End of June, Pittsburgh

Danielle lifted her head from the pillow and glanced at the clock. It was just past 9am and it felt as though she had just went to sleep, when in reality she got around 7 hours. She turned her head to the loud figure next to her. Nick was lying flat on his back with his mouth wide open and a snore as loud as a wake up call.

"It's no wonder I don't feel like I slept, I probably imagined that I was sleeping and really listening to him all night," she whispered to her herself and she slid quietly out of bed. She could always take a nap later, but Nick needed all the sleep he could get.

They had gone out with AJ and Sarah the night before. Nick and Danielle tried to call it an early night, but they didn't get into bed until almost 2am. Danielle went into the bathroom and turned the shower on to get the water hot. She climbed in and felt the water on her face, she began to perk up.

She thought about last night and how she was really starting to feel comfortable with Sarah, but how she was just becoming more and more uncomfortable with AJ. The more he drank last night, the meaner he would be to her. But, Nick enjoyed being with AJ so much, how could she tell Nick not to go out with his friend? And why should she have to sacrifice her time with him so he could do so? "It's a couple's thing, Dani. I want you to come with us," Nick told her last night. So she went and endured AJ's snide comments when Nick wasn't listening and his dagger-like glares.

She got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her head and then another around her body. She stepped quietly into the bedroom to see that Nick had turned over and had the blankets up over his head. At least he's not snoring anymore, she thought. She went over to her bag and dug through it to find some shorts and a t-shirt.

Nick could hear her rustling in the room and peeked through the covers to see her wrapped in a towel. No way was he gonna let this opportunity slip by. He lifted his head just enough to catch her attention.

"Hey baby," she whispered. "I'm sorry I woke you up."

"I'm not," he answered turning onto his side extending his hand out to her. "C'mere."

She saw the look in his eyes. She knew what he had in mind. She smiled slyly and went over to him. She sat down on the edge of the bed next to him and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down to him.

"I hope you don't mind my morning breath," he mumbled, smelling the minty scent coming from her mouth.

"I think I'll survive," she smiled and placed her lips on his. He wasted no time in letting his tongue enter her mouth. He pulled the towel off her head letting her wet hair fall gently on her shoulders. He laced his fingers through her hair, and her hands massaged his chest as he lay back.

They tasted each other as she climbed farther on top of him, his hands pulling her head deeper to his kiss. He pulled her hair back a bit pulling them apart. He gently pulled her hair more to expose her neck to his mouth. He began nibbling on her chin then moved slowly down her neck, as she moaned against his tongue's touch.

She brought her head down to meet his kiss once more before moving her mouth to his neck. She licked and nibbled on the vein along the side of his neck, she knew that spot always drove him wild. As soon as he felt her mouth on his neck, in that spot, he threw his head back against the pillow and grabbed the back of her head again.

She began to lift up the t-shirt he was wearing in order to touch his skin. Her towel had long fallen off her body laying between them and she abruptly threw it out of the way. She moved her kisses from his neck to his chest and she brought one hand down into his boxer shorts to massage him while she gently sucked on his nipples. He was already erect, but the sensations of her mouth on his nipples caused another surge that she could feel as she stroked him.

She moved farther down, kissing his stomach, his belly button, then moving lower to lick his inner thigh. She looked up at him to see his expression as she got closer to her mouth taking him in. She could tell the anticipation was driving him wild. He placed his hand over her hand that was massaging him, and stroked along with her. He held her head in his other hand, helping guide her. He didn't need to guide her, she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

She licked him from the bottom up before taking him in her mouth. A move that caused him to suck in and gasp, "God! Baby, yes. . .keep doing that."

She planned on it. She wanted to feel his release in her mouth. She wanted him to know that she had no inhibitions with him. That she was comfortable sharing this kind of closeness with him. This was something that she had never done with him before, and so she wanted to make it perfect.

