After opening presents with the huge group of people, Alex, Julia, Nick, the rest of the BSB and their bodyguards all went to pack. It was time for them to get going to Nick's house.
At the airport, Julia and Alex had a million hugs to give, since everyone had decided to come and see them off to L.A.
"Be good." Alex's father and grandmother said at the same time.
"I will." Ali said and hugged them tightly once more.
"Al? We gotta get on the plane now." Jules said.
"All right. Bye everybody." Ali said, waving at the group of people she loved most in the world.
Nick literally had to drag Ali onto the plane. "No Ali, you can't take the train, it would take you way too long to get to L.A."
"But are you sure that flying is good for the baby. I mean I wouldn't want to harm him or her." Alex said, trying to use her baby as a bargaining chip, even though she knew everything was fine in that department.
"Everytime we fly somewhere you get all nervous and everytime we fly somewhere we get there in one piece. You have to learn to calm down." Nick lectured.
"Yo, Nick. The plane is about to take off, think we should carry her on?" Kevin asked.
"I think that will be the fastest way." Nick said and snatched Ali's carry-on bags out of her hands. Kevin picked Ali up and held her like she was a baby.
"Have I told you two how happy this ISN'T making me." Ali said. When Nick and Kevin simply kept on walking she decided to try again.
"I do have legs you know."
"If we thought that you would use them to walk to them plane instead of running away we would let you use them." Nick replied.
The stewardess looked at them like they were absolutely psychotic. Ali threw her hands up in the air, as if to say "I just can't control these men."
Kevin plunked Ali down in the chair beside where Nick was going to sit and Nick put her things in the overhead compartment. "You know I don't appreciate being man handled like that." Ali complained.
"A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do." was Nick's only reply. Alex pretended that I was mad at him until the plane's engine started up.
"Nick I am so sorry for being upset with you, but I'm serious now. I need to get off this plane!" Nick just held her hand all through the take off.
"Thank you." Ali said after the plane reached cruinsing altitude and she leaned over to kiss his cheek.
The rest of the plane ride was fine. Everyone moved around in their first class seats so they could each talk to one another. Well actually everyone moved around except for Ali, she stayed in her seat, with her buckle done up the whole flight and let the rest of them come to her.
"I am so glad that that hellish nightmare is over." Ali breathed a sigh of relief as Nick, Julia, Kevin, Howie, AJ, Brian and herself all piled into a rented limo. Nick was looking out the window as they drove and commented, "You know, Christmas just isn't Christmas without palm trees." That earned him a weird look from everyone in the van.
"Doesn't the saying go that Christmas just isn't Christmas without snow?" Julia asked Nick.
"Well maybe for all you weird Canadian people, but us Floridians and Californians prefer the palm trees!" Nick corrected.
"Weird Canadians, hunh!" Ali said and stuck her hands on her hips.
"I get the feeling I may have said something wrong."
"Oooh how perceptive." Ali said still glaring at him.
"You can't hurt me, remember? I'm your buddy, Nick." Nick said confidantly.
"Brian can be my buddy. Right Bri?" Ali asked.
"Sure I'll be your buddy." Brian said and slung an arm around her shoulders.
"Man, stay away from my woman." Nick said in really bad impression of a red neck. Everyone in the car started laughing at Nick.
"Thank you, I'll be here all week." Nick said and pretended to take a bow.
"Don't encourage him people, it'll only make him worse. " Ali said and smacked Nick in the head.
"HEY!! What was that for?" he asked.
"That was for calling me a weird Canadian." Ali explained. Then Brian hit Nick.
"Hey B! What are you hitting me for?" Nick complained.
"For calling Al and Jules weird Canadians." Brian said and everyone started laughing again.
They all pulled up in front of Nick's house nearly an hour later. "Nice house." Jules complimented Nick.
"Thanks." Nick replied. Nick's parents were waiting at the door for everyone along with his brother and 3 sisters. "Alex, it's so nice to meet you finally. Nick talks about you all the time." Jane Carter said to Ali and gave her a hug.
