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Behind the Lime Light - Chapter 4
The first reaction was flatter. It was amazing that so many fans, mostly girls, had come outside the hotel to wait for them. Now more than half an hour later the feeling of excitement was transferred to fright. It wasnīt so fun being stuck in the van anymore and as time passed on it was getting more and more clear that the fans wouldnīt move out of the way which could only lead to one soloution.

They had to run through the crowd!.

Everytime they showed their face against the car windows the girls were screaming from excitement. Some of them were down right hysterical and they were doing everything to get inside the van. For a moment they felt the car sway a bit and they got scared. What if the hundreds and hundreds of fans would actually tip the van? This was sheer horror!

"This is getting ridiculous!" Johnny stated when they had been stuck there way too long. "If this keep up weīre going to be late." Looking outside he muttered. "Where the hell is backup when you need them?"

The backup that he was referring to was the security men. Since no one had expected such a riot not one security guy or body guards had been called in for the guys rescue. Things were getting heated up inside and they had to call for the police force to step in. Someone could get seriously hurt and that was the last thing any of them wanted to happen.

"It’s about time!" Johnny muttered as he saw security starting to do their job. They were trying to form a line, which wasnīt easy since the girls were all screaming and pushing each other, trying to get closer to their idols.

The guys were too busy connecting with the fans to notice what was going on with the security. Instead they were all waving and smiling and even if they pretended to love the situation it was starting to become a bit too much, even for them. All the smiling had left them pretty sore mouths and as they started to feel both hungry and tired they all wished that this would be over soon. Fans were great but this was over the limit!

If the boys were starting to get fed up with the situation the reporter and her film crew was just the opposite. They were so excited over getting todays scoop and they kept filming both the guys as well as the fans outside. Since the camera rolled, taking in everything, the boys had to be careful what they were doing or saying. It was safest to play it cool and therefore they pretended that they really loved this situation. What more could they do? After all this was going to be shown on television and they didnīt want any bad publicity. Of any kind.

The famous Backstreet smile was plastered all over their faces.

The door opened suddenly and a large broad shouldered man came into the van. "How are you all doing in there?" he asked. They could hear the girls screaming outside, almost deafening noise.

When no one replied the man continued, "Weīve cleared off everything and made a path for you to run through."

"About time," AJ snickered. Not that he didnīt like the fans it was more that he was fed up with being cooped up in small spaces without having any chance to move his legs.

"I want you to get out one by one and.."

He was cut off by Nick mumbling nervously, "Is this really safe? I mean.." he swallowed hard. "we..we could get crushed." There was doubt in his eyes.

"This is safe." The man reassured. "Or let me put it this way. Itīs as safe as it can be." He looked at the boys. "However I strongly advise against stopping or talking to anyone once youīre out there. It can endanger your life as well as theirs."

The man talked with such authorithy that they realized that this was serious. It was the first time they had been this "cornered" but then there always had to be the first of everything.

Nick flickered with his eyes, looking nervously at the crowd. To him they looked like a pack of wolves.

Noticing the younger boy’s posture, AJ put his arm around the blonde’s shoulders. "Hey Kaos!" he whispered. His friend turned his face in his direction and AJ jerked at the pale appearances his friend had. It looked like he hadnīt slept for days. "You alright?"

Nick bit his lip.

"Donīt worry," he continued. "Weīll get through this!"

This action was noticed by the reporter and she urged her camera crew once more to film them. "Thatīs soooo sweeet;" she squealed. "Brotherly looooveee."

Man was she annoying. AJ let go of Nickīs shoulders instantly like heīd been burned by a cigarette. If there was one thing he wanted kept to himself it was the love and affection he felt for his Backstreet brothers. It would appear to be much too gay to be aired on tv.

Nick looked at him, but said nothing. He knew how much AJ tried to be a tough guy but he also knew the soft spot that his friend had. He sighed.

"You two." Johnny pointed at them. "Quit foolinī around and listen to," the manager gestured with his thumb towards the security men, "what he has to say."

