Claudia & Ellen ... Eight full months you have been touring the states with Nick and the guys now and you've been getting to know them really well. And especially during the final term of your pregnancy you find yourself hanging out with A.J. more and more... you notice that he isn't really the bully that you always have thought he is, he actually seems to grow very protective over you as time passes, one night he finally tells you the reason why... "Ah... (name) c... can I talk to you for a sec'?" you shrug; "Sure... " Nick is playing Nintendo with Brian (As always!) when he really should be in his bunk reading dr. Spock's visions on raising a child, so he doesn't even notice you and A.J. leaving to talk outside in the carpark on which you have stopped for the night... "It won't be long now huh?" is the first thing A.J. says as he points at your huge tummy with a sweet little smile on his face. "No... officially it's about due in one more week... I actually shouldn't be standing here with you... the doctor has ordered me plenty of bedrest... because it could be coming any day now..." You say resting your hand on your stomach and immediately the little one pushes against it, like it is trying to tell you that it is there and that it is aware of your presence. You smile and A.J. asks what is on your mind. "Feel this..." You say and take his hand and put it on the spot you felt the little one move. A big bright smile appears on his face. "It's kicking against my hand!" he murmurs and looks at you in total awe. "I think that it wants us to know that it wants to come out soon... " you say and he smiles. "I can't wait... I... I never really wanted to get to know this child because I lost two younger sisters when I was a kid... I was afraid to lose this child as well y'know... so out of your own protection I tried to push it as far away from me as possible... but now when I feel this and I see how well you're doing I can't help but feel involved... and I'm not even the father!" he says looking kind of shy. "You lost two siblings? You never told me that before..." you say and feel sorry for him and his mother. Being pregnant now yourself you can imagine what pain she must've went trough... "No, I hardly told anyone... I was still young when it happened... it was hard to see mom go through all of that and I'm glad that I'm still here and give her all the love she needs. " you look up when he says that and smile. You run your fingers through his hair and softly kiss him on the cheek. "You're sweet." T... thanx..." he says blushing and looks kinda shy. "(Name)? (Name)? Where are you?" Nick has finally noticed your absence and pokes his strawberry blonde head out of the window of the bus. "Right here hon'... what's the matter?" you ask giving A.J. the chance to regain his normal color and walk towards the bus. "Nothing... I just missed you that's all... shouldn't you be laying down love?" he asks whilst putting his arms around you and leaning over for a long kiss. "Hmmm...." is all you can say 'cuz he still has his lips on yours. "Hey Frack... you're losing credits!" Brian yells from the back of the bus and Nick sighs. "Gotta go... please come inside and have a lie down soon alright?" he says with a smile you just can't say no to. "I will, go... you're losing credits..." you say mimicking Bri' and Nick runs back to resume the game he was playing. "What did the blonde want?" A.J. stands behind you and softly touches your shoulder. "I should be resting... again... I get sick of resting... it's so boring... I've finished reading all the books on the entire bus, including the instruction booklet of every electrical device installed on it and I need new batteries for my walkman... and' " "You can borrow my Discman if you want... " A.J. interrupts and you still can't believe he is actually being so nice all of the sudden. "I'd like that thanx!" And soon after that you are lying in your bunk listening to his Blackstreet CD... "Sugar, have you seen my green socks?" Nicks tall silhouette appears behind the curtain of your bunk and because you are listening to the Discman you have no idea what he is saying. "Huh what?" you push away the curtain and he smiles when he sees you lying there. "Hey love... whatchudoin'?" He says and kisses you gently on the forehead. "Nuthin' much... being bored I suppose..." He softly strokes your belly and kisses you again, this time on the lips. "Wanna go do something?" he asks and you nod. "Yeah... but I'm afraid we have very limited options here since the doc' told me to lay low for a while..." He fondles your hair and says that he has an idea... "So the wolf never was seen again... and they all lived happily ever after....." Nick closes the book with a sigh and looks down at you, you are in deep sleep... He feels the urge to kiss you, and so he does; softly on your temple. "I love you (name)... you came into my life and turned it upside down... but I wouldn't have it any other way..." then he presses his lips tenderly against your stomach and whispers the same thing to the baby... "So, is she asleep?" Brian looks up as Nick walks in again and puts down the magazine he was reading... "Yeah, I read her a story from that fairytale book Kev' bought for the baby... and she didn't even make it through the first page... carrying that extra weight must