'Holy shit, if I'm not downstairs in 5 minutes, Kev is gonna kill me.' Nick thought to himself as he stared at the girl who lay next to him in his hotel bed. As he moved a piece of her long brown hair, he thought about how time seemed to stand still when he was with her. He carefully moved his arm from underneath her neck and slowly got up from the bed. 'No use waking Gaby up...'

He got up from the bed slowly and found a pair of jeans and a gray t-shirt in his suitcase, which was sitting on a nearby chair. As he made his way into the bathroom, he was stopped by a voice.

"Did you really think you'd get away with leaving this room without giving me a proper goodbye?" Gabriella asked, the white blanket wrapped around her bare chest as she sat up on her elbow, leaning on her side to look at her boyfriend while he stood in the bathroom doorway. Nick turned around and leaned on the door as he smiled at her. He knew she couldn't resist his smile, its what attracted her to him in the first place a year ago.

"I didn't think it made sense to wake you up, since I only have to leave in a few minutes anyway..." Nick ran a hand through his hair.

"You're gonna be late, aren't you?" Gabriella predicted, not needing to look at the clock to know that Nick had overslept. He nodded and she laughed. "Go, I'll see you when you get back..."

Nick walked over to the bed and kissed Gaby on the lips. "I'm sorry, baby." She pulled him in for another kiss, he guessed to indicate she wasn't mad. Neither one noticed they weren't alone in the room anymore...

"Jeez, get a room why don't you!" A familiar voice said. "Oh wait, you've already got one..."

"Great, I get dragged up here to see this?" Another one said.

"What're you two doing here?" Nick asked, annoyed by their presence, which was apparent when he looked behind him as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Everyone's downstairs waiting, we came up here to make sure you weren't dead." Aaron explained, an amused look on his face. The expression on the face of the girl standing beside him, however, was less than pleased.

"Yeah, and he seems very much alive, can we go now?" the girl asked Aaron. "Oh, and hi Gaby." She added.

"Hey, Melanie." Gaby said.

"Yeah, hey Mel," Nick interjected, "Is that all you came up here for?"

"Yep." Aaron said simply. "We'll see you downstairs."

"See you two later." Gaby called to them as they left the room, waving to her.

"Now, what were you saying?" Nick asked Gaby once he knew they were alone. She smiled and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"I was about to suggest you go get ready before Kevin kicks down the door and drags you out of here in your underwear."

"Good idea." Nick replied, going back into the bathroom.


~Five minutes later~


"Finally!" Brian exclaimed, seeing his bandmate exiting the elevator. He got up from his seat and greeted his friend.

"Took you long enough." Kevin commented.

"Good morning to you, too..." Nick smiled.

"Cutting it short there, huh?" Howie asked, putting down the newspaper he'd been reading.

"He didn't seem to be in a rush when we got up there..." Aaron said.

AJ raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And how much did you mentally scar your little brother, there, Nick?"

"None. It was a kiss." Nick answered, attempting to step on his brother's foot but narrowly missing as Aaron moved to sit on the arm of the chair Mel was sitting in, tapping her on the shoulder when he noticed her eyelids drooping.

"Sorry," she said with a yawn, "Oh, hey Nick."

"Hey. Again."

Mel smiled. "So, now that we're all present and accounted for, are we gonna get going?" She stood up from her chair and stretched her arms, letting her long, red-streaked brown hair fall down her back.

"Well, well, look whos anxious to get to work..." AJ said. Mel gave him a light shove and they both laughed as he caught himself before he fell onto the couch.

"I just wanna get this over with..."


~Two Hours, Ten Minutes Later~


"Whats the holdup?" Howie asked, annoyed that they'd been stuck in traffic for the last fifteen minutes. He strained to look out at the traffic in front of them from his seat by the back window of the limo.

"You guys can still cause quite a traffic jam..." Melanie trailed off.

"You say that like you've been stuck in one that we caused." Kevin responded.

"Of course I wasn't, I'm not dumb enough to try and get into New York City when the Backstreet Boys are in town!" Mel joked. They were all relieved as the limo began to move a bit, but only Mel found it the least bit amusing when they came to a stop seconds later. "Welcome to New York..." She smiled.

~Twenty Minutes Later~

Mel sat on a couch in the green room, a coffee-filled black mug in her hands, looking around rather nervously at the others. Aaron and Nick were joking around, Kevin and Howie were also engaged in what looked to be an interesting discussion, and Brian was getting in a quick phonecall to his wife, Leighanne, and their son, Baylee. Having gone back to staring at her coffee, Melanie didn't notice AJ sit down next to her.

