THE BEACH 

Rayne rolled over in her bed and looked at the clock. 9:23. It flashed at her like a beacon. She glanced at the window and smiled when she saw the bright Florida sun trying to make its way through the heavy curtains. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, stretching. Rayne walked over to the window and pulled the curtains open. The sun showing her the best it had.

Rayne had arrived in Florida two weeks prior. It was a major decision for her. She had just broken up with Justin a month before that and desperately needed a change. She had always wanted to live in Florida and was looking for a career change. Her best friend, Leanne, was all ready living in Florida with her fiancé Brian. She had helped Rayne get a job with an advertising company and was looking for a place to call her own.

Rayne turned around as she heard a knock on the door. "Come in." She said.

The door slowly opened and Leanne peaked her head around, "Mornin', you coming down for coffee?"

"Yeah, I'm right behind you." She replied as she grabbed her robe. "You know I think it is going to take me some time to get used to this sun so early in the morning." Rayne said as the two of them walked downstairs.

"Tell me about it, I think I was awake at 4am everyday for the first month when I first moved here." Leanne laughed.

"Morning Brian." Rayne said as she stepped into the kitchen.

"Mornin' Rayne. How'd ya sleep?" He asked, a little bit of his Kentucky up bringing coming out in an accent.

"Fabulous. It must be something about the ocean air. I should have moved here sooner." She laughed.

"I wish you would have." Leanne said with a smile your way. She had been trying to get you away from Justin for a long time.

"All in good time my darlin'." Rayne replied.

"So what's on tap for today ladies?" Brian asked as he went to the kitchen sink to rinse his dishes.

It still amazed her that he did so much around the house. Justin was never like that, he expected Rayne to do all the work. "I think I am going to the beach today." She announced. She had been there everyday since she got to Florida, working on her tan so that she wouldn't stick out like a tourist. Plus there was always the chance that she would see Nick there.

Rayne had met Nick the first day on the beach. She was lying there watching the people in the water and he was the one that she noticed. She couldn't help but watch him. His blonde hair was amazing, he wasn't skinny, but more defined than anything. He had these amazing arms that made you shiver, each with a tattoo that made you wonder why he choose those. He had felt her watching him and after some teasing from his friends he came over to talk with Rayne. There was an instant friendship that started. She had met him almost every day at the beach since. He had told her that was in the music business and wondered if Brian knew him. Rayne knew that Brian was in a band, but didn't know too much about it.

"You have been spending a lot of time at the beach, any particular reason why?" Brian asked with interest.

She shrugged her shoulders and glanced at Leanne quickly, "Not really. I just want to get a tan." Leanne chuckled a little to herself at her response. Rayne had obviously told her about Nick.

"Well, why don't you try to be here around three or so, the rest of the guys are coming over and I want you to meet them." Brian told her as he left the room.

The group that Brian was a part of had been on holidays since before she got to Florida. They were spread out all over the world and were just coming back together that day to get ready for another album.

"So are you meeting that guy you told me about? What's his name, Nick?" Leanne asked after she heard Brian start the water to the shower.

"Yeah. He told me he might be there today." Rayne told her as she gazed out the window at the ocean. The house that Leanne and Brian shared was right on the beach, so you never had to go far.

"So when do we get to meet this guy? He's got you in such a tizzie, I can't wait to see him." Leanne said as she put her dishes in the dishwasher.

"I don't know. He seems to be very shy."

Leanne looked at the clock on the stove and swore under her breath, "Shit, I have a meeting today that I have to get to." She ran out of the kitchen and up the stairs. A few minutes later she was running back down, dressed in her work clothes. She was an architect for a huge firm in Florida. "Remember, three o'clock. You have to be here to meet the guys. You will love them!" She called as she ran out the door to her 4-Runner.

"Have a good morning." Rayne laughed after her with a wave of her hand. But she was all ready gone. She finished her coffee out on the balcony and thought of Nick. This was her last weekend of freedom before she started her job at the advertising agency. She stood watching the early morning people at the beach.

"I'm all done, shower's yours if you want it." She heard from behind her.

"Thanks Bri. I should be back by three by the way." Rayne said as she walked back into the house.

"That's great, you are gonna love these guys. We'll see ya later then." He waved goodbye as he headed out the door.

Rayne went to the bathroom and got ready for her meeting with Nick. She had purposely washed her bikini the night before. It showed off enough to get someone interested, but not enough so that they wouldn't want the rest. Since she had been in Florida for two weeks, the green color of the material showed off her well-earned tan perfectly.

She quickly jumped in the shower and then out again. Nick had told her that he might be out by 10:30 and it was all ready ten, she didn't want to be late. Rayne ran to her bedroom and quickly pulled her suit on, over that she pulled the light beach robe that Leanne insisted she needed. Leanne claimed that you couldn't live in Florida without one. Rayne looked in the mirror and decided that a French Braid was in the picture for today.

Within minutes she was ready. Her hair was perfect, she had applied a little eyeliner to make her eyes stand out a little and she was happy with what she saw. Rayne grabbed her bag and headed outside. When she walked out into the beach from the walkout basement of Brian's house, she saw that Nick was all ready at their usual spot. He looked so handsome. He almost took her breath away.

"Hey there." Rayne said as she came up behind him.

"Hey there to you. How are you?" Nick asked as he stood up.

"I'm doing great. I am loving this Florida weather." She replied as she sat down beside the spot he just stood from.

"It's great isn't it?" Nick asked, not really expecting an answer, he looked out to the ocean and smiled. "How would you like to take a walk today?"

"That would be great."