Nick could not believe his luck. He never expected to be getting this kind of treatment when he first spied her wrapped in the towel. Nor, did he expect that she would be this good at it. He groaned with each deep movement she made and moaned her name at the pleasure he was feeling. He could feel his climax building and he began to slowly buck his hips to meet her. It didn't take long for him to come and she took care of him, with no troubles when he did.

She crawled back up to lie on his chest, feeling him catching his breath. He hardly did any of the work, but he felt drained. He held her face in his hands and pulled her to him, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"That was incredible, babygirl," he smiled at her. "Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me, baby," she cooed. "I love you. I want to make you feel good. In every way."

He stared into her eyes and he could see the love she had for him. The way she looked back at him and the way she caressed his face with her fingers. He knew that she truly loved him.

"I love you, baby," he told her, just above a whisper.

"I love you, too, Nick," she whispered back, kissing his lips. "More than you will ever know."

"Do you know how bad I want to stay in this bed with you all day and make love to you?" he asked.

"Probably as much as I do," she giggled.

He laid his head back and looked at the ceiling, "But we can't!" He gave her a quick kiss and began to get out of bed, as he headed to his bag.

"So are we really playing softball today?" Danielle asked.

"Oh yes," Nick answered throwing a fresh t-shirt over his head. "These days off where we get to play ball are so cool. Didn't you guys ever do anything like this?"

"Well, we never played softball but we'd do some kind of activity. That's cool that everyone, from all of you guys down to your crew participates," Danielle said rolling out of the bed.

"Yeah, I think so too," Nick smiled helping her stand up and placing a quick kiss on her lips. The room phone began ringing and Danielle went to answer it.

"Hello?" Danielle chirped.

"Danielle?" A groggy voice asked.

"Who's this?" she said.

"It's Sarah."

"Sarah? You sound horrible! I didn't even recognize your voice! You okay?" Danielle asked.

"Just not feeling too well," she answered slowly. "Can you tell Nick that Alex and I probably won't be playing softball today?"

"Sure, I guess," Danielle answered looking at Nick who was mouthing 'what?' to her the whole time she was on the phone.

"Thanks Dani," Sarah said.

"Feel better?" Danielle offered before hearing a click on the other end. Danielle hung up the phone and turned to Nick. "Well, I don't think AJ and Sarah are playing ball today."

"What?" Nick asked. "Why not?"

"Doesn't sound like those two are feeling up for it," Danielle sighed.

"Awww, fuck that. We went out last night too, but we're still getting up and playing," Nick said packing his sports bag.

"Yeah, but we're not hung over, Nick," Danielle said. "If they don't want to play what's the big deal?"

Nick stopped packing and looked at Danielle. "The big deal? The big deal is that these days off where we have these games are fucking sacred. It's the one time where we all come together like a family and it's to spend quality time together. We don't have to work, we don't have worries, we just play and enjoy each other. To US, that's a big deal."

Nick's shortness caught Danielle off guard and she stepped away from Nick and headed to the bathroom. "Sorry, I didn't know. You didn't need to bite my head off."

Nick dropped his bag and cut her off at the bathroom door. "I'm sorry baby, I didn't mean to snap at you. It's just, AJ. Fuck! He's really starting to piss me off and this is just another thing to chalk up on the list."

Nick kissed Danielle softly on the forehead and cupped her face in his hands. "We'll worry about AJ later. Let's go grab a quick bite and head over to the field. Sound good?"

Danielle nodded and welcomed another kiss onto her lips. The two embraced and then they both continued getting ready for ball.

At The Ball Field. . .

"So where is AJ?" Kevin asked Brian inquisitively.

Brian looked up at his cousin and shrugged. "Ask them," Brian answered pointing toward Nick and Danielle.

Nick looked over at Kevin and Brian who were now both staring at him. "He's sleeping in," Nick said. Brian and Kevin continued to stare at Nick. "What? It IS our day off!" Nick tried to defend his friend, but this was just another example of AJ's irresponsible behavior as of late.

"Day off, or no day off, this was OUR time, " Kevin snapped. "Did you guys go out last night?"

"Yeah, but we left early. I don't know when he and Sarah called it a night," Nick said back. "I'm not his fucking keeper."