"Ok." While the guys had talked they noticed that the reporter as well as the film team had gone outside and Sonia was standing outside, interviewing fans. The guys felt actually a bit relieved since it was hard having a film team following every step they took.

"We have to move fast since the crowd is getting bigger and bigger and the fans are down right hysterical." The security man looked at each and every one of them. "Who wants to go first?"

There was a silence so deafening that you could hear a pin drop on the floor. They all hesistated, looking at each other. No one wanted to be the first since they knew that it would be a riot out there. The first and the last were the worst positions since the crowd was likely to go berserk.

"Letīs send out Nick to distract them, you know like a decoy." AJ suggested with a grin. He was doing his best to make up for his comforting gesture and tried to sound like he didnīt care much for his friend.

But the teen didnīt catch the joke. Instead he looked at them with desperation in his eyes. "I donīt wanna goooo!" The tone was loud and whiny.

This time it was Howie that put his arm around the teen. "Donīt worry Nicky. Iīll go first." He smiled. "Itīs not me thatīs the one they are screaming for."

This was true since the name that were mostly on the girls lips was Nick and the more they screamed the more frightened the teen felt.

"OK Howie you go first then." Johnny urged him. "You better go now so we donīt break this schedule anymore than we already have!" With that he watched as the security man opened the door and Howie jumped out just to be met with a totally ear deafening screams from the fans. They were so excited to see that a Backstreet boy finally made an entrance, even if he was taking a run for it.

"Go D, Go!" Nick crossed his fingers, hoping that his friend would make it without a hitch inside the big building.

The security man spoke into a walkie talkie. "Ok," he said when heīd talked to his men outside. "The coast is clear, the next person can go now."

Both Nick and AJ looked at each other. Bone was about to name the teen when he stopped himself. What if Nick was more scared then he let on? With a sigh he said, "You go Kaos!"

The teen looked up in surprise. This was not something heīd expected. They all knew that it was the one that would go the first and the last that would take the heat. First because the girls were all so excited from waiting so long, last since they knew that no one would come after that person and they all wanted to grab a piece of Backstreet ass.

"You mean me?"

"Yeah Nick..you."

"Really..thanks man." Nick looked genuinely happy and for a second AJ feared that he would get a hug. Not that he had anything against Nick hugs. No, but stuff like this was totally private.

AJ grinned, trying to act tough. "Now get your scrawny ass out there or Iīll change my mind."

"Ok." The teen was fast to move towards the door before his friend changed his mind. For real.

"Ok are you ready?" The security man asked, Nick who was standing by the van door.

Nick nodded.

"Ok when I count to three I will open the door and you make a move." He looked at the teen. "Understood?"

Nick nodded again. This time licking his lips nervously. He felt like a wuss but couldnīt help it. Situations like this scared the crap out of him.

"Donīt worry Nick. " Johnny noticed he was scared too and tried to calm him down.

"Ok." That was all he could say.

"Are you ready?" The security man asked. "One, Two, Threee...Goooo."

AJ watched as his friend jumped out of the van, the girls screaming loudly as they saw who was running. He could see that the security had a hard time keeping the line back and for a moment it looked like the line broke and girls started running after Nick. His heart pounded in his chest, and he didnīt calm down until the security man declared that everything was fine and Nick was back in safe again. He signaled for AJ to go and the rebel didnīt think he had leapt that fast before. A security man followed tight behind him while the girls tried to break the chain to get closer to him.

He had never felt so relieved before as he did once he was inside the hotel.


********************************************
"Helloooo guys!"Brian shouted as he came into the lounge where heīd been told that the rest of the guys were waiting for them to arrive. Kevin followed him in tow.

"Hi there." The older man patted both Howie and AJ on their backs in a friendly gesture.

"Had a safe flight?" Howie asked as Brian put his heavy bag on the floor beside him.

"Mmm-umm...slept most of the way."

"Like everyone else then." Howie smiled.

