Part 152

It was almost an hour later before Becca and Nick finally joined Howie and Sarah and when they walked in the room, Sarah started laughing. Nick’s hair was all messed up and he had one of the goofiest grins on his face.

"Gee, Carter…you took your time, didn’t you?" teased Sarah.

Howie chimed in, "He’s gotta go slow with Becca pregnant. He doesn’t want to hurt the baby."

Nick looked at Becca. "You said there wasn’t any chance of hurting the baby!"

Howie and Sarah both laughed as Becca said, "Nick…they’re giving you a hard time."

Nick glared at the two sitting on the couch together. "Oh, so you two didn’t do anything while you were waiting for us?"

"You wouldn’t be in here NOW if we had," said Sarah.

Howie took on that ‘big brotherly’ air as Nick and Becca sat down across from them in the chairs. "You see, Nick. The way to keep a woman in line…in her place so to speak…is to give her what she wants in the bedroom. Slow, methodical lovin’. Then, when you’re out in public, they’re the dutiful wife, walking a step behind you and making YOU look like the master."

"You’re kidding? Is that how you keep Sarah in line?"

"When was the last time you saw her get out of line…. besides last night?"

Sarah and Becca were rolling their eyes as Howie gave his ‘advice’ to Nick.

Nick thought about what Howie had said and then looked at Howie. "You are so full of shit!"

All three broke out laughing and Howie said, "But I had YOU believing it."

Nick laughed too. "Okay…so I’m gullible but I never know with you."

The girls sat down together to look through the archives of the various lists they were on while the guys hooked up the video game stuff. When they saw a good message, they’d read it to the guys who would give their imput for the reply.

Then they found it…THE message that would stop the game playing and upset Nick for the rest of the afternoon. Both girls were trying hard not to bust out laughing but they were loosing the battle.

Howie looked around to see tears rolling down Sarah’s cheeks and asked, "What’s up, Angel?"

Wiping the tears, Sarah said, "The subject line on this post…’Nick and Kevin are the Perfect Couple’."

Nick groaned, "WHY do they always pair me with Kevin?"

"Because you two look so cute together," teased Becca.

"Read the message, Sarah," said Howie giving up on the game and moving to sit with her on the couch again.

Sarah clicked on the post to bring it up as Nick sat beside Becca leaning toward the screen. "Okay…it’s got a link to a ‘Love-O-Meter’ where you put in two names and see how they match up. This chick put in Nick and Kevin’s names and here’s what she got…The whole world is a playground as far as you two are concerned. You two sizzle like bacon and eggs. You complement each other beautifully, and make other couples look blander than stale granola in comparison. This relationship was made with two scoops of love. Now go on and ride off into the sunset. You’ve got a whole lotta lovin’ to do."

Howie was holding his sides as he laughed hysterically. "Oh…this is TOO good…better than the fan fics. Kevin would have a cow reading this."

Sarah was still laughing as she said, "I’m sending it to Nessa to read to Kevin."

Becca said, "Follow the link and let’s see how the guys match up."

Sarah clicked on the link and they started pairing up the guys. They laughed as they read each pairing but NONE were as good as Nick and Kevin.

Howie said, "Angel, put us in there."

Sarah typed in their names and hit enter. When the screen came up, the thermometer popped up and the red went all the way to ‘Perfect Couple’. Sarah read…’If you two go on a picnic, don't be surprised to find yourselves covered in ants. No, it's not the chocolate-covered strawberries that's attracting insects. While that may sound horrific, it's just Love-O-Meter's way of saying, you two are sweeter than sugar topped with honey. If you two were a pastry, you'd be an apple strudel. Flaky and fun on the outside, sweet and wholesome on the inside. With careful handling, you will stay fresh long after the others have gone stale. Now go on, and ride off into the sunset. You've got a whole lotta lovin' to do.’

"Awww….that’s so sweet," said Nick as he rolled his eyes and started making gagging noises.

Howie wrapped his arms around Sarah hugging her tight. He said, "Yeah….it is. How can you go wrong with perfection?"

Sarah turned her head to kiss Howie and she whispered, "Thank you."

"I can’t believe the results," said Becca. "It’s so YOU."