"Sarah wasn't sounding too hot this morning either, " Danielle added.

Brian shook his head and tugged on Kevin's arm. "Forget about it. We'll deal with it later. Let's play ball."

"Yeah, let's play. This is one thing I've actually been looking forward to all week," Nick said. "And Danielle missed our game last week."

"Okay, let's split 'em up then," Kevin said cracking a smile. "Me and Brian against you and Howie. I'll flip a coin for who chooses first," Kevin said. "You're playing aren't you, Dani?"

"Of course I'm playing! I'm quite good you know," Danielle teased.

"Ohh, a ringer," Kevin smiled. "We'll see."

Danielle went and stood with the dancers and Leighanne and Kristin. "They do this whenever they get a chance," Leighanne told Danielle. "It's a big deal to them to spend the quality time together."

"Nick's been really excited to play. He's like a little kid," Danielle nodded. She looked over at Nick who was in deep discussion about the game with Howie and Kevin. They started breaking out to start picking players when Nick turned and stuck his rear out, "Y'all know this is a distraction?" he called out.

Danielle smiled and shook her head as she placed her hand over her eyes while everyone laughed along with her.

"Only if she's not on your team!" Kristin yelled to Nick then nudged Danielle. "He's all yours, you have to claim him."

The girls laughed and Danielle nodded, "Oh okay, I'll take him. If I HAVE to."

The bunch spent the afternoon relaxed and playing ball. By the end of the day everyone was refreshed and in good spirits. Danielle was glowing. She'd had so much fun with everyone, and for the first time, she felt as though she really fit in.

Nick and Danielle went back to the hotel and showered to get ready for dinner. They decided that they would stay in that evening, order room service and watch a movie. It was back to business the next day, and Danielle wanted to make sure that Nick got enough rest.

Danielle got out of the shower and into a cushy bathrobe. She wrapped her hair in a towel and walked into the bedroom passing Nick on his way in. He stopped her from passing with one arm and pulled her to him. "And. . .where are you going?" he smiled.

He wrapped his arms firmly around her waist and she held onto the back of his elbows. He leaned in and placed a small kiss on her lips. "Mmmmmm, you smell good," he kissed her again, "and you feel good." He pulled her even closer and then buried his face in the terry cloth of her robe.

Danielle rested her head on his chest letting him envelop her in his arms. She loved how his arms felt around her. The way he rested them on her body made her feel so safe and secure. She loved the security that she never had to question how he felt about her. It still amazed her at how close they grew in such a short amount of time. She felt as if they'd been together forever, and in her heart, she hoped that they would be.

The Next Night. . .Half Hour Before Leaving For The Venue. . .

Danielle entered the living area of the suite from the bedroom after getting dressed, and saw Nick on the phone. As she got closer he held up one hand, stopping her from coming any closer and glancing at her just enough to put his fingers to his lips to make sure she stayed quiet. Whoever he was on the phone with was making him very unhappy and she took his request and tip-toed over to the couch and sat down.

She stared at him while she sat there, watching his nostrils flare and his voice starting to rise.

"How could he do this?" Nick yelled into the phone. "I don't give a shit!"

Nick sat there and listened for a moment, "Kev! Don't even TRY to pin anything on me, I haven't even seen him since the night before softball! Where the hell is Marcus?. . . and HE doesn't know where he is either?"

Nick stood up and held the phone away from his ear for a moment holding one hand over the receiver, "FUCK!"

"We're NOT waiting for him, fuck that," Nick yelled. "I'm leaving now. We'll talk about this at the arena. Hopefully he'll show up by then."

Nick slammed the phone down, causing Danielle to jump in her seat. He stood there for a moment and just stared at the phone. He didn't say a word, and Danielle wasn't sure if she should either.

He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and saw the surprised look on her face. "Well, this is fucking great," he told her.

"What's going on," she asked cautiously.

"Fucking AJ!" he yelled as he began to storm around the room. "He's gone! No one knows where the hell he or Sarah is. They aren't answering their phones, Marcus doesn't even know where he is!"