"I heard it was pretty wild outside when you arrived," Kevin said.

"Yes..the fans were going crazy." Howie patted the seat next to him. "Here come and sit down while we wait for Johnny to get us...so I can hear what you guys have been doing during the break."

"Ok." Both cousins sat down.

"Security ran us in through the backdoor."

"Thatīs good," Howie nodded. "Man it was wild. I thought for sure that someone would get injured."

"Yeah and Kaos nearly freaked out!"

Brian was the first to notice that they were one boy short. "Speaking of Kaos. Where is he?"

Howie and AJ looked up. Genuinely surprised. "Isnīt he here?"

"Nope."

Kevin looked at them. "You havenīt noticed that Kaos was missing? ī"

"Uh..No." Both boys felt a bit bad for neglecting their friend. But Nick had been so quiet and they had been engrossed in talking about a new stereo system that Howie was getting installed in his car. The teen had showed very little interest and instead mainly sat there, staring ahead, looking like he wanted to be somewhere else.

"Sorry, we forgot about him." Howie looked a bit embarrassed.

"Yeah." AJ felt just as stupid. "He is probably somewhere around here..maybe the bathroom..maybe he went to the vending machine." The rebel shrugged his shoulders as to pretend that he didnīt care but his worried expression told them otherwise.

"You forgot about him?" Brian didnīt think he was believing what he was hearing.

"Eh..uh..sorry." Howie rose to get up and search for the kid, when Kevin stopped him.

"How can you forgot about Kaos? You didnīt even notice when he stopped talking?" There was major sarcasm in his tone.

"Eh..uh..actually he didnīt say much." AJ shrugged his shoulders as to tell them that he didnīt care that much about the teens whereabouts.

"Didnīt talk much?" Brian nearly choked on the coke he was drinking. "C’ mon itīs Nick weīre talking about here. He is NEVER silent."

"Oh yeah? well he has been today," Howie defended. "I think he is tired from the flight, tired like we all are."

AJ nodded too. "Yeah Kaos been acting kind of strange. Strange for being Kaos that is."

"Strange? In what way?" Brian stood up to leave the room, noticing this Kevin aked, "Where are you going?"

"To see if I can find Nick anywhere."

"Ok." Kevin made no move to follow his cousin. "When you find him tell him that Johnny wants us to hurry up and that we have to go to lunch."

Brian moved towards the restrooms. Opening the heavy door he peered inside, hoping that it wouldnīt look too gay for him to do something like that. To his relief he noticed that the restroom was empty and that no stalls were occupied. To be on the safe side he called out, "Niiiiccckkk, Niiiiccccckkkkk, youīre there?"

No answer.

The teen had to be at the vending machines, Brian concluded closing the door behind him. He knew how much Nick loved to eat candy bars and hopefully he would be over by one. Looking at his watch he saw that they were late already and he hoped that he hadnīt got lost or anything.

In the lobby he discovered; No Nick! 'Wierd,' Brian thought, running his hand through his hair. 'Where could that kid be?' Walking up to the reception area he asked the reception desk clerk if sheīd seen someone that could fit the young boys description. Just as he suspected it came out negative.

"No." She shook her head. "Iīm sorry I have not. But go and check the restaurant or the pool or ga.." She didnīt have time to continue before Brian cut her off.

"No time. Thanks anyway." He smiled to her.

"No problem and if Iīll see a young teenager fitting your description I’ll let him know that you are?" She paused.

"Weīre in the Lounge and tell him to hurry up too."

"I will. Good luck." She smiled back at him as he left.

Brian sighed. He had to find Nick or Johnny and the rest of the guys would give him hell for it. They were already running a tight schedule and it didnīt help matters that one fifth of the group was missing. It was wierd that Nick had left without saying anything to the rest of the guys. If it had been someone other than Frack heīd understood but this was the guy that hated even going to the bathroom alone and would always ask someone to accompany him.

