"But I don't..."

"Go. You need to be there for the group. This is important."

"Do you really think it matters all that much anymore?" he questioned.

"Yes, it does. Now, please, go. I'll be fine."

"I'll miss you." He pouted and then pulled her close to him, pushing her away to kiss her forehead and then pulling back into a tight hug.

"I'll miss you too." She smiled and handed him his black leather jacket. "You're gonna be late! Go!"

********************************************************************************

Nick sauntered into the dressing room with his younger brother, Aaron, at his side.

"Hey guys!" Brian welcomed the newcomers. "We were thinkin' you weren't gonna show tonight."

"Nah, you knew we'd make it!" Nick laughed as the other men in the room rolled their eyes.

"As a matter of fact, some of us were almost positive you weren't going to make it." Kevin didn't take his eyes off the mirror as he adjusted his tie, but Nick knew he was glaring at him.

"Fu....lay off, Kev." Nick remembered Aaron and toned down his language. "I'm here, that's what you wanted."

"You can swear Nick." Aaron plopped himself down on the couch and flipped through a magazine. "Mom does it all the time on tour."

"Well Mom shouldn't. You're too young."

Aaron laughed to himself and continued to read the magazine.

"Where's Shea tonight? I thought you wanted her to come with you to the show?" Howie asked.

"I did." Nick ran his hands through his hair and groaned, realizing he'd just messed up the hairstyle Shea had fixed for him. "But she insisted on staying at the hotel." He glanced in the mirror, pulling pieces of hair back into place. He licked his fingers and patted them over the top of his hair, willing it to stay in place. Shea would kill him if she saw his wrecked hair on television after all the time she spent on it.

"But why?" AJ turned away from the stereo. "We all have our girls here. It's cool, she knows that." He took his fiancee's hand with a grin. "We're cool, right?"

The tall brunette gave him a smile. "Of course. I wish she had come."

"She's chicken." Aaron grinned from behind his magazine.

"Shut up Aaron." Nick dead panned as he took another check of his hair.

"She's afraid. Chicken!" Aaron chortled back. "You would think with her being ol..."

"I'm gonna kill you Aaron! Shut up!" Nick started to advance toward his brother before Kevin held him back.

"Enough children." Kevin scolded. "We go on in ten minutes. Aaron, someone is outside to take you to your seat. Nick will see you after."

"You bet I will." Nick mock menaced.

Aaron stuck his tongue out at him as he ran through the door.

"Little brat." Nick muttered.

********************************************************************************

Shea switched the television on at 8pm. Nick had told her the group would be presenting in the first half hour and that the award they were nominated for would be shown by then as well.

"I'm getting too old for this." she yawned as the show progressed. "I'm so tired."

She perked up as the nominees for best pop vocal by a duo or group were announced. She crossed her fingers and closed her eyes, willing the group to win. When U2 was announced, she sighed and leaned back in her chair.

"I knew it." she sighed sadly to herself. "One of these years they will be the blockbuster release of the year and get all the awards."

A few moments later she smiled brightly as the Backstreet Boys walked on stage.

"There he is." She rubbed her stomach gently. "There's Daddy, honey. Look at him, look how beautiful he is." Shea couldn't take her eyes off Nick. He looked so wonderful. She couldn't believe he was hers, that he wanted her, that they were having a baby together. "We're so lucky, baby."

********************************************************************************

"And the award goes to..."Lady Marmalade!"

Nick breathed a sigh of relief as he read the winner off the card. They were done. They had lost the one award they were nominated for and they just presented with a nervous 16 year old Olympic gold medal winner. Finished. He could go now. Back to Shea. He smiled as he thought about her. Brian nudged him. They had to get off stage now.

"Mr. Carter, could I have your autograph?"

"Uh?" Brian nudged him again to get his attention.

"Could I have...?"

"Oh. Sure. Sorry." Nick scribbled his name in the young girl's book as she stared at him, still awestruck she was standing in the same room with her favorite group.

"That was great guys." Kevin smiled at the group. "Time to take our seats."

"I'm going Kev."

The older man turned to Nick. "But we'll have audience shots, we have to be together. And Aaron is here."

"It's all looked after, the limo is waiting for Aaron. Tell everyone I went to the bathroom or something. I got really sick. Throwing up and all that gross stuff."

