Part II

"Okay, Nick," Brian said simply, no emotion in his voice.

The youngest Backstreet Boy forced himself to stand tall. The cousins couldn't see him, of course, but in his mind Nick was still demonstrating he had, indeed, listened to them in the past. "Nick! Stop slouching!"

That had to count for something.

"Kev - " he cleared his throat, fighting the sudden urge to sneeze. "Kevin? Listen - "

"Why hello, Nickolas. How are you this fine evening?"

Nick winced. Anger, frustration, worry, resignation and disappointment were clearly audible in Kevin's deep voice… all far more painful than the handcuffs which had chafed his wrists. And he had yet to fully tell Kevin - or Brian - what happened! That meant they'd had to guess, which meant they'd thought the worst of him… which meant they still didn't trust him. Lou's old publicity team had been right, way back when, dating had ruined him.

That is, if what he and Paris had done could be considering dating.

Nick! Focus!

"Kevin, I swear this isn't what it sounds like!"

Silence. Oh, good job, genius, Nick congratulated himself sarcastically. That would help them relax, no doubt.

"Nick," Brian cut in, knowing Kevin was trying to collect himself before speaking. "Why don't you tell us what this sounds like?"

The guard pointed at the clock locked behind a grate.

"Nothing! It sounds like nothing because I didn't do anything!" Nick stammered. "Brian, the guard…"

"What are the charges?" Kevin cut in, voice strangled from the effort of not losing control.

Nick glared at the phone. "Why does it automatically have be like that?" he asked, probably louder than he should have.

"Nick." He could hear Kevin's teeth grinding together. "What. Are. The. Charges?"

"Nick, this isn't helping," Brian, ever the peacemaker - unless he was the one causing trouble, in which case Howie earned his keep - tried to grab control of the rapidly spiraling conversation. "We can't help you unless you tell - "

"Investigationofdrivingundertheinfluence. BUT I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"

Leighanne had tried everything. Singing. Rocking. Midnight snack. Playing. But Baylee just wouldn't have it.

She sighed, cradling his tiny form against her chest. "Daddy!" the little boy protested. Bright blue eyes pleaded with her. Their son could sense Brian's distress, she had no doubt. Unable and unwilling to watch as her husband was pulled into yet another crisis, she'd eventually returned to her baby's side.

"You can see Daddy tomorrow," she assured him, trying once again to lay Baylee down.

"NO!" he yelled, wriggling out of her grip. She barely managed to catch him before he would have plunged down onto the pad in the crib. "DADDY!"

A hand suddenly patted her little boy's golden curls and she looked up to see Brian, still on the cell phone, making faces at his son. He used his free hand like a pillow, putting his head on top and pretending to snore. Baylee calmed instantly, giggling in delight.

In spite of everything, she couldn't help but smile.

Kristin watched her husband warily. The separation had done all the Boys good. Selfish as it sounded, she'd been almost disappointed when the reunion had happened. She loved her extended family, always, but she'd had Kevin to herself for so long, it was going to be hard to share him with the world again.

But at the minute, it was just like old times. The vein in his neck throbbed, and every muscle was painfully tense.

But suddenly, he leapt off the couch as if his back was burning. And, she noticed with a pang, using much more energy than his display just minutes earlier.

"WHAT?" he roared into the phone. The elegant paintings hanging behind them shuddered. Clearly unable to stand still, he jerked into movement.

Some people paced. But when Kevin Richardson was too angry to stand still, he jogged. No wonder his body remained in stunning shape, mid-thirties and all.

"Nick, you little shit!" Kevin raged, loud enough for Leighanne to hear every word clearly. "You… you… what the fuck were you thinking? Goddammit!"

Brian leaned over Baylee, eyes wide. He'd fallen asleep on his side, and the father hurried to place his free hand over Baylee's exposed ear.

"But that's just it! You weren't thinking! NICK! This could ruin us, do you understand that? Did you learn nothing from AJ?"

Impatient, the guard rose from the other room and headed his way.

"Kevin - " Nick pleaded, terrified and not ashamed of admitting it to himself. The cops had all had a good laugh at putting the 'pretty teen idol' behind bars. Nick didn't even want to imagine what could happen to him in a jail cell.

"We're getting ready to come out and you go and pull this bullshit!"

"Kevin - "

"Come on, Kev," Brian finally intervened. "Can't you do this after you pull him out?"

Silence again. Horror shot through Nick as realization finally dawned.

"You're - you're not gonna - "

"I just wish," was Kevin's blunt response, "that you'd used your brain like this before you got behind the wheel."

Nick couldn't speak. He'd had no doubt he could count on his Backstreet brothers, and instead, they were abandoning him.

Well, not 'they'. Memories flashed. AJ, behind the door of his destroyed Boston suite, lambasting Kevin viciously only to praise him publicly a few months later. This couldn't be another 'for your own good' moments Kevin sometimes did, could it? AJ hadn't been in any risk of being attacked in jail because of his hair color. I'm not even a real blonde anymore! Nick thought wildly.

"Brian?" he whimpered, unable to fight a sneeze any longer.

But it wasn't Brian who answered.

"He's in New York," Kevin snapped. "And I'm… busy. If I have a chance, I'll come out in a couple of days. Take this time to remember how to think, Nickolas. You could use that. And while you're at it, come up with a statement to save all of our careers."

"Brian!" Nick repeated, desperate.

"Nick, I have Larry King," his supposed best friend answered at last. "My appearance means people will know about the Club and donate. That might save lives one day… I can't just leave. Kevin will be there for you in two days. You'll be fine."

Only then could Nick hear disappointment in Brian's voice, too. Somehow, that hurt more than Kevin's earlier insults. He hung his head, blinking away sudden tears.

"Let's go, Carter. They want you to sign a few papers - just think of them as autographs - and then I'll show you to your suite."

Kevin was the first to hang up.

To be continued...