Chapter One-Hundred-Ninety-Five
Aaron and Angel sat outside together for an hour, just hugging and looking up at the stars until Nick suddenly opened the door and peeked his head out.
“I didn’t say you could stay here all night, just until you made up and from the looks of it you have, so I think you should come in now.”
“But…we don’t want to?” Aaron asked. Nick raised his eyebrow.
“You left your girlfriend in here you know.” Aaron paused for a moment.
“Stacy, you can come out here now!” he called into the house for her.
“It’s kind of chilly…tell her to bring a blanket with her,” Angel insisted as she snuggled into her brother while shivering.
“And tell Jackie her delicious hot chocolate is requested, Nick.” Aaron added. “Tell her pretty please with sugar on top,” Angel insisted. Nick rolled his eyes amusedly and he stepped aside as Stacy came out with a big blanket that she had gotten from Harry.
“Nick can we camp out here, please?”
“No…are you crazy?”
“Why not? It’s nice out here,” Aaron protested.
“Stacy can’t stay the night this time Air, her father and friends will want her there for Thanksgiving tomorrow.”
“Ha…the girls are going to be so pissed at me for leaving them there all day…” Stacy replied.
“Then can Angel and I camp out here?”
“It’s not safe Aaron.”
“Okay then Marcus, Angel, and I?” Nick rolled his eyes.
“…Let me think about it.” Just then AJ and Harry came out with three mugs of hot chocolate and they handed them out as Stacy got comfortable on the other side of Aaron and she handed the blanket to him as he wrapped it around the three of them. Nick shook his head amusedly and followed Harry and AJ back into the house.
“Let me know if you need anything,” he reminded them and he shut the door only a crack behind him.
“Is this okay? Should I allow this?” Nick asked Marcus as he went back into the house.
“They’re in the safety of the backyard…I think they’ll be fine. It’s not like they’re going to dig a hole in the yard and go hang out by the gate in the front yard and get shot.”
“And anyway, I can see why they would want to sleep out there. It’s gorgeous…” Ashley added as she slid her arms around Nick’s waist and rested her chin on his shoulder despite the fact that Detective Stabler was sitting there in their presence. Nick is still trying to be distant with her, but Ashley really doesn’t see the point.
“Gorgeous enough for you to live up here some day?” Kori asked suddenly and Ashley couldn’t help but hear a hopeful tone in her voice. She looked over at her sister curiously.
“Why do you ask?”
“Jersey is like this at night…”
“I’m not leaving Florida Kor.”
“You can’t blame a sister for trying,” Kori replied and she shot AJ a glare who was watching her with narrowed eyes.
“No I can’t actually,” Ashley replied softly and she looked at Nick. “Do you think they’d mind if we slept out there with them?”
“I think they would just be happy that I am giving them permission to do it.”
“Then lets do it.”
“What about the kids baby?”
“We’ll move them out there with us? Lay them in sleeping bags and cover them up with a bunch of blankets so they’ll stay warm?” Nick stood there thinking about it for a few moments, and then he nodded.
“We’ll do that only if they wake up looking for us. We’ll have Laney, Marcus, and Q keep an eye on their door for us…and maybe go in and check on them every once in awhile.” Ashley smiled up at him causing him to smile back and he bent down and gave her a short but a meaningful kiss on the lips. Ashley rolled her eyes but she accepted it. She knows that once he gets over being nervous about Detective Stabler he’ll be fine. Everybody hung out in the kitchen talking, Nick giving Aaron another hour with Stacy and then he went and opened the back door again causing all three kids to look at him.
“Aaron it’s getting late. Lets walk Stacy home.”
“Do Angel and I get to sleep out here?”
“Only if you don’t mind Ashley, BJ, Leslie, and I all sleeping out here with you.”
“Okay, cool” both Aaron and Angel replied in unison. Nick raised his eyebrow.
