Nick screamed as he was suddenly, forcefully thrown from his bunk and into the one across from his hearing a loud crash. AJ yelped as he hit the wall and Nick crashed into him pinning him there. The two screamed in terror as the sounds of shrieking metal and people intermingled with the bone jarring thumps and grates. They heard Kevin screaming something to Howie who yelled back hysterically then yelled for Brian who didn't respond. Nick clung to AJ screaming his lungs out along with his tattooed friend. When it was all over the pair looked at each other and sighed. They had lived, but through what?

"What...was THAT?" Nick asked hoarsely pushing his head out the top of the bunk, which was in reality, the side.

"In layman's terms," AJ replied poking his head up next to him the flap of his bunk staying with his head. "We crashed dumbass!"

Nick shot him a look. "Kev! 'D! Rok! You alright?!"

They listened for a second before they heard a groan and Howie reply groggily. "Let me sleep mommy."

AJ grinned and removed his glasses, which had broke anyway. "Yeah Howie's Fine."

He pushed himself out of the bunk bed and onto the wall that was now the floor crawling along the little beam that was between the two beds until he reached the wall part then crouched and moved to the back door where he had heard Howie. Howie lay sprawled a few feet away from the door with Kevin kneeling over him.

"You a'ight Train?" AJ asked as he and Nick stumbled into the room.

Kevin looked up his face bruised and a cut running down his right cheek bled freely. "I'm fine Aje, you?"

"Dandy, considering." AJ nodded as Nick stumbled a bit.

"I think I hit my head on something..." Nick muttered as he watched Kevin lightly slap Howie's cheeks. The Latino had a large bruise forming on his upper left temple and blood running freely down his face. "Is he alright?"

"I think he has a concussion." Kevin replied then glanced around the room nervously again and to the window that was a few feet from where the two lied. "Brian was out here. I was in the restroom and Howie and Brian were out here." He looked back to the window behind him. "Oh God...Brian was thrown out the window."

AJ had, by this point in time, managed to find his way to the sunroof which was now on the side. He glanced out it at the forest they were going through. The bus was spread across the road at an odd angle and some people from nearby had gathered a few yards down near where a tree had fallen. One of them stepped back and AJ got a clear view of what it was they were surrounding. It was a body. The person's head was facing so AJ would've had an aerial view had he been in the air and he gasped at the bloodiness of the hair. The normally golden hair. Brian's hair. It was Brian that was sprawled under the tree not moving. "Shit!"

Kevin, Nick, and the now awake Howie all froze when AJ started to work the sun roof open frantically. He finally yanked it open and scrambled out ignoring his own soreness. "Brian!"

Nick's eyes widened at the fear in that one word and scrambled out followed closely by Kevin and Howie. When his young blue eyes caught sight of his best friend he easily out paced the rebel and shoved the onlookers out of the way. "Brian! Brian!"

The youngest Backstreet Boy fell to his knees beside Brian's prone and bloody form. He had been thrown from the bus. That had been the first crash of glass breaking he had heard. He took in the bruised and battered appearance of his best friend. The middle Backstreet Boy was lying on his stomach with his hands on either side of his head. His hair was matted with the blood that ran down his face making it look paler than it already was. The tree lay straddled across his lower back, it was bloody and seemed to be putting a great weight on the person trapped beneath it. "Brian wake up! Brian!"

Kevin appeared next to the frantic boy kneeling down and, pausing to take in Brian's form, checked him for a pulse the sobbed brokenly. "No...NO!"

Nick watched him for a moment before getting what Kevin meant. He started to sob uncontrollably. "No! Brian no!!"

Kevin sobbed openly as well joined by Howie and AJ they formed a circle around their fallen comrade. The bystanders all understood their need and backed off a few paces in respect.

Nick sobbed again. "No! Don't leave me Brian! BRIAN!" He sounded almost hysterical and the other three instantly were there hugging him to keep Nick from looking at the body of his best friend lying dead on the pavement in front of him.

Kevin rubbed his back as he hugged him crying. "Shhhhhh...It's okay Nicky...Shhhhhh.."

