Nick had to smile as he walked into the bedroom and heard the soft melodies of a Backstreet Boys album coming from the stereo. He walked over to the king size bed and gazed at the three sleeping forms with care.

Mackenzie, the curly-haired blond, was laying on her back with both arms flung carelessly to each side. Her full lips were slightly open as she slept, and the blankets were kicked off of her legs.

Sebastian, another blond haired devil just like Nick, was curled on his side. One arm, covered in the plaid flannel of his pajamas, was tucked under his head while the other reached to touch the wrist of the woman next to him.

Melissa . . . Nick's smile grew as he watched her and slowly made his way to the bed. Her dark hair curled around her chin and cascaded behind her head onto the pillow. She was so peaceful when she slept, unlike the two hellions next to her who were even squirming as he stood there.

"Melissa, sweetie . . . " he whispered into her ear, evoking the reaction of her soft murmur. "Wake up, sleepy head . . . " She moved a little and he could tell she was waking up. "Mel, don't the kids have their own rooms?"

She smiled and slowly opened her eyes, the long lashes lifting to reveal deep pools of jade. "I was lonely . . . and they missed you so much . . . "

"I missed you guys too," he said as he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead and then stood up to walk around the bed. He bent over and gently tickled behind Mackenzie's ear, causing the four-year old to immediately squeal. Her green eyes - so much like her mother's - snapped open.

"Daddy?! You're home?" She stood up on the bed and wrapped her arms around his neck, grinning and giggling as he knelt on the bed and shook her brother's shoulder. The sleeping boy lifted his eyes and looked over his shoulder with a sleepy yawn.

"Hey, Bastian . . . Daddy's back!" Nick said with a smile as the five-year old slowly realized what was going on.

"Daddy!!!!" he squealed as he stood up and half tackled Nick and his sister.

"Have you two been good while I was on tour?" he asked as he placed a kiss on Mackenzie's cheek and one on Sebastian's forehead.

"I got a perfect on my test in school, Daddy. We had to write the alphabet by ourselves . . ." Mackenzie said with a smile as she rested her head on Nick's shoulder.

"I heard and I'm so proud of you, Munchkin. I think that deserves ice cream at Joe's, don't you?" Nick looked over at his wife with a wicked grin as he mentioned the kid's favroite restaurant . . . and one of Melissa's least favorites. The kiddie heaven was always full and loud . . . and one of the kids usually ended up dirty, in trouble or sick from too much ice cream by the time they left.

"Joe's?!" Mackenzie squealed as she gripped harder around Nick's neck. "I love you, Daddy! You're the best!!"

"I love you too, kiddo." Nick closed his eyes for a second before turning the conversation to his son. "What about you, Sebastian? Were you good for your mother?"

The little boy shrugged and looked away, a frown now settling on his lips.

"Sebastian . . ." Nick had perfected mixing the right amount of worry and warning in his tone . . . and he was using that mix right now.

"Mommy probably told you what happened anyway." Sebastian started to trace the curly stitching of the blanket, his blue eyes still averted.

Setting Mackenzie down, Nick sat on the bed and replied, "And what if she didn't? I want the whole story . . ."

"Nuthin . . ."

Nick looked up at Melissa and soon she ushered their daughter to get dressed, leaving NIck and Sebastian alone. With his back propped against the pillows, Nick pulled the little boy into his lap and asked again. "What happened, Bastian?"

The child was silent for a while, his eyes focused on his twisting fingers. Then he whispered, "Daddy, what's a fag?"

Nick was shocked at first, and then perplexed. "Where'd you hear that word?"

"Tell me what it is first . . . I wanna know if I was right . . ."

"It's a word you shouldn't be saying, that's for sure. It's a mean word for a gay man . . ." Noticing that his son still didn't understand, he continued. "You know how I love your mom? Well, if I was gay . . . I would love another man instead of her. Do you understand what I mean? Like, I would love boys instead of girls . . ."

"But instead you love Mommy . . ."

"Yes . . ."

"I know why you do . . . she's the prettiest girl in the world."

Nick smiled and hugged the boy. "Yes she is. But you haven't told me the whole story yet."

"Well, this kid in my class . . . he's a big bully. Ricky Anderson is his name, but he's just a big bully. And he said that you're a fag and I'm probably just like you. And he said it so mean . . . but I didn't understand. He prolly didn't either. But I said you weren't. And he didn't stop. So I poured my paint set all over him and his project to shut him up. And then the teacher only yelled at me."

Nick was silent for a moment before he said in a choked whisper, "Thank you for defending me, Bastian. You know I love you, kiddo. You and Mac are the greatest gifts I ever could have asked for . . . "

"I love you too, Daddy . . ."

"You still know it was wrong though, right?"

"Yeah . . ." The two traded identical grins before beginning a conversation on sports.

Once Mackenzie and Sebastian were gone for the day - Mac to dance lessons and Sebastian to hockey practice - Nick told Melissa the whole story of why Sebastian covered Ricky Anderson with paint. Soon Nick was on the phone with the school to arrange a conference with the teacher and Ricky's parents. As he wrapped up details over the phone, Melissa went outside to get the mail. Outside the gate were a few fans, so she got the mail and then stopped to say hi and that she'd get Nick to come out and sign a few autographs if they wanted.

She then walked back inside and sorted through the mail as he quick ran outside to meet the girls. Most of the mail was either for Nick or bills so she opened hers quickly and then started on a few bills until Nick got back in.

"I love my fans! Can you believe I just had a girl ask how Mac and Bastian are?"

"So that's what took so long?" she asked teasingly. "You couldn't stop talking . . ."

He looked hurt for a second before a grin broke across his face. "You're gonna pay for that . . ."

Her eyes widened in feigned innocense. "What do you mean by that?" All she could get out after that was a squeal as he scooped her up in his arms. He quickly carried her upstairs and shut their bedroom door with his foot.

After placing her on the bed, Nick looked at her and smiled softly. "I love you so much . . . I missed you."

"I missed you too . . . and I love you with all my heart . . ." she whispered as her hand came up to his cheek. He turned his head to press a quick kiss to her palm before bending to brush a kiss across her lips.

Nick then made love to her with a tenderness like never before, showing how he truly did love her as much as he said . . .