The noises that she heard coming from everything around her was everything but pleasant. She groaned and placed her hands on the sides of her head, trying to drown out the noises and block off the pain that throbbed from her head.

She didn't even have the energy to open her eyes, but she did once she felt the weight shift on one side of her. She opened her green eyes to see Nick peering over her with a smile on his face.

"I see you’re up," he said to her.

‘Gee genius, how'd you figure that one out?' she wanted to ask him, but instead plastered a small smile on her face and nodded.

"Where am I and why am I here?" Autumn asked as she somehow found the energy to sit up from the couch that she had been on for too long, she assumed.

"You're at the beach house. I took you here after you passed out earlier today."

"I passed out? Where?"

"At the house. You umm...saw the room and you couldn't handle it, obviously," Nick said. He looked at her. "The doctor wants you to drink lots of fluids because you may dehydrate." he advised.

"Doctor? You called a doctor for me? I don't think that was necessary," Autumn rambled. Nick held up a hand to interrupt her.

"It was necessary. Ever since the accident I've been so afraid that I'm going to lose you again. And when you passed out today, I almost went into cardiac arrest. I flipped out! Luckily Officer Thraway called a doctor for me." Nick said to her.

Autumn looked at him and threw her arms around him in a warm embrace. Her chin rested on his shoulder and for a minute she reveled in the aroma of his hair, of his clothes, of his skin, of everything. She never imagined that being in Nick's arms could feel quite that good, special...and so right.

Once again she started to think about how she threw Nick out of her life, and when she felt her eyes fill with tears, she pulled away from him.

"I should get going, I have to get back to the hotel," she said and stood up. She wobbled from weakness and started to fall back but Nick's arms caught her fall.

"I checked you out of the motel and Brian got your stuff for you. You are staying in this beach house with me, no if's, and's, or but's." said Nick sternly.

"I can't do that! I'd be intruding, and -"

"Intruding? Autumn, just because we've broken up doesn't mean that I don't love you. The thought of you all alone in that hotel room really does not make me feel comfortable. Tomorrow me and you are going to look for a house and no one is going to know where it is except for our families and a few friends."

"And Richard, too."

"The psychiatrist guy? Why?" Nick whined.

"Because he is my psychiatrist and it's mandatory that he knows where I live. And please do not whine!" Autumn said laughing. Nick looked at her in shock.

"I do not! I do not whine!" He argued.

"Ok, Nick. Whatever you say."

*~*

The weeks passed and Nick and Autumn settled into their private home nicely. Only the Backstreet Boys, friends, and some executives knew of their new home, and both of them preferred it that way.

Even though Nick highly disapproved of Richard knowing where they lived, he let it slide. One more person couldn't hurt.

Autumn's wounds had recovered nicely, shocking almost everyone. Her wounds had healed physically and slowly but surely, the wounds of her dignity and pride were recovering too.

Nick's internal wounds of heartbreak weren't healing, however. His love and adoration for Autumn grew more strongly everyday, even though they broke up over six months before.

*~*

Nick sighed as he sat on his back porch that overlooked Tampa Bay. The house was awfully quiet with Autumn not around. She said she was at a therapy meeting or something like that. Nick didn't really pay attention to what she was saying. He was too busy thinking about what an asshole Richard was.

"Penny for your thoughts?" he heard a soft voice say from the doorjamb. He turned around sharply and his heart caught in his throat at what he saw. There she was, looking stunning as usual. Her hair was caught up in a simple pony tail, and her green eyes were radiating from the sun's excessive heat. Her smile stretched across her face and he patted the spot next to him for her to sit.

"How did it go today?" asked Nick once he though one arm over her shoulder.

"It was great! Richard asked about you."

"Oh did he really," Nick said sarcastically through gritted teeth. She looked at him pitifully and then laughed.

"He really has nothing against you. He knows that you had a lot on your mind so he's not really thinking about it."

"See, that's what I don't like about him. He thinks he knows everything about me. Yeah, I had a lot on my mind, so what? He analyzes every God damn thing!"

"He's a psychiatrist, Nick. That's his job."

"Yeah well...he should be fired," Nick said with a laugh. Autumn cracked a smile before continuing.

"Anyway, he invited us over for dinner tomorrow night."

"You didn't..."

"I said we'd go,"

"Awww, man! Why?!"

"He wants to make amends."

"So? I want to stop getting mobbed from fans, but that’s not happening is it? Nooo." Nick dragged on without realizing that Autumn had led him upstairs to his room and was raiding his closet for his suit.