"Is coffee really that interesting to you?" He asked. Mel almost jumped up and spilt a bit of it in her lap, but managed to prevent a major spill.

"No, but its certainly keeping my mind off of what might happen in the next twenty-five or so minutes..."

"Mel, its TRL, not a trial. They're not gonna swear you in or anything."

"I know, I know..."

"Then what is there to worry about? You've already got a ton of fans, and they wouldn't have invited you to be on the show if they thought you sucked."

"They wouldn't have invited me on the show if I wasn't connected to you guys."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" AJ laughed.

"Laugh if you want, its true."

"Actually I'm laughing 'cause its the biggest load of bullshit I've ever heard. Especially coming from you of all people."

"I just don't wanna make an ass out of myself on national television. My first time on national TV."

"You're not gonna choke."

"You do know that the 'L' in TRL stands for 'Live', right?" Melanie asked, tucking a strand of her red-streaked brown hair behind her ear.

"Really? I thought it stood for 'Llama" or 'Lemon' or something." AJ answered sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Mel rolled her eyes. "Only in your world, J."

"If we were in my world you wouldn't be sitting here worrying about something you know damn well you shouldn't be worrying about. Also, Carmen Electra would be here offering me a hot oil massage."

Mel smiled. "I could have lived without that visual."

"No you couldn't..."

"Yeah, I think I could." She laughed.

"See? I made you laugh." AJ put his arm around her. "We'll all be out there with you, and you know we've got your back." He smirked as he looked across the room and noticed where Aaron was looking. "Some of us in a different way than others..."

"Five minutes, guys." A producer announced, leaning in the doorway and walking away after receiving a few signs of acknowlegement.

Pulling his arm off of Melanie's shoulders and stretching, AJ got up from his seat and turned around to look at her. "See you out there." He walked away to sit with Nick and Aaron, leaving Melanie to drink her coffee and think.

"Hi there..." Aaron said a minute later, having left his brother and AJ to their conversation. "You okay?"

Melanie nodded, taking Aaron's hand in her own as he sat down in the seat vacated by AJ not long ago. "Just thinking about the talk I had with Aje..."

"Nothing I'd need to kick some ass about, right?" Aaron said, pretending to warm up for a fight.

"No," Mel said with a laugh as she put her hand on his shoulder, "Nothing like that. I'm only 17..."

"Hold up," he corrected, "Soon to be 18."

"Right, in four months."

"It'll fly by."

"I guess so..."

"So, what did you and AJ talk about?"

"Nothing, really. Just talking about the show..." Mel trailed off, smirking as she finished her statement. "...And hot oil massages with Carmen Electra..."

"Please, please tell me that part was your idea." Aaron said, his eyes squeezed shut as if praying eagerly.

"Guess again." AJ said, standing next to him.

"Damn!" Aaron exclaimed, discouraged. "'Cause that would've been awesome."

"I know! I would've been the best girlfriend ever, right?" Mel said with fake enthusiasm.

Aaron kissed her lightly on the lips. "'Would've been'?"

AJ sighed, looking at Nick nostalgically. "Ah, remember puppy love?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, but it didn't seem as sickening back then..."

"Believe me, for you... It was." Kevin interjected, standing by the door.

"Thanks." Nick replied, holding the door open for Brian as they all walked out the door, Howie closing the door behind him. Aaron stood up and held out his hand for Melanie, who smiled as she took it and he pulled her up. When they stepped out into the hallway by the stage entrance, AJ mouthed "Don't choke" to Mel as he and his bandmates stood a little further down the hall, waiting for their cue. She responded by mouthing "I won't" back.

~Meanwhile~

Vanessa Minillo, the host of TRL that day, stood onstage in a pair of jeans and a red satin halter top as she looked from the camera out at the audience. "Are you guys ready for our first guests?" She asked them, and her answer was one unanimously excited scream. "Here they are, the Backstreet Boys!" Right on cue, they filed out from backstage, one after the other, greeting their fans and hugging a lucky few as they made their way over to the area by the window where Vanessa stood, waiting to greet them. "Hello, hello!" She exclaimed as she hugged them one by one. "Its been quite a while!"

"Sure has!" Howie said, looking behind him and out the window at the fans outside. It seemed as if they were taking up every bit of sidewalk they could, even on the other side of the street!