Nick stood up and held out his hand for her to take. Rayne gladly accepted it and he pulled her up with ease. Nick folded the blanket that he had spread out and tossed it over his shoulder, he turned towards the ocean and started walking. Rayne fell into an easy conversation, she was so comfortable with him. She didn't even notice when he reached for her hand. This was so unlike what she had with Justin. Justin was all about himself, he didn't care what she wanted, he didn't listen to her when she talked. Nick listened to every word that she said. He always asked if she was thirsty or hungry and was willing to pay for everything.

Rayne and Nick had walked almost three miles before she noticed that it was getting late and that they should head back. She had told Brian that she would be there to meet his friends and she didn't want to disappoint him. "I had a good time today Nick. As usual." She laughed as they turned around.

"You are so different from the other girls I know. You make taking easy." He confided. Nick stopped, looking at her. He looked at Rayne for a few minutes before his lips started to close the inches between them. He looked so handsome that she didn't want to break the moment. There was a small breeze that was coming off the ocean, it blew his blonde hair around his face. The sun making his blue eyes seem even bluer. Her bag had fallen to the sand as Nick placed his hands on her face and leaned into her even more. Rayne closed her eyes waiting for the second that his lips would touch hers. It was amazing, she could feel the sparks going through her. It was the most tender kiss that you ever had, it was almost like he didn't even kiss her, it was that soft. She hated to have it stop.

"I've gotta go, I am meeting at a friend's house in a bit." Nick said quietly as he reached over to pick up her bag.

Rayne subtly got herself back on track and smiled at Nick. "Yeah, Leanne is having a bunch of people over that she wants me to meet. I told her I would be back in time for it."

Rayne and Nick made it back to their spot on the beach and parted with another kiss. This one was just as sweet as the last. They arranged a time to meet the following day and said goodbye. She hated leaving him, but she had told Brian that she would be there. Nick turned and walked down the beach to his car. He never saw which house she went to.

Rayne ran up to the house and through the door, throwing her things on her bed, she jumped into the shower and quickly rinsed off. The tip of her nose got just a little sunburned, but it made her look cuter. As she was getting dressed, she heard the doorbell ring and quickly finished, running down the stairs just in time to see a couple of Brian's band mates walk through the door.

"Hey guys, were is Frack?" Brian asked as they all came in the door.

"Hey Rok, he's coming, he was at the beach again today." A tall dark haired guy said.

"I bet he has some beach bunny there." Another shorter, dark haired guy laughed.

"Are you kidding, he's probably got a hundred of them." Yet another dark haired member said.

They all went into the living room and once Brian saw that Rayne was there he smiled and put his arm around her. "Well I guess we will just have to do this again when he does get here. Guys this is Rayne. Rayne, this is AJ, Howie and my cousin Kevin." Brian pointed to each guy.

"It's nice to meet you all." She said to them.

"Rayne, it's nice to meet you. How are you enjoying Florida?" AJ asked.

Just as she was about to answer the doorbell rang again, Brian excused himself to answer it. Rayne had her back to the door and when Brian came back with the guest he started to introduce you. "Rayne, this is Nick, the last member of our group to show up."

She turned around and came face to face with her Nick. She couldn't believe it. "Rayne?"

"Nick?"

"What are you doing here?" They both asked at the same time.

"You guys know each other?" Brian asked with confusion.

Leanne watched from her spot beside Kevin, "Rayne is this the Nick that you have been telling me about?"

Rayne spun around to her, "Yeah, I had no idea he knew your Brian." She stated. "What group are you guys in?"

"The Backstreet Boys." Nick answered.

As she stood there thinking of the name and looking at all the guys, she saw it. She wasn't a fan, other wise she would have recognized Nick, but she remembered seeing their videos and hearing about them. She couldn't believe that she had been seeing Nick for almost two weeks, Rayne suddenly wondered what she knew about him.

"Nick, why didn't you tell me who she was?" Brian asked.

"I didn't know. I never made the connection."

Rayne and Nick were both sitting on the couch now, amazed that they were actually so close. Her best friend was engaged to his best friend. How could that have happened without the two of them knowing about it?

"Well I guess this will make it easier fir us to introduce one another our friends." Rayne laughed.

Everyone fell into a causal conversation, the other guys suddenly were more interested in Rayne now that it turned out she was the girl that Nick had been meeting at the beach. It became apparent to her that Nick didn't tell them much about her. It had been decided that everyone would stay for dinner. Brian fired up the barbeque while she helped Leanne get things ready.

"How freaky is that? Your Nick is well … my Nick." Leanne said as she got some potatoes out of the cupboard.

"I know. I knew that he was in a band, but I didn't know which one. And you never sent me a picture of the whole group together. Mostly just you and Brian. I never even put the two together. It almost makes me wonder if I really know Nick." Rayne replied absentmindedly.

"Oh come on Rayne. I can honestly tell you that the Nick that you have known for the last two weeks, is the real Nick. He doesn't let just anyone get to him the way you got to him." Leanne told her.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Rayne had a great night with Leanne and the guys it was nice to be with Nick. It didn't feel as though anything had changed with the two of them. He still made her knees go weak when he looked at her. Those blue eyes, that blonde hair, that smile, it was a perfect package. Rayne spent the rest of the weekend with Nick and the rest of the guys. They were a hoot when they were all together.

The beginning of the week, she walked into the building of her new job with a few butterflies in her stomach. She went to her new bosses' office and he handed her, her first assignment.

"We have been given a new account and I want you to handle it. There is some music group that is trying to promote their latest album and they want to do some commercials for it. Your job is to think of something that will be good for them." He explained to her as he handed her a file.

Rayne opened it up and stared right into Nick's eyes. Her first assignment was to design a commercial for the guys. She started to laugh, "Uhm sir, I don't think I can do this."

