Aaron walked through the gate, immediately looking around for his older brother. As soon as he saw him, he took off running. "Nick!"
Nick smiled. "Hey Aaron!" he said, embracing him in a hug.
Aaron grinned as Nick pulled away. "Hey Han, where's Lis?" he asked, looking around for her.
Nick sighed. "She's in New York AC."
Aaron made a face. "Then why are you here?"
"Because I wanted to spend time with you, let's go get your bags. I got a big day planned!" Nick informed him, leading the way to the baggage claim.
Aaron nodded and stayed back a few feet with Han. "He still doesn't remember?" he whispered.
Han shook her head sadly. "Nothing yet. Maybe being with you will help him a bit."
Aaron shifted his backpack. "I hope it'll help him." he smiled at her and went to catch up to his brother.
~New York~
Brian opened the door to their hotel suite and let Lis in. He set his keys on the table and watched as she went straight into her room. "You sure you're feeling better?" he asked from her doorway.
Lis lifted her head and nodded. "Fine, I think it was just the fact we were walking around so much."
Brian walked over and sat down beside her. "Lis, as your friend I don't think so anymore. You've got to get yourself looked at, I heard you this morning in the bathroom."
Lis curled into a little ball. "It's nothing B, just a bit of the flu."
"You are so damn stubborn!! Look your gonna end up in the hospital if you don't look after yourself."
"What do you want me to do B?"
"See a doctor, take care of yourself. I don't want to be dragging a sick girl around the New York hot spots." he smiled down at her.
Lis laughed. "Fine, I'll call a friend of mine and see if I can get an appointment when we get back to Orlando ok?"
Brian nodded. "Good. Now rest, I'll order up room service and we'll spend tonight in." he headed to the outer room.
"But you wanted to go out tonight." Lis called.
"We can go out tomorrow. You won't have fun if you're sick." he reasoned, walking back in with the room service menu. He sat next to her on the bed.
"So what do we feel like?"
Lis pulled the menu out of his hand and looked it over. "I'll go with the standby of a double cheeseburger."
"Sounds good." he reached over her and picked up the phone to order.
Nick walked Han to her car. "You sure you're okay with this?" he asked her.
"I'm positive. I'm going to spend a few days with my best friend at her place. Now go have fun with AC." Han kissed his cheek and got into her beetle.
Nick waved and watched her drive away, then headed back inside. Aaron was all ready busy hooking up the Nintendo to the big screen tv.
"Whatcha doing AC?"
Aaron smiled and tossed Nick a controller. "Getting ready to kick your butt at Mario Kart."
Nick sat down on the floor near his brother "You think you can take me?"
Aaron nodded. "Why, you been practicing?"
"A bit." Nick watched as Aaron clicked the tv on and the menu screen appeared. "How's LA?"
Aaron shrugged. "It's LA. Not much going on, auditioned for a few things. Tried to do some writing. What have you been doing?"
Nick's eyes stayed on the screen. "Not much, trying to remember things. Nothing's coming back yet. I...I think I'm going to move back into the beach house."
"What? You and Lis love this place, you can't leave."
Why not Aaron? Nick asked silently. "AC, me and Lis are moving on...it'll be easier if we're not under the same roof."
Aaron looked at his brother in shock, not caring that on screen his kart crashed. "Moving on?"
Nick nodded. "It's better this way..."
"But what about the fact you two..."
"Us two what?" Nick asked, pausing the game. He rolled on his side and watched his brother.
Aaron took a deep breath. If Nick didn't know, there had to be a reason Lis didn't tell him and he wasn't going to be the one to give him the news. "The two of you are in love."
"How can you be so sure of that lil bro?"
"Give me a minute, I'll show you." Aaron stood up and went running up to the guest room he always used at the house, he came down minutes later a videotape in his hand.
"What's that?"
"This..." he raised the tape in the air, "is last Christmas."
Nick went over and sat on the couch. "What's so important about last Christmas?"
Aaron put the video in the vcr. He didn't know what to say. "You'll see. All I'm gonna say is you took all of us to Vegas for your birthday this year. Everyone, the family, the guys, their girls, Lis and Han and their parents. It was one big party." Aaron flopped down next to Nick and ran a hand through his hair. He hoped he wasn't giving anything away he shouldn't. "Anyways, I'll let you watch this alone. I'm gonna go grab a shower."
Nick gave his brother a confused look. "See ya later AC." He sat on the couch for awhile, wondering what was on the tape. Well Carter, you won't know if you don't watch he reasoned. He got himself comfy on the couch and hit play, the minute the images appeared his eyes were transfixed on the video Aaron had shot Christmas morning.
~Christmas Morning Carter House~
Lis giggled as Nick pulled her down between his legs. "Hey stranger." he said, smiling at her.
"Hi." she replied, leaning against his chest.
"Yo, love birds over here!" Aaron direction, waving at them from behind his new camcorder. Everyone laughed as Bob and Jane turned and waved at their youngest son. "I meant Nick and Lissy." Aaron said, exasperated.
"Sorry!" Bob apologized with a small laugh and went back to talking with Jane.
Nick and Lis waved at the camera. "Remind me why I bought him that again?" Nick asked her, putting an arm around her waist.
"Because he liked yours and kept borrowing it."
"Right. Hey Leslie, pass me that one gift with Lis' name on it."
Leslie picked up a shiny blue present. "This one?" Nick nodded and Leslie tossed it to her big brother.
He caught the gift and passed it to Lis. Her eyes looked over the box quizzically as she realized all the Carters eyes were on her. "What?" she asked, looking around the room.
Jane shrugged and smiled.
Nick rested his head on her shoulder. "See Lis, generally at Christmas you tend to open gifts people give you."
"Ha ha ha. Just like you dress up like Santa every year?" she asked, ruffling his hair.
"Don't touch the 'do!" he said, pulling her gift away.
"Nickolas Gene Carter, you give Lis that present back right now." BJ said, looking up from her book.
Nick stuck out his tongue at his sister and grudgingly gave Lis back her present. "Thank ya." she ripped the paper off and stared at the long box in front of her, opening the lid slowly. "Plane tickets to Vegas..." she said, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep, seven nights at the MGM Grand. Cool huh?" he asked, taking out his ticket.
"Sure. It'll be fun." Lis leaned over and gave Nick a quick kiss.
~~
Nick turned the tape off. So he took them all to Vegas for his birthday, he didn't see anything wrong with that. He sighed, leaning back into the cushions of the couch. The way him and Lis acted on the tape was a lot different then the fight he vividly remembered, but they could have been acting afte rall it was a family gathering. He closed his eyes and laid on the couch, falling into a restless sleep.