"It's all lies, I swear." Ali said with a smile, making Bob and Jane laugh.
"Why Ali, I am offended that you think I would dirty your name with lies." Nick said pressing the back of his hand to his forehead and placing one over his heart, as if he were fatally wounded by her comments.
"Ah quit it you ham." Ali said.
"I like that girl." Jane said to Bob as they followed the 7 people and their luggage into the house.
The huge group of people all ate supper together on the Carter's back porch. Ali was having so much fun, even if it was rather incongruous to see a Christmas tree and decorations paired with warm weather and people who had great tans.
It was decided that they would all go to bed early that night, since everyone was fighting the effects of jet lag, although Ali went a bit earlier than the others. "Here Ali, you can have Nick's room." Jane said and directed her to a large, airy room. "Thanks." Ali said.
After changing and doing her nightly rountine, Ali climbed gratefully between the sheets and fell promtply asleep. What must have been a few hours later, she heard someone come in the room and was alarmed until she saw that it was only Nick.
"Oh sorry Ali, I thought that you were sleeping in the guest bedroom." Nick said and turned to leave.
"I guess your parents just like me better." Al said saucily, if a little sleepily, before Nick closed the door completely.
"When you say things like that it just makes me want to come in and keep you up. " Nick said and walked right back into the room to sit beside Alex on the bed.
"That's okay. I wanted to thank you anyway."
"Thank me for what?" Nick asked with a puzzled expression.
"For bringing me here, and letting me meet your family. But most of all..."
"I was just returning the favour, it was great to meet your family too." Nick cut in.
"Would you let me finish talking for once?" Ali asked exasperatedly.
"Yes go on madam." Nick said.
"As I was saying, but most of all I wanted to thank you for being my friend. You've helped me through a lot, probably some of the hardest times in my life and I just wanted to thank you."
"I was glad to be there. Plus I know that you would do the same thing for me, that is if I ever happen to find myself pregnant." Nick replied.
"Shut up." Ali said, then added seriously, "I would though." and hugged Nick. "Now get out of my room, I need my rest." she added and poked at him.
"Yes Hitler, oops I mean Ali." Alex responded by sticking her tongue out at him.
"Oh the maturity level in here is sooo high." Nick teased and closed the door before she could throw anything at him.
The next day the Carter's decided to throw a party, partly because it was Christmas and partly because it was easier to keep so many people entertained outside on the beach.
"I can't go out like this." Ali groaned as she stood in front of the mirror.
"Why not?" Nick asked and took a bite of his apple, chewing with his mouth open as he sat on his bed in Alex's room, watching her pace in front of the mirror, wearing her bathing suit.
"Tell me the truth, do I look fat?" Ali asked as she came to stand in front of Nick. Nick knew a problem when he saw one, and this was definitely a big one.
"Uh, hold that thought." Nick said and held up his hand. He ran into the livingroom where the guys were sitting, just chillin'.
"Guys, I have a major need of advice." Nick said.
"What's wrong? Did you and Al get in a fight?" Kevin asked.
"No, worse, she asked me if she looked fat!" Nick said.
"Oh you're right, that is worse." Brian said sympathetically. Nick nodded.
"Well does she look fat?" Howie asked, trying to be sensible.
"Just her stomach, she looks like any other pregnant woman I've seen." Nick said.
"Then just tell her that." AJ said.
"K, thanks Bone." Nick said and ran back to Ali's room.
"Why did you have to go and get Nick killed?" Kevin asked AJ after Nick left the room.
"The boy is going to have to learn that there is just no right answer to that question." AJ replied, but he couldn't keep the grin off of his face.
"It's too bad, I really liked that kid." Brian said philosophically, causing all of them to break out into fits of laughter.
Nick came back downstairs a few minutes later. "Thanks for the advice AJ. It worked soooo well." Nick said sarcastically.
"Why? What happened?" Brian asked.
"I told her that she looked like she was pregnant and then she started to cry." Nick said.
