Without love I mean nothing to you
Forget what you told me
It’s what you didn’t get said it’s not much to ask
Come down off your cloud and with your feet on the ground
Say something out loud
Without love broken in two
Without love give me some value
Some worth without love no life left on earth
                                                                        --Donna Lewis “Without Love”

     You know that saying that when things are bad they can’t get any worse?  Well, as he lay in the darkness in bed next to Aliesa, Nick decided that he just didn’t agree with that statement AT ALL.  His eyes roamed over the glowing red numbers of the clock.  The numbers displayed there only alerted him to the fact that he had not slept at all since his head had hit the pillow four hours before.  He turned again, letting his eyes rest on his so-called wife.  She was so peaceful lying there, like an angel.  He looked on as her chest rose and fell, the light from the window shining just enough so that it spotlighted her dark hair splashed out on the pillows, a sight that only added to the façade of angelicness.  Watching her sleep he wondered if it were any other circumstance if the two of them would have gotten along.  There was no denying that he found her extremely attractive.  
     His eyes sought her lips.  They were meant for singing.  Even in their wretched circumstances and their mutual dislike for each other he couldn’t contest that his breath would catch in his throat every time he heard her sing.  He remembered how he used to think they were so similar.  The struggle that they both went through to get where they were, their passion for music, the understanding of life in the spotlight…if she were any other girl he would have been a goner.  But she wasn’t.  She was Aliesa Montaine.  He was Nick Carter.  It was not a match made in heaven even though it seemed so perfect.  He shook his head.  The problem with Aliesa was that although he only had angelic visions of her when she sang, when she stopped the picture wasn’t as appealing.  They were like fire and ice. 

“You’re breathing loud!”

She was awake.  He shut his eyes and frowned. 

“Sorry.”

“You’re doing it on purpose!” 

 “I said I was sorry,” Nick muttered fighting the urge to go off and yell at her.  It was late and he was too tired.

“Well you didn’t mean it!”

Nick rolled his eyes and let out a loud sigh of annoyance.  The sheets around him moved in a sudden jerking motion, and Nick found himself feeling a cold draft sweep over his body as his blankets came completely off.  He voiced an experlative under his breath. “Do you mind?  It’s a little cold over here,” he groaned 
as he attempted to take back some of the blankets.

“Well you’re hogging all the room.”

Nick rubbed his hands over his face frustrated.  “You’d have more room if you didn’t insist on putting all these pillows between us,” he retorted his teeth clenched as he tried to hold his temper.  He secured a hold of the edge of the blanket and pulled it back. 

He felt a shifting in the bed as Aliesa sat up abruptly.  Even in the darkness he could feel the heat of her stare as she glared down at him.

“Well why don’t you just sleep on the floor then,” she answered back coldly.

“We covered that one remember?  You know that whole we don’t want to send the wrong message thing-or weren’t you paying attention?”

Aliesa narrowed her eyes.  Their gazes locked, a small battle of wills, as both stared in defying silence.  Suddenly Aliesa’s lips formed into a small smile.  Nick raised an eyebrow.  She pursed her lips together and moved forward eclipsing the space between them, catching Nick off guard.  He blinked as he felt her breath on his neck, her brown eyes watching him with a playful twinkle.  He shifted uncomfortably. 

“Nick…” she whispered sweetly as she reached out and traced around his collarbone lightly back and forth with her fingertips.  He swallowed sharply. 

“Deal,” Aliesa hissed into his ear as she pushed him back, and grabbed back the entire mass of blankets around her. 

Nick reached over and took them back.

“Stop it!”

“I’m cold!”

“Do I care?” Aliesa scoffed as the tug of war for the blanket continued.

“Can you stop acting like a child for just a minute?”

She stopped tugging.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means- Can YOU…act….your AGE….for ONCE,” Nick answered patronizingly, exasperated with the entire situation.

Aliesa threw the blankets at him and flicked on the lamp beside her.  Nick groaned at the sudden shine before being silenced as a pillow attacked his head.

“OW!”

“YOU!”Aliesa spat as she smacked him with the pillow again.

“Watch it!”

“You are such a bastard!”she continued as she hit him repeatedly continuing her assault.

“Will you stop!”

“I’m NOT a child!  If either of us were a child in this situation it would be YOU!”

“Who’s the one hitting me with a pillow?” Nick yelped as he shielded his head with his arms.

Aliesa stopped her pillow attack.  Nick lowered his arms.

“Do you know what time it is?” she asked calmly.

Nick looked at her confused.  The sudden change in her demeanor was startling to his senses.

“Do you?”

He looked behind him at the clock. “It’s four in the morning”.