be really taking it out of her... " Nick says and plops down on the couch next to Brian. Howie comes back from a quiet walk by himself when he runs into Kevin who is sitting on the steps of the bus. "Hey... how's she doing?" That is all they can talk about this past month, you are giving birth soon and the guys are getting more nervous every day. Nick seems his old self but hardly sleeps at night and it is starting to show, he looks just as tired as you do. "Alright, I think she's asleep now... Pfff..... it's now starting to get tiresome huh? I wish it was over and the baby was here already..." Kevin says watching the stars. "Me too..." Howie sits down next to him and they both watch the stars in silence... You wake up at three in the morning and you really have to pee because the baby is lying on your bladder and you have difficulty getting out of your bunk when a pair of hands suddenly support you and help you out of your bunk. "Thanks... uh... " you look right up into A.J.'s eyes. "A.J...." you say quite out of breath from all the hard work when you are getting out of the bunk with such a big tummy. He smiles and whispers: "That's my name, don't go wearing it out now... " But the look in his eyes gets serious when he asks why you are getting out of your bunk. "I just have to go to the bathroom... don't worry, it isn't time yet..." you say and make your way to the bathroom... "Why aren't you sleeping yet anywayz?" you ask when you come back. "I can't sleep... I'm kinda... nervous I guess... Now, how do you feel?" "Pregnant..." you reply dryly and he flashes another one of his little sweet smiles. "No red alert yet?" "Nope... not yet... You'll notice soon enough... with the size of this thing I could probably flood and drown the whole bus when my water finally breaks..." you say pointing to your stomach. "Hmmm, it's a good thing we all can swim huh?" he says and gently pushes a lock of your hair behind your ear. "Uh-huh..." That's all you can say because you are starting to drown in his beautiful brown eyes. He suddenly goes rather quiet himself and slowly comes closer. Your heart skips a couple of beats when his lips softly brush across yours before your lips really meet for a very long and lingering kiss. "Ah... this ahm... oh man..." A.J. looks very confused and you take in a deep breath. You have heard that being pregnant does weird things with your hormones, but this is ridiculous! "Shhh... it's okay... no one saw us... I hope..." you say and look around in a reflex and you hear Nick snoring in the bunk above yours. "No... I don't think they did... " he says kind of relieved and you smile. "No-one will ever know alright? Now let's just act like it never happened or else you get kicked out of the band and I get into a huge fist-fight with Nick..." you say jokingly and he grins at you. "You're one sick human being d'ya know that?" "So are you McLean... now get to sleep..." He crawls back into his bunk after he has helped you getting into yours as quietly as possible and soon you are both fast asleep again... The next morning when you and Nick are awake already and having some quiet time for yourselves in the back of the bus, making out a bit, you suddenly start feeling a bit restless, very soon after that the contractions kick in and your water breaks..... you're going into heavy labor almost right away and by the looks of it you'll be very proud parents very soon! "Somebody call an ambulance! GUYS! It's TIME!" Nick yells trying not to panic. Four sleepy heads poke out of their bunks and all go wide eyed when they see what's going on. Soon you all decide you can get to the hospital by yourself and take the rental car that is parked next to the bus and are all on your way to the hospital, the guys are acting just as nervous as the real father of the child is: Howie just can't get of the phone with his mom and sounds like a live sports commentator when he tells her what's going on. A.J. is driving and won't be having any nails or finger tips left in about an hour you predict the way he's chomping away on them! Kev' keeps on asking how many seconds the contractions are apart and Brian is almost hyperventilating. In the mean time you are almost cursing Nicks head off because he was the one he put you in this situation and because compared to the others he remains relatively calm. But he knows that you don't really mean it and that it's the pain speaking. He holds your hand even though you wish you could crush it in one squeeze and dabs your forehead with a cool washcloth he took with him from the bus. "C'mon (name) I love you baby... you'll be just fine... soon you can rest and is the pain over... trust me..." Nick whispers in your ear when you've arrived and they put you in a wheelchair and roll you to the room where you will be giving birth... "I trusted you when you said you had protection... look what that got me..." You whisper below your breath and he blushes and looks around to see if someone else heard that remark. But the others are escorted to the waiting room now because only Nick is allowed to accompany you. Howie is pacing back and forth, now talking to Nicks mom, A.J. is craving for a cigarette even though he has been trying to quit... again! And Bri' is quietly sitting next to Kevin who is fondling his camera, they all look very stressed... "You