. That had been the tip of that ever present iceberg. (AN: I don't really want to disrupt my story with a disclaimer, but I have to. I don't know Mandy nor do I hate her. End of story. Period. Hey, I'm not even sure if they're still together or were together in May '00. I don't follow too much on that stuff. I'm really not trying to be mean, but please realize that I have nothing against her. Thanks a big 'ole bunch!) His mother had warned him about that girl. She had
said that she was no good for him. A ‘mother’s intuition’ was what she called her feeling.

"Nick, that girl is just going to hurt you. Why don't you believe me?"

He hadn't and his girlfriend had [hurt him]. She was history now. Along with his previous good relationship with his mom. No matter how you put it, the outcome was simple: she was right, he was wrong. End of story. Period, next sentence please. Nick had still been with his ex at Christmas time, so that and the Thanksgiving thing was a double negative for him. His family was still unforgiving about the fact that he had not been with them on a holiday that they all cherished so very much. They each had so many things to be thankful of.

It was supposed to be a time to be thankful for your family, and he, a member of the family, had not been there. After one of the worst Christmas's in all his life, he'd left that house with the iron gates, dead-set on never returning. They were his family, how could they have been so cold to him? He hadn't understood it at all, but they didn't understand why he couldn't have flown in just for Thanksgiving night to be with them. Were they not important to him? He was dead-set on never returning, and up until this very point, he hadn't. But here he was, once again May, and he had come back. Girlfriend less and lonely, needing his family.

Nick pulled his baseball cap lower over his blonde locks and punched in the code that opened up those iron gates. Once he'd been let in and the gates were closed safely behind him, he looked up at the house. The house that held memories that he didn't care to remember. He clutched the package he held in his trembling hands and started that endless walk to the oak front door. Then he rang the doorbell. Once. Twice. A girl about 19 years old answered the door after 2 rings.

"Nick?!" she gasped as she saw who was at the door.

She was very shocked to say the least.

"Hey, Beej." he said as he gave his little sister a big hug. "Where's everyone?" he asked timidly. He focused his cobalt coloured eyes on the pattern of flowers on the rug. He couldn't bring himself to meet his sister's fiery gaze, not yet.

"They're all in the living room," BJ said as she let him in. "we're just giving Mom her presents. You do know what day today is, don't you?" she asked coolly, giving him a hard glare.

"Yes, I know what day it is BJ," he said, "that's why I'm here." He looked up to finally meet her eyes, but when he saw the look on her pretty face, he hung his head again. "I'm sorry for not being here for you guys. I screwed up big time. I know you may not believe me, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry. For everything."

Then he went past her and into the living room where, like she said, everyone was sitting around laughing and talking. He stood in the doorway for a minute before someone noticed him.

"BJ, honey, who was at th-" his mom started, but stopped as soon as she saw him. "Nick…" she said, emotions written all over her face. Hurt, anger, sadness, and happiness, they were all there for him to see.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for you Mom." he said as he approached her.

"I'm here to say I'm sorry. For everything." He looked around the room at all his family and his eyes filled with bitter tears. He'd missed out on a lot. He'd chosen Mandy over his family. What kind of person was he? His mom started to say something, but he cut her off.

"Let me speak first. Please?" he said to her.

She nodded yes to him and he started to continue where he had left off before.

"Thank you." He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, plain and simple. What I did was wrong. I put my girlfriend over my family, something I vowed to never do."

He looked at his mother, his eyes full of pain and regret.

"I remember I once said that there was no amount of money that I could spend on anything to thank you for all the love, hope, support, and faith that you gave me. You gave me the will to achieve my dreams, and the strength to succeed."

He took off his cap and raked his finger through his locks.

"All of those things are priceless. I used to think that I could buy my happiness, that I didn't need you all to be happy…" he said as he looked across the room at his family. He took another deep breath to calm himself.

"But now I realize that you can't buy love, or happiness." he stated softly. "Those are things that only your loved ones can give you." He once again looked around the room.

"And y'all are my loved ones."

His tears were flowing freely now, as he opened his heart to his family. He only hoped that they, especially his mom, could forgive him.

"After those long, hard months of loneliness," he started, "I finally realized the true meaning of the sayings 'the best things in life are free' and 'home is where your heart is'."

He presented the beautifully wrapped package to his weeping mother.

"And no matter what, my heart will always be here with y'all." he finished.

"Oh Nicky," Jane Carter cried as she held her eldest son as if she'd never let her baby go again.

"I forgive you. And I'm sorry for not making any efforts to work this out and come see you either."

She stepped out of his embrace and looked at him. Her beautiful baby boy. He may have been 21 now, but in her mind all she saw was that toddler with those DJ headphones on, smiling away happily.

"I love you honey." she told him. "Nothing will ever change that. Nothing."

Then they hugged again. Once again they were mother and son.

After their little 'reunion' Jane sat back in her chair to open Nick's present. Inside the box was a fairly large, split framed, picture frame. (AN: Do y'all know what I mean here? It's one of those frames that holds 2 pictures side by side. Like one of those 'then, now' things you sometimes see at graduations.)

It held two pictures in it already. One was of her standing behind Nick when he was little (AN: Think Heart and Soul, okay?) and the other was of the two at his 20th birthday party. He had his arm around her shoulder and they were both wearing matching 100 watt grins. Jane was about to say think you to him, but a small article of writing caught her eye. I was an inscription. It read: 'Some things are irreplaceable, our bond is one of them. Thanks for standing behind me always. Love, Nick.'

"You're right, Nick." she said as she hugged him.

"Very right. Thank you, I'll treasure it for all times." She wiped the 2nd batch of tears that had come from her eyes.

"Happy Mother's Day, Mama." was all he said as they hugged once again.

And it was, it truly was.

¤ THE END ¤
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