"Well I'm sure I'm not alone in saying I'm glad you guys are back!" Vanessa exclaimed as the audience cheered in agreement.

"Thank you!" AJ said, laughing a bit as he watched Nick - who decided to make a stupid-looking face - and Brian wave to the crowd outside.

"So, new album came out last week, right?"

"Yes it did." Kevin answered.

"Debuted #2, congrats!" Once again the audience erupted in cheers.

"Again, thank you!" AJ said.

"So now you've got the tour coming up..." Vanessa paused as Nick and the others nodded. "Can you tell us about that?"

"Not much to say, really... Right now we're just gonna travel around the U.S. and Canada. No large arenas this time, though." Brian explained.

"Speaking of your tour, actually," she started, "We have your opening acts backstage, right?"

"Yeah, they're back there." Nick answered.

"Should we bring them out?" Vanessa asked, looking out at the audience who gave their usual roaring answer. "Well here they are, Aaron Carter and Melanie Rowan!"

Melanie took a deep breath as she followed Aaron out onto the set and they quickly joined the others, shaking a few hands along the way. 'So far, so good...' She thought.

"Welcome!" Vanessa said, giving Melanie a quick hug as she passed by to stand between Kevin and Alex.

"Thanks! It's awesome to be here." Mel replied.

"So your album comes out today, right?"

Melanie nodded. "I've been waiting years for this, since I was a little kid..."

"So how long have you been in the business?"

"Actually, I haven't been in it for very long. My older brother, Matthew, is actually studying to be a music producer, and hes got an internship at our record label. He ended up working with the Boys, and introduced me to them one day when I visited him at the studio, and they suggested he try and get me a meeting with the label... The rest is history."

"Wow! So you really owe him big time."

Melanie laughed. "Yeah, I do."

"We all owe him," Nick added, "He helped us with some of the songs on our album."

"Musical talent must run in the family." Vanessa commented, and a few of the guys chimed in agreement. "Speaking of talented families," She paused, "Aaron, you've been quiet down there, how are things with you?"

"They're good!"

"Your album comes out... Next month, right?"

Aaron nodded. "I've been working on this album for over a year now."

"What should we expect to hear?"

"A couple of ballads... Some songs to dance to... A big mix, really."

"Sounds awesome!" Vanessa was almost drowned out by the cheering resounding again. "Did you have any special inspiration for the ballads?"

Aaron smirked. "Maybe..." He glanced at Melanie, hoping not to be spotted.

"Actually," Nick cut in, "I helped him write a few of the songs."

"Awesome!" Vanessa exclaimed. "So you guys are all about family, huh?"

"Yeah, one big family." Kevin answered.

"Our families are important to all of us," Brian added, "Your family will always be there for you no matter what."

"Wise words..." Vanessa trailed off. "Well, we'll be back with our guests after the break!" They all waved to the camera as the audiece cheered louder once again. Melanie sighed in relief.

"You're doing great." Kevin told her.

"I told you you'd be fine..." AJ said, sounding as if he was slightly gloating.

"Yes, you did..." Melanie said, tugging at her black, tattoo-graphic emblazoned t-shirt.


~A few minutes later~


"Welcome back! That was our number five video of the day, and right now we're here with the Backstreet Boys and the opening acts for their upcoming tour, Melanie Rowan and Aaron Carter!" Vanessa paused to let the cheering again subside. "So Melanie, we don't really know much about you. Would you mind answering a few questions?"

Melanie shook her head. "Nope, not at all! Bring it on!" A few people laughed.

"Okay, favorite artist?" Vanessa quizzed.

Smiling at her friends as she looked around, and laughing as she saw the big cheezy smile on Nick's face, she looked at him as she answered. "The Beatles."

Aaron tried to stifle his laughter as Vanessa continued asking Melanie questions. "Favorite album?"

"Well, I've been listening to Back To Basics by Christina Aguilera a lot lately, but I've got tons of albums I love on my iPod."

"Okay, okay, how about favorite movie?"

"Hmm... Pirates of the Caribbean. I quote it all the time, and I love Johnny Depp."

Vanessa laughed. "Me too. Alright, time to get personal."

"Oh boy..." Melanie said with a slightly nervous laugh.

Vanessa raised an eyebrow at Melanie as she read the next question off the card in her hand. "Are you single?"

Melanie pretended to take a second to think, then smirked. "I'm... Not going to answer that."