"Nick..." Kevin began.

Brian put his hand on his cousin's shoulder. "Let him go. When was the last time he was like this? He's in love, let him go."

Kevin nodded reluctantly as Nick whooped for joy. "See you guys! Tell Aaron bye for me!"

********************************************************************************

"Shea?"

Nick hollered out her name as he entered the hotel suite.

"Shea? Where are you?"

He wandered through the rooms, not seeing any sign of her. As he walked he caught site of the sweatshirt she had been wearing when he left laying on the floor by the bed. He kneeled down, holding the shirt to his face and breathing in her scent. Underneath the shirt was her bra, a short distance away, her panties and shorts. Now he knew where she was. He got up with a smirk on his face.

"Shea, I'm coming to get you!"

********************************************************************************

Shea rinsed the soap out of her hair and stepped out of the tub carefully. She was instantly wrapped in a large, fluffy towel and two strong arms.

"Wha...? Oh, Nick! You scared me!" She turned to face him and brushed her lips over his cheek. "You're back early."

Nick placed all his attention on drying her off completely. "I couldn't wait any longer. I told Kevin I was leaving." He finished drying her body and sat on the toilet, pulling her down with him. Then he began slowly rubbing her hair with a smaller towel, giving her a gentle massage at the same time.

"I bet that went over big." She leaned into Nick as his fingers worked magic on her scalp. "I love when you do this."

"He'll probably be mad at you for awhile. If you had come, I would have stayed longer."

"There was no way I was going Nick, I told you."

"But why baby? I love you, I'm proud of you."

She wriggled around until she was semi-straddling his legs and facing him. "Nick, they don't know about me. Do you have any idea what the fans would say if they knew you were dating me?"

"I don't care." he protested with a pout.

"Nick, honey. Look what happened to Willa, Mandy, whoever she was. The fans would tear you and me apart. I'm older than you, older than some of them, I'm fat. The fans would have a field day."

"I'm happy you're fat. I made you fat!" Nick got a proud, silly grin on his face. "You're having my kid!"

"Exactly. I'm old and pregnant. They'll accuse me of stealing your youth, of tying you down with a kid. Hell, they'll accuse me of breaking up the group when all that comes out. You don't need to tell them, let them find out when they find out. They can hate me then."

"Honey they won't care about you when the news hits. It'll be me they call names. 'The Backstreet Bastard'" Nick laughed at the thought.

"And I'll be Yoko." Shea groaned. "Great."

"Who?" Nick gave her a confused look. "Oh yeah. "You can be my Yoko Ono, you can follow me where ever I go..." Nick grinned as he sang a snippet of the Barenaked Ladies song. He'd never listened to them before he met Shea, now they were one of his many favorites. "You'll follow me wherever I go, right Shea?" he cooed as he nestled his face in the crook of her neck and shoulder. "Never leave me?"

"Never." Shea promised.

Nick pushed her to a standing position. He got up and grabbed her housecoat, pulling it over her arms. He knelt before her and rubbed her protruding belly. "How much longer do we have to wait?"

"A month, give or take." Shea looked admiringly down at Nick as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Soon, very soon."

"I can't wait." He kissed her stomach. "I can't wait, little one. I love you so much." He stood and closed the coat around her, tying the belt with care. "I love you too." He led her to the bed, helping her get comfortable before getting ready to join her.

"You know, I was just thinking." Shea mused as she watched Nick undress. "Some of the older fans on that one list said that as long as you were happy and had a girl that made you smile, they would be happy. Or words to that effect." She welcomed him into her arms as he climbed in bed beside her. "I wish all fans were like that."

"Then, baby, they would be so happy with you, because you make me smile every minute of the day. My life has changed so much with you in it. I can't imagine living like I used to. I love you. We should tell the fans."

"No." Shea insisted. "Let them keep guessing who the mysterious brunette is."

Shea and Nick huddled together, exchanging kisses and soft words.

"Why me?" Shea asked.

"Huh?" Nick lifted his head and stared at her. "Why you?"

"Yeah."

"You treated me like a normal person, didn't go all freaky on me when you found out who I was, you don't mind eating sandy food on the beach, you don't care about expensive gifts, you like Journey..."

Shea giggled.

"You opened my world, Shea. I love you so much."