"Baby, that’s nothin’. Sarah, type in Becca’s name and mine. I bet ours is off the chart."

Howie let go of Sarah so she could type and she put in the names. Nick was so sure that he and Becca would have the same results that he had a very smug look on his face.

Sarah put her hand over her mouth as Howie said, "Oh..it’s off the chart alright…in fact, it doesn’t even MAKE it on the chart."

"WHAT?" shouted Nick looking at the screen. "THERE’S NO FUCKING WAY!"

Becca was amused by Nick’s reaction. "Baby, calm down. Sarah, read what it says."

Howie and Sarah sat quietly watching Nick as his brow furrowed and tears formed in his eyes. They looked to Becca who seemed to be amused by the whole thing but wasn’t saying anything.

Howie spoke up. "Nick, it’s just a stupid internet thing. It has NO way of knowing you or what your relationship with Becca is like."

"Then how the hell did you two come up so perfect? They were dead on about you two."

"It was a fluke, Nick…mere chance," said Sarah.

"There was NO CHANCE to it," steamed Nick. "You two are THE PERFECT COUPLE and everyone knows it. What am I…a complete screw up! I can’t get anything right."

Becca tried to take Nick’s hand but he jerked it away. "Nick," she pleaded. "Don’t take it so seriously."

"Why not, Becca? It’s true…we shouldn’t be together! You’ve tried to tell me that twice and I refused to listen. Hell, I couldn’t even win you back on my own. I had to get Sarah’s help. If I were truly in love with you, I’d KNOW what to do to get you back. Look at Howie...he knew exactly what to do to get Sarah back."

"You can’t compare us to you and Becca," said Sarah. "We’re completely different from you two…with different experiences to draw from. So what if you two are opposites? That’s what makes it so interesting. Howie and I aren’t alike in everything."

"Yeah…right! Try telling that to someone who believes it," said Nick sarcastically.

"No…really, Nick. Look at our tempers. I’m quick to fly off and I don’t think about what I say when I’m mad but Howie is fairly calm and thinks things through. Nick, this is JUST a game. Howie said it…they don’t know you or Becca."

Somehow Sarah managed to get through to Nick and calmed him down. He settled back down beside Becca putting his head on her shoulder.

Seeing his chance to give advice, Howie said, "Nick, ALL relationships take work, some more than others. So what if it takes a little more work? The reward is well worth it. You’ll have Becca to come home to when the show is done and in a couple months, there will be another Carter in the world."

"Howie and I didn’t get to where we are overnight, Nick. It took work."

Becca was listening quietly as she held onto Nick.

Nick asked, "What do we do?"

Howie and Sarah looked at each other before Howie said, "Nick, you use to complain that I was avoiding you guys when I first met Sarah. What I was doing was getting to know her. We purposely avoided our friends for the first month so we could get to know each other without the external factors that would eventually come into play. We wanted a firm footing to build on."

"Now, we make sure to spend time alone to just talk."

"Sure…that’s ALL you do is talk," smirked Nick.

"Yeah, Nick…all we do is talk," said Howie. "Sex is only a small portion of a relationship…not ALL of it."

"After the miscarriage, I couldn’t do anything. The morning after, when I woke in the hospital, we spent the entire morning in each other’s arms simply talking."

"And last week, we spent two days away from the press, the fans, the phones, EVERYTHING. We talked, shared with each other."

"But you guys are together ALL the time. How do you share stuff that you already know about?" asked Becca.

"We see things differently. I see my fans in one perspective but Sarah has a totally different perspective…as a fellow fan sometimes. We know each other really well but not completely. It just seems that way," said Howie.

"Like last night…I knew what I did was going to irritate Howie but I didn’t expect him to be as mad as he was," said Sarah. "This is just a suggestion and you can do what you want with it. You aren’t going back out on the road until…"

Sarah looked up at Howie and he said, "August 24^th."

"That gives you three weeks. Go home to Tampa…Orlando…wherever you’re calling home…and just spend time away from us, away from the press, away from work…just the two or you. This is the last chance before the baby comes and after that…there won’t be ANY time for you until it’s eighteen."

Becca and Nick looked at each other and Nick asked, "What do you think?"

