Part I - March 8, 2005

This couldn't really be happening, he decided. He was on medication, after all. In reality he was home, in bed, sprawled on his $2,000 sheets…

Nick Carter sat awkwardly on a bench, his hands in his lap. Every now and then, a grandmother finishing volunteer work for the evening would pass by and smile at the sweet young man with disheveled blonde locks and bright blue eyes. Nothing new there, he'd been worshipped before he was a teenager.

But then, inevitably, she'd notice the ink stains and the handcuffs. And for all those looks of suddenly uninterested revulsion, he'd rather pose naked buffing Tinkerbell's nails with his tongue. Hell, he'd rather pose naked with AJ 'plugging his holes' using microphones, like he'd once threatened to do when Nick blew out the power on their entire hotel floor while he'd been recording in his room. Only Brian had saved him.

That had been an accident. Just like this was. But somehow, that had been funnier.

He sniffled a little bit, starting to scowl. He'd learned all kinds of new things tonight, starting with how unpleasant it was to have a stuffy nose while handcuffed and unable to wipe it away.

"Okay, kid."

Nick blinked, trying to focus, missing yet another glare of disapproval when his vision swam and he nearly pitched over. Apparently his doctor was a Timberlake fan wanting to remove the competition. Howie had referred him, after all. He was tight with the enemy.

"Carter! The hell is wrong with you?"

Funny. The cop sounded almost like Kevin.

Kevin!

Nick groaned. On second thought, he adored the bench.

"Whoever that is," Leighanne Littrell announced, smoke steaming from her ears, "I'm going to kill him!"

Brian vaulted off the bed, somehow reaching his phone before she did by sheer force of will. "Honey, go check on Baylee," he soothed. His son's crying in the room next to theirs echoed through the New York hotel suite.

"I just did," she glared. "He just fell back asleep! And then - " She lunged abruptly. Brian pulled away with practiced ease, holding the still-ringing phone out of reach.

"Leigh, baby?" he prompted.

Grumbling, she disappeared. Brian sighed, running a hand through his hair and squinting at the nearby alarm clock. Was he really in bed before midnight? Glamorous rock star, indeed.

"Hello?"

"Nick?" Brian wondered, surprised. "What are you…? Wait no - slow down. Nick!"

But Nick continued talking, the words somewhat slurred and fast. Brian sank down on the bed, struggling to keep up. Was he drunk?

"Brian?" The incessant babbling finally stopped. "Are you there?"

"Yeah. What's going on?"

From the phone came the undeniable sound of gulping. With his free hand, Brian rubbed his temples. He had a headache coming, and his name was Nick Carter.

"I need you," Nick said, audibly stumbling over his words, "to come get me. Okay? I'm in Huntington Beach."

"Nick, hang on a second - "

"Hurry, Brian. Please. I think they're gonna - "

"NICK!" Brian thundered. In the distance, Baylee wailed in response. He didn't yell very often, but he figured practice was a good idea. His mother had once warned him how fast teenage years happened and if his child was anything like himself, he'd be lucky to have a voice at all when Baylee finished puberty.

Silence on the other end.

"Nick, I'm in New York. Remember? Larry King is in a few days…" Brian sighed.

Nick could outcry Baylee.

"What am I going to do?" Nick stammered after a moment, sounding for all the world like a lost little boy. He sniffled again and swore to himself.

Brian glanced up as Leighanne entered. She took one look at the distress in his face and crossed the room in two strides, lightly crawling up behind him on the bed and rubbing his shoulders.

"Nick, whatever it is, everything will be fine. Kevin's in LA, right? Call him."

Another pause. Then,

"I only get one phone call."

Brian rose from the bed, gently shrugging Leighanne away in the process, and banged his head against the wall. Hard.

Twice.

He was the luckiest man in the world.

"What do you think?" she whispered into his ear, kissing him before withdrawing. She relaxed easily against him as they relaxed on their couch.

Unable to contain himself, a laughing Kevin Richardson sprang upright, pulling her up and twirling her around. She matched his movements with grace, grinning at the look on his face.

"So as soon as whatever this reunion is settles down a little bit, we'll really start trying to - " he drawled, trying to regain control of himself by clarifying and failing miserably.

Kristin patted her stomach meaningfully. "You're gonna be such a good daddy," she told him proudly.

The phone cut off his reply. Still glowing, Kevin leaned down and kissed through her shirt. Soon… "Hold that thought," he murmured, snatching up the extension. The faster he answered, the faster he could end the intrusive call.

"Hello?"

"Nick, let me talk to him first," Brian warned.

"But - " Nick objected. In the background, an annoyed guard gestured at him. "Brian, they're telling me to hurry up. What if he doesn't - "

"He will," Brian assured him. "I'll be right back."

"Brian!" Kevin exclaimed happily. "I was gonna call you, cuz. Listen, you know how Kristin promised babysitting when you're in town? Well - "

"Kevin," Brian gently interposed, "can we talk about this later? There's something you need to know about. About Nick."

Kristin frowned as Kevin utterly deflated, sinking down on the couch. "What about Nick?" he asked, voice carefully neutral, having learned throughout the past few years just how low his little brother could fall. He'd thought Nick was bouncing back, but something in Brian's voice…

He didn't even look up when Kristin silently mouthed the name in understanding and moved to sit beside him, offering silent support.

"He - Nick, he - well - "

"I'm waiting, Brian."

Father and married man he was, but Brian still flinched at the warning in Kevin's voice. Years earlier, that same voice had tormented him mercilessly with Harold for its accomplice. And more recently, that voice had sent A.J. reeling into rehab.

Brian took a deep breath, forcing himself to sit back down on the bed. Why was he taking this for Nick, anyway? Ultimately, Nick needed to face this for himself - especially if his suspicions were correct and his younger friend was heading down the path so horribly traveled by AJ.

But AJ, for all his faults, had never been arrested.

"Hang on a second," he muttered, falling onto his back. The anticipation robbed him of his strength. "I'll put Nick on." To be continued…