"Oh shit," Danielle said getting up out of her seat and moving closer to Nick.

"No, Dani, you don't want to be near me right now," he warned her.

"Nick, just calm down for a second, okay?" she tried.

"Calm DOWN? Are you serious? Danielle, AJ is GONE! We've got a show in three hours!" he yelled at her.

"I know! I know! But you need to hold it together so that you guys can come together and think of a solution," she told him moving closer. She placed her hands around his waist. "Hey, look at me."

He breathed deep through his nose then looked at her. She brought her hands up to his face and made him keep her gaze. "Don't lose it now. Ranting right now isn't going to solve the situation. If AJ doesn't show up, you guys need to keep it together to make this show go off without him."

"Cancelling isn't an option," he said quickly, still holding her gaze.

"I know that, and that's what I'm reminding you of," she smiled.

He stared into her eyes. He could see the faith she had in him there. He could feel her trying to give him her strength to help him. "You are amazing, you know that?"

"Yes," she said softly, grinning at him. "But you help me to be that way."

"Thanks baby," he said kissing her quickly on the lips. "C'mon, let's get going."

At The Venue, One Hour Before Showtime. . .

The guys were all dressed in their stage outfits and everyone was quiet. They had already decided to announce that AJ was sick and wasn't able to make the show. Nick and Brian would split AJ's parts for the songs. There wasn't a happy camper in the house, and it was clear that this would not be one of the best shows, which made all the guys even more upset.

Suddenly, someone came through the room, announcing his arrival. "Can you believe I thought we were off today too!" AJ yelled, laughing as he entered the room. Kevin immediately got up and grabbed AJ.

"Where the fuck have you been? We go on in less than an hour and you come rolling in here like nothing is wrong?" Kevin yelled.

"Kev, chill man! I'm here!" AJ yelled back.

Kevin stood there staring at AJ before speaking again. He shoved AJ away from him and pointed at him, "You're drunk."

"He's what?" Brian jumped up.

Kevin turned to the other guys, and motioned his arm at AJ, "He's drunk! The fucker has been drinking all day!"

Nick had been sitting next to Danielle and she could feel him tense up when Kevin made that announcement. "Shit," Nick muttered under his breath. He squeezed Danielle's hand and got up to join the rest of the boys. He headed straight to the food table and got a cup of coffee and a bottle of water for AJ.

"Here," Nick said handing them both to AJ. "Drink as much as you can of BOTH of these."

"He's not going out there, Nick," Brian said. "Look at him! He's VISIBLY drunk!"

"Look! He made it! He's here!" Nick yelled at Brian then turned to AJ. "And you're gonna do the show, right?"

"I can do the fucking show!" AJ yelled. "Everyone just back off! I'm here!"

All eyes were on Kevin, waiting for the final word. He looked around at all the guys and he could see Nick's pleading with him to let him go on. Kevin shook his head, then look at Brian who mouthed the words, "no" to him.

Kevin took a deep breath, and then looked at AJ. "Drink a ton of water, have some coffee and you better not fuck up tonight. We'll all talk about this later. Group meeting after the show. Mandatory."

Danielle couldn't believe they were going to let AJ play. She couldn't believe that AJ was drunk showing up to a show. And Sarah? Where was Sarah?

The guys went on and for the most part the show was fine. Anyone who didn't know that AJ was bombed would have just thought he was being a little more crazy than usual. Danielle found out during the show that Sarah was back at the hotel, apparently even more in the bag than AJ was. She always tries to keep up with him, Danielle thought.

After the show, the guys didn't talk and Nick grabbed Danielle and they left immediately. No one stuck around to meet with the fans they all headed back to the hotel to get ready for the meeting. Nick's mood was down again and the two barely spoke to each other. Danielle was beginning to recognize when to try and comfort him and when to give him his space. And this time he needed his space. Only the other guys could help him through this anger right now.

At meeting time they all convened in Howie's room. Everyone that is, except AJ. Who once again, was missing in action.

Chapter 18
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