"Come on, interested in anyone?"

"Maybe... But I'm still not naming names."

Vanessa let out an exaggeratedly annoyed sigh. "Fine... Sorry fellas, you'll have to find out for yourselves."

"They can try..."

"So, you boys have been quiet over here... How are you all getting along?"

"We're fine!" Brian exclaimed, putting his arm around Nick.

"Its been a while since you've done a tour like this, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," Howie answered, "but we're all anxious to get back out there."

"We'll all just have to get used to being on the road again." Kevin answered.

"On the road again, just can't wait to get on the road again, the life I love is makin' music with my friends, and I can't wait to get on the road again..." Brian jokingly sang a few bars of the song "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson, causing an eruption of laughter.

"I'll have to try and survive." Melanie added, humming a bit of "I Will Survive" by Donna Summer.

"Its contageous!" Howie proclaimed.

"The tour starts next week, right?" Vanessa asked, trying to re-direct the conversation.

Kevin nodded. "Yes, next week in Florida."

"Thats a good place to start!" Vanessa exclaimed. "Okay, so," she motioned to all of them, "Tour next week, album's out now," She motioned towards Melanie as all of them nodded, "Album out today," Melanie nodded again, "And album next month, correct?" They all chimed in agreement. "Great! Its been great hanging out with you guys today! Melanie, good luck with the album, and good luck to all of you with the tour!" Vanessa walked over and gave Melanie a one-armed hug, then looked at the camera, "Right now we're gonna get back to the countdown with the number four video!" The audience again cheered as the video began to play on the TV screens dotting the set. "It was so great meeting you!" She shook Melanie's hand.

"Thanks," Melanie replied, shaking her hand back. After giving AJ and Kevin each a one-armed hug, Vanessa walked over to the others and hugged them as well. They all hugged and shook hands with a few fans as they left the stage.

~Twenty Minutes Later~


Gaby was waiting in a secluded corner in the lobby when the group arrived back at the hotel. Melanie was the first to get over to her, followed closely by Nick and Aaron, while the others opted to go up to their rooms. "I was watching you guys on TRL, and you did awesome, Mel." Gaby said, hugging her.

"Thanks. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be." Melanie said after they'd let go, glaring at AJ as he cleared his throat while walking by. She smiled as Aaron stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

Nick kissed Gaby on the lips as he hugged her tightly. "Missed you."

"You haven't been gone that long." Gaby pointed out.

"Long enough..." Nick kissed her again.

"As much fun as this is," Aaron said sarcastically, "I believe we have somewhere to be later."

"Yeah, yeah, dinner with your future in-laws..." Nick joked.

"Hardy-har, Nick." Aaron answered.

Melanie turned around to face Aaron. "Ignore him..." She pressed her lips to his, pulling him closer with her right hand behind his neck.

Aaron sighed with frustration as Melanie's cellphone began to vibrate in her pocket; she'd turned it back on after they left the show so she could talk to her family. "Go ahead, I'll see you later..." Aaron kissed her on the neck before he and Nick walked up to their hotel rooms, leaving Melanie and Gaby alone in the lobby. Melanie looked at the Caller ID and saw that it was her best friend Camille.

"Hey, Cami!" Melanie said, sitting down on the couch nearby.

"Hey Mel!" Cami said excitedly. "You were totally amazing on TRL today!"

"Thanks! Are you coming over tonight?"

"Wouldn't miss it!"

"Great!" Melanie looked up and saw the clock by the front desk. "Listen, I gotta go, okay? I'll see you in a little while!"

"'Kay! See ya later, chica!"

"Later, chica!" She replied before hanging up.



~Two Hours Later~



"Yeah, we're turning down the block right now," Melanie said into her cellphone as she sat in the back of the limo. She put her hand over the phone and leaned forward a bit, looking past Brian and Kevin and at the limo driver. "Sir, we need to make a left turn up here."

"Yes, Miss." He said with a wave, not taking his eyes off the road.

"I'll see you in a minute, Mom. Bye." She hung up the phone and sighed as she put her head on Aaron's shoulder.

"You okay?" He asked, his arm around her.

"Yeah," She looked around at the houses on her street, keeping her gaze focused on one in particular. "Just thinking about stuff..." She returned her focus to looking at the other houses, telling the limo driver to stop two houses down, in front of a two-story white house with dark brown shutters. Melanie heaved a sigh of relief once she got out of the car and was standing on the front lawn. "Home sweet home..."