"Smooth Nick, smooth." Kevin said then joined in with the rest of them laughing.
"Well to make matters worse, Jules walked in the room, saw that Al was crying and asked what happened. When I told her she smacked me on the head." Nick said rubbing the back of his head. This just made the guys laugh even more. Then Brian noticed that Nick was really upset.
"Don't worry about it Nicky, it's just the pregnant hormones making her cry. You'll be forgiven by the time the party rolls around, just wait and see." he comforted Nick.
Brian was right, Ali had forgiven Nick when party time rolled around. Julia had somehow even managed to convince her to wear her bathing suit. They sat just lounging on the beach, basically just vegging, when Alex announced, "I feel like swimming." and got up off her chair to go in the water.
She ran into the water just like a little kid. "Ohh it's cold!" she yelled and ran back out to a more shallow area. Nick had gotten up out of his chair at this point and was now standing beside Ali in the water. "You'll never get used to it unless you dive right in." he suggested as she stood there just looking out at the water. "That is so not my method." Ali said and began to inch forward.
Suddenly from behind she felt this huge splash of water and was now wet. "You BUMDART!" she yelled at Nick and began splashing him, he didn't really care because he had already dunked under the water and was completely soaked. But when he wound up like he was going to splash her, Ali started running and the chase was on.
Everyone sitting on the beach laughed at the sight of the two of them running along the beach. Nick eventually caught Ali, he grabbed her around the waist. "Let me go you big oaf!" she yelled and started hitting at his arms. "All right, if that's what you really want." Nick said and dropped her into the water. Ali came up sputtering. "You are going to pay for this Carter. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon." "Yeah sure, Pierson, I am soooo scared." Nick said.
Later on in the day they decided to play beach volleyball. It was the girls and AJ plus Nick, Kevin, Brian and Howie. At first the guys were winning, and by a big margin, but then the girls pulled into the lead and stayed there. "I cannot believe that we just lost to 4 girls and AJ." Nick groaned after they were defeated.
"Believe it Carter, we kicked your butt!" Ali yelled from her side of the net.
They all had fun the rest of the day and afternoon. After watching the sunset, everyone went back into the house. Ali decided to have a shower. She changed into her overalls and a t-shirt and was walking back to her room when she overheard Nick and his sister BJ talking.
"Is it really a good idea for you to be seen with a pregnant woman?" she asked.
"We're just friends and it's not my baby. Besides shouldn't I be able to hang around with who I want?" Nick asked BJ.
"Yeah you should but you and I both know that's not the way it is." Nick sighed, "I know." "And you can't tell me that you only think of her as a friend." BJ said.
Ali didn't wait to hear anymore. She was so mad at Nick, she didn't have a really rational reason, she just didn't like the thought that her pregnancy could affect her, friendship or whatever it was that she had with Nick. She aimed this anger at him, first of all because it was his fault for being a Backstreet Boy and second of all because she didn't really have anyone else to blame. It wasn't exactly rational reasoning but it was enough to make her want to leave.
If Ali had stayed she would have heard Nick say, "It's just that I am beginning to care a lot, and I know that it's more than just friendship. In fact, I think that I'm falling for her, but I don't know what to do about it."
Back in her room Ali was throwing clothes angrily in her bag. Though the rational part of her brain advised that she should at least tell someone that she was leaving, the hurt part just kept chanting, "Get out of here, get out of here."
After her bag was packed she called the airport and made reservations for the next flight out. She also called a cab that said it would be there in a jiffy. When it was time Alex headed downstairs, and out the door. Unfortunately before Alex could make her clean escape she was thwarted by Julia.
"Where ya going with the bag Al?" she questioned.
"I'm leaving."
"Why?"
"Cause Nick..." Ali couldn't finish before she started to cry.
"All right, calm down. I'll come with you, just breathe." Julia said and took her friends bag. She was only going because she didn't want her pregnant friend to be alone when she was obviously so distraught and plus she knew that she could call Kevin from the airport so no one would worry.