bloody *******!" The pain is getting worse and right now crushing Nicks hand isn't enough anymore... you wish you at least had a bazooka to blow him to infinity. "Why don't you take it out now dammit?! I've had enough of this baby!!!" you yell at the doctor, he must've heard that a thousand times before and smiles at you with an ever so calm look on his face. "You'll be fine miss... you can start pushing any minute now..." He says and Nick starts dabbing your forehead again. "STOP THAT!!! It's getting on my nerves... YOU are getting on my nerves... GO AWAY!" you yell at him, you yank the washcloth from his hand and throw it away. "(name), please relax hon'... you're gonna be okay..." he says with a rather helpless look in his eyes and looks up at the doctor who's busy putting on his rubber gloves. "As soon as he's done with me I'm gonna ask him if he can neuter you... because you are NOT doing this to me again Nick Carter! And if he refuses, I'll do it myself!" You yell at him and the doc' looks up at you with still that same, and now starting to get VERY irritating; calm smile on his face. "I can see the head... start pushing now dear... it's time to get to work..." Nick squeezes your hand and helps you doing the breathing exercises when you are starting to push and finally after four long hours your son is born. You are too tired to do or say anything, but when you see Nick carefully holding his son you can't help but smile. "Look what you did... you performed a little miracle... " he says with teary eyes and he smiles at you. "Hey little one... welcome to the real world... " he whispers to the baby and kisses him carefully in the cheek. "Are you ready to hold him...?" You nod and soon you are holding a tiny human being... Nick is counting the fingers and toes and says with a huge smile "He's perfect!" after he's done. "I know... " is all you can say and Nick suddenly realizes that the others don't even know it is born yet. He rushes out of the room still wearing one of those green paper 'showercaps' and a paper green coat. The others look up when he comes in and are soon standing around him. "It's a boy... a perfect little healthy baby boy... and (name) is doing great..." Nick utters with a proud grin on his face and the others congratulate him and are all, hugging each other looking very relieved. "The doc' said that (name) needs some rest now, but you can go see the baby... it's already in his crib... c'mon..." Soon the guys are standing in front of a big window and Nick points proudly at his son. "That's him... with the blue Carter name-tag on his little wrist. Isn't he beautiful?" He says to the guys who are all very quiet now because they still can't believe the youngest band member is a father now. "He's got the trademark Carter baby-blues... he's beautiful Nick..." A.J. says patting Nick on his back and smiles at him. "So what are you going to call him?" Bri' suddenly asks and Nick says that you two have been talking about it for a while now and that you wanted to have each guys name in it somewhere because they've helped you so much. "So he's going to be called; Alex Scott Thomas Dwaine Carter." He says and the guys are all looking very emotional now. "I gotta go back to (name) now, she's probably asleep already but I want to be with her... she did such an amazing job...!" Nick is clearly walking on little pink clouds as he leaves the guys behind, they're still watching the baby... They decide that you need your rest and that they will come and visit you in the morning... "Hey love... why aren't you asleep yet?" Nick sits down on the edge of your bed and kisses you on the forehead. "I was waiting for you... did you tell the guys what we decided to call him?" He smiles. "Yes, you should've seen the look on their faces... now, you really should go to sleep sugar... you've worked so hard and you deserve some rest..." he whispers in you ear and kisses you again. His hand is running through your hair as he asks you if you are okay. "Yeah... a bit sore but generally speaking I'm fine... Nick dear,... do your parents know you're a dad yet?" you suddenly ask and in the meantime pick up his hand and softly kiss his knuckles. "Yes, Howie called them, I'll call 'em myself later on, first I wanna be with you for a while..." he says and soon after that you fall asleep whilst Nick is whispering sweet nothings in your ear. The whole thing has made him very tired as well and soon he's discovered in the chair next to your bed by a nurse being in deep sleep. "You should go home and get some sleep there Mr. Carter." she says waking him carefully so you won't wake up... "No, I wanna stick with her for a little while longer..." he protests and stays for two more hours whilst he watches you sleep... Time flies, the baby and you are doing well and after a while you are allowed to go home. Nick picks you up and you expect that he's going to drive you to his parents house, he's been telling you that Aaron is sleeping in his parents room now and that you him and the baby are staying in his room. But all of the sudden he takes a different turn and you ask him where he's taking you. "I know a shortcut..." he says but there's a naughty gleam in his eye and soon you stop in front of a beautiful and not to mention huge house. "Where are we...?!" You ask and he smiles a bit