"Why not?"

"Well, I am good friends with one member and I just met the other this past weekend. I don't think that I could be objective." She explained.

"Sure you could. You are exactly what this commercial needs. Here is the number for the management company that looks after the guys. They will want to talk with you." George reached to his phone and pressed the intercom button. "Janet, will you come and show Rayne to her desk and help her out?"

"Yes sir." Janet replied, a second later she walked through the door. "Follow me." She said with a smile.

Rayne followed her around the office, surprised when she saw that she actually had a corner office. It wasn't large, but it was big enough. Janet explained things to her, coffee breaks and what not. Where to find supplies, how the machines worked, how her phone worked, who to go to for help with anything and generally how the office worked. Once she left, Rayne sat back and took a deep breath. She had a couple of windows in her office, she turned her chair around and gazed out at the city of Florida. This was her chance, she had just walked in the door and was given something huge. She was bouncing a few ideas around in her head when she heard someone behind her.

"Is this what you always do at work?"

Rayne turned around and saw Nick. "Hi. No, I was just getting some inspiration."

She stood up and went to close the door, which was when she saw that everyone was watching her office. There was a glass panel for her wall, so they could all see in with no problems. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I would take you to lunch on your first day." Nick said.

Rayne looked at her watch then back to Nick, "Is it lunch all ready? Wow. Yeah I would love to go. I don't have much time though." She said as she grabbed her purse.

"That's fine, neither do I. I thought that we could just go get something quick." He replied as he reached around her and opened the door for her.

They walked through the office, everyone watching them with interest. She told the receptionist that they were going for lunch and would be back in about 45 minutes. Once outside the office, Nick reached for her hand and held it tight. He led them out of the building and down the street.

"So how has your first day been so far?" He asked as they walked to a park and saw that they had little snack dog carts here and there. "Is this okay?"

"Sure." She replied as they sat down on the edge of a fountain.

"What'll you have?"

"Just a regular hot dog and a sprite, please."

Nick left and got the order, he returned a minute later with the food and sat down beside Rayne. "Things went well. You will never guess what my first assignment is though." She challenged as she took a bite.

"What?"

"It is my first job to create the commercials for you guys."

Nick looked at her with amusement, "You're kidding?"

"Nope. I tried to get out of it, I didn't think that I could do it, but I have actually come up with a few good ideas. I just have to get in contact with the guys at The Firm and then see." Rayne explained to him.

The lunch went by too quick, she would have loved to spend more time with Nick, but she didn't want to be late getting back on her first day. When she walked back into the office, there was suddenly a few people that wanted to talk with her. They mostly wanted to know how she knew Nick. Rayne explained to them as much as what she thought they should know at this point. That he was the friend of a friend. She went to her office and closed the door so that she could work in peace. By the end of the day she had gotten her ideas down on paper and was going to call her contact at The Firm the following morning.

When she got home to Brian and Leanne's she was happy to see Nick's car parked in the driveway. Rayne walked through the door and smiled as she saw him sitting in the living room. "Hi honey, I'm home." She laughed.

"How was your day dear?" He joked.

"Wonderful, except I have these horrible clients that I have to design a commercial for and I just know that they are going to veto everything that I put in front of them." Rayne said as she sat beside him on the couch.

"Well, you just tell me who they are and I will straighten them out for you." Nick replied. "Are you hungry, do you want dome dinner?"

"That would be wonderful. Let me just go change first." She said as she stood up and walked to her room. Rayne quickly changed and joined Nick out of the patio. Brian and Leanne were all ready there as she sat down.

They both inquired as to how her day went. She told them both what she had told Nick at lunch. Time went by so fast when she was with these guys. Before she knew it, it was almost midnight. She told them all that it was time for her to retire it had been a long first day and tomorrow promised to be even longer.

Months flew by seemingly without she knowing it. She did a fabulous job on the commercials for the guys. They loved her ideas and shot everything that she came up with. With the success of those, Rayne had gotten a reputation around the office as being the one to go to with the difficult tasks. She was thriving. Anything that got her mind going. She had proven herself and quickly moved up the ladder at the office. Things with Nick were even better. The guys were on tour right now, but were just about finished the first leg of this new tour and would have three weeks between the start of the next. Rayne couldn't wait to have Nick home again. She had found an apartment building a few blocks from Brian and Leanne's place that had a few empty apartments. The first one she saw, she grabbed it. It was beautiful. It looked out onto the ocean and had its own balcony. Nick hadn't seen it yet, when she got it they were just starting this tour in Europe.

Leanne occasionally flew out to see Brian, but Rayne didn't have that luxury. However, every time that she came back home, she brought something from Nick. Rayne was so in love with him, that when he finally did come home her heart stopped when she looked at him.

She picked him up from the airport and after a few encounters with the fans, she took him to her knew home. She had told him all about it and couldn't wait for him to see it. Rayne hoped his first night back he would spend the night with her. She and Nick had yet to be intimate with one another.

On the way to her place Nick told her how the last show of the tour went. She wished that she could have been there, but she was in the middle of an ad campaign for a major appliance company and couldn't get away. The closer that she got to her apartment, the more excited she got. Rayne couldn't help but think that she had never had these feelings for Justin. He never cared what she did. She couldn't even remember why she had hooked up with him in the first place.

Rayne helped Nick with his things, he had told her that he would stay at her place for a few days if she wanted. She was more than happy to have him. The two of them walked into her place and she quickly showed Nick around. He liked the place, but you noticed that he was distracted.

In the living room, she reached for his hand and turned his face to her. "Nick, what is the matter?" Nick was quiet. This made you worry. "You are scaring me, what's wrong?"