“Okay, it is enough that you two are twins, you don’t have to speak at the same time too.” Aaron, Angel, and Stacy both got up with their mugs of hot chocolate. Aaron wrapped the blanket around Stacy and wrapped his arms around her from behind as he placed his empty mug inside hers and together the two of them followed Angel and Nick in the house. As soon as they handed their mugs to Harry so he could wash them Nick handed Angel his hoodie and Ashley another blanket and he took her hand into his lacing their fingers together.
“If you’re taking her with you, I’m coming with you” Marcus suddenly spoke up.
“Okay,” Nick shrugged. “I would prefer it anyway.”
“But she has her pepper spray too, right?”
“Yes,” Ashley answered. “I haven’t put it down since the day I got it.”
“I’m coming too,” AJ suddenly spoke up and he went over and placed himself on the other side of his sister protectively.
“What about Laila?” Denise asked amusedly.
“She’s asleep, she should be fine.”
“What if she wakes up and only wants you?”
“She did fine with Howie earlier, he’ll take care of it.”
“We wont be gone long, Stace only lives ten minutes away,” Nick reassured. AJ nodded.
“See mom? Everything’s good. You’re the one who wanted me to be less clingy with her.”
“Okay…” Denise caved and Marcus, Nick, Ashley, AJ, Aaron, Stacy, and Angel all headed out to walk Stacy home.
“Don’t you feel special Stace? You get almost the whole family walking you home,” Aaron commented while rolling his eyes some. Nick chuckled.
“No escape attempts this time or you’ll be in for it Aaron,” Nick threatened.
“What day are you going back to Florida,” Nick asked Stacy, completely ignoring Nick’s threat.
“Monday. The girls and I came here on a plane.”
“Ride home with us.”
“Aaron, if anymore people try and squish into BJ’s car we’re not going to be able to breathe,” Angel pointed out.
“So Stace and I will ride home with Nick in their van.”
“I’m afraid there isn’t much room in the vans either, buddy. I think you’re going to have to part from your girlfriend for the day.”
“There has gotta be room for two more.”
“There isn’t, because I already promised Angel she could ride home with me.”
“I think it would be better if I went home with the girls without you for a day…I’m sure it’s going to be awhile before I manage to get them to forgive me, I think it’ll probably take an entire plane ride.” Stacy pointed out.
“You’ll survive one day without her air, I promise. You can ride home with Angel and me but the two of you is all I can fit.” Aaron scowled.
“Fine…” he pouted. When they all got to Stacy’s house Nick and Aaron both walked her to her door and waited until she opened the door and they made sure they saw Stacy’s father before leaving.
~*~*~*~*~
Later on that night, Brian and Riley came downstairs and they went into the kitchen only to find Jackie, Harold, Harry, Denise, and AJ in there. Brian raised his eyebrow.
“Where are Nick and Ashley? They aren’t usually in bed this early…”
“Outside in the backyard with the entire Carter Clan. Aaron and Angel decided they wanted to camp out under the stars tonight but Nick wouldn’t let them unless they agreed to let him, Ashley, and the entire Carter Clan join them.”
“Ah, the memories…” Brian replied while sitting in a chair next to his brother and he lightly punched him in the shoulder.
“I see the security cameras got taken back upstairs.” Riley commented.
“Yeah, Marcus, Laney, Q, Detective Stabler, and Detective Benson have retired to security duty for the rest of the evening. Detective Stabler is outside sitting on the front porch, Detective Benson is back where Abbie got shot at, and the rest are upstairs watching the cameras.” Riley went over next to Jackie.
“Jackie, you’ve been doing this all evening…why don’t you sit down? I could do something for you if you’d like…”
“No it’s okay honey, I’m fine. Really.”
“No I insist. Please let me help…” Riley persisted gently.
“Oh all right…” Jackie surrendered. “I thought Id make Carmel apples…the kids would like that wouldn’t they?”