nervously. "Home... we've been working very hard to get it ready for you in time so I hope you like it..." he says and soon escorts you in. The entrance hall is huge and it's totally furnished in your taste. You put down the baby basket and give him a big hug and a long and loving kiss. "I jus'... oh man... Nick... it's beautiful!" you say in total awe... You still can't believe it. "Hey Frack... can we come in?" The front door was still open and Kevin and the rest of the guys are standing right behind you, they are all carrying presents. "Sure, come right in... " Nick says and soon you're surrounded by the guys who are all kneeling down by the baby basket to look at your son. Nick stands behind you and puts his arms around you. "I love you (name)..." he whispers in your ear and he gently nibbles on your earlobe. "Oh... uh... this is for Alex..." A.J. gets up and hands you his present. You and Nick start to unwrap it. It's a huge Tigger with a tiny pair of sunglasses and striped beanie hat, exactly like the ones A.J. is wearing right now. "Oh! That's sooo sweet!" you say, you hug him and you plant a big kiss on his cheek. "Alright, save some sugar for me!" says Kev' who's standing behind A.J. waiting for you to unwrap his present. He's gotten an activity centre, also from Winnie the Pooh, that you can put inside little Alex' playpen. You also kiss and hug Kevin and the rest of the guys who have also stuck with the Pooh-theme and you all go to the nursery... Nick had been busy painting it in the same theme and it looks like a big forest. with a sweet little wicker cradle hanging from the branches of a beautiful almost life like tree. "Oh my God!' you gasp. And because it's all so beautifully done and so overwhelming you can't help but cry. "Hey, we'll be downstairs when ya need us okay?" Howie takes the guys with him and leave you and Nick behind. "You can't have done this all by yourself... when did you do all this?!" you ask and look up into Nicks gorgeous blue eyes which are looking a bit moist at the moment as well.... "Well uhm, mom & dad have been very helpful, so have the rest of the family and of course the guys... Howie has been pulling some strings on the house-broking market and got me a very good deal on this house. So ah... you really like it?" He asks you again with a sweet little smile on his face. "It's like a dream Nick... thank you..." you say and kiss him. "Now... you're looking tired... would you like to check out the master bedroom and take a little nap?" asks Nick whilst gently playing with your hair. "Yes, but it's kinda unfair with all the people waiting downstairs... I'll stay up for one more hour and than we're gonna kick 'em out because you need a nap as well... you look tired love... " You say and lean over for one more kiss. The guys have already taken little Alex downstairs again with them and when you walk into the livingroom Howie is trying to convince A.J. that the baby won't break when he'll hold it. They all already took their turns in holding the baby whilst Kev' was filming it but A.J. is still hesitating. "Go on... he hasn't got any teeth yet so he won't bite ya..." you encourage him and he carefully picks up the little one and holds him like a natural. "Hello Alex Carter... this is your uncle A.J.... yes... hi... look at you... you big boy!" are the only words you all can understand coming from A.J.'s mouth... because it is soon reduced to baby-babble; "Coochie coo!" You all grin at each other whilst Kevin is closing in with the videocamera. "Ah... Bone...? You ARE aware that you're being taped are you? And that we could blackmail you with this?" Brian says and A.J. looks up from the baby for a sec'. "Shhh, I'm having a moment here!" he says and immediately goes back to baby-babble and softly rubs his nose against Alex' tiny nose before giving him a little kiss on it. "Aw! Look at you two! Ahm... A.J.? You remember what you said about wanting to be Alex' godfather?" You say and look up at Nick for his approval. Brian and Howie immediately break into a very convincing rendition of 'the Godfather theme' when you ask him: "Would you still like to be his godfather?" "Careful, he's gonna drop the baby!" Bri' jokes and tries to take him from A.J. who is sitting there, totally dumbstruck. "Y... yeah... ofcourse...! I... I... I'd be honored..." he stutters with an excited blush appearing on his face. And that is shortly followed by: "Back off Frick... you held him a minute ago..." "Good that's settled than..." Nick says and soon the guys are kicked out of the house because it's nap time for the three of you... "Y'know... I still can't believe this... it's all so unbelievable... like a fairytale..." You say when lying in Nicks arms after all the afternoon excitement. "It is... there's one thing missing though..." he breathes in your ear. You can't imagine what... everything is all so perfect! "Marry me... please." You feel goosebumps appear all over your body and tears of joy start forming in your eyes. "Are you really sure that you want me... after the way I treated you when I was giving birth to Alex...? And that thing that happened with me and Bri'?" You ask and think back to when you and A.J. kissed. But he flashes one of his most amazing sweet smiles. "Ofcourse... that's the only thing I want... no; need in my life..." The End HOME