Nick sat down on your couch and put his head in his hands, "I don't know." He whispered.

Rayne sat beside him and took his hands in hers. "Nick you can tell me anything. You know that."

Nick leaned back on the couch and took a deep breath. "I think I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" She asked.

"What you having this apartment means."

"Nick, I am not following you. Please explain." Rayne begged.

"Well, when you were living with Bri, we had only been together for a short while. Then when you did move out, I wasn't here. Now that I am back, what kind of relationship do you expect?" Nick explained.

Now she understood. She had been with a man before, but Nick was still a virgin. It was one of the things that she admired about him. That he could be in this business and not fall into the pressures and the greed that was so available to him. The two of them had talked about sex on several occasions and she knew what Nick's opinion was. He wanted to wait for the right moment. Rayne had promised that she wouldn't push him.

She smiled at Nick and reached over to run her hand through his hair. "Nick, I love you. If you are not ready, then I am not ready. It is that simple." She stated. Although she hoped that he would be ready sooner than later.

"You're sure?" He questioned.

"I couldn't be more surer." Rayne said.

Nick smiled at her, "Is that a word?"

"If it isn't, then I just made it one. Now, what's say we have some dinner?" Rayne finished and got up.

"Sounds good, I'm hungry." He announced.

"You are always hungry." Rayne laughed.

She made a simple dinner as Nick went through all of his things and sorted out his clothes to be washed. It was comforting knowing that Nick was there. It made her home seem homier. She set the table and called for Nick, who was in the laundry room. Rayne had lit some candles, so there was a soft glow around the room. Nick held her chair for her as she sat down.

They ate amongst a casual conversation. She could feel something in the air, something that told her things were different between her and Nick now and that it was going to change in a big way that night. After dinner, he helped clean up and then the two of them took their drinks outside and sat on her balcony.

Rayne had a chaise lounge there and the two of them cuddled up on it. She talked for a while and then Nick suggested a walk on the beach. Rayne grabbed a sweater and some shoes and headed for the beach. Holding hands, they walked until they saw the sun was about to fall behind the ocean. This was her favorite way to spend time with Nick. They turned back to the apartment and watched the sun set from her balcony. Nick looked so handsome as the setting sun cast a glow on his face. Rayne looked at him and found that he was inches from her. Their lips met, the chill from the ocean blowing up to them wasn't even felt as her and Nick generated their own heat.

After a few minutes, Nick spoke. "Let's take this inside."

Rayne nodded her head as he opened the door for her. She had closed all the blinds earlier as the sun always shined right into her living room, making it extremely hot. They had complete privacy. Nick led her to the sofa and pulled her to him. Their lips met again, this time a little more urgently. As though they alone knew what was going to happen next.

Rayne reached down and pulled his shirt over his head, marveling at how his skin felt. She ran her hands through his hair and down his back. Rayne shifted her position a little so that she was now straddling him as she sat against the back of the couch. Nick had pulled her sweater over her head and followed with her T-shirt.

Rayne shivered a little as Nick hands touched her bare skin. This wasn't the first time that they had gone this far with him, but this time it meant so much more. Nick ran his hands over part of her skin. She moved from his lips to his ear, the exact spot that he loved to be kissed the most. She drove him insane as she nibbled his skin and left a trail of cool skin behind. Rayne trailed her lips down his jaw, over his neck, down his shoulder and across his chest to the other side of him.

He had opened the clasp on her bra and was lightly kneading her skin. For someone that had never had sex, he knew exactly what he was doing. And what to do to make her squirm. Rayne pushed herself up and let her fingers trail down his chest, she never took her eyes off Nick's. Some how having those blue eyes stare into hers so deeply, turned her on even more.

Rayne's fingers found the button to his jeans, one tug and they were open. Thank God for button fly. She brought one finger to her lips and licked it lightly, then ran it along the band of his boxers. She saw him take a deep breath in and drop his head on the couch. She managed to get his jeans off and sat beside him.

"Nick, is that what you want?" Rayne asked quietly.

"More than anything." He assured her.

He pushed her down on the couch and pulled her own jeans off along with her undies. Nick took control from there. He placed on hand on either side of her and though he was going to do a push up. He cane to her and kissed her lips, Nick moved his lips to her neck, much the same way that she had done to him a few minutes before. He moved down to her breasts and took one small bud into his mouth. She wrapped her hands around his neck, playing with his hair and holding him to her as much as she could.

Nick drove her mad with desire as he nibbled and licked at her flesh. His hand traveled to the spot between her legs that had been aching for him since you picked him up at the airport. His fingers gently pried into her and slowly began massaging her. Rayne could feel the ride start from the very tip of her toes. Small waves of pleasure were washing over her. She closed her eyes and saw the lights of colors dance behind them. Again it amazed her that with as little experience as what Nick had, he knew exactly what he was doing. The waves of pleasure rose to her throat and before she knew it, she was in the throes of the best orgasm she had ever had. She couldn't but call out Nick's name as he showed how much power he had and refused to let you hit his hand away.

Eventually the ride did stop. Rayne lay on the couch as she caught her breath, Nick beside her watching. Once she had relaxed enough to the point where she could go on, she pulled Nick over top of her. This was what she was looking forward to. Slowly she helped Nick guide himself in her and breathed in sharp at the feel of him sliding into her.

He started to push lightly, as she rocked against him, he moved faster. Rayne could feel another ride begin, but this one was different, as though she could feel everything being taken away from her body. Like she had nothing to do for it, just lay there and enjoy the feeling that she was getting. She closed her eyes and let the feeling wash over her. She heard Nick groan once, and quickly opened her eyes to see him. She could tell that he was close to his own release and watched his face. At just the right moment, he pushed into her with such force that she knew he was there, she gathered all her strength and contracted every muscle that she had, holding Nick in side of her for everything that she had. She felt Nick tremble as the orgasm took over his body. He collapsed on top of her as he settled down from the waves that drove him to heights that he never knew.