“I bet they would. I know Kota has never tried that before…and I’m willing to bet Ellie hasn’t either,” Brian replied. “You make the world’s best Carmel apples momma.” He insisted as he came up next to her and he kissed her cheek making her glow with pride.
“Thank-you baby duck.” Brian wrapped his arms around her and steered her over to the table and he pulled out a chair and helped her sit down.
“Let Riley do some of the work. You deserve a rest.” He insisted and he went over and began to help his girlfriend get the apples out and start cleaning them so that Jackie can make Carmel apples when she feels up to it.
“Have you heard from you know who in the last hour at all Riley?” Jackie asked after a few moments of sitting there watching her son and his girlfriend with a sort fondness on her face. Brian raised his eyebrow in curiosity, as did everyone else in the room.
“Yeah I did when Brian and I were upstairs. They text messaged me while he was in the bathroom. They should be arriving any time now.”
“Who?” Brian asked anxiously.
“Just some important people,” Riley answered while smiling to herself. Brian raised his eyebrow.
“Do I know these important people?”
“Only one of them.”
“You better tell Detective Stabler we’re expecting guests,” AJ pointed out.
“He’ll be fine, he knows them.” Everybody sat there looking back and fourth from Jackie and Riley for a few moments with confusion as they shared secret looks and smiles. After a few minutes had gone by, they heard the front door open.
“Riley, there are people here to see you.” Riley grinned and put the apple in her hand down on a napkin and she rushed out of the kitchen with Jackie at her side. Brian, Harry, Harold, and AJ all got up and followed. When they all got outside they saw a woman and two girls get out of the car. A twenty year old and a seven year old. As soon as Brian saw the twenty-year-old a look of recognition formed on his face.
“RILEEEY!” the seven-year-old exclaimed, and she ran toward Riley and flung herself into her arms latching herself on. Riley grinned and wrapped her arms around her in return and hugged her back.
“Heeey Chloe! How is my favorite niece doing?” she greeted her, being just as excited to see the little girl and the two other people walked over to them. “Hi mom, hey Sue,” she greeted the other two and she pulled them into hugs.
“Brian!!!” the little girl named Chloe shrieked, sounding way more excited about seeing him then she was of Riley, and she wriggled herself free of her aunt and ran over Brian. Brian chuckled and bent down and opened his arms allowing her to fly into them and he hugged her.
“Hi sweetheart it is good to see you again.” Riley smiled and turned to everybody else after hugging the rest of her family and she began introductions.
“Mom, Sue, this is Brian’s family. That’s Jackie his mother, that’s Harry his older brother, and that’s his father Harold. Then that there is his bandmate AJ and his mother Denise. Everybody, this is my mom Audrey and my sister Sue…and the little girl who has attached herself to Brian is my niece, Sues daughter.”
“And my name’s Chloe,” Chloe added in a matter of fact tone. Brian, Riley, Sue, and Jackie all laughed a little.
“Well it’s nice to meet you all, Riley has told me so much about you,” Jackie replied while wrapping her arms around Sue and Audrey for a warm hug.
“Yeah same here. I was wondering when I was going to get to meet Brian,” Audrey replied. “It’s good to be able to meet everybody all at once though.”
“I bet you all are exhausted from your long trip. How about you come in and I’ll get you something to eat?” Jackie offered, while gesturing toward the door.
“That sounds nice thanks,” Sue replied and everybody followed Brian inside, whom had picked up Chloe and carried her with him. AJ chuckled.
“You just latch yourself onto every kid you meet, don’t you Brian.”
“Hey, they latch themselves onto me, I can’t help it man.” Brian insisted. “And besides…Chloe and I were buddies already, huh?” He added and he looked down at the little girl in his arms and gave her a goofy look making her giggle some. “I helped Riley baby-sit her once. We went to the movies and got some ice cream afterward.”
“I see,” AJ replied amusedly.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Here's the next chapter.
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