Looking outside he found that there were fans still waiting for them, hoping to catch a glance of their idols. Or even better an autograph. Upon hearing the screams outside Brian’s blood ran cold. The teen couldnīt be so stupid that he would go outside, would he?

He prayed that the teen hadnīt went out on his own and if he did he hoped that he wasnīt laying out there, mugged, but then it was much too silent for something like that. Sighing he decided that he had to get back to the lounge and talk to the others. They had to gather a search party and hopefully AJ and Howie would have a clue where he could be. If not they were in big shit!

Walking back into the lounge he was being stopped by Kevin. "There you are. Johnny told us to wait at the back entrance. Weīre taking the bus to the restaurant to eat lunch. He paused. "You’d better hurry up cause weīre late."

"But we have to find Nick.." Brian got cut off.

"Nickīs back."

"He is?" The younger man looked surprised. "Where was he then?"

"In the game room."

Brian was running next to his cousin. "The game room?" Slapping his hand across his forehead he added, "Man that I didnīt think of that one."

"Yeah well the only things that matters is that wer’re all here and that we can go to the restaurant. Iīm starving."

Stepping on the bus Brian found his friend sitting in a seat, looking gloomily out the window. He seemed to be half asleep.

"Heloooo there Frack." Brian smiled. All the anger and worry heīd felt before had vanished and as he walked up to him he asked, "Hey buddy, can I sit down next to you?"

"Sure." Nick moved his backpack to the floor, making room for his friend to sit down.

"Thanks man..so wass up with you?" Heīd decided not to yell at Nick for leaving them after all he was back and it wasnīt like he was a five year old or anything, even if there were times when he acted like that.

"Nothing much."

Frowning Brian took a good look at his friend. His eyes were glassy in the same way that he always was when he was either dead tired or sick as a dog. He hoped for the first option. He also seemed unnaturally pale and there wasnīt that sparkle that always seemed to accompany his friend. Instead he looked mostly dull and like it was a hard task just keeping his eyes opened.

"So how was your break then?" Brian tried to make small talk.

"It was ok. Busy. Yours?" Nick wasnīt very talkative at all.

"Pretty good. I was with mom and dad and Harold. Seen Samantha and we went horse backriding." He smiled, hoping to get the teens attention.

"Ok." The answer was short.

"You ever done horse backriding?" Brian hadnīt given up the attempt of getting a conversation out of the kid.

"I don’t know." Nick stared out of the window, looking at the people out on the sidewalks. It was a rather busy city.

Sighing Brian said, "Youīre awful quiet. Is something the matter with you?"

"No."

"You sure? The guys said you slept the whole flight." The older boy pressed on.

"Yes Iīm fine and yes I slept most of the flight." He turned to look at his friend. "I just donīt feel like talking. Ok?"

"Uh..Yeah I guess so."

"Good now let me be!"

The Kentuckian felt puzzled over the teens sudden hostility. This was not like the friend he knew. Nick could be rather moody but then he usually had a reason for being like that. This time he was just quiet and drawn to himself.

"Any reason why you donīt feel like talking?" Brian asked putting his hand on the teens arm when Nick had stared out of the window long enough. "Did I do anything?

"No B." There were a deep sigh.

"Any reason for this? I mean you being so tired?"

"No." A headshake.

"You want me to leave you alone?"

This time a nod.

"I won’t press on any further but Nick," Brian squeezed his friend’s arm gently. "You’ll have to tell me if there is something thatīs bothering you." He looked the teen in his eyes. "Right?"

Nick fidgeted a bit uncomfortable. "Sure."

Brian didnīt believe him. "I said right?"

Nick sighed again, this time with defeat. "Iīll let you know if something is bothering me. Ok?"

Brian smiled not getting as much as a hint of a smile back. "Done deal." But he wasnīt feeling as relieved as he let on. Nick had a habit of agreeing on just about everything to get out off someone nagging him for something. He had to hope that Nick didnīt pull a stunt like this again and if he did he prayed that this wasnīt a cover up for something more..something bigger that his friend refused to acknowledge