After a few minutes he spoke, "So that is what I have been missing all these years, huh?"

"Yup, pretty good huh?" Rayne asked as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Amazing." He whispered. "I love you Rayne."

"I love you Nick. What do you say, now that we have christened my living room, we move this to the bedroom?" She laughed.

Nick jumped off the couch and turned to her, "You got it." He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom, where he slowly made love to her again. Learning more things as he went and trying new things.

Rayne and Nick turned into bunny rabbits for the time that they would be home, until the next leg of the tour started. The only time that they weren't in bed enjoying one another was when they were at work. The rest of the guys hardly saw them at all and when they did see them, they were teased mercilessly. Kevin repeatedly asked her what she had done with his sweet little Nick.

Rayne hated to say goodbye to Nick at the end of the three weeks. But it had to be done. They were going to be gone for three months and then would be home for four. Rayne couldn't wait. Her and Nick had been together for four months now and they were so in love that the thought of being away from him for three months was depressing to her. For the first week that he was gone, she went to work and then went home to wait for his call. He would usually call after the show and talk with her for a couple of hours.

After the first week, Leanne had enough. She forced Rayne to go out with her. Her and Brian's wedding was only a few months away and she still had a ton of things to do. She wanted to find some flowers that were going to go on the tables. She was doing a lot of the work herself and was glad that Brian was out of her hair for awhile so that she could get the important things done. Rayne moped around for awhile, following her to several stores, but then once she started to yell, Rayne realized that she was right.

"Jesus Christ Rayne!" Leanne cried as they both got into the car. "Nick is gone for three months, are you going to be like this the whole three months?"

"Maybe." Was all she said.

"Well get over it. I admit that the first time Brian left, I was depressed, but come on, you knew what he did when you fell in love with him." Leanne told her.

"Yeah, but I didn't know that I would be hit so hard. I just miss him." Rayne said quietly.

Leanne softened then, "I know you do, but do you think Nick would want you moping around for the whole time he is gone?"

"No."

"Good, so tomorrow we are going to go to the movies, dinner and then what ever we feel like, okay?" She said.

"Only if I get to pick the movie." Rayne laughed.

Despite herself, Rayne was glad that Leanne had suggested the girls' night out. It made her forget that Nick was gone and that he wasn't going to be home for a while. After that she was okay. Rayne got over it. Nick still called her every night after the show and that made things better.

When the time came for the guys to come home, Rayne was beside herself with joy. Nick had told her that he would be staying with her, if that was okay. Rayne said she wouldn't have it any other way. She still hadn't accumulated any holiday time and couldn't take time off to be with Nick and enjoy him. But they had weekends and the two of them took the best of it together. She would help Leanne with her wedding when she needed it, which wasn't often since it was now so close.

Nick had pretty much moved in with Rayne by the time the wedding came around. They had been together for seven months now and were hardly apart for more than a few hours. The nigh before Leanne and Brian's wedding, she stayed with Rayne while Nick went to stay with Brian. Leanne was a jumble of nerves. At one point she started laughing over something that Rayne said and couldn't stop. Which started Rayne going. The two of them were on the floor of Rayne's living room in tears. Once they had settled down, a serious discussion started.

"Oh my sides ache." Leanne said. "Rayne, what do you see for you and Nick?"

"Huh?" She asked as she brought the bottle of wine to the living room.

"Where do you see you and Nick next year at this time?"

"I don't know maybe engaged. Maybe married all ready. I don't know." Rayne answered.

"I hope so. You guys deserve each other. And he is so much nicer than Justin." Leanne added.

"Yeah. There are a lot of things that he is better at then Justin." She chuckled. Rayne looked at Leanne and the two of them dissolved into giggles again.

The wedding was wonderful. Leanne looked beautiful, Brian was as handsome as ever, Rayne started to cry the minute that she saw Leanne walking down the aisle. Nick looked just as handsome as Brian and she was glad that Leanne had paired her with him. The party went on until the wee hours of the morning. Leanne and Brian were leaving in two days for the Bahamas. The guys still had three months before they had to be on tour again. They were working hard on doing another album and deciding what they wanted for their first single.

Rayne was working herself like crazy, trying to please some hard-to-please clients. Everything that she showed them they hated. It was beginning to take its toll on her. She snapped at Nick every time he mentioned it and nearly bit his head off when ever he breathed. On top of these clients, she was not feeling well. She felt a cold coming on and cursed herself for letting her run herself down.

Rayne came home late from work on night, to see a note taped to the front door. "Good job, Rayne, you have pissed Nick off enough, he has finally gotten smart and left you." She said aloud as she opened the door, only to find that it was locked. "Maybe he just kicked you out." Rayne balanced her things and opened the letter.

Rayne:

You have been having such a hard time with things lately, I have decided to do something for you. You will need your key, go straight to the bedroom and change. Then come to the living room.

Love Nick

She smiled to herself as she realized that he still loved her and hadn't left. Rayne searched for her keys and unlocked the door, once it was open she saw that there was a soft glow of candlelight every where. She dropped her things at the front hall table and went right to the bedroom. There was a box on the bed waiting for her. She sat down and opened it slowly, inside was a comfortable black and white sweater with a pair of black stretch pants. One of her favorite things to relax in. She quickly changed and went to find Nick.

He was sitting on the couch, looking relaxed. He was wearing a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He looked so good. But then again, when doesn't he? "Hi, how are you?"

"Fine. Wondering what is going on here." Rayne said as she sat beside him.