"I don’t know. It sounds good."

Howie said, "One more thing. No sex for a week."

"DO WHAT?" questioned Nick.

"I’m serious," said Howie. "No sex for a week."

"And I suppose you two didn’t have sex for a week," shot Nick.

"Actually, it was closer to a month," said Sarah as she looked at Howie who nodded his head to agree.

"You’re joking?"

"No, I’m not. I was still married but legally separated when Howie and I started dating."

"And I didn’t want to rush anything," added Howie. "Plus, Sarah has definite ideas about being faithful which I respect. That’s one of the things I found out about her when we were getting to know each other."

"So, we have to sleep in separate beds?"

"I didn’t say that. Some of the best nights Sarah and I have had have been the nights we simply held each other."

"How am I supposed to lie beside Becca and NOT…"

Howie laughed. "I realize you’re young, dumb, and full of…"

"HOWARD!" scolded Becca before he could finish the statement..

Howie smirked, "Its called CONTROL, Nick."

"Along with A LOT of cold showers and working out," teased Sarah.

Everyone laughed as Howie hugged her. "You didn’t have to tell them THAT! Nick, there are a lot of ways to make love…not just the usual way. Take the time to get to know Becca’s body, every intimate detail. Watch her sleep, watch how she does the little things, help her take a bath, rub her feet for her at night when she’s tired."

"And Bec, you do the same for Nick," said Sarah. "My favorite time to watch Howie is when he’s working on music. He gets this really cute expression, especially when he can’t decide on the right word."

Becca and Nick looked at each other and Nick said, "It sounds like a plan but I’m not sure I can go a FULL week without making love to my wife."

"It’ll make it that much better, Nick," said Howie.

"The only question now is, where do we go?"

"That’s up to you, Nick," said Becca. "I love the idea of spending time with JUST you."

Sarah said, "Then it’s set…you two are to leave here tomorrow, head back home, and DISAPPEAR."

"Two things…Nick, we’re scheduled to shoot the video for ‘Drowning’ August 22^nd, so you don’t have a full three weeks. Sarah and I are headed out to LA on the 20^th so that she can do a show that Kevin has set up for her."

Becca looked skeptical, "You’re still gonna perform after last night?"

"Yeah. I’ll be okay as long as I keep drinking water and plenty of it."

"What’s the second thing, D?" asked Nick.

"You need to talk to Billy about all this, let him know what you’re doing so he can do his job. If you go anywhere, you have to let him know."

"I thought when you guys were off security didn’t work?" questioned Becca.

"They don’t but Billy has a new client. Nick, you need to sign the contract."

"I’ll take care of it when we get back. Thanks, D. How much do I owe you?"

"Just pay Billy."

The realization of what the guys were talking about hit Becca and Sarah watched the ‘storm’ building. Howie had been worried that she wouldn’t like the idea of a bodyguard but it was Becca who obviously didn’t like the idea. Before Becca could explode, Sarah said, "Bec, the guys did it for OUR protection."

Surprised, Becca said, "I thought you HATED the idea of your own bodyguard."

"Back when I was having problems, yeah…but now, it’s cool. Besides, if I keep on, eventually, I’m gonna have to have security and I’d rather it be Raoul."

"So who do I get? I want someone I know too."

Howie smirked, "Oh, you DEFINITELY know him. It’s Billy."

Nick howled, "You have GOT to be kidding!"

"No…it was Billy’s choice. You’re picking up Eddie as your bodyguard."

"But Billy’s scared of Becca."

"Not really. He loves the way she handles you."

Becca groaned. "Now I understand lunch. Sarah, you already knew, didn’t you?"

"Yeah. It was one of the things Howie and I discussed last night at the hospital."

"Don’t worry, Bec…it’s REALLY not that bad," said Nick.

"Yeah, Bec. You’ll never know he’s there," agreed Howie.

The rest of the afternoon was spent just relaxing. Sarah gave up on the computer deciding that she wanted to snuggle with Howie as they watched television. It took them close to fifteen minutes to agree on a movie and it would have been longer if Howie and Sarah hadn’t given in to Nick’s demands.

Part 153        The Dance Index(2)