"N-N-N-HIC-No it's NOT okay!" The blonde cried pulling from his grip. "He's gone!" He fell back beside Brian and shook the other blondes shoulder. "Brian! Wake up! Please! FRICK! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

Kevin sighed and then broke down sobbing quietly next to Nick while Howie just stared out in dazed silence.

AJ sobbed and looked back to the bus. "I...I'm going to go check on the bus driver."

He took off before the others could protest. He couldn't believe it. Brian was gone. Dead. Killed, crushed by a piece of their bus. He bit back another sob as he leaned against the bus with one tattooed arm supporting himself as he walked. He reached the front of the bus and glanced in almost immediately saw the driver was dead. Bits of gray matter splattered the window and AJ could see bits and pieces of bone and brain that had yet to be removed from his head. There was a bit of the glass that was removed near where the drivers sightless hazel eyes stared out into. AJ sighed and closed the drivers eyes through there then perked up hearing a sound.

Sirens. It was then he remembered they had just passed through a town and the ambulance would be here soon. Too late to help Brian though. Brian who was always so bubbly and cheerful. Brian who was now laying cold and dead on the pavement in a pool of his own crimson life. He slowly went back to his friends

Nick sobbed hysterically next to his best friend. He was gone. Dead. Dead! At 27 his best friend lost his life. What was Leighanne going to think? She was going to break down! He looked to Brian and sobbed again. "Wh-why God WHY?! Why did you have to take him? Why?!"

"N-nick?" Nick stopped it had been so faint that he hadn't been sure he heard it. Then it came again, weak and soft but it was there none the less. "...Nick...?"

Nick glanced to Brian and saw his eyes opened slightly. "Brian!"

"N-Nick..." Brian gasped weakly. "Get...this...off...me..."

Nick nodded and glanced at Kevin and Howie, who were ready to help. Together, with some bystanders help, the boys pried the tree off Brian. Nick immediately rushed to Brian's side and cradled his best friend in his lap. "Don't leave me."

Brian tried to smile but coughed instead. "I won't Frack. I promise."

The other Backstreet Boys surrounded their dying fifth member openly grieving the loss. Brian smiled faintly then reached up weakly and brushed the tears from Nick's face. "No..tears..Frack...If..I'm meant...to...meet...God...today...that's...what..I'm...going...to...do...don't...cry."

Nick nodded still crying. "I-I'll try n-not to Brian."

"Tell...Leighanne...I...love...her." Brian gasped and spasmed and they all new he wasn't going to stay much longer. "Nick...pr-promise...me...y-you'll...take care...of...her..."

"I-I can't-" Nick started still sobbing. "I can't! You can't leave me Frack you can't!"

"I-if...that's...what...God...intends...I..will..." Brian replied smiling faintly. "Promise...me...Frack...promise...you'll...take...care...of...her...'til...your...dying...breath...Promise...me...

"I-I promise." Nick cried harder realizing his friend had no time left with him. "I promise Frick."

"I-in...my...desk...there's...letter...read...it..." Brian whispered weakly. "Until...we...meet...again....Frack...."

Then with a last shuddering breath Brian Littrell passed away cradled in his best friends arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~fifty years later~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The old man stared at the grave. It was surrounded by five more but this one was the oldest. Fifty years ago to the day. The blue eyes teared as he thought of it. It was fifty years to the day that his best friend had died in that wreck. A piece of himself died that day as surely as Brian himself had.

Nick just couldn't force himself to function after that. The only thing that kept him going was the dying wish of his best friend. He looked to the grave to the right of Brian's and sighed. The promise was over now. Leighanne had passed away in her sleep a few days before and now lay buried where she belonged next to her husband. Nick looked down at the letter in his hands and sighed. "I did it Bri...I kept my promise."

"So did I." A voice behind him said. A voice he hadn't heard in fifty years.

"Brian..." Nick whispered slowly turning around. He looked not a day older then 27 and was wearing the clothes he had been the day he died. The only difference between then and now was that he was smiling. "Brian!"

Brian held out his hand. "What're you waiting for Frack?"

Nick looked at Brian then to his hand hesitantly then he looked behind Brian where a glow was and could faintly make out five more shapes. Leighanne, Howie, AJ, who had died the year before, Kevin and Kristen were all waiting for him. Brian held his hand out again and Nick took it happily. The two walked back to the others hand in hand then together they all went home united again.