"Just thought you needed a little pick me up. I know that you have been having a hard time with these new clients." Nick explained as he reached out a hand to her. He pulled her to his lap and wrapped his arms around her.

"You are so sweet, you know that? But why are you doing this?" She questioned with suspicion.

"Because I love you. And you need to relax." Nick said. He stood the two of them up and led her over to the table where he had dinner waiting for her.

"Nick this is great. Did you cook this?" Rayne asked, Nick was not the best cook in the world.

"Yes I did. With a few dozen calls to Leanne. She has probably figured out that you are home now, I haven't called in the last few minutes." Nick laughed.

He pulled out her chair and helped her sit. He took his seat and then started a conversation, being careful to stay away from the clients that were giving her so much trouble. This was why she loved him so much. He knew what to do to take your problems away for a few hours. Once dinner was done, Nick cleared the dishes away while Rayne went to sit on the couch. A few minutes later he joined her, she noticed that he had a glint in his eyes and wondered what he was up to.

As the two of then sat on the couch and talked, she saw that Nick was very fidgety. He kept looking at the clock and then outside, pretty much anywhere. Finally when the two of them were done with their wine, Nick looked at her and took her hand.

"Rayne, I love you. You know that. And I know that this may seem sudden, but believe me when I say that I have thought long and hard about this." Nick started. Rayne's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach. He was going to break up with her. This whole night was just an easy way to get her out of his life. She looked back at Nick with tears in her eyes. He reached into his pocket and brought out a small black velvet box. "Rayne, I need you in my life forever. You are what makes me whole. That is why I know this is right. Will you marry me?"

Rayne was shocked. It took a lot to make her speechless, but Nick managed it on one question. He opened the box for her and once again took her breath away. Nick had bought a 4-carat diamond with three small baguettes on either side. He took it out of the box and placed it on her finger. She still couldn't speak. Rayne looked at Nick as he sat before her waiting for an answer. There was such expectation in his eyes. She knew this was where you wanted to be. With Nick. No matter where she was, what kind of clients she had, Nick was the one that made life worth living. The tears fell out of her eyes, Nick gently brushed them away. Rayne pulled his lips to hers and just before contact she whispered, "Yes."

That was the sweetest kiss that she had ever had. Rayne managed to get the following day off work, which turned out to be a good thing because her and Nick stayed up the whole night and talked about their future. What kind of wedding they wanted, where they were going to live, the children that they were going to have. It was early morning when Rayne decided that she should call Leanne and tell what had happened.

"What?" Brian grumbled when he picked up the phone.

"Hey Brian, it's Rayne, is Leanne there?"

"She's sleeping, do you have any idea what time it is?" He asked.

Rayne had learned a long time ago that Brian was not a morning person. "Yes, Brian I do, but I need to speak with her. Please."

"Just a sec." He said. Rayne heard him move around in the bed and then Leanne swear as Brian woke her up.

"What do you want?" She asked grumpily.

"I have some good news for you. Nick and I are getting married." She announced.

There was silence from Leanne's end of the phone, "Your doing what?"

"Getting married." Rayne repeated.

"WAAAAAAHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" She screamed.

"Leanne, what the hell?" She heard Brian ask in the background.

"Rayne, that is so awesome. When did he ask you? When are you getting married? And more importantly what does the ring look like?" Leanne threw at her in one breath.

"What, who's getting married?" Rayne heard Brian again.

"Shhhh. This is important." Leanne said to him, "Well?"

"He asked me last night. We haven't decided on a date yet. And it is a beautiful 4-carat solitaire with baguettes on the side." She replied.

"All right then, you have to come over so that we can start planning." Leanne said as she jumped around on the bed.

"Would you sit still, some of us are trying to sleep." Brian commented.

"Too bad, this is more important than sleep." She told him.

"Nothing is more important than sleep." Brian countered.

Rayne was laughing at this little conversation that was going on between them. Sometimes they could be so cute. She heard some muffling and then Brian yelp and then Leanne came back on the phone and told her that she would call her back. Rayne chuckled as she realized what was going on.

Rayne and Nick cuddled up in the bed and fell asleep for a few hours. Leanne called her back after lunch and told her and Nick to come on over. Now that she was fully awake she wanted to know everything. The two of them made it over there an hour later and Rayne spent the rest of the day making lists with Leanne while Nick and Brian decided on the all important bachelor party.

When she went back to work on Monday, Rayne was thrilled to learn that her problem clients had finally accepted the last concept that she had tossed to them the day before Nick came home. Everything was falling into place. Rayne couldn't be happier with the way things were going with Nick and her bosses were impressed with how she handled these last clients that they gave her a raise. Her and Nick had set a date for their wedding and had decided to have something small. Rayne didn't have a large family, neither did Nick. There would be a few friends outside the gang that she had kept in contact with since she left hr home town but that was about it. Brian and Leanne had offered their back yard for the wedding.

Since they were going to be outside on the beach, Rayne decided to have the wedding a la Cindy Crawford. Just a small simple dress, no shoes, nothing spectacular. Nick would wear dress pants and a light dress shirt. Rayne had asked Leanne to be her maid of honor, while Nick's little brother Aaron would be his best man. Things were falling into place nicely. The day of the wedding was fast approaching.

Before she knew it, it was here. Rayne was nervous. Her and Nick had bought a new house a few weeks before and couldn't wait to live in it as husband and wife. They had both decided that they didn't want to be there without the other. Rayne had finally accumulated the holiday time that she needed and Nick had surprised her with a honeymoon package to Europe. For three weeks they were going to be wandering around Paris, London, Rome and Madrid. Rayne couldn't wait.