“Exactly you creep!  And in one hour Shannon or Jeanne is going to rush through that door and make sure we’re bright and chipper for more promotional crap.  I haven’t been able to sleep consistently for the last two nights…and just when I was about to finally get some peace…Can you PLEASE try to be professional?  This isn’t just about my career,” she said as she shoved the pillow up against his chest.

“Oh don’t go and blame me for all of this…I didn’t start this!”

Aliesa sighed and placed her hands at the sides of her neck. 

“The POINT is NICK that like it or not we are stuck together for the next week and I would appreciate it if you wouldn’t be a dick for the entire time.”

“You were the one who took the blanket!”

“You were hogging all the room!” Aliesa countered her hands falling and hitting the bed.

Nick took a breath.  They were getting nowhere.  He looked over at Aliesa and then at the bed.  He then began to take off all the extra pillows, including the one she had shoved at him and threw them to the ground.

“We’re both adults Aliesa,” was all he said as he reached over her and turned off her lamp.  “Now you have all the room you want and I’m going to bed,”  Nick added as he turned away and laid his head back down against the pillows, tucking the blanket around his shoulders.

Aliesa’s head fell against her own pillow as she turned and stared at his back.  “Just do not even THINK about laying one hand near me,” she mumbled as she shut her eyes.

“I wouldn’t dream of it…” Nick muttered.

     Aliesa roused from her sleep and her head lifted.  Half awake and groggy she put her head back down and snuggled closer to what she thought was her pillow, smiling to herself about the remnants of her dream.  It took all of five seconds to realize that it wasn’t a pillow.  Her eyes shot open and widened as she realized her predicament.  Her head was resting soundly on  Nick’s chest.  Her hand was touching his shoulder.  She looked down finding herself wrapped up in him.  His hands tangled in her hair, his arm around her figure. 

“Morning…” an amused voice called out.  Aliesa shut her eyes tightly before opening them again.  OH THIS IS NOT HAPPENING.  SPEAKING OF DÉJÀ VU…

“Don’t let it get to your head Carter…” Aliesa mumbled.  “I’m just too tired to move…”

Nick moved his hand away from her hair and covered his mouth trying to hide the grin that was forming.

“And wipe the smug look off your face…”

Aliesa propped herself up, her arms crossed on his chest.  “Don’t even start to believe I like this.  I just mistook you for a pillow…”

Nick nodded.  “Uh-huh…”

Aliesa rolled her eyes, her blush the only indication that she was even remotely embarrassed, as she moved around him and got out of bed. 

“Why does this situation seem so familiar?” he commented still amused by her apparent embarrassment as he swung his legs over the mattress.

She looked over at him.  “You mean the taking advantage of poor innocent girls thing?”

“Aren’t we a ray of sunshine?” Nick commented.

“Well I don’t think waking up to you calls for a celebration.”

“Is that what all the guys tell you?”

“Why do you have to be such an…” Aliesa began stopping in the middle of the room with her hands on her hips.  Nick stretched. She looked him over.  “Forget it,” she said as she moved towards the door.  “Your hair is god awful in the morning…” she cracked dryly as she walked out of the room.

Nick’s hands flew to his head self-consciously, the shrill ringing of his cell phone saving Aliesa from a tart response. 

“Yeah?” he said into it as his hands brushed through his hair.

“Did I wake you and the Mrs.?” a familiar voice sounded off.  Nick glanced behind his shoulder towards the door that Aliesa had disappeared behind at the mention of her.

“Nope.  Lucky for you we have some interview stuff this morning…” he answered as he sat himself back on the bed.

“Can’t say I miss that!”

“So why are you calling me again this early in the morning again Bone? You know other than rubbing it in that you can just go back to sleep and I can’t?”

“Cute Nick.  Sarcasm this early must mean you’ve been getting some.  Remind me to thank Aliesa the next time I see her…” 

“Get to the point,” Nick cut-in yawning.

“And here I am thinking you miss me….”

“Since when does that ever happen?”

“Harsh man.  Harsh.  I was just calling to see what was up with you.  Johnny is having a concert Friday night over by where you’re at and I was wondering if you and the old ball and chain could spare some time?  I’d love to have you come on by…maybe play a little drum?  You know since you’re the master and all…”

Nick chuckled.  “I’ll see what I can do,” he replied.

“Alright then.  I’ll let you go get ready for work…since you got responsible…”

“Right.  Tell me again why you’re up this early?” Nick countered.

“3 hours ahead of you remember…it isn’t THAT early...”

“It’s still early…”

“Planning on joining reality anytime Nick?  You DO know we're late?” Aliesa called out interrupting as she popped back into the room.

“That the blushing bride?  Can’t get enough of you can she?”

Nick ran his fingers through his hair again.  He looked over at Aliesa.

“You know it,” he said as he hung up.  Yeah.  Sure. 

Chapter 5
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