"I have to wear a suit! Forget it!! I'm out! Bye!" He said and darted for the stairs but Autumn stopped him.

"Nickolas Gene Carter!"

*~*

'Is this food poisoned?' Nick wondered as he sat at the dinner table with Richard and Autumn. The dinner was filled with soft laughter and conversation, and even Nick had to admit that he was having a good time. Richard really wasn't the asshole that Nick had thought he was. He was actually really nice and very warm. He invited Nick and Autumn into his home like they were his own children and his house almost reminded Nick of his own parents' home.

After the dishes were cleaned and placed carefully in the dishwasher, the three of them moved onto the living room where Nick immersed himself in Richard's CD collection. His thoughts were interrupted by Richard's voice.

"You could borrow that ya know," he said. Nick flipped over the Bruce Springsteen CD and shrugged.

"No. I couldn't. How would I get it back to you?"

"You could drop it off at my office. I am going to be there tomorrow," he said. Autumn joined them at the CD rack.

"It's late Nick. We better head home."

*~*

The half hour drive home was filled with silence as both Nick and Autumn were deep in thought. Nick carefully drove the Durango onto the interstate and squinted his eyes so he could see. It was pouring rain outside, and the pitter-patter from the raindrops made way for an uneventful nap for Autumn.

When Nick pulled into their driveway it was way past eleven. Not wanting to wake her but having to, he gently shook Autumn until her eyes fluttered open slowly. He held her hand as they walked through the rain together and up to their doorstep where he punched in the code before the door unlocked.

They both went upstairs into their respective bedrooms and rid themselves of their wet clothes and changed into their pajamas. Nick opened the door to his room and found Autumn about to knock.

"Hey," he said, inviting her into his room with his hand. The CD that Nick had borrowed from Richard played softly in his stereo. She sat down on his bed and no sooner did the storm strike up a notch and the power blew out leaving them in darkness.

"Shit," Nick said casually as they both tried to scramble for some extra candles. A few minutes and several bumps and bruises later, the two of them had managed to light five candles in Nick's room. The candles cast an orange glow upon the room, and the flames danced upon Autumn's flawless and smooth cheeks.

"Dance with me?" Nick asked quietly and sexily.

She didn't reply, she just stood up and molded herself against his chest. His arms wrapped securely around her waist and his breath that tickled her cheek almost made her weak in the knees.

"And when we kiss...mmm...fire," Nick sang into her ear, giving her goosebumps all the way down her spine.

"Why?" Nick asked.

"Why what?" She asked, closing her eyes and reeling in the feelings she was having.

"Why did you push me away?" He said, nuzzling her neck with his nose. The minute she felt Nick's lips on her skin she nearly went haywire. His lips left a fiery trail from her neck and they captured her own in a hard, passionate kiss that they had been missing for months.

Their lips had been deprived of one another for so long; they clung together for minutes before their tongues met in an erotic duel that left them both breathless and urging for more.

"I was ashamed," Autumn murmured as Nick kissed her shoulder. She gasped when she felt his warm tongue dart inside of her earlobe and she grasped his shoulders with a force she didn't know she had.

"Ashamed of what? You're absolutely exquisite," he said, kissing her once again. His hands found their way under her tank top and he caressed the soft skin, loving the feeling of silkiness until she abruptly pulled his hands away and out of their embrace. She walked backwards into the chair and started sobbing.

"Baby, what's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned. He kneeled down in front of her and tried to get her to look at him.

"I hate it. I hate what he did to me! I can't even let the man I love show me how much he loves me because I am so afraid. I'm so embarrassed of everything!"

"What is there to be embarrassed about?" He said. He laid her back on the chair and slowly lifted her shirt to her shoulders. His eyes rested on the scars that were long, diagonal lines of pink swollen flesh that traveled along her stomach and chest. Tears filled her eyes once more and she quickly tried to pull her shirt down but Nick stopped her and kissed her lightly.

His lips landed on one of the scars, and he kissed it softly. Her crying ceased as she felt his warm lips on her. His eyes never left hers as his pink tongue eased across the pink skin.

"Nick..." she breathed, her hands running through his short hair. Her eyes closed at the feel of his breath of her chest. He kissed her through the material of her bra and she moaned quietly as his lips made the journey to her mouth once again.

"Please forgive me," she begged between kisses. "I need you in my life."

Nick stopped kissing her for a moment and hugged her with all of his might.

"I have been waiting for you to say that for months!" He exclaimed happily and swung her around. She kissed him more passionately than ever before, and didn't stop when they fell backwards onto Nick's bed in a passionate embrace.