The morning of the wedding, Rayne was as calm as could be. She had the nerves the night before, but when she woke in the morning, she had nothing. Just a peaceful feeling within. That didn't last long. When she got to the hairdressers, they had given away her appointment and wouldn't let her in no matter what she told them. Leanne was with her and told them where to go and that they had better start thinking of damage control. She took her back to her place and the two of them sat in hers and Brian's room and did her hair together. Since Leanne had been through her own wedding she was calm and managed to do wonders with her hair. Pulling it into a loose French Braid, leaving little wisps dangling down here and there. She had called in the same makeup person that had done her makeup and the finished result was stunning. Once Rayne put her dress on, she felt better. She had found the perfect dress a few weeks before and was thrilled with how it all turned out. The dress was very simple. It was white, short, to the knees, made of a silk lace type of material and had small spaghetti straps holding it on her shoulders.

It made her glad that the sun was shining brightly. Rayne peaked outside to confirm that and saw most of the guests were all ready there. The guys were sitting in the front row talking with Nick. He looked so handsome. He too was wearing white, a pair of loose fitting dress pants and a dress shirt that was opened at the collar. He had slicked his hair back with just a few tendrils hanging over his forehead. She loved it that way.

"All right then, now for the necessities." Leanne said, bringing her back to earth.

"What?"

"The things you need to get married. Something old." She handed her a tissue, "Your mom gave this to me last night. She said that it belonged to your great-great grandmother."

Rayne carefully opened the tissue and saw a tiny little hummingbird pin. She carefully attached it to her dress and looked in the mirror. The small diamond that was the eye, glittered in the sun.

"Now here is something new. Nick gave it to Brian, who gave it to me this morning." She explained as she handed her a long thin box.

Rayne snapped it open to find a diamond tennis bracelet made of X's and O's each stamped in the middle with a diamond. Leanne helped her fasten it and she let her arm relax, allowing the bracelet to float on her wrist.

"And next we have something borrowed. These are mine. My mom gave them to me when I married Brian, they were my grandmothers, and I want you to wear them today. They have brought Brian and I a lot of happiness." Leanne handed her another long, thin box.

Rayne opened it to find a string of pearls. She gazed at Leanne, that was why she wouldn't let her buy something for her neck. Rayne took the pearls out of the box and turned to Leanne for her to fasten them. The whole look was complete. Nick was going to loose his mind when he saw her.

"And last but not least, something blue." Leanne grinned mischievously, Rayne turned around to face her and saw that she was twirling a baby blue garter around her finger.

Leanne laughed as she tossed it to Rayne to slip on. "You know, having you here with me, I can't tell you what it means to me. You are the bestest and I love you for it." Rayne said to Leanne as she pulled her into a hug.

"I know and if you make me cry, I am going to hurt you." She warned.

Just then there was a knock on the door. Kevin slowly opened the door, he stopped midway through. He smiled as he looked at Rayne. "You look beautiful. The JP is here, are you ready?"

"I couldn't be more ready." She replied.

The three of them made their way downstairs. Rayne's mom and dad were going to walk her down the aisle to Nick. They were waiting for her at the bottom of the stairs. Rayne saw through the balcony doors that everyone was seated, Nick and Aaron were standing at the arch, waiting for her. Kevin walked quickly through the house and took his seat up front, she saw that he nodded in Nick's direction and gave him the thumbs up.

Leanne walked through the doors and down the aisle, smiling at Brian on the way. Rayne's parents took her arms and guided her through the house and out onto the beach. Nick looked up at her as she made her way. She saw Nick mouth the word, "WOW" to her. He looked even handsomer from here. How was that possible? She felt a tear run down her cheek as she got closer to Nick. Rayne hadn't even realized that she was crying until then.

Her parent s stepped back and she looked at Nick. The JP started. "Ladies and gentlemen …" Rayne tuned him out. All she wanted to do was look at Nick. It wasn't until his lips started to move that she listened again to what was going on.

"I Nikolas, take you Rayne, to be my wife. For the good times we will have, for the bad times we will share. For richer times, for poorer times. For healthy times, for sickness times. For all the days of my life."

The JP turned to Rayne and asked he to repeat after him. "I Rayne, take you Nikolas to be my husband. For the good times we will have, for the bad times we will share. For richer times, for poorer times. For healthy times, for sickness times. For all the days of my life."

The JP said a few more things and then turned to Aaron for the rings. He handed them over and then gave one to Nick. "Nikolas, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

Nick slid the ring on her finger and smiled at her, "With this ring, I thee wed."

The JP handed the other ring to Rayne, "Rayne, please repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."

She repeated Nick's actions, "With this ring, I thee wed."

"Then by the power vested in me by the State of Florida, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." He directed at Nick.

"Gladly." Nick said as he sidled up to Rayne and dipped her back into a kiss.

When he stood her back up, the JP once again looked at the two of them, "Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Nikolas Carter."

Cheers went up all around. Everyone came up to them to offer their congratulations. The part began. And didn't end until the early morning hours. Brian and Leanne had presented them with the keys to the penthouse suite at the Florida Hilton. By the time that they got there, Rayne was more than ready to ravage Nick.

And ravage him she did. They left the following day for their first stop in Europe. Which was Madrid. Rayne had a blast, her and Nick discovered new things about one another. The whole trip was amazing. She never wanted to leave Europe, but they both had to get back to work. The guys were working on another album that would lead to more tours. Rayne knew that there was going to be a ton of work on her desk when she got back.

Sure enough, her first day back, she walked into her office and couldn't find her desk. Her boss came down to explain everything to her and inquired how her honeymoon had gone. It was the one time that she wished she could just stay home for the rest of her life. Rayne tackled her desk with a vengeance and at six o'clock decided that she had worked long enough for her first day back and went home.

By the time that she got there, she was starving. Nick had gotten home before her and had dinner ready for her. She spent the evening talking with Nick, seeing how the album was going and what they were planning for the tour. Nick asked how her day went and how much work she had when she got back. Rayne was suddenly very tired around ten o'clock and left Nick watching TV to go to bed.

The next few weeks were a strain on Rayne. She was always tired and when she wasn't tired, she was hungry. She figured that it was just the trip and the stress of being back at work. She let things slide for another few weeks, but then Nick began to see the change in her and told her that she should go see her doctor. Rayne hemmed and hawed over it for another week before Nick made her promise to go. Rayne was in no way prepared for what he told her.

"Rayne, you're pregnant." Her doctor announced.

"I'm what?"

"Pregnant." After a few quick calculations, the doctor looked back at her. "About two and a half months."

That meant she was pregnant when she married Nick. The baby had been conceived just before the wedding. "Wow." Was all she could say.

Rayne thanked the doctor and left. Since she had gotten an appointment late in the afternoon, she called the office and told them that she wouldn't be back. She went straight home and waited for Nick. Rayne wandered around the house, deciding that the room that was currently being used as a second guest room would be the babies' room. They could move all the furniture to the basement, it would be perfect. This was where Nick found her, still in the guestroom.

"Hey sweetie, how was your day?" Nick asked as he kissed her lightly on the cheek.

"Nick, how do you think this room would look as a nursery?"

"A nursery, for what?"

"For a baby. Our baby." Rayne said as she sat down on the bed.

Nick stared at her from the door, "Our baby? When are we having a baby?"

"In about seven months." She answered.

Nick leaned against the doorframe, "Seven months? You mean you are pregnant?" He asked with amazement.

"Yup. Baby was conceived just before our wedding." Rayne announced.

"Wow." Was all Nick said.

They talked a little more, both of them trying to get through the shock of it all. Rayne decided that she would work as long as she could and then stop working. She would stay at home until she was ready to go back to work, if at all. Nick agreed that the room could be used for the babies' room since it was so close to theirs.

The big shock came the next morning when Leanne called and told her that she was pregnant as well. Only was a month and a half more than Rayne. There was no hope for the guys. With the two of them pregnant at the same time, they would be lucky if they got out alive.

The months flew by. Rayne had re-decorated the guestroom, it looked great with light blues, yellows and greens all around. She worked up until her eighth month and then decided that was enough. She told her bosses several months before and they were eagerly trying to find someone that would do as good of a job as she did.

Just as she was cleaning out her office, Brian called to tell her that Leanne had a baby girl. She had gone into labour the night before and had the baby early in the morning. Rayne could hear the happiness in Brian's voice. She just hoped that Nick was the same way.

Rayne and Nick were sitting at home one night a few weeks after Leanne had her baby. They were watching TV when she felt a pain tear across her back.

"Woah." She said as she clutched her stomach.

"What?" Nick asked with worry.

"It's okay. Let's just note the time." Rayne said.

For the next few hours, her and Nick timed the contractions that came. When they were close enough that she wanted to call the doctor, Nick called and then told her that they should go to the hospital. As soon as Nick got her in the car, that was it. The contractions were suddenly there, making her notice them even more.

Nick drove like a mad man to the hospital. Getting them there in only ten minutes. The doctor was all ready waiting there and when they got her into the exam room, they took her directly to the delivery room. Her labour had moved quickly. Nick was taken to another room where he was cleaned up and given hospital scrubs to wear. Just as the doctor was giving her instructions, he returned and stood at her side.

Rayne couldn't believe how fast things were moving. It seemed as though no time had past, when the doctor and the nurse was telling Rayne to push. Nick was holding onto her shoulders and helping as much as he could, but he was in such awe at what was going on, he really wasn't helping.

"Okay Rayne, I see the head, this baby is coming now. On the next contraction I want you to push." The doctor ordered.

All she could do was nod her head, the next contraction came and she pulled herself up and pushed with everything that she had. She could feel the baby moving down and out. The pain was so great that when the she looked at her hand, she saw that Nick was holding it and both of their knuckled were white. But Nick didn't even notice it.

Rayne slumped back on the bed when it was over. Just as soon as she caught her breath, another one came and she pushed again. This went on for several attempts and finally she pushed her baby out. And that baby was not happy.

Rayne dropped back against the bed and caught her breath. Nick was amazed. There were tears streaming down his face. She reached for him, "Nick, what is it?"

"A boy. I have a son." He whispered.

Rayne knew that was what he wanted, even though she wanted a girl, you were thrilled that he got what he wanted.

"A boy, Dylan Jordan." Rayne said. It was a name that her and Nick had agreed upon months ago.

"Perfect." He whispered as he leaned down to kiss her.

Things moved quickly after that. The doctor cleaned her up and they moved them to a room of their own. Rayne fell asleep almost instantly. When she woke, she saw that Nick was still there and holding Dylan.

"Now I want you to know that we have to take care of your mom. She is the best and deserves the best. I love her and you with all my heart. We are going to have so much fun together. I will show you how to ride a bike and we will have to take on your Uncle Brian with some basketball. And just wait until you can hold the Nintendo controller. We are going to have so much fun!"

Rayne smiled at her husband and her son, "Please don't get him hooked on Nintendo yet." She begged

"There she is, your beautiful mother." Nick said as he looked up at her. He stood up carefully and got o the bed beside her as the two of them looked at their son.

"He looks just like you." Rayne commented. "Just what this world needs, another Nick Carter." She laughed.

"The world will be honored." He joked.

the END